Hey everyone,
My nephew Hunter is 8 years old and on a mission. He has such a tender heart and has decided to raise money for childhood cancer research by shaving his red hair off. His best friend's sister is 6 and has been fighting cancer since she was 7 months old. If you are interested please follow this link.
Please pray that hearts would be touched and money raise for the cancer research. Thank you.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Updates
Ever had a month when there was so much going on that you can't even make time to reflect on each days activities? The last month or so has very much been that way for Krista and I. Now that things have settled I'm able to look back and see some interesting things that were entirely invisible during that time.
(I'm going to drop random pictures throughout the post to break up the wall of text!)
School:
I am officially done with my bachelor's degree. I now have a BS in technical management with concentrations in database administration and computer information systems. If anyone has any suggestions on how to best abbreviate that - I'm all ears. I went back a few days ago and looked at my grades for my time at DeVry and laughed a bit. It's very easy to see my level of commitment in my grades and workload when you look at it chronologically. I started off with a light work-load and got mostly B's. Then I had a term with a full workload and got A's and B's. Finally, I can look back to the semester I got tired of picking away at classes and decided just to do it. Since that term I've earned nothing but A's and I'm proud of that. I know that when I actually commit to something I'm capable of performing well.
I'm looking toward options for grad-school but I kinda of don't want to start immediately. I could use the break and I think I will take it.
Work:
We had a team member get laid-off/fired in a very abrupt manner in February. He wasn't the best employee and didn't get a lot of work done. Even still - he has been with the company for 15 years and was a reasonably nice guy. Tough times for everyone I guess. I feel bad for him, but I'm glad it wasn't me, so I am trying to be thankful for that. I did get to move into his cubicle (signficantly larger and better located) so that's a bonus.
My new desk
Family:
Here's where a lot is going on! Steve just bought a house in Des Plaines - he closes in the middle of April, Kathy rented an apartment with Mike Bouma in Des Plaines and I just helped her move some furniture in last night. She will likely be fully moved in within a week or two. I'm also seeing Kathy's approach/timbre to life change pretty quickly as the wedding approaches. You can sense the weight of her financial independence and personal responsibility growing when you talk to her. That stuff wasn't there six months ago and it's interesting to observe. She still likes to screw around and is certainly still the Kathy we all know and love, but she also becoming this person who can invite you over for dinner and be the hostess for the night. Eric and Seren got married just over a week ago. Was a very nice wedding in the Grove in Glenview. It brings a sense of closure for a lot of things and opens a lot of doors at the same time.
Everyone at our house simply cannot wait for winter to be over. Whenever Krista and Will are home for the day cabin fever sets in like crazy. I want to get out on my bike, hopefully with Will in a carrier seat and the exterior of the house needs cleaning badly. Finally, we replaced the Malibu. Steve basically rented me the Mailbu for a year for cheap, and I appreciate that, so Krista and I were able to buy an Honda Accord which we're both thrilled about.
What's coming:
Since I don't have school anymore, I'm learning to rebalance my free time, church, work, etc. I'm doing some audio stuff for a 20-something's group at Harvest called Connect on Thursday nights that I'm excited about and I start a men's morning bible-study next Friday with an old friend, so I'm looking forward to that as well. We're also going out to dinner with Ken and Julie next Friday without the kids and I'm looking forward to adult conversation that doesn't revolve around the word 'ball'.
Will has a few words now - everything that isn't a book, banana, or tv is 'ball'. It's really fun as he learns how to communicate in ways other than crying and having fits! He has learned to throw stuff, which is both good and bad. At dinner on Sunday he was chucking toys across the table and Kathy and Bouma and we had to get him to stop. I forsee those being tough things to teach - situational 'okays'. Sometimes it's good to throw balls, sometimes it's not - maybe he'll learn quicker than I think.
Sorry for the giant wall of text - I'll try to update more frequently so it's less each time!
(I'm going to drop random pictures throughout the post to break up the wall of text!)
School:
I am officially done with my bachelor's degree. I now have a BS in technical management with concentrations in database administration and computer information systems. If anyone has any suggestions on how to best abbreviate that - I'm all ears. I went back a few days ago and looked at my grades for my time at DeVry and laughed a bit. It's very easy to see my level of commitment in my grades and workload when you look at it chronologically. I started off with a light work-load and got mostly B's. Then I had a term with a full workload and got A's and B's. Finally, I can look back to the semester I got tired of picking away at classes and decided just to do it. Since that term I've earned nothing but A's and I'm proud of that. I know that when I actually commit to something I'm capable of performing well.
I'm looking toward options for grad-school but I kinda of don't want to start immediately. I could use the break and I think I will take it.
Work:
We had a team member get laid-off/fired in a very abrupt manner in February. He wasn't the best employee and didn't get a lot of work done. Even still - he has been with the company for 15 years and was a reasonably nice guy. Tough times for everyone I guess. I feel bad for him, but I'm glad it wasn't me, so I am trying to be thankful for that. I did get to move into his cubicle (signficantly larger and better located) so that's a bonus.
My new desk
Family:
Here's where a lot is going on! Steve just bought a house in Des Plaines - he closes in the middle of April, Kathy rented an apartment with Mike Bouma in Des Plaines and I just helped her move some furniture in last night. She will likely be fully moved in within a week or two. I'm also seeing Kathy's approach/timbre to life change pretty quickly as the wedding approaches. You can sense the weight of her financial independence and personal responsibility growing when you talk to her. That stuff wasn't there six months ago and it's interesting to observe. She still likes to screw around and is certainly still the Kathy we all know and love, but she also becoming this person who can invite you over for dinner and be the hostess for the night. Eric and Seren got married just over a week ago. Was a very nice wedding in the Grove in Glenview. It brings a sense of closure for a lot of things and opens a lot of doors at the same time.
Everyone at our house simply cannot wait for winter to be over. Whenever Krista and Will are home for the day cabin fever sets in like crazy. I want to get out on my bike, hopefully with Will in a carrier seat and the exterior of the house needs cleaning badly. Finally, we replaced the Malibu. Steve basically rented me the Mailbu for a year for cheap, and I appreciate that, so Krista and I were able to buy an Honda Accord which we're both thrilled about.
What's coming:
Since I don't have school anymore, I'm learning to rebalance my free time, church, work, etc. I'm doing some audio stuff for a 20-something's group at Harvest called Connect on Thursday nights that I'm excited about and I start a men's morning bible-study next Friday with an old friend, so I'm looking forward to that as well. We're also going out to dinner with Ken and Julie next Friday without the kids and I'm looking forward to adult conversation that doesn't revolve around the word 'ball'.
Will has a few words now - everything that isn't a book, banana, or tv is 'ball'. It's really fun as he learns how to communicate in ways other than crying and having fits! He has learned to throw stuff, which is both good and bad. At dinner on Sunday he was chucking toys across the table and Kathy and Bouma and we had to get him to stop. I forsee those being tough things to teach - situational 'okays'. Sometimes it's good to throw balls, sometimes it's not - maybe he'll learn quicker than I think.
Sorry for the giant wall of text - I'll try to update more frequently so it's less each time!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Will's Dedication
Colossians 3:17
And finally, Will with his cousin Kiana. They really enjoy each other.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Last month, we dedicated Will to Jesus Christ our Lord. We gave our first born son to God and pledged to raise him to know and serve God our Heavenly Father.
It was a wonderful time with family and I thank everyone for coming and supporting us. Here are some pictures of that wonderful day that I will treasure.
And finally, Will with his cousin Kiana. They really enjoy each other.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Life
It's been a while since our last update. Christmas was a blast and the new year is here. Will is as entertaining as ever. Here are some picture of life as it happens.
Will has now moved into a big boy bed and loves it. When he wakes up in the morning he just sits by the door and plays with the few toys there. We get an extra 30 minutes of sleep this way which is nice.
One day we had ski gloves lying around and Will kept picking them up and trying to put them on. It was really funny seeing him walking around with these giant gloves. He would then shake his hands, the gloves would go flying off, and he would crack up laughing.
Will loves hats, helmets, and anything that goes on your head. At work, he always wants to wear the bike helmets. It's hilarious because it is always falling over his eyes.
Will found a pair of Daddy's socks and made me put them on him. Too funny.
Will with the boys at work. Jack, Ryan, Conor, and Will. So cute. To bad Will wasn't looking at the camera.
Well, that's all for now. We should have more to come soon. Thanks for taking some time to read into our lives a little bit.
Will has now moved into a big boy bed and loves it. When he wakes up in the morning he just sits by the door and plays with the few toys there. We get an extra 30 minutes of sleep this way which is nice.
One day we had ski gloves lying around and Will kept picking them up and trying to put them on. It was really funny seeing him walking around with these giant gloves. He would then shake his hands, the gloves would go flying off, and he would crack up laughing.
Will loves hats, helmets, and anything that goes on your head. At work, he always wants to wear the bike helmets. It's hilarious because it is always falling over his eyes.
Will found a pair of Daddy's socks and made me put them on him. Too funny.
Will with the boys at work. Jack, Ryan, Conor, and Will. So cute. To bad Will wasn't looking at the camera.
Well, that's all for now. We should have more to come soon. Thanks for taking some time to read into our lives a little bit.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Why you should ALWAYS wear your WiiMote wrist strap...
This is the kind of thing that people should see. It's like watching what happens to your brain in a bike accident with and without a helmet. I doubt anyone who sees this will use their Wii again without the wrist strap!
Video
Video
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Some tech stuff
At Thanksgiving, a few people in Krista's family asked me to start posting the useful tidbits of helpful information I find online regularly. I know Julie does a lot of stuff with Photoshop Elements and wants to play with it a bit more. I figured this would be a good start:
First is how to remove objects from photos to clean them up:
http://everydaydigitalscrapbooking.blogspot.com/2007/05/digital-photography-tricks-in-photoshop.html
Second is how to merge two photos together. Put yourself somewhere you've never been!
http://www.alibony.com/pse/020708merge-images.html
As I run across this stuff - I'll post more.
First is how to remove objects from photos to clean them up:
http://everydaydigitalscrapbooking.blogspot.com/2007/05/digital-photography-tricks-in-photoshop.html
Second is how to merge two photos together. Put yourself somewhere you've never been!
http://www.alibony.com/pse/020708merge-images.html
As I run across this stuff - I'll post more.
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