Plus, never before seen picture of Sarah Jones!! All this and more, at the Wedding Album.
Saturday, February 21, 2004
Wedding Pictures
... are currently being scanned.
UPDATE: They were added to the server. Somehow I could upload them to our server, but not into Coppermine. I will go home and fiddle with them on the laptop.
UPDATE: They were added to the server. Somehow I could upload them to our server, but not into Coppermine. I will go home and fiddle with them on the laptop.
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
My Update
Since Thursday I...
+ discovered the joys of Hill Country Weavers, an amazing knitting store just a mile and a half or so from our apartment.
+ bought some really cute, very necessary maternity clothes (I was having trouble sitting in my normal clothes, even unbuttoned.)
+ went on a women's retreat I actually enjoyed.
+ figured out how to knit with double pointed needles and make something round.
+ enjoyed my first Valentine's Day in person with Michael. He outdid himself. I merely cooked him his favourite dinner.
+ made a baby hat (for someone else).
+ glimpsed my sweet baby on her sonogram.
+ experienced the joys of Diet Coke with Lime.
+ discovered the joys of Hill Country Weavers, an amazing knitting store just a mile and a half or so from our apartment.
+ bought some really cute, very necessary maternity clothes (I was having trouble sitting in my normal clothes, even unbuttoned.)
+ went on a women's retreat I actually enjoyed.
+ figured out how to knit with double pointed needles and make something round.
+ enjoyed my first Valentine's Day in person with Michael. He outdid himself. I merely cooked him his favourite dinner.
+ made a baby hat (for someone else).
+ glimpsed my sweet baby on her sonogram.
+ experienced the joys of Diet Coke with Lime.
Monday, February 16, 2004
Daddy's Little Girl
Here is our little girl!! The doctors are 90% sure. They were able to determine her sex, but couldn't get a stable picture to really show us -- well, at least she's modest. :o)
The rest of the pictures (five total) are online -- including one of her looking at the camera.
Busy Week Ahead
Monday: President's Day. No School. Go to Doctor's in the morning. Home Fellowship Group in the evening.
Tuesday/Wednesday: Talk to an administrator at a school in Dallas as to why exactly I should teach at his school next year and even bother going to the interview on Friday.
Thursday: Mike and Kristen go to Houston to discuss with a head master why they should move halfway across the country to the rural mountains of Northern California.
Friday: Mike (may) go to Dallas to interview with school. However, it will take some convincing to get me to take another full day off of work and leave my dear wife home alone for a good portion of the evening.
Tuesday/Wednesday: Talk to an administrator at a school in Dallas as to why exactly I should teach at his school next year and even bother going to the interview on Friday.
Thursday: Mike and Kristen go to Houston to discuss with a head master why they should move halfway across the country to the rural mountains of Northern California.
Friday: Mike (may) go to Dallas to interview with school. However, it will take some convincing to get me to take another full day off of work and leave my dear wife home alone for a good portion of the evening.
Sunday, February 15, 2004
Saturday, February 14, 2004
Reflections From Solitude
Tonight is my first night in an empty house since getting married in August. My dearest wife, Kristen, is away at a Women's Conference with the women from Redeemer, All Saint's, Christ the King, Emmanuel, and Redeemer-San Antonio. I miss my wife terribly, but am excited to see her able to spend time with other godly women.
I was actually worried about tonight. I really don't think I had any cause -- any more than the next guy -- but throughout my early college years I remember my IV staff worker always being miserable when his wife was away.
Anyhow, other than my wife being gone, and Barnes and Noble not having the book I wanted, I had a really good evening. The weather is near perfect. Slightly rainy and very cold. Kristen baked her famous "red velvet V-day cookies" and I went over to the house of a dear friend from church; together -- with an elder, RUF International campus minister, and two other friends -- we enjoyed wine (one guy is a local wine distributer), smoked, and talked in the cold weather. Half smoked cigars and half smoked pipes -- I was in the latter half. My elder brought the "Presbyterian" mix, in particular for the RUF minister, and I was able to try it. It really doesn't have a pleasant smell from the can, but was great to smoke. The wine was outstanding as well. Considering the host and one of the guests are wine geniuses, I shouldn't have been surprised, despite their love of Australian wines over the clearly superior California wines. After a few hours, a plate of cookies, bag of pistachios, loaf of bread, and two small blocks of cheese, we slowly left. After stopping at Barnes and Noble, I decided to let them redemn theirselves with a double espresso.
Now, I'm relaxing at home. Finishing a Hunter Valley Merlot (Australia) with its great mosiac label, typing on the laptop, and listening to the new Norah Jones CD. I highly recommend the Norah Jones. It's great. I bought it last night with a new Isabel Allende book, "Portrait of Sepia." I read Allende in high school and am looking forward to this next book.
With this, I bid good night. Tomorrow I look forward to breakfast with two-thirds of my groomsmen at La Madeleine, the return of my Valentine ...
I was actually worried about tonight. I really don't think I had any cause -- any more than the next guy -- but throughout my early college years I remember my IV staff worker always being miserable when his wife was away.
Anyhow, other than my wife being gone, and Barnes and Noble not having the book I wanted, I had a really good evening. The weather is near perfect. Slightly rainy and very cold. Kristen baked her famous "red velvet V-day cookies" and I went over to the house of a dear friend from church; together -- with an elder, RUF International campus minister, and two other friends -- we enjoyed wine (one guy is a local wine distributer), smoked, and talked in the cold weather. Half smoked cigars and half smoked pipes -- I was in the latter half. My elder brought the "Presbyterian" mix, in particular for the RUF minister, and I was able to try it. It really doesn't have a pleasant smell from the can, but was great to smoke. The wine was outstanding as well. Considering the host and one of the guests are wine geniuses, I shouldn't have been surprised, despite their love of Australian wines over the clearly superior California wines. After a few hours, a plate of cookies, bag of pistachios, loaf of bread, and two small blocks of cheese, we slowly left. After stopping at Barnes and Noble, I decided to let them redemn theirselves with a double espresso.
Now, I'm relaxing at home. Finishing a Hunter Valley Merlot (Australia) with its great mosiac label, typing on the laptop, and listening to the new Norah Jones CD. I highly recommend the Norah Jones. It's great. I bought it last night with a new Isabel Allende book, "Portrait of Sepia." I read Allende in high school and am looking forward to this next book.
With this, I bid good night. Tomorrow I look forward to breakfast with two-thirds of my groomsmen at La Madeleine, the return of my Valentine ...
Thursday, February 12, 2004
As You Wish
VALENTINE'S DAY COOKIES
1 (18.25 ounce) package Red Velvet cake mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix and baking powder. Add eggs and oil, then mix until well blended. Stir in chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven for chewy, proper cookies. Recipe can be altered with different cake mixes and add ins. Makes 35 cookies.
1 (18.25 ounce) package Red Velvet cake mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix and baking powder. Add eggs and oil, then mix until well blended. Stir in chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven for chewy, proper cookies. Recipe can be altered with different cake mixes and add ins. Makes 35 cookies.
An Apology For Apologizing
Oft quoted is the cliche similar to "Love means never having to say, 'I'm sorry.'" This is a load of crap. Reflecting on my experiences in marriage, I think more accurate would be "Love means being the first to say, 'I'm sorry.'" Some have relationships where when a wrong takes place, one party goes through great lengths to prove he is actually right. These relationships are called "friendships". Marriages, in contrast, seek the higher good for the other and go through long, twisted, streams of logic to see just how, possibly, maybe-in-certain-conditions, the other person just might be right.
Another change that marriage dictates is that one must be diliberate and entirely truthful in their apologies. I found that my "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." lines weren't exactly truthful. Yes, I was sorry, but I, at that time, really did mean it. By lying and declaring that I didn't mean it, I am trying to distance myself from the wrong and declare myself to still be innocent. More accurate and sincere would be to declare, "I am sorry. I was wrong." In this phrase we graft ourselves to the wrong and declare ourselves to be guilty.
Being truthful in marriage also means telling the truth even when it hurts. Often times we are also willing to apologize for this and say "I didn't mean it." Well, if it was truthful, you did mean it and you shouldn't be sorry for it. However I try not to dwell on this scenerio too much, because I find it quite tempting in the American male mind to slip into this catagory more often than it is called for. When we think to ourselves, "well, someone had to tell you", perhaps our first reaction should be to go back to step one and jump through hoops to see how, just maybe, the other person might have been right. I think this is what love means.
Another change that marriage dictates is that one must be diliberate and entirely truthful in their apologies. I found that my "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." lines weren't exactly truthful. Yes, I was sorry, but I, at that time, really did mean it. By lying and declaring that I didn't mean it, I am trying to distance myself from the wrong and declare myself to still be innocent. More accurate and sincere would be to declare, "I am sorry. I was wrong." In this phrase we graft ourselves to the wrong and declare ourselves to be guilty.
Being truthful in marriage also means telling the truth even when it hurts. Often times we are also willing to apologize for this and say "I didn't mean it." Well, if it was truthful, you did mean it and you shouldn't be sorry for it. However I try not to dwell on this scenerio too much, because I find it quite tempting in the American male mind to slip into this catagory more often than it is called for. When we think to ourselves, "well, someone had to tell you", perhaps our first reaction should be to go back to step one and jump through hoops to see how, just maybe, the other person might have been right. I think this is what love means.
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Grading Papers, Learning About Myself
I was grading spelling sentences from last week and one of my students used the word admire this way, "Mrs. Stewart admires Mr. Stewart." It made me smile. :o)
Sunday, February 08, 2004
Friday, February 06, 2004
From the Outside Looking In
This postmodern world is driving me mad. You can't go anywhere near an evangelist (or anything of the sort) without hearing something along the lines of non-christians liking Jesus but hating Christians.
This drives me mad.
I imagine goats saying to each other: "Man, that's one cool Shepherd, but his sheep stink." "Yeah man, they suck. I don't want to hang out with them."
My response: "You know what?! You suck too!! Come and join up with the sheep who stink and suck. You fit in FINE!"
This drives me mad.
I imagine goats saying to each other: "Man, that's one cool Shepherd, but his sheep stink." "Yeah man, they suck. I don't want to hang out with them."
My response: "You know what?! You suck too!! Come and join up with the sheep who stink and suck. You fit in FINE!"