Just Me & the Dog

This was a great week.  I cut out a bunch of dead shrubs and limbs from the the front of the house, something that had needed doing for a while. I spent quality time with my beautiful wife.  My son took me to see Inception (I thought it was excellent, if a little long).  Justin Bundschuh, one of the old Spooky Tuesday gang, left a comment here that truly touched me, and his dad Rick e-mailed me an advance copy of his new book to read.  My best friend from middle school forward, Steve Semmler, called from Ohio.   I continued to hear from lots of old friends (Darek Newby, Jamie Robinson, Caitlin Esry) as they follow this blog.   Amy Grant is now following me on Twitter (that may be the coolest sentence I have ever written!).  I got to eat lunch at the Super Asian Buffet- trust me, it's a big deal.  I had some great prayer time.  It was just a killer week.

Life changes fast.  This morning at 5:07 AM Marilyn and Will took our car and headed off for two weeks vacation.  They will visit her family in NC, and then go with her 2 sisters, her niece (and her 3 kids) and her Mom to Myrtle Beach for 5 days.  It is a vacation they both need and deserve, and I am so glad they get to go.  It does, however, make for an interesting two weeks for me...and the dog (Just look at him.  Doesn't he looked depressed?).  You may remember our decision to get by with one car.  That means I am car-less for the next 12 days.  My mastery of the Tampa bus system aside (LOL), I will be spending a lot of time around the house.  I have purchased the groceries.  I have toilet paper.  There is plenty of dog food and lots of Beggin' Strips.  I am ready.  Conner the dog is not so sure...

There was a time, when life was very busy and full of people who needed things from me, when two weeks of just me & the dog would have seemed like paradise.  Now- well, not so much.  I will miss my family so much- just like I miss all of the students who used to be around our home on a regular basis.  But there are some "silver linings" to this dark cloud.  I get control of the remote from Will, and there will be much watching of my beloved Tampa Bay Rays.  I will stay up for Letterman, and sleep a little later than Marilyn's standard 5:45 AM wake-up alarm.  I can definitely see viewings of The Big Chill and Anchorman in my future (Scratch that- they took Anchorman!!!  Arggggg!).  I will cook more, pray more, clean more, walk more, read more and write more.  I will take more time to "be still and know..."  I may even break out the guitar more.  But I will still have lots and lots of free time, so if you have been hankerin' to come to Tampa, this is a really good time for a visit...    And if you want to help keep me entertained, it's a great couple of weeks for phone calls, comments and e-mails.

So today, I count my many blessings and pray for buses that run on schedule.  I pray for my family as they travel.  And I begin to plan how to spend my 12th month of writing this blog.  One month from tomorrow will mark one year (and that was my goal; every day for one year), and I want this last month to be special, including stories from all of my stops along the way.  This coming week will feature more stories of events from the Kissimmee years.  So get ready, and keep reading.  Have a blessed Sabbath, and let me hear from you!

Because of Jesus,