Feeling Sick

I can’t say that there is ever really a good time to be sick. However, the last few days have been an especially bad time to be ill. We have been doing our best to pack everything in the house into boxes, close on our house, close on the house we are buying, and all the while I have been battling the worst cold I have had in several years. Add to that, both Cassidy and Callie have had the sickness as well. There have been several nights where I have had very little sleep, sometimes up helping Amy with Callie when she was running a fever.

Thankfully, I believe we are all starting to feel a little bit better. I’m hoping the worst is over, and I’m REALLY hoping that Amy doesn’t get sick. We visited the house last night, and today the house is getting cleaned. Provided I feel up to it, I plan to go to the house tonight to paint. If the children feel up to it, Amy will bring them up and we will take turns watching them while the other paints or puts a few things away. The house needs a lot of work, it is definitely an investment, but it has some good potential. Items first on the agenda will be to either replace the countertops and wallpaper in the kitchen, or to paint the living room. We will then probably work on redoing the kitchen floor (probably tile). Lots of work ahead, and I hope to provide some pictures on here soon. Thanks for reading, and a SPECIAL “Thank you” to Nena for watching the children yesterday while we closed on the house. You are such a great friend!!!!

Packing Up

I thought I would give an update on our moving. Amy and I have spent a considerable amount of time cleaning out the attic and the bonus room. I think this time we have really learned our lesson about keeping stuff that we never use. Basically, we have hung onto stuff for years that just sits up in the attic. Things like old trophies, records, clothes from high school, etc. Once we get to our new house, we plan to have a rummage sell to finally get rid of most of it. What we can’t sell, we will donate to someone or someplace. Really, when we make the decision to finally do away with those items, we rarely regret it. There is a lot of freedom in keeping only the things we use. That is our goal.

We hope to finish the attic and bonus room tonight. That entails moving the final boxes and stuff down to the garage. The garage is already almost ¼ full of boxes. The office is completely boxed up and ready to move, and the utility room is getting closer.

The closing date for our new house is this Thursday, so we hope to go in and clean Thursday and Friday night. Saturday and Sunday we will begin moving all the little stuff that Amy and I can manage. I think we are going to borrow my dad’s truck and trailer. Then, on Monday, we are having a moving company come to move all the big stuff. There was a time in my life when I would have looked at a moving company as a waste of money, but the older I get the less I like breaking my back. I’m still in good shape, but you are just tempting fate when you spend hours lifting heavy objects when you are not used to doing that.

So that is about it. Just moving and looking forward to the new house and area. I think we are going to finally get high speed internet, so that will be nice.

Dates to Remember

Everything went fine with the closing on our house, so it is a done deal!

I just thought I would post some dates for anyone who is interrested and to help us remember. We must be out of our house on or before Thursday, October 5th. We are supposed to close on the house we are buying this Thursday, September 28th. That will give us one week to get the new house cleaned, and all of our stuff moved in.

Moving is generally both an exciting time and a little sad. I plan to post a little bit about that in the future.

Hangin On To Earth

I wrote a note to my sister this morning, and I said I would try to find a quote for her from C.S. Lewis. To make a long story short, I was talking to her about trying to hang on to things of this world. In Mere Christianity, I remember Lewis saying that if we try to hang onto things of this world, we will end up loosing them. His point was that things Eternal are so much more important. But, as Christians, if our focus is indeed on the Eternal, many times God will give us the desires of our heart. This philosophy is much deeper, but with the time I have at the moment this will suffice. Here is the quote sis:

Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you will get neither."
--C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

Where to go next?

If all goes well, this is where we will be going. The goal: Flip the house in 6 months! The house needs some work, but I think we are up to it. Perhaps this blog will become a way to keep track of our progress.

Cassidy Takes Third!

Cassidy took third place in the Wal-Mart coloring contest this week. We were very proud of her! As you can see, she colored a picture of Winnie the Pooh. Her prize was a large color wonder poster and markers. There were several other contestants in her category. Her third place ribbon will remain on the refrigerator for quite a while, before it retires to the scrapbook.

This week has been filled with uncertainties. The house inspection came back on the house that we are in the processing of buying. Unfortunately, there are several issues with the house. This is a wonderful house, and we did not expect to get a negative report. We are now faced with the question as to whether or not we want to go any further. Time is a determining factor, and we really don’t want to rent if we don’t have to. We have also put earnest money down, paid for an inspection, and quite possibly have paid for an appraisal. There paperwork has been set in motion, but it is not too late to stop. Big decision to make! What do you think will happen? Keep reading the blog to find out!

Lest We Forget...

Tomorrow marks the five year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I will never forget where I was at during that terrible day. Having just made it to school, I overheard two teachers in the hallway talking. At that point, one of the towers had been hit, and many people were thinking it might have been an accident. I then heard someone say, no two planes hit the towers. I quickly turned on the television to see the burning buildings. I and the teacher across the hall watched in horror. I saw the buildings come down, and wondered what else would happen that day. I remember putting all the information on the board for my students and updating it as news became available. When my first class came in, most of them had not heard about it. I remember the looks on their faces as I did the best I could to explain to them the situation, realizing that none of us could fully grasp how terrible this event was.

In the days that followed, I was proud to see our country come together the way it did. For a brief moment in time, we all felt like brothers and sisters. We prayed for each other, cried for people we did not know, and leaned on one another. We learned that America can still pull together if it needs to. We cheered for the firefighters who gave their lives to save others. We heard about the bravery of those aboard flight 93, who took destiny into their own hands with the words, “Let’s Roll.” There were so many stories of so many people. The pentagon, the police. They were all heroes in every aspect of the term, and we must never forget the price they paid.

Farewell Steve Irwin

Yesterday the world lost a true hero. Steve Irwin, known by most of us as "The Crocodile Hunter" was stabbed in the heart by a stingray while filming off the coast of Australia. Although he was able to pull the barb out, the likely combination of deadly poison and blunt trauma to the heart was more than his body could handle.

Steve Irwin was a great environmentalist, and brought to many of us the excitement of living in the outback. As a teacher, I often referred to him in class. His unique and daring style of handling dangerous creatures was thrilling to watch, and it seemed as if everyone knew and admired the Crocodile Hunter.

His death is a sad reminder that none of us are immortal. We never know what the next day, or even the next moment may bring. Whether it is a car accident, a heart attack, or the sting of a venomous creature, we all have our date with destiny. As many an old hymn says, we are just pilgrims passing through. He left behind a wife and two children, and a legacy that will live on for a very long time. We will miss you Steve Irwin.

Love For a Lifetime

Tonight I read a book I have not picked up in ten years. The book is called, “Love For a Lifetime” by James Dobson. Dr. Dobson is the host of the radio program Focus on the Family. He is a conservative Christian who I greatly admire and respect. Over the past several years I have read many of his books and consider him to be a great leader in the defense of family, marriage, and other institutions I hold in high regard.

Amy and I got this book when we first got married. It is very interesting how ten years can change one’s perspective. Dr. Dobson talks about so much in the book that I didn’t pay much attention to the first time I read it. For example, he warns men against becoming a silent introvert in marriage. How many husbands today unknowingly struggle in this area? As an example, he recites the lyrics from a Paul Simon song where the artist paints a vivid picture of shielding himself from the outside world. A couple of the lines go like this:

“I am a rock, I am an island…I have no need of friendship, friendship causes pain, its laughter and its loving I disdain…I won’t disturb the slumber of feelings that have died. If I never loved I never would have cried…hiding in my room, safe within my womb. I touch no one and no one touches me. I am a rock, I am an island.”

Dobson also gives advice about money, sex, and an especially interesting chapter called The Marriage Killers. I found this chapter relevant mostly because of a couple we know who recently got divorced. We had known them for many years, but as friendships often go, we had somewhat grown apart. Amy and I did our best to keep the relationship alive, many times inviting them over for supper, but they seemed just too busy. After a while we stopped asking. Then, one day out of the blue, we heard they had separated, and about a week later we heard they went up and got a divorce. How quickly life changes. Dobson lists 12 marriage killers:

1. Over-commitment and physical exhaustion
2. Excessive credit and conflict over how money will be spent
3. Selfishness
4. Interference from in-laws
5. Unrealistic expectations
6. Space invaders (here he talks about jealousy, needy spouses, etc.)
7. Alcohol or substance abuse
8. Pornography, gambling, and other addictions
9. Sexual frustrations, loneliness, low self-esteem, and the greener grass of infidelity
10. Business failure
11. Business success
12. Getting married too young

I’m not sure how many of these, if any, our friends had. We watched them take their vows, and now they just threw it all away. I don’t judge them. Marriage is difficult at times. Sometimes really difficult. But I do know that Amy and I want our marriage to be strong, and free from as many marriage killers as possible. I can’t help but wonder how many of our other friends have some of these deadly combinations in their marriages even today. How many couples do we know who will take the path of broken vows, custody battles, alimony, child support, attorney fees, sleepless nights, and as Dobson straightly puts it, “broken dreams.” I hope none, but statistically I know different. Maybe this book can help.

About the picture. I know it says 2006, but since I don't have a scanner, I used the camera to take a picture of a picture. It was actually taken around January of 1996. Can you see the firecat? Alright, well I got excited about taking pictures of pictures, and so here are a few more, mostly from the early 90's. The pictures just didn't seem right without a caption, and how many of you will really care where and when they were taken (even if I could remember). So, I thought I would show you what a poor poet I am:

Once upon a time, there was a girl and a guy,

He liked to play music, and she was so shy.

The music would stay, and the shyness would leave

And then to each other, both would they cleave.
And so would begin, a new life, a new chapter,

And they lived happily ever after!"

Cassidy and Curlers

I just couldn't resist putting this one up!

Tonight the four of us went for a long walk. It is nice to enjoy the cooler weather. We can really tell that Fall is in the air. The season of Fall seems to bring with it change, and this season looks to be no different. Although we are still yet to hear anything on the house, we both feel we should know something soon.

I'm still rejoicing over the sale of the car, and I'm thinking about parting with the Jeep. Perhaps we will get a mini-van, or something similiar.

This is also Labor Day weekend. This weekend always brings back good memories of the times the band would get together. For several years we had a cookout or something big over this weekend. I really miss those days, and if anyone from that time happens to read this, just know that you are special to both Amy and me.

That is probably all for tonight.