Picking up the pace here.  It's only been a month since my last post.

Today a very productive day.   All but one task left, and that depends on whether I need to upload a video clip for Sunday morning.  Providing everything technology wise cooperates, I should be able to get out of the office at a decent time, which should delight the wife.

I wish all Friday's were identical.   I guess one would have to ask "Where would the fun in that be?"

Jack Frost seem's to have settled in for the remainder of the year.  Indian summer through the start of December was nice though.  Especially considering my furnace is well advanced in years and will probably be replaced along with the AC unit that recently went belly up in September.  Knocking on wood that the furnace makes it another 4-5 months.

The second car is almost paid off though, just in time to switch over to saving up funding for the aforementioned AC and Furnace!

Doing the Christmas party blitz, next week in particular.  One each on Monday, Tuesday and Friday.  The wife has one on Wednesday, which pretty much leaves only Thursday as a night to ourselves.  Only one the following Friday.  I'd rather get them done in one bunch like that though. 

Speaking of Christmas, we haven't set up our decorations.  We spent the Thanksgiving holiday painting a room and trying to get it set up.   Tomorrow, depending on how we are feeling when we get up, it may be our day to do it.  If we wait any later, may as well not worry about it.   We may be out shopping though too.  The wife is looking for a work/storage space for her to work on for her crafting.   Well see...

Well, I'm gonna wrap it up there.   If you're still reading, feel free to drop by and say hello!

The other day I realized how much I was missing the xanga community, all my friends here, etc.   So I thought I would pop in and see how everyone was doing.

So, how are you all doing.

Since my last posting I have been busy with school work and such.   I am 3 weeks out from finishing the current class.  The homework assignment is a doozy, at least in my mind.  I'm mentally trying to wrap my mind around it.  It is probably my least favorite of the class (most have been Bible studies of one kind or another), this one is setting up a service centered around renewing of the baptismal vows.   I filled in some gaps in the service order, but the creative is not hitting me in other areas.  Hopefully today that will happen.

Needless to say, I will be looking forward to having November and December off from classes. 

Work has been normal, as normal as working in the church goes.  Granted, stuff pops up here and there that warrants the response of "Whoa!"  Bad days here are generally few and far between (mostly equipment frustrations!), and for that I am thankful.

Celebrated 10 years of marriage to my lovely wife this month.   We went to Niagara Falls to enjoy some time away.  We managed to do everything in one day, which was exhausting, but well worth it.  Beautiful, even from just the American side. 

I'm gonna pop in and see how a few of you are doing.   You've been in my thoughts and prayers. 

Hello Xangans!

I haven't forgotten about you.  Yes, it's been two months and yes,  I've been busy....

School
Wrapping up the final week of my class.   Just a few more online discussion questions to answer.  It's been a fantastic experience, and I've learned a lot, but I can admit that I am looking forward to a break and no obligations for a few weeks before the next class.   I did contemplate taking a week long class next week, but opted against it.  Maybe in the fall I'll couple a weeklong class into what I am doing online.  Fortunately I am required only 2 classes a year.  Maybe next year I'll get three in....

Work
Work is the one area of my life that has probably relaxed some.  My normal Sunday Morning obligations are on summer hiatus until September.   We've also gone to a single Sunday morning service to serve as momentum in the fall.   With staff out on missions trips or camps or vacations it means more quiet than normal throughout the work week.  Sometimes a little quieter than bearable, but fortunately I've had school to fill in the gap!

Home and Garden
The garden and the yard have taken up a lot of home time.   I finished up the back corner of the yard, and am really please with the results, as is the wife.  Next year the plants should be fuller and it will be really nice then.   

The tomatoes have really done a lot more than I expected.  The wife is looking at canning this weekend.    There is one tomato that is roughly 10 inches in diameter, and probably 3-4 inches thick.  Hopefully after we thin the tomatoes out the peppers will have some chance of catching up.  We got a good crop of carrots, but had to pull them as some mystery mini-vine was starting to choke them out. 

Been paying a bit more attention to the yard and trying to get the weeds under control by treating it.   We're considering hiring a lawn treatment service next year to get things under control.  Weeds happen when your 4 step program gets spread out over four years instead of 4 months.  I've made some headway.   We'll see what happens.

In the news
Many celebrities passed away over the course of the last month.   That's probably been covered  pretty good here on Xanga, and I won't delve too deeply in this.    Certainly what astonishes me most is the media attention some get, and the lack thereof for others.  

And keeping up with the news on American Family Radio.   Certainly moreso there than watching the TV. 

On the Screen
The wife and I have hit some of the bigger blockbusters this summer.  Some I've seen myself.   My order of preference so far....
1.  Star Trek - Loved the humor, loved the story, it all gelled together nicely.
2. Transformers 2: Rise of the Fallen - Pretty much near a tie with Star Trek.   Star Trek nudged it's way to number 1 based on the reasons above.   Transformers = pure action!
3.  The Proposal - It's been a while since I have laughed so hard at a movie.  Once scene could have been done without, or differently.  Still, a romantic comedy making it's way into my top 3 is something to note.
4A.  Terminator: Salvation - Good spin off of the Terminator Series.  The story line was good.
4B. XMen Origins: Wolverine - I did enjoy the flick, but felt as if something were missing.  Hopefully some characters will develop in later films.

The only other one I am waiting to see is GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra.  Hopefully it lives up to the previews.   We'll see where it lands on my list

I think that catches my summer up.  Hope all is well to those of my readers who are still around.  I can't guarantee more frequent updates, but I will be poking in from time to time.

I see that I still get a few pokes around here on xanga.    Just so you don't think I'm roadkill on the xanga highway, I've decided to make my presence known and let the whole of my subscribership and friends, or what is left, that I am indeed alive.

To say that life has been busy would be an understatement.  Church elections to get ready for (done, thankfully!), some big kids events coming up.   A leadership summit this coming weekend.   Easter preparations underway.   Some shifts in responsibilities and leadership roles....

Course, those are no excuses for me not updating here....

With that...I'm off to the wild work yonder.    Have a blessed day!

Wow....

This is probably the longest stint of not posting since I first starting posting. 

What can I say.  Life gets going, and I hop on for the ride.  Not anything particularly exciting or noteworthy.   Just day to day things, church, work, home, etc. 

Probably the biggest news is the stint of cold that we've had as of late.   Last Thursday and Friday we had "seasonable" temperatures, but the norm has been 15 or below, without the windchill.....

And snow.  Not a lot, but with the cold it managed to stick around for a while.

I can't say that I've missed posting to much.  No sense in saying something just to say something.   I have, however, missed the interaction, moreso reading all my friends sites, as well as those sites I subscribe to.   I plan on hanging on to Xanga, just not as tight as I used to.

Hope all is well out there in xangaland.   Hopefully I'll be able to be more of a faithful reader and commenter here in the future.

Back to life...