Thanksgiving 2009

Had a great Thanksgiving dinner today. Josh and I crashed David and Melissa's place for lunch.

Here is a little video I did for/of Sadie Belle today at lunch. She's a cutie pie.



"Slice" today was well written. J.M. Njoroge wrote ... "We will never begin to worship God until we recognize that we are bankrupt debtors, for an attitude of gratitude is an indispensable impetus to worship."

An excellent thought from one of RZIM's great writers on this Thanksgiving day. We owe Him everything and must be thankful for all that He blesses us with to even begin to worship Him.

Morrison classes of 1979 and 1980 Reunion

This past weekend my HS class had their 30th (actually 29th but who's counting). We team up with the class of 1979 and have for the past 3 reunions (even though Mike Swanson and Andy Bergquist seem to forget that fact). This year it was held in Toccoa, GA in the middle of the boonies. It is a Baptist campground so some of our Lutheran brothers and sisters had to refrain from drinking while there.

We all arrived on Friday and for the next 2.5 days we had great times of fun, fellowship and worship. It was awesome since we had classmates who traveled from many US states as well as from Indonesia, Australia, the Middle East, and Norway. It was incredible spending time with classmates/ friends/ family. We all share a commonality that is usually not understood by those outside the group.



(front row - left to right) Jon V, Phil J, me, Andy B, Helen T, BettyAnn B, Debbie G, Ruth D, Gracie M, Susan S, and Ruth B.

(back row - left to right) Tim D, Meryl E, Dave G, Mike S, Judy P, Pep P, Ed Z, Lowell S, Mrs P, Andrene P, John L, Chip W, Brad M, and Jeff G

Home Again

Well, after just over 3 weeks on the road I am finally back home in TN. It was a great trip that lead me through many states (KY, IL, MO, IA, NE, SD, WY, MT, ID, NV, CA, AZ, NM, TX, OK, and finally AR) requiring many miles (~6500) of driving. It reminded me of how great this country can be in spite of the "leaders" we have in Washington. I encountered many helpful and courteous people during my trip and enjoyed the incredible and diverse scenery along the way. I decided that there are about 3 places that I could definitely live if I ever decide to move Westward. Rapid City, SD and the Black Hills, West Yellowstone, MT and finally Carson City, NV or that general area.

I'll post some pictures in the next few days of the later part of my journey. I had great visits with friends and family along the way. My little sister lives in CA so I was able to spend a few days with her and her family in a totally accessible house. It is beautiful and very well laid out. I was also able to pop in on friends from my childhood (Paul and Jon). It was good to catch up and to learn what they are up to these days. Jon's sister was having a big party the night I was in town so she let me crash the party which allowed me to meet up with his whole family. It was a fun time of catch up and good food and fellowship.

After a few days in LA visiting Paul and Paula (and getting beat at several Wii games by their two sons Brenden and Bryant) I decided to just head straight back across I-40. It is a pretty drive in sections but it also afforded me the shortest and quickest path home. I ended up driving to the ocean in Santa Monica on Wednesday morning before heading East. I drove the whole way home in under 44 hours. A long drive but I was ready to get home.

Crazy Horse and Mt Rushmore

Wow, I should have come to Rapid City years ago. I visited the base (Ellsworth AFB) for about 2 hours back in 1989 on a T-37 cross country trip but didn't get to go to Mt Rushmore or to Crazy Horse except on a low level flyby in the jet. One of the bases I could have selected after my Kadena assignment was canceled was to Ellsworth but at the time I wanted to get back East closer to TN so I ended up choosing Plattsburgh. I don't regret that decision but now realize Ellsworth would have been a great assignment as well.

The Black Hills are amazing and after spending a couple of days driving through them and breathing in the air and seeing their beauty I can see why Native Americans consider them sacred. They are spectacular and every bend in the road seems to open up another postcard view for you to take in. Here are a few pictures of the Crazy Horse memorial and Mt Rushmore...enjoy.

Cabinets and Counter Tops

Well, the apartment is pretty much finished now. My brick mason also is great with stone and so I decided to have him install a TN flagstone counter top to match the window inserts he did into my back living room wall. He did a great job and though he still has to install the back splash and put some final sealer on them, I love them. Here are a three pictures I took today showing how they will look.

The low part of the island which will also serve as my desk in the kitchen.


The main section of the island.


The counter top area between the stove and the sink.

Hopefully sometime this next week the back splash will be installed and the stones completely cleaned and then a couple of coats of sealer applied. I like the way they turned out and love the way they tie together the wall inserts with the kitchen.

Summer Travel Plans

Well, it's been a little while since I've updated the blog. I guess when things are just going along smooth and normally it sounds kind of mundane and boring to the average reader. But, I have some news of sorts for my upcoming plans for the summer.

I have 2 planned events this summer. The first one is a road trip to the Western USA. I have attached a map that shows my planned route of travel. I expect to leave Sparta on or about May 15th and return about 30 days later well traveled and hopefully a little bit tired from all of the excitement. I'm hoping to pop through Knob Noster, MO to see the Johnsons before their plans begin to take shape for departing the area.

The 2nd big event is a high school reunion for several classes from Morrison Academy. We are scheduled to get together in Atlanta at the end of July for a weekend of fellowship and fun. These events are usually a complete blast as well as a great time of renewing friendships and supporting each other. Even though all of us had different experiences growing up in Taiwan, we all share the experience of living there and attending school together.

So, those are the plans for summer along with teaching one distance class for school. The nice thing about distance teaching is that as long as I have computer access (with Internet capabilities and connection) I can attend any required sessions and post grades, answer questions, etc. With that in mind I am taking a poll to see which vehicle I should drive on my trip. Vote in the poll to see if you can sway my decision.


View Larger Map

Spring Break

Well, spring break officially started today for me. I am technically on vacation next week although I ended up having to do some work to support the MBA program. It looks like I will spend at least one day judging some cases for a case competition that the university is hosting. I've never judged cases before (graded a few) so this will be a new experience.

The "house" is progressing with an end in sight finally. The flooring is almost complete and hopefully while I am on vacation next week the kitchen cabinets will go in as well as the final trim work around the doors, windows and floor edges. I can then start to begin the move. I'm excited and look forward to living in a clean energy efficient building with tons of room for all of my cars and toys.