Hometown

This one is to all of my, as Julie would say, peeps who live or have lived in Valparaiso, IN. As we were watching Santa Claus 2 last night on one of the local channels, I heard "Valparaiso, Indiana" on one of the commercials. I stopped in my tracks, and focused back on the TV. If you're from Valparaiso, you might have guessed that it was an Orville Redenbacher popcorn commercial. I guess they showed an old commercial clip with Orville himself talking about his beginnings in Valparaiso, IN. That's it... Valpo is famous now! Millions will know that Orville Redenbacher Popcorn was founded in Valparaiso, IN. I'm sure they will flock back to the once quiet town to see where it all began, and meet Orville's descendants. Life will never be the same... Well, maybe that was a bit of an over exaggeration, but it was kind of cool to hear your hometown on a national television commercial!

In case you want to know more about Orville, here's a link to give you some more info. about his humble beginnings in Indiana. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orville_Redenbacher

Contrasts...

With my new job I will have to dress up more than I did with my old job. So that called for a shopping trip for new clothes! Yippy Skippy! What better time then when there are super Christmas deals going on. While I was trying on new dress slacks and fancy shirts, I had to chuckle. With my old job I bought a bright yellow fluorescent t-shirt that said "If you pick your nose...Jesus knows!" (That fits the image in your mind of a Children's Minister, right?) So I'm going from fluorescent t-shirts to fancy dress shirts. What a contrast!?

!!! BIG NEWS !!!

Well, after 4+ years of serving as Children's Minister at our church, I'm about to embark on a new journey in this game we call life! I recently accepted a new position as an assistant to the Dean of Students at Ivy Tech Community College in Columbus, IN. This was an extremely difficult decision, one which I've been contemplating over the last four months. I have finally come to peace with leaving my position as Children's Minister and have just been waiting for the right opportunity to fall in my lap. A friend recently told me that his friend, the Dean of Students, was looking for a new assistant, so I turned in my application, had several interviews and was just offered the job! Yippee! I am really excited, as I think this job is quite suited to my talents and gifts! My new boss is a Christian fellow, and seems like a really nice guy who will be a pleasure to work with and very helpful in the transition process. Since graduating from college over 10 years ago, I have yet to tackle a full time job, so this will be a first. It is also about 4o minutes from my home, so that will make for a longer commute and time away from home. They boys will have to get used to being on their own for a few hours in the afternoon after school. All in all, I feel a huge weight off my shoulder as the agonizing decision making and waiting is over.

A good friend of mine, who will also be starting a new job shortly, heard a quote something like this on the radio, "Look at your past as a springboard, not a sofa." I thought that was kind of interesting. He had a tendancy to get caught up in looking at his past jobs and wishing for that idelic setting again, instead of taking the wonderful past experiences and using those to better himself for the next adventure. I guess I'm looking at the past 4 years as Children's Minister as a huge springboard for this new position. I have learned and grown so much as a person and spiritually over the past 4 years. That has definately helped shape me into the person I am today, and those experiences helped me get the new job. I am looking forward to diving into this new adventure with both feet!

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas...

Aaahhhhh! December 15th... We're finally getting our first snow! For me, it just doesn't seem like Christmas until our first snow. Growing up in northern Indiana, our first snow always came well before December 15th though. There is something so peaceful about watching the snow fall, and the brilliant white carpet it lays over the dull browns. So the snow has inspired me to put in my favorite Christmas CD's, plug in my little Christmas village, light a few candles, and sip a cup of my favorite Chai tea. Aaahh, life is good! I'm sure having all three of my boys outside helps the mood too! The house is quiet! So, wishing you all a peaceful moment in the midst of the Christmas hustle and bustle! (Here's a picture of the snow from my office window.)