Thanksgiving was wonderful. We went up to my mother-in-law's friends' place and they had been cooking a turkey on a charcoal fire for a couple of hours. Mmmm, that smoked flavor was just to die for. Add that to the fact that I didn't have to cook and only helped (barely) with the dishes... good day. Ok, since it's not polite to talk with your mouth full, (and since I haven't needed to actually eat in, what, four days?) I figured I'd come back with that question I warned you about last time I checked in.
What are you thankful for this holiday season?
I'll go first. At church this morning our music pastor offered a communion meditation that really made me think. He asked us to write down what we were thankful for and I came up with the standard answers... you know, the "church answers" such as, "I'm thankful for my wife and kids. And my house. And the fact that I have two cars that run..." then it got real.
I'm thankful that my son responded to the treatment he got at the hospital when we had to take him in on Friday because he couldn't breathe very well. I think I now have an inkling of what my folks went through the two times they had to take me to the hospital when I was a teenager. His chest x-ray was "inconclusive" and showed that he either has pneumonia (not good, but temporary) or he's showing the beginning signs of developing asthma (very not good). If you ask me, neither option is something a parent would wish on their child, especially a very active boy like the one I've been blessed with.
I'm thankful that I live in a beautiful part of the country with a beautiful woman who loves me and two kids who think I know everything and am always in control. Of course, by the time they're teens, I won't know anything and will always be out of touch, but right now it's very empowering.
I'm thankful for my job which helps keep this country the Land of the Free by retaining the best of those who have joined our ranks. No matter what some media outlets would have you believe, America is still the Home of the Brave.
Most of all, I'm thankful that the God I serve is a Giver of Second Chances. How many of us have damaged or destroyed a relationship or three by one act of thoughtlessness? I know I have, and that doesn't include the times when I've disappointed my Heavenly Father. I'm very grateful that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
I'm thankful that I'm home for this holiday season, especially since it looks as though I'll be overseas for next year's holidays. Bummer.
Along that line of thought, I'm thankful that I don't have to worry about tomorrow if I can just really release my burdens and lay them at the feet of Jesus.
Anyway, as the music played, a dam was broken in my soul and emotion poured from my spirit like a tidal wave washing away all the broken pieces of my life and I cried. Not just one little tear, mind you. Oh no. This was shoulders heaving, water flowing, can't catch my breath crying. I haven't done that since... well, I can't remember when I last cried like that. When I got home, I described it to my wife that I felt like I'd taken a spiritual shower, I felt that good. I'm thakful to God for truly providing a peace that transends all understanding during this, the busiest and most stress-filled month I believe I have ever faced.
Hopefully, your Thanksgiving went well and your Christmas season is off to a good start. Only *gasp* 28 more days until Christmas?! Gotta go! Gotta shop! Well, maybe I'll get to it later. After all, I still have almost a whole month! Why rush into these things? Have a great week everyone.
Sunday, November 27
Wednesday, November 23
let's see...
Well, it's been a week since I last posted so there must be something worth talking about, right? Of course there is. Here are some seemingly random thoughts, but they're actually not. They're just in random order.
First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my kid sister. I had to shout because she just turned the big 3-0 over the weekend. I'd link you to her blog, but with her job at a bank, working with the children's choir at church, and being a consultant for Stampin' Up, she just doesn't have the time to maitain a simple little blog. (Whatever... sheesh!) Anyway, happy birthday, Sis.
Next, I already told you about the great time we had in Las Vegas. We got back to work this week and learned that we have an inspection team from Division HQ coming to visit us starting next Monday! What?! Doesn't anyone remember Murphy's laws of combat? "No combat ready unit has ever passed inspection." See, this inspection is to make sure all our i's are crossed and t's are dotted (or something like that) and when you spend seven months in a place where people are either trying to shoot you or blow you up just about every day, those little details tend to get pushed aside for the bigger goal of going home alive and making sure the bad guys get a chance to explain themselves to "Allah". In other words, I don't expect us to do too well on this inspection. Don't get me wrong, we'll put forth a great effort, but we just haven't had the time to get all the spit and polish done that you'd expect from a Marine unit. Heck, we still don't even have a working fax machine in our admin office! Oh well.
On to sports... With Donovan out for surgery and T.O. already gone, not to mention a 4-6 record, I'm not really holding my breath for a post-season run by my beloved Eagles. Having said that, there are a couple of other teams that I enjoy watching who are doing well. My hometown Bengals are playing very well right now in the AFC North. Despite losing the game to the Colts on Sunday, they managed to put up a lot of points and keep the game interesting. Out here on the West Coast, my adopted hometown heros are also playing very good football right now. The Chargers have a record that belies their efforts. Had a few plays gone the other way, they could easily be 8-2 or even 9-1 right now. Regardless, it's exciting to see these teams playing hard this late in the season. Usually, the Bengals would've given up by now and Qualcomm stadium would be full of fans for the visiting team here in San Diego, but that hasn't happened.
Anyway, that's about it for now. I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. Oh, one more thought... I heard a couple of interesting questions on talk radio yesterday posed to all who believe there is no god and no reason to endorse religion: Why aren't you working on Thursday? (I'm celebrating Thanksgiving) Who are you giving thanks to, if you don't believe in God? (silence) I'll post this weekend about what I'm thankful for. In the meantime, get your list ready, 'cause I'm gonna ask.
Oh my gosh, I can't believe I almost forgot... OHIO STATE BEAT MICHIGAN! I almost had to turn in my jersey (and my hat and my t-shirts and my big slippers).
First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my kid sister. I had to shout because she just turned the big 3-0 over the weekend. I'd link you to her blog, but with her job at a bank, working with the children's choir at church, and being a consultant for Stampin' Up, she just doesn't have the time to maitain a simple little blog. (Whatever... sheesh!) Anyway, happy birthday, Sis.
Next, I already told you about the great time we had in Las Vegas. We got back to work this week and learned that we have an inspection team from Division HQ coming to visit us starting next Monday! What?! Doesn't anyone remember Murphy's laws of combat? "No combat ready unit has ever passed inspection." See, this inspection is to make sure all our i's are crossed and t's are dotted (or something like that) and when you spend seven months in a place where people are either trying to shoot you or blow you up just about every day, those little details tend to get pushed aside for the bigger goal of going home alive and making sure the bad guys get a chance to explain themselves to "Allah". In other words, I don't expect us to do too well on this inspection. Don't get me wrong, we'll put forth a great effort, but we just haven't had the time to get all the spit and polish done that you'd expect from a Marine unit. Heck, we still don't even have a working fax machine in our admin office! Oh well.
On to sports... With Donovan out for surgery and T.O. already gone, not to mention a 4-6 record, I'm not really holding my breath for a post-season run by my beloved Eagles. Having said that, there are a couple of other teams that I enjoy watching who are doing well. My hometown Bengals are playing very well right now in the AFC North. Despite losing the game to the Colts on Sunday, they managed to put up a lot of points and keep the game interesting. Out here on the West Coast, my adopted hometown heros are also playing very good football right now. The Chargers have a record that belies their efforts. Had a few plays gone the other way, they could easily be 8-2 or even 9-1 right now. Regardless, it's exciting to see these teams playing hard this late in the season. Usually, the Bengals would've given up by now and Qualcomm stadium would be full of fans for the visiting team here in San Diego, but that hasn't happened.
Anyway, that's about it for now. I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. Oh, one more thought... I heard a couple of interesting questions on talk radio yesterday posed to all who believe there is no god and no reason to endorse religion: Why aren't you working on Thursday? (I'm celebrating Thanksgiving) Who are you giving thanks to, if you don't believe in God? (silence) I'll post this weekend about what I'm thankful for. In the meantime, get your list ready, 'cause I'm gonna ask.
Oh my gosh, I can't believe I almost forgot... OHIO STATE BEAT MICHIGAN! I almost had to turn in my jersey (and my hat and my t-shirts and my big slippers).
Wednesday, November 16
Hump day musings
Oh man, what a great weekend! I'd like to take a public minute to thank my wonderful parents for staying with the kids for three days while my wife and I escaped to Las Vegas for the weekend. THANK YOU! We went up there because to celebrate the 230th anniversary of the United States Marine Corps and it was a great time. I've been to several birthday balls over the years (especially when I was in the band) and this was definitely one of the better ones I've seen. Interestingly enough, we didn't hit any of the table games or even the slot machines all weekend, although I must admit that on Sunday morning, there did seem to be a large congregation praying to their one-armed god and hoping for a miracle (read: "slot-machines" and "pay-out"). Anyway, there was good food, free drinks, and just an all around good time. I'll post some pictures once I have a chance to download them from my camera.
Now on to some other news...
First, there's this whole thing about T.O. no longer wearing an Eagles jersey. I was wondering when we picked him up how long he would last in Philly. I agree with what someone said on Sportscenter when they opined that maybe this whole mess was the fault of his agent (who was fired) as much as his own.
We saw "Jarhead" last weekend as a precursor to the ball. Pretty good flick, although there were some serious exagerations about a few things. Unfortunately, the language was not one of them.
I was reading this story on my yahoo page... Ewwww!
I was also reading this article about the Senate asking the President to outline his plan for winning in Iraq. Um, excuse me, Gentlemen, but I believe the President has said on more than one occassion that he intends to pull our troops out of Iraq once the fledgling government is strong enough to defend itself. If they're so worried about exit strategies and timelines, then perhaps they could tell us what our exit strategy and timeline is for, oh I don't know, say, Germany? or maybe Japan? That war was officially ended over 60 years ago and we're still there!
Anyway, I hope your Wednesday is a good one. Have a great rest of the week!
Now on to some other news...
First, there's this whole thing about T.O. no longer wearing an Eagles jersey. I was wondering when we picked him up how long he would last in Philly. I agree with what someone said on Sportscenter when they opined that maybe this whole mess was the fault of his agent (who was fired) as much as his own.
We saw "Jarhead" last weekend as a precursor to the ball. Pretty good flick, although there were some serious exagerations about a few things. Unfortunately, the language was not one of them.
I was reading this story on my yahoo page... Ewwww!
I was also reading this article about the Senate asking the President to outline his plan for winning in Iraq. Um, excuse me, Gentlemen, but I believe the President has said on more than one occassion that he intends to pull our troops out of Iraq once the fledgling government is strong enough to defend itself. If they're so worried about exit strategies and timelines, then perhaps they could tell us what our exit strategy and timeline is for, oh I don't know, say, Germany? or maybe Japan? That war was officially ended over 60 years ago and we're still there!
Anyway, I hope your Wednesday is a good one. Have a great rest of the week!
Tuesday, November 8
Time keeps on slippin
My goodness, I didn't realize it's been almost two weeks since my last post. What happened there? Oh, I remember...
I finally started to sleep past 5:30, which is good since I'm supposedly on vacation. Then there was Halloween. We went to the boy's school because they were having a harvest festival. In the spirit of the "holiday" I dressed up in Arabic dress. You should have seen the looks I got from some of the other Marines who were at the festival. I think that if I wear the same outfit next year, I'll take the time and effort to make a bullet hole in my forehead or something and pass myself off as a "good" terrorist. After about 20 minutes in the crowd at the festival all four of us were ready to go, so I took my son around our block so he could do a little trick-or-treat-ing to fill up his pumpkin head. He had fun and we were out all evening, so I didn't have to pass out candy to teenagers who didn't even bother to put on a costume. (Don't you hate that?)
My folks came in from Cincinnati on Saturday evening to see us and to help with babysitting while we figure out the logistics of me going back to work. They've also agreed to watch the kids while Jen and I go to Las Vegas next weekend for my unit's Marine Corps ball. That should be a blast. My sister pulled a fast one and came out as well. What a stinker. She'd told me that she was house/dog sitting for Mom and Dad while they were out here. Oh well, the boy was tickled to see his aunt and he's been showing off for them all the stuff he's learned in the last six months.
Speaking of education, we've been getting him tested by the school district for a possible learning disability or a language skill assessment. Turns out, he's actually advanced for his age. While that's extremely cool, now we have to be careful to not set our expectations too high for him or his sister.
I started back to work yesterday. Talk about a bummer... but, it's a living, right? I'm grateful to have had the last three weeks to rejoin my family. I still have some issues to get through, but being a part of my children's lives is not one of them, thank God.
Now, if the Buckeyes can continue their success, maybe Penn State will trip up and OSU can claim the Big 10 title. I've pretty much given up on the BCS for this year. Texas and USC are just that good again. I think Andy Reid made the right decision in suspending T.O. for the rest of the season and McNabb hit the nail on the head when he said it'll help make the team more of a team instead of individuals looking out just for themselves. It's a shame, too. T.O. is a great receiver and a big play maker, but he needs to learn that without those 10 other guys on the field, he's really nobody.
I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update. Now that I am back at work and into a schedule again, my posts should be a little more consistant. Peace to you and yours and have a great week.
I finally started to sleep past 5:30, which is good since I'm supposedly on vacation. Then there was Halloween. We went to the boy's school because they were having a harvest festival. In the spirit of the "holiday" I dressed up in Arabic dress. You should have seen the looks I got from some of the other Marines who were at the festival. I think that if I wear the same outfit next year, I'll take the time and effort to make a bullet hole in my forehead or something and pass myself off as a "good" terrorist. After about 20 minutes in the crowd at the festival all four of us were ready to go, so I took my son around our block so he could do a little trick-or-treat-ing to fill up his pumpkin head. He had fun and we were out all evening, so I didn't have to pass out candy to teenagers who didn't even bother to put on a costume. (Don't you hate that?)
My folks came in from Cincinnati on Saturday evening to see us and to help with babysitting while we figure out the logistics of me going back to work. They've also agreed to watch the kids while Jen and I go to Las Vegas next weekend for my unit's Marine Corps ball. That should be a blast. My sister pulled a fast one and came out as well. What a stinker. She'd told me that she was house/dog sitting for Mom and Dad while they were out here. Oh well, the boy was tickled to see his aunt and he's been showing off for them all the stuff he's learned in the last six months.
Speaking of education, we've been getting him tested by the school district for a possible learning disability or a language skill assessment. Turns out, he's actually advanced for his age. While that's extremely cool, now we have to be careful to not set our expectations too high for him or his sister.
I started back to work yesterday. Talk about a bummer... but, it's a living, right? I'm grateful to have had the last three weeks to rejoin my family. I still have some issues to get through, but being a part of my children's lives is not one of them, thank God.
Now, if the Buckeyes can continue their success, maybe Penn State will trip up and OSU can claim the Big 10 title. I've pretty much given up on the BCS for this year. Texas and USC are just that good again. I think Andy Reid made the right decision in suspending T.O. for the rest of the season and McNabb hit the nail on the head when he said it'll help make the team more of a team instead of individuals looking out just for themselves. It's a shame, too. T.O. is a great receiver and a big play maker, but he needs to learn that without those 10 other guys on the field, he's really nobody.
I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update. Now that I am back at work and into a schedule again, my posts should be a little more consistant. Peace to you and yours and have a great week.
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