31 July 2011

A weekend of milestones! Isaac swam across the pool yesterday, without his floaties, and is definitely reading independently - his latest effort is the original Boxcar Children chapter book. Esther has had two days now of no diapers and no accidents, and lots of self-prompted trips to the bathroom, both at home and at church. It's funny what gets you excited as a parent of pre-schoolers, but there you go.

I watched the recording of Dave Ramsey's The Great Recovery presentation last night. I am reminded again of how much I want to be out of debt, but not having an income to speak of makes that difficult. When you're just getting by, it's hard to dig out of the pit. At least we're not adding to the hole at all, and we haven't since February.

One of Dave's action items, especially for church leaders, is to teach people what God has to say about money. I've certainly got the platform in my Sunday School class, but how do I structure it and how do I get over the trepidation that the broke, unemployed kid in the room wants to teach everyone else about money. And is there a way to tie discipleship in, or is that just pushing it?

Kathy went back home to Houston yesterday morning, and we're attempting to settle back into normal life. Tiffany's at Applebee's tonight, I got the kids to bed about 8:30, and now I'm on the computer, playing cards and surfing the web. I've already clipped and sorted coupons, even though there's not money for groceries before we leave for Minnesota in a week. I've got a sink over-full of dishes to wash, the house is a disaster, and I really should help Tiffany with the laundry. I guess we're back to normal, then!

25 July 2011

I stopped in at Borders on Lohr Road last night just to walk around and see how things were going. There are signs everywhere about the closing sales, and the coffee shop is already packed and gone. It may have just been my general pensive mood - almost a minor depression - but it was a very melancholy experience to see the last dying gasps of such an institution. It wasn't nearly as crowded as I expected, but it was closing time on a Sunday, so maybe that's why.

I know that many people decried Borders for killing small, independent bookshops in the past, and I would agree with them. I remember bookstores on Main Street in Newark and McMahon's at Christiana Mall - now you're hard-pressed to find any sort of a decent bookstore in a mall. While Borders was a juggernaut, it was still a place where we could go to touch books and sit down for a while with a coffee and a novel. Tiffany and I spent many date nights at Borders, just enjoying a bit of peace and quiet while browsing through a stack of books that we didn't need to buy.

There's the rub: we don't have much disposable income to spend on books, so we've shifted much more to borrowing books from the library. It's free, and we don't have to find shelf space to hang on the books after we're done. We have plenty of books already and we're trying to pare down - buying more from Borders is a touch antithetical to that endeavor. In fact, I can't remember the last time we bought a book (more than a small school book for the kids); I can't even remember whether we bought it in store or online. Do I have much room to lament the closing of Borders if I don't buy their merchandise? It's not for lack of desire - I'm sure I could spend a couple hundred dollars each time I walk in - but perhaps there are just too many others in our situation.

I do mourn the loss of Borders: the loss of a local Ann Arbor business, the loss of a haven of knowledge and entertainment, the loss of being able to physically browse books. I don't see e-readers being a viable alternative, and while the library is an ideal option in many respects, there's just something different about it.

Farewell, Borders. I pray that this is not a nail in the coffin of printed books. If so, God help us all.

20 July 2011

The last few days have been just weird, off-kilter somehow. I think it's a combination of Kathy being in town (and staying at a hotel, which raises car issues), being unresolved about Nashville, the intense heat this week, and the two-day drive that got inserted at the last minute. Tiffany said it best tonight - I (we) feel very out of control. I did get a chance to sit down and balance the books tonight though and I feel somewhat better. I'm so grateful for the cashed-in life insurance policy - I know we wanted to save it for Christmas travel, but it's serving as a great buffer right now for a life in flux. At least I got something productive done tonight (the books); maybe tomorrow I'll sort through some of the boxes in the basement. I'm still not sure how Tiffany plans to pull off a garage sale in three days...

17-18 July

A busy weekend - I left after the church picnic Sunday to drive to Nashville for a job interview - about an 8.5 hour drive. Spent the night at the Alexis Inn just off Briley Parkway and near the airport.

In the morning, I packed my stuff up, put it in the car in the parking lot, and caught the #18 bus to downtown (via the airport). An hour early for my interview, I walked around downtown Nashville: through the War Memorial, around the Capitol grounds, and down the Arcade between 5th and 4th Streets. Interview at 10:30 with Tim Roach of the Greater Nashville Regional Council went well, then lunch at Katie's in the Arcade - fried pork chop, greens, and sweet(!) tea.

After taking the bus back to the hotel, I drove to Brentwood to see Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Plaza. Dave was out of town on vacation, but I had a cup of coffee with Martha Thompson (Director of Guest Relations) and browsed the bookstore. Back on the road headed north and struggling to stay awake the whole way north of Cincinnati. Got home about 1:30 AM and fell into bed.

16 July 2011

Nervous energy this evening as I'm packing for my trip to Nashville tomorrow. Went out to Penney's to get a new, smaller dress shirt - I hope that orange is really a good color for me! Orange shirt, brown pants - not a combination I would have gone for first, but Tiffany and Kathy both say it works, so we'll go with it.

I hope I remember how to interview. I've not been terribly skilled at it in the past, but I did get McKenna six years ago, right? I just wish that it wasn't such a stilted process - it's never as easygoing as I think it should/could be. Oh, if I didn't need this job, how would it be different? How much freer would I be in my conversation? How much less pressure would I feel to Get. It. Right.?

15 July 2011

Day three of leaving the windows open and the A/C off - always a welcome thing during the summer. Slow day for deliveries, but not too bad. Wendy and Jessie Nair came in to eat at the restaurant, and I took their order. I don't think Wendy recognized me, and I'm glad for it. Very awkward until they left.

Dinner tonight was excellent smoked sausage, peppers & onions, and fried potatoes cooked by Tiffany. We both agree that there are just some dishes that one of us prepares better than the other does, even though we are both good cooks.

After dinner, we went to Movie in the Park at Mill Pond Park. Kathy drove the kids down, while Tiff and I biked over, with an exhilarating coast down the hill at the end. Good turnout for the festivities, and Kathy and Isaac stayed to camp out in his blue tent. We'll see what the report is in the morning.

14 July 2011

Esther and I went to the airport this afternoon to pick up Kathy - she's visiting for the next couple of weeks. Tiffany and I are really looking forward to having someone around to watch the kids. That means date nights for us, an opportunity for me to go to trivia night at Applebee's, the potential for double work shifts (a nice prospect with our time off for Minnesota coming up), a chance for me to give blood on a Monday afternoon instead of stealing a Saturday from the family, and coverage for my last-minute trip to Nashville on Monday. Plus, we get to hang out with Gran-Gran and go to the zoo (probably both Binder Park and Toledo), go swimming, and more.

Dinner at Applebee's tonight on the way home from the airport, then back to home. A little picking up the living room, a few dishes, but mostly the kids enjoying Gran-Gran in town.

Heard back from Jessamine County. I made the top 10, but not the top 5. Oh well, at least I heard, and I've got the new lead for Nashville! Romans 8:28 - right?

13 July 2011

It's good to be back at work, even though it was a slow day: 5 deliveries, and only one tipped me! $12.80 all told. In related news, I do love the bacon and onion pizzas I've been making myself. Now if I just had some spinach to throw on there, that would be great.

Shopping trip to Meijer this afternoon with Isaac. He's started to put things in the cart on his own (apples, hot cocoa) but has some good suggestions, like potatoes for baked potatoes and ground beef for "porcupine balls". If only he was more gentle with the fruit!

I received an email today from Bill Orange at the Greater Nashville Regional Commission. He wants me to go down to Nashville for an interview on Monday - just five days from now! The bulk of the afternoon was spent making arrangement for hotel and rental car: I'm planning to drive down Sunday after the church picnic and return after a morning interview on Monday. It will be a lot of driving, but this is the best lead (read: first in-person interview) I've had since leaving McKenna 11 months ago.

Made (baked is too strong a word here) a banoffee pie tonight - dulce de leche and bananas in a prebaked crust, topped with a coffee whipped cream. Not bad, and light on the points (only 69 for the whole pie), but it doesn't quite match up to what I remember from Piece of Ireland back in Newark. Their pie was somehow more solid and richer - maybe they cut the bananas in smaller pieces? I wonder, too, if making it with boiled sweetened condensed milk would make that much of a difference over the jar of dulce de leche. Experiments for another day.

12 July 2011

Last day before going back to work. Did some genealogy research this morning while the kids watched movies, then downstairs for dishes. Both Isaac and Esther were out of sorts today – turns out Esther is running a 102° fever.

Went out to Ypsi to get Project Fresh coupons to use at the Farmers’ Market, but they didn’t have a record of my appointment. Add pissed off to the list of hot and tired today – reacted by eating two chocolate bars from Hiller’s after a brief grocery stop for sparkling water.

Tiffany worked lunch and dinner today, but had a long break between so she hung out at home for a couple hours and made no-bake cookies for her co-workers. I crashed on the couch for a couple hours holding Esther – she’s very clingy when she’s sick. Isaac made himself a peanut butter sandwich, then up to bed about 9pm. Relatively easy bedtime tonight – maybe I just need to let them stay up later?

Tuesday night is job hunting night! Applied for three new jobs – one in Kansas and two near DC. Printed applications for two others in Wyoming and Iowa. Sent another followup email to Jessamine County – it’s been about a month since I heard anything from them.

11 July 2011

Home all day today – I don’t work again until Wednesday. Strong storms came through about 1:00, but the gardens are glad for the rain. Got almost caught up on dishes, read some, copied some genealogy notes, and cooked pork chops and broccoli for dinner. Lazy evening online, mostly due to waiting for kids to go to bed (put down at 7:30, still bopping around at 9 – ugh!).

10 July 2011

Up early this morning to head down to Mill Pond Park and help clean up from yesterday's Celtic Festival. Wrapped up about 10:40, then on to church, where I struggled to stay awake. I couldn't even stand up for most of the songs because I was so tired and worn out. Lunch at Qdoba with Don and Christina - it was good to hang out together without feeling the pressure to be in teaching mode. Home to crash and recuperate, then Tiffany off to work. Got the kids settled down relatively easily, then spent the rest of the evening avoiding the dirty dishes. They'll still be there in the morning; might as well be rested up for them, right?

9 July 2011

Hot day today for the Saline Celtic Festival. We helped Fellowship run the Celtic Survivor tournament - I drove the golf cart for the joust while Tiffany documented the day in photos. Had to leave early because Isaac was having heat issues. Home to the air conditioning and corn-on-the-cob for dinner! Everyone's pretty tuckered out, but I still have to run to the store for a few things.

8 July 2011

Final day of traveling. Breakfast & swimming at hotel in Lexington, then northbound about 11:00. Started out in a driving rain - almost too heavy to see. Stopped for a late lunch at Chick-fil-A in West Chester, Ohio. The drive so far has been testy & kids have been a bit wild. Need to remember to drink more water! Brief stop in Lima to see the static train display at Lincoln Park, dinner at Sonic south of Toledo, then home by 7 PM. Met with Don & Christina for discipleship from 8:30-11:45: studied Matthew 3-4, chatted.

7 July 2011

Left Tennessee about 10:45 headed back to Michigan. Stopped at Cumberland Gap for a trip up to the Pinnacle Overlook and a brief visit to the Visitor Center. Lunch at KFC in Middlesboro, then on to Pineville, where I got a copy of Claude and Hazel's marriage record from the old courthouse. Just north of Berea, we got off the highway and took a side detour to Valley View Ferry - a two-car paddlewheel ferry across the Kentucky River - very cool. Drove through the edge of Nicholasville en route to Lexington for the night. Star Trek movie marathon on SyFy while Tiff did laundry at the hotel.

6 July 2011

Happy Birthday to Hazel Lea Acuff! 95 and still kicking.

Isaac got up early with Tiffany to bake a birthday cake, then we all had a piece before the DE Acuffs headed home. Buddy stopped by for a visit - he's looking poorly, in lots of pain, and having trouble sleeping. Tiny brought up a package sent from Mary V for Hazel - cheesecake and chocolate-covered strawberries shipped in an insulated box from California! Hazel enjoyed a huge strawberry, while we looked on and took photos for Mary V.

After the Michigan crew made a run into Jeff for Walmart and Sonic, Jerry and Tiny stopped by to bring a birthday card and more well-wishes. I made salmon cakes for dinner; Isaac eventually ate his (shaped like an elephant!) after a bit of struggle. Rest of evening devoted to cleaning up and prepacking for tomorrow's departure.

Hazel relayed a story that, when growing up, whenever they broke something in the house, she and her siblings would hide it from Momma under the house. The story came up when I dropped the electric griddle and broke its plastic legs - superglue to the rescue!

5 July 2011

Had A/C replaced at Grandmother's house today. I made two pies to have with dinner - not much left afterward! Jess & Gladys came over just before dinner to visit; they had a photo of my great-great-grandmother Mary Eliza (Darting) Morgan, her sister (they didn't know her name), and their mother "Granny" Darting (Sarah Ann Seymore Darting). Not sure when it was taken, but Granny Darting died in 1945 so it had to be before then. Not much else of note today.

4 July 2011

Happy Independence Day! Finished trip to Tennessee this morning, leaving from Berea about 9 AM, stop at Middlesboro Walmart at 11:15, then in to Grandmother's house by 12:30. A/C broken at the house - repairman will be out tomorrow to fix or replace it. Mom, Dad, Sarah, and Belle have been here for a couple days; Sarah went and bought large fans to station around the house to get some air moving. Brief visit with Tiny, Jerry, and Rebecca, then dinner of hot dogs and hamburgers, with fresh tomatoes and corn on the cob. Isaac and I slept out in his tent for the evening.

3 July 2011

Finished packing for our trip to Tennessee, then off to Sunday school and church. I wrapped up teaching The Believer's Three Judgments in SS; Bert preached on the NT understanding of the commandment not to commit adultery (Matthew 5) - a solid text to keep at the front of my mind. After a brief Celtic Festival planning meeting, the four of us headed south on our trip about 1 PM. Stopped in North Baltimore, Ohio, for gas (scary Speedway station!), then on to the Creation Museum to buy a dinosaur book for Isaac. Dinner at Qdoba in Florence, KY, then on to Berea for the night. To bed early (for me) and late (for the kids) - about 9:30.

2 July 2011

Watered the gardens today - a good long soak. Tomatoes are going gangbusters - even starting to pink up on a couple of the Romas. Beans, okra, peas, and peppers are very leafy, but no flowers or even the hint thereof. Cucumbers are tall with lots of flowers - lets hope that they set some good fruit.
Sat down to work on Bible study, then I couldn't recall the last time I opened my Bible just to read. Why is it such a struggle to have a daily quiet time? I wonder if the struggle is similar for all stay-at-home parents with young kids - I need the kids to entertain themselves, be gone, or be asleep to get any time for devotions. I really should restudy Herb's Quiet Time lesson - and take it to heart! As Bert says, the lesson is not for those I wish would hear it - it's for me!
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Just sitting down to a snack of cottage cheese and apple butter (homemade last fall from Wasem's apples). I'm told it's a Pennsylvania Dutch thing - perhaps a relic of my birth place? Listened to Aaron Copland as I washed the dishes this afternoon. There are few CDs that I want to sit down and deliberately listen to, and this is one. I want a pair of big, ear-covering headphones and an hour to myself to get lost in Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Quiet City, Fanfare for the Common Man...

1 July 2011

Pretty leisurely day, but hot outside! A good day to stay indoors. After work (2 deliveries today), came home and waited for Tiff & kids to return from Toledo Zoo. Made mini pizzas on flatbread for an early dinner, then hung out while the kids colored & cut paper. Upstairs at 6:30 for popcorn and The Polar Express, while I finished up a novel and catnapped. Then off to bed with the kids - usual hourlong process, but this time instead of sitting at the computer, I went downstairs and did the dishes. I head some running around, but things seemed to go a little smoother. I came back upstairs, watched a couple shows online, and worked on my family history questions - paring down the list to something reasonably usable - but it's still so long!
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"When I was young, I thought I could fly" - just a little snippet of verse that came to me today. I wonder if I still have what it takes to write a whole poem. Or maybe this line is a whole poem?

30 June 2011

I guess that's the point of a diary - to record life in small doses so it doesn't get overwhelming. Tiff took the kids all day today - first to a playdate at McDonald's, then to work for the Chaliogianis kids, a nice unexpected treat. I had most of the day to myself and went to the library to check out the local history/genealogy collection. I don't have any specific to Washtenaw County ancestors, but I did check up on Sweenys and Larzeleres since they were in Michigan. After about an hour of familiarizing, I went to work at Mancino's - incredibly slow today and not a single delivery. That hasn't happened in months, and it is certainly not typical for a Thursday. I hope this doesn't become a pattern.

Back to library afterward for some transcription, then a perusal of some genealogy magazines. I love having the library as a resource for books and magazines that I want to read but can't spend the money on purchasing - it's great! Picked up the kids from Tiffany so she could work her dinner shift at Applebee's, then back home for a typical evening of anti-dinner for the kids, watching Ratatouille, then struggling over bedtime for an hour. It will get better someday, right?

Skydiving: Learning About The Parachute

I finally picked up a copy of Richard Bolles' classic What Color Is Your Parachute? from the library. I must say, it's not at all what I expected. I had a vague misconception of it as retirement planning, as in 'golden parachute'. Turns out that's not what the book is at all!

Time is too short to do a review of the book now. I plan to periodically post here as I go through the Parachute Workbook, basically finding myself (which is really the point of this here journal).

First off, my ten Who Am I? answers and the common denominators:

1. I am a reproducing disciple of Christ.
2. I am a kid of the King.
3. I am husband to Tiffany.
4. I am a responsible adult.
5. I am a father.
6. I am a provider.
7. I am a respecter of people.
8. I am a planner. (and more than just an "urban planner")
9. I am a teacher.
10. I am a nerd.

The common themes that I see among these are:

• relationship with God
• following rules
• leading people to understanding
• long-term and/or eternal focus
• loving and helping people
• thinking before acting
• focus on the next generation
• peace of mind
• facts and details
• sense of control; order instead of chaos

In the context of a relationship with Christ, I obediently make disciples, teaching and showing them how to focus on future generations. I am deliberate, fact-focused, and precise so as to bring peaceful order out of chaos. I am a lover of people and emphasize relationships with an eye toward eternity.

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The first step of the Parachute Flower is determining what values I want my life to serve. After coming up with a (incomplete) list of values, I used Bolles' prioritization grid (an online version can be found here) with the following top-five result:

1. Relationship with God - bringing more spirituality, more faith, more forgiveness, more love for God, more Biblical foundation into the world
2. Integrity - bringing more morality, more righteousness, more honesty into the world
3. Relationships with others - bringing more love and compassion, more fellowship into the world
4. A proper perspective of possessions - bringing into the world better stewardship of what we possess (with an emphasis on savings, simplicity, enough) as individuals, as neighbors, as communities (small and large), as nations
5. Intelligence - bringing into the world more knowledge, more Truth, and more clarity

As a result of my life, there will be

• a stronger focus on man's relationship with God and the Bible as the foundation of life;
• greater personal integrity as people learn to take responsibility for their actions; and
• a renewed interdependence on personal relationships as neighbors strive together to meet needs and achieve dreams.

More to come later.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

For those of you wondering about the source of the text in the sidebar, here it is:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor. 4:16-18)

I don't remember when I first came across this piece of Scripture, but I included it on a previous blog, and it seems appropriate to soul-searching.