Hey, just thought I'd post a quick blog since it's been so long. I'm sure you guys stop checking after awhile. We went to church this morning and I instantly loved our pastor even more when he proclaimed, "We are against legalism!". We also went to small group tonight at church and had a good time. The only downside to all this is that we literally drove 80-85 miles today, just going to church and back twice!! That's $12-13 every Sunday for gas! Oh well...small price to pay for proper theology and fellowship, right?
We saw Million Dollar Baby Friday night. It was very good until the end. I just don't see the point in ending that way. Someone slipped and told me what happened, so I was expecting it, but it really disturbed me. It was an unneccesary ending to a potentially GREAT movie. I think I'm just especially sensitive to death right now for some reason. Our old friend, Tori, really got to me, and I even grieved over the 49er player from Ft. Worth who died last week whom I didn't even know! It is also sickening to know that in a matter of hours, people will die in New Orleans. Even if I didn't have a car, I think I'd find SOME WAY to get the heck out of dodge! Anyway, I'm not depressed, I think I've just become more sensitive to death.
Well, I'm less than a week away from turning the big 30, and probably less than 3 weeks away from being the proud father of my first (and only) son! WAHOO! OK I'm probably forgetting some stuff, but I'm going to bed now, so I'll blog more later. And sorry to disappoint you Jeff, but I don't have any fun happy hours or partying scheduled for this week. HA!
8.28.2005
8.19.2005
Funday Friday
We're two weeks away from two significant events in my life. The 1st is my 30th birthday - wow, I'm getting old, but I still feel like a kid. The 2nd is the 2005 OFFL draft! This is the Our Fantasy Football League (OFFL-prononuced "awful") that I have been in year after year since 1993. OK, I'm a nerd, whatever! Anyway, draft day is the biggest day of the year. We all get together and have a live draft, choosing the NFL players that we think will take us to the top and earn an OFFL Fantasy Bowl championship. Well, last year I made about a 20 minute DVD for the draft - The OFFL Preseason Show. It was pretty funny, and I think everyone enjoyed it. Because it takes so long to put together, I almost decided not to do it again this year. But...as it gets closer to the draft, I just can't resist the temptation. So last night I began my creative brainstorming. I think this one will be even funnier than last year's, if I'm able to pull it off technologically. I have some neat special effects ideas...hopefully I'll be able to do it. Look out Jeff...
I'm sorry, that was probably boring to read. Once my creative juices start flowing, it consumes my mind 24 hours/day, so I guess that's all I have to talk about right now. Tonight we are having happy hour with my coworkers and their spouses. Jenn is coming for the first time, so it should be fun! After happy hour, we're going to Four Day Weekend, an improv comedy club, similar to the show, "Who's Line Is It Anyway". Jenn and I went a few months ago and it was HILARIOUS! We should all have a good time. OK, I better get to work.
I'm sorry, that was probably boring to read. Once my creative juices start flowing, it consumes my mind 24 hours/day, so I guess that's all I have to talk about right now. Tonight we are having happy hour with my coworkers and their spouses. Jenn is coming for the first time, so it should be fun! After happy hour, we're going to Four Day Weekend, an improv comedy club, similar to the show, "Who's Line Is It Anyway". Jenn and I went a few months ago and it was HILARIOUS! We should all have a good time. OK, I better get to work.
8.10.2005
Do You Want To Go To A Pants Party?
I normally dismiss the idea of typing a new blog because I haven't spent any time thinking of what to say, but I'm throwing caution to the wind tonight. This will be a brief post, since I need to go to bed. It is midnight now. I stayed up later than normal last night, and shortly after I went to sleep, Cara decided she'd throw up the rest of the wee morning hours. She has fully recovered today, but I only got 2-2.5 hours of sleep last night. OK, here's a few brief notes:
A lady from Christ Chapel Bible Church called Jenn out of the blue on Monday and they talked for 45 minutes! Amy, she told Jenn about the Trinity Church (?), but it is closer to Hulen mall, which may actually be a little further then CCBC...or at least not any closer. Anyway, after reading my blog mafia's comments suggesting we just suck it up and go wherever it is that we like...after Jenn's conversation with this lady (interesting the timing of this phone call, wouldn't you say?)...and after reconciling with myself that no matter how long my list of pros/cons may get with regard to settling for a religious churchianity church (excuse my sarcasm) as opposed to a well grounded bible church, nothing will top my preference for biblical teaching. So, we will join a small group at CCBC (similar to a k-group, for you Grace folks) and begin attending CCBC again. I look forward to attending this coming Sunday!
Tomorrow night is the first BRETT FAVRE preseason game!! I can't wait to watch it! Jenn and I talked again tonight about whether or not we could work things out to go see Favre play at Lambeau Field. Even if it means we take OUR 1-2 month old Favre with us...that would be too cool! I must admit, I'm pessimistic, but I don't give up easy!
I watched Anchorman last night. It was pretty funny, but overall, I was somewhat disappointed. I think I expected it to be side-splitting HILARIOUS. Don't get me wrong, I laughed quite a few times, but it still wasn't as funny as I had expected it to be. The guy who played the retarded weatherman (Steve Carell, also in Bruce Almighty and The Office) definitely made the movie funnier. He's not the same style as Jim Carey, but he's the only other guy besides Carey (I can think of) who can make you laugh without even having to say anything. By the way, the title of this blog is a line from Anchorman that Steve Carell says as a pickup line. He just doesn't understand what he's trying to say...HA! OK, I'm going to bed.
A lady from Christ Chapel Bible Church called Jenn out of the blue on Monday and they talked for 45 minutes! Amy, she told Jenn about the Trinity Church (?), but it is closer to Hulen mall, which may actually be a little further then CCBC...or at least not any closer. Anyway, after reading my blog mafia's comments suggesting we just suck it up and go wherever it is that we like...after Jenn's conversation with this lady (interesting the timing of this phone call, wouldn't you say?)...and after reconciling with myself that no matter how long my list of pros/cons may get with regard to settling for a religious churchianity church (excuse my sarcasm) as opposed to a well grounded bible church, nothing will top my preference for biblical teaching. So, we will join a small group at CCBC (similar to a k-group, for you Grace folks) and begin attending CCBC again. I look forward to attending this coming Sunday!
Tomorrow night is the first BRETT FAVRE preseason game!! I can't wait to watch it! Jenn and I talked again tonight about whether or not we could work things out to go see Favre play at Lambeau Field. Even if it means we take OUR 1-2 month old Favre with us...that would be too cool! I must admit, I'm pessimistic, but I don't give up easy!
I watched Anchorman last night. It was pretty funny, but overall, I was somewhat disappointed. I think I expected it to be side-splitting HILARIOUS. Don't get me wrong, I laughed quite a few times, but it still wasn't as funny as I had expected it to be. The guy who played the retarded weatherman (Steve Carell, also in Bruce Almighty and The Office) definitely made the movie funnier. He's not the same style as Jim Carey, but he's the only other guy besides Carey (I can think of) who can make you laugh without even having to say anything. By the way, the title of this blog is a line from Anchorman that Steve Carell says as a pickup line. He just doesn't understand what he's trying to say...HA! OK, I'm going to bed.
8.03.2005
6 More Weeks Until Favre Arrives!
Well here it is, 1am and I'm just now starting my blog. There's so much to catch up on when I finally get to sit down and cruise the net! Work has been VERY busy the past week and a half, but should start slowing down in about another week or so. Tomorrow evening three brokers are coming down from California for a little "educate and entertain" session. It will be fun! They're coming for business, but we will have plenty of fun. Together, they have around $60 million with us, which is a little less than half of our total assets under management. Tomorrow night, me, JAckie (dir.of Marketing) and Byron (owner)will go pick them up at the airport, get them checked into their hotel, and then go eat at a nice restaurant. A nice juicy steak with a fine glass of sangiovese should do the trick for me! Afterwards, we'll either go to Four Day Weekend (improv comedy show) or to Pete's Dueling Pianos bar for some drinks and laughter. Friday morning they will trickle in to our office whenever they want, and mingle with the office until lunch. We'll take them to a restaurant downtown and then come back for the meetings. They will pitch their new business direction with 401k's and we will convince them we can handle it from an operations, compliance, and portfolio management standpoint. I've never had to "present" to such a meaningful audience, so it will be fun and a very valuable experience. We'll see how well my presentation skills from my MBA translates into the real world. I'm not nervous, but I also know they could easily ask some questions I won't know the answer to. Anyway, they really like us a lot, so it won't be a hard sell, and it could grow our business quite significantly! At 5pm, we'll change into very casual clothes, go eat another nice dinner in the Stockyards, and then go out to Eagle Mountain Lake to stroll around on Byron's new pontoon boat. We'll float up to Kelly's, which is a lakeside sports bar with live music, food, and plenty of adult beverages. I'm looking forward to it!! One of the brokers races a car in the NASCAR division that is just below the Busch series...maybe the Winston West?? I look forward to chatting with him about that!
I'm researching TVs. I can't afford a big widescreen plasma, and I think the normal bigscreens are still too grainy and distorted for the most part...so I'm thinking about getting a 32 or 36 inch TV. It is amazing the price difference between a standard 32" and a 36"...more than double usually!! I want to pay cash, and I'm really wondering how much difference the extra 4 inches would make. I'm sure it's noticable, but the price jumps from like $300 to $800!! Our couch is a good 15 feet or so from the TV, so it needs to be big. Right now you can't read the DirecTV menus on our little 25". What do you guys think?
Today was a rollercoaster ride in the world of hockey and the future of Dallas and the Stars. Last night Mike Modano was trying to negotiate a contract with Armstrong and Hicks, but by this morning, a deal had not been reached. I checked online briefly on and off all day, just KNOWING that he would sign. Then by late afternoon, I saw that Modano had rejected the Stars' offer, and was talking to other teams. My heart sank. However, much to my relief tonight, I saw where they had FINALLY reached a 5 year deal, almost ensuring Modano would retire a Star. That is how it should be done folks. His entire 15-20 year career will be in Dallas (Minnesota before they moved to Dallas, but still the same club).
I've been spending a little time thinking about churches. We found one we like, Christ Chapel Bible Church, but it's a good 20-25 minute drive. If we only went on Sunday mornings, we could possibly make do, but we'd like to get more involved than that, especially with 4 kiddos. The bible church in Saginaw is just too down home country. There's not really any other bible churches around though, so that presents us with a dilemma. We don't like the legalism and extreme evangelism of the baptist church...we disagree with too many of the armenian Church of Christ beliefs...and really, we don't like the religious customs of any religion. We don't disagreewith all of them, we just want a church where God's Word and his grace is the main focus, as opposed to a religion full of rules and customs. This is the problem. We either have to drive a long ways to church all the time, or find a "religious" church nearby. So, I've been thinking of making a list of things we'd like, prioritizing it, and making a decision based on what gives our family the greatest good with what we have to work with. So I'll close this blog with a few things I'd include on this list, in only the order that they come to mind...I'll prioritize them later. Trimbles and Turners (and whoever else from Grace reads this), maybe you could help with some things to add to the list...as well as anyone else who may have some good ideas. Thanks!
- close proximity
- more cerebral approach to the bible (minimal storytelling, only when absolutely necessary)
- less sensationalism (developing a deeper understanding of who God is instead of just trying to stir up emotions and manipulate you)
- plenty of couples our age in our stage of life we can relate to and build a support system with
- opportunities to serve individually and as a family
- help build a solid foundation in Christ for our kids, free from guilt and confusion (as a result of measuring their level of spirituality by how well they follow rules, read their bible, and become "do-gooders" versus simply understanding grace and focusing 100% on God (not shoulds/shouldnt's) so that the fruits of the spirit can more naturally flow)
I'm researching TVs. I can't afford a big widescreen plasma, and I think the normal bigscreens are still too grainy and distorted for the most part...so I'm thinking about getting a 32 or 36 inch TV. It is amazing the price difference between a standard 32" and a 36"...more than double usually!! I want to pay cash, and I'm really wondering how much difference the extra 4 inches would make. I'm sure it's noticable, but the price jumps from like $300 to $800!! Our couch is a good 15 feet or so from the TV, so it needs to be big. Right now you can't read the DirecTV menus on our little 25". What do you guys think?
Today was a rollercoaster ride in the world of hockey and the future of Dallas and the Stars. Last night Mike Modano was trying to negotiate a contract with Armstrong and Hicks, but by this morning, a deal had not been reached. I checked online briefly on and off all day, just KNOWING that he would sign. Then by late afternoon, I saw that Modano had rejected the Stars' offer, and was talking to other teams. My heart sank. However, much to my relief tonight, I saw where they had FINALLY reached a 5 year deal, almost ensuring Modano would retire a Star. That is how it should be done folks. His entire 15-20 year career will be in Dallas (Minnesota before they moved to Dallas, but still the same club).
I've been spending a little time thinking about churches. We found one we like, Christ Chapel Bible Church, but it's a good 20-25 minute drive. If we only went on Sunday mornings, we could possibly make do, but we'd like to get more involved than that, especially with 4 kiddos. The bible church in Saginaw is just too down home country. There's not really any other bible churches around though, so that presents us with a dilemma. We don't like the legalism and extreme evangelism of the baptist church...we disagree with too many of the armenian Church of Christ beliefs...and really, we don't like the religious customs of any religion. We don't disagreewith all of them, we just want a church where God's Word and his grace is the main focus, as opposed to a religion full of rules and customs. This is the problem. We either have to drive a long ways to church all the time, or find a "religious" church nearby. So, I've been thinking of making a list of things we'd like, prioritizing it, and making a decision based on what gives our family the greatest good with what we have to work with. So I'll close this blog with a few things I'd include on this list, in only the order that they come to mind...I'll prioritize them later. Trimbles and Turners (and whoever else from Grace reads this), maybe you could help with some things to add to the list...as well as anyone else who may have some good ideas. Thanks!
- close proximity
- more cerebral approach to the bible (minimal storytelling, only when absolutely necessary)
- less sensationalism (developing a deeper understanding of who God is instead of just trying to stir up emotions and manipulate you)
- plenty of couples our age in our stage of life we can relate to and build a support system with
- opportunities to serve individually and as a family
- help build a solid foundation in Christ for our kids, free from guilt and confusion (as a result of measuring their level of spirituality by how well they follow rules, read their bible, and become "do-gooders" versus simply understanding grace and focusing 100% on God (not shoulds/shouldnt's) so that the fruits of the spirit can more naturally flow)
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