Goodbye 2006

It has been a good year. To say that we have been blessed once again would be an understatement. It was different with mom being diagnosed with breast cancer this past Spring but now being cancer free, it truly is a miracle.

The girls have grown and matured. We started the year with our oldest just tearing her ACL and going through all of the surgery and rehab, but she is doing well. Our youngest will be 15 in less than two weeks and she will have her driver's permit. Hard to believe.

My wife continues to put up with me and is simply incredible. Work has been good for me even though my position was deleted but another one was created that fits my skills, talents and desires well.

It has been a good year.

I did preach today at our home church and it went pretty well. We have two morning services so it makes for a full morning. I am still trying to fight off this cold or whatever it is and so far seem to be sort of winning the battle.

We went to an early dinner at P.F. Chang's with some friends and it was good food and a good time with them. We have a get together with our Sunday School class tonight and ring in the new year. Should be fun. I hope to do a little sleeping in tomorrow and watch some football. And . . . I am pulling for the Chiefs. The Broncos are currently losing to the 49ers, so even though it would mean the Chiefs backing in to the playoffs, it would still be the playoffs.

Update - Denver loses at home to the lowly 49ers and the Chiefs are in and are headed to Indy. Go Chiefs!

Cats Win

Well, we got a win today over Christian Heritage out of Dalton, GA. We played with much more intensity and finished some shots and many girls got to play. To be honest, I think the girls we played have played better games but they had a hard time getting a shot to fall. We ended up winning by about 40. Our youngest got in today and took one good shot and one ugly one but had a couple of steals.

I am finishing up a sermon that I am preaching tomorrow at our church related to Time. Seems appropriate with the end of the year tomorrow. I am comparing and contrasting how we see time as going and God sees it as coming. Colossians 3:1-4 is the text. I am planning on making it pretty interactive during the service so it may catch some folks off guard. As long as they walk away with something to hold on to and make a difference in how they live, we will have accomplished the purpose. Too many sermons are just informative. That is good but is not enough. I will try and let you know how it goes.

I ran 10 today and feel as though I am now trying to come down with a cold. Our youngest, Miss Funkalot lately, seems to be sharing her cold. I am trying to vitamin c and decongestant myself out of the cold. We will see.

Cheer for the Titans and the Chiefs tomorrow. Both are extremely long shots for the playoffs. Both have been surprising. Titans much better than anyone expected and the Chiefs very disappointing.

We are Marshall

We went and saw this movie tonight and thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course, there are Hollywoodized parts to it but it is an inspiring story of the commitment of people to not give up. Matthew McCona Hey-Hey-Hey as my wife and daughters call him, did a good job and Matthew Fox of Lost fame did a good job as well.

Our girls played again this morning and really came up short in the 4th quarter. I am not sure what all the problems are but I have my ideas and will not share them in a blog. It does take more than just playing hard part of the time and making good play calls. Chemistry is very important. They need a spark coming off the bench and our juniors have to step up and play big. One of those is our oldest and she has to be ready to play and play big. Our girls play again in the morning and then have a couple of days off before heading to Smith County on Tuesday. That will be a test as they have a 6'9" freshman that is definitely making a difference.

Fairly good football games on today. Missouri losing in the last few seconds put me in a funk. They really rolled over and died.

iPod/10 Miles/Basketball

It has been a beautiful day here in Middle Tennessee. I ran 10 again this morning (overachieving) with the iPod and had it set on shuffle. Yesterday's run was mostly John Mayer and today it was all over the page.

The girls played in a holiday tournament this morning and looked good for about 3.5 quarters. We missed a bunch of free throws (I think we were about 5 for 14) and outplayed them pretty much the whole game but lost by 4. We had a 4 minute span where we just went brain dead. Not knocking them, just is how it appeared. It was disappointing but nobody lost their life and at the end of the day, it really is just basketball. I have to remind myself of that often.

I thought overall we looked pretty good especially after being off over a week. We play again in the morning and then see when we play on Sat. based upon if we win or lose.

I took a long nap this afternoon in the recliner. It was pretty sweet. I do not need to get used to doing that with having to go back to work on Tues.

iPod/10 Miles/Vacation

It has been an interesting day today. Actually, nothing earth shattering or really all that unusual other than I did not have to work today. I went for a 10-miler on the greenway with my iPod in tow in my new arm running contraption that I got for Christmas. Since my arm is about as big around as a pencil, the strap went around about three times (slight exaggeration) but did not wobble or annoy me.

I put the iPod on John Mayer and just let it run. Made for a pretty calm run and not too fast since Mayer is not all hyped up on most of his songs.

Sat at Panera and did some work (not much) and drank some coffee and watched people. Interesting to watch people come in and out of the restaurant and see how they live. It is not a weird sort of people watching, just a study in psychology/sociology/anthropology. Maybe I will learn something.

The girls play basketball tomorrow so it will be good to be back in the gym. We will see how the holiday tournament goes.

Detroit and Back

I left for Detroit this morning very early and spent some time meeting and planning for some work to happen in 2007. It was pretty cold and wet and thankfully not too snowy. Middle Tennessee State is playing in the Motor City Bowl tonight so there were many MTSU fans on the plane. Met a nice couple who were going up to the game. They were both alumni and were excited about MTSU's first, real Division 1 bowl game.

I also made it to Apocalypto which was actually pretty good. The reviews have been that it is a blood fest but I really thought it was done pretty well. I would recommend you go see it if you are interested in the Mayan culture at all. It was very entertaining and thought-provoking.

Caught an earlier flight back on stand by which was really good. Got me home a couple of hours early. I am off the rest of the week and the girls have a tournament starting Thursday. Unfortunately, my wife has to go back to work tomorrow.

I forgot to mention - On Christmas night we went to the Christ Cathedral in downtown Nashville for midnight mass. It was very traditional as you might expect, and was very meaningful. The music was beautiful.

Looking forward to some more time off.

Merry Christmas

It has been a great day. I did a 5 miler this morning in between some rain showers and took the dog for a short walk and then got a quick shower before the girls got up to open presents. We read the Christmas story from Luke 2 and then opened presents. It was a great time of just being together. I did pretty good with some iPod accessories and some new noise cancellation headphones. Got some slacks and socks and cologne. It was good.

We had a couple from church come over for brunch and I ate good. I was just glad I ran 5 this morning. Had a mid-afternoon meal with our good friends and am at home watching Step Up with the family. It is a big movie for our girls and I am blogging during it. Not one of my favorite movies.

Merry Christmas to you. May God bless you and keep you and may you find the joy of Christmas through a relationship with Christ that is simply, life-changing.

Blogging Again

It has been almost a week since I last blogged. We enjoyed our time in Missouri with both the in-laws and the outlaws. You can decide which is which. We enjoyed seeing my wife's sister and her family and just hanging out together. Our daughters and their two sons and daughter get along great, so it is just good fun. We were with them until Weds and then headed up to my parents house.

While there we saw my neice and her family and visited with my brother and his wife and got to see my brother's youngest who is now 20. It has been about 15 years since I last saw him. It was cool to catch up with him. He was named after me which is quite an honor for me and hopefully not a curse for him.

We enjoyed a Christmas with my folks and a few of my cousins and an aunt on Fri. and then we loaded up yesterday for the 10 hour drive home. Thankfully the weather was good and the traffic not too bad except through St. Louis. I am not a fan of anything in St. Louis and especially the traffic.

Got home last night, did some shopping and a Panera run and then worked on a new wireless router and adapter for the house and TiVo which is way cool. After a ethernet card after church today, we are totally wireless in the house. Welcome to the new century you say. Glad to make it to the new millenium. Makes it nice on the laptop when the kids are on the desktop too.

I preached today for a friend. It was a pretty full house and it is a place I have preached before so they sort of know me and still came anyway.

Headed off to a Christmas Eve service at our home church and then to midnight service downtown for the first time. Should be cool.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

A Day Off in Missouri

Today was our first full day in Missouri on our Christmas vacation and it was a pretty good one too. I got up around 730a (late for me) and ran a 6 miler through Bolivar and into Dunnegan Park. I went to college here so it is always kind of fun to get back here and see some old sites and of course, visit the in-laws.

The in-laws are doing well. I spent some time working on a couple of computers that my father-in-law owns and trying to get them cleaned up a little bit. He has wireless in his house so that works great for me. The girls and I went up to the university and shot around for a little over an hour. I played them 2 on 1 and they wore me out. It was the first time I have gone down in defeat legitimately to them. They put a whipping on me. They missed very little and kept the floor spread so I was running crazy and they were not missing much. It was a historic day. They beat their dad soundly.

More family are coming later tonight from Tulsa, so it will be pretty busy and loud tomorrow. It will be great to have all of us together. We play hard and laugh a lot.

I am not sure where I found this picture but seems to be a good reminder especially to the cooks during the Christmas season.

Car Trip

We headed up to Missouri for the pre-Christmas visit since we told both sides of the family that we would be home for Christmas. We drove about 9 hours (with our dog) and stopped a few times for us all to get out and stretch. Lambert's (The Only Home of Throwed Rolls) was pretty incredible. It is in Sikeston and is always a good stop.

The weather was warm when we left Tennesse and is much colder in Missouri but we came prepared. Looking forward to some time to just kick back and take it a little easier. It is always good to be with family.

Short blog today. I will try to write more tomorrow or Tuesday.

Christmas Break

What a great time of year and with the warm weather in Tennessee it adds a great dimension. I did get to play a little golf yesterday. Okay, so it was fun, but it was obvious I had not played in three months or so. I did come away with one birdie so I guess that was the game highlight. I played with a couple of good friends and we enjoyed hanging out together.

This morning I took our oldest to a dermatologist and it was great fun just to hang out with her for a couple of hours. What a great kid (young lady). We laughed and joked around and I think I did not embarrass her too much so it was good for her too.

The girls play ball tonight and tomorrow and then we get ready to head to Missouri on Sunday to visit family. It is always good to be with family. Especially with mom's cancer deal this year and now for her to be free and clear. What a great Christmas present to all of us.

I head to Hyderabad, India in January and have been raising money for this mission endeavor. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of so many of our friends. What a blessing.

I am away from work now for the next couple of weeks with the exception of a quick trip on the 26th to Detroit and back home on the same day. It is good to have some days off when the girls are out of school too.

I Like It

The weather here in middle Tennessee is absolutely gorgeous for this time of year. We are having high 60s during the day and some good sun. Sure helps fight that Seasonal Affective Disorder that can set in come winter time. The only downer is the shorter daylight per day, but that will start changing in a week or two once the Winter Solstice hits.

Our girls have been taking tests this week finishing up the semester. They seem to be finishing the semester in a strong fashion. Our oldest has been fighting that stomach bug going around but is a trooper and is hanging tough.

If all goes well today, I hope to make it out to the golf course for one final round of the year. It has been a long time since I have been out, so my game might be ugly, but it should be good fun.

Some Nicer, Warmer Weather

It sure was cold at the end of last week but yesterday was in the high 60s and today, even though it was rainy, was in the high 50s. Supposed to get some warmer weather the rest of the week and the weekend. Yea!

I hope to sneak in some golf too. It has been a long time since I was out on the course. It may not be pretty, but hopefully, it will be fun.

Work was really busy today with many different meetings and our annual Christmas chapel at work. Mandissa was one of the featured soloists (yes the one of American Idol fame) and she did an incredible job. What an amazing voice and an incredible person. I have known her for about 6 years since we used to work at the same place. Neat lady with a beautiful voice.

Hoping to get back to yoga class in the morning. It has been too long and I will be totally inflexible again, but it will be good for me.

Home For A Week

We had a great time in Gatlinburg as a family this past Fri/Sat. It was crazy down there with all the shoppers, but we laughed and shopped and saw some friends and the girls played ball. We came in 2nd in all of our games against Seymour. They were big and strong and went had a hard time putting the ball in the hole.

The girls' teams seem to be getting better though which is good leading into district right after the first of the year. It would be good for us if we could come in 3rd or higher in the district. In fact, that would be a good season for us.

The Titans have won four in a row while the Chiefs seem to be dying a slow death. Too bad for the Chiefs. Looks like Vince Young for the Titans is the real deal though. Fun to watch and the guy is a winner.

We are home this week while the girls have semester exams and a game on Fri and Sat and then we head to Missouri to visit our folks in Bolivar and Harrisonville and then home on the 23rd.

This week will be busy. I will try to get you posted on what is going on.

A Good Day

It has been a good day. I have been in a collaborative meeting with about 100 other folks trying to get a handle on how we can do our work more effectively. I am always humbled by the wealth of experience and wisdom in a group setting. I have to agree that some times the collective thought of the group can be less than stellar, but this group is outstanding.

I have met a number of new folks and reacquainted with many old friends and co-workers We meet for another day and half and then I am headed home on Thursday and then we head to Gatlinburg for a couple of games. It will be good to be with family again and them come home for a week of work in the office and then a week in Missouri with both sets of our parents.

Our girls played ball tonight and lost both games again but they were close. We are getting a slow start and then playing pretty even but the hole is too deep to dig completely out of. They will get it figured out. I hated to miss it. I am planning on being back in time on Thurs. to see them play and then the Gatlinburg trip is for games as well.

It is a good thing that we love ball.

San Antonio to Toccoa, Georgia

Still traveling and feeling fairly tired tonight. We had a great meeting in San Antonio and got to make a quick visit to the Alamo. Up early this morning to catch a 6am flight through Memphis to Greenville/Spartanburg, SC and then drove to Toccoa which is about an hour.

It has been a long day. I stopped at Panera for lunch and to use the free wi-fi but for some reason I could not get my computer to work with the free wireless. It was frustrating and I was not able to check email and all that other stuff I do, like blog, but the facility we are meeting at has wireless. So. . . all is not lost. I was able to make a quick 5-miler once I got here and then had to take a freezing cold shower since the hot water heater had not been turned on. Cold. Cold. Cold.

I miss being home already but am looking forward to networking the folks who will be here. It will be a good meeting.

On the Road, Again

Today I leave for a meeting in San Antonio through Monday morning and then fly to Greenville/Spartanburg for a series of meetings in the mountains of Georgia. The good thing is that all of these meetings are very strategic to my work, and the bad is that they are all away from home.

The girls had a varsity game last night and lost by three after being down by 18. They fought back hard and then ran out of gas. Tough loss, but good experience.

I have been working on my running log for the year and trying to get that caught up as well as sending off the Christmas card picture to Wally World for them to make some cards for us to send along with our annual Christmas letter. In reflecting on the year, it has been very interesting and rewarding. It is always good to reflect, but I am ready to do some dreaming and goal-setting and get on with life. Can't wait to see around the corner of what is in store.

Yesterday afternoon I attended the funeral of the aunt of young lady that lives with us. It is always hard to lose those we love. This dear lady suffered with cancer and lost the battle earlier in the week.

Sobering

I got up early enough on Thursday to head out for a 5-miler and ran through some of the neighborhoods that I normally run through when in New Orleans. It is hard to believe that 15 months later, most of the homes still remain empty and many of them like they were when the storm hit and the waters finally receded. Seeing the effects 15 months later and so much left to do was sobering.

I went by the 17th St. Canal and saw where one of the major breaches occurred and was surprised to see a new home built within about 25 feet of the breach. Not sure if that means they are not going to let the storm and floods beat them or if they are just unwise. Not a judgement, just an observation.

My experience at the seminary in New Orleans went really well yesterday. The two profs that allowed me time in their class are just great guys and they have a great group of students. After class, we headed to a chapel time they have 3 times/week and then out to lunch at a restaurant on St. Charles. I ordered some grilled shrimp enchiladas and they were awesome.

Made it to the airport a little early and ended up sitting for four hours waiting on flight attendants who were on another flight delayed because of all the storms across the US. I got home around 830p, but missed our daughter's volleyball banquet which was a real drag. I did meet and talk with some nice folks in the airport and with each delay, other people went to the bar and ordered more beer and liquor. I guess not so sobering.

This morning's run was very cold and windy. It was 75 degrees and humid for yesterday's run in New Orleans, and a wind chill of 30 here in Nashvegas this morning. It is December though and cold is expected. Kind of sobering.