Whirlwind Ramblings

On Thursday of last week my Beloved received a phone call from the friend from whom we had originally arranged to rent a condo from at the beach.  She was telling us that "our" week had not rented (for her full price) and if we wanted we could still use it for the week.  A frantic bunch of phone calls later my Beloved and COWGIRL (re)arranged all of the appointments and other things that running a house involve and Viola!  I love the beach and all, but when there are eight people (2 adolescents, 1 preteen, 2 teenagers, 2 mothers, and 1 father) in a one bedroom condo... let's just say there is not much in the way of serenity. When i was picked up by my new employer though... a lot of things changed... like vacation.  I've lost all of my vacation sans 2 personal days for the first 6 months.  Then i start back at the beginning with only 2 weeks. 

Speaking of new work benefits... i may have a problem.  I have been taking Strattera to help me with my ADD.  Unfortunately my new Health Insurance has an unusually large deductible BEFORE they pay anything (other than for yearly preventative health appointments).  Well, Strattera is apparently VERY expensive and the type of reimbursement account i have set up to help me with the out of pocket expenses is the type that builds slowly and so i do not have enough money to pay for it.  As a test i have not been taking it since Friday (i know, you are not supposed to change the Rx, i.e. when to take it, etc., without consulting your doctor - yet another out of pocket cost) in order to see if i noticed any difference... unfortunately... i have.  I have been feeling a little 'loopy' from time to time AND i am noticing a lot more trouble keeping the "plates spinning".  Not doing well mentally in that regard.  This is affecting my work, which can affect my ability to provide for my family, not to mention in my relating to others.  All of this, with a negligible increase in my paychecks.  I am grateful that i even have a job to go to right now... but the vice is squeezing tighter and tighter.  Ever see that car commercial with the hamsters running on their wheels?

Speaking of rodents... for some reason i had a 'mental image' of how one might be able to get a picture of God's sovereignty and our (man's) free will.  Now, i know this is not a perfect representation, but it is what came to mind.  It's kind of like the old mice in a maze experiment.  Mice are sent to run the maze without any direct interference as to which direction to go etc.  Now, the scientist is in control of everything about the maze with the exceptions of making the mouse make any sort of decision.  The scientist puts in incentives, or can move walls at will, etc.  but the mouse is free to choose to accept the incentive or to take the new pathway etc.  This is an imperfect example of the relationship between God and man, but i feel it represents a decent enough parable to help my feeble mind.  While i am not some science experiment navigating for some piece of cheese, i am a finite creature that is unable to see the entire maze (which is all of creation by the way).  God has revealed Himself and His desire for a relationship to me (and to others) in various ways.  I do not always accept the "piece of cheese" or easier path.  And yet God does interjects and sometimes even manipulates the "maze" (i.e. like miracles, both seen'/etected and unseen/undetected), but at no point does He impose His will upon me to choose this or that.  In the end He allows me to make my choices, and receive the rewards/penalties.  This really is an over simplification, and can easily be twisted out of proportion.  But it works for me.

Speaking of Rodents... MouseHunt is getting a pretty major overhaul today.  Most of my readers will not know what MouseHunt is, or even care, but i will blather on anyway.  The "backbone" of the game is getting recoded, as well as the graphical interfaces.  This results in a pretty significant overhaul.  Anyone who has worked in IT, probably NOT on a game though, knows what this is like.  Basically it is the equivalent of taking your PC, erasing the hard drive and rewriting the operating system to get it to run the programs more efficiently. All the while of having (literally) 10's of thousands of users all clamering to know when are you going to be done, why can't i play the game, you guys suck - can't even upgrade your own system more efficently, etc.  Never mind that these guys have been working on improving the program, making it a better experience, for over a year AND they announced it in advance.  They told the users what to expect, how long it might be down, what they need to do in order to ensure there is a smooth transition, etc.  I've said it before, and i will say it again here, i am really enjoying this game!  It is a game where i have to solve problems in order to catch the prize mice, i do not HAVE to spend real world currency to play the game if i do not want to, other players are not constantly sabatoging my efforts to improve - not only that, there is a really good group of players helping many of the more Novice players - to include doling out advice AND "gold" to help them along.  You can play with a "team" of friends OR go solo.  I am enjoying this so much so, that i do not play any other games on facebook at this point - i just don't have the time anyway, so i might as well focus on a game that i can enjoy.

Random Dozen Wednesday

1. What is one really fast, know-by-heart "go-to" meal to fix in a pinch? ~ To be honest i rely heavily upon my Beloved for ideas.  If she has not givven me an idea for whatever reason i usually reach for a frozen pizza, or i take the kids out.  I know, typical father.  I have a desire to learn how to cook better (and more often), but i have allowed other things in life to creep in and take up my time.

2. What is one item you won't leave home without? (Purse and license do not count.) ~ Can i say my wallet then?  No?  Because it is in essence the same thing, just for a guy (even though women have wallets in their purse too)... fine.  Um... my cell phone.  Also known as my electric leash (for work) and connection to the rest of the world.  If i had an iPhone it would be scary, but my Samsung Reclaim is web anabled, and that is sufficient ~ for now.

3. Where is one place you never tire of visiting? ~ I love the woods, and the mountains, but i never tire of visting the beach (in the off season).  I want to live in the middle of foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with trees all around, but to visit it is the beach hands down.  And it doesn't have to be Ocean City, MD.  It can be Virginia Beach, or anywhere along the Carolinas.

4. Share one factoid of your family's history. ~ We have evidence that our family history traces back to the Norman invasion of England in 1066 and beyond.  I am also a 13th generation American.

5. Complete this sentence: "Once upon a time I ...." ~ I could have trained and participated in at least two of the three events in a tri-atholon.  I loved to run and run and run.  I used to race my school bus from the first stop to the last stop (my stop was the last one).  The route of the bus was a big semi-circle and i usually beat it.  If i went and used Google Maps i could probably figure out how far the respective distances were.  I would also ride my bike forever.  I remember riding my bike from our appartment in Annandale, VA all the way out to Burke Lake, around to where the concession stand was and back again.  Just for fun.  If i tried either today, i am pretty sure i would have a coarnary.

6. If you could win a one year's supply of anything, what would it be? ~ Dr Pepper.  Puh-leez, like there was anything close.  But not just any Dr Pepper, no sir.  Dublin Dr Pepper, made with real cane sugar.

7. "One quirky thing you may not know about me is ...." ~ Um... i'm pretty sure i've covered most, if not all, of my quirkiness.  Thinking... Ok, i couldn't answer this for myself so i polled my Beloved and two friends... each of them had the immediate response, "Just one!?".  So, here is a brief list: My sense of humor (specificaly computer related, and how i can find something funny when others do not), how particular i am about getting comfortable when going to bed, My flair obsession on facebook, painting my "little army men", whistiling with "incredible" accuracy.

8. You have one dollar in your pocket. What will you buy? ~ This is a tough one.  Not a big fan of The Dollar Store, or The Dollar General.  I will probably go for a handful of the Carmel candies, the ones with sugar in the middle.  Love those things.

9. "One thing that always makes me laugh is ...." ~ My Beloved's laugh.  Some things get kind of old and i will not always laugh.  Although Calvin & Hobbs comes close, it's still not 100%. 

10. What is one thing you could do today to help yourself reach a personal goal? ~ Write out several hundred words on my short stories.  Get the character descriptions done, and maybe outline their main character personalities better outlined.  The word count could apply to any number of steps along my personal goal. 8)

11. What is one thing you could do today to bless someone else? ~ I try and keep my eyes open for opportunities.  For me, i think a good one would be to try and discern a way to serve my Beloved without having to be asked.

12. What is one thing you're looking forward to soon? ~ Soon is a relative term.  Something locked in, or something hoped for.  For the former i am going to take DS1, DS2, and COWGIRL's DS1 to see Iron Man 2 next week.  I am hoping to go with RAM and PETRA as well.  For the latter, well... i would love for a long 3 or 4 day weekend at the Beach.

Look at below!

I am so looking forward to this evening...why? Because it is the first time since my beloved and i have had kids that we can take a vacation in the month of June. Until last year my annual training was almost always scheduled in June so we would not be able to take off until July or August. I am so looking forward to taking off and leaving my work behind for the next week. I am hoping to get some writing done, and some Fallout 3 played. 8) I've been having the desire to get some of the whirlwind of ideas and characters down and organized within the outline i have been working on. I've started a prologue, a sort of near beginning chapter and some character defining lines - so that i can picture the characters in my mind while i'm writing. In the meantime i am not sure how much, if any, blogging i will get done. If i play Fallout 3, then i will take some notes for my gaming blog for when i get back. I am still waiting to hear how i did on my writing contest entry that was supposed to be over mid May. There have been some technical issues delaying the results, but even then another moderator said that the results were to be posted yesterday... which i've not heard anything on that yet. Hopefully soon. Before i dash out the door... i saw the miniature pictured to the right and i immediately thought of a way to write in a new character for my book. *lol* That's all i have for this week. See y'all when i get back, 5 pounds heavier and a little more tan. May God richly bless each of you until we "meet" again.

Vacation's all I ever wanted...

Well, not really. I do enjoy my work - mostly, still, it's nice to get away from the routine and just do something different. We spent a week visiting friends and family in the Dallas, TX area. It is never an entirely stress free vacation visiting with family (why is that?), at least for us. We saw our first ever rodeo, pretty interesting. Not my cup of tea, but it was something I had never done before. My beloved had a good time just doing some people watching. :) I LOVE the architecture of the homes in the Northern Dallas area. Maybe it's just because of the homes I have seen through my Beloved's family out there, but I really like how the walls are done (Spackle & Drag - I think that's what it's called). It has a textured look to it, not just flat, and the corners are rounded. Very nice. I also really like the hand scraped flooring. It is essentially a wooden flooring that is smooth when first put down, but then is literally scraped and has a more rough (but with out the splinters and sharp edges) texture to it. If I could afford it I would level my current house and have contractors build one just them here. One thing I don't like are the postage stamp sized yards. My old townhouse had a larger lot... granted I had an end unit, but still. Another interesting sporting event happened while I was there. A man named Josh Hamilton really caught my attention. He is currently a member of the Texas Rangers, but has a God glorifying history. He was a first round draft choice, had a fairly decent career in Baseball, and then he threw it all away for drugs. He was out of Baseball for a couple of years, and then God arrested his heart and mind. He cleaned up, and with God's grace, has made it back to the big leagues. My sister-in-law, and her family saw him play at least one game this year (I believe) as a Frisco Roughrider (the AA farm team for the Rangers). Now, I am not much of a Baseball fan, but watching him hit 28 home runs in the Home Run Derby was something. I was also inspired to hear this young man give the glory to Christ when he was interviewed after. I might become a sudo-Texas Rangers fan now. I had more that I wanted to write about, but... I am failing to remember now. I guess that's the danger of blogging 'live' instead of writing it out and then pasting it in. Especially when it is taking me a couple of hours to get it all typed out. :) Verse for today: Psalm 86 : 11-13, ESV Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

Long time no blog

Wow, it has been a week since my last blog entry. Last weekend my beloved and I took the family up to Lancaster, PA to meet our sister-in-law and there two daughters. It was halfway between our places, and we stayed at the Howard Johnson's there. It was a blast because there was of the indoor water park they have on site. The park was great, and you could order from Quizno's or Domino's right there.

Unfortunately I came down with something. I don't think it was the flu because I don't think I've had a fever, but I have been very 'run down' and sluggish all week and have missed a couple of days from work. It's hard to keep motivated when all of your energy is being used just to keep the feet moving.

Well, I off again (already). I pray you all have a great weekend.
Verse for today:
Psalm 107:1-3, ESV
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble [1]
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.

Back from Vacation

Whew, am I glad to be back from vacation! I might be able to recooperate some now that I am back to work! :~)



All week DS2 kept asking us, "why did you have to pick this week to go on vacation!" It was incredibly HOT all week! Now, I've had to deal with prolonged exposure to such heat before, but my family has not - and that was an experience. The heat index did not get peak below 105 farenheit the entire time we were in Williamsburg, VA.



Before I give too much of an incorrect picture I need to say that my family is not a 'roughing it' kind of family. Our idea of 'roughing it' means that we have to do without a small fridge and/or microwave oven in our hotel room! ;~) *** hahaha *** We had a full week none-the-less.



On Monday we hit Busch Gardens (after looking at the Weather Channel when we got there we quickly decided that this would be the coolest day of the week). It had been almost 15 years since my beloved and I had visited there, and we had a blast. The park is actually smaller than I remember it though. I think the sensation is by design though. It allows the visitor the impression of not being over crowded, and if an area is getting congested it probably encourages people to move to another 'country' (or region). One thing in particular... DS1 was a little disappointed. Although Busch has some really good rollercoasters (and he rode everyone of them), there are not as many as he's used to from Hershey Park. His favorite was The Griffon, while mine was Apollo's Chariot! (Yes, he 'dragged' me on each and every one!). The one thing we did do to help dodge the heat some was we hit two shows. The first one was at the Fest House, and the other was of the Emerald Beat in 'Ireland'.



On Tuesday we hit Water Country USA. It is reported to be the largest Water Park in the mid-atlantic, and it is huge. The Wave Pool, and the 'Hubba Hubba Highway' were the biggest hits. Especially for my beloved and me. I liked that they provided courtesty life jackets. Especially on the 'highway'. Just because it moves you along, and there is not much swimming required to do so, does not mean that you do not have to exercise to keep yourself afloat! :) And the wave pool, well you can just use your imagination. ;~) I was ready to head home by 6PM, but the family would have nothing to do with that! LOL We stayed right up until the park closed. (OH, and I had wanted to buy a hat the entire day, but my beloved asked me to wait until the end of the day... I never did get it... but it is on my 'wish list for birthday, anniversary, or Christmas... here is a quick image of what I like...









(not really sure why I posted that... lol)

Wednesday we just took a break. We stayed in our hotel and just watched movies, ate popcorn, made spagetti, that sort of thing.

Thursday we ventured down into the 'Colonial Williamsburg' area. We wanted to see some of the attractions, and learn a little more about it, but it was incredibly HOT! After only two hours, and that included a nice 30 minute tour of the Governor's Palace we were baked! We did get some nice pictures of the Court House, and some re-enactors (I'm sorry, but I've not downloaded the camera yet :~( ). We went out to lunch and then back to the pool instead.

On Friday we went back to hit specific locations, like the Blacksmith and the museum. We were surprised by how well the kids did in the museum. There was not much to do, or things to intrest them there, but they hung in there. Afterwards we headed up to Yorktown to see the decisive battle of the Revolutionary War. The National Park Service really has a nice vistor's center. I tried to do the Battlefield tour, but the kids quickly lost intrest. We ended up on one of the few tiny beach areas that 'downtown Yorktown' has.

We originally planned to come straight home Saturday, but I had wanted to go visit Jamestown the whole week and we had not made it there yet. This time the family were great sports. They let me walk over the entire 'Towne'. I was able to look at each of the areas, and read most of the information. It is incredible to read about the original 104 Men and boys who ventured from England to establish the first 'permenant' colony.

I used to think that was where the first of my Paternal relatives come into what is now the United States, but I have since learned differently. Still... I am (I believe) the 12th generation of my family since the first arrived circa 1685 - and most likely he had a stop for at least a short time in 'James Towne'.

Wow - that was a little long winded! I originally wanted to post a lot of pictures like 'Susan' does, but I am just not as diligent in getting them downloaded as she.

I did want to share one thing that I believe God is doing in my life. Lately it seems like He is encouraging me to be less transparent about my faith. Not going out and becoming a 'street preacher' (I think) or anything, but just to be more bold in sharing who I am and what I know. Another is to get back to meditating on how Holy God is. It seems that my verse for this past week has been, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:5, ESV). My heart is not quite ready, but it seems as if He is moving me in a direction.



Verse for today:
Isaiah 6:4-7, ESV
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Is the summer already over?

I have gone over the calender and I have exactly 8 days that I am not working or have something already planned. *sigh* Does it ever slow down? There are a lot of things I am looking forward to though. We are going to Hershey Park and Williamsburg (at different times). I hope to do a two day trip to Gettysburg with a friend of mine who wrote a Masters thesis on the battle of Antietam - specifically on the portion fought in and around Burnside's Bridge. There are some mundane/work tasks to be done as well. My annual two week annual training for the National Guard, which along with the two other drill weekends, accounts for about nineteen days of my summer. I need to just be grateful that I am even home to consider what little time I do have free. I know several of my fellow soldiers personally that are not going to be able to enjoy even that. Verse for today: Psalm 139:7-12, ESV Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

Recovering from Vacation

Well, my brief season of frantic travel is over for now. The past two and a half weeks has seen me log over 2,000 miles on my family cars. It was nice to see the family but I am glad to be home for the forseable future. One theme that has been going over and over in my mind has been taking time to pray. I am not talking about the verbal petitioning of God - asking Him to intercede on my behalf or for friends and family. But the kind of prayer where I am sitting and listening, reading and meditating. Even before this little vacation God has been gently showing me that I need to work on my listening skills. I tend to talk, but when other people are trying to talk to me I am easily distracted (how selfish is that!). I need to work on not doing this. I need to stop thinking about whatever and focus on whoever is talking to me and what they have to say. And God has shown me that I am doing this to Him as well. :( This past weekend I watched "Left Behind". I first watched this movie when I was called up to active duty back in 2002 and I really like this series. I keep praying for Cloud Ten pictures to continue the movie series (there are currently 3 movies all told so far). My point is that there are times I feel so much like the charecter Bruce Barnes. He was the Pastor of a church where his entire congregation is swept up during the rapture, but he was left behind. The lines that stick out to me the most are, "I stood here and preached Your Word. And I was good! I knew your message! But knowing and believing are two different things." My prayer is to be a beliver and not just a knower. Verse for today: Psalm 46:8-11, ESV Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah