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If powdered sugar is to sugar, what crack cocaine is to cocaine….does this explain why everything with Powdered Sugar in it is soooo much better?

We made some puppy chow this weekend (Chex cereal, chocolate, peanut butter, covered with powdered sugar), talk about not being able to eat just one.  You can’t put this stuff down once you start, and before you realize it you’ve eaten 1500, empty but delicious powdered sugar and chocolate, calories. 

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Kimberly and I are now on Facebook.  See you there. She’s now an addict

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We’re back in the saddle, and riding high.  The house is still a bit of a mess from Ike, but an adjuster is on the way next week to assess the damages.  Let’s hope they move quickly, so we can begin repairs.  We are grateful that the storm wasn’t any worse for us.  Aside from the electricity being out, and the water that managed to get into the house, we have a lot to be thankful for. 

The fun part starts now, as Kimberly and I begin to think of all the things we can do to the house now.  Carpet or Wood floors? What color do we repaint? Should we repaint the whole house? The possibilities are endless, but the money isn’t so we’ll be planning this out carefully.  The kids have really rallied.  As part of the Ike transistion, Kimberly has had to leave the house around 6am to get to work early enough to avoid the heavy congestion on the freeways.  The kids have really done a 180 in terms of their routines.  Prior to Ike, we would be lucky for all of us to be awake and moving at 630.  Post-Ike they wake themselves up and begin their respective routines almost on Auto-Pilot.  Quite a change indeed.  All in all, we’re doing fine but we can’t wait to get some rest this weekend.

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We came back to Friendswood on Wednesday this week. What we initially thought wasn’t so bad, has now moved into terrible. We had to cut out a bunch of carpet and padding, but we still can’t be rid of the mildew smell. It’s so bad, that Kaylee and Kimberly both have lung pains as a result. We are staying with my Mom & Dad for now.

I’ve started the insurance process, but who knows how long that’s going to take or how much of the damage they’re going to cover. A few spots on our roof ended up leaking along with some water that was blown in through the front door and windows. All in all, it’s not bad, but it’s a little disheartening that we haven’t slept in our own beds for 8 days. I just pray everyday for a miracle to come through and clean it all up just as fast as Ike tore it all up.

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We’re alive and well for all of you who we haven’t already spoken with.  The house is fine, minor damage only.  A few shingles lost, a little water in our master bedroom closet.  Our yard looks like, well a hurricane went through it.  We made it through the storm, but after the first 48 hours without power, we decided it best to head to Austin to stay with my sister till things get back to normal.  So we’ve been in Austin for the past few days and we’re getting ready to head back into Houston.  Gas is in short supply, along with Milk, Bread and everything else you would associate with modern life in the United States. 

Here a few shots of my mom’s house the morning after landfall.

 The damage to their roof was much more extensive than the photo lets on.  The tree didn’t go through it luckily.  We’re going back to a lot of uncertainty, that’s the only thing we’re certain of.  Luckily my employer has been very gracious in terms of time off, and accommodations to allow us to maintain that all too precious commodity of work-life balance.  

There’s been a lot of talk between us, as a family, as to whether or not we’d stay for another storm and why we decided to stay for this one.  I don’t know yet, whether we would stay or not.  But this storm, like many others, was not project to make landfall exactly where it did.  The cone of uncertainty and the spaghetti maps, change with such frequency and cover such a large area that it makes very difficult to stay vigilant during the 5-7 days leading up to landfall.  Regardless, the impact of Ike will resonant for many decades to come, but the storm will pass from memory.  The impact is being felt here and now in the days after the storm, the shortages, the electricity. These are the things that really stick with you.  Camping out is only fun for weekends and holidays, and the last time I checked today is neither.  That’s what I’ll remember most about this storm, sleeping in 90 degree plus weather, praying for the electricity to come back on to give us some relief from the heat, and hopefully keep us from having to throw out the entire contents of the fridge and freezer.  Sadly it didn’t and we had to throw it all out.

On a happier note, it could have been worse, a lot worse.  I’m thankful we’re alive and our house is largely intact.  The kids are doing well, no lingering side-effects or anxiety that we can discern, and again I am thankful for that. 

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The smell of new backpacks and sneakers.  The feel of a crisp new notebook and a brand new pen.  The joy of seeing your classmates for the first time since last year.  Who’s gotten taller? Where did you go this summer? 

Today we loaded the kids up for a fresh new year.  New haircuts and for Sydney, new glasses!!!  She was so excited.

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Have you ever listened to a piece of music and felt so inspired or moved it gave you goose-bumps? Imagine what it took to create that piece, the knowledge, the practice, the repetition to get every musical phrase right, every note on time and the emotion to play it with all your heart.  You can feel it when they play it from their heart, and you can feel what it means to the artist as they play.

Now imagine how God felt as he created the universe, as he created life, or as you do something for Him?  Pretty awesome stuff, to even get a glimpse of that.

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Hibernation. Writer’s Block. Metamorphisis. Transformation. Fear.

It’s been a long time since I’ve written here, the site has had a facelift and I migrated the entire site to a different domain/webhost.  Above all though, there’s been a lot of changes behind the scenes and within my heart, hopefully. I’ve been doing a lot of retrospection lately and coming to grips with my own habits (good, bad or indifferent).  I’m hoping that through all this a transformation has taken place.  I know it has in my heart at least, but living that outloud is harder than it might seem.

It all happened in February, a turn of events caused me to reflect on the why I was writing here.  Was it really to further my family or was it to further myself somehow? To put a spin on events in our household that would make me feel better about not being the best husband/father I knew I could be?  I felt like I had really been faking it up to that point and while it seemed like I could do that for the rest of my life, it left a part of me feeling shallow and alone.  I knew my family deserved better.

My heart has always been closed to those that know me and love me.  For whatever reason, that’s the way that it had always been.  It made me impatient, unforgiving and sometimes just plain cold.  So since February, with the help of John Wise, I’ve been trying to figure that out. So here I am, back so to speak.  Hopefully a little wiser and a lot more loveable as well.

We’ve been building a huge backlog of photos and news that I need to share, but this post was way overdue.  Think of it as a notice to the world, I am different and we are different as a family.  More to come soon…I promise.

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The Purple Martins have arrived, Februarary 15 for South Texas!! This weekend we had 7-10 Purple Martins in and around our house.  This is early for the season to begin, but within the next few weeks we’ll be in full PM season, which means Spring is just around the corner.

 The Purple Martin forum will be held this year on March 4, at Wild Bird’s Unlimited in Pearland.  We’re scheduled to start at 7 pm I believe, so bring your own chair and pictures of your Purple Martin’s.

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To my Valentine,

We’ve been together for a long time now, through thick and thin.  We always make it through though, and this year is no exception.  We are together for a reason and we’ve persevered through many trials and tribulations.  I love you more and more as we walk through the fire together.  I pray our burdens ease with time, and that we will again enjoy life after we weather another storm, together.  You are my sunshine and my calm after the storm, and I love you. 

 Happy Valentine’s Day, 2008!

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