10 weeks

As 2 of our friends from church bring home newly adopted twins it hit me...in 10 weeks that will be me and Sarah.  Well not with twins...but the thought of bringing just one home is stressful enough for me :).  10 weeks...that's nothing.  Yikes.
In the meantime though we have 10 weeks to spend with our many friends who have had babies in the last year and gather as much information as we can!

Congrats to Jonathan and Rachel on bringing home Chloe and Mercy! Can't wait to meet them.

Literary Observation

I've been doing a lot of reading lately.  Mostly fiction. I enjoy fiction as a way to unwind after work.  Nothing against non-fiction but it requires a much more active reading style which I don't always have the will power for by the end of the day.  Anyway...the fiction books I've been reading lately have brought to my mind something that a friend told me once.  Oddly enough it was during our premarital counseling.  I don't remember how we got on the topic but we were talking about Harry Potter and Dave (the guy who was counseling us) said that his issue with HP was not the magic but rather the prevailing theme that Adults are inept and incompetent where the children are fully capable of rising to the challenge, defying death, breaking rules and saving the world.  Lately I've read some pretty popular fiction stories which all involve adolescent kids who end up saving the world, usually through not listening to their elder's advice.  The Hunger Games trilogy, the Harry Potter series, the "I Am Number 4" series, all have that similar concept.  I know the idea of a young protagonist who disobeys rules is hardly new (Tom Sawyer, A Separate Piece, Chronicles of Narnia) it seems like the concept has been glorified recently.  I confess it's been awhile since I've read the older novels listed but it seems there were consequences for breaking the rules that aren't there in more recent stories.  I haven't fully thought through all of this, I just find it interesting, so feel free to comment on your thoughts

As a side note for my birthday I received a Kindle touch from my parents.  If anyone is on the fence about buying one of these I'd strongly recommend it.  It's so nice to be able to carry this little thing around and have access to so many books.  It reads like paper so my eyes can take a break from the computer screen and its evil pixels! And I can rent books from the library (limited selection but the option is there).

And just b/c it makes the blog more fun here is a trailer for the Hunger Games movie coming out next year...

Quote I like

So I stumbled upon this blog called "Talk to Strangers Blog" about a guy who's trying a "Project" where he talks to complete strangers.  I haven't gotten far in it and as a warning there is some language but it's an interesting concept.  I did like the following quote though...

The old me liked elevators because most people obey a certain protocol of willful ignoring. No one says anything because no one wants to talk to people in an elevator. It’s peaceful. I wish someone would change the protocol that says when you pass a co-worker walking the opposite direction in the hallway you have to say “hi.” It’s a stupid custom. It’s just a waste of time and doesn’t accomplish anything. Do you think Vulcans say hi to each other when they walk past each other on their space ships? It’s not logical. For some reason, elevators went the other way from hallways and people know to keep their mouths shut in elevators. Sometimes you get a chatty UPS guy or Water Delivery Man who addresses the whole elevator with a “How’s everyone doing today?” like he’s going to pass around a hat like a homeless guy on a New York subway, but nine times out of ten it’s quiet.

I think it's great.  And I totally agree with the "hi" in hallways thing.  I've been sitting in the cube next to you for the last 7.5 hours.  Why do I need to say "hi" when we pass as you're coming out of the bathroom and I'm going in...
Anyway.  I hope you enjoyed.  I know Sarah appreciated the Star Trek reference :)

Thanksgiving

As I sit here and reflect on this weekend I feel happy. No, happy is too weak. I feel joyful. I'm blessed despite circumstances.
Thursday was great. We feasted with family and good friends and enjoyed spending time together.
Friday was busy. Sarah and I decorated our house for Christmas spending about 12 hours doing so.
Saturday was less busy but stressful for me because we found out our oven doesn't work and burns anything you put in it and we discovered that our laptop power cord stopped working.
Despite the stresses of yesterday I have so much to be thankful for:
- Family that enjoys each others company
- A wife that I not only love with all my heart but also love spending time with.
- Time off work
- The fact that we didn't have Thanksgiving at our house this year because it probably would have burned.
- the fact that I have a second device I can use while I wait for a new power cord for my laptop.
- generous parents and in-laws that overwhelm us (and Caleb) with gifts.
- A Christian heritage that points me daily to Christ so that my list of things I be thankful for can go on and on.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Now on to Christmas!

Dinner

So tonight when we got home we had a thawed chicken breast and Sarah said she wasn't hungry. When that happens one of two things happen. I either get lazy and save the chicken for later and have cereal or I get creative and make something that Sarah probably wouldn't like anyway. Tonight I got creative. I cranked the grill and spiced the chicken breast in ground cumin, pepper and red pepper flakes. Then I topped it with a grilled slice of tomato and shredded Mexican cheese. It was super yummy!

11/11/11

Happy 11/11/11 day. Or for those who read it overseas: Happy 11/11/11 day.

Contentment

A little over a week ago we got back from vacation.  We went on a cruise (shocker) and had a great time.  This time around, however, I wasn’t as sad that it was over as I have been in the past.  I didn’t dread returning to normal life but rather, in a strange way, looked forward to it.  I realized while on this cruise that I am very content in life.  I have no real complaints with where I am in life.  Would I like a higher paying, high profile job, sure. But that’s not where God has me right now so I’m content doing what I’m doing.  I’m happy with my marriage.  I’m happy with the direction my life is heading.  I’m happy that in March our family will be growing with the addition of Caleb.  I’m content. I’m where God wants me to be and God is good.  I have so much to be thankful for.  In the words of Mark Twain, The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation.'  If you look forward to your vacations so much that you miss out on life then what type of life is that.  Vacations are great, time to relax and rejuvenate, but coming back to real life should be exciting too.  I’m so thankful for the life I have!

Blogs are more fun with pictures, so here’s one from our Cruise…