BAM!

I have to say that tonight was a great change of pace.

Call us stupid for not doing this earlier, but we decided tonight to ditch the Guad and our routine walk around the most depressing mall in North Alabama (yes, not even great Dillard's sales can help that place).

Instead, we headed to New China for cheap Chinese food (Kyle, that's spelled C-H-I-N-E-S-E. I love Mexican food, but if you eat it every Monday, you can get sick of it.

Then we headed to Books-a-Million, where we ran into E and his young-uns. Also saw 1 or 2 people from church up there, too. Anyway, the experience was somewhat euphoric. To be able to sit down, open a book and read, and sit in good company in a more pleasant environment than the mall was a 'duh-why-haven't-you-done-this-more-often' experience. I've done it before. I love it everytime. In college and in B'ham, it was the best place to get stuff done and escape for a while. So why do I not go more often? Even Stacey found it incredibly relaxing and fun.

And it also seems like a great environment to actually meet people.

So why have I stuck it out at the Guad? Maybe I'm a moron. I'm sure some of you will free to comment as such...

Anyhoo...

KEY PHRASES:

"Honey, not all of them are that small." "What's that, J-mo's personal handbook?" (see pic on Kyle's blog).

If there IS a loop, am I in it or out of it?

What a busy weekend. Spent all day Saturday FINISHING a long overdue clean-up project in the bonus room. Looks like a new room again. Nowhere near as much junk laying around. Cleaner and more 'sane' place to live and work.

I thought the music Sunday morning rocked. It was fun playing.

Again, the crowd just seemed asleep (not everyone, and not necessarily their fault...after all, we're not doing something all that effectively if we can't engage them better...partly, anyway)/ We're running out of ideas other than just 'planting' some hesitation-free people in the crowd to SHOW people it's okay to engage the worship. Redefining worship for Sunday morning in a town DEFINED by preconceived notions of Sunday mornings may remain a challenge for now. But that's why I make the big bucks :-).

Took a long nap Sunday afternoon. Very good. Very relaxed.

Small group Sunday night...was small. I just need to know whether this is a course worth pursuing anymore. Or...better put...pursuing in a more effective way...

-used to be some more whiny stuff posted here, but it was stupid and misleading, so I deleted it-

Tough news

I found out today that the little brother (Wesley) of a high school friend of mine (Sean) might be dying. Sean and I were in a garage band together. He drummed, I played keyboards. Wesley would come in and just watch us for hours while we played. He was probably about 5 or 6 years old at the time. He was such a fun kid to be around. A true "yowee," as Chad would call kids with lots of good-natured energy. So full of life.

Apparently, he developed some kind of serious cancer a few years ago, and though they recently thought he was doing better, he's apparently now doing much worse, to the point that he's not expected to live much longer.

Now, I haven't seen this kid in probably 12-14 years. He's a college student now...well, he was before his illness took a turn for the worse. So I can only picture this guy as a little "yowee."

And that makes it pretty hard to imagine that he's developed this life-threatening illness now. Though I haven't seen them in some time, Sean's family meant a lot to me in high school. Good people. Great to be around. Generous. Life-loving. And in spite of not seeing these guys in some time, the news has deeply saddened me.

So if those of you who read my blog get a chance, lift up Wesley Smith in your prayers...and his family. I can't even begin to imagine what he and they are going through right now.

Fortunately, God is big enough to work in all kinds of ways through this...

I know what miracle I'm praying for.

Crack users make the best drummers

Had band practice tonight. Unscheduled band practice. The kind you have to have when you get a call from E saying that Jeremy forgot what night it was and thought it was tonight. And, since he had to work tomorrow, that left us little option but to have it tonight. My first thought was, "Um...we haven't practiced on Wednesdays for...um...almost 2 years, right?" LOL. So, I dropped my fork (mid-dinner), made some calls, grabbed my gear, and headed to the church. Woohoo!

Fortunately, I was able to round up the rest of the band (read: our Amerasian guitarist) and pull it together. And it went well overall, though I prefer to go into band practice feeling a bit more prepared...having the songs solidly in my head, which is something I usually use thursdays for. Still, all went well and we'll be ready for Sunday.

Thanks to everyone who was able to make it out there tonight. Thanks to Jeremy for still being willing to practice in spite of our scheduling snafu.

On a side note, got to talking with E about camping trips, camping spots, past trips, etc. On the way home, it inspired me to open the sunroof of the Mazda and let the cool air pour into the car. Chilly, but nice to just feel the wind instead of the thump of the car stereo.

I miss doing things like camping. Being outside. I even miss that smell that gets into your clothes after you've been sitting around a campfire all night. The sound of wind blowing through trees while you're trying to sleep in a tent. The number of stars you can see when you're nowhere near city lights. No phones. No television. Just crickets and conversation with others. Someone throw some more wood on the fire. Cloudland Canyon. Best place I've ever camped. Hiking around the rim. Hiking down to the waterfalls in the canyon. Talk about a close encounter with God...there's nothing like walking through his handiwork to get a sense of how awesome He is...

Mountain biking. Being on a 25-lb. piece of aluminum with wheels ripping through the woods. I was actually close to being in-shape when I was riding every weekend. It was so much fun. Experiences like biking to the top of the mountain and looking out over Birmingham, knowing the only way back to the car was a lightning fast ride down a dirt trail through running creekbeds and singletracks... experiences like almost hitting a deer once at Oak Mountain when I came up over a small hill (that would've been fun to explain how that happened)...like going over the handlebars once and cracking 2 ribs. Still, I miss it. Haven't been riding in some time now.

Instead, I park on my butt most of the time doing...this. Typing at the PC. Playing PC games. XBOX games. Nothing wrong with technology...most of the time...but it has become a poor substitute for some wonderful things I used to do.

How to make this happen... Gotta think about that... Wife, kid, another kid on the way...little time...

Must make the time...

Sleepwalking...

Although it seems that I'm getting plenty of sleep lately, my body is acting otherwise. Lately, I've been kinda sleepy and groggy all day long. I tried taking a nap yesterday, but I felt worse when I woke up. Supwifdat?

Either I'm not eating right, I'm too out of shape, or I'm fighting off yet another illness than hasn't revealed itself yet. Fun. I'm sure #1 and #2 are part of it, but hopefully there's no #3 in my future.

In other areas, I've been working on a lot of chord charts this week for new worship music for the band. A renewal of our reportoire is long overdue, so I'm working on that pretty hard. The challenge is discovering good songs that (1) have spiritual/worship depth but are still simple vocally, (2) are easy to sing but not 'sappy' musically or lyrically, and (3) sound different enough from our current songs that they won't wear out too fast.

One thing I need to start doing again is writing songs. In the past, I've written worship songs and performance songs. I've got binders full of songs - some finished, some just quick ideas. I miss doing that, because writing a song myself allows me to pour out the 'meditations' of my own heart. It's a great feeling to worship God when the words are yours, not just the repetition of someone else's. Same could go for our whole group; we could develop songs that are unique to the expressions and desires of our own congregation. Just a thought.

Also, if we write our own songs, it would allow the band to pour its own talent into developing riffs/drum tracks/guitar tracks, etc. Again, it's about ownership...knowing no one else is doing it. Heck, there might even be studio and publishing possibilities if we create our own stuff.

Crap, there I go thinking out loud again... Still, it's a great thought...

"Sing to the Lord a NEW song..."

Eww...again...

He's thinking, "That's the grossest toy ever."

I know what to get you NEXT Christmas...

A wrestling figure at EBgames with REAL hair glued all over its body...

Oops...I blinked...

Wow, Kailyn's getting older. Stacey and I put together a new bed for her last night, thus, beginning the long road of prepping her new room and turning her old one into a room for a new baby all over again.

Time flies. Now if we can only get this kid trained to use the toilet...

Oh...Kyle, can you take my cat home?

Please.

Anyone?

I'd like a side of Spaghettios with my Lobster

That's what I'll be eating this week - Sphagettios, various Chef Boyardee pasta, maybe a sandwich or two. But now that the weekly budget has been spent, I have to eat this stuff. Went to Kyoto for the first time last night, and...great googly moogly...it cost a lot. Won't be going there (for dinner) as a habit.

Still, it was EXCELLENT. Best steak and seafood I've had in a long time. Everything tasted really good. To have such a restaurant open up in Decatur is a great thing. At least there's now one more place to choose from on the short list of places to eat... and it does NOT suck. In spite of some 'aversion' to one or two things she tried, even Kailyn liked what she had...steak was tender enough that she ate ALL her portion. Props to Stacey, too, since she was in an ethnic food 'experimentation' mode last night, which is unusual, or I don't know if we all would've made it there. All in all, an excellent 'culinary' evening...

Ran into the E and his fam up there last night, and E was chowing down on a healthy portion of sushi served on what looked like a model Japanese footbridge. Guess that's the equivalent of the trashcan lid your BBQ comes on at Famous Dave's - when you get the good stuff, you get a special tray...or something like that. I'm not a big fan of sushi (still getting used to some of it), but the stuff he was eating looked g-o-o-d.

Anyway, no more time to blog. Have a mucho-busy-laundry-list of things to do today...gotta get on it.

NOTABLE MOMENT OF THE NIGHT: It's so appetizing when your 2 1/2 year old suddenly sticks out her tongue with a mouth full of food to 'eject' whatever it is she found unappetizing...especially at a table of strangers.

I spoke too soon...

...well, I did not manage to escape the stomach bug.

I - fortunately - never actually threw up, but I felt lousy all day yesterday. Nauseated...stomach cramps...high fever...cold, stinging (literally) sweat...

Went to sleep about 7:00 last night, and didn't get back up until 10:00 this morning (apart from the occasional emergency bathroom run).

Not fun. As Eric and Stacey said, yesterday I felt like I was going to die. I nearly passed out at one point... Scary stuff...

Today, I feel much better, though I had a low-grade fever this morning.

As long as this doesn't get passed back to Kailyn, I'm happy. There's no one else in the house left to catch it, so - hopefully- it's over.

After a brief pause of goodness...

...let the suckage resume.

After our hospital ordeal, the weekend turned out GREAT! I really loved church Sunday a.m., lunch afterwards, and the time to relax and - this is weird - finish the projects we'd started before Kailyn was in the hospital (un-decorating, mainly)...

This morning, we had the carpets in the main room and the dining/piano room cleaned. Whole area feels 'new' again. And straightened up.

So far, so good.

Headed up to the Guad tonight. Met J-mo and Kyle there. But alas, good times were fleeting. Stacey vanished for a while into the bathroom to - release her food in an airborne manner. Such has happened a lot during her pregnancy, so we thought little about it at the time.

But...her 'expulsion of all things eaten' didn't stop when we got home. In fact, it got much worse, and she is now sick as a dog. Apparently, this is more than 'morning sickness,' but the same stomach bug that Kailyn had last week. Just as Eric said, she feels like "she's going to die."

2 down. 1 to go. Me. Oh, Lord. Not me. I..do..not..want..to..get..this..crud. I hate some digestive malfunctions last week right about the same time Kailyn got sick, so I hope that was it for me.

-Sigh-

And Kailyn has her first-ever dentist appointment tomorrow. Now it seems that instead of both Stacey and I being there to 'console' our daughter, who - for obvious reasons - is a phobic about anything doctor-related, it seems I'll be trekking out there all by my lonesome.

Anyone out there want to help me keep a 2.5 year old company while her teeth are poked and prodded?

Didn't think so...

KEY PHRASES: "He's the un-Asian." "Is it a bit obssessive-compulsive to follow my family around with a can of Lysol?"

Well..that was fun...

Wow...Kailyn's stomach virus surely turned into an ordeal, as she became so dehydrated the doctor decided Thursday to admit her to Decatur General so they could give her an IV. Wow. Well, to make the LONG part of this story short, I'll just say that we wound up staying 2 nights, lost a lot of sleep, and now that we're home, only Kailyn has fully recovered (since Stacey and I are both so tired from the lack of sleep we had due to frequently nurse visits, Kailyn crying in the middle of the night, and the incredible amount of noise in a hospital even in the overnight hours...

Let me say thanks to Dave, Dana, J-mo, Kyle, and Jeff for coming by to see her. Those moments were some of the few moments she seemed happy during the ordeal. And I'm very thankful - most of all- that this all was just a minor thing and that my daughter is back to normal. She was so pitiful, she didn't even cry when they stuck her with various needles her first day there. We knew she was getting better when she DID start crying again.

Anyway, here's some things about the experience worth sharing/ranting about:

- Why do nurses never close the door behind them? I always had to get up and close it.
- The sticky spot on the floor in the corner was obviously a urine spot. But it wasn't Kailyn's, mine, or Stacey's. Ewww...
- The suites are much bigger than the regular rooms. Glad it was all they had available, so that made the whole ordeal a bit easier.
- Windows Solitaire is incredibly addictive all over again.
- I never knew just how much blood there would be when a kid accidentally pulls out her IV. (yuck).
- No matter how fast you are, you can never get a towel to a kid who's about to throw up fast enough.
- Finding your way around Decatur General can be a lot like finding your way out of East Berlin in 1960.
- I can now quote Shrek 1 and Shrek 2 from beginning to end.
- Not being able to find a good vein to draw blood from a 2 year old is never a good thing (Kailyn = pincushion)
- The only thing worse than having a sick kid in the hospital is having a well kid in the hospital...oh...my...she was so freakin' bored and restless last night...
- The Decatur Daily is not as good as having an internet connection (how's that for an understatement).

KEY PHRASES: "I want to go home." (not, in fact, uttered by Kailyn) "This is not how I wanted to spend my time off." (yes, it was supposed to be a holiday for Stacey...d'oh)

Sometimes, things just suck...

Today would be a day like that...

After being deceived by a good start to the day, I went to get Kailyn up to find that she had thrown up all over her crib. Ahhh...that's special when that happens. AND, it seems that she had actually thrown up sometime in the middle of the night, which made the whole mess...less fun to clean up, and that also meant she'd probably been crying all night. After checking the status of her baby monitor, we discovered that she had - since my child is now prone to flipping switches on electronic devices - turned off her baby monitor, so we had no way of knowing.

Anyway, after a long bath, a load of laundry, some medication, and a lot of 'consoling,' she seems to be back to normal now. Hope it was just something she ate and not a virus...

On top of this, Stacey's work situation is becoming increasingly snafu'd. If you don't know already, the vacation time and benefits she was initially promised are NOWHERE near what she actually has received, which - MUCH to her extreme disappointment - has set the job-search wheels in motion for her once again.

And today, apparently there were some hot tempers/attitudes on behalf of her co-workers, which only adds insult to injury. Last, but not least, she seems to be the only one anyone's coming down on through all of this. I don't know what any of you out there would do, but it seems to me that Stacey has been more than patient with the wait it took her to finally start this job and with the crap that has happened since she found out about her vacation/benefit snafus.

Sure, in her field, finding another job is easy. But the really tough part about that at this time, is he pregnancy and getting maternity leave and benefits. In short, she just may be stuck a while (while some re-negotiations are in progress about the vacation/benefit thing).

I hate it when a dream job turns into a nightmare. Been there/done that. Haven't we all?

She doesn't want to make any rash decisions about all this, either. And in the meantime, since she may be stuck there, pray that she can make the best of it and that the things she's praying for/hoping for work out... If they would only give her what they told her she would get, she'd be happy... IMO, that IS their responsibility at this point...

Here's to hoping the rest of the day involves less suckage.

Flirting with normalcy

I must confess, 'normal' is a strictly relative term. In fact, there may be no such ideal as 'normal,' though I can refer to things 'normal' for me or 'normal' for you...and what is normal for me may be absurd to you, and vice versa... Ouch...my brain is starting to hurt in a not-quite-as-deep-as-the-Matrix sort of way...so, enough of that...

Still, I like things to be normal...by my own definition of the word. That's my way of saying 'crap-free.' No mood swings, no headaches, no crises, no emotional explosions, no rants, no self-imposed malfunctions, no sin (that one REALLY counts), no whining... Just life without crap. I don't mean perfect, by any means... I mean normal. Just crap-free...as often as possible.

Sure, there will always be things that disrupt normalcy...really good things like exceptional days or really bad things like tsunamis.

(thoughts getting derailed...must focus...where was I going with this?)

Ah. Normal. Today things went the way I LOVE to see them go. Not an "I won the lottery" exceptional day, but definitely not a "I hate my life/Decatur/anything Spongebob" sort of day, and that's a good thing. Free from crap. Thank God. Crap is bad. Crap makes me want to shoot things.

Today...church. Good. Firehouse Subs. Then off to Huntsville with J-mo and the Spooners. Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, Tweeter, and...Linens N Things. Linens N Things? What a way to terminate any technolust that developed at the other stores. Circuit City had a 70-inch LCD projection HDTV. Wow. Big. $7000 BIG. Something fun to oogle over. Linens N Things had...Christmas clearance decorations. Wow. What a downer...

Wait, it would be had it not be for...the chair. An $850 chair and ottoman that massaged your back and legs. Wow. If I had that chair, a remote control, and access to e-mail and the internet, I'd never get up. And it reclined. Mmmm....comfy...

Tonight, J-mo and Eli came over and we cooked a lot of seafood. Shrimp and crab legs. Very good, but I hate the kitchen smelling like cooked crab for 2 days.

Anyway, here's to hoping this coming week will be 'normal,' though it promises to be a very busy week.

KEY PHRASES: "Oh, come on. Buy it." "She beat me with my own pickle."