here's life

So, this weekend I went to Missouri to see my family. It was an enjoyable time, and helpful to just relax.
Friday we textured a basement. Texturing is pretty cool because you start with a wall, and totally change how it looks using a little mud and even less effort. We had to hurry and finish up in the afternoon because we had a party to go to.  We invited all our friends over for an evening of talking and eating.  A few of them made it, so there was only 109 people there.  I got to talk to a guy about why the sun is not just a ball of incandescent gas, but actually has rocks in it.  I talked to some other people about making a house out of tires and other easily found material. We prayed for Simeon and Janelle and their future, as well as Jess and Robert and Moravia. Eli brought his bicycle-powered ice cream cranker.  There were a bunch of people I didn't know, but many didn't know each other either.

Saturday we just sort of chilled.  8 of us got haircuts, and I came away much less shaggy.  I need to get shorn more often. Jeremy and others worked on a railing in the Upper Room, to keep kids from walking off the edge. It looked really nice, and will look better when it is done.  We talked about me and my future, as well as the futures of the rest of us and how they all could fit together.  I realized that maybe the goal in life wasn't to progress up the corporate stairway, and make more and more money--that has only a scrap of usefulness if you use that money for good, God-glorifying stuff.  Also, it seems that I could look at a broader picture and see many options for my life and work.  While learning to live with less-than-optimal-situations can be helpful, there are alternatives. And I'm not doing much learning. So, maybe I should start taking classes instead of building a house...but I want to build a house!  But maybe later would be better, especially since I still have planning to do.

Sunday we went canoeing after seeing half the crew off.  We didn't paddle very fast, and found an excellent tree to jump from.  The water was just the right temperature, and the sun was shining.  The log was about 15 feet off the water at the top, and the water was about as deep.  We stopped at Paddy Creek for lunch. It has changed alot in the last dozen years. We got home a little later than planned, so I had an excuse to stay another evening, rather than try to make the drive home that night.

Monday I got up and left.  The drive was uneventful except for as I was whiffling down the interstate I suddenly heard this loud whine. It was pretty constant, even as I decelerated and killed the engine as I pulled off.  Ahh, the horn!  So, with it blaring it's woes to the passing cars, I attempted to unplug the wire that fed it.  I could just barely reach it. I hit the steering wheel, and it stopped.  That was helpful, but if I bumped it, it would start going again.  So I found some tools to try to pry off the connection, but to no avail. Eventually I pulled back the cover on the steering wheel and unplugged it from that end.  I continued the drive.  This car needs help.  It is slowly losing pieces of operation, and unless I fix them, eventually I won't have a car anymore.  Actually, it is amazingly reliable. I got it over two years ago, and one time I ran out of gas. Another time I didn't put in water, and it overheated and I had to let it cool and add water. Other than that, it hasn't wavered in carrying me and whatever else, tens of thousands of miles.

After I got back here, it was too late to go to work, but my small group was going to a pool, so I went and hung out and jumped off the diving board. One of the guys was really good, and I made some bad landings trying to copy him.  I think the high board was shorter than the log in the Big Piney, but it bounced better.  After eating, we talked about Hebrews, and prayed for one another. It was a good evening.

Today it was back to work, but I had stories about my weekend for my coworkers, and got some parts dug up that I need to change.  It's not finding parts that is hard---it is narrowing it down to just the parts you need that gives me trouble.  I am coming to the conclusion that often I am looking for problems so I can say "I told you we were sick!" That isn't very healthy. I just need to figure out how to be ok with my life, without becoming delusional. And nerve, I need nerve. Because status quo just ain't good enough.

So, that is what is happening here and there. I enjoy being around my family, each one of them is cool and unique.