The Redneck Desert Dweller

This is not our “Christmas letter”; that will come in some days to follow. However, I thought I would recap (mostly for my poor memory’s sake) our travels over the holiday season.

We flew into Pittsburgh on Christmas Eve. A relatively uneventful flight, no weather delays, hijacking attempts or other foolishness. However, we did have a great flight attendant that catered to us. We never heard for sure how long she was in the Army, but she was in long enough to retire from it. I’d guess that 20+ years would be the range of her service. She also serenaded us a couple of times during the flight, reminding us that the entertainment was without additional fees. Thanks, Southwest, for having a sense of humour.

When we got to the house, we were lucky enough to have a huge Italian seafood dinner being prepared with smelt, calamari, whiting, cuttlefish, and some other stuff that I can’t remember. Leaving Aimee’s parents’ house hungry is something that will never happen.

Christmas day we exchanged presents. While I bought m’girl a dishwasher, washer and dryer for Christmas, I was smart enough to buy a few other things for her. Although I felt like I didn’t buy enough. She bought me a Peyton Manning jersey and sideline cap (yes, I’m a Colts fan), a car stereo (we need a new one in the car and the truck), and shirts, cologne, and other stuff. All I got her was the first two seasons of The Big Bang Theory, a Cowboys jersey, and a very nice hand-painted mug. Well, she says she still loves me, anyhoo.

We also went over to her grandma’s house, and met other relatives there. Grandma lives in a charming farmhouse in Ohio that has fields extending to the Pennsylvania border. The snow that continued to fall made the ride more scenic.

On Sunday we headed up to my friends in Canadaigua, spending time over vino chatting about the good old days…and being constantly harassed by their three kids. A nice evening and morning spent.

We then went to my stepbrother’s house, met their family and my brother’s family for Christmas gift-giving. They have a great house outside of Syracuse, and their two kids (my niece and nephew) are growing up to be great kids.

My stepmom and dad were supposed to drive down, but had a problem with their truck, and couldn’t make it. Aimee and I made the decision to make the three hour drive to their house to see them, even if it was less than 24 hours…and the drive started at 9:00 at night. Started out as a bit of a slick drive, as it snowed almost the entire time…but made it there in good time and safe.

Then it was time to drive back to Ohio…where we spent the rest of the time with Aimee’s family, with the exception of watching UFC108 at Buffalo Wild Wings.

There were bumps along the way…but overall has been an enjoyable Christmas season. The gifts were nice, but what makes the holidays great is being to spend time with family and friends.

We fly back to Phoenix tomorrow…ready to get back in the grind of daily life again.

It’s been a great day. Helped my church get started with the stage lighting they need for worship and preaching.

Slow afternoon, but studied for CLEP exam I’ll be taking in next couple of weeks for College Mathematics. Took a practice test before doing much studying; got a good enough grade for a B. I think I’ll do well.

Tonight, made pork chops with rosemary and garlic, stuffing, and butternut squash. Gotta love autumn dinners at home. Later on I made this cake: Melt In Your Mouth Chocolate Cake. Got the recipe from @iamchanelle. Letting it cool overnight; will wait until tomorrow to sample.

If you’re reading this before 7 am 12/17, get over to Liberty Market in Gilbert, AZ. We’re doing East Valley Thursday Morning. Kinda. RSVP if you’re going.

Tomorrow we take delivery of the new dishwasher, washer, and dryer. Just fired up the dishwasher one last time to get rid of tonight’s mess…but this time tomorrow it will be on its way to that great appliance hunting ground in the sky. Or the dump.

G’night, and God bless.

I try to be thankful each day…because I believe there is so much to be thankful for. Often we focus on what really sucks in life…and there’s enough of that to go around, for sure. But I believe the reason we cherish the holiday season is because it (attempts) to force us to focus on the good things in life. Here’s my list:

I am first of all thankful for a God that loves me (and you) enough to send his only Son to die for our sins. Without Jesus, we would not be able to be in God’s presence. If you want more information on what exactly that means, leave a comment. If you don’t care for my “religious” angle, keep reading.

I am thankful for the woman that married me in June. Aimee and I have had almost six months of a happy and productive marriage…and I have every reason to believe that will continue until we’re no longer here on earth. I love m’girl.

I’m thankful for my family. We’re not exactly the tightest family, but we still keep in touch and love each other. I’m also thankful for my new extended family…and I love them too.

I’m thankful for you, my social media/internet friends. We may not have the most intimate of friendships, but you have a special place in my life. Thanks.

I’m thankful for the nation I live in, the greatest in the world. I’m also thankful that we have men and women selfless enough to sacrifice their days, month, years, and sometimes their lives to keep us and other free. Freedom ain’t free, and Bubba knows that for sure.

I’m thankful for the material belongings I have…more than a lot of people, but not as much as some. It just doesn’t matter where I rank…I have what I need. I’m also thankful for the critters we have around Casa Bubba. They drive me nuts at times, but I’m glad they’re here.

Lastly, I’m thankful for the journey called life. I’ve had ups to make me smile, downs to make me learn, and a ride that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

I’m sure there’s more…but it’s early, and I need coffee. I hope you have just as many things to be thankful for. God bless.

I was reminded this morning that I had not provided details on some important changes in my life…sorry!

Aimee and I both have really busy lives. She has her job, her private practice on the side, and she’s active in church. I work full time plus some, go to school full time, and do a few other things on the side as well. Needless to say, dating was an adventure, trying to find time to spend together. We thought that once we were married, things would slow down, and life would become more manageable.

Boy howdy, were we wrong.

For some reason, when we married, it seemed like the spotlight was turned on a lot of things that we were putting on the back burner…things that we would not be able to continue to ignore. As we talked and prayed together about the choices we had, it became clear that changes need to be made.

The only change that seems to make sense is for me to quit my full-time job. Being a red-blooded male, I scoffed at the idea of not being a provider for my family. However, after talking and praying some more, this is the best way for me to get school done, so I can get a better job…thereby being a better provider.

So, notice has been provided to my employer. On October 1, my roles will be: full-time student, business manager for Aimee’s practice, and house husband. This will add some flexibility, but I’m still going to be pretty busy for a while.

• Apply for financial aid for the remainder of my classes
• 15 page paper
• Math exam
• Submit info to college to bypass several core classes
• Learn medical billing
• Get set up on multiple insurers websites
• Create forms needed for the practice
• Miscellaneous projects around the house that have been ignored because of time constraints

And I’m sure there’s more to that list…but that’s the start. We are fortunate; after working a household budget with a few extras, we will be able to survive on what she’s making for the time being…and once insurance billings start rolling in, we’ll be doing good enough until I graduate.

I am truly blessed. Not because m’girl is being my “sugar momma” and allowing me to finish school…but because we are able to figure out life’s problems together as equal partners…and come up with solutions that make sense.

I am also blessed because of my friends, both online and offline, that have supported me in my life and the events that have happened. Thanks for your support…and I’m looking forward to this new chapter in my life.

I’ve been a bad blogger.

And not just because I haven’t posted anything substantial in a long time.

See, I have what feels like 5 billion things that I feel need to be written…but it never happens. For instance, I did the 3 Day Breast Cancer Walk 9 months ago. I have a ton of writing about that life-changing experience that needs to be done…and most of it IS done. But I haven’t finished it…which is one of my downfalls: not finishing what I start.

There’s a girl that I was dating at one time. So much time has passed since my last real post that I have now married that girl. Yep. Since my last substantial update, I’ve dated, become engaged, and then married a woman that has captured my heart. We then went to Ireland for our honeymoon…and I wanna blog about that. I moved to her house, and started going to her church…a church that’s starting to see some really cool things happen. There is so much here to write about.

Then I read the news…the word for which I almost typed as “noise.” And much of it has been. And I don’t know what’s worse: the news itself, or the knee-jerk reactions of my Republican brothers and sisters. It seems that common sense has been vacated by both sides, and I get sick of it. I wanna blog about that, too. But time is too short.

And I’m still going to school. This is not helping my blogging or tweeting…

Seriously. I feel like a book is in my head, but I don’t have the time to write. Even now, it’s 11:50 at night, a time where I should be studying the insides of my eyelids, and nothing more. And what little I have written probably reflects that.

But know this: I haven’t quit blogging. Long hiatus, yep. But you ain’t heard the last from this redneck. I want to write a lot more…and may need some help from God to prioritize to get it done. If you have any suggestions, feel free to drop me a line.

Until then…g’night, and God bless.

Unless you play Mafia Wars on Facebook, you probably haven’t seen much of me online. I haven’t had the time to be as social online as normal…so I thought I would put this up as a short update.

It’s been a little over a week since I’ve been living in my new home. The first few days were quiet and peaceful because Aimee was at her brother’s graduation, so I had some time to try settling in. However, a week ago, Aimee comes home. And then, her mom, dad, and brother came to spend time with us before the wedding.

While I love my future in-laws, I believe this is the first time in over 20 years I’ve come home to more than one other person in the house. To say this has been an adjustment would be an understatement. But I think I’m adjusting well…and I hope they’ll say the same.

With all the preparations for the wedding, Aimee and I haven’t been spending a lot of time together, so we had date night last night. Even though we’ll be spending over a week alone with each other, it was still nice to get alone time with m’girl.

When all of this is over, I hope to return to a more normal level of social interaction…but until the wedding and honeymoon, it’s just going to be way too busy. Sorry I’ve been missing for so long…but I’ll be back. You’ve been warned.

PS: If you’ve received an invitation and have not RSVP’d, please do so! Thanks!

Well, I was tagged by my good friend the Superstarchivist (@laurabotts) to come up with 25 things you might not know about me. As much as I talk, you probably already know most of these…but here we go.

1. I’ve been arrested. For writing a bad check. For $18.38. Wanna bet I’ll always remember that amount?
2. The most famous person I’ve met: former First Lady Barbara Bush. I was really impressed by her down to earth personality.
3. Oops! Forgot about Shaq. Met him last Friday after the Suns game.
4. I cooked dinner for Van Halen at a restaurant.
5. I’ve dealt craps, blackjack, poker, and roulette at a charity casino. I also worked there as a bingo caller.
6. You probably know I love sports. But what you may not know is that I love cricket and Aussie Rules Football, and will stop whatever I’m doing to watch them if a match comes on television.
7. I don’t know what I wanna do when I grow up.
8. The town I grew up in northern NY is so small that most online maps will not be able to find it.
9. I get really cranky if I go long periods of time without listening to music.
10. I’ve been to at least one Diamondbacks home game every year since they came into existence. Every year, that is, except one. 2001. When they won the World Series. I hope I never get a letter from the organization telling me not to come this year.
11. As visual as guys are, I’m much more attracted to a woman because of what they say and think. Looks are nice, but they only last for so long.
12. I throw out way too much food. Not that you can tell by my waistline…but if I even get the idea that something has been in the fridge for too long, out it goes.
13. Most of his movies aren’t exactly Christian-friendly, but I love Kevin Smith’s work. Brilliant stuff.
14. At 41, I’m still learning self-discipline.
15. I once ran from a pickle vendor at a Renaissance Faire who was chasing our group with a set of tongs screaming “wait! I want to give you a warm pickle!”
16. I was pulled over for doing 30 in a 55 mph zone, and not given a ticket. In fact, I’ve never gotten a speeding ticket, which is pretty amazing to me.
17. I’ve been playing on the internet since 1993, and have met a lot of really, really cool people in person that I would not have met except for the internet.
18. I still don’t have a degree. In anything. I’m actively seeking to remedy this.
19. I’ve had almost 30 different jobs in my life, most of them were before I turned 28.
20. I will try almost anything edible. Last Saturday’s fare included chicken feet. Not bad, but not sure they’re worth the work it took me to get something off the bones.
21. My failed marriage taught me what it was like to be a real husband…someone who would stick it out through anything. (For those of you wondering: the only thing I wouldn’t stand for is a wife that cheated on me. Guess what happened.)
22. My favourite movie of all time would have to be Steel Magnolias. I don’t care if it’s a chick flick.
23. I will not watch the movie Beaches again. Never. If I’m at your house and you start playing it, I will leave. Period.
24. One of my best friends in the whole world is my ex-mother in law. I love her to death.
25. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen my family. Years. I plan on changing that early this year.

I can’t believe I came up with 25 things. Hopefully, they’re not too cheesy.

I am going to tag people by Twitter handles. Consider yourself tagged, @cwaterhouse, @PhxREGuy, @jodyg (where’s your blog?), @TasteLikeCrazy, and @RailLife!

Howdy, kids. In about 1 hour, I’m heading to opening ceremonies for the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk. I will be walking 60 miles this weekend to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research.

I am still short of donations. Way too short. If you can give even $10, please visit my link at the top right and donate. Can’t see the link? Here’s another one.

I also want to publicly thank all that have already donated. I will be thinking about you as I make my walk around the east valley.

My church, Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, has believers that are not just hearers of The Word, but they also put their faith into action. One of the ways that we’ve done this is to partner with Huruma Children’s Home in Kenya. There have been many people from Cornerstone that have not only given their money, but have also made the trip to Kenya to assist this amazing ministry, run by a woman named Mama Zipporah. This woman, with her husband Papa Issac, have adopted over 150 children. But what’s amazing is that they not only house and feed these children, but they teach them as well. Since I haven’t been to Kenya (yet!) to witness this, I can only imagine what this looks like from some of the pictures I’ve seen from there.

I first became aware of Huruma when Caroline, Mama Zipporah’s daughter, came to our church for a few months last year. I can’t say that I spent a lot of time with Caroline, but she made an immediate impact on me. There was something so kind and graceful about her…it wasn’t just charisma, but she possessed a gentle, peaceful, and loving spirit. A truly Godly and beautiful woman.

Earlier this year, Mama Zipporah had also visited us. Because of the size of our church, and the amount of people I saw talking with her, I only had a chance to shake her hand and wish God’s blessings on her and Huruma. But it was immediately clear where Caroline got her spirit from; her Mama had the same loving spirit.

Since that visit, Cornerstone has been a huge part of Huruma, adopting children, providing financial support, and also physical labor. Our pastor and his wife were recently there, along with many other church members…some of which have stayed months. Huruma is definitely part of our family.

Yesterday, I received some sad news. Brian Wurzell, our worship leader, informed us on his blog that Papa Issac had passed away suddenly from a heart attack. Not only is this the loss of a father and husband, but for Huruma it’s also the loss of the man that donated the land to build their home. Papa was also the strong male figure for everyone at Huruma…what a tremendous loss this is.

With apologies to Brian for almost direct copy and paste from his blog, here is what we’re requesting from you:

1. Pray for healing and comfort for Mama Zipporah, Caroline, and everyone at Huruma.

2. If you have a blog, Myspace page, etc., please help us get the word out about Huruma. Donations are badly needed, and they will be wisely used.

3. Give! Link below is for donations.

Thanks for your time reading this, the prayers that you’re saying for Mama and everyone at Huruma, and your donations.

• I just signed up for NaNoWriMo. Why? I have no incredible idea. I’ve always felt like I would be able to write a novel, but never knew how or when. Well, I’m at least going to try. With the 3-Day walk coming up, I don’t think I’m going to be successful…but I’m giving it a try.
• Speaking of the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk…I’m still short on donations. After my fundraising event last weekend, I’ll be at about $1000 raised, and I still need $1200 to make goal. If you read this, please consider donating $10. Or more, if you feel like it! But if 120 people donate $10, I’ll be done asking for money. But don’t do it for me. Do it because 1 in 8 women get breast cancer…and that’s way too many. Link is at top right.
• School is going pretty well. I get a few markdowns for little things, but I’m keeping my A in both classes. It is more time consuming than previously thought, but going well.
• I went to a TweetUpAZ lunch last Friday. Met a LOT of really nice folks. I knew some of them from Twitter, some I didn’t, but before Friday, I had never met any of them in person. Cool people, great social networking.
• PodcampAZ is coming this weekend! If you blog, tweet, or do anything with the internet, show up. I’m going to try to show up…but it’s going to be another busy weekend. 18 mile walk coming up on Saturday morning.
• People are weird.
• When is cooler weather coming? I hope it gets here before the walk.
• I’ve been following several different people on ustream.tv, including Brian Shaler, Jody Gnant, and The Nanas. I can’t do links right now, but go to ustream.tv and search. You’ll like!
• Time to get back to work. God bless.

EDIT: Oops! I’m following The Nadas, not The Nanas. Thanks, @ousooner44 for being my proofreader.