Milestones

So in the adventure of posting snippets from my trip to North Carolina last week, I surpassed the "100" mark in blog entries. Specifically, this entry is #103. Wow! I have certainly learned a lot about myself, my friends, and my world by keeping "blog entry" in the back of my mind. Of course, I probably "should" have hit 100 months ago, but, like everyone else, I've hit dry spots along the way. One thing I can certainly be thankful for with this blog is the "blog family" that it is / I am a part of. For those of you outside this circle, the BF is a group of us that are all linked to each other through our blogs here in Atlanta. Some of my closest friends started out as hyperlinks from someone else's blog. In fact, I'm in the habit these days of almost dropping the "blog" from the "blog family" and simply referring to them as my "Atlanta" family. Funny how life turns like that.

Another life turn started a few weeks ago, took a sharp left on Sunday, and is currently quite muddled in its resolution.

I have been a member of my church for almost 8 years. I started out working with some friends on their Habitat project, and eventually decided that I felt comfortable and called to become a member of this particular congregation. Over the years, a great portion of my life has been shaped by events at this church. I became a Youth advisor, which led to being a chaperon on their annual trips, which led to my large-group cooking adventures. I served as an elder, committee chair, and committee member. I was part of the search committee for a new Youth Pastor. Several times, I considered myself to be part of the inner church leadership. I met many great people, found great friends, and found out just how small my world is.

During the reign of "The Evil Empire", I fell away from my church. The Ex-Girlfriend was terrified that my friendships with people at my church might take my focus away from her. And she had other issues...with my church, too. Anyway, for about 8 months I was absent in all form from anything related to my church. One of the most fulfilling events after the breakup was returning to the congregation. I quickly (I thought) jumped back into my old role, even taking on a new role as part of a planning team for an evening contemporary worship service.

Here's where the turns started. A few weeks ago, I began to realize that I no longer have a peer group at my church. The few folks that are close to my age are married with kids, and focused on their families. Everyone else that had been part of that group has long since moved away or found other congregations to be a part of. And the age gap between me and the Youth has finally reached a point where I don't have a connection with them (heck, I'm the same age as some of their fathers!). On top of it all, I can not think of a single person in the congregation with whom I have any sort of friendship or connection outside of the church. All of this led me to start thinking about my role at this church, and whether or not I should think about moving to another church.

We've had some turmoil in the church staff lately which has not helped my thoughts and opinions. Unfortunately, some of the turmoil became personal with some of the folks, and they felt it necessary to, instead of exiting quietly, drag the remaining staff and leadership through the mud on their way out. It hasn't made thing easy. Especially since our Senior Pastor has been on sabbatical since May and not due back until mid-August.

While in NC last week, I came to the point that I would let things ride until the Pastor returned in August, following which I would plan to sit down with him and lay out what I just did above, hoping he might offer me some guidance or insight.

And then Sunday came. About 2:00 in the afternoon, I received my copy of a mass e-mail to the congregation from the Pastor. At first, I thought it might be a letter of healing to address the recent turmoil and ensure that we were still moving forward. Nope. This e-mail was instead his letter of resignation, announcing his intent to step down two weeks after he returns from sabbatical in order to answer a call at another church outside the metro area.

Wham!

Sunday evening, I went to a "board game" party with some friends. The host of the party is actually the Minister of Education (and unofficial Associate Pastor) at another church. A church where a majority of my friends and acquaintances are members. He and I started talking - he wanted to tap my brain about my experiences with the contemporary service and how it might help them as they think about starting their own contemporary service. Hrrmmm. Maybe this is the "sign" from above? Maybe it truly is time to move to another congregation, and this new contemporary service might just be the perfect platform for me to switch to a new church - one that I already have connections with - and jump right into service and leadership. It certainly does offer another element to my thoughts and opinions.

Just to be sure, I've sent off notes to my current Senior Pastor and the Youth Director expressing my concerns. I also plan to visit this new church in the next few weeks. Hopefully, between the anticipated replies from my current church, and the reaction at this new church, I might be able to discern a direction for my faith.

Strollin'

I took some time this afternoon to wander through the main part of
Black Mountain. I grabbed some munchies at the bakery, visited a pet-
supply store (to get some neat Boxer stuff) and an antique store, and
wandered the aisles of an authentic general/hardware store.

Of course, the "small town" bliss only lasted a few hours, then it was
back to the house to cook dinner. So far this week, we've had burgers
and hot dogs, roasted chicken, and a "build your own" burrito bar. And
I just finished prepping 20 pounds of pork roast to become pulled-pork
barbecue tomorrow night. Thursday is spaghetti, and Friday is
leftovers. Yum!

Hope all is well on your end!

Load 'em Up!

So do you wonder what it takes to feed 30 teenagers and 5 adults for a
week? How about $1000 worth of groceries from Sam's? Enough to fill an
Xterra!

But it works out to only $2.20 per person per meal - not bad!

Cheers!

View From The Top

So here's what my first morning in Black Mountain, NC looks like. We had a lot of rain on Sunday, hence the fog and low clouds. But the forecast is for nice weather for the rest of the week, and the morning is certainly shaping up to be that way.

Hope you have a great week!

Random Thoughts

All along the way this weekend, I collected some random quotes and had some random thoughts. There is no order to these, and the quotes have NOTHING to do with the thoughts. And for what it’s worth, remember that these quotes are totally out of context, so let your imagination run wild.

"I'd switch"

Today is my birthday. Although I didn’t do anything special today, I did manage to fill my weekend with some great time spent with amazing friends. I got off work a little early on Friday (after working very late Thursday night), and got together with several folks for dinner at Joe’s on Juniper, followed by a “concerts in the garden” performance at Atlanta Botanical Gardens featuring Shawn Colvin. Saturday, the TNT group got together at Don and Comella’s (Dianne’s parents) house on Lake Arrowhead for a great day together. In addition to boat rides, kayaking, swimming in the lake, playing Rock Band and Apples-to-Apples, laughing, chatting, and having a great time together, we also feasted on Don’s amazing smoked pork, Brunswick stew, spinach-and-artichoke dip, baked beans, and cauliflower salad for lunch, and grilled chicken, roasted veggies, green beans, and a salsa/salad for dinner. And dessert was a tower of cupcakes, topped of with a candle for my birthday. Awesome!

"....and it only has THREE bedrooms!"

I find it incredibly satisfying whenever I realize that I’ve helped create an environment where others around me are so comfortable that they feel like they can do or say whatever they want. For example, one of my cats, Itchy, has discovered what every good dog knows: NOTHING in this world beats a good tummy rub. “Big deal,” you say. But remember that cats are very, very skittish, and their stomachs are where they feel most vulnerable. So for him to roll over and let me rub his belly means he trusts me unconditionally. I’ve found the same thing when I’m around my friends. They are comfortable enough to “be themselves” around me, without fear of judgement or recourse.

"Eric's a big, burly guy."

I’m finding it harder and harder to let go and clear my mind. In the middle of the concert, my mind is racing a thousand miles an hour. What do I need to do in the morning? What is on the schedule for next week? How cool is that sculpture? How could I make one of those myself? How do we get more funding for Atlanta Boxer Rescue? Why does the City of Atlanta so badly want the Dogwood Festival out of Piedmont Park? When do I have time to come back and take pictures? Do I have enough money in my savings account to buy a new camera lens? And so on... I think a “brain purge” is on order soon.

"Talk to the fan"

My company is about to issue a policy prohibiting the use of cell phones and electronic devices while driving on company time, unless a hands-free unit is used. Hooray! Since I got my iPhone, I’ve been using a hands-free headset as often as I can. And I feel so much more comfortable with it. I really wish more companies would follow suit (and maybe a few state governments...). Have you noticed that just about anytime you see somebody interrupting the “flow” of traffic - either by driving too slow, cutting in at the last moment, making a wrong turn, etc. - that they are almost always talking on a cell phone? The situation is getting out of control!

"As a matter of fact, I'm having root canal that night."

I can’t believe the year is already half-way over. Seems like we just had winter and the beginning of the year. Whew. I had a mental “to do” list for some things I wanted to accomplish this year. I don’t think I’ve completed a single thing on that list. I’ve had some fantastic experiences, mind you, and I wouldn’t do it any differently if I had to do it over. I’m just amazed at how quick things have been moving lately.

"This weather certainly brings out the skimpy dresses"

I can’t begin to tell you how blessed I feel to have the friends around me that I do. There was a time, not too long ago, that I was really in the pits and in a bad situation. Among the casualties was the long-standing friendships that I had built up over the years. Thankfully, over the past year or so, I have been able to rebuild some of those old friendships and, more importantly, create some new friendships. Some of the new friendships are stronger and deeper than any that I had before, and I am eternally grateful for that. As much as I love my family and am thankful for them, geography keeps me from spending as much time with them as I want to. Thankfully, my friendships create a second family for me. Thank you!

"Isn't this how those horror movies always start out?"

Friday was one of those rare days where my old career came together with my current career. My old company, where I was a Senior Facility Engineer, is a customer of my new company, where I am a Senior Design Engineer. We have been working lately to grow our business within our existing customers, including my old company. Since I have a lot of experience and knowledge of this company, it made sense for me to be part of the team that was working on growing this business. On Friday, we had the chance to make a sales presentation to that company on one particular product line, and it was successful. Hopefully, that success will translate into sales.

"Chillax"

Atlanta Boxer Rescue is getting out of the starting blocks. On Friday, we began our insurance coverage, and on Saturday, we rescued our first Boxer! We have had some very generous folks make donations over the past week, including some of my friends and family (thank you!!!!). We still need more support, so if you feel so inclined, please go here to help. And thanks for listening to my public service announcement...

"This is along the lines of your 'chunky underwear'"

I hope all is well on your side of the screen. I know I haven’t been as diligent about posting and commenting as I have been in the past. I aim to get caught up here as soon as I can.

Ahhhh!

Hey folks!

Sorry I haven't posted lately. In a gross understatement, let's just say I've been busy. The changes at work that I mentioned a few months ago have resulted (at my own personal direction) in me being much busier than before. That's a good thing, and I've managed to continue to steer my job description in a direction that I want. I don't know too many other people that can say that. And I've even gotten a few "work-from-home" days scattered in there, too. Throw in some travel to Boston and Pittsburgh to with all of that.

Of course, all of you that read this regularly have probably heard by now that Atlanta Boxer Rescue is now officially launched. We have had a good fundraising effort so far, but we need to continue to push. Unfortunately, we can not begin to rescue dogs until our insurance is in place, and we can't get insurance until we have some coins to pay for it. Any chance you can help?

Part of not posting to my blog also means I haven't commented on your blog, either. I'm sorry! Believe me, I have saved all of your new blog entries in my RSS feed, and at some point in the very near future, I'll read and comment on all of them.

Thanks for putting up with me. Talk to you soon!

Backstory: Heroes

Today is Memorial Day, a day set aside to honor those folks who have given their lives for the protection of our country. I thought it would be an appropriate day then to give you the backstory of one of my favorite images:
My friends, Joe and Beth, live in Montgomery, New York. It's a small town up in the Hudson Valley, about an hour north of Manhattan. Every year, on the weekend after Labor Day, the town hosts 'General Montgomery Day' (GMD) to honor their founder. It's a great celebration full of all kinds of small-town events: soapbox derby, carnival rides, arts and crafts, and one of the best parades you could imagine! You see, in the Northeast, the public safety tradition runs strong and deep - generations of fathers and son (and daughters, too!) choose to serve their community as firefighters and police officers. And the parade is the perfect time to put on the Class A uniforms and show their stuff. Almost every firehouse has some sort of antique fire apparatus, and they polish it up and bring it out to the parade.

My first GMD parade was in 2001 - September 8th to be exact. I spent the weekend with Joe and Beth. Thoroughly enjoying myself, it was time to head back to Atlanta. So on September 10th, 2001, I boarded a flight from New York and returned to Atlanta. Of course, we all know where we were the next day. For the guys in the picture, they were quietly hanging out in their firehouse in one of the small towns around the Hudson Valley when the call came in to head to Manhattan and help their firefighter brothers and sisters. When it was all said and done, 343 brave souls lost their lives in the line of duty - many of whom came from the small-town departments.

Fast-forward one year, to September 9th, 2002. It's time again for another GMD parade. The mood is obviously more somber, though much more patriotic. Virtually every firehouse gets a standing ovation worthy of the honor. I tried in vain to capture as many images as I could with my digital camera. After getting back to Atlanta that year, I took some time to review what I captured. And I found these two guys. Dressed in the same call-out gear they wore into the Twin Towers, in scorching end-of-Summer heat, they proudly marched with their flag about 3 paces ahead of their firehouse. You see, they were the survivors of their house - everyone else was new with less than a year of service.

There's no doubt that the men and women of our Armed Forces deserve Memorial Day for all their sacrifice. The men and women of our domestic public safety - firefighters and police - deserve the day, too. So the next time you see a cop or a firefighter, thank them for all they do.

Happy Memorial Day.