Happy (2 year) Anniversary!

I was just blogging about my monthly income progress with my little, crazy enterprise and felt that I should also give this blog a nice update. It's been a good month...

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Two years ago I was an immature, hot-headed kid making the craziest decision of my life. 

It's been a good two years since then. I'm blessed well beyond what I deserve, and that pretty lady I married has insisted on sticking with her crazy husband through it all. We've been down to pennies in the account, shared cornbread and beans together, watched each other go through intense physical pain (me with rehab after a bike accident, her with the birth of our son - not that one was equal the other!) and have spent hours camping, walking, hiking and traveling with each other through life.

I don't know how I'd live without her.

So, in honor of our two years together, and with great deference for the upcoming down payment our bank account is about to suffer, we spent a nice evening out on the town, watching a movie and going to Kai downtown. It was our first real date since the kid's birth,  and only occurred thanks to the Darling's two sisters who babysat for us that night.

We then went camping down at Hootentown and floated the James River the next day.  I hadn't used my big tent for nearly two years, and forgot to bring the tent poles.  I ran the 30 minutes back home to grab them. Got the wrong poles. Ran home again and this time got it right. grr.

We returned to our campsite to discover that we were camped under a streetlight.  Needless to say, we slept very little.



The float was great. I think the kid's going to become a regular seal. He loves the water.

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The house purchase is moving forward nicely.  The Darling added some pics on her blog, if you haven't seen them already.  The work is mostly done - we get it reinspected on July 12th to make sure the construction was done right, and then we close on the 15th.

We should be homeowners by the end of the month. It's exciting. And Scary.(with a capital "s" apparently)

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The kid is sitting on the floor, playing with my work lanyard and whispering to himself. What 10 month old whispers to himself?

I love that kid.

Overdue Update

So a lot has happened in the last - wow - 40 days since the last update.

I've spent all of my free time on a new project, learning about SEO, google adsense, and how to make money online.  I've had some small success, and will probably starting keeping a journal of sorts on this separate blog. It's suppose to be a two year journey.

We will see.

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Primarily, life has revolved around the house hunt.  Our lease is up here in July, which means we need to know by the 30th of June that we have another place to live.  The Darling and I think its probably time to consider buying our own home, and hence, it has been the month of the house hunt.

There are several reasons for buying instead of renting this time.  Primarily, it will save on our monthly rent expenses, plus it gives us the reassurance (it commits us) of not moving for several years.

We have put in official offers on two separate houses. Turned out one of them was in a sinkhole, and the other one was invested with termites.  After a month of emotional ups and downs and after intruding on the homes of 20 different strangers, it appears we are going to chase the termites out of the one house and go forward with it.

Of course, nothing is final until we hold the house keys

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Been thinking a lot about "living in the light of eternity".  I think I've finally found answers to some long-standing questions I've had. I'll have to make a blog post soon

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 We bought a charcoal grill using a gift card I won at work.  Our upstairs neighbors had suggested we all go in and buy one together, but I said I'd get it myself since I wanted one anyhow.  Turns out to be a great idea and I am fine-tuning my art of charcoal grilling.

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The Darling loves swimming.   It is a pity to move her away from the pool.  Maybe we can get a gym membership again.

I hate swimming.  I'd rather sun bathe this pooch of a belly I've seemed to grown in the past two years of marriage.

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We've been married 1 year and 358 days. Last year we went to a bed and breakfast in Eureka Springs to celebrate. I wish we could do the same this year but I fear we will have to settle on a camping trip, what with home buying expenses looming

Camping is nice, though.

Looking Up

I get to be at home with my happy little family today.  The Gavinator is after cords again.  Kid loves 'em.  Strings, cords, wires...I really need a completely wi-fi house.  Has anyone seen a cordless lamp? I need that.

Right now I'm trying to write, while rescuing him from himself every few minutes.  But then, every few minutes he comes over and pulls himself up on my knees and stands there trying to talk.  He's so adorable, and it's so hard to fathom that one day he is going to be 12 or 13 and we will be having adult conversations (and arguments)

It's hard to believe he's not always going clinging to my pant leg on tottery legs,  looking up to me with those adoring eyes.

I find myself wondering if I don't look a little that way to God.  I've seen a preacher try to show us God's knowledge by drawing a big line from floor to ceiling and placing a little 1/4" speck next to it to show man's wisdom.

But I think my son demonstrates it best as he doggedly crawls after his own interests -- to his own endangerment.

He knows so little. He doesn't know why things hurts, or what pain is, so he cries at every discomfort.  He doesn't know that he is sleepy, he just knows that something isn't happy, so he cries in confusion. He sees something he wants, but he is often confused how to propel himself to it. He knows that we talk, but he can't fully figure out how to communicate the same way and fills the air with his "mama" and "ga-duhm"  and "ba-bah" sounds.

But I never tire of his trying to learn.  I never tire of those two eyes staring up adoringly at me.

Suddenly I think I know what the Proverbs writer means when he says "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  Maybe we do not know why we keep getting pulled away of the "cords" in our life.  Maybe we don't know why we face discomfort.  And yes, we are all too whiny.

But when we stand there at His pant legs looking up at him, we are never ignored.  Instead, we find ourselves being  lifted up into His wonderful arms of love.