A faithful man who can find?

Posted on 12/07/2008 by RLW3

I lost roughly 30 lbs. this year.

The typical response is “That’s great!”

Actually, losing the weight was pretty easy. For most of the first half of the year, I lived alone and had to cook for myself. That coupled with exercise and a few extended fasts and the weight peeled off pretty quickly.

However, you have NO idea how much credit I deserve for keeping it off!!! Really!

I live with a woman who enjoys food.

You might say, “And your point is…?”

Well, because she enjoys food, she also takes great joy in preparing great tasting food…and I do mean GREAT tasting food!

Just to give you the latest example, a few days ago, she made this fabulous “shepherd’s pie.” It is the perfect winter food! It tastes great, holds heat well and has the mushy texture of ground beef and mash potatoes.

For your information, it snowed here the day after Thanksgiving. Our early morning temperatures here in KC have been in the low teens! Are you STARTING to get the picture?

Can you imagine how difficult it is to eat just O-N-E, M-E-D-I-U-M sized bowl of it? Do you have any idea how much self-control it requires?

To add to the degree of difficulty, she made tons of it!

And, since all of the ingredients have had time to intermingle with the ingredients next door, it tastes even better as leftovers!

Every time I open the refrigerator, it talks to me.  And I do mean every time! It tastes just as good at breakfast as it does at dinner.

Now, if that isn’t enough trouble, my wife is also a mother. That means that she has produced offspring. Her last child is nearly her clone. Cakes (my youngest daughter) is really Bunch (my wife), Rev. 1.2! She too is a lovable, outgoing fuzzball who also enjoys food.

And since this is the Christmas season, what could be more perfect than…

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!!!

Not one or two…

how about 4 DOZEN!!!

So, in the refrigerator, I have shepherd’s pie asking me if I want to slip under the covers just to get warm and comfy…

and then, sitting on the counter, dozens of fun, delicious, playful chocolate chip cookies asking me if I just want to play!…

Oh no, not with all of them…

At least not at the same time. That would be unseemly.

But wouldn’t I like to play with just one of them?…

No one will notice…

and it would be so much fun!!!

No one knows how tough it is to stay faithful!

Posted in Humor | Tagged | 3 Comments

Seasonal change disorder

Posted on 12/06/2008 by RLW3

I woke up this morning feeling the effects of this newly discovered malady.

Yesterday, I mentioned a convergence. This morning, I realized what it is…

The season is about to change in my life…

Since I have been in KC, my life has been occupied with reconnecting with my wife and children, learning how to stay peaceful while watching the value of our nest egg shrink before my very eyes as the stock market crashes, finding employment and beginning to write.

In the midst of all of this, I have had much time to think about the future and reflect on the past. I have also had innumerable opportunities to worry, but I can no longer indulge in that!

In a word, it has been winter. The harvest of many years of hard work has been brought in and put in the barn. My leaves have fallen and I have been standing exposed for the past 4 months.

In four weeks, possibly sooner, a new season will dawn in my life. I will begin working for someone, developing new routines, etc. I will start putting down roots in this new soil where I have been transplanted. New growth will become evident.

While this is obviously a welcome change, it is not without its own concerns. As the head of a household and as a man who realizes that he will be held accountable for his choices and actions in life, the rapid approach of real and long lasting change is slightly daunting.

For nearly two decades, I have hoped for an opportunity to regularly teach the Bible to a group of people. However, now that it might actually come to pass, my heart wonders if I am being presumptuous. After all, 60-80 people will be looking to me to give them spiritual food every Sunday! That is no small thing!

The job in Blue Springs, at least at this time, doesn’t seem to be filled with opportunity. It seems more like just a job. But, is this the right job? The last two companies that I have worked for were not the best places to work. Have I chosen another one just like the previous two?

In the end, God is ultimately in control. All that I can do is all that I can do. After that, it is up to Him. He is my shepherd. I shall not want.

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Seasonal change disorder

Two steps forward

Posted on 12/05/2008 by RLW3

This last month is going to be interesting! The convergence has already started.

I went out to lunch with one of the elders. I thought that he wanted to give me a second interview. Two hours later, I concluded that he just wanted to spend time together and talk. In fact, he did most of the talking! I learned all about his childhood in Iran, how he came to the U.S., etc., etc.

I also received an e-mail from the company in Blue Springs. They want me to come in and fill out the paperwork next week. When I didn’t hear from them for so long, I thought that the tsunami of bad economic news might have caused them to change their mind!

And then there is the Honeywell wildcard…!!!

I thank God that I don’t have to figure it all out. I just have to take the next step(s).

Posted in Work | Comments Off on Two steps forward

The first exit polls look good

Posted on 12/04/2008 by RLW3

The early returns look like the interview went well last night.

One of the men asked for my professional résumé. He is going to forward it to a friend who works at the local Honeywell facility. Actually, before I went for the interview, I was hoping that something like that would happen!

Then, this evening another of the men invited me to lunch tomorrow. If I had to guess, I would bet that he wants to check me out in a more informal setting to see if I act differently.

I can’t wait to see where this will lead!

Posted in Work | 1 Comment

Round 1 is complete

Posted on 12/03/2008 by RLW3

Ray’s big KC adventure continued tonight.

I was interviewed by four men for the position of interim pastor. I told them that I was just grateful for the opportunity.

Initially, the position is just teaching on Sunday. It will eventually grow into a full-time position as the church grows.

They asked VERY open ended questions so I decided to tell them everything. I’m just not sharp enough to be “sharp” in situations like that.

I also am not very self aware. By that, I mean that I really don’t have a very strong idea as to how I am coming off. So, I just decided to be who I am. If God wants me there, they will like me. If He doesn’t, they won’t.

I will keep you posted.

Posted in Work | Comments Off on Round 1 is complete

Six more months

Posted on 12/01/2008 by RLW3

We signed a new lease this morning. We will be staying in this apartment for at least another six months. I will be commuting to Blue Springs when the new year rolls around. I just hope gas stays as low as it is right now. It is currently below $1.40!

Posted in Real Estate | Tagged | Comments Off on Six more months

We are blessed!

Posted on 11/30/2008 by RLW3

I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It definitely is my favorite meal!!!!!!

We finished our celebration this evening!

I had been carrying the ball, telling stories and reminding everyone of the incredible things that happened this year. However, tonight I mostly listened while everyone else recounted all of the great things that happened in their individual lives. My wife even got into the act!

My oldest daughter, Bean, was hired by Neiman Marcus about this time last year. 

Since my wife and two young ones were already here in KC, she was the only one who could help me get the house ready for sale while she finished her last semester at Cal State Northridge. We finally listed the house for sale the Monday before Thanksgiving last year.

When she got to Texas she met someone who gave her FREE housing in the NICEST area of Dallas for her first six months there!

Anyway, the stories, while not as elaborate as mine, still lasted several hours and they were very heartwarming.

I think that this was our best Thanksgiving yet. I think that our ‘new’ way of celebrating finally became a tradition this year.

Posted in Family | Comments Off on We are blessed!

How ya’ like the ol’ man now?

Posted on 11/29/2008 by RLW3

I accomplished a long held goal today and it was really satisfying.

About 20 years ago, I told my wife that I wanted to be healthy enough and in good enough shape to wrestle my son when he is 18 years old. I said that before we even had a son.

Well, today I did just that. It was Dad’s Day in the high school wrestling room.

They led us through all of the basic drills that the team does. I could see in my son’s face that he was surprised that I could do the moves as well as I did. He even started to look a little concerned.

But, after the drills…they dismissed us!

I thought, “Hey, wait…don’t we get to wrestle?”

So, my son found a friend to referee the match and we went for it.

He had a 5-2 lead after the mercifully short first period. Then, I pinned him in the second!

You might scoff and say that I am a full grown man and he is a young boy. I should have beaten him.

Well, for your information, I barely cracked the starting lineup in my senior year. And to do so, I had to wrestle  in a weight class 15 lbs. above my weight. I finished with a record of 1-5! So, to beat my son, who won a match in the National Freestyle Championship is…fun!

In all fairness, if the first period went the full duration, I don’t know what would have happened. The ref cut it short because I was so out of breath! and I run 4 miles three times per week!

Anyway, it was a very satisfying, bonding time. I am even toying with the idea of getting back into wrestling shape so we can play some more! But, man am I SORE!!!

Posted in Goals, Physical | Tagged , , | Comments Off on How ya’ like the ol’ man now?

I blew it!

Posted on 11/28/2008 by RLW3

After picking up my youngest daughter, Cakes, from work, I dropped off some bill payments at the Post Office and headed to the Apple store.

I want to finish reviewing the past year so we could continue our celebration of Thanksgiving and all of it is safely recorded on my laptop and my back up hard drive. Both of those items are being held hostage in the bowels of the Apple store.

I told the person who greeted me that I wanted to see if my laptop was finished.

The woman disappeared for several minutes and came back with some surprising information:

“We are still waiting for parts!”

“Waiting for parts!? You guys have had this since last Thursday and I was told 3-5 days.”

“It is next in line.”

“I was told that on Wednesday.”

I then asked if I could take my back up hard drive home and copy the needed information onto our iMac and then return it to the store.

Her initial response was not all that positive so I decided to exert a little moral suasion:

“Look, my second daughter is coming in tonight and all of the memories of our time together last year are on that hard drive.”

I eventually prevailed.

As we were driving home, Cakes broke the silence and said, “What did you mean by your second daughter is coming in?”

That really caught me off guard. My mind was scrambling…

Did she read the blog post?

She couldn’t have. I just picked her up…

So I did what any smart father would have done…I played dumb!

She said well you told the woman at the Apple store…

I writhed as an agonizing pain started shooting through my brain and my heart!

I BLEW IT! Six hours before she landed and I blew it!

Oh, well, we almost made it.

Posted in Children | Tagged , | Comments Off on I blew it!

Black Friday

Posted on 11/28/2008 by RLW3

If that isn’t an appropriately named day, I don’t know what is.

I don’t like it…AT ALL!

My youngest daughter had to work at the kennel. She also had to work on Thanksgiving! I didn’t like that either!

As I headed back home, I turned on the radio and learned that an employee was killed at a New York when the crowd broke the doors down at 5:00A.M!

Someone, please help me…

WHAT AM I MISSING?

We shop Wal-Mart nearly weekly. Unless I am mistaken, their prices are usually pretty low. Do they give merchandise away on “Black Friday”? Are the price reductions that great?…

worth breaking the doors down???

Anyway, I have much more to say about this topic, but it isn’t appropriate here. If you want to read more, go to CounterCulture² (in the links section). But, please be advised, it is completely different than this blog. That is where I address uncomfortable issues in our culture that polite people are generally not willing to discuss. It is not for the squeamish.

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