5 months in the hopper

Albi the racist dragon

If you haven't been introduced to "the Flight of the Conchords"...you'll thank me later.

enjoy

are we at war with the world??

If you missed it last week, Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The question you should be asking yourself is….why? I’m all for environmentalism, I’m just not connecting the dots about how being the poster boy for environmental activism is bringing peace…to anybody. I had no idea that An Inconvenient Truth had such an effect on people. Holy crap…lets send the movie and a projector to Darfur and see what happens.

birthday clues

Janelle gave me clues about what my big gift was. Can you guess what it is?

#1
I'm something that you want
And I'm something you can use.
But if you aren't too careful,
I'm something you can lose!

#2
here's one big thing that we both share
(besides the fact we're wordy)
it's quite befitting
on your birthday
that you'll be turning 30!

#3
i'll go with you throughout your days
no matter where you trod
cause you and me are gonna be
like two peas in a pod!

#4
over the past 24 hours
you have gone from curious to cocky,
but too much use of your birthday gift
and our relationship will be rocky!

so sit there smugly in your cube
with that knowing little smirk,
and enjoy the last days of your twenties
while you are at work.

when you get home from work tonight
the clebration will begin,
with surprises gifts and treats
that will seem to have no end!

30 is a big, big deal,
it means your getting old
so i want to make sure that this year
your birthday is good as gold!!!!

any guesses?????

So far 30 isn’t so bad. Janelle outdid herself this year. It wasn’t just the amazing birthday gift (a 30 gig video IPOD) but all the time and thought she put into making the weekend special. I’m a very lucky guy.

toys for a big boy

It’s been a principle of mine to ask for something fun when a birthday or Christmas come around. Its just seems that when people get older they inadvertently lose that childlike sense of play…something to really get excited about getting out of the box. Pretty soon our wish list consists of socks and ties.

We migrate from fun to functional.

This year my parents gave me a remote control airplane. I hope to get it out soon and there will probably be a pool on how long it lasts before I destroy it. My mom joked that I’m 30 years old and she is still getting me toys. I hope she can say the same thing when I am 60.
So that’s my ripe old wisdom of 30 years of life. Don’t stop playing. It keeps you young.

Bonus: Try making a fun, not functional, list this Christmas.
Double bonus: Try buying fun, not functional, gifts for your loved ones.

Pumpkin Palooza

We spent an afternoon at Patterson Farm. In the end. I'm always disappointed with hay rides.

the boy who cried "we're buying a house"

Janelle and I just finalized an offer on another house. Its perfect....so we won't be backing out of this one like the last one. It even has a picket fence which will soon be painted white. Pics coming soon. Closing is the week after Thanksgiving so if you live by us be expecting that dreaded call soon to help us move.

mistaken identity

Take a close look at this card......my grandmother sent this to me. And they still let this woman drive.
By the way, I turn 30 on Saturday. More on that later.

Side note: this was the first year that my coworkers remembered my birthday. The last 2 years it went unnoticed. They took me out to lunch, and decorated my cube which included confetti....which inevitably got into everything, even my keyboard. Take note: confetti is not a good idea at an office.

The Ohio Odyssey

Janelle's dad Jerry turned 60 last week. We drove up to Ohio and back in one weekend to be there (left Friday night and came back Sunday Night). So now he is officially the only 60 year old man, with an implant in his chest and a foot with no feeling that can beat me at ping-pong.
Happy 60th Jerry

the battle of the greens

I am considering buying some used books (which I have never done before) soon from Amazon because I figure it is a “greener” option because it saves paper. My dilemma is that when I add in the shipping costs (which is more than the book sometimes) buying a cheaper used book can actually be more expensive that buying a new one. So the question I pose to you is…..is it more important to be a good steward of my money or of the environment? What do you think?

House Arrest

After a lot of thought, Janelle and I have decided not to pursue the house we were in the process of purchasing. It simply wasn’t the house for us. We are still in the market and hope to find “our house” soon. We’ll keep you in the loop.
ppo3

Un-Etta-ble???

Last week I “tivo-ed” Austin City Limits featuring a performance by the great Etta James. She is known for such songs as “At Last” and “I’d rather go blind”. Alas, it may have been the most disturbing and unsettling thing I have ever watched. Primarily because its makes me cringed to watch a woman her age sing about wild nights of passion. Secondly, she has very weird mannerisms that resemble my own grandmother (which makes the first point all the more awkward). The feeling you are left with is that she is just too old to be doing concerts anymore. She obviously doesn’t have the vivacity of a Tina Turner….in fact she sat in a chair for half the show. She couldn’t even stand for the whole performance! Pack it up Etta…..move to a nice retirement home.

Simple Church review

Simple Church puts forth an age old principle: Less is More (especially when it comes to churches). Based on extensive research it concludes that the healthiest and growing churches say no….alot. It is only interested in ministries and ideas that align with is overall mission. The quintessential simple church is one that is very simple in its mission and makes sure that everything else contours to that mission. If it doesn’t, they don’t do it. The temptation of all churches is to become so complex in its operation that it becomes confusing to both the congregation and the staff. Non-simple churches send out conflicting messages, inefficiently use resources for conflicting and unaligned ministries, and are stretched too thin to do anything very well. Great book for church planters and current pastors. The simple revolution is upon us....and it couldn't happen soon enough. Its time to make church easy again...for everybody.

September Recap

• Its a GIRL
• Caden started walking.....finally
• Poff Retreat 07 (the cup returns home)
• A visit to the county fair
• We are buying our first home

Home is where you hang your hat....and we won't have room for much else

Janelle and I have been searching for a house for a while now and finally found one. We expect to close late next month. That leaves us a lot to do. The house we are moving into is a bit smaller than the one we presently rent (but we knew that was going to happen). So there will be a bit of purging and a few trips to Goodwill before we move. Excited about owning our first home but most people know how much I hate moving. We moved every year the first 4 years of our marriage, and the thought of doing it again….with 4 years worth of more stuff makes me want to get in the fetal position in the corner of my closet until it is over.
Pics coming soon.