Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Transition Diet

After doing P90X back in 2007-2008 before Samuel was born (which was an awesome workout regimen, in my opinion), since I signed up to be a member on beachbody.com, I started receiving their email newsletters.  I often find some tidbit of interesting stuff in each newsletter, which says a lot since I usually find newsletters from similar companies to be quite useless.  Well, today's email newsletter had an article that really spoke to a desire I have had for far too long now and have not acted on - to change my diet and eat healthier again:


Reading this simple article on doing an 8 Week Transition Diet seems like something that I can actually do if I am intentional about the steps to take each week... it seems more realistic than just diving in to the week 8 portion of the diet like so many other diet plans seem to do from the get-go.  Diving right in to being Mr. Healthy is a daunting task, so just like Michelle and I walked (and are walking) through Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps to Financial Freedom - this "Transition Diet" feels more like taking baby steps to a more healthy lifestyle.  I like!

So, I don't know when I will start this, but I want to... and I would appreciate any help/motivation you all out there in blog-land can give me to help me not only get started, but like Tony Horton from P90X says, keep pressing play... or in this case, keep being intentional about sticking to this Transition Diet.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

More than the Cross...

It is amazing how many times we can hear a story and not fully get it! This morning at church, our pastor gave a message titled "Cup of Wrath" where we dug into Mark 14:32-42. Here Jesus goes to Gethsemane with Peter, James and John in order to pray before Judas' betrayal that leads to Jesus' death on the Cross. I am sure I still don't even fully get it, but both my wife and I agreed that some light bulbs went off for the two of us after today, some more connections have been made and more of those coins have dropped.

I have believed that Christ died on the Cross for my sins ever since I accepted that truth when I was a teenager, but ever since then I have had some confusions around the whole story of Christ's death and how that death on the Cross was enough to cover my sins. I always understood that the physical torture and pain he went through during the whole story of the passion - being whipped with claws and beaten to within an inch of death, and ultimately having the nails driven through his flesh and bones to pin him to a tree made into a cross after he had carried that cross all the way up the hill to the place in which he died - displayed that Jesus really suffered physically for us, for me. I have even heard explanations of when Christ cries out "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" - which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (from Mark 15:34), that he cries this out because God turns away during this time before Jesus breathes his last... but I don't think I truly understood the implications of this - or how Jesus really suffered.

In Luke 12:4-5 we see Jesus himself say "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him." In these verses, we see that Jesus is clear about not fearing death in the body - this means that the physical torture and death that Jesus went through, although difficult for us to truly comprehend, was not the real torture or death that paid for our sins.

What was Jesus so desperately praying to God about in Gethsemane? What greatly distressed him so much to the point of sweating blood (as Luke, the doctor, describes it)? Was it the physical torture and death he was about to face? Was it the Cross as too many of us see it, where he physically died for us? No! It was so much more than this...

You see, part of the difficulty I had with this whole story was this idea that Jesus' death on the Cross paid for my sins - paid the price for God's righteous judgment on me, on all of us, for choosing to live apart from Him. It didn't make sense that a physical death would pay for the penalty I truly deserve, which is eternal death - eternal separation from God... HELL!

This leads us to think more about what hell is. I have heard different sects speak about how Jesus had "descended into Hell, and on the third day rose again..." but this didn't make sense to me either, especially when Jesus himself on the cross told the thief that put his faith in Jesus "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." If Jesus says "I tell you the truth", I am positive he meant what he said and the thief would that day see Jesus in paradise. So this, to me, contradicted the idea that Jesus descended into some abyss with lakes of fire... etc. But, it would make sense that Jesus would in fact experience what hell actually is - separation from God - and also the suffering that results from that. The spiritual death that Jesus experiences here is what ultimately pays the price for each one of us!

It might be hard for each of us to imagine complete separation from God, but that is what Jesus experienced when he truly died on that cross that day. This is what causes Jesus the anguish when he is in Gethsemane, this is what causes him to cry out in true pain, quoting Psalm 22:1, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus at that moment was taking on all our sins - all my sins - and because God cannot be in the presence of sin, Jesus felt hell, separation from God. This experience of separation from God would be more difficult for us than we could ever imagine, or ever want to imagine. Imagine the suffering Christ experiences through this, the fact that Jesus knew what the full presence of God was, so he not only felt what we would feel, but it was magnified infinitely because he actually knew what he was missing. It makes it all the more amazing, this amazing grace.

This is the price that was paid for me. This is how much he gave to show that He loves us. It is truly amazing if you take the time to think deeply about this, especially as Easter is fast approaching. Let us not just remember the physical pain that Jesus suffered for us... but remember the much more painful, deep spiritual suffering, the real death that Jesus died - separation from God, the Father. This is what Jesus faced for us on that day when he paid the ultimate price for us.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Strength Finding

As part of the Desert Star process when I was hired to work here, the owner gave me a copy of the book StrengthsFinder 2.0 in order to take the online assessment that comes with the book - this assessment points out your top 5 strengths. I have taken several of these types of self-assessments before, but I have to admit that I feel like this was one of the more enlightening assessments for me... what I learned from it I continue to understand more ever since I took it. Below are my top five strengths, if you know me feel free to let me know what you think, heck feel free to share your own!

1. Responsibility

By nature, you conduct yourself in an exceptionally mature and orderly fashion even when your teammates, classmates, friends, coworkers, and colleagues are acting childish. It’s very likely that you are hardwired to do exactly what you said you would do. Your word is your bond. You are likely to earn the respect of many people. You even win over those who have a hard time trusting anyone. Why? You rarely disappoint them. Chances are good that you may wish to have a broader range of control and accountability on the job or in your personal life. Instinctively, you are quite comfortable being honest about yourself with others. You harbor very few illusions about who you really are. Furthermore, you can openly acknowledge your mistakes and shortcomings. This is apt to distinguish you from most people. Driven by your talents, you possess an inner drive to attain your high standards of excellence. Satisfying work and a passion for accountability fuel your zeal to do things very carefully. You want others to view you and your work favorably.


2. Belief

By nature, you place more importance on the purpose and value of what you do than on the monetary rewards that accompany success. Chances are good that you may be impelled to change the world for the better one person at a time. Perhaps you do this by assuring people you think well of them. Sometimes you remind individuals about their depth of knowledge, talent, and/or skills. Driven by your talents, you may have defined some principles that set the tone for certain aspects of your life. Sometimes they influence your behavior. Sometimes they reflect who or what is most important to you. Sometimes they guide your decision-making. Specific individuals who live, work, or study with you might be able to predict what you will say or do in particular situations. Instinctively, you are naturally inclined to make sacrifices that benefit someone else. You enjoy being generous with your time, knowledge, skills, experiences, resources, or possessions. Because of your strengths, you try to be helpful to others in ways that may improve their lives. Perhaps you hope to leave the world in better shape than you found it.


3. Context

It’s very likely that you are quite intrigued by history’s significant events and people. Information about global conflicts fascinates you. Instinctively, you routinely gather historical facts or artifacts — that is, pictures, tools, books, artwork, correspondence, or documents. You often wait to determine whether this information is useful. Your interest in history probably has no purpose other than to answer your own questions. You are simply intrigued by the past and its people. The future starts to take shape in your mind as soon as you begin to rummage through your collection of historic truths and objects. By nature, you create a vision of the future by unraveling what happened in the past. You strive to understand the what, when, who, where, how, and why of events. You are determined to create a framework of facts so you can put things in perspective. Chances are good that you sometimes research historic events to understand their impact on today’s people or events. Maybe knowing what occurred in bygone days helps you make sense of current conditions or the behavior of certain individuals. Because of your strengths, you are a history buff — that is, someone ardently devoted to studying the past. You are especially drawn to firsthand accounts of global conflicts. You link people to events and trace timelines. You are likely to examine major battles from the perspective of foes and allies as well as neutral parties. The sum of your findings probably allows you to determine what started and eventually ended each war.


4. Analytical

Chances are good that you enjoy conversations with people who think deeply about things and are willing to express their views. Customarily, your high level of reasoning adds value to group discussions. You often bring to these sessions a level of reasoning that most individuals are apt to appreciate. Instinctively, you try to collect pertinent and precise data. You may refuse to stop searching until you find accurate facts. You might collect information that is relevant to your life, your work, or your studies. It’s very likely that you may be the team member who conducts thorough investigations to collect accurate details, facts, or data. Driven by your talents, you rely on reason to make sense of facts, events, people’s behavior, problems, or solutions. You consistently outmaneuver others when comparisons are being made between your results and theirs. Because of your strengths, you may bring a logical perspective to your team’s tasks or to work in general. Perhaps you break down projects into small parts. Sometimes you determine the importance and urgency of each step. You might decide what must be done first, second, or third. You might waste little time getting started once your plan is finalized.


5. Individualization

By nature, you may have an ability to watch people or determine with some degree of accuracy what makes one unique, distinct, or special. Perhaps certain talents, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, moods, or motivations attract your attention when you observe others’ actions or listen to their words. Chances are good that you might like to partner with the same people over and over again. When you spend more time with certain teammates, maybe it is easier to pinpoint the unique strengths, interests, work styles, preferred forms of praise, or changing moods of each one. Because of your strengths, you provide clarity that helps people know what is wrong and/or what is not working well. Driven by your talents, you may have a gift for noticing the differences between people. You might think variety is a good thing, not a bad thing. You might help individuals from diverse backgrounds discover ways they can cooperate so the team succeeds. It’s very likely that you enhance your own quality of life each time you reach out to someone in need of assistance.


Going through this process has really helped me to look at where I am and what I am doing in my life - not just for my job, but in general. I feel that it has given me a good perspective on where to focus in order to be the best I can be, in order to let God's glory shine through me the way He created me. After all, that is my ultimate desire, to glorify Him to the fullest extent He made me to be able to.

Friday, September 25, 2009

"How do you like your new job?"

This has been a common question lately, which is fare since I started my new job only about two months ago now (I can't believe it's already been two months this next week, wow). How do you normally answer that kind of question? Well, for me, it is not as easy to answer, confused? Let me explain.

You see, similar to my post earlier about the lyrics to the song "American Dream", most people in this world - especially here in America - think of success or happyness (misspelling intended) as one thing... a good job and good amounts of money to go along with it. I know that there are some that don't view it this way, but a LOT do. I can understand why so many view life this way, heck, your job does take up a majority of your life. But I guess with that reasoning, maybe we should all consider those who sleep the best to be the most successful, right? Ok, maybe not. Beyond this reasoning, I think a more realistic reason behind this world/life view is the fallen desire in all of us for selfish gain.

Is a good job or money inherently evil? No, I don't believe so. But I do believe that when we make those things our idol (or if we make anything our idol for that matter), when those things consume us, when we do all we can and dedicate our whole life to them, then yes - I do think that is far from where we find true success and happiness.

I, on the other hand, am one of those that don't view life this way - or at least try not to - which is why it is sometimes hard to answer this somewhat easy question of "How do you like your new job?" You see, usually when someone gets as great of a job as I just got, they leap out of their skin in joy. So when I don't give that reaction - even though I know I "should" - I know I basically come across as some ingrate that is never content with anything. I guess I need to learn how to share more of where my true joy comes from... God.

So, yes, my new job is going quite well. For a Project Manager job in the residential construction industry, you could NOT ask for a better place to be. The people I work with are great, the projects we work on are amazing... it is a good job. Above and beyond that, I am still amazed by God's timing on providing what our family needed. Not only did I get a job, but I did just in time before my unemployment ran out, and just before Michelle's company did pay cuts - both of which would have put us in a position that we probably would not of been able to afford our house... but now we will be fine as far as finances and be able to save some money again. Although we have learned to live with much less, which is definitely not a bad thing.

Ultimately though, I have a hard time explaining to just anyone that asks this question to me that the job is going like any good job should - there are good parts of it, there are parts (like with any job) that are not so enjoyable (sitting at a computer screen many hours a day for instance), but it is "just" a job. It has definitely been bitter sweet going back to work... mainly because over the past 11 months that I have been unemployed, 10 of which were spent being with my first child, now I am lucky to see my son 2 hours a day. I know this will change, but it is still an adjustment either way. I also really enjoyed how much growth I experienced with God over that time that He gave me, and I already now recognize the distraction that work requires of me from things that are so much more important in life. I know in time I can learn how to balance it all the best that I can, just like every person that works at a job for a living has to do.

I guess what I am continually learning more and more, is how much more important the real important things actually are compared to things that are just parts of life. Who knows what the future holds, Michelle and I were seriously considering ministry opportunities and that desire is not gone now that I have a job - so who knows if that will come about someday. Who knows if that does come about, if it will be more enjoyable than a secular job like I imagine it would be. I think of the idea of getting paid to focus on what my ultimate passion is: God, and that excites me. I have to bring my self back to reality though, which tells me I am still in this world, and nothing here will ever compare to what I really long for... to be in the complete presence of God... for now I just have to be content with the shadow of His glory that I get to experience here.

So what does this all mean now? Do I just mope and be depressed that "I'm not doing what I want to do"? NO! That is not what I want to do. My hope is that I will not let my circumstances control my life. My hope is that I can allow God to lead me no matter where I am in life. That I can allow Him to have complete control, even when I am doing "secular" work sitting at a computer screen having no interaction with people at all (I think that is the hardest area for me to see God move, but He's bigger than that!).

That was a longer thought process than I thought it would be... but if you have read any of my posts to date, you know I can be a bit wordy when I type on here. Funny I'm sure for those who know me in person as someone that doesn't talk much. Feel free to let me know what you think.

American Dream

Heard this song from Casting Crowns this morning when it came up in my mix on Pandora and thought it had an interesting point in the lyrics. What do you think?

“American Dream”

All work no play may have made Jack a dull boy
But all work no God has left Jack with a lost soul
But he's moving on full steam
He's chasing the American dream
And he's gonna give his family finer things

“Not this time son I've no time to waste
Maybe tomorrow we'll have time to play”
And then he slips into his new BMW
And drives farther and farther and farther away

Cause he works all day and tries to sleep at night
He says things will get better;
Better in time

[Chorus]
So he works and he builds with his own two hands
And he pours all he has in a castle made with sand
But the wind and the rain are comin' crashing in
Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands
His kingdom stands

Well his American Dream is beginning to seem
More and more like a nightmare
With every passing day
"Daddy, can you come to my game?"
"Oh Baby, please don't work late."
Another wasted weekend
And they are slipping away

'Cause he works all day and lies awake at night
He tells them things are getting better
Just take a little more time

[Chorus]
So he works and he builds with his own two hands
And he pours all he has in a castle made with sand
But the wind and the rain are comin' crashing in
Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands
His kingdom stands

He used to say, "Whoever dies with the most toys wins"
But if he loses his soul, what has he gained in the end
I'll take a shack on the rock
Over a castle in the sand

Now he works all day and cries alone at night
It's not getting any better
Looks like he's running out of time

[Chorus]
'Cause he worked and he built with his own two hands
And he poured all he had in a castle made with sand
But the wind and the rain are coming crashing in
Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands
His kingdom stands

All they really wanted was you
All they really wanted was you
All they really wanted was you

Saturday, August 8, 2009

One (half) week down...

Wow, what a week! Starting the previous Wednesday (July 29th), we had Michelle's Dad and Step-mom come to town to stay with us until Thursday the 6th... we have had a great time with them, lots of games (like Hand and Foot, Carcassonne, Cash Flow, Hearts, Nerts, etc...), they even blessed us with a date night out for Michelle and I (we went out to eat and went to see Harry Potters new movie). That all led up to the crazy week we just had.



Tuesday morning (Duane's, Michelle's dad, birthday), Samuel went in for his surgery. Man, was that a roller coaster of an emotional experience for Michelle and I. It was relatively minor surgery, but he did have to go under with anesthesia for what ended up being 3 hours, although they originally planned and scheduled it for 4 hours - glad it ended early! It looks like everything went as planned, so now we just hope and pray that he heals up well and that everything they did will allow him to have as normal a life as possible without any issues from the surgery.



Wednesday morning, I started my new job, hence the title of this post "One (half) week down..." The first three days progressively got "better", as in I started to slowly get back into work mode as well as get back into construction brain mode. It has been 11 months since I have really been in either of those modes, at an actual job at least, so it takes a little adjustment getting back in to the swing of things. It was an exhausting first week of work though, and I am sure the learning curve will continue. Not too many people have worked on multi-million dollar homes, so I guess I just need to be ok with the fact that it will be a learning curve. I normally like the fact that I learn things quickly, but I just have to accept the fact that some things take more time to learn. The company, especially the people I will be working with, are great so far... and I feel nothing but like a welcome addition to their team. I know I have a lot to prove though, I just pray my focus does not get turned from God and that I don't let the pressure change what I truly desire.

Thursday morning, Michelle left for her business trip, and her Dad went back home at the originally scheduled time they planned on leaving. Thankfully, Marie, Michelle's step-mom, decided to extend until today (Saturday) in order to watch Samuel for us on Thursday and Friday since I was at my new job and Michelle was out of town. That was such a blessing. We cannot thank her enough for doing that. She also seems like she enjoyed the added one-on-one time with her first grand-child though... so hopefully that made it a lot easier for her to stay.

Some other interesting things happened this week, that I might bring up later if anything comes of it... let's just say it added to the crazy week we had... and NO, we are not pregnant again - not yet anyway.

It has been tough to go back to work, knowing that I will only see Samuel for 2 good hours at the most every day... but I know it is what I have to do, and is what most father's do for most of their lives these days. I think it would not be so bad, if I knew Michelle could stay home and be with him... but unfortunately my new job won't allow for that yet. Hopefully soon enough though, that's my prayer anyway.

Well, I figured I should try to keep more up-to-date on this whole blog thing, and start sharing more things like this. Hope you enjoy, and hope I can keep up the bloggin in the future!

Until next time...

Friday, July 31, 2009

God's amazing timing and providence...

As most of you know, I lost my most recent job on the last day of August, 2008, and have been unemployed ever since. This happened to be just under 2 months before our first child was to be born. When I first got laid off, we didn't realize how bad the economy was quite yet. The bailout hadn't even happened yet, at least not for another month. And even when the "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008" - aka, bailout - was finally passed almost a month after I lost my job, us common people still didn't realize how bad the economy was and that it was getting worse quick. But it would soon become apparent just how bad things were getting.

I've lost count as to how many jobs I have applied for, or companies I have sent resumes to during these past eleven months. The first couple of months, I would actually find job postings on job websites and send my resume or application in to them, but soon most job listings (at least for my area of "expertise", construction) would soon all but disappear. I actually had an interview back in late October that went pretty well. But when I checked in with that company every week or two until I found out that they had to eliminate the position I had interviewed for, and that they were actually doing layoffs - one of the guys that interviewed me (there were two guys) was actually laid off. I soon began to realize why I was not getting responses from the numerous jobs I applied for and was very qualified for, it was mainly because the jobs didn't actually exist, or at least not anymore. I would start to go in to companies to submit a resume in response to a job they had posted, just to be told "we actually are on a hiring freeze, that job is no longer available". It has been crazy... and it has been hard to see the end when no end was in sight.

Ok, ok... so I am sure you are thinking by now "what the heck does any of this have to do with 'God's amazing timing and providence...'?" Well, I'm getting there, just keep reading, trust me it's worth it.

It has been amazing throughout my life, to see how God has always provided what I needed, and usually in just the right - or rather nick of time. This has especially been evident since I have been "on my own" outside of college, and especially since Michelle and I got married back in 2003. Here are some examples.

Michelle and I graduated from college in December of 2002, we applied for and got accepted to head down to Florida in January to take part in the Walt Disney World College Program. So right away out of college, we had a job. Of course, this job did not pay great, or even good, but it provided us with enough to meet our needs while down in Florida - barely. Once our contracted time was up in May, we made the long drive back home to Colorado. We got engaged while on our internship at Disney, and were planning our wedding for October. This meant that I had around 5 months to look for employment before being married. I searched, and searched, and searched during those months. Fortunately I was living at my mom and step-dad's house during that summer, and did not have to worry about many expenses at all (which I see as God providing for my needs at that time). But as the wedding date fast approached, Michelle and I needed to find a place for us to live after we were to be married. It was the end of July, we were planning to go on a vacation to Lake Powell with Michelle's mom and family, and I still had not found anything... But right before we left for Lake Powell, just in time, God provided. I actually found a job as a Structural Engineer (the field I was looking in), in Boulder, and it "just so happened" that of the three employees that worked at this company, one was a friend I had lost touch with from college. I got the job in August, we were married in October and the timing was perfect. Michelle also found a job that she started right when we got married as well, to definitely help our situation and provide us with health insurance which my job did not provide.

Time moved on, I finally decided that I would listen to the "ache" in my heart that said "engineering is not for me". I was fighting that feeling all through college, but fought it off thinking I would be ok once I worked in the field full time, without having school and homework to worry about. Unfortunately, I was wrong and engineering was just not the right place for me to be. So I decided to quit engineering, and try to pursue areas I had more interest in. I actually started looking for jobs in Project Management at this time, but had a very hard time finding anything. So I settled on a "backup" plan of trying to do my own video production business. I have continued to operate this business part time to this day, and it has been great. It never provided enough financially to warrant keeping at it full time, but it was enjoyable most of the time, and provided a little money here and there.

About a year into our marriage, I was technically self employed, but not really bringing in any "real" income, so we almost completely relied on Michelle's employment. Well, Michelle's job was fast approaching her one year anniversary of employment. It seemed as though things were going just fine. Then, on a Friday afternoon at about 5:00 PM, Michelle's boss came by her office to ask her to come in for a meeting. They terminated her on the spot, saying they did not want to renew her contract and were changing the position... we were definitely not expecting that because she had just had a review that said she was doing great. They ended up paying her through the end of that month (September), which also meant we still had insurance, etc. We were freaked out to say the least. Group insurance is a necessity for me, since I typically cannot get personal insurance due to "pre-existing" conditions of JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis) as a child. So knowing that coming up on October 1st, we would either lose insurance, or pay COBRA prices with no real income to speak of between the two of us. We had just decided to move out of our "nicer" apartment and head over to the other side of town to an apartment that we paid about 60-70% of the rent compared to the previous apartment... This turned out to be a huge blessing. Michelle and I were frantically looking for jobs at this point. Then, the last week of October, Michelle was refereed to look into a job working for the American Cancer Society. They hired her, WITH BENEFITS (after the first month of course), starting the first week of November! We only had to get "catastrophic" insurance for the first month of her job, but God totally provided for the timing of all of it and we were just fine.

There are more, but I think you get the point. There has been many times where we did not know what to do, and honestly, we freaked out thinking things wouldn't work out on many occasions. But time and time again, God has demonstrated that he meant it when he spoke about not worrying like he did in Matthew 6:25-34... he specifically addresses our needs to not worry about, because God DOES provide for them when you are seeking Him - and sometimes even graciously when you aren't seeking Him.

Well, this time is no exception. We have been able to make it through these 11 or so months of unemployment just fine financially. Of course it has been VERY tight and we have had to cut out quite a bit, but some unemployment insurance benefits and a few side jobs here and there through my business has provided for everything we have needed. But lately we have started to wonder what next. My unemployment benefits will run up in the next month or so - and we won't have that extra $1000 or so a month to supplement Michelle's income...

So, back in late September, when I first was in my "hitting the pavement and looking hard for a job" mode I was referred by one of my good friends to talk to his brother-in-law about a company he used to be a Project Manager for (the exact position I am looking for jobs as). Through him I was put in touch with a company and submitted my resume. They actually had a job posted on their website at the time for a Project Manager, but when I went in to drop off my resume in person, they said that they were actually not hiring... just like I was hearing everywhere! Fast-forward to April, I was still applying for jobs, still doing a lot of the same old thing all while watching Samuel. This company got back in touch with me to ask me to resubmit a resume to them. So I did...

Even more time later, actually just at the beginning of July, I received another email saying that they wanted me to come in for an interview. After a second interview a week after that... I have officially been offered a job!

What amazing timing and providence! My unemployment benefits will be done here in the next month or so, and I needed to find something. So what came up, not a new company I was just applying for, but a company I applied for 9 months ago comes back to give me a job. And the job sounds great! It is with a great, I mean great company, that believes in integrity being the top priority. The company builds the nicest of nice homes in the Phoenix area... we're talking 10,000 to 45,000 square foot homes... that is HUGE! If you want to know more about the company, check out their website here: www.desertstarconstruction.com.



Thank you everyone for all your support, prayers, and referrals/connections that you have sent my way during this time. Michelle and I (and Samuel) are SO grateful to you all. Most of all, we thank God. Not just for this new job, but all the amazing ways He has always provided for our needs, and then some. I am also especially thankful for how His timing has worked out. Yes, I have been unemployed for the first 9 months of my first child's life, but that has only been a blessing. Of course we haven't been able to save any money in that time or get "ahead" on life... but I have been able to invest some PRICELESS time into my first child, my first son! I have also had some amazing time with God, growing more with Him and getting to know Him better! Even if it was difficult at times, I would not trade it for anything.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Palm Pre


I don't know about anyone else... but being a Sprint customer for a long time (yes I like having their service, in fact I am considered a "white glove" customer, since I have been a upstanding customer for the 10 years I have been with them and now they give me monthly discounts on my plan for no reason except that they like me, cool I think!) I am excited to see a cool phone finally make it's way to Sprint. They have always seemed to lag in the "cool phone" department. The Palm Pre looks awesome to me though, especially being someone that recently jumped into the smartphone/pda phone craze a little over a year ago when I purchased a Palm Centro. The Centro has been a good introduction for me, but all that the Pre seems like it will offer (full touch screen AND a true QWERTY keyboard, AWESOME!) including the touchscreen and keyboard, as well as the WebOS which looks to be an awesome step in the right direction for Palm.

Anyway, I am definitely looking forward to this awesome phone