General update

Well, it has been a while since I posted last, and there are many reasons- which I will go into here shortly- I just felt like taking a break and checking in instead of doing the dishes tonight!!  Of course, that means they are going to be waiting for me in the morning, but this time that is a price I have chosen(at least by default!)

This semester my wife has been carrying a full load of 12 and a half units at MSJC, and she is still working full-time, of which the net effect is that most of the day-to-day work around the house has shifted to my side of the plate as she is constantly studying and writing papers for school and the like.

On top of that shift in work, Matthew has achieved Arrow of Light in Cub Scouts and he has also bridged over to Boy Scouts.  He has also gone on his first Scouting camping trip with his new troop, and experienced for the first time a boy-run organization which is fairly different from the Adult-run Pack that he was used to thus far.

Both boys have been active in Awanas at our church, and I volunteer every Sunday at church, which means I am there for anywhere from 2-5 hours each week.

Life can get crazy!!

Anyway, enough for now- I have Dishes still calling me and making me feel guilty, and so I guess I’ll give in to the pressure and get them done.  Please keep us in your thoughts that Debbie continues doing well with school and that the hectic pace that we are going through right now will find an end.

The Power of the Apple

A most interesting encounter happened today. I am, as you may know, an iPhone user- and I love it. I could not wait until my contract with Verizon was up and I would be able to cross over to AT&T, and become part of the 21st century… At least as I see it.

Today, I went in to a Verizon store with my son’s old cell phone so that I could erase any data on it in order to pass it along for someone else, and I even had a person to send it to for it to be used. The phone is now on it’s way to Oregon to go to a foster child in order that the foster parent can use it to keep in touch with this person. A good use for an old phone, and a use that I am happy to be able to facilitate.

However, the interesting part did not come to be until I was in the store… talking to the customer service rep… he reached into his pocket… checking his phone… his iPhone!!! Yes, a rep at Verizon was using a phone that is available only at his competitor!!! Needless to say, this piqued my interest and I began talking with him. He so loves his iPhone, apparently, that despite repeated pressure from his work, he is so strongly in favor of this marvel of technology that he confided that he told his superiors that even if they were to pay for him to have a phone with Verizon instead, he still would not give his iPhone up.

That goes a long way to show that Apple is on the right track!!!

Where’d You Grow Up?

It is amazing how easily things can get behind- and how hard it is to catch up again. One example would be blogging- it has been forever since I posted, but I hope to turn that around some. We’ll see. Another example would be how  I feel like we have already started getting behind on this next race through a school semester(more later- I hope), and we just finished catching up from this last one!!!

However, I wanted to continue a blog idea I saw from a good friend of ours, and so I will continue here what he was carrying forward…

Where did I (and then you!!) grow up???
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This was the house that I grew up in from the time I was born until I turned 21, got married, and moved to Illinois to where my wife was going through schooling for the Navy- Yes, SHE was active duty and I was the spouse!!!

Where did you grow up?

ones and 0s

This is good pause for geeks ans non-geeks alike, we all need to reflect on what we do and who it affects…

Ones and 0s by Geoff Smith from Cali Lewis on Vimeo.

Thanks to Geoff Smith for the song and performance, Cali for encouraging others (like me!!) to post it, and for making it available

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can we keep up with our kids as they grow?

One thing that brings shivers of apprehension at the most random of times for most (all!!) parents is the periodic realizations that our children are growing up, and all too fast at that.  Every generation of parents have a new set of challenges and realities to face that the previous generation frequently didn’t even dream of.  Here is a link to a blog that is especially for dads, and specifically an article that addresses one facet of parenthood that faces this newer generation of parents.  Please click over there, and subscribe while you are at it!!

You Should Be on Facebook

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A retrospective and reminder of our past

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Temecula Valley Worship Event

  

Several worship teams are getting together for one awesome night, in the Temecula Valley, bringing together 6 churches in Southwest Riverside together.  This will be quite an event!!

Click here to get more information

  

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Our Lives Today

I wanted to include some of the more interesting reflections about life- more great reflections may be found through the same site:  http://www.viruscomix.com/things.html

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Is Disney Pushing Social Agendas?

I went to see Disney’s latest venture in movies, and it has the strongest messages that I can remember from the company.  From the instant the movie starts, you are confronted with a barrage of social woes and indifference covering the spectrum from societial obesity to our disposable lifestyle and inattentiveness to our surroundings.  for example-  700 years after we leave, and the planet has still not recovered?!?  I think that this stretches credibility too far, but kids won’t notice that glaring error.  I recognize that the human race has a lot to do to clean up the mess that we have made, and the positive that I hope will come out of this veture from the children’s media empire is more awareness of our impact…
I am just disappointed that I went to see what I anticipated to be an enjoyable movie experience and walked away feeling guilty for having super-size drink and popcorn containers in our hands as we left!! 
All things considered, it was a good movie for my kids, they left saying his (WALL-E) name and trying to copy his enunciation of it- very cute coming from a 4 year old!!!

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A New Blog

In reading my emails today, I had a new follower, and as I tend to do, I looked him up to see what he is about. I stumbled around to his blog- he is a Mac guy- and what I have seen here is really impressive!! Anyone still wonder why I have been Mac? He lists reasons here why the Mac is a success. Also, search around- he has a very good site.. Now back to more of it for me…