The Race for the White House

Without trying to get too political here, I wanted to make sure my readers were aware of one of the lesser known presidential candidates. I am very impressed with former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, even though I think his chances of winning this upcoming election are pretty slim. My hope is this campaign will allow him the exposure to be able to mount a great run in 4 years. Who knows, he might just surprise a lot of people this time around.

Check out this clip on see his awesome response to a question about creation vs. evolution in one of the debates....

Choices

I have been wanting to post about Apple's announcement last week about their new iPods, so here goes...

My current iPod is going to be three years old in December (I also have a new iPod Shuffle that I use for running) and I'm getting close to "needing" a new one. Three years for an electronic device is pretty old, so, I've been thinking this holiday season I'm due for an update. Much to my delight last week, Apple announces two completely new iPod models, in time for the holiday shopping season. Choices!

First, I am very excited about the new "Touch" iPod. It is basically the iPhone without the phone. Similar in size, only slimmer, it has the same large 3.5 inch screen. While not as small as the new Nano, it is still pretty light (4.2 oz) and very, very slim. The Touch comes in 8GB and 16GB editions and is priced $299 and $399 respectively.

My other option is the brand new Nano iPod, nicknamed the fatty. This is also a really cool new iPod that retains the basic look of the past generation iPods, but is drastically smaller in size. It is very, very small with a great screen, though small (2 inch). The Nano comes in 4GB and 8GB versions and is priced $149 and $199 respectively.

Choices. The good news is I have several months to decide.

I just heard that stores are already getting some of the new iPods in!

Washing Machine Update

We got a new machine installed late yesterday afternoon! I want to thank Rick, of Walters Appliance Service, for all the help and patience he gave us through this.

I Couldn't Believe It!

I came home last night from work to a sight I thought I would never, ever see - Macy had taken apart our washing machine!

For those of you who do not know my wife very well, this is sooooooo out of her character, and even more important, so out of her skill set! I had to just pause and take a mental picture of the whole thing when I walked in the door. So, you ask, "why was Macy taking apart the washing machine?"

We've been having problems with our washing machine lately, so, yesterday, Macy called our friend who has a local appliance company and described the problem. He was gracious enough to try and diagnosis the problem over the phone. He told her "Mark can do some things when he gets home and we can determine whether it's going to be worth fixing or we should replace it." By doing this step ourselves we would save a service call fee.

Well, Macy decided, through some coaxing of our friend, that she could do it right then and there and he proceeds to walk her through the process. The fact that Macy was willing to do this is huge in and of itself. The fact that she was able to pull it off is even more remarkable. Macy has no mechanical inclinations whatsoever. None.

So, my hat is off to Macy, who took apart our washing machine and saved us the cost of a service call, and who, after 20 years of marriage, is still able to surprise me!

Letting Go of My Baggage

God did some really cool stuff yesterday at McGregor.

• Our pastor's series "Baggage Claim" continues to challenge people where they are hurting. It's cool to see folks responding and making commitments to let go of their baggage and trust God. My favorite thought so far in the series: "when I'm in control is when I am most out of control." Good stuff.
• People making life-changing decisions in all of our worship services! God is doing some awesome stuff in people's lives.
  
• The lesson I taught in my class yesterday was "stop worrying...start trusting." Very cool how it went right along with the sermon series.
• God was/is challenging me to let go of something that I've been holding on to a little too tightly lately. Man, I hate when I have to make application. :)
• We had a great leadership meeting yesterday with about 80 of our adult SS leaders. I love being around our adult volunteer team. Lots of energy.
  
• I have the privilege of working with an incredible adult leadership staff team (Dan, Tod, Shawn, Wade). You guys are awesome and a joy to serve Jesus with!

It's going to be an awesome week!

Back to the Real World

Macy and I have enjoyed our time down here at Lover's Key.

• Last night we ate at Flipper's. Flipper's is next door to where we are staying and is located right on the bay. All seating is outdoors on the deck. We had a beautiful view and the seafood was scrumptious.
  
• Yesterday morning we spent several hours down by the pool. The weather was perfect and the sunshine and breeze was a perfect blend.
• I got my 3 mile run in this morning. Even running seemed more fun over here on the beach.
• Now we got to pack and head on home.

Back to the real world.

He's gunking up our nature!

Macy and I made our getaway yesterday to Lover's Key, just south of Ft Myers Beach.

We're staying on Lover's Key in a condo of some dear friends. How relaxing it's been so far. I was up in time this morning to watch a beautiful sunrise from our balcony. God's creation is so incredible. I spent an hour on the balcony reading my Bible and praising Him for His greatness.

Late yesterday afternoon we went over to Carl E Johnson park area and walked on the beach (until some lightning in the distance scared Macy). While leaving the beach area via the boardwalk, we noticed muddy footprints. They were left by a guy we passed as we were getting on the boardwalk. You could tell he had been fishing along some of the back bay areas. After realizing he was the one who left the muddy prints, Macy delivered my favorite quote yesterday by saying "He's gunking up our nature."

We decided to eat in last night so dinner was "gourmet" frozen pizzas just before the game kicked off. And speaking of the game...

People told me the games would take on a whole new meaning as a fantasy football team owner. And they were right! I was quite into the game last night with 3 of my players involved. Joseph Addai produced 19 points for me and I brought in a total of 26. That seems pretty good for 3 of my nine starter. We'll see. I'm playing against Gerald Malloy this weekend (the only one in our league who has done Fantasy Football before). It would be a pretty big upset if I beat him. You're going down Gerald!

Gotta go wake up Macy...

Lot's Going On...

The day is off to a great start...here's what's rumbling around in my brain on Thursday morning...

• Macy and I are getting a away today for a little 3 day, 2 night stay out at the beach. Yeah!!!!
• I just finished a sub 24 minute 3 mile run. Oooooh, that feels good!
• Alfred Peet, founder of Peet's Coffee, passed away last week. Peet's is my favorite coffee.
• The NFL kicks off tonight along with my first Fantasy Football weekend.
• I'm still thinking about those Shrimp & Grits. Sorry Kelly.
• I'm looking forward to finishing several books and maybe even starting a new one this weekend.
• Did you see the new iPods (touch & nano) announced yesterday!!! Oh my!!!!!!!
  
• I'm glad yesterday is over (I crammed 4+ days of work into 2, pretty intense).
• I am so looking forward to spending a ton of time with Macy this weekend!
  

Got to go pack and get out of here.