And Down Goes The Ball

Happy New Year to all my friends and family

The Grand Experiment

As the new year approaches, I wanted to take a moment and reflect. I started this blog last February as an experiment. I was looking for an outlet - a place to record the day-to-day happenings as well as some of my thoughts and my struggles. To a large extent, this has worked well for me. Over the last 10 months, a fair number of you have followed on a regular basis. (Jack-Sean, you rock!) A few have even posted. (Thank you)

The blog has accumulated over 500 messages (posts and comments) as well as almost 14,000 page views. As to where this will end up next year? I really don't know. For my part I intend to continue chronicling my journey through life. Hopefully in a way that will, at least part of the time, entertain capture the interest of a few of you out their in the blogsphere.

blessings on your day

Out With The Old

Well it has been a wild ride, this 8th year of the 21st century. Between the melt down of the economy and some pretty intense personal/familial struggles I am happy to see it go. For many, the new year is a time to make changes - or at least purpose to. For me it is a time to refocus on the future and put the past where it belongs - in the past.

I am not a huge fan of New Year's Resolutions as few of those ever come to pass. However, I have taken 2 weeks off from the gym and will be starting back up come January 5th (with half of Roseville & Rocklin I am sure).

In our house we have few traditions around the new year. We often have pork loin and sauerkraut but we didn't get any. It is the day that I work on taking down the (rest of) the Christmas decorations and start getting tax records in order. I am sure Andrew will be watching bowl games.

may God bless you with a Happy New Year
the Wizard

My Girls

My girls from Christmas Eve [Jocelyn was not there :( ]

The Christmas Eve service was spectacular as always. We went to the 10:30 service (the last of 13 services) and managed to get very good seats thanks to Sarah and Hannah who parked across the street and sprinted through the kitchen in the pouring rain to get inside prior to the doors opening.

The Happy Couple

It was nice having Andy here for Christmas. He and Rae spent almost 5 days with us. Andy made Yorkshire pudding (see below) for Christmas dinner. Rachael took Andy and I to the King's game last night (the Celtics whomped 'em) were we had a glorious time.

Christmas Dinner

We had 17 at Christmas dinner this year. Brian and his mom were there as well as Jocelyn & Andrew's dad. We cooked a turkey and Jocelyn brought the ham. Diane was, unfortunately, sick this year but sent her sweet potato casserole along.
The one spot of real excitement this year was the Yorkshire puddings which bubbled over the oil and started a small (we had to evacuate the house) fire in the oven. As I told Andy, these are the things we remember and will tell around the table for years to come.

I pray that you all had a blessed Christmas day

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from
the Otto Family

The Greatest Story Ever Told

Luke 2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

The Eve

I am still working today so it feels less like Christmas Eve than in previous years. It seems that there is a mad dash to finish everything up at work prior to the end of the year. I am betting next week will be worse.

Emma is at home getting the house ready for Christmas dinner. She is amazing :o) The kidlets will arrive at 4 pm or so. They are having their "Christmas" with mom and step dad this morning. Jocelyn and Andrew are enjoying time with their dad this week as well. It will be the first time in 10 years that both their mom & dad are in the same place for Christmas.

My wife got me a new shirt and tie to wear with my suit this evening. We will be leaving at 9 to head over to church. They expect 3,000 people for the last service at 10:30 so we may have to get creative to get seats.

blessings on your day

The Countdown Continues

Only 2 more days until Christmas. The ham and turkey are thawing in the garage. All the side-dishes have been assigned out and beds are allocated. Noah went over to grandpa & grandma's house yesterday and made a gingerbread house.

I am in the office again today, but will finish up the afternoon working from home as E goes to work at 2:30.

blessings on your (crazy) day

Party Recap

The annual Arabesque Christmas Party was a smashing success this year. Most of the neighbors managed to show up at some point or other. And almost everyone got into the spirit of the season by dressing up as their favorite persona from the 80's :) Madonna was particular good. A special mention to Jack-Sean who was a very good sport about his house lights which developed a mysterious case of random flashing over the last couple of weeks.

Christmas Party, 2008

Interesting

I was rather surprised at President-To-Be Obama's choice to give the invocation at his inauguration. Don't get me wrong, I have a great deal of respect for Rick Warren. What I am questioning are the motives behind the choice. Mr. Obama has never struck me as one to put a lot of trust in God. He is by far, one of the smoothest politicians of our generation. His choice of Rick Warren has inflamed the gay community and is seemingly at odds with his stance on many of the social issues of the day.

Tell me what you think - is he genuinely reaching out to the "Christian Right" at the expense of the gay community or is this simply another political ploy designed to smooth things over?

Rude Drivers

As I was leaving the development this morning, a beat up honda came screaming around a corner forcing me to take abrupt evasive action. In the course of which, my coffee cup tipped over dumping coffee and creamer onto the passenger seat soaking the seat and everything on it. What kind of idiot drives 40-50 mph through a housing development in the rain?

Sigh...

R U Done?

'Tis the season, eh? Hopefully, the casual reader has finished his or her Christmas shopping. The malls are ugly this year and the mood seems very grim. I have noticed a lot more incidents of road (parking lot) rage and intolerance this year. The collapsing economy has everyone on edge. Even the sales clerks seem a tad desperate and less willing to be gracious and accommodating.

As Christians, we are called upon to make a difference in the world around us. I will admit that I struggle with not getting caught up in the frantic, frenetic chaos and general gloom that seems to characterize this holiday season. It is harder and harder for me to remember to be gracious, kind, loving and compassionate as I deal with the ugliness that pervades the stores and surrounding areas.

There is only a week left before Christmas. Take some time today and for the next week to remember what Christmas means. Go out of your way to spread some cheer. Make it a point to encourage someone. And above all else, don't get caught up in someone else's "grinch-ness."

Warming Up

It was only 36 this morning when I got home from the gym. This is MUCH better than the 27 degrees on my display in the car yesterday :) We are fortunate to live someplace that rarely sees a hard freeze (below 30 for several days at a time). Unfortunately, we are rarely prepared when we DO get one. Some of my pipes are wrapped and protected - some are not. It is always a crap-shoot when the temps dip down below freezing at night.

blessings on your day (and your water pipes)

A Time To Give

We finally got some rain :) Hopefully it will stay for a day or so. They got at least a foot of snow up top with another foot forecast for today.

Went to start dinner this morning and discovered that we had no "cream-O" soup in the cupboard so I improvised. Tonight we are having chicken-veggie-tomato-curry :) It smelled yummy by the time I left. E is on days today so we get to eat dinner together for the 2nd night in a row.

If you still have doubts about the economy, listen to the ads. A number of stores are already starting their "after-Christmas" sales and everyone has steep discounts. Now is the time to increase your giving to the charity of your choice. If you are working, current on your mortgage and paying all your bills, consider helping out those that are not. All the charities are reporting alarmingly low contributions - and at a time when record numbers of people are in need. If you have been blessed, pass the blessing along.

blessings on your day

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Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven

Lego my Robot!

Saturday Sarah and I drove down to attend Nate's last Lego Robotics competition (click HERE for the pictures and videos). His team did better than he expected, ranking about 30 out of 90 teams.

Socked In

Wow, was it ever foggy this morning! Visibility was down to maybe a tenth of a mile during the morning commute. The sun is poking through a little bit right now, but they are calling for rain and snow (down to 5,000 feet) this weekend. It sure will be good to get some rain. Hopefully this is just the opening salvo in a long line of storms.

Bound for Clovis

Nate's last Lego Robotics competition is this Saturday. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I am heading down to Clovis. Sarah is going to hitch a ride with me as she hasn't seen her brother for a while. We should be back around 5 p.m. with lots of pictures.

Brrrrrrr

It was chilly this morning in the car on the way to the gym. The gauge on the dash claimed a frosty 35 degrees. It seems winter is finally here. Unfortunately, the rain is not. It has been disturbingly dry this year after the opening salvo of rain. The ski resorts are using man-made snow for the most part and they are already talking about drought restrictions for next year.

The Slow Road

It has been quite a while since my last posting and longer still since any substance. The holiday times continue to be a season of struggle for me. Over the years, I have come to feel like an alien within my extended family - an outsider or visitor with little or nothing in common with most of them other than genetics. I watch bigotry be tolerated. I see verbal abuse as the standard for interaction. I see the next generation lacking basic skills like respect and politeness. I see some family members so out of control as to present physical danger to the younger children.

I struggle with the loss of cohesion and intimacy within my own family as the children grow, move on with their lives, and retreat behind a facade of small talk and pleasantry.

The meaning of Christmas seems lost amidst the chaos of shopping, preparations and marketing. Even the church is so caught up in pageantry and extravaganza to the that the message of Jesus is diluted and watered down or absent entirely.

This is the season when we are remembering the birth of a Savior, let us work harder to keep Him at the center of our Christmas.

blessings on your day

It's Official

CNN reports that "The U.S. entered a recession in December 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research."

Can you say 'Duh' ?

Wish List

Speaking of India, the above is the number one item on my Christmas list. It is a Lego model of the Taj Mahal. It contains almost 6,000 pieces.

blessings on your day

Tragedy

The tragedy in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) this week is, once again, a stark reminder that the world is not what it was. By targeting western tourists, they will end up causing even more damage to the already fragile economy of India. I have a number of friends from India so I tend to be perhaps more sensitive to these news stories.

pray for India

A Griswold Christmas

It is that time of year again - the time of year when normally sane, rational men turn sedate, fashionable suburbia into a garish, fuse-blowing, eye-numbing light show. Yes ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about putting the Christmas lights up. I got the lights on the eaves put up Tuesday before the rain started. Today I add the reindeer, Coca-Cola bear, assorted candy canes, flood lights and nets for the bushes.

After all, I have a reputation to uphold :)

A shout-out to Jack-Sean who was impressed that I had my first layer of lights up in time to illuminate the neighborhood fire pit on Thanksgiving evening.

Kidlets

We had a really nice week. Sunday we celebrated Sarah and Andrew's birthdays. Then Rachael drove Hannah and Nathan down from the cabin on Tuesday. Tuesday night I made an Indian curry for dinner as Rachael rarely gets curry down in Fresno. Friday Aaron came up for the day and went with us to the game. He said he hasn't had that much fun or screamed that loud at a sporting event for as long as he could remember. We enjoyed the children very much :)

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was nice. We spent Thursday and Friday at my parent's house. The picture above is my niece, Corinne who seems to be horrifically camera-shy. This is one of the few shots I have gotten of her :)

Friday is an Otto family tradition. We actually have more family members there on Friday than on Thursday. Friday is the day we make cookies - not just any cookies, but traditional, hard as a rock, German Christmas cookies :) The recipe is a family secret or I would post it.

Black Friday

Yes we were there. We were out the door by 3:55 and joined the line to get into JCP. We got the coffee maker we wanted without incident (well not quite as the ad was wrong so we had to get a price adjustment then the one we bought was defective but no one was injured).

Hannah got ran into by a lady with a shopping cart when she snagged the last crock pot at Kohl's. We staggered home about 9 a.m. having restricted our purchases to the few items we needed.

I am deeply saddened by the horror and death that the rest of the country experienced.

And So It Ends

Roseville lost to Burbank last night to end the season. Burbank dominated the 1st half. Even though Roseville made a spectacular comeback in the 3rd & 4th quarters, it was not enough as they went down in defeat 27-36.

Andrew had a great 2nd half following a concussion late in the 2nd quarter. He was laid out for several minutes- long enough that they brought out the stretcher. He talked the trainer into letting him return after half-time.

There were scouts from all the major colleges in the stands last night so hopefully several of them noticed my boy :)

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Sarah! We love you!

Vacation Time

I am off work this week. The asked us to use vacation days up. The office is still open but manned by a skeleton staff. If the rain holds off, I will work on getting the Christmas decorations up on Wednesday. Tuesday afternoon, Rachael is driving down from the cabin with Nate and Hannah who will stay until Friday (Rae is spending Thanksgiving with her mom).

Of course Friday is cookie day at my parents house. I will see if I can remember to post some pictures later.

blessings on your day

Holidays

I don't know what the holidays are like for you (this year and others). I know that for me and mine, things are not what they once were. My peers grew up in a world where families stayed in the area for generations and divorce was rare and never discussed about. Such is not the case today.

I don't want to get into a long discussion about the circumstances and the choices that brought us to this place - instead I want to talk about how we cope. The scene above is from the Time-Life archives and shows an image from what I remember as a kid. The holidays were a time when the family came together to celebrate, eat, reminisce and laugh.

Today it is a time of anxiety and stress. Who will be at which house for what meal? Are we celebrating on the "day of" or a day before/after? Which "ex" can be invited and what relatives won't show if they are? Whose traditions will we use this year? Which children will be there on which days?

As a child and later as a young man I looked forward to the holidays. They represented a time of joy, relaxation and comfort. Today they represent a time of stress, anxiety and grieving over loss. I know that I am not alone in this - more and more of the families in my life have been shattered by tragedy of some sort (some due to outside influences, some due to choices).

This year my prayer is that we reach out to those for whom this holiday season is not one of joy and hope. This year let us come together to make new families. Let's focus on the reasons rather than the seasons (trite but still applicable). Let's recognize those that are struggling and walk along side them. And let's not assume that everyone is "fine" even when they say they are.

blessings on your day

Ramblings

The last week or so has been "difficult" at work. Not so much a conflict sort of difficult but simply "too much needs to be done immediately" sort of difficult. Some of that pressure is removed with the release of the new software version and the completion of a customer project. However I fear that today will be not much better. The release last night was pushed through the system much too quickly and contains way too much new functionality. I expect that today will be filled with emergency patch releases and much waving of hands.

Playoff Bound

We finished our season at 7-3 with a rather sloppy loss to Rocklin H.S. It was easy to see that the team was not really committed to the game. We had far too many penalties and turnovers. On the plus side, Andrew got almost 100 yards on 5 or so receptions with a touchdown. We start the playoffs this Friday with a game at home against Rosemont.

Is It a Hate Crime????

Excerpt from an article in the Sac Bee this morning:

Scott Eckern, artistic director for the California Musical Theatre, resigned Wednesday as a growing number of artists threatened to boycott the organization because of his $1,000 donation to the campaign to ban gay marriage in California.

A little background is probably in order for those that are not native to CA or privy to it's recent election. Several elections ago, the voters of CA passed a measure that defined marriage as between "a man and a woman." Earlier this year the CA supreme court ruled that this initiative violated the state constitution. Supports of the original measure got together and submitted a proposition to the voters that would amend the state constitution to echo the original measure. This proposition (#8 on the ballot) passed by 52% to 48% following a very volatile campaign (very heated on both sides).

Prop 8 was supported AND opposed by many groups and individuals (including churches, civic groups, corporate entities and public figures). A lot of rhetoric spewed forth and there were picketers at every major intersection. Both sides called for boycotts of companies that were on the other side of the issue (which side is the "other" depends on your point of view).

Mr Eckern, because of his religious beliefs, contributed to the support of Prop 8 from his personal funds. Today he is out of a job and has been blacklisted by an entire industry. Opponents of Prop 8 have published on a website, an extensive list of contributors to the "Yes on 8" campaign.

At what point does this become persecution? At what point does this become a Hate Crime? How far does our freedom of speech take us in the USA? Let me know what you think....

No Matter What You Call It

Why is it that the gubermint is so afraid of acknowledging what is happening to our economy? Months ago people were saying we were in a recession yet it has only been very recently that the "officials" cautiously suggested we might be in a recession.

The latest jobless figures, stock market numbers and drop in imports paints a far bleaker picture. Everywhere I look I see people battening down the hatches, closing the storm windows and preparing to weather the blizzard.

There has been countless articles published placing blame on various agencies, lack of oversight and mis-management. We have heard about corporate greed and malfeasance, inept fund managers and congressional bribery. While all of this is certainly true, the root cause, I believe, runs much deeper.

The baby boomer generation is shallow, self-centered and hedonistic. Today we are reaping the harvest that we have been planting for the last 40 years. Will it get better? Sure - for a little while, but until we as a nation wake up to the foundational elements that are corrupted or flat out missing, we are doomed to repeat this cycle.

The sad (and yes terrifying) part is that our children will take this to the next level. Not content with hedonism they are descending into pure narcissism. For an excellent article on all of this, click HERE.

The Forest for the Trees

I love forests. There is something wonderful about hiking in the woods. Several weeks ago when we visited Lake Tahoe, we went for a day hike on the Eagle Falls trail. While the picture to the right is not from that hike, I find it very relaxing.

I enjoy the escape from the noise and chaos of the rest of the world. I enjoy the wonder of God's creation. The dappled light as it filters through the trees is almost hypnotic.

blessings on your day

Fear Not

Fear is a powerful motivator - it is also the antithesis of Love. Fear has controlled much of my life. I suspect that I am not alone in this, in fact I see it far too often in my children. What is it about this world that makes us so fearful? Why do we allow fear to make our decisions for us?

I don't have the answers to those questions; all I have is who I am. My fears typically revolve around production, performance and perfection. Yep, you got it - I have a huge fear of failure. Over the years this has manifested in many areas of my life. When I was younger I was terrified of failing as an employee. It drove me to succeed at any cost. The respect of my boss and coworkers was my ultimate goal.

As I got older and more secure in my job, my fear shifted to more personal areas. Failing as a father began to consume me. For those of you that know my personal history, especially regarding my divorce, this is probably understandable. My fear drove some of my decisions but more importantly, caused me to respond "badly" whenever I felt that my position as dad was threatened.

As I get older and confront my fears, I find that they are rarely as bad as my imagination makes them out to be. One by one they fall by the wayside. Periodically one or more will make an attempt at a comeback - sometimes I react and sometimes I banish them. The only antidote to fear is the Word. By staying in the Word, reading every day, I can keep my fears at bay.

Sometimes fear is a good thing. We are told to fear God - which is appropriate. Sometimes our fears can encourage us to improve. I fear to fail as a husband; this is good as it pushes me to find ways to be better. It drives me to find ways to love my wife that match up with the way she needs to be loved. It forces me to get better.

I was recently challenged to ask my wife "have I loved you well today?" So far the answer has not been very positive. It is not that I have failed to love her; I just have not loved her the way that she needs me to. I know that I will improve. I will face my fear of failing her head on and rise to the challenge. Someday I know I will hear her say "yes, I truly feel well loved."

blessings on your day

Matthew 10:28 "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

Early Start?

We had a bit of fog this morning :) Understandable see as how we also had a lot more rain than usual for this time of year. The rain followed by the warm weather ensured plenty of moisture in the air. Coupled with our standard valley inversion creates the perfect recipe for fog. Unfortunately it also creates the perfect recipe for disaster as drivers always seem to get caught off guard.

Be careful out there

The Great Struggle

I have come to the conclusion that life is rarely easy, calm or fair. It seems that no matter how many mountains you conquer, there is another one waiting as you crest the ridge. I will confess that sometimes I ask God for a time of rest and whine at Him. Intellectually I know that He is in control and that He has a plan. Intellectually I know that He never allows more than I can handle. Sometimes however, all of the preceding seems rather nebulous.

Over the course of the last several weeks I have read the writings of the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. This has served alternately as an encouragement and a source of despair. I look at how faithful they both were to continue proclaiming God's Word to an obstinate and uncaring generation - that encourages me to persevere. I also see that neither of them got any encouragement or support from the people around them or their circumstances. They both spent their entire ministry in "The Great Struggle" without any relief at all - this serves as a source of despair to me.

I have to constantly remind myself that this life is temporary and is primarily so that God can work a change in me. I hold on to the promises that His grace is sufficient and that He will supply what I need. I strive to spend more time on my knees and less time whining and I hold on to what I know no matter what I feel.

blessings on your day

Whole Foods

They are finally open :) We wandered over Saturday morning and spent too much on too little (easy enough to do there). I did end up with 2 new curries and some spicy mango chutney which I used to make my Kashmir Lamb Saturday night. We also picked up some great cinnamon bread.

The coffee bar is so-so, but they do have a very good breakfast buffet (and a taqueria, salad bar and noodle bowl bar). The wines are over priced but the cheese selection is better even than the Nugget. The meat counter has quite a few prepared meats as well (marinated, stuffed, etc.) We will certainly never do our grocery shopping there but it is nice to have someplace to go when you need that one, hard to find, special ingredient.

TSO

This Saturday, I get to see TSO :) Jimbo had an extra ticket, w00t! They have an amazing light show. This will be my 3rd time at their Christmas concert. If you ever get a chance, check them out.

Prepping the Yard

We worked in the yard much of Saturday, getting it cleaned up after several weeks of neglect. I did end up on the roof as the last rain clearly showed that my rain gutters needed some attention. It continues to amaze me that I can get chunks of stuff stuck in the gutters 10 years after the house was built. As best I can tell, birds are collecting chunks of wood and tile and depositing them in my gutters. Apparently Brookie was very amused (or confused) by the sight of Mr. Otto on the roof :)