10. DVR. As evidenced by the Thursday night unexplained non-recording of The Office, our weekend had to be totally rearranged. From out of nowhere, our DVR just decided it didn't like the NBC lineup on Thursday. Must-See-TV turned into I'm-Not-Going-To-Let-You-See-TV on NBC from 8 PM-10 PM. Weird. Thankfully, NBC streams their shows online, and Kim and I were able to watch it on the super-Mac last night.
9. Yellow Highlighters. So far this semester I've gone through 4 yellow highlighters. My Scriptures book glows. It's eery. Kim had a coupon for any "post-it" brand item, and instead of getting herself post-its for her classroom, she found me a nifty yellow highlighter with flags, too! I'm pumped to try it out.
8. Note Cards. I've become a full-fledged note card nerd. I even have a case I keep them in. For my Theology test tomorrow, I went and asked my professor if I could bring in some blank note cards, so that I could outline my thoughts onto the cards during the test. He gave permission. I wanted to give him a heads up that I'm a loser who in his second academic life has been reduced to memorizing things and writing them down.
7. Grapette soda from W-M. Caffeine-free, just the way I like it. And 12 packs are only 2.27. Much less than Sprites, Welch's, Sierra Mists, etc. The days of being on a tight budget have forced me to be frugal.
6. Bottled Water. The H2O in Waco is atrocious. We bought a filter for our faucet, but I like cold water. Water never seems to be cold enough in Waco. Even in the fountains. TX seems to favor Nestle's Ozarka brand spring water. Cincinnati was Ice Mountain country. Whatever. They taste the same. I probably drink somewhere between 20-30 bottles of water a week.
5. High-speed Internet. Worth every penny. The place I work at infrequently is still on dial-up. I thought I would be one of their next clients if the stupid thing didn't connect faster the other day. For those who don't know, I'm an attendant at a funeral home (I know, creepy, and strangely, it isn't as bad as you might think).
4. The Study Room at Truett. Andrew calls it my "office." I thought about getting my name printed on a brass plate and putting it outside the room to see if anyone would notice. There are way too many distractions at home to get adequate studying done. This room provides perfect solace for someone looking to escape and hide for awhile, uninterrupted. Occasionally, a fellow Truettite will wander in to share the room. I tend to bug them too much, and they take off soon after. I don't do this on purpose, but more because I get lonely. Paradoxical, I know. I hide out, then wait for someone to join me because I'm lonely. There's a sermon in there somewhere. As Chris says, "That'll preach!"
3. Unlimited Long-distance. I prefer it at home, as opposed to my cell phone, but I'll take it where I can get it. It's a lifeline to those outside Waco, TX. We moved here at the end of July. We've left the county once. For someone who left the county daily, travelling all over greater Cincy for whatever I wanted, this has drastically tied me down. Only through phone calls, and my upcoming #2 entry, am I able to correspond with loved ones. I call my mom a lot. I try and reconnect with a friend at least once a week. When you're new to a city and community, it's hard to be yourself. You need that comfort that you've left behind. You need that familiarity. In new places, you feel the need to withhold something, to be mysterious, in order to make a connection and feel accepted. I've always been pretty extroverted, but it's easy to become introverted when you move.
2. The Super-Mac. I admit it. I'm addicted. I'm still learning all it can do. I never realized how dependent I am upon my Mac until it died the other day and I forgot my charger. I had to take some notes the old way, and it killed my hand. I can type a lot faster than I can write, that's for sure. Never again will I leave the house with Super-Mac without his jumper cable. Computers have come so far since my first go-round as a student. They weren't really portable then. At least not for those in my income bracket. We had to go to the Computer Lab, which was a metal building that was really hot. Then, they finished the library, and moved the computer lab to the basement of the library. It was infinitely better, yet still low-rent compared to today. Now everyone carries their own around in a backpack. Thank you Lord for technology. My History paper will be incredibly easier than it would have been 13 years ago when I started college. Dang, I'm old.
1. My family. I know, I know, way to cop out on that one TJ. But they really are everything to me. I am reminded everyday how much they mean. My incredible wife, mother to our precious daughter, is the perfect helpmate for me. She is my best friend. I fail to realize this as often as I should. In studying for our Christian Worship project, our assigned passage is from Isaiah 45:1-3. As another guy and I were reading through the text and exegeting it (ooooo, big word, eh), I noticed 3 times, God tells Isaiah, "I will..." do something. Those three phrases took me back to August 7, 1999. In our wedding vows, instead of "I do"ing like everyone else, ours were phrased with "I Will." To me now, this more accurately conveys that we have to make a conscious choice all the time to follow our vows. I Will. Kim, I will, do all these things and more, each and everyday I breathe on this earth. I love you so much.
And Lydia. I know I've said it before, but I have learned more about God's love for us since she was born than I ever have from any book or Sunday School class or lecture. If God feels the same way about me that I feel about her, wow. When she smiles and laughs, I smile and laugh. When she doesn't feel well, I ache that I can't take the pain away. When she learns something new, I beam with pride. When she snuggles with me, I feel her heartbeat and know she is safe. Okay. Let's just say, I live for my wife and daughter.
Also, my mother. As we enter another season of our relationship, I need to learn not to be too critical. As we transition from me always looking to her for guidance, to her looking my way, I pray I will be the one she needs to help her make good decisions. I think dealing with an aging, widowed mother has given me a new challenge. A challenge to be a better husband, father to my own family, as well as a better son to someone who needs me now like never before. It's so tempting to withdraw and let my distance serve as an excuse from not being more actively involved. To shirk my responsiblities as a son. To ignore the relationship with my siblings, so distant physically, age-wise, and emotionally. I never thought finding the balance between all elements of my family-life would be so dangerous. Not trying to be a bummer, but this is the reality I find myself in.
So what do you think? Is my list lacking anything? What would be on your list?
I guess I need to get back to studying now.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Long time coming
I haven't blogged in a long while. I became addicted to Facebook, and I'll write an occasional note.
Let's see.
We moved to Texas.
I start to Truett Seminary on Monday.
I got a part-time job working at a Funeral Home.
Lydia's crawling everywhere.
Mom has a bad skin cancer on her leg that she has to go to Little Rock to have removed.
Ma Wyatt just went into a nursing home.
Kim is getting ready to start her new teaching position. She's been at meetings nonstop for awhile now.
Lydia started daycare on Monday. I can only imagine how she is all day.
There you have it. My life right now in a nutshell.
Let's see.
We moved to Texas.
I start to Truett Seminary on Monday.
I got a part-time job working at a Funeral Home.
Lydia's crawling everywhere.
Mom has a bad skin cancer on her leg that she has to go to Little Rock to have removed.
Ma Wyatt just went into a nursing home.
Kim is getting ready to start her new teaching position. She's been at meetings nonstop for awhile now.
Lydia started daycare on Monday. I can only imagine how she is all day.
There you have it. My life right now in a nutshell.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Meandering
So it's late. As I sit here at the comp with a pile of trash bags peeking at me over my shoulder, reeking of the last week's rubbish. Before we moved, I didn't mind at all to take out the trash. After all, we were the second closest to the dumpster. But since we moved, I've gotten quite lazy, and actually throw the trash in the back of the truck and take it to the dumpster. But no one wants to be a wimp and only take 1 bag of trash. So I've now resigned myself to waiting until there are at least 4 or 5 bags of foul-smelling diapers and leftovers and just everything my wife throws away. Does anyone out there have a problem with having too much junk lying around your house? I happily volunteer my wife to come over. She can fill a trash bag faster than Jonathan can recognize a Skillet song. (Balmerman shout out woo hoo!) And she steadfastly refuses to take out the trash herself. What a conundrum I have found myself in. When we divided up the chores all those years ago, I never thought taking out the trash would be the one I regretted choosing most!
On the bright side, I just finished a glass of milk with about 4 or 5 oreos sufficiently drowned. Mmmm. Good.
Well, I think my ipod is finally charged enough. I've got a Rob Bell sermon to put me to sleep tonight to. I've almost finished rereading The Jesus I Never Knew which is a surprisingly much easier read than the first time I read it about 8 or 9 years ago. Recommended definitely.
I believe the ipod is ready to go.
Good night everyone.
TJ
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Sick Day
Today was our first sick day.
Lydi-Bug woke up with a runny nose, watery eyes, and a bit of a cough. Kim had me call the nurse, who recommended I bring her in, to make sure there was no ear infections.
The good news is that there was no ear infections. The bad news was that the patches of dry skin across her head needed some antibiotic cream, which of course there was no generic for.
But overall, she's been a happy baby today.
Hopefully, she'll be that way tomorrow again.
TJ
Lydi-Bug woke up with a runny nose, watery eyes, and a bit of a cough. Kim had me call the nurse, who recommended I bring her in, to make sure there was no ear infections.
The good news is that there was no ear infections. The bad news was that the patches of dry skin across her head needed some antibiotic cream, which of course there was no generic for.
But overall, she's been a happy baby today.
Hopefully, she'll be that way tomorrow again.
TJ
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
2006.
For the next few paragraphs, I'm going to attempt to capture as many of my feelings about 2006 as I can.
2006:
The year I grew up.
The year of joy.
The year of sorrow.
The year of melancholy.
The year of expectation.
It seems at times like only yesterday that we confided in our family and close friends that it was our desire to have a child, but God was somehow not listening, and we needed extra people to offer up their hopes, possibly to change His mind. But it wasn't yesterday. It was Christmas 2005. Because you see, the seeds for 2006 were planted long before 2006 ever took a tick of a clock. To accurately understand 2006, we need to rewind back to 2004.
From the beginning, we had said that we wanted to wait a while before having children. After all, once you have kids, they're always there. It will never be just the two of us again. So we prayed, and decided that five years was long enough to just enjoy each other's company. So around the fifth year of marriage, we began to pray for children, taking the necessary steps to make them possible. But we were not blessed with any impending bundles of joy. The sixth year of marriage rolled around, and we thought maybe we might need some medical help. So we sought out counsel and pharmaceutical jumpstarts that might multiply our family. No dice, as they say.
Having chosen not to air our laundry out for all to see, it was outwardly exciting to see others being blessed with children, while inwardly heartbreaking upon hearing any expectant news.
So after prayer between us, we decided to expand our circle a little bit, inviting our family and friends over Christmas to intercede on our behalf, with the hopes of having a blessing of our own.
God heard. And God blessed.
Just after Valentine's Day, we got the news in a random testing done upstairs of the 4102. We'd tested many times before only to end up a little more depressed. But this time Kim's tone was different. So different that we sat at the top of the stairs for at least 2 hours in disbelief. Is this how Mary felt when Gabe dropped the news on her?
After a couple of apprehensive weeks and our first doctor's appt, we let our close family in on the news.
Overjoyed! Ecstatic! Exhuberant! And all the other adjectives to describe how happy we were!
Then came March. My dad had long lamented that Virginia was the only state in the south (confederacy) that he had never been to. I wanted Dad to see Washington D.C., a place I have grown to love over the years. We finally worked it out for a Spring Break vacation to visit our nation's capital, with a bonus stop at Gettysburg on the way. But whoa. Kim was barely 2 months pregnant. Dad was advanced, and needed assistance at walking distances, and Mom, well, she was Mom.
But God provided. A wonderful trip. Good weather. Good company. Good attitudes. I pushed Dad all over Washington, Baltimore, and parts of Arlington in a borrowed wheelchair. We rode the subway and the bus. We parked at the US Capitol in the House Bulding parking, where I actually parked in the wrong spot and might have gotten towed if it weren't for Dad's disabled plates! :)
A wonderful vacation. Probably the best ever, aside from a slight scare Kim had on the way home which prompted us to drive all the way from Mt. Vernon back to Cincinnati in one day. We even celebrated Dad's 80th birthday with a burger at Red Robin again! Yeehaw!
Then came May! Hooray for my nephew's graduation! My entire family, together again. Mother, father, sister, brother, nieces, nephew, wife and unborn child. Kim's weekend/birthday, not so good as she contracted strep. Not good when you're 5 months pregnant. Nevertheless, we hightailed it back to Ohio for a Memorial Day party.
June 1 was the day to find out whether we were about to have a boy or a girl. Pink or blue. Dad was convinced we were having a boy, even so far as to always remind Kim to take care of "Junior." But as he said when I told him we were having a girl, "Well, I guess I was wrong."
Summer had arrived, which means TJ=busy. One final time to Centri-Kid at Georgetown College, the greatest campus to ever host a camp.
The phone call no one wants to hear.
My dad was no longer here with us, but in heaven with Jesus.
The night before, I'd talked to him. I told him I loved him. He told me he was tired. I told him he would be ok. He was ok. But I was not.
Father's Day. My first as a father, I said goodbye to my own.
Losing your dad is the ultimate flurry of emotions. You're happy because he was Christ's, but you're empty because he's gone. You're comforted because you mourn, but you're reluctant to let go.
Who knew how things would turn out when we learned of our impending arrival, took a grand vacay, and celebrated a graduation with all the family happy and together?
The rest of June and July were times of just going through the motions, or in my case, emotions. In July, after a quick trip to Arkansas to help Mom with some stuff, we headed to St. Louis for my cousin's wedding, hopefully donning a tux as a groomsdude for the final time. Spent a good deal of time with my cousin Jimmy, who then in August lost decades long battle with kidney disease, leaving behind a wife and 2 sons to grieve. Also we moved in July. Our moms packed and unpacked us. Much to our delight. Expanding the household means expanding your square footage. And with numerous gifts arriving by the truckload for our bundle, we needed the room. After 6+ years in the 4102, we moved across the parking lot to the 4064.
Also in August, Mt. Carmel ordained me to the ministry. A very emotional night, with powerful prayers and whispered thoughts of love. Honored. Humbled.
October 8th fast approaching.
But what's this? Labor pains on the evening of the 3rd? But no! Our girl was headed this way.
After a night without sleep. Pain for mother and child, Lydia Evangeline Johnston entered the world at 2 PM on October 4th, 2006, stealing her grandmother's birthday away, and stealing my heart with the first sight of her.
Visits from family and friends highlghted the next few weeks.
Then Thanksgiving. Our first road trip with Baby Girl.
Then Christmas.
A cavalcade of emotions.
I am now a father.
I am now fatherless (earthly).
God is good.
All the time.
And now we're right back where we started.
Plus one.
:)
2006:
The year I grew up.
The year of joy.
The year of sorrow.
The year of melancholy.
The year of expectation.
It seems at times like only yesterday that we confided in our family and close friends that it was our desire to have a child, but God was somehow not listening, and we needed extra people to offer up their hopes, possibly to change His mind. But it wasn't yesterday. It was Christmas 2005. Because you see, the seeds for 2006 were planted long before 2006 ever took a tick of a clock. To accurately understand 2006, we need to rewind back to 2004.
From the beginning, we had said that we wanted to wait a while before having children. After all, once you have kids, they're always there. It will never be just the two of us again. So we prayed, and decided that five years was long enough to just enjoy each other's company. So around the fifth year of marriage, we began to pray for children, taking the necessary steps to make them possible. But we were not blessed with any impending bundles of joy. The sixth year of marriage rolled around, and we thought maybe we might need some medical help. So we sought out counsel and pharmaceutical jumpstarts that might multiply our family. No dice, as they say.
Having chosen not to air our laundry out for all to see, it was outwardly exciting to see others being blessed with children, while inwardly heartbreaking upon hearing any expectant news.
So after prayer between us, we decided to expand our circle a little bit, inviting our family and friends over Christmas to intercede on our behalf, with the hopes of having a blessing of our own.
God heard. And God blessed.
Just after Valentine's Day, we got the news in a random testing done upstairs of the 4102. We'd tested many times before only to end up a little more depressed. But this time Kim's tone was different. So different that we sat at the top of the stairs for at least 2 hours in disbelief. Is this how Mary felt when Gabe dropped the news on her?
After a couple of apprehensive weeks and our first doctor's appt, we let our close family in on the news.
Overjoyed! Ecstatic! Exhuberant! And all the other adjectives to describe how happy we were!
Then came March. My dad had long lamented that Virginia was the only state in the south (confederacy) that he had never been to. I wanted Dad to see Washington D.C., a place I have grown to love over the years. We finally worked it out for a Spring Break vacation to visit our nation's capital, with a bonus stop at Gettysburg on the way. But whoa. Kim was barely 2 months pregnant. Dad was advanced, and needed assistance at walking distances, and Mom, well, she was Mom.
But God provided. A wonderful trip. Good weather. Good company. Good attitudes. I pushed Dad all over Washington, Baltimore, and parts of Arlington in a borrowed wheelchair. We rode the subway and the bus. We parked at the US Capitol in the House Bulding parking, where I actually parked in the wrong spot and might have gotten towed if it weren't for Dad's disabled plates! :)
A wonderful vacation. Probably the best ever, aside from a slight scare Kim had on the way home which prompted us to drive all the way from Mt. Vernon back to Cincinnati in one day. We even celebrated Dad's 80th birthday with a burger at Red Robin again! Yeehaw!
Then came May! Hooray for my nephew's graduation! My entire family, together again. Mother, father, sister, brother, nieces, nephew, wife and unborn child. Kim's weekend/birthday, not so good as she contracted strep. Not good when you're 5 months pregnant. Nevertheless, we hightailed it back to Ohio for a Memorial Day party.
June 1 was the day to find out whether we were about to have a boy or a girl. Pink or blue. Dad was convinced we were having a boy, even so far as to always remind Kim to take care of "Junior." But as he said when I told him we were having a girl, "Well, I guess I was wrong."
Summer had arrived, which means TJ=busy. One final time to Centri-Kid at Georgetown College, the greatest campus to ever host a camp.
The phone call no one wants to hear.
My dad was no longer here with us, but in heaven with Jesus.
The night before, I'd talked to him. I told him I loved him. He told me he was tired. I told him he would be ok. He was ok. But I was not.
Father's Day. My first as a father, I said goodbye to my own.
Losing your dad is the ultimate flurry of emotions. You're happy because he was Christ's, but you're empty because he's gone. You're comforted because you mourn, but you're reluctant to let go.
Who knew how things would turn out when we learned of our impending arrival, took a grand vacay, and celebrated a graduation with all the family happy and together?
The rest of June and July were times of just going through the motions, or in my case, emotions. In July, after a quick trip to Arkansas to help Mom with some stuff, we headed to St. Louis for my cousin's wedding, hopefully donning a tux as a groomsdude for the final time. Spent a good deal of time with my cousin Jimmy, who then in August lost decades long battle with kidney disease, leaving behind a wife and 2 sons to grieve. Also we moved in July. Our moms packed and unpacked us. Much to our delight. Expanding the household means expanding your square footage. And with numerous gifts arriving by the truckload for our bundle, we needed the room. After 6+ years in the 4102, we moved across the parking lot to the 4064.
Also in August, Mt. Carmel ordained me to the ministry. A very emotional night, with powerful prayers and whispered thoughts of love. Honored. Humbled.
October 8th fast approaching.
But what's this? Labor pains on the evening of the 3rd? But no! Our girl was headed this way.
After a night without sleep. Pain for mother and child, Lydia Evangeline Johnston entered the world at 2 PM on October 4th, 2006, stealing her grandmother's birthday away, and stealing my heart with the first sight of her.
Visits from family and friends highlghted the next few weeks.
Then Thanksgiving. Our first road trip with Baby Girl.
Then Christmas.
A cavalcade of emotions.
I am now a father.
I am now fatherless (earthly).
God is good.
All the time.
And now we're right back where we started.
Plus one.
:)
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Saw this on another blog and found it hilarious!
Talk about your bad luck reporting a news story.
Good Grief!
Sorry
Things have been busy lately, but what do you expect with a one-month old?
Here's a pic of her...and don't forget to check out my flickr page for more pics!
TJ
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55361524@N00/
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Friday, October 06, 2006
More pics
I'll be uploading more pictures to this site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55361524@N00/?saved=1
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55361524@N00/?saved=1
She's HERE!
Welcome to the world, Lydia Evangeline! We are so glad you're finally here!
God bless you, my little one.
10-4-06, 2:00 PM, all 6 lbs 10 oz, and 19 1/4 inches long!
You're a blessing to us already!
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
All the Pretty Horses
I thought of that phrase, "all the pretty horses" and wanted to title it, "all the preggy ladies" but thought that was just wrong.
Well, all the preggy ladies at our church have now had their babies, except us. Michael and Jennifer had their baby yesterday--another girl! That's 3 out of 4 babies so far in the last 2 months that's been girls. Katie Lynette is what they named her, which is also good because neither of those was one of the names we've considered. :) Kim says she's a big baby! She went to see them yesterday.
What else is going on? We had the lock-in Friday night and it was probably my favorite lock-in I've ever been to. I actually got to play games, including pinball and Golden Tee. Not exactly the most popular games amongst the teen crowd. I bet I played Golden Tee for an hour! It was fun. I got pretty good by the time I finished. When it was time to go home, I wasn't even tired. I slept from 7-noon, and then Kim and I had a good day of final running around. We finished putting things away in baby girl's room, and cleaned out the guest bedroom for our parents. It's still up in the air about when they'll come. I talked to my mom and she's getting more excited about the baby. Mom never was one to overly get excited about babies. I think because she had such a hard time with babies, she might be a little afraid to get too excited. Mainly because she knows the pain that comes in losing a child.
Not much else to write. We're just kind of in this limbo mode right now. Kim could go into labor anytime now, but it's weird. In a way, I'm ready because I want to see and hold her, but at the same time, I want her to wait until she's ready to come out...fully baked as we like to say.
Well, all the preggy ladies at our church have now had their babies, except us. Michael and Jennifer had their baby yesterday--another girl! That's 3 out of 4 babies so far in the last 2 months that's been girls. Katie Lynette is what they named her, which is also good because neither of those was one of the names we've considered. :) Kim says she's a big baby! She went to see them yesterday.
What else is going on? We had the lock-in Friday night and it was probably my favorite lock-in I've ever been to. I actually got to play games, including pinball and Golden Tee. Not exactly the most popular games amongst the teen crowd. I bet I played Golden Tee for an hour! It was fun. I got pretty good by the time I finished. When it was time to go home, I wasn't even tired. I slept from 7-noon, and then Kim and I had a good day of final running around. We finished putting things away in baby girl's room, and cleaned out the guest bedroom for our parents. It's still up in the air about when they'll come. I talked to my mom and she's getting more excited about the baby. Mom never was one to overly get excited about babies. I think because she had such a hard time with babies, she might be a little afraid to get too excited. Mainly because she knows the pain that comes in losing a child.
Not much else to write. We're just kind of in this limbo mode right now. Kim could go into labor anytime now, but it's weird. In a way, I'm ready because I want to see and hold her, but at the same time, I want her to wait until she's ready to come out...fully baked as we like to say.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Guess what I did today?
Once again proving that I'm not the smartest man in the world, I remembered as I left for work to get the roast out of the fridge and turn on the crock pot for our supper tonight. We have a meeting at 7, so it'll save us time to cook and such.
Well, I came home at 2ish to check and see how it was cooking.
Cold. What was wrong? Did our crock pot stop functioning since Sunday? Egad!
Nope. I just forgot to plug it up this morning.
Stupid me. Now it's cooking on "high" and should be done in 5-6 hours, instead of the 10-12 it would have taken. But that means it won't be done in time for our meeting, probably, so we won't get to eat until afterwards. And with a 37 week pregnant wife...well, let's just say we need food asap.
Anyhow, just another reason I'm not perfect, as if anyone didn't know that already.
Well, I came home at 2ish to check and see how it was cooking.
Cold. What was wrong? Did our crock pot stop functioning since Sunday? Egad!
Nope. I just forgot to plug it up this morning.
Stupid me. Now it's cooking on "high" and should be done in 5-6 hours, instead of the 10-12 it would have taken. But that means it won't be done in time for our meeting, probably, so we won't get to eat until afterwards. And with a 37 week pregnant wife...well, let's just say we need food asap.
Anyhow, just another reason I'm not perfect, as if anyone didn't know that already.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
21 days or so
We finished the nursery. I'll take some pics and try and get them up on here before too long.
After no telling how many trips out to B-R-U (Kim tells me I abbreviate everything these days w/e!), we hung stuff on the walls last night. She's got her mawmaw's crosstitch by the lightswitch, her wall hangings that go with her bedding above her crib, and some other stuff too.
Now all we need is a baby girl. I'm really getting excited. Ashley asked me tonight if I was ready to be a "dad." I mean, really ready.
I think I am. I've waited a really long time. And now I feel like I might be ready.
I know Kim's gonna be a fantastic mom. I just hope I can hold my end of the parenting deal up.
It's late. I need to sleep. Night.
After no telling how many trips out to B-R-U (Kim tells me I abbreviate everything these days w/e!), we hung stuff on the walls last night. She's got her mawmaw's crosstitch by the lightswitch, her wall hangings that go with her bedding above her crib, and some other stuff too.
Now all we need is a baby girl. I'm really getting excited. Ashley asked me tonight if I was ready to be a "dad." I mean, really ready.
I think I am. I've waited a really long time. And now I feel like I might be ready.
I know Kim's gonna be a fantastic mom. I just hope I can hold my end of the parenting deal up.
It's late. I need to sleep. Night.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
with a big sigh
Breathe in.....
Breathe out....
Breathe in....
Breathe out....
Sorry, just practicing for the last night of baby class. Here's to hoping it's more worthwhile than the others. I'm come to the realization that I don't really like being in class, being taught things that I could just learn in books. I'm not a good student. Which is really scary if I ever decide when and where I'm going to go to school.
There is one reason I'm excited about going to class tonight. There are like 6 other couples in the class. One of the couples, Nick and Christine, sits next to us. They moved here in May, from up north somewhere, and their family is in Texas or somewhere. They literally have no one here. No family. No friends outside of work. We told them about Graeter's ice cream a few weeks ago, and last week Christine was by herself because Nick couldn't get out of work. Anyway, they live close to us. So tonight, I'm hoping that they'll join Kim and I at Graeter's after our last class, and we can invite them to church. But even more so, we can just start a friendship with them, so that there's someone here in town that they can call if they need anything. That's what being a good neighbor is all about, right? No strings attached.
I don't get a lot of opportunity to meet new people outside of church. I mean, I see the same people at the bank, at Kroger, and the lady who cuts my hair. But I don't really have a lot of outside contact. Kim gets some of it with her school buddies. I don't have that luxury. She goes out with her first grade team to breakfast about once a month and they laugh and talk about their students. Just kidding. Teachers never say anything about their students. Snicker, guffaw.
Anyways, prayers would be appreciated as we talk to Nick and Christine. They seem like good people...but I'm not sure they're the "churchy" type. We'll just have to see.
I picked up another book at Family the other day by one of my favorite speakers. Rob Bell, the pastor at Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, MI. His style of speaking is great. He's one of the few preachers I regularly download and listen to while I'm working. Anyway, his book is called Velvet Elvis and I really like it. If you're looking for a different kind of book, check it out.
On a different note, I had to have one of those conversations with a parent this morning that no one wants to have, but had to be done. Pray for that one, too. It went pretty well, but as a parent-to-be, I dread hearing those things that I had to relay. And I probably will. Just to keep things in perspective, it's going to be okay. Wrong choices don't always lead to wrong lifestyles. Sometimes they do, but it's best to nip them in the bud, as Barney Fife used to say.
Wow. From breathing exercises to Graeter's to preachers I like to Barney Fife. Talk about randomness.
I hate to be a comment freak, but if anybody's out there reading, I'd love your 2 cents on whatever you feel like.
Thanks for reading!
TJ
Breathe out....
Breathe in....
Breathe out....
Sorry, just practicing for the last night of baby class. Here's to hoping it's more worthwhile than the others. I'm come to the realization that I don't really like being in class, being taught things that I could just learn in books. I'm not a good student. Which is really scary if I ever decide when and where I'm going to go to school.
There is one reason I'm excited about going to class tonight. There are like 6 other couples in the class. One of the couples, Nick and Christine, sits next to us. They moved here in May, from up north somewhere, and their family is in Texas or somewhere. They literally have no one here. No family. No friends outside of work. We told them about Graeter's ice cream a few weeks ago, and last week Christine was by herself because Nick couldn't get out of work. Anyway, they live close to us. So tonight, I'm hoping that they'll join Kim and I at Graeter's after our last class, and we can invite them to church. But even more so, we can just start a friendship with them, so that there's someone here in town that they can call if they need anything. That's what being a good neighbor is all about, right? No strings attached.
I don't get a lot of opportunity to meet new people outside of church. I mean, I see the same people at the bank, at Kroger, and the lady who cuts my hair. But I don't really have a lot of outside contact. Kim gets some of it with her school buddies. I don't have that luxury. She goes out with her first grade team to breakfast about once a month and they laugh and talk about their students. Just kidding. Teachers never say anything about their students. Snicker, guffaw.
Anyways, prayers would be appreciated as we talk to Nick and Christine. They seem like good people...but I'm not sure they're the "churchy" type. We'll just have to see.
I picked up another book at Family the other day by one of my favorite speakers. Rob Bell, the pastor at Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, MI. His style of speaking is great. He's one of the few preachers I regularly download and listen to while I'm working. Anyway, his book is called Velvet Elvis and I really like it. If you're looking for a different kind of book, check it out.
On a different note, I had to have one of those conversations with a parent this morning that no one wants to have, but had to be done. Pray for that one, too. It went pretty well, but as a parent-to-be, I dread hearing those things that I had to relay. And I probably will. Just to keep things in perspective, it's going to be okay. Wrong choices don't always lead to wrong lifestyles. Sometimes they do, but it's best to nip them in the bud, as Barney Fife used to say.
Wow. From breathing exercises to Graeter's to preachers I like to Barney Fife. Talk about randomness.
I hate to be a comment freak, but if anybody's out there reading, I'd love your 2 cents on whatever you feel like.
Thanks for reading!
TJ
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Stay or Leave?
So I've been listening to Dave Matthews a lot lately. One of the cds of his that I preordered, they sent me another cd with some of his live stuff on it. There's a version of his song, "Stay or Leave," which has one of those haunting guitar melodies that gets stuck in your head, and bounces around for a few days.
Now I'm not the biggest Dave fan in the world, that's for sure, but I really like the jam band style of music. His lyrics usually are about drugs or sex or something that completely goes against everything I hold true.
But on this song, there's a line that goes something like this:
"Wake up naked drinking coffee
Making plans to change the world
While the world is changing us"
Now, the wake up naked drinking coffee line isn't what I'm stuck on. It's the rest of the phrase:
Making plans to change the world while the world is changing us.
I think that's where most Christians are. We get so on fire to change the world, and then we look around and see that the world is changing us.
I really don't know where I'm going with this. Other than to note that I want to change the world, and yet I get caught up in what the world says is important, just like everyone else. And if you think peer pressure ends when your teen years are over...think again. I want a video ipod. Why do I want one? Because they're fashionable. Do I need one? Of course I don't need one. I want it, and therefore I've been saving to get one.
I'm beginning to think that there has to be an easier way of life. A key word in the Christian circles these days is missional. I've yet to read a definition that truly fits what it means, but from what I understand, it's being all things to all people, it's making the message of Christ relevant and easier for today's culture to understand.
And again we get a mixed message. Be all things to all people, but be in the world but not of it.
There are only a few things in life that my family really needs. Food. Water. Shelter. Basic utilities. Basic needs such as clothing and medicines. Insurance. I need an automobile for my job.
But then there's everything else I want. Cable, internet, a new computer, nice furniture, and the list goes on and on and on.
Maybe I'm becoming Amish. I don't know. The Lord has blessed me with enough money to do and have what my family needs and mostly what we want.
But I'd really like to be about that changing the world, without the world changing me business.
Now I'm not the biggest Dave fan in the world, that's for sure, but I really like the jam band style of music. His lyrics usually are about drugs or sex or something that completely goes against everything I hold true.
But on this song, there's a line that goes something like this:
"Wake up naked drinking coffee
Making plans to change the world
While the world is changing us"
Now, the wake up naked drinking coffee line isn't what I'm stuck on. It's the rest of the phrase:
Making plans to change the world while the world is changing us.
I think that's where most Christians are. We get so on fire to change the world, and then we look around and see that the world is changing us.
I really don't know where I'm going with this. Other than to note that I want to change the world, and yet I get caught up in what the world says is important, just like everyone else. And if you think peer pressure ends when your teen years are over...think again. I want a video ipod. Why do I want one? Because they're fashionable. Do I need one? Of course I don't need one. I want it, and therefore I've been saving to get one.
I'm beginning to think that there has to be an easier way of life. A key word in the Christian circles these days is missional. I've yet to read a definition that truly fits what it means, but from what I understand, it's being all things to all people, it's making the message of Christ relevant and easier for today's culture to understand.
And again we get a mixed message. Be all things to all people, but be in the world but not of it.
There are only a few things in life that my family really needs. Food. Water. Shelter. Basic utilities. Basic needs such as clothing and medicines. Insurance. I need an automobile for my job.
But then there's everything else I want. Cable, internet, a new computer, nice furniture, and the list goes on and on and on.
Maybe I'm becoming Amish. I don't know. The Lord has blessed me with enough money to do and have what my family needs and mostly what we want.
But I'd really like to be about that changing the world, without the world changing me business.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Things that frustrate me
the cable company
the phone company
the war between them and the poor souls trapped just wanting a phone!
wet sleeves
the smell outside my house
people you need to talk to not returning calls
running into people that you were supposed to call back...but didn't
highliters that don't highlite
myspace.com
mosquitoes
the cable company...wait...i already said that one...sorry t-roy...at least it's not your cable company!
the phone company
the war between them and the poor souls trapped just wanting a phone!
wet sleeves
the smell outside my house
people you need to talk to not returning calls
running into people that you were supposed to call back...but didn't
highliters that don't highlite
myspace.com
mosquitoes
the cable company...wait...i already said that one...sorry t-roy...at least it's not your cable company!
Monday, August 21, 2006
Sugar and spice and everthing nice...
That's what little girls are made of.
Saturday, August 19th.
The crib is ready to go. The changing table is ready to go. The nursery is almost finished. As Kim said, "If she comes tonight, at least she'll have a place to sleep!"
Thanks to Chuck for helping when I came to the part of the instructions that said, "With the assistance of another person..." and looking at my 33 week pregnant wife...I said, "Maybe Chuck can come help for a bit."
Have I wrote about our crib? It's really really cool. Now it's a crib, but as she ages, it transforms like Optimus Prime into a day bed. Then as she outgrows that, it transforms like Megatron into a full-size bed. So, needless to say, unless we have other children who need a crib, this will be her bed until she moves out of our house!
I finally finished "To Own a Dragon" by Donald Miller. Never have I read a book that simultaneously breaks my heart while busting my gut. It was a tough finish after all that's happened this summer.
I want to post a little excerpt. I hope the copyright police don't bust me. I'll quote it to be safe:
To Own a Dragon by Donald Miller and John MacMurray.
Chapter eight: Making Decisions or How to Stay Out of Prison
"I was having trouble sleeping one evening, so I turned on Charlie Rose, who was interviewing this guy Salome Thomas-El. He was a black middle school teacher in Philadelphia, and he had a presence that made you respect him, a soft way with big words and the kind of peace that comes to a man when he has found himself, learned to love himself, and operates for the world out of strength.
Salome had started a chess club in his school, recruiting from the projects around the small campus. He told Charlie Rose what he wanted to teach these students was not how to play chess, necessarily, because chess doesn't really mean anything in the real world, but rather the art of making good decisions. He would walk up to kids hanging around outside a convenience store and ask them if they wanted to learn to play chess. Of course the kids said no, chess not being the most fashionable sport on the playground. So Salome would tell them that telling him no was a bad decision, that if somebody offers to teach you something, you should give that person respect, and ask more questions to find out if you might need this information in the future. That was a bad decision, Salome said to the kids, to dismiss me in that way. The kids didn't really know what to say, so they got tough, threatening him. Ah, Salome would say, another bad decision. I can see that, if you and I were playing chess right now, you would be losing, because in chess, you cannot make bad decisions and win. You have to make good decisions.
"Have any of you ever played chess? Salome asked.
"I know how to play chess," one of the kids answered.
"What is the legal move for a rook?" Salome asked the boy. The boy stood there silently until finally Salome spoke into his shifting eyes, "You are telling a lie, aren't you? You do not know how to play chess. A lie is another bad decision. If you knew how to play chess, you would not make so many bad decisions. you would know, intrinsically, the way to get ahead in life is to make good decisions. And so I will ask you again, and I want you to think about it for five seconds before you answer me. Don't answer right away, because this isn't wise. I want you to think about what I am going to ask you...
"Do you want me to teach you how to play chess?"
The children stood there, confused but interested, until one of them blurted out nervously, "Yes, I want to learn chess."
"Fine then. You have made a good decision. This is the first rule of chess. Make good decisions. The only possible way you can lose in chess, and for that matter in life itself, is to make bad decisions. If you do not make bad decisions, you will not lose in chess, or in life. And the more good decisions you make, the better your life will be. It is as easy as that. Who else would like to learn to play chess?" And of course, the kids belonged to Salome from then on, and he has influenced hundreds of children, lined up facing each other, their chess sets placed atop long tables, their hands quick to punch the timers, eight-year-olds, ten-year-olds, teenagers, playing men five times their age and beating them."
I think that's going to be our motto for the upcoming school year. Making Good Decisions.
Almost time for staff meeting. Time got changed from Mondays at 1 to Mondays at 10.
I think that was a good decision.
Saturday, August 19th.
The crib is ready to go. The changing table is ready to go. The nursery is almost finished. As Kim said, "If she comes tonight, at least she'll have a place to sleep!"
Thanks to Chuck for helping when I came to the part of the instructions that said, "With the assistance of another person..." and looking at my 33 week pregnant wife...I said, "Maybe Chuck can come help for a bit."
Have I wrote about our crib? It's really really cool. Now it's a crib, but as she ages, it transforms like Optimus Prime into a day bed. Then as she outgrows that, it transforms like Megatron into a full-size bed. So, needless to say, unless we have other children who need a crib, this will be her bed until she moves out of our house!
I finally finished "To Own a Dragon" by Donald Miller. Never have I read a book that simultaneously breaks my heart while busting my gut. It was a tough finish after all that's happened this summer.
I want to post a little excerpt. I hope the copyright police don't bust me. I'll quote it to be safe:
To Own a Dragon by Donald Miller and John MacMurray.
Chapter eight: Making Decisions or How to Stay Out of Prison
"I was having trouble sleeping one evening, so I turned on Charlie Rose, who was interviewing this guy Salome Thomas-El. He was a black middle school teacher in Philadelphia, and he had a presence that made you respect him, a soft way with big words and the kind of peace that comes to a man when he has found himself, learned to love himself, and operates for the world out of strength.
Salome had started a chess club in his school, recruiting from the projects around the small campus. He told Charlie Rose what he wanted to teach these students was not how to play chess, necessarily, because chess doesn't really mean anything in the real world, but rather the art of making good decisions. He would walk up to kids hanging around outside a convenience store and ask them if they wanted to learn to play chess. Of course the kids said no, chess not being the most fashionable sport on the playground. So Salome would tell them that telling him no was a bad decision, that if somebody offers to teach you something, you should give that person respect, and ask more questions to find out if you might need this information in the future. That was a bad decision, Salome said to the kids, to dismiss me in that way. The kids didn't really know what to say, so they got tough, threatening him. Ah, Salome would say, another bad decision. I can see that, if you and I were playing chess right now, you would be losing, because in chess, you cannot make bad decisions and win. You have to make good decisions.
"Have any of you ever played chess? Salome asked.
"I know how to play chess," one of the kids answered.
"What is the legal move for a rook?" Salome asked the boy. The boy stood there silently until finally Salome spoke into his shifting eyes, "You are telling a lie, aren't you? You do not know how to play chess. A lie is another bad decision. If you knew how to play chess, you would not make so many bad decisions. you would know, intrinsically, the way to get ahead in life is to make good decisions. And so I will ask you again, and I want you to think about it for five seconds before you answer me. Don't answer right away, because this isn't wise. I want you to think about what I am going to ask you...
"Do you want me to teach you how to play chess?"
The children stood there, confused but interested, until one of them blurted out nervously, "Yes, I want to learn chess."
"Fine then. You have made a good decision. This is the first rule of chess. Make good decisions. The only possible way you can lose in chess, and for that matter in life itself, is to make bad decisions. If you do not make bad decisions, you will not lose in chess, or in life. And the more good decisions you make, the better your life will be. It is as easy as that. Who else would like to learn to play chess?" And of course, the kids belonged to Salome from then on, and he has influenced hundreds of children, lined up facing each other, their chess sets placed atop long tables, their hands quick to punch the timers, eight-year-olds, ten-year-olds, teenagers, playing men five times their age and beating them."
I think that's going to be our motto for the upcoming school year. Making Good Decisions.
Almost time for staff meeting. Time got changed from Mondays at 1 to Mondays at 10.
I think that was a good decision.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Back to reality at hand
Road trip to the STL went as well as it could have. Got to see my brother. I've now seen my brother more times since Christmas than I have in the past 10 years. And that number is 4 times. Our relationship is hard to understand. We're close...always knowing what's going on in the other's life (thanks to Mom) but we never see each other.
It was good to see my family again. We usually only see everyone at Thanksgiving, but with Dad's funeral, David's wedding, and Jim's funeral, it was another occasion to see everyone.
Trying to get things ready to go for the new school year. We're going to try some different stuff. I think it'll go well, just some i's to dot and t's to cross.
More later.
TJ
It was good to see my family again. We usually only see everyone at Thanksgiving, but with Dad's funeral, David's wedding, and Jim's funeral, it was another occasion to see everyone.
Trying to get things ready to go for the new school year. We're going to try some different stuff. I think it'll go well, just some i's to dot and t's to cross.
More later.
TJ
Monday, August 14, 2006
Another road trip
My cousin Jimmy passed away on Sunday.
Jimmy was my first cousin. The 2nd son of my dad's sister. One of those people that you literally knew all your life.
He'd been sick for quite a few years. They found out he was diabetic when they were expecting their first son, who is now 21 or 22. About 7 years ago, Jimmy had a kidney transplant. As with most transplants, it wasn't totally successful, but gave him a few more years with his family.
I sat with him and his wife, Teri, at the wedding July 15. We shared stories of our trips to DC, and I really enjoyed just visiting with him. He looked good, and seemed to be feeling well.
An infection later, he slipped into a coma. While in the coma, he had several strokes, which rendered massive brain damage and heart damage. He never regained consciousness, and passed away on Sunday.
So I'm driving back to St. Louis on Wednesday to say goodbye.
This has been a summer.
Dear God, I don't know Jimmy's eternal destination. You do. I hope he's there with you. Give me words of comfort for Teri, Matt, and Drew, and all of the rest of the family during this time. If Jimmy's up there, tell him to say hi to Dad for me.
Amen.
Jimmy was my first cousin. The 2nd son of my dad's sister. One of those people that you literally knew all your life.
He'd been sick for quite a few years. They found out he was diabetic when they were expecting their first son, who is now 21 or 22. About 7 years ago, Jimmy had a kidney transplant. As with most transplants, it wasn't totally successful, but gave him a few more years with his family.
I sat with him and his wife, Teri, at the wedding July 15. We shared stories of our trips to DC, and I really enjoyed just visiting with him. He looked good, and seemed to be feeling well.
An infection later, he slipped into a coma. While in the coma, he had several strokes, which rendered massive brain damage and heart damage. He never regained consciousness, and passed away on Sunday.
So I'm driving back to St. Louis on Wednesday to say goodbye.
This has been a summer.
Dear God, I don't know Jimmy's eternal destination. You do. I hope he's there with you. Give me words of comfort for Teri, Matt, and Drew, and all of the rest of the family during this time. If Jimmy's up there, tell him to say hi to Dad for me.
Amen.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Okay. I get it. I'm old.
Only 4 years since I last went to King's Island, that magnificent roller coaster park about 15 minutes from my house. I wouldn't have gone this year, except Ashley gave me a couple free tickets, and I actually had been wanting to go, but couldn't bring myself to part with $40 or so.
So I picked up Proudfit at 930 and we made our way to the park. He had to be back by 3 to get ready for work, but with an overcast day at the end of summer, we didn't anticipate too heavy of a crowd. Sure enough, the lines weren't too bad. We decided to ride the Italian Job Stunt Track first, as neither of us had been there since it opened. Pretty cool setup. Three mini-coopers in a train, with 4 in each car. You launch out quick and do a corkscrew and a couple drops. Then it stalls out and a helicopter "shoots" at you and something blows up in front of you. Then you dive into darkness (I guess like the subway scene) and come roaring out of a billboard into a spray of water. It was a lot of fun, only over too quick.
We took to the Vortex next, and rode in the first car. Same classic ride as always. Ashley had said to recheck out Flight of Fear, which entered my banned list a few years ago when it shook the tar out of my neck. They had changed it up. So we did. And she was right, it wasn't as bad as I remember it. Next we went on the racer. First car. We barely could fit in the car. And it hurt. My arms kept banging down on the safety bar. And my hips got bruised from being wedged in too tight. By now, I was beginning to regret spending my day off at KI. But we went on to ride Top Gun. First car again, and a smooth ride. I timed it. 47 seconds once you reach the top of the hill until you stop. Not exactly a record-breaker.
We decided to eat, so we went to Skyline. Not sure about the choice, but it was one of the more economical places. I had mentioned Tomb Raider, since I'd never rode it. Matt said it was fun, so we went over there. Tomb Raider is really hard to explain, but I'll try. You're in stadium seating, on a platform, strapped in. This is a good thing. because you start moving all around and flipping upside down, and literally hanging upside down for a good 10-15 seconds, putting way too much pressure on your neck and face. Ack! After this, both Matt and I were ready to go. In pain, tired of walking around in a misty mess, seeing people with way too many tatoos in way too many places that shouldn't be seen in public.
All in all, a good day at KI, but I'm still a little sore. And I have a slight tummy ache. Probably from Skyline.
We saw our baby yesterday. She has grown oh so much! The doctor said she was up to 4 pounds and 5 ounces! She said she was in the 65th percentile, so a little above average when it came for babies. She's still projecting out to October 8th, so hopefully things continue to go well for both mom and baby girl.
We had baby class last night. I must say that I wasn't that thrilled with our class. We have the save-a-baby class on Saturday and breastfeeding/baby care basics on Monday night. Then 4 more weeks of baby class (Lamaze) on Thursdays. Maybe I'm just getting really anxious.
Night club tonight. Domino city! Got to get our food ready to take. I'm gonna make a red beans and rice concoction.
Later!
TJ
So I picked up Proudfit at 930 and we made our way to the park. He had to be back by 3 to get ready for work, but with an overcast day at the end of summer, we didn't anticipate too heavy of a crowd. Sure enough, the lines weren't too bad. We decided to ride the Italian Job Stunt Track first, as neither of us had been there since it opened. Pretty cool setup. Three mini-coopers in a train, with 4 in each car. You launch out quick and do a corkscrew and a couple drops. Then it stalls out and a helicopter "shoots" at you and something blows up in front of you. Then you dive into darkness (I guess like the subway scene) and come roaring out of a billboard into a spray of water. It was a lot of fun, only over too quick.
We took to the Vortex next, and rode in the first car. Same classic ride as always. Ashley had said to recheck out Flight of Fear, which entered my banned list a few years ago when it shook the tar out of my neck. They had changed it up. So we did. And she was right, it wasn't as bad as I remember it. Next we went on the racer. First car. We barely could fit in the car. And it hurt. My arms kept banging down on the safety bar. And my hips got bruised from being wedged in too tight. By now, I was beginning to regret spending my day off at KI. But we went on to ride Top Gun. First car again, and a smooth ride. I timed it. 47 seconds once you reach the top of the hill until you stop. Not exactly a record-breaker.
We decided to eat, so we went to Skyline. Not sure about the choice, but it was one of the more economical places. I had mentioned Tomb Raider, since I'd never rode it. Matt said it was fun, so we went over there. Tomb Raider is really hard to explain, but I'll try. You're in stadium seating, on a platform, strapped in. This is a good thing. because you start moving all around and flipping upside down, and literally hanging upside down for a good 10-15 seconds, putting way too much pressure on your neck and face. Ack! After this, both Matt and I were ready to go. In pain, tired of walking around in a misty mess, seeing people with way too many tatoos in way too many places that shouldn't be seen in public.
All in all, a good day at KI, but I'm still a little sore. And I have a slight tummy ache. Probably from Skyline.
We saw our baby yesterday. She has grown oh so much! The doctor said she was up to 4 pounds and 5 ounces! She said she was in the 65th percentile, so a little above average when it came for babies. She's still projecting out to October 8th, so hopefully things continue to go well for both mom and baby girl.
We had baby class last night. I must say that I wasn't that thrilled with our class. We have the save-a-baby class on Saturday and breastfeeding/baby care basics on Monday night. Then 4 more weeks of baby class (Lamaze) on Thursdays. Maybe I'm just getting really anxious.
Night club tonight. Domino city! Got to get our food ready to take. I'm gonna make a red beans and rice concoction.
Later!
TJ
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