The Challenging and Unforgettable Moments: Diapers and Books and Lawn mowers

So up until a couple days ago you'd think I'd forgotten all about writing. Well, I had, and Kasey writing again on her blogger inspired me to get back on track also.

I am daunted and yet not at all scared with the thought of having another baby boy come into the world in just over a month. It will take some time to adjust and get used to having another crazy boy around, with more diapers, and more food to make, and more sleep to lose. But there's also even more laughs, more unforgettable moments, and more joy from watching them grow ever bigger and stronger. Just earlier tonight, Ben actually hugged me; not the normal okay-I'll-let-Daddy-hug-me stuff, but when I picked him up he actually put his arms around me and squeezed and then patted my back. Oh, those unforgettable moments. They more than make up for the lost sleep and thin patience, and point out how silly our own desires can be compared to being there for a child.

I graduated from DMACC. No more community college (for now), next step is that bachelor's degree. Kasey and I were driving tonight, and she said something like "You realize we graduated high school 5 years ago?" And then we both thought/said "We should have college degrees by now!" That is, according to normal cultural expectations. We just decided to move to Iowa, get married, have kids, mow the lawn (or try), and skip a couple years worth of school in there. Which, working in the student loan field that I do (and doing the job that I do), I can confidently say that we are much better off for it. That degree (and others) will come, but in their own season. This fall I start at AIB College of Business, for a degree in business administration. The financial aid award letter came a while back, and seems like I will have to pay for just books out of pocket, unless I want to use company tuition reimbursement. So that was a tremendous blessing, one that I must not forget or forgoe. Side note: I've been thinking about small bookstores and rental properties a lot recently. Might just be my "Oh yummy, kool-aid!" habit coming up, but we'll see what God has in store.

I've been doing a lot of reading these last few weeks, especially since I've had all the extra time from no schoolwork. Now there's lots of time to read, no more textbooks and online exams and essays for a while. I just finished The Church Impotent, by Leon Podles, about how the Church in the West has slowly embraced liberalism and feminism, and as a result alienated men and practically outlawed authentic, Biblical masculinity. Very interesting, I'll probably write on here about it soon. I also just finished some garage sale fine, a children's encyclopedia volume on the American Civil War. Right now I'm reading a book on breastfeeding (why do there have to always be pictures?!?) and an apologetics book by RC Sproul. I have a long list of books to get through before the summer ends, nay before the baby comes.

I did read And the Shofar Blew by Francine Rivers again, and I will probably read it again by the end of the summer. Hard-hitting book, I cry a lot. Very spell-binding story, amazing characters, and well-written. Makes you think about ministry and how it can affect family and friendships; what the Church truly is and is not; and how messed up portions of the American church are. One of the things that always hits me hardest is the family relationships part. The main character struggles with his relationship (or lack thereof) with his father, as well as relating to his mother and wife and son. I can't help but think about my own relationship with my family, my mom and dad and brothers and sister; can't help but see where I have done things wrong, have caused pain and harm. Reading this book again showed me how far I have yet to come, and what I still have to do to make things right, at least as much as I personally can. There are still responsibilities and consequences that others must own up to, and God Himself still has work yet to do amidst the whole situation, but that doesn't mean I can neglect or ignore what I have to do. Nothing like a fictional book to make me finally understand that, and to see where I still struggle and to where I need to be.

I must finish this up, as it is getting late, and I have more reading to do.



Parents may have a dozen children, but each one is the only one for them.
-Aramaic proverb

That Twitchy Walk: Sometimes Catchy Titles Don't Come Easy

This week I found out some pretty exciting news:

I got accepted into AIB College of Business.

If all goes according to plan, I will be starting an online program this September to earn a bachelor's in business administration. This will allow me to (ideally) have a pretty nice job for a long, long while, while our family grows and we make moves and changes in life. Eventually though, more schooling will be pursued.

This degree will only be a stepping stone, of that I am sure. I cherish the thought of teaching some day, although I'm not entirely sure of what I'll be teaching. Economics courses with an online school or at a community college would be nice; that would require a master's level degree though. I've always counted on earning a master's, but in what field has always been a puzzlement. To teach college level business/economic courses would likely require a degree in economics, but that might be too boring. An MBA sounds most likely, and them ain't cheap (but what college education isn't, hmm?) And MBA would also give me a more management-focused education, and that sounds more appealing than class after class of economic theory, as exciting as those are. So an MBA will likely be the next stepping stone, but who knows how far into the future that will be. Family first.

Another path to consider is that of religious education. This path is even hazier than the business degree path, but I know this would involve teaching somehow, something like a Sunday school or Christian education class. For now, business degrees will suffice, and ministry will come about in God's timing. The INSTE classes have been great and I have learned a lot, but it seems that a degree of a higher level than certificate would be necessary. I've found endless quality, inexpensive online colleges offering basic associate and bachelor degrees in religion, but time will tell of what is to come of that. Now is not the time to think about such things, not with a family to provide for, kids to raise, changes and moves to consider. I will remain open to whatever comes my way, but formal preparation on my part is a ways off.

On a somewhat lighter note, I love my current job. It's by far the hardest I've had, with lots of stress and pressure at times, but far greater rewards and fringe benefits. In an average day I can be cussed out, interrupted, and ridiculed, and the work can keep piling up and up, but the times where I actually make a significant difference in somebody's life more than makes up for it all. In addition, the people I work with and the management are all top-notch, and they make it so much easier to roll with the punches. The company has been really good to us so far, and unless I screw things up, I have no second thoughts about that continuing. I am looking forward to Monday, as on that day I will find out how busy the next couple months will be! My current job is another reason I'm pursuing the business degree, not only is the company tuition reimbursement policy quite nice, but with this company there really are opportunities for advancement that I want to take full advantage of.

And on the lightest note, I saw that today was the last day in February, and I wanted to be able to say that I wrote out two posts within the same month again.

I really should do this more often.




The education of a man is never completed until he dies.

-Robert E. Lee

The Numbed Masses: Don't Stop Believin'

Here starts another entry in my weekly/monthly writing adventure. I was up at 1:15am after finishing some homework and listening to Journey's MySpace page in it's entirety, so I figured why not stay up another hour or so and write some stuff down. And I noticed that you can "import your blog" into Facebook, so I'm gonna try that when I'm done here. Sounds exciting.

So Sunday was the big Game Day. Tough-stuff, hard-core, totally-awesome Steelers went up against the youngin' Cardinals in their first Super Bowl appearance. I was cheering for the Steelers, and have suffered constant attacks from friends and family for it. But I stand corrected, redeemed, and triumphant.

What never ceases to amaze me is just how super the "Super Bowl" is. One of the most popular televised sporting events in the entire world, likely the most popular. Millions and millions watched the game, for both the game and the commercials.

Now I've never been much of a sports fan, but I like to catch the big important games such as the Super Bowl. Plus, I thoroughly enjoy a mindless, vending-machine-smashing, hating-your-job commercial, as well as the never-ending stream of great snacks. So overall it was worth it.

Wait... what did I just say? Did I really mean it when I said the highlight of my weekend was sitting for four plus hours in front of the TV eating my body weight in snacks and drink? Sure, the game was intense and nail-biting, and there were some great commercials, but that's it? You mean, the game's over? Now what? Whadya' mean time to clean up? No, that's not my pile of candy wrappers, I threw my pile away already... twice.

I didn't want to get too deep into this issue, because it's late, and I want to try that blog-importing thingy, and the Journey playlist is almost done. But I wanted to bring this topic up, so I can come back to it later: what kind of a man am I if I spend more time in a day with a sports event, dumb commercials, and fatty snacks as I do playing with my son or spending time with my wife? What kind of a culture do we have that elevates a game and its players to such a high all-consuming level?

I will have come back to this later, because there's a lot more to the issue than this and I'm out of time. And by out of time, I mean that I need to find more Journey songs.


Our politics, our religion, news, athletics, education and commerce have been transformed into congenial adjuncts of show business, largely without protest or even much popular notice.
-Neil Postman