Cardboard Testimonies

CardBoard Testimonies

My parent’s church recently had their own “Cardboard Testimonies”. Basically, on one side of the cardboard, you write about your past, and on the other, you share what God has done in your life. My mom, dad, and nephew are all in this video.

September 11, 2001

I had been out of work for about six months, and it had been a long, stressful summer.  I had been waiting for a phone call about a job that I felt I had a good chance landing, but the call was already a couple days later than I had expected.  Very early that morning Haley had woken up crying.  She must have had a bad dream.  I got up to calm Haley and try to get her back to sleep.  I carried her downstairs and watched TV while she calmed down.  Instinctively, I turned on Fox News, not really paying attention to the usual Fox and Friends morning news show banter.  It was way too early for me, so when Haley was sound asleep, I brought her back up to her crib and I went back to bed.

I remember very distinctly having an usual dream.  I dreamt I was witnessing a very large church service with a somber mood, and for some strange reason, this service had live coverage from every media outlet.  I remember being very curious as to why the media was so interested in a church service.  My dream was interrupted by the phone.

“WE’RE AT WAR!  WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!!”, I heard my friend Tom say.  “Go turn on your TV.”

I immediately went downstairs, and since I had left the TV on earlier, there it was: live coverage of the events that would change our world.  Becky and I, like everyone else in the world, were engrossed with the unfolding news of the day.  The only selfish thought I had that day was that I was sure that the phone call I had been waiting for would surely never come now.

The next day was so surreal.  My friend had called again saying he had heard that gasoline price gouging was already taking place.  For once in my life, there was not a single jet in the sky and O’Hare was silent.  This was just something I had to see.  Becky was working, so Haley and I took a ride.  Thankfully I didn’t see any price gouging, but I did see a strong police presence at O’Hare, and airplanes parked anywhere and everywhere a plane could fit.  I wanted to take a picture, but this day really wasn’t a good day to draw attention to myself.

The odd thing about the events of that day is that it actually helped me get a job.  The project that I was hoping to work on had been relying on out of town assistance while they were making their decision whether or not to hire me.  The national ground stop in a way forced their hand, and that afternoon I got the call.  I started the very next day.

On Friday, September 14th, there was a National Prayer Service that was covered live by every available media outlet.

My Photosynth’d Cube

I read a blog posting this week announcing photosynth.net, a new web site that will stitch photos together to create panoramic views.

I couldn’t help myself.  I had to try.  Here’s my messy cube in all of its panoramic glory.  You’ll need to install their plugin to view it.

Post a link to your synth’s in the comment section.

I guess Summer’s over….Bummer!

Here it is the middle of the hottest month of the year, and the Marengo Park District pool is now closed for the season.  Unlike just about every other community, our pool is not open until Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer.  Instead, as soon as the teenaged life guards go back to school (school started on 8/13) the pool closes.

Rats!

I was hoping to swim at least one more time with Haley so she could practice all the things she learned on vacation.

My First Chick-Fil-A

As far as I know I have never had a Chick-Fil-A sandwich in my life.  A fact that is astounding to most southerners I meet.  I have yet to encounter a Chick-Fil-A in the Chicago area.

Recently McDonald’s introduced a sandwich similar to the Chick-Fil-A sandwich, which I tried, and liked (a good comparison of the two here).  All my southern friends said that this McDonald’s sandwich paled in comparison.  On my recent trip to South Carolina, I decided that I would seek out a Fil-A for myself.  On the way through Lexington, KY, I found a Chick-Fil-A with the help of the GPS (Becky was impressed with the gadget at this point).  I was surprised that the nearest restaurant was actually in a mall’s food court.  I felt a lot like Michael Scott from “The Office” pointing out his favorite New York pizzeria, a Sbarro’s.  Thankfully I have a very patient family!

So, there it is, my first Chick-Fil-A:

I have to say, it is better than the McDonald’s version, but I doubt I’ll ever get off the interstate and seek out a food court for one again.  If they were in available in Chicago, I’d probably eat there.  Not three times a week like the nice lady I met in line, but perhaps once in awhile.

Tag, I’m It

My friend Rachel tagged me, so I guess I have to play along!

What Were You Doing 10 Years Ago?
Working in Itasca, living in Elgin.  Still in my first year at one of my most enjoyable and most hated positions to date.  Still childless, but just about past that ‘Seven Year Itch” point.

Things On My To-Do List Today:
Update and send out my resume.  Mow the grass.  Procrastinate on some bills.

What Are Some Snacks You Enjoy?
Doritos and Cookies, ideally Oatmeal raisin.  Diet Mt. Dew to wash it down.

What Would You Do If You Were A Millionaire?
Buy more cookies.  Worry less about getting my resume out there.  Get rid of all our debt.

 
Name Some Of The Places You Have Called Home:
Hoffman Estates, IL, Palatine, IL, Elgin, IL, Marengo, IL

 
What Are Some Of Your Bad Habits?
Worrying.  TV.  Caffeine,  Food.

What Are Some Jobs You Have Held:
Too many to type.  Just look at My Profile on LinkedIn.com 

Who Are You Tagging?
Probably just Mark.

Hilton Head, Day 10

Driving, driving, driving, and yet more driving.  We left Corbin, KY around 9:30 Central time for the last leg of our journey.  The kids endured the car ride better than expected (Jenna did get sick, but bounced back right away).  Portable DVD players are great.  Haley watched Nanny McPhee more times than I can count, but it kept her happy.

We did have to stop and get some exercise in along the way.

We drove through parts of three states today, with the bulk of the time in Indiana.  It is a boring state, but at least the clouds looked nice.

We got home at 8:30pm, unloaded the car and basically collapsed.  I’ve got to be at work tomorrow.  My company was sold while I was away, so tomorrow should be quite interesting.

I hope you enjoyed the trip, and I hope you’ll have a chance to join us on another trip soon.

Heading Home

Well, I still have a lot of blogging I want to do from this previous week, but our connection at the beach was just too poor to keep up, so I’ll have to catch up instead.  It’s Saturday and we’re half way home.  The girls are all asleep in our hotel room, and I’m uploading/downloading photos.  I’ve taken almost six hundred photos with the borrowed DSLR, and yes, I do expect you to view every single one of them over at Flickr.

Oh, just kidding.  It’s late, I’m tired, so here’s just a random picture I like from our trip.

Good night.

Hilton Head, Day 9

Well, it’s time to head home today.  Before we leave the island (No!  I don’t want to go!!!) we have to stop by the mall and order some photos from Legacy Design.  There was a special event at the mall today put on by PetCo (or was it PetsMart), so while Jenna played, Haley and I looked at all the dogs and cats that were on display.  Haley really, really wants a dog now.  She got upset because the only pet she’s allowed to have are fish, and “they don’t do anything!  They just swim around.  You can’t do ANYTHING fun with them!”

Too cute.

We also saw other interesting pets there too, including:

After lunch at Philly’s, we hit the road.  We went through parts of four states and drove about 500 miles to Corbin, KY.  We’re half way home.

Hilton Head, Day 8

Our last full day on the island. 

Becky and Haley enjoyed seeing the sunrise so much that we all got up early today to see the sunrise and to play on the beach.  Avoiding the heat of the day allowed us (especially Jenna) to really enjoy the beach.  I went absolutely camera crazy today, and took over 300 pictures today.  Here are some of my favorites:

In the afternoon we went to Shelter Cove for a dolphin cruise.  It was a nice boat ride, and yes, we saw a few dolphin too.  On the trip back, the captain let the kids each have a turn steering the boat.

At sunset we met with a photographer to pose for family photos on the beach.  Becky and I donned the traditional white shirt and khaki pants, but the girls chose more colorful couture.  When the photographer was done, I pulled out the camera and took advantage of the remaining light.  Tomorrow we have to stop by the mall to view the proofs and order some prints.