I spent 4 days in Elkhart, Indiana on a work trip.  Felt amazement at the vast expanse of corn fields along the interstate.  And partook of an almost live pig while there.

Went on a “stay-cation” in Pigeon Forge with Erin & Eli in early August for 4 days.

Took a 2 day golfing trip to Richmond, Kentucky with a great friend of mine who I had not seen in three years.

Saw Eli off to his first days of Kindergarten.  He’s doing rather well, I think.  Most days, his favorite part of the day is getting to choose what he wants to eat for lunch.  The choice is the key.  When I was growing up, they served what they served.  But he gets to choose between two main dishes, and can pick 3 of 5 side items.  Heaven for a 5 year old who loves eating.

Began shaving my head again.  I can’t help it.  It’s who I am.  I like it this way.

Saw our first ever sunflowers grow to be 6 – 12 feet tall.  Soon after, they got too top heavy for their own good and began to fall over.

Went tubing down the Pigeon River twice, once with 3 guys from small group, and once with Erin and our great friends Reid and Sarah.  I nearly broke my finger swinging from an old rickety rope swing on the side of the river.

Joined my first ever fantasy sports league of any kind.  And won my first matchup.

Celebrated my 5-year anniversary with Threds (today, in fact).  The longest I’ve ever been at one job in my life.

Saw my guys small group nearly double to at least 16 guys, maybe 18.  Sadly – and happily – we’ll soon be “reproducing” into two separate groups.

Heard the loudest singing from our community at Crossings that I’ve ever heard in my over-2 years of being there.  Tear jerking.

Rearranged my office at work.  Come visit me sometime.  You can see.

Spent 3 days in Charlotte, NC at the annual Salsarita’s franchisee convention.

Went camping for 2 1/2 days in Cades Cove with my good friend Chris.  My first time camping in about 10 years.  We saw 4 deer walking through the campground, saw 3 bears while driving the Cades Cove loop, did a 5 mile round trip hike to Abrams Falls, ate 4 fire roasted hot dogs each, and went through an entire bag of marshmallows.

Helped a new friend from small group move to a new apartment just days after he had a terrible motorcycle accident, broke his pelvis, busted his hip, and tore his leg up pretty good.  I’m so grateful to be in community with guys who are ready and willing to help.

Was thrilled to see my wife, Erin, be awarded the Golden BVD award at the last Crossings Leadership Community.  Congrats, honey!

Have thought often about the future direction of this blog.  I’ll get into that more at another time.  For now, please enjoy a sampling of pictures that help encapsulate some things I’ve just mentioned in this post.

I’ll tonight work from six until eight
With other brains to speculate
Efficiency plans
That down to a man
Will give us more work and less breaks

This weekend we’ll drive to the state
Where bluegrass and coal mining mate
To hang with the crew
Both Edelen and Booe
You need me to elucidate?

Last night watched a movie so wack
With Keanu the thespian hack
Where he Stood Still the Earth
Not a crap was it worth
Can I please have my two hours back?

In the comments I’d sure love to see
A writer who eloquently
Can write such a prose
As me, I suppose
On my part it’s wishful thinking. =)

A few good things to share…

About 3 weeks ago we visited Athens, TN for their annual Moo-Fest – a day long downtown festival sponsored by Mayfield Dairy Farms.  Food, games, animals, lots of cheese and milk, and a tour of the Mayfield plant are all part of the festivities.  It was pretty fun.  We had a hard time pulling Eli away from the hoola hoop area:

And, best of all, I snapped a picture of a redneck guy with plumber pants getting a $10.00 chair massage from a street vendor!

Two Sundays ago, I was honored to be able to speak for about 15 minutes during the two Sunday services at Crossings, as part of a mini-series called MMIQ – My Most Important Question.  We did this last summer as well, with 6 different people sharing over two weeks.  Same this year.  It was very tough, very emotional, but I’m so thankful to have been able to share openly with our community.  It was really the first time ever since my legal problems started 9 years ago that I’ve given any sort of public testimony of any kind.  I didn’t go into a lot of detail about the things I did, but really talked more about how the Crossings community has truly changed my life and made it possible for me & my family to experience true community, when I had thought that might not ever be possible again.

I want to say thank you to so many people who hugged me, cried with me, and encouraged me after each service (many of you are readers, so thank you, thank you, thank you).  I was a little scared to share some of my experiences, and was not sure what to expect in response.  I couldn’t have been more blessed, encouraged, and loved.  It simply reinforced what this community is all about.  Amazing.

Finally, this past weekend, I had the opportunity to see my college roomate for the first time in over 8 years!  Andy (I’ve called him Buddha since our freshman year – long story – but that’s what all our friends called him all through college), his wife Jen, and their oldest daughter Oliviah were in Florida on vacation this past week, and were driving back through Knoxville on their way back home.  They stopped by Saturday afternoon, spent the night with us, came to Crossings, and headed back out Sunday afternoon for a drive home to Indiana.  It was so incredible to see my friend again after so long.  We were roomates for 3 1/2 of our 4 years of school and recounted so many great times, stories, and pictures.  He’s now the father of 4 great kids, and is a riot squad leader at a maximum security prison in Indiana.  I’m thrilled they are doing well, and can’t wait til we get together again….hopefully sooner than 8 years from now.

Took an official family photo last night for the first time in about 18 months.  A heartfelt thanks to my good friend Sabrina, of Photography By Sabrina, for doing these for us.  Sabrina photographs all the products that we put on our retail websites at Threds, and stays very busy with weddings, anniversary shoots, family shots, baby shots, etc.  She was so great with Eli, who normally wants to make only goofy or mean faces when taking pictures.

Two weekends ago, for our anniversary, Erin & I spent a 2 day weekend in Abingdon & Damascus, Virginia for a visit to the Creeper Trail.  The Creeper is a 34 mile hiking / biking trails that runs through some amazing nature scenery and is VERY easy to ride.  The most popular section (which we did) is a 17 mile ride that runs down a mountain side.  You literally coast about 3/4 of the the time, and only have to pedal for about 3-4 miles or so.  And the majority of the trail runs alongside an awesome, rushing, mountain creek with great places to stop, small waterfall drops, and several bridges that take you over the creek.  Really spectacular to see.

We drove up on a Saturday morning, rented bikes and a shuttle ride from a local service, did the trail, stayed at a local Inn, chilled, ate dinner out, and drove back to Knoxville on Sunday.  Can’t say I’d necessarily recommend staying the night there to anyone, since there’s little to do or see other than the trail.  It’s probably much easier to make a day trip out of it.

This Thursday, Eli will turn 5 years old.  As awesome as birthdays are for kids, this one is actually a tough one for me.

My boy isn’t really a toddler anymore.  Soon he’ll be headed to kindergarten.  Just this weekend he told Erin, “Mommy, I really want to kiss a girl on the lips.”

I guess part of what scares me is that he’s now old enough that I’m actually having trouble remembering him as a baby.  Those moments that you have as a parent when your child is very young, those moments that, while they are happening, are priceless … those moments are now fuzzy memories for me.  Crawling, waddling, falling asleep on dad’s chest on the couch, humming in the baby swing.

Now he’s a “big kid”.  He rearranges his room, can take showers pretty much on his own, doesn’t want help getting things in the kitchen, asks to stay up later and later, and is excited about becoming a “school ager” in his preschool.

Regretfully, Erin and I did not have a digital camera until Spring 2006, so the first couple of years were captured on low quality, printed pictures.  But, from what I have available….here’s a little slice of my son growing up.  (Clockwise, starting at top left – June 2006, April 2007, May 2008, and March 2009)

My siblings and I – Christmas 1997:

My siblings and I – Christmas 2008:

The two awesomest people in my life:

We recently visited Cumberland Falls, off I-75 exit 25 just north of the border in Kentucky.  Notice the beautiful falls in the background….and, if you can see it, the large collection of trash beside the bolder in the middle of the photo. 

Also (with no picture needed), I’m not making resolutions this year.  I know the things I need to do to be a better person, to feel better, to be healthier, and to live out the calling of God in my life.  Writing them down specifically and then somehow not fulfilling them is a bummer, and one “goal” of mine this year is to simply be a more optimistic, positive person.  Let me just say this…I’m praying about (not for) redirection in my life.  I’m experiencing a great struggle regarding the unfulfilled calling of God in my life, and I’m just not sure what to do with it.  I’d love to just turn my face to the wind, leave everything to His providence, and spend my days serving and ministering to people in need.  But I’m also quite logical and rational (whether these are Godly traits, I have yet to discover).  I realize that I have a sort-of secure job, a paycheck, debts, a family to care for, and (still) some legal limitations on what I’m able to do.  That leaves me where I’ve been many times before….just wishing God would miraculously make everything happen the way I think it needs to for debts to be paid, histories to be wiped clean, and doors to be opened.  I have a great desire to serve the community, but do little to seek out opportunities to do so, almost scared of what God may do to my heart, and what He may ask of me.

So maybe my real resolution for this year is to learn how to open myself up completely to God’s will for my life, and trust where it leads.  Maybe it keeps me right where I’m sitting.  Maybe it turns my world upside down.  Maybe it does both…or neither.  Either way, if 2009 can include more of Him and less of me, it will ultimately be a great year.

Simply put, here are some things that either happened or didn’t happen in 2008:

Eli turned 4, has a girlfriend in daycare, and played about 1/4th of an Upward Bound soccer season.  I’m getting the early feeling that team sports will not be his forte.  Tennis maybe?

I think I watched Conan O’Brien about 3 times in 2008.  That is truly heartbreaking.  This is due to the fact that I actually stayed up late enough to watch Conan O’Brien about 3 times in 2008.

Received the Crossings BVD award in May and proceeded on a month-long BVD Tour.  It was fun.  You can check it out by clicking here.

My youngest sister was lucky to come out alive after a terrible car wreck in the spring.  I spent probably my most wretching 4 hours of the year that day waiting to get updates back from my other sister.

I took 3 vacation days from work this year.  That’s it.  Three. 

Played enough darts and tennis in 2008 to nearly have to start icing my elbow.  In 2009, I’m contemplating showing up to darts/tennis with an Allen Iverson elbow sleeve.  I’ll be ready to kick-some-ass then.  Although I will not be inclined to practice.

Made 4 trips to visit my family in Kentucky this year, including a farewell trip to the family farm.  It’s been a blessing to be able to do this, and to see our newphew Grayson grow up. 

I’m pretty sure I made it through the year without attempting to eat a can of Chef Boyardee anything.  This was a goal of mine.  For some insane reason, about once each year, I get the idea that I actually like Chef Boyardee.  Then I buy a can of ravioli, cheesy mac, or spaghetti and meatballs.  Then I eat it.  Then I nearly puke, and vow (once again) to never eat Chef Boyardee again.

Turned 32 in April.  According to average life expectancy, I’m just on the cuff of middle-age.  So, naturally, I’ve started spiking my hair, drinking more mixed drinks, and driving my Hyundai a little faster, with popular music blasting from the speakers.  And taking more Ibuprofen.

I did not vote this year.  I have never voted, so this is not a shock.  The only time I ever really wanted to vote was in 1996.  I headed to the courthouse in Grayson, Kentucky, home of Kentucky Christian University, stood in line, waiting to vote for Bill Clinton, only to find out that I had to be registered not only in the state, but in the county I was voting in.  As a result, I’ve never voted.

Very good year with Crossings.  Small group has been great, serving each week on the productions team is a blast, and we’re now 11 days away from our first service in Market Square.  Very exciting. 

I spent roughly 8 weeks as a vegetarian back in March/April.  Carbs were my friend.  Who knew a person could actually order french fries and apple pies at McDonald’s 8 times in a row?

In a nutshell, here were some of my favorite things from this year (regardless of whether they actually happened or originated from this year):  The Dark Knight, Blue Like Jazz, Obama-mania, online recipe sites, jeans and a t-shirt, Dexter, sweet tea, SNL digital shorts, Weeds, fuel economy, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, Splash Country, the fall foliage, the Wimbledon final, Tiger Woods, Hillsong United, Cracker Barrell, Mellow Yellow, the blog nation, ESPN radio, Erin, Eli, and Jesus.

We’re in Kentucky for a 4 day holiday visit with my family.  In case you didn’t know, I grew up in a small farming town called Springfield.  Springfield is mostly a Catholic town, religiously speaking.  My dad and his entire family (parents and 7 siblings) are all Catholic.  The farm they grew up at is at the end of a 1 mile long driveway.  Across the road from the driveway is St. Rose Catholic Church, which not too long ago celebrated it’s 200 year anniversary.  Seriously.  The original section of the church, still there, in the same spot, was constructed over 200 years ago.  The rest of the building is over 100 years old, and is as ornate and beautiful as any Catholic or Orthodox church you’ve ever seen, either in person or in the movies.

Huge arching columns, amazing and intricate statues, 14 hand carved stations of the cross wall mountings, extremely high ceiling.  As a kid, up until I was about 11 or 12, I used to attend St. Rose fairly regularly with my dad.  I never went to “religion” classes, as I remember my Catholic friends calling them, I was never confirmed, did not participate in a “first communion” … side note, from what I remember, taking first communion for a catholic kid was much like a barmitsfah for a Jewish child – a big event, all the family invited, a party afterward with gifts, food, money.  It made me wish I had a first communion.  Am I too old for one now?  I could sure use a few hundred dollars.

Anyways … it’s probably been 15-18 years since I last attended a Catholic Mass, and roughly 10 years since I was inside the church.  On our recent visits to Kentucky, I’ve wanted to go, but it just hasn’t worked out.  Last evening, I finally had the chance to go back to Mass.  Erin actually got to go with me, which was her first time ever attending a Catholic church Mass.  It was just as I remember it.  Short, ritualistic, repetitive, sort of monotone.  But I also enjoyed it in a way that I never did as a child.  I still don’t know the routine (lots of standing, sitting, responsive prayers, kneeling, and stuff that would take a while to learn), but as I’ve grown in my faith and my religious worldview, I can finally appreciate the beauty of Mass.

It was neat to see people there 15 minutes early, kneeling in their pews, praying silently.  It was warming to watch an old priest, who’s been there for years and is highly beloved by his flock, recite the decades old prayers and service liturgy.  For some of the responsive parts, I was able to follow along in a book and participate more freely.  And…even though I’ve probably attended at least 25 – 30 Masses in my lifetime, last night, for the first time ever, I actually participated in the Catholic eucharist.

My dad was there with us.  He normally goes each Sunday morning at 8:00 am, but he attended with Erin and I on Saturday night, which was cool.  I didn’t discuss with him before hand that I was going to partake in the eucharist, and I”m not sure what he thought about it.  I have a feeling it caught him off guard a little when I rose to enter the center aisle, to walk down toward the priest, and have him hand me “the body of Christ” (and let me add it was quite possbily the most cardboard tasting communion wafer/cracker I’ve ever eaten).  15 years ago, I simply would not have considered doing so, since I wasn’t Catholic.  But now I understand that the partaking of communion is not a religious right, only to be enjoyed by those who’ve followed the proper rules and taken the appropriate membership classes.  Rather, it’s the privelage of all believers, to be humbly partaken by any and all who follow Christ Jesus, regardless or race, location, denomination, or method of baptism.

It’s taken me a long time to view Catholicism not as a wrong religion, but simply as a different one.  There are and probably always will be things I don’t really agree with (confession to a priest, transubstantiation, offering prayers to the virgin Mary as one who speaks to Jesus on our behalf, the dominion of the Pope).  But I also understand that Catholics believe in God the Creator of the world and Father of all mankind.  They believe in Christ Jesus, born of Mary, who died for our sins and rose again from the grave.  And they believe in righteous living and the hope of eternal life through faith in Christ.

These are the things that make us brothers and sisters.  These are the beliefs that ultimately unite all Christ followers.  And this is why I’m finally at peace with my Catholic roots.