Fox's News

Definitions

2009-04-21T10:35:00.002-06:00

I guess I just have to get it out there, like it or not. I read about the Miss California pagent this morning and am amazed at how narrow people think. I know people like me get accused of this type of thinking, probably will for what I am writing, but why is it that one is only tollerant when one agrees with one particular side? She didn't say that she doesnt like gay people or that there is anything wrong with them, just that she didn't agree with "gay marriage." So, now all the people on that side are coming against her...the ones calling for tollerance and acceptance are bashing and thrashing at a person for expressing a view contrary to theirs. The tollerance crowd wants to destroy the very crowd that gave them the ability and freedom to be what they think they want to be, amazing! The very crowd that is the most tollerant of differing views, but gets bashed and belittled and told they are biggots, or narrow minded when they stand up for the few fundamentals they feel are being compromised.

Why is it that we have to re-define something that itself defines the union of a woman and a man? I honestly don't care if one chooses to be gay and chooses to live with a partner of the same sex but why does that person want to call it something that it is not? One would think with all the new terms and gayspeak out there that they would want their own term, their own definition. Why take the definition of the very thing one is against? The gay crowd should realize that all they have to do is come up with a good word for their unions, get it accpted, and move on! So what, there would be one more check box on a form "are you married, divorced, separated, single, ________, (united, same sex partners, partners) fill in the blank? Why not be tollerant of people who want to be married, and accept that one is not? One can have the same dwindling "rights" that the rest of us do. Everyone is not out to get those in the alternative lifestyle and I think there would be a lot more acceptance and tollerance if there was such from both sides.

Peace?

2008-11-05T20:02:00.006-07:00

So how do you foster peace through peace itself? Does peace come out of just being at peace? The longer I live the more I think not, and I don't feel that old yet. I was originally thinking about peace in the micro scale but I believe the more I think about it, it applies to the macro as well. So how do you create peace? How do you have peace in your own home? When the kids are at each others throat....when you are at odds with your spouse...when there is conflict from outside forces like friends...

I know I'm throwing out a lot of rhetorical questions here but maybe some of you will think about it if even for a minute. Peace does not come through peace itself, peace comes through eliminating or diminishing, as much as possible, evil. I guess the problem comes when people are not on the same page as to what IS evil. When some believe in the one true God and others believe that He is the evil they are going against. They try to eliminate us, we try to eliminate them. All to bring about peace. Doesn't everyone want peace? It's just that people do not believe that their beliefs are wrong so they will fight to put down anyone who comes against them, so that they can be at peace. So, this is where I end with the other side I guess. I believe in God that he is the one true God and that there is no other God. It has been proven over and over and will be proven as long as there is life. So, anything against God is evil. To have peace on earth or in my home or in this country we have to do what it takes to eliminate evil.

OK, so now that those of you who miss-interpret what I just said...No I don't want to eliminate or destroy anyone who doesn't believe the same as me. Jesus called us to Love our enemies too and to pray for them. I don't think that we should go out and destroy those who do not believe what I believe. However, those that fight directly against what IS true and those who actively pursue EVIL should be dealt with at some level or another.

Example...everyone would probably agree that an unwanted intruder into your house would be Evil...correct? Maybe they are there to do terrible things to you and your family, it happens probably every night in somewhere or another. So, to have peace in your house would it be best to just sit there and PEACEFULLY let them do those terrible things? NO, NO, NO! You would do everything you can to protect your family and yourself and put down the evil that has entered your house, in order to restore PEACE in your home.

I guess I'm on a rant here but you CAN'T create peace by acting peacefully and trying to negotiate with those who want to destroy you! Sure it may buy you a few more minutes of life or maybe even more that that, but eventually you'll have to remove the evil or peace will not exist. I just get tired of the rhetoric about some who think that those who want a strong military and strong government don't want peace. That is a lie! The reason we want those things is because we want peace and realize that the only way to peace is to rid us from the evil that wants to destroy our peace.

I suppose this is getting too long for one post! Thanks for reading, maybe I can continue soon if you care. Please think about it! Yes, I'm a gun toting conservative...maybe this will being to explain why?

Thoughts for the Election

2008-10-28T11:43:00.002-06:00

Some things written almost 100 years ago are still appropriate for today...probably most things are.

1916 by the Rev. William J. H. Boetcker, a Presbyterian clergyman

1. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

2. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong

3. You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.

4. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.

5. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.

6. You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.

7. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.

8. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.

9. You cannot establish security on borrowed money.

10. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.

Maybe these could be called "The Fundamentals of Two Differing Parties?"

Don't forget to Vote :)

Changing Seasons

2008-10-13T13:34:00.003-06:00

Its getting cold! Leaves are changing or all but changed, bright yellow surrounds the drive home instead of the dark green's. Its pretty but so short lived it seems. I don't know if I'm ready for winter yet this year. This year has gone ever so slow, literally day by day, or hour by hour with uncertanty looming around every corner. It makes for a long year and its not over yet! I guess there's nothing magic about the year being "over" as it is more than the calendar that has to change.

I guess for now I'll just keep hanging on and living through the seasons. I hope your Fall and Winter are blessed and that you and I figure out how to come out on top with all of the uncertanty of this world being thrown at us.

Continuing Decline

2008-09-09T16:39:00.003-06:00

You know, at some point you hit bottom and there is no where else to go....except I guess you could start digging :).

I feel like I'm floating just above the bottom at this point. The company is down to 4 people. Funny how when "the deal" was first presented there were 20 some people, then when it finally closed there were 11, now there are 4. I've referred to this company as an airplane sometimes and wondering how high it will fly, right now it seems that it is only flying on hope.

How naive I was to think that things were bad a year and a half ago or more, complaining about my job and having enough of it. At least I was getting paid and pretty much knew what the future held. Now, the future is uncertain...I guess all there is, is to hold on to the hope that is left.

Not Guilty

2008-08-20T20:02:00.005-06:00

So I had to serve on Jury Duty last week! I was not really wanting to do it but then also had no good reason why I couldn't so I didn't give any real obvious indication that I could not stay. The case ended up being somewhat of a joke, although I'm sure it wasn't to the parties involved. It was a "harassment and assault" case, basically a couple guys had a scuffle and one of them got their butt kicked and decided to call the police because he lost so bad. Now, that wasn't the full story and we listened to 8 hours of lies to try to figure out what the story was...ultimately we said the guy was "not-guilty" he wasn't innocent by any means, he hit the guy and definitely caused him some pain but from what we determined he was pretty provoked and just because one guy lost doesn't make him innocent either.

I did learn that if you are ever asked to "write a statement" that you should be as thorough as possible! The accused left out a lot of important details in his statement that could have made the case even harder against him had he just taken a little more time with it. It is sad to me that people make up stories and hold back the truth on things when they feel like they are in trouble. It would have been better for both of them to just admit their faults and go on their way. I guess we all don't want people to think worse of us or whatever and our pride gets in the way of everything and we end up hurting more people in the process. Those guys "hurt" us in that we had to spend 2 days away from work and all the other things associated with getting there and such. All for nothing really. I didn't mean to get philosophical, sorry.

I bet those words "not guilty" to someone in his shoes sound pretty good! Not guilty of whatever it is that was done, whether he did it or not. He can't be tried again and will not be punished even if he was guilty...I guess that's the definition, more or less, of forgiveness. He was forgiven, in man's terms, of the accused crime and his life will never be the same because he didn't have to go through the punishment that he maybe deserved. I guess its just a little earthly taste or reminder of what was done for me. When I get to heaven Jesus is going to say "Not Guilty" and I won't have to pay a price or punishment that I could never pay, for what I've done.

Pretty good feeling really!

Needing to Post!

2008-08-14T13:02:00.002-06:00

So I've been a big slacker at posting lately! Things have just been busy and crazy and I haven't made time to do it I guess. The latest busy things happening...

My Accounting Clerk turned in her resignation! She was actually just doing my stuff part time but nonetheless she wont be doing it after about 5 more weeks. So, I'm having to learn a whole new aspect of this thing called "ownership" and having to be somewhat of an accountant, which I didn't ever know I was signing up for. My wonderful wife is going to help with what she can and that will be a big help as I'm not sure I can do it all myself at this point.

We are still searching for the needle in the haystack as far as work. Things here in the development world are very slow and it is difficult to find enough work to keep us busy. We are still hangin in there though trying to conserve as much as possible and are still believing that we will come through this too.

My daughter started kindergarten today! I am excited for her to be in school, she craves learning so much and I hope that she will be able to be continually challenged and not get beat down to being just an average student. It is a completely different world than when I went so long ago (almost 30 years ago!). Welcome class of 2021.

Fasting

2008-05-09T09:25:00.002-06:00

A friend refered me to this site and I've been doing it for a while now. It has been good and probably something I will have to do again when I'm done as these things are not easy to change. It is basically a daily email that asks you to "fast" from a thought for that day. Thoughts that are not helpful but that we all do and get ourselves so messed up by thinking wrong. I hope you all do it and can apply it to your life. Pass it along if you have a friend who needs it too!
http://thinkingfast.org/
You just enter your name and an email address and they should start coming to your in-box, otherwise you can log in and read the archives on your own. I think if we all thought correctly life would be much better for us and for everyone near us!

E

Refining

2008-04-30T20:32:00.002-06:00

Psa 66:10 You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver melted in a crucible.

So I figured I should blog again. I guess for some reason I have a hard time just blogging about what I do from day to day and lately want to say something of meaning and purpose...I guess that's just the place I am at lately.

Change isn't easy. Especially when the change that you need to make or have to make is that of changing yourself. I feel like I've been in the crucible for a few months now, actually feels like I've been in and out of it for over a year now, but lately mostly in. It all started when I was done with my current job at the time, I had had enough and wanted more. I went through some difficult times trying to decide what to do, what I was here for, why I was an engineer, etc. I went all the way back to college, in my mind, and remembered that I tried to get out of engineering but felt like it was something that I was "called" to do. I struggled all the way through school, nothing in engineering came easy but I knew I was supposed to do it. So, ten years later I was doing it and felt like I was stuck, not going to accomplish what I was once called to do if I stayed where I was. Which led to the opportunity to buy the office I know own.

Now it would appear to some that I "have it all" but really I feel like I only have more responsibility and really nothing more. I'm caught up in the worries of making payroll, paying bills, finding enough work, etc, etc, and again i know that this is not what I was called to do. I think I'm on the floor in front of a big ladder trying to make that first rung but keep getting swept off my feet. I think I am just about to the point where all I can do is try to stand. Just stand, not try for the first rung, just stand. Maybe if I can master standing I'll be able to lift a foot and head for the first rung.

Eph 6:13, 14
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness...

In the midst of trying to stand I have had to make changes, realize that I wasn't perfect by any means and that I have a lot to fix and a lot that I can do better at. The slag is being burnt off and the impurities coming out in the fire. It has been anything but comfortable and downright unbearable at times, but I believe I will be all the better for it in the end.

Realization

2008-03-03T04:50:00.002-07:00

A wise older man told me and a group of guys the other day "If you want to know how you are doing as a husband, look into your wife's face and that will tell you." It is a hard thing to do in reality, and although the saying probably works both ways I think it is more important for the husband because, I still believe that the husband is the head of the family and if the head isn't doing good then none of the family will either.
I realized this morning that I haven't looked into my wife's face enough lately or have not wanted to admit that I wasn't doing a very good job. That is a difficult thing for a Man with all his ego and pride to admit. Hopefully by admitting it I can take measures to try and improve.
I would encourage you to stop and take 10 minutes today to look at your wife and even talk to her and don't be afraid to admit that you might need to change.

random thoughts

2008-02-21T20:20:00.005-07:00

I thought I might try to blog again even thought I don't think I have too much to say. Life has been pretty difficult in the past few weeks but most of it is my own fault and if I had chosen an different path I suppose it could be easier but would it have been better? I heard a guy on a radio program several months ago say that everything in life has prepared him for the place he is in now. He was older and had owned several businesses and ran for government and was now in a very high position but he didn't think it was any big thing because all the steps along the way prepared him for it. Like God had prepared him for what he was supposed to do late in life, not that what he had done earlier was of any less significance, just that now he was prepared for the next mission. I hope that I can say the same thing when I look back, even next year, but surely in 10 or so years.
I've realized lately that God gives us all tools (tools are just gifts, as the Bible says, from a man's perspective) and we choose to use those tools for what they were built for, or to use them for some other purpose. Sure you can use a knife as a screwdriver or a screwdriver for a lever, or a shoe for a hammer, or whatever, but in the end you usually end up breaking the tool that was used for the wrong purpose. You had something great but choose to use it for an unintended purpose and destroyed what was great.
I hope I have the wisdom to use the tools I've been given for what they were intended to be used for and end up building something that really was God's design and plan all along. A plan that I just couldn't see until i did my part with what I was given. It seems lately that my world is surrounded by people that don't realize they have a divine tool to use and if they just did with it what it was intended they would create something great.

I pray that your life becomes something of greatness and that you allow yourself to become all that you were created to be.

New Logo

2008-02-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

New Name, New Logo! It think this one will stick as we cant find it out there. Things are progressing...keep coming back! The website has got a start page as well, Thanks James.

www.2ncivil.com

A New Name

2008-01-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

Well its official. The new company that was created as Vision Engineering is no longer. I officially made the change today and registered 2N Civil, LLC. It was pretty easy to change the name with the state actually but will be difficult to make all the changes to all of the company's and vendors that we work with. There will be a lot of expense to change business cards, signs, ect. I guess that is the way it goes and there is no point in getting overly excited about it since there is nothing I can do but move forward at this point. I believe that the new name will be better than the original one and that we will be able to really move forward now that we can focus on our actual work.
It ought to prove to be an interesting year and I still expect gerat things from this new company.

Headache

2008-01-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

My head hurts...The past few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions and problems trying to deal with everything that goes on in creating a new business. I think for some reason this one has brought on more challenges and I am begining to wonder if it would have been easier to just start over insead of buying something. Oh well, too late for that!
So, Vision Engineering will soon be no longer as we've been challenged by a competitor using the word Vision. It depends on who you talk to as to if they have a case but regardless both my name and theirs are weak from a trademark perspective and therefore we are going to have to change names. I am taking suggestions so if you got something please feel free to share. I'll maybe post my logo and see what happens.
I am trying to stay positive and look on the bright side of things. Not to over-spiritualize but, I try to remember that even God re-named people as they went from one place to the next in their lives and brought them out of something and into the next. He changed Abram's name to Abraham...Jacob's name was changed to Israel. Usually they had their name longer than a few months but maybe we just sped through infantcy?
Thanks for stopping by and i'll catch you next time.

Update

2007-11-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

Well months of preparation, thinking, planning, worrying, learning, etc has come down to a few final days. The closing for the bank loan and the company should happen on Friday...Lord willing and a few more signatures get collected. The Landlord that we lease from is being difficult and not wanting to sign a subordination agreement, and the bank wont fund the loan unless he does. I think in some way he's pulling a power trip being that he can. I am praying that he realizes what he's doing and doesn't stop this whole 9 month process just because he feels like it. I wish we were in the days that a handshake meant something and that all of the legal stuff that makes people nervous could be left alone. So if all goes as hoped we will be Vision Engineering on Monday.

I hope I'm ready for it all and know that the past few months of stuff is probably just preparation for the future. I try to stay relaxed about it all and not worry but it is difficult. There are still a lot of details to take care of for the new company as well as keeping the work coming in and getting done. We are still slow but I also trust that things will pick up when all the transition is completed and nerves settle down.

Thanks for checking in.

SBA Approval

2007-11-09T16:19:00.000-07:00

I heard from the bank yesterday that the SBA has approved my loan! Now it is on to finishing up the contract and getting all the painful details put together to get things moving. The bank is shooting for an end of the month closing so there is lots to do before then. I'll try to keep this up to date but surely haven't been as of late :).

One Down

2007-10-09T19:57:00.000-06:00

Not sure how many more to go but the bank approved the loan! Now it goes off to the government to get approval from them. They say that it should go pretty smoothly provided we have all our information together. I'm praying that it does and that this portion of it can be done and I can move on to other things.

I'm realizing the older I get the more I don't know and the more things I could improve on. I've realized this before but sometimes events in life make you aware of it again. I go along thinking that I've conquered some character flaw or thing I want to change in my life just to see another one up the road that is coming at me. I guess that's the way things are in this life. I hope I can be half the person I think myself to be one day. I know I've got a lot of work to do.

Where Do I Begin

2007-10-01T20:45:00.000-06:00

Well, once again its been a while...so I should probably write an update.

The bank that I was using, the one that said took us in this direction in the first place, and the one that said they could do it, turned me down. They could not get the warm fuzzy feeling that I was talking about and I think were too close to the deal. They were the bank for the seller and were becoming close to being the bank for the buyer. Well, you can be assured that they won't be the buyers bank any time soon. So, I went to a bank that is local to my home town and one that I think is eager to get some things done. They are now in the process of catching up to what we've been doing the past few months and from all indications believe that they can do the loan! I should know in the next week or so if they have blessed the deal and then can hopefully write another update with the good news.

I am still expecting great things. I guess we'll see in a year or so.

Thanks for reading!

Warm Fuzzy Feeling

2007-08-27T19:40:00.000-06:00

Since I have two kids I can relate to a phenomenon that it seems like everyone is looking for in many areas of life, a warm fuzzy feeling. My one and a half year old seeks it from his Mom or his blanket, my four year gets one from her blanket and from reading books, I think we never grow out of it...

The bank right now is looking for one as well. They are dancing around things trying to get that feeling so that they can move one step closer to closing on a loan. I have given them all the financial information that they were looking for and last week it looked like they were ready to write a letter of intent to loan. Then someone did not feel good about a portion of the deal and now wants more historical financial information about High Country and how this division that I'm purchasing did over the last few years. The problem with that is it was one company and the different divisions were not broken out so to create the history is really just making educated guesses about how to split everything up. We see it as a waste of time but if it makes the bank get that feeling they are looking for then I guess its worth it. I just don't see how taking one company's financial history applies to a different company's future. It is like taking the historical information of Kmart and applying that to Walmart's future and we all know how that played out!

I am getting tired of the game and just want everything to be finalized and go through. We had set a closing date of September 20 something and I'm hoping that we can still make that date. It has been since May that this thing started and it seems to be taking way too long. I continue to trust that God works all things for good and believe there is no stopping this, its just finding the parties that want to get on board and finish the deal. I hope I don't have to start the process over with another bank but that is not out of the question should this one decide that they can't do it.

Thanks for checking in!

Letter of Intent

2007-07-25T19:43:00.001-06:00

So as I go along this process of acquiring a company I am learning a lot about how this whole thing works. I'm sure it will be information that is not used much in the future but I guess it is good to learn about anyway. I guess many things in life we learn once and then may not ever use again but that doesnt mean that it wasnt worth learning. So the "letter of intent" is mostly finished and we are getting one step closer to having an actual sale of the branch.

At first I thought that this letter was going to be a big thing but really its just a formallity it seems and really doesnt say much other than the basic idea of the sale of the comapany...that everyone is going to play nice and be respectful. I guess that's how the attorney's make their money by being the teacher on the playground, keeping you out of the principle's office.

The next step in this process is for me to get a lot of loan stuff done and finish up my business plan. We are going away to Glenwood this weekend so maybe I'll have a little time to put into more writing. I was wondering if I could just write my plan in Blog and just refer them to a few posts....probably not.

Update

2007-06-25T19:58:00.000-06:00

Wow, May 15th is the last time I've posted? Crazy. I've had a lot that I wanted to post but have not been able to for various reasons. So where do I begin? For those of you who have not heard I'm in the process of buying the office I work at. I'm not buying the entire company just the office. There are about 15 people there that will be part of the new company (about 15 less then there used to be) . Today I registered the name with the state, or filled out the paperwork to do so. If the name is approved it will be Vision Engineering, LLC and the website will most likely be http://www.visioncivil.com/ I could not find a domain that had vision in its name and phonetically pleasing until I stumbled on this. Hopefully its not too far from the actual name.

The current owners are in favor of the change and honestly I think they were trying to shut the office down and it would have been if I didn't take it over. We lost our survey department today which is a bummer for me as I wanted to keep surveying in the company, but I'll just figure out a way to establish it in the near future. We have been pretty slow on work, which is part of why we lost the survey department, and could use a miracle job or two to come in the door. I am expecting a lot and have a lot of Ideas and dreams I hope will come to existence. I don't expect that everything will happen over night and I definitely have a lot to learn about business, people, communication, etc.

In other news...we just took a trip to the Riviera Maya, without the kids! It was great and nice to re-connect with my wife in light of all the recent changes that are going on. Thankfully we did not have a problem "getting to know each other again" and were able to just enjoy it and enjoy each other. I guess that's it for now, thanks for reading and stopping by, hopefully I can be better at posting.

The Park

2007-05-15T07:42:00.000-06:00

This Sunday we got up early and went out to breakfast for Mothers Day before going to church. We used to be able to go out sometimes after church but then they moved the service back to 9:30 so its almost too late for breakfast after church...Anyway we got done early and went to a park that is near the church and just killed time for about 45 minutes. We were looking for a place for the kids to play but there wasn't a playground at this park. We all had fun anyway exploring and wondering around. Ben fell and skinned his knees about 4 times so he didn't enjoy the uneven surfaces but he pulled through. Our kids are getting so big already! It is nice sometimes to just be forced to do nothing and run around the park for a while.

The last few weeks have been very busy for me and with a lot potentially going on for our future. I will write more later when I am able to. For now I continue to pray for wisdom and enjoy the times I an run around the park with the kids!

Saddened

2007-04-16T20:08:00.000-06:00

This weekend I watched Hotel Rwanda (I am a parent so I don't get to see movies when they are in theaters, thank you netflix). I really didn't know what the movie was about other than a guy who saved some people in a Hotel in Rwanda. I was a teenager, or just coming out of my teens when this event happend and didn't really watch the news as I was in college and had other things on my mind. Anyway, I had no idea the magnitude of the genoside that occured there and i'm sure is happening elsewhere in the world. I was saddended by how brutal and evil people can be, and it makes me wonder why they are that way.

Then there was the shooting today at Virginal Tech...a little closer to home, not genoside but senseless killing and evil just the same. It makes me wonder what I am supposed to do about it, if anything. It makes me sad that there is this kind of evil in the world and makes me wonder how I can raise my kids realizing such evil and still be able to trust people and have a good heart. I think at this point I want to raise them to be able to defend themselves, have some street smarts, much wisdom, and be sensitive to God's direction.

No one knows how they are going to react in an extreme situiation and it is definetly easy to second guess things and have hindsite in almost every situation, but I hope that If I am ever presented with an extreme situation that I will have the wisdom to know what to do, the training to do it, and the fortitude to stand up to it. It is always surprising to me that in these situations the "gunmen" usually kills himself, that its not done by someone else defending the people, its seems that its almost never the police. The person finally decides that they've caused enough evil and ends it. It just seems like it doesnt have to be that way.

Well, I hope that you are blessed today and that you and I have the guts to stand up to evil when we face it.

Weekend Away

2007-04-04T13:34:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we took a quick trip to my parents house. I had to go to a workshop for Hunters Education on Saturday so we figured we would just spend a couple days with my parents. It was good timing since things this week slowed down a little at work and it was easier to get away. It is amazing how a little time away from the "normal" life can recharge you and help you to feel refreshed. It was just a short charge so I will need more soon but it was nice to be away if even for a weekend.

Tribute to My Dad

2007-03-15T09:24:00.000-06:00

Today is my Dad's birthday! Happy Birthday Dad! He's 59 I believe and I've never been able to keep my parents ages straight for some reason. Anyway, I hope that I can raise my son as good as my Dad raised me, and by God's grace build on what Dad put into me and load it all up into my son (and daughter for that matter). Early on in life I remember wanting to hang around him and always see what he was up to. I remember many nights or afternoons holding the flashlight for him while he worked on the car and having to be careful not to move it so that he could see. Doing so let me see how he did things and learn how to do them myself. Dad can pretty much do anything and he put that into me somehow as well. I remember him having to fix the car or some other appliance at home and not really knowing how to do it or what he was getting in to but just diving in and taking things apart until he found what was wrong and what needed to be replaced. I've found that most of the things we use every day are really pretty simple mechanically and you can usually fix them yourself if you have the guts to start taking things apart.

Dad also taught me...
How important it is to have a relationship with Jesus and how life is so much better with Him by your side.

The importance of loving your wife and taking care of her.

That you don't have to always say what is on your mind that it is sometimes better to hold your tongue for the appropriate time, people usually listen better that way.

How to enjoy the outdoors whether you are cutting wood, fishing, hunting or whatever.

How to use a shovel, pick, ax, tractor, saw, tools, hammer, broom, gun, fishing pole, etc. and most importantly your head.

Many many other things that are too many to mention.

I hope your day is blessed Dad, I love you.

Reflection on the past 33 years

2007-03-13T16:00:00.000-06:00

So as I passed my 33rd birthday I woke up yesterday morning for my run and was trying to think about my first 33 years and what I have accomplished and wondering how my next 33 years would be. I fully expect to have two more runs at 33 years and live to at least 99 so I figure the next set of 33 need to be better than the first. I don't think I regret much of what i've done so far I think it has been pretty good and fairly productive.

Sunday our pastor taught about finding God's will and revealed that God pretty much has had one plan for all of time...to redeam people back to him. God's will doesn't change our calling and preparation as to how we fit into that plan is the only thing that changes. That was kind of a revelation to me (although I'm sure I didn't state it as well as he did). So as I pass 33 I wonder what my ultimate calling is going to be and how I am being prepared for the future. That is one of those impossible questions to answer but still makes you wonder.

I want my next 33 years to be more helpful to people and to do my best to raise my kids to follow Him and have Kids that will be be a blessing to people as well. I pray that they will learn from my mistakes and take a step forward rather than having to learn on their own. If I had my choice I would have another vocation where I could spend more time with my family and still enjoy a day's work. I guess we will see what the next 33 years has in store.

Training

2007-03-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

Well, my wife talked me in to doing a half marathon in June so I have started training again. The first week or so was not much fun, sore butt, tired legs, tired in general, etc. I have to get up at 5:20 or there about to have time to workout before going to work. I like it once i'm up and going but it is hard many mornings to get myself out of bed and head out to run, or out to swim, or the gym. Hopefully it will all be worth it.

Last year I think I did 4 triathlons and a couple other running races, on top of Marion's races that she did (that I didnt do) it made for a lot of weekend events. I think I am going to step it back a little this year, I guess we'll see, I usually end up doing one or two that I did not plan on doing just because they sound fun. I guess it is keeping us in shape and gives us something to shoot for.

The picture that I posted below is on the Oregon coast that I took in 2005, I have it as my computer background and have thought of getting it enlarged to hang on a wall somewhere but havent done that yet.

Thanks for stopping by.

2007-03-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

I think I've written this before

2007-02-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

It seems like almost every day one is faced with lots of choices to make. Everything from easy choices like deciding to get out of bed to whether or not one should move or make a career change. Honestly I don't know how we do it at times with so much going on and such potential to make some bad choice that could drastically alter our path. I think maybe some are more reactions without really going through the "choice" poriton of our brain. One thing that I think we choose every day is our attitude and mood for the day or the hour, or the moment. I believe at some level we can choose our reactions to things that happen to us or around us as well.

It seems that many people (myself included) let their world get to them and choose to have a bad attitude or get angry at something that is really nothing in the grand scheme of things. I've even seen people destroy their day, week, and longer over something that wasn't even true. Believing that the way they see things has to be right and then choosing to have a bad attitude or be angry at the situation, only later to find out that they were wrong in the first place. Then they have to decide whether or not they will admit that they are wrong or just go about being angry and continuing in their self deception.

I tried to make a consious decision this year to try and not worry myself about things I have no control over. The decision has most of its impact at work but I think it works throughout. Last year I was not very happy much of the time because I tried to change things I really couldn't. That led to frustration and my own choice to be unhappy. I guess my motto for this year (which I will have to remind myself every day) is "choose this day how you will serve" The bible says "who you will serve", and I work on that too but, if I'm a grumpy, upset, angry Christian what good does that do me or anyone else?

Mini Vacation

2007-01-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we headed up to Breckenridge. We really did not want to go all week as the weather was looking like it was going to be bad. We had originally planned on a weekend away for just Mom and Dad but since the weather was going to be bad we lost our baby sitter and were going to have to take the kids. It ended up being a great weekend anyway! Yes there were times when the kids were not so good and they could have used much more sleep but overall it was fun and nice to get away for a couple days.

Today is also Marion's Birthday! Happy Birthday Marion, I love you and I am so blessed to have you in my life and have you as the mother of my children. I pray that you are blessed today.

Thanks for visiting my blog, see you next time.

...and I discovered MySpace

2007-01-03T13:33:00.000-07:00

So I discovered MySpace, a co-worker introduced me to it, and at first I really did not see the reason for it but after you get to looking into it, it is pretty fun. You will have to go check it out and maybe create your own space. You can find old school friends, and family and even see who knows the people you know. I have discovered that the amount of people with a MySpace profile from your school, or where ever, is inversely proportional to your age! It seems that the younger you are the more people who are likely to have a page. Anyway, I hope you are able to try it out and have fun with it, CAUTION...you can waste a lot of time.
http://www.myspace.com/erictuin

The end of 2006

2007-01-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

As you have probably heard the end of this year brought us much snow! You probably can not tell quite how much it was from this one picture but it was enought to make me want to get a snow blower for these times! The picture is after we shoveled our driveway and the pile of snow it created. Megan liked to play on it and slide down and put her face in the snow and generally just enjoy the snow.

I had the last week off from my normal work which was nice I was able to get some of my home projects done.

I tiled our downstairs bathroom as you can see in the picture and painted it as well. It is a nice change from the carpet and all the white walls we have in the house, it made us want to paint more soon.

Overall it was a good week off, I hope your 2007 is blessed!

Santa

2006-12-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

This weekend Meg and I went to the local hardware store and happened to get there when they had Santa there and a little craft for the kids to do. At first I really didn't want to intrupt my mission to make a Christmas ornament and wait in line to see santa, but I figured that you only live once and she is only a kid once so I just needed to relax and let her do her thing. I am glad I did because she probably will not see another santa as we don't typically search one out. She has not been feeling very well this week and mom has had to take her to the doctor twice and she has had to miss 2 days of pre-school. The Dr. said she might have RSV, whatever that is, something viral in her lungs. So she has felt a little down the last few days and the medicine that she has to take (through a nebulizer) makes her kinda hyper and buzzed. Not much fun around christmas time but hopefully her (and everyone else in the family) will be 100% healthy in a week or so.

I hope your December is going well and that you are not getting bogged down in the busyness of life this time of year.

2006-11-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

I guess life has been busy for the past few weeks and blogging has taken a back seat. I thought about writing several times and then just don't know what to write about. Since the last time I wrote my son has turned one year old. I can't believe that just a few months ago he was an infant and could not do much other than look at you. He now plays with toys, fights with his sister, eats mostly regular food and does the things most kids his age do. He is a joy to have around.

We went up in the mountains last week to cut our Christmas tree, some friends of ours went along with us to find the perfect tree. You realize if you haven't done that in a while how much pruning it must take to create the perfect tree. I guess perfect in our 2006 eyes. The tree we got is beautiful just not a full as the "normal" trees you get. So I guess the deep thought for today is that you have to be pruned to be full and perfect...as long as most of us have been alive we should all be full and perfect I guess since Jesus said the same thing 2000 years ago.

God is everywhere we just sometimes have to sit down and blog to find him.

Happiness

2006-11-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

I have been listening to some talk radio lately when I am not listening to something else...I also recently started listening to country music again, but that is a whole other topic. One of the people I like to listen to is Dennis Prager (www.pragerradio.com) he has a Happiness hour every Friday where he and other people that call in just talk about being happy. I think I always knew it but being reminded of a truth is always good and that is that Happiness is a choice. It is not something that you are when you feel like it. Something does not effect you to make you happy, you chose to be happy because it. If you are not happy it is because you (and I) have not chosen to be happy. It takes work and practice to keep yourself happy too.
With being a parent it seems that our kids absorb our happiness too just like they absorb our crabbyness, or worry, or whatever state we are in at the time. Just try it next time you are in your car with the kids and everyone is complaining and whining, sing a happy song or tell a joke or tickle someone and see how it changes the whole mood.
In working with people or dealing with people your happiness effects how they treat you and how you treat them. I think we would receive many more blessings in life if we all chose to be happy, and even when we don't feel like it :).

If I could write a song...

2006-10-25T08:33:00.000-06:00

I have always wanted to be able to write song lyrics but just don't seem to have the gift to do it. If I could have written a song about my wife this one would have been very close to what I would have written.

Artist: Paisley Brad
Song: She's Everything
Album: Time Well Wasted
"She's Everything"

She's a yellow pair of running shoes
A holey pair of jeans
She looks great in cheap sunglasses
She looks great in anything
She's I want a piece of chocolate
Take me to a movie
She's I can't find a thing to wear
Now and then she's moody

She's a Saturn with a sunroof
With her brown hair a-blowing
She's a soft place to land
And a good feeling knowing
She's a warm conversation
That I wouldn't miss for nothing
She's a fighter when she's mad
And she's a lover when she's loving

And she's everything I ever wanted
And everything I need
I talk about her, I go on and on and on
'Cause she's everything to me

She's a Saturday out on the town
And a church girl on Sunday
She's a cross around her neck
And a cuss word 'cause its Monday
She's a bubble bath and candles
Baby come and kiss me
She's a one glass of wine
And she's feeling kinda tipsy

She's the giver I wish I could be
And the stealer of the covers
She's a picture in my wallet
Of my unborn children's mother
She's the hand that I'm holding
When I'm on my knees and praying
She's the answer to my prayer
And she's the song that I'm playing

She's the voice I love to hear
Someday when I'm ninety
She's that wooden rocking chair
I want rocking right beside me
Everyday that passes
I only love her more
Yeah, she's the one
That I'd lay down my own life for

And she's everything I ever wanted
And everything I need
She's everything to me
Yeah she's everything to me

Everything I ever wanted
And everything I need
She's everything to me

If you liked the lyrics go to http://www.cmt.com/loaded/ and search for Brad Paisley; She's Everything and you can hear the song and see the video.

Until Next time!

Friendly?

2006-10-24T10:07:00.000-06:00

My pastor recently had an earth-shattering revelation that one has to be friendly to people if one wants to have friends. Sounds simple enough but is often difficult to do when people are not so friendly with you. When the person at the cash register has had a hard day and takes it out on you, or the neighbor next door doesn't see to like you for some reason, it is difficult to take the high road and be friendly anyway.

I think sometimes I am perceived as mean or unapproachable or unfriendly because many times I just don't think about saying hello or remember to smile at people. I usually don't have too much to say anyway and that is usually perceived as unfriendliness as well. A friend of mine had the revelation after going through a particularly hard time with people that "perception is reality." What a person perceives about you is their reality, right or wrong, that is who they think you are. We will conjure up all sorts of ideas and stories to make the person fit our perception. If In my position if people have the wrong perception of me it makes my job all the more difficult and ultimately I probably will not have the job as someone who is better with people will fill my shoes. I encourage you today to smile at everyone you come in contact with, say hello and say their name and try not to have bad perceptions of people, think of them as good and see if your attitude toward them changes.

Thanks for stopping by!

Random

2006-10-12T20:36:00.000-06:00

My how time flies! I guess I've been a big slacker at writing the last couple weeks. Things have been busy although I'm not sure what I've been doing...Funny how that happens. My wife and I are even not seeing each other much which is very unusual for us. I guess sometimes maybe its good it makes you remember how much you like them and how much fun they are to be around! So the summary of my last 2-3 weeks: Working on our laundry room (installing cabinets and a sink, oh and also finishing the cabinets since we were short on $$); Pronghon hunting (yes much like an Antelope and most of the time miss-named Antelope when they are actually Pronghorn); Cutting up the Pronghorn meat and making various things with it; and other than my normal work and kids that's about it. It does not sound like much when you write it down but has taken up quite a bit of time.

I know I need to be a better manager at work and certainly have not arrived yet. So I have been listening to a book again for the third time in the last couple years called "How to Win Friends and Influence People" I'm sure many of you have heard of it. It was written before most of our parents were born but still applies to the dealings with people today. I would encourage everyone to read or listen to it. I listen to it in pieces on my way to and from work. Basically I think I would be a better person if I applied the principles of the book. The principles are all from the Bible but sometimes when I hear them in a different light it allows me to apply them to my situations easier. Maybe I'll write more about my dealings with people lately later.

Thank you all for stopping by it is nice to hear from you.

Fall Colors

2006-09-28T11:01:00.000-06:00

It is Fall in the Colorado mountains and getting to be that way in the lower elevations. I was able to spend a few days last week up near Fairplay hunting. There is a reason it is called hunting rather than anything else because you do much more hunting them then you do harvesting! I think this is my fouth year archery hunting and although I don't spend a lot of time at it each year, usually 3 weekends or so, I still have yet to get anything. At first I thought that I had the wrong tag as I would always see Elk while hunging Deer and Deer while hunting Elk, well I get both tags now and still have had no luck.

I decided while up there that I would just try to enjoy the beauty of the day and take some pictures whenever something caught my eye. I'm glad I did as I would really have nothing to show for my trip if I didn't.

Thanks everyone for your comments and for stopping by it is nice to hear from you all. !

Young?

2006-09-15T12:06:00.000-06:00

Well I guess I am not as young as I used to be. For some reason it is taking me a lot longer to recover from my run last weekend than expected. I must have injured myself or something because I can not get my back and hip to feel the same since the run. I am hoping that with some more time I will be back to normal. I still feel like I am 22 and for some reason 10 years has made recovery a little slower. I see my kids get "hurt" and in five minutes they are back to running jumping and as long as the bandaid stays on they are fine. I suppose they may hurt a little still but seem to notice it less than I would with the same injury.

Thanks everyone for visiting my blog I am hoping that someday it will amount to something other than my random thoughts and happenings. I hope you have a good weekend.

We Made It

2006-09-12T16:57:00.000-06:00

So we made it! The 10 of us ran 170 some miles from Idaho Springs to Glenwood Springs, and although we didn't finish in any sort of glorious time we had fun. The weather was terrible... someone joked that the only other thing that we could have delt with is lightening. Well, that and sunshine! It rained almost the entire time, snowed, and was cold and wet as a result. I think after a couple days of rest almost everyone has said that they would do it again too. It is strange that while you are in the middle of it I told myself that it is not worth it and didnt want to do it again but after some rest it sounds like a good idea again.

I am going to take a week or so off from training and especially running to try and give my body a rest and hopefully restore everything back to normal.
Thanks for stopping by!

New Week

2006-09-05T09:14:00.000-06:00

Short week this week...with Labor Day off and being off on Friday it makes for having to do a week worth of stuff in three days! I suppose it wouldn't have to be that way but it seems like that is what life has thrown me for this week.

On Friday the reason I am off is that I am doing a relay run from Idaho Springs to Glenwood Springs (CO). There are 10 of us doing the relay along with other support staff and voluneers on our team. The relay is to support Outward Bound. You can find out more information at this link if you are interested. It has been fairly easy for me to train because I have been working on Triathlons all summer, hopefully it is easy in the race!

The beginnings

2006-09-01T11:09:00.000-06:00

So I am new to this whole Blogging thing and actually got interested in it through my cousin. I am not sure what the blog is going to be about or how often I am going to be able to post. I hope that in some way it will serve to help me and hopefully others in our journey of life. I can't say that I am the best writer and only hope that I can have some inspired words on occation. I welcome any comments or suggestions and hope that those of you who visit will get a small picture into my life that you have not seen before.
Thanks for stopping by!.