Blue Collar Week 1

Well this has been a long week. It was really hard adjusting to the new work time and the commute, but I made it through. I have been working hard, but I am not sure if that has caused me to lose weight yet, my tummy is smaller but my arms are larger. It takes a lot to pull 800ft of cable through an overhead pipe...
Through this whole experience, I am learning the value of having good friends and a great family. I have had so much support and encouragement these past 2 weeks, that it really has not been as hard as I thought it would be.
So a huge thanks to all my family and friends who have supported me through this, I know that I could not have made it without you. An even huger thanks goes to my wife for putting up with my tired and cranky butt this week. She has been nothing but encouraging and that makes it just a little easier to get up at 4:30.
But the biggest thanks possible goes to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Without His strength and His ability to take all my worries and cares off my shoulders, I know that I would have resorted to drinking or drugs to take away the pain, disappointment, fear, and confusion. My biggest hope for coming through this tough time is that I can have the opportunity to show the love and power of Jesus to at least one person. If one person meets Jesus, then this was all worth it, and I would do it again, just to have one more for Jesus. As we sang in church this morning, "I am nothing, without You."
The message this morning was also incredible. I think the notes are up, and the audio should be up Wednesday. Check out Smokey Point Community Church for the message on assurance of salvation.

PTL!

Well I have a job.
It may not be permanent, in fact I may not be able to handle it, but I have something to do. I get to start at 6:00am, and since it is an hour away, I will be up at 4:30am. I will also be working 10 hour shifts, so I will avoid traffic in the morning, but not in the evening.
BUT! It is a job that will pay some bills for now.
So don't stop praying! This may be where God wants me, and this may be a holding place.
Thanks again for all your support.

Life As I Know It

So as of Monday morning at 8:02am, I am unemployed.
The recession caught up to my company, and since I was the only expense each month, I had to go. So now I am looking for my next adventure.
There is a good chance that I can start working for a company who runs the cables for schools and commercial buildings. That has the potential to start Aug 4th.
This will be the place for any and all updates, so comment the heck out of it, and check back every few days.
I thank you for your prayers and support, I know that with my family and friends beside me and my God carrying me, we will make it through.

Download my Resume

Little Bro Rockin

Although I missed it, thanks to the power of a little known site, Youtube, you can watch my little bro play the guitar like a rock hero. (He is the one in the striped shirt from the clearance rack of the goodwill... wonder where he got that idea from... see post at the beginning of May)





Paul, we are proud of you and we like your hair the way you have it now, even though you think the lady at Fantastic Sams screwed it up. We tried to warn you about those $3.99 coupons!

Unplugging

Well I have been a little busy with my friend from Denmark visiting at the same time my mom was here, and that has kept me from blogging.
Besides the fun of shooting fireworks, there has not been a whole lot of news around here.
The only thing to talk about is our unplugging our television from DirecTV. We have loved all their services and I have nothing bad to say about them, we are just looking for ways to cut costs so I can afford to drive to work and feed my kids. After having the account on hold for a few months, we realized that we do not miss TV. We still have our DVD player and a Netflix subscription that allows us to watch some things on our computer, but instead of turning on the tube, we are playing more games (mostly Mario Kart!) and spending more time with our kids. We are also going to downgrade our phone to the basic service, without caller ID! I know some of you are screaming heresy, but we can save $12 a month, and that gets me almost 3 gallons of gas, which is 3 more days I can drive to work. Coraly will just have to screen calls with the answering machine like they did in the old days.
I know that this downturn in the economy will not last forever, and I am not too worried yet, but for now, if I see a way I can save a few bucks, I will do it. I am also looking for ways to pull a little more cash into my pockets. You can also visit my ebay page, where I am selling my left and right appendix.

Flippin Hot

I know that the San Diego crowd will not sympathize with me, but here near Seattle it got to 91.7 degrees today! We have not had anything over 80 this year.
I spent the day driving around without air conditioning because we never need it up here. Yesterday it was pointed out to me that I had a very flat tire, and I noticed that except for being flat, the rest of my tires were not in much better shape. So I hopped on Craigslist and found 4 tires, in my size (38 slim...) for $70. I was super excited and drove the 45 minutes in the heat to get them. Then after nearly separating my shoulder using the tire iron to get my flat tire off, I discovered that the new rims were for a bigger Chevy and would not fit by about a 1/4". After kicking my car off the jack, then getting it back on, I called Walmart and they offered to patch my tire for a mere $9.50 and 3 hours of my day. I was smart enough to come home and play in the pool while my tire was being repaired. I also let my girls in when I was done skinny dipping...


We made it back from Wallyworld, with a few popsicles to cool off our insides and I returned my shoulder to its proper position while putting my old tire on. I still will need tires soon, and I am fortunate enough to have a friend who has the machines to put tires on rims and balance them too. So it was not a total waste.
We also went to church this morning, and had an awesome sermon on worship and how even though we usually feel better after worship, that is not the point. It is something that is not for us, it is for the glory of God and his Kingdom. The audio is usually up by Wednesday, and I highly recommend you all listen to it. You can find it at www.smokeypointcommunitychurch.org.
Well I am sweating from all this typing, so I am heading back to the pool.

Manly Men

Last weekend I had a BBQ with the small group I am in through my church. We got to hang out, eat meat, and play golf. It was Montana Golf, but that was as close as we could get on our budget...

It is a true blessing to be part of a group filled with such Godly men. They strengthened me and encouraged me in my dark times. I always looked forward to Wednesday nights, and I cannot wait until we start up again in September.

Left to Right: Kenny, Me, Greg, Dave, Doug, and Curt... Curt! Where are you?

Thanks to the guys for a great year, and sticking through the lessons. Also thanks to all the wives for supporting us and blessing us with our "guy time".

Also, my brother is doing awesome, in fact he will be going back to work after the July 4th weekend. Less than 4 weeks after having a mechanical heart valve surgery... Many thanks for all the prayers, God is good, and God is great.

(The slide show in the past post has been updated)