Nothing to Sneeze At....

"Honey could you pull into the drive-thru at the bank so I can deposit my work money?" my wife asked. "Sure, not a problem" I said. I pulled into the bank and surveyed the drive thru lanes. There was only one available lane with no cars, the other two lanes were occupied. I entered the open lane and pulled up to the little station and pressed the button. The drive thru at our bank is pretty cool. Besides having the whole cylinder and chute transfer thing that goes to the teller, it also has cameras and monitors. So when the teller is ready to help you, the TV monitor comes on and you can see your teller and they can see you. It's pretty nifty and makes this otherwise boring task kind of interesting.

I grabbed the cylinder, put Kathy's work deposit stuff in it and then pushed the button to send it all to never-never land. The vacuum kicked in and sucked up the cylinder faster than you could say "Deposit Slip". There was only one teller and she was busy helping the other cars who were there before us. We sat in the car and waited for the teller to help us. At some point the conversation between my wife and I ceased. We both quietly sat in my truck waiting to be helped. I kind of zoned out thinking about the yard work I was going to do when we got done. I'm not sure what happened next but all I felt next was a sharp pain in my nose. Before I could even say "Ouch", I heard my wife laughing - with vigor. I then realized what happened. It seems as we were sitting there my wife noticed that I had a nose hair that she 'found unattractive'. Instead of telling me about it, she decided to reach over and yank it out. Which is exactly what she did and what was the source of my pain. I looked at her but I couldn't talk. My eyes we watering and we both knew why. I was going to sneeze. Now when I sneeze, I just don't sneeze. I have full-body sneezes that come in groups of three. Actually I believe they're called convulsions. I sneeze so hard that my feet and arms go numb. I'm what you would call a "Power Sneezer" - It's quite violent and ugly. My wife knew that to induce a sneezing attack all she had to do was pull my nose hair. That's just plain dirty.

Realizing what was to come, my wife cringed against the passenger side door hoping not to get any 'over spray' on her. Fortunately for her my window was rolled down because of the impending banking transaction. I turned my head and began to sneeze out the window. The fist one hit "Boom", then came a second explosion more powerful than the first. I waited for the third but it didn't come. "That's strange" I thought "I normally sneeze in threes". Since I had a reprieve, I turned back to my wife and started to give her a piece of my mind. "You dirty, rotten little …" I began but I had to stop - the third sneeze was coming. It was a delayed reaction, I bought in to the false sense of security the delay had given me. "This one's going to be HUGE" I remembered thinking. Then things started to happen in slow motion. I turned back towards my window and did all I could to hold it in until my head was out the window. But I didn't completely make it out. My timing couldn't have been any worse.

I tried to keep my eyes open but it's almost impossible when you sneeze. The last thing I saw was the TV camera click on and our teller appeared. She had a "Oh-My-Goodness" look on her face and she seemed really, really close. It's because she was, my face was right next to the TV camera. I sneezed directly into the TV camera and what a sneeze it was. The truck shook, my voice echoed through the carport and when I finished I felt completely drained. Through the rain-drop like specs on the TV screen the surprised teller said "WOW! That was like 3-D! I'm glad I was in here!" I was completely embarrassed and didn't know what to say. The teller continued by saying "That had to hurt! Are you OK?" I reassured her that I was fine but that wife wouldn't be as soon as we hand finished at the bank.

I tried to play the whole thing off and quickly tried to change the conversation to the business at hand. The whole time my wife is snickering because of carnage she has caused. We finished up at the bank and headed for home. I'll just say it was a very long ride home for my wife. I don't think she cared too much though she got what she wanted - a humiliated husband.

Weekend Update

We had a pretty good Easter weekend. We left Thursday night after work and drove to Orlando. We got in about 12:30AM and stayed at a hotel near the University of Central Florida (UCF) campus. On Friday we had a campus visit at 10:00AM that lasted for about 3 hours. Kiel got a chance to check out UCF pretty good. UCF is huge! It's one of 15 largest universities in the country, it has a student population of 43,000. The funny thing is that you never hear about this school. I know folks who have lived in Florida there entire life but never heard of UCF. We got a $20 parking ticket from the campus police. We parked in a space that used parking meters that would only let you pay for a maximum of 2 hours of time. So they nailed us about 5 minutes after our 2 hours was up. I look at it as contributing to the general fund of the school at which my child will attend. After checking out the school, we checked out the local area. The area around the campus is what you would expect: lots of apartments, traffic and bars. The campus itself is very nice, it's actually quite new. The school itself is a little over 30 years old plus they keep expanding it so most of the facilities are in excellent shape. Kiel likes the program (Media Arts/Game Design) at this school a lot too so this seems to be where is he leaning.

We left Orlando about 3:00PM on Friday and what should have been a two hour drive took four hours because of the weather. We ran into some pretty stout thunderstorms as we headed towards Jacksonville. The weather slowed down the already congested traffic, so it took much longer than expected to arrive in JAX. We stayed right downtown on the river near the Landing area. The city was beautiful, they just had the Super Bowl there a couple of months ago so they did a lot of work on preparing the city for that. The view of downtown with the rivers and bridges was great. We ate at the Landing at some Brew House and then listened to a band that was playing on the landing. Katlin and I got up around 6:00AM on Saturday and went to the golf tournament. After finally getting to the course, we were able to watch about 4 hours of golf and then the rains came - and they never left. We left and made it back to the hotel around 2:00PM. We picked up Kiel and Kathy who had been hanging out at the hotel and went to the mall and dinner at The Bonefish Grill. After that we went back to room and to sleep.

We knew that on Sunday more rain was expected to roll in around 2:30PM. Because of that we decided to get to the course early again. Kiel, Katlin and I arrived at the course around 7:30AM. We immediately got a pairing sheet and figured out what was happening. We were able to watch over 6 hours of golf. We got to see everyone we wanted to and watched from several holes. We were tired and knew the rains were coming so we left at 2:00PM. We got to the car and started to leave and the heavens opened up and the rains came down again. Play was canceled for the rest of the day. So we got to see about as much golf as we possibly could. We picked Kathy up at the hotel and headed home. We got home shortly after 6:30AM and unpacked the car and then started laundry. It was a good time - it was nice to get away. Even though the weather was miserable at times we still had fun.

On Saturday while we were at golf, Katlin and I decided to watch from the green of the 9th hole. Kat likes to watch the guys make their approach shots and then chip on to the green and putt. Because of the way this hole is setup you get to see each player take about 3-4 shots. Anyhow, Kat and I got to the hole early and had a pretty good view of this hole. We each took a small 'saddle' chair', so we were sitting but were very low to the ground. We sat in the front row near the green, near the area where the players walked off after they were done playing. So we ended up being about 6 feet away from them as they exited the green. You could easily make eye contact with them and talk to them. As we were sitting there watching them play one of the players made eye contact with me and motioned that he was going to throw his ball to Kat. He threw it and Kat got it - which was nice of him to do. But what's funny is that the exact same thing happened with the next two groups of players that passed through. None of them knew that the group of golfers who just left did the same thing. So three times in a row after they finished playing on this hole they tossed their ball to Katlin. Keep in mind that there were well over a 1,000 people standing around the watching this, plus TV cameras. After the third ball Kat was embarrassed by the attention he was getting, so we decided it was time to leave and move on to some place else. Kat was just in the right place at the right time, plus these guys enjoy doing that kind of stuff with kids. It was pretty cool and made for an interesting few holes.

That's pretty much it. Hope your Easter was enjoyable as ours. Later...

Easter Weekend

Just a quick update. We are headed out of town for the long Easter weekend. We are leaving tonight after work for Orlando. We have a campus visit for Kiel at the University of Central Florida in Orlando on Friday morning. Then sometime Friday afternoon/evening we'll head out to Jacksonville. We are going to go to the The Players Championship golf tournament on Saturday and Sunday near Jacksonville. We'll get home sometime Sunday evening. Should be a fun weekend. It will be just the four of us, so we're all looking forward to it. Hope everyone has a safe and happy Easter! I'll post once we return and let you know how it went! Later

Family Resemblance

Well it's happened to me again. I wrote a post for my blog but then for whatever reason wasn't quite ready to post it, so I held on to it. It seems that something happens, usually it's a conversation with someone pertaining to the subject of my post that’s on hold. In this case, we discussed this subject at Youth Group last night. I found it very interesting that I had wrote this about a month ago but just didn't think it was time to post it - that is until now. Our youth minister (Brian) discussed the subject of this post and he is completely unaware that I had wrote this. Strange? Yes - Coincidence? No. Personally I don't believe in coincidence, I believe that things happen for a reason. I don't claim to know the reason but I don't believe that things 'just happen', that's because God is involved. Anyhow here's what I wrote, it will be interesting to see when this happens again.

There’s something about me that you may or may not know. It’s really not that big of a deal but it’s something that I have come to appreciate over the years. It’s not the kind of thing that I go around talking about or try to fit into conversations. Actually when you get right down to it, it really doesn’t matter and is not that big of a deal. But on the other hand it does matter because it helped shape who I am. Anyhow, what you may not know about me is that I’m adopted. I wasn’t born Ronald Lee Cravatta as one would easily assume. It’s not like I was orphaned, although my parents probably thought about it a few times. My mom remarried when I was very little (15 months) and I took my fathers last name….Cravatta. If you’ve been paying attention, you may remember that in an earlier post that I mentioned I was named after Dad’s brother (my uncle) – which I was. You’re probably wondering if I was adopted then how this could be. I’ll have to tell that story at another time, it’s interesting. But being adopted does explain why I was the only blonde headed kid at the dinner table slurping spaghetti with a bunch of dark haired Italians on Sundays.

I appreciate being adopted for several reasons. Mainly because when you’re adopted that means that you have been chosen. Someone wanted you and picked you. It means they had the opportunity to get to know you, examine you and despite all your flaws they still choose you. The world will say “I don’t think that you’ll want this one it has big ears, no hair and cry’s a lot. It’s a real mess. Perhaps you would be interested in something not quite so damaged?” But by being chosen, Love says “I don’t care what’s wrong with him, I’ll take him anyway. He’s mine - this is my child.” Now I know that we all love our natural children and would do anything for them and we do – that’s not what I’m talking about. Being adopted tells the adopted child “Even though you didn’t come from me, you are still a part of me.” At least that’s how I’ve always felt. I’ve always felt like I was part of the family: never an outsider, never any different, never like I didn’t belong. Never once I have felt looked down upon or as if I wasn’t entitled to the same benefits and privileges as the rest of the family. No one ever hinted at or told me “You don’t belong here you’re not one of us.” I’ve never felt like anything but what I am…my father’s son…a Cravatta. Being adopted says you are now part of this family. Your old blood line has ended and your new one begins with us. Welcome to the family.

But what I really appreciate about being adopted is how it has helped me understand my relationship with God. Take a look at these Bible verses:

Ephesians 1:5 “His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. “

Galatians 4:5 “God sent him (Jesus) to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.”

I love these verses they are some of my favorites. They have acted as a tremendous reference point in helping me gain a deeper understanding of my relationship with God. Just as my earthly father chose me through adoption, my Heavenly Father does the same thing. By adopting me, He brings me into His family – an eternal, Heavenly family. He tells me in these verses “Because you accept my Son, I accept you. I adopt you as my own child - you’re now part of My Family”. How cool is that? I have been chosen not once but twice, I’m a double-adoptee! But what’s really cool is that despite all my short comings and flaws (i.e. sins) He doesn’t see me as the mess that I am. When the Father sees me, He looks at me through the lens of Jesus and sees me as Him. I’m also entitled to the same privileges and benefits as rest of the members of God's family. I'm an equal - a joint heir to the throne and I haven't done a single thing to earn it! I just accepted the gift He offered me and He did the rest! Wow - being adopted, being chosen by God to be His child is the greatest thing that could happen to any of us!

There’s another thing that I have noticed about being adopted. Often times after meeting my dad, people will comment on how much I resemble him. My dad and I won’t say word but we’ll look at each other and smile. To me that’s cool and I consider it a compliment. But I also hope that’s what happens in my daily life and walk with God. In spiritual terms, it's my ultimate hope that someday people will be able to say the same thing: “He sure does resemble his Father”. And then we'll look at each other and smile.

The Cobbler's Kid

Getting a hair cut around my house isn’t as easy as one would think. Actually it can be quite difficult. I feel kind of like the cobbler’s kids who were always in need of new shoes. It always seems like I’m always in need of a haircut. You wouldn’t think that would you? Given the fact that my wife is a professionally trained hair stylist. Anyway, every time I need a haircut, Kathy and I have this little exercise that we seem to go through. Here’s a sample of what it’s like.

Ron: “I sure do need a haircut.”
Kathy: “Well, just come in to the shop and I’ll give you one.”
Ron: “But why can’t you just do here at the house?”
Kathy: “Because, I don’t like cut hair at the house. It’s just easier for me to do at the shop. I like the separation between work and home. Besides if I start cutting hair at the house, everyone will think they can get it cut at the house too. You don’t want everyone coming over in the evenings for haircuts do you?”
Ron: “But no one needs to know. It will be our little secret.”
Kathy: “Nope.”
Ron: “But you used to.”
Kathy: “Yeah….that was before I was working and had no where else to cut it.”
Ron: “But I’m your husband”
Kathy: “So?”
Ron: “Don’t I deserve some type of ‘special treatment’?”
Kathy: “Wouldn’t not having to pay for a haircut for the last 20 years be considered ‘special treatment’?”
Ron: “Well I may not pay in money but it’s costing me a life time.”
Kathy: “What did you say?”
Ron: “Nothing…it’s just that I don’t like having to come in the shop like everyone else”
Kathy: “Like everyone else? Why? Do you think you’re special?”
Ron: “No, not in that way but I am your husband. You should be able to cut my hair whenever I want you to.”
Kathy: “Whenever you want? What do think this is…Haircuts on Demand? Let me tell you something mister. I’m not your personal hair stylist. I’m your wife who just happens to cut hair. I wasn’t put here on earth just to cut your hair. It’s this simple; if you want your hair cut you will come into the shop like everyone else and I’ll cut it there! If you don’t like it then you can go somewhere else! You got that?"
Ron: “But, I…”
Kathy: “I’m serious – It wouldn’t bother me if I ever cut your hair again. You’re actually my worst customer. You always act like a baby. You’re constantly moving and you’re always complaining about something once you get in ‘my chair’. Go somewhere else, see if I care. Besides you’re a lousy tipper!”

Long pause where Ron contemplates his options...

Ron: “So when do you want me to come in?”
Kathy: “Tomorrow night at 6:00 and don’t be late, cause you’re taking me out to dinner afterwards .”
Ron: “Crap”

Latest

This past Saturday was a big day, it was Kathy's Birthday. I won't divulge how old she is this time 41 but suffice it to say it doesn't end in a zero or a five. I took her to the Waffle Shop for her birthday! Nothing's too good for my girl (and nothing's what's she got). Actually some friends who are a part of our church have a Waffle Shop on the beach that got trashed by a tornado when the last hurricane came through. They reopened it this past Saturday which was also Kathy's birthday. There were quite a few folks from church there to help celebrate the reopening of their restaurant. It was actually quite cool, the food was good too. Kathy then hung out with her friend Daisy and got a pedicure and a manicure aka 'peddies n' mannies', while I worked on the yard. We then took her to dinner at Captain Anderson's which was great. We had Scamp (grouper family) and it was incredibly awesome. I know this place is a tourist trap and it's over priced but the food is awesome. Tonight I am taking Kathy to see "Grease" at a local theater for her birthday. I hope my man-card doesn't get revoked for taking her to see this. If you're questioning my masculinity on this one just know I'm simply doing this because it will make her very happy. Please know that I do not plan on enjoying this play. It could be worse, she could make sit around and make me watch her favorite movie - "West Side Story". No sane person would ever do that to someone they loved.

Sunday afternoon our friends Kery and Brenda arrived from Illinois. They spent a couple of days with us before they headed down to Orlando to visit Brenda's mother. We've had a blast while they were here. I've known both Kery and Brenda since we were kids. Kery's family is my second family and I actually lived with them my junior year of high school. Kery was a groomsman in our wedding and his brother Kevin was my best man. These guys have been my closest friends since I can remember. So it's very cool to be able to spend time with them. Monday we went Pineapple Willie's for lunch and then to Seaside. Kery brought a case of the world's best pizza's with him. He brought 15 frozen sausage & mushroom pizza's from Manny's Pizza in our home town with him. We made a few of them last night! They rock! I called my mom and dad at about 7:30 Monday night and told them to come over to my house. When they asked why, I didn't give them a reason, I just told them to come over. My parent's love Manny's Pizza just as much as I do, so they were surprised when they came over and we pigged out on Manny's. Usually I only get them when I go home to visit so this is a major treat. I tell you, it's the simple things that makes life fun sometimes.

Will post more later! Thanks for stopping by!

Earworms

I never knew there was a formal name for them. I always just said that I've got a 'song stuck in my head'. I'm talking about when you hear a song, usually something stupid or annoying and it 'sticks' in your head and you sing it. Come to find out there is actually a term for this condition, it's called an 'Earworm'. Sounds disgusting I know. Frankly when I think of an earworm, I don't think of a song stuck in my head. I think of something much more fatal. I read that they are called earworms because of the parasitic nature of the travel of songs into their listeners' ears, only to then get lodged and played on mental continuum. I also read that earworms happen to 98% of all people! It's an epidemic. Plus there is no known cure, you just have to ride it out. You can try listening to another song or distract yourself, but good luck. These things can sometimes last for hours. This stuck song syndrome annoys and irritates women significantly more than men. Earworm attacks are more frequent and last longer for musicians and music lovers. Slightly neurotic people also seemed to suffer more, which explains why I'm prone to them. But what I find really interesting are the Top Earworm songs. Kind of a play list of songs you don't want to hear but do any how. Here they are:

1) Chili's "Baby Back Ribs" jingle.
2) "Who Let the Dogs Out" (Woof, Woof)
3) "We Will Rock You"
4) Kit-Kat candy-bar jingle ("Gimme a Break…")
5) The "Mission Impossible" theme song
6) "YMCA"
7) "Whoop, There It Is"
8) "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
9) "It's a Small World After All"

What a collection of songs to have rolling around in your head. At least "Baby's Got Back" isn't on there. They also say that each person has there own favorite, I guess in this case worst earworm that gets stuck in their head. Which is why you see no #10 on the list, you get to choose your own. Mine would probably either be the theme song from "Gilligan's Island" or "I Dream of Jeannie". The "Brady Bunch" theme song is up there too. Wow, I guess if you analyzed my earworm collection you'd conclude I have 70's sitcom addiction. That's scary. I woke up this morning with an old Door's song playing in my head. Where did that come from? I don't listen to the Doors or even like the Doors. Somehow my sub-conscious decided it was time for me to start singing this song while I was getting around for work. Very annoying. But what I like to do is to sing a really annoying song around someone and then watch it get stuck in their head. That's always fun. I enjoy it when someone says "Now you got me singing that stupid song." Don't know why I enjoy it, I just do. Probably cause it annoys them. Let me leave you with this final thought: "Here's the story of a lovely lady, Who was bringing up three very lovely girls. All of them had hair of gold, like their mother, The youngest one in curls….."

You can finish the rest...

What Ya' Wearin?

I wrote this a couple of months ago but have been putting off posting it until the time was right. I heard that someone caught the dickens for what he's thinking about or is going to wear to a certain function. After hearing about this incident, I decided the time was right.

I have noticed something interesting since we changed churches a year and half ago. Our new church is very casual in its dress. You can pretty much wear what you want as long as it’s not offensive (obviously). During the summer I usually wear shorts, shirt and sandals, remember it’s a beach church. In the winter I usually wear jeans, shirt and tennis shoes. Gone are the days of wearing dress shirts, ties, dress pants and suit coats. You could wear this if you wanted but I rarely see anyone dressed up. Now the casual dress is nice but it’s not the reason we go to this church. I will dedicate another post to that subject at another time.

We usually go out to eat after church. Since we go to early church we are usually some of the first people at the restaurant when it opens. So when the other churches in town let out we are usually seated and our eating our meals. It’s interesting to watch folks who have just gotten out of church and see us already eating in what appear to be non-church clothes. What’s even more interesting is when we encounter folks who we used to go to church with. They don’t know too much about where we go to church now, so they really look us over. I find their reactions very interesting. Their eyes search you up and down. They fidget and wonder to themselves about our attire. It’s almost like you can hear what they are thinking: “Didn’t those heathens go to church?” “There is no way that they wore that to church?” “I went to church today, why couldn’t they?”

You’re probably thinking that I’m over reacting....I really don’t think so. I believe I know how the “other half lived” well enough to say this, I know how they think and view these kinds of issues. I was part of their inner circle for many years. The reason I believe that this is the reaction occurs is because that used to be my reaction. When I dressed in my “Sunday Best” and would encounter someone already eating in their jeans or shorts I would think to myself “How sad that they couldn’t get out of bed and get dressed up and go to church like me. I’m so glad that’s not me. Those poor sinners, I’ll pray that they don’t choke on their eggs benedict.” Now I realize that is a pretty sad and embarrassing confession to make but unfortunately it’s true. I make no claims to be anything but a shallow work in progress. What’s really bad is that I now find myself swinging to the other end of the pendulum. When I encounter someone dressed up in their suit and tie on Sunday’s and they stare at me, I think “You stuffy person, you have no idea who I am and what I believe. There is no way you could relate to the worship experience I just had, so quit looking at me like I stole something.” Again, I don’t think is the proper response either.

I firmly believe that what you wear to church is not important as the heart and attitude that you bring to worship. If you want to dress up and wear your Sunday best then you should, I really don’t have a problem with it. I did it for many years but given the option I would rather go casual and comfortable. But I also need to remember that keeping the proper attitude inside and outside of the church is what is important - not judging someone by what they wear or don't wear to church or a church function. Whether a person’s dress is casual or a bit more formal it doesn’t really matter. What really matters is remembering that the person I encounter means just as much to God as I do and I need to treat them that way. I am reminded of….

1 Samuel 16: 7 “….For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Ouch.....but I'm still going to wear my shorts and jeans.

Ich bin in Deutschland sehr groß!

Title Translation: I'm Huge in Germany! Let me back up for moment. For those of you who don’t know, I have the ability to track my blog usage. I have a counter attached to my blog that will show me how many hits(visits) I have, who visited and when they visited the blog. I can tell if my blog has been viewed and by who. Just know that I'm watching you...watching me. What it really tells me is: who is stopping by the blog and not commenting or 'lurking' as it's called. So I know who is reading this thing but not commenting, I can tell who is lurking about in the shadows. Some of you think you're sly for quietly slipping by unnoticed (or so you think) but really you're not. I know who you 'lurkers' are and so do you.

Anyway back to Germany. What is amazing to me is the number of hits on my blog that I keep getting from folks in Germany. Almost half of the visits I get are from Germany. I haven't been able to figure this out until I put a new counter/tracker on my blog. It provided me with some different data than I had received before. Come to find out all the hits I am getting on my blog from Germany are because of Kiel. Not my son Kiel but the city of Kiel in Northern Germany. It seems that when someone from the German population does a search on the city of 'Kiel' our blog appears in the search engine because of my son Kiel's name. Then for some unknown reason they select it and then come to the blog. Sheer boredom I'm guessing. I also labeled a photo on this blog with Kiel's name, so when searching for pictures of the city of Kiel Germany, my son Kiel's picture appears and directs them to the blog. This picture alone probably accounts for half of Germany referrals to our blog. All this simply means is: I'm huge in Germany! I'm like a rock star! Well maybe not quite that big. But I'm huge in Germany!

Jetzt eine kurze Anmerkung zu meinen deutschen Freunden:
(translated - 'Now a short note to my German friends')

Danke für das Stoppen durch mein blog. Wie Sie vermutlich geschätzt haben, bin ich ein Idiot. Wirklich bin ich ein Idiot, der Spaß haben mag. Irgendwie bin ich nicht genau sicher, wie Sie in diesem Aufstellungsort ankamen, aber ich eine gute Idee habe. Ich glaube, daß sie meinem Sohn Kiel miteinbezieht. Mein Sohn hat den gleichen Namen wie die Stadt von Kiel in Deutschland. Meine Vermutung ist, daß Sie jede suchenden Informationen über die Stadt von Kiel waren oder nach Abbildung der Stadt von Kiel suchten und auf diesen Aufstellungsort verwiesen wurden. Gedankenlos bin ich Sie bin hier froh und ich hoffe, daß Sie wieder zurückkommen. Mach's gut... Ron

Now to figure out why I'm gaining steam in Canada. Could it be because I like ice hockey, speak really poor French or like Jim Carey? Hmmm…I could be on to something, I'll need to check that out. New Computer Term: LASFBAI (Laughing At Self For Being An Idoit).

Auf Wiedersehen - 'Goodbye' for the non-German contingent.

Sundays

Sundays are by far my favorite day of the week. I enjoy everything about them. I don't work, I can sleep a bit later and I get to spend time with my family. But my favorite thing about Sunday's is that I get to go to church. I know that sounds weird but it's true. But what's really weird is that a little over 2 years ago I hated Sundays and had for a few years. I hated them for the same reason that I now love them....church. There was a period in my life when I dreaded getting up on Sunday's because I hated what was to come. I know this is a sorry admission but it's true. But what I hated about hating Sunday's is what I was becoming. I was becoming a bitter, frustrated angry person who had become bogged down in all the church crap and religousity that surrounded him. I won't go into the details but suffice it to say that what was happening to me on Sunday's was effecting me the rest of the week. It really stunk.

Fortunately for me, I was able to gather the courage to leave that situation and move on. Probably not a big deal for many of you but for me it was huge. Now things are different. I'm no longer mad, bitter or frustrated. I'm actaully quite content and dare I say, happy with where God has lead us. I love going to church and being able to freely and openly worship. I love being able to celebrate my King and what he has done for me. I love hearing the Word presented in creative but yet challenging ways. I love being around people who want to be at church for the right reasons...not because they have to check a box off. I love not having to worry about what other people think and having to please them. I only have to please one, The One. Basically, I love Sundays....again.

Facelift

Don't worry you're at the right place. I finally gave this thing a facelift, it was long over due. It's now about 1:30 in the morning and I can't sleep. I've got the whole stuffy nose and being hyped up from medicine thing happening. So I decided to do something productive (sorta). I tweaked a few things that I've been wanting to do for awhile, you may or may not notice. The biggest thing I did is that I updated the Links to other sites. They now link to the boys new blogs - so you may want to check those out. Other than that let me know what you think.

Ernest

Cancer sucks. There's just no other way to say it. It's just a terrible, terrible disease that simply will destroy anyone in it's path. We just got back from the funeral home. One of our friends just passed away from pancreatic cancer. He was a good guy from our old church, he always used to make me smile. Just one of those people who you always looked forward to seeing. And after you did you were the better person because you did. He was 66 years old and he was cool, I mean real cool. He was also real, real as the day is long. But what I respected about him was that he marched to the beat of his own drummer and really didn't care what people thought. If they liked him then fine, if not...tough shit. And I like that, people who aren't afraid of being who they were meant to be. When I'm that age I hope I'm half as cool as he was. We lost a good one when he left us. But he knew and served his King and that gives me tremendous comfort. But cancer sucks, it really does.

Been Awhile

I haven't posted in awhile, nearly a week. I've simply been too busy with company and all. I had been pretty good about posting a couple of times of week until now. That's what I try to do is to post twice a week but it just didn't work out this week. Anyhow it's not a big deal. I'll want to try to post again before the weekend. I still have alot on my mind that I need to get out.

My mother-in-law and brother-in-law left today. Kathy took them to the airport in Tallahasse and they are in the air flying home as I type this. We had a good visit while they were here. We enjoyed seeing them and spending time with them.

We're all doing fine. The boys are busy with school and their activites. Work is crazy busy. I could work 24 hours a day for a month straight and still not catch up. Not much else new except we are going to see Todd Agnew this weekend in Bonifay. He is by far my favorite singer/music artist right now. The Lord really used his music to help me through a diffucult time a couple of years ago. I like him because he rocks - he doesn't play 'sanitized' Christian music. I just glad that he's going to be close, Bonifay is only an hour away. Anyhow I'm really looking forward to it. I believe our friends Dale and Karen are going to go with us.

Not much else - will try to do this again later when I'm not so wiped out.