You ever have a phone conversation with someone who is excited about this new happening in their life and how it’s going to make a big difference in how they do something and you’ve been there and done that. Well that happened yesterday in an email exchange, except the new happening was something I helped develop back in 2000 and never saw it come to fruitition due to the year 2001. Like anything we plan we are never sure what will become of it and that’s neither here nor there but some become abominations of the original idea and others become, well blessings. Even though I’ve not had any contact other then one evening in 2001, i’ve prayed for this for years. So my response to my friend was not one of ownership but yeah that sounds cool because I was only a fleeting idea in the big picture and it’s become something that I trust God intended it to be.
I’ve been in a discussion about mondagreen’s the last few days. When I listened to Saturday In The Park, I always throught they said, “you instead of I”. Well that’s a minor one’s when considering I’ve been reminded of complete rewrite of lyrics due to my fine hearing. But I digress… This last weekend was a weekend of rest… well it was suppose to be. The last thing I need right now is rest.. I need to be working out, watching what I’m eating and take better care of myself. And that was my plan.. and I stuck to it a little. We spent Friday out on the Pedernales River just relaxing and eating like any good 4th of July. Laura took this amazing photo of PipSqueak (Piper) for which she stopped and bought sparklers just for her to see this beautiful little girls reaction. What an amazing photo.
Saturday we looked at houses and found a perfect one in great neighborhood in North Austin which has been meticulously taken care of by an older couple who have lived their for 30 years. It’s in walking distance of the first place we met, our favorite coffee house, a future rail station and around the corner from her brother Damon. It’s perfect. So the mind starts racing on how we can make this happen. Can we afford to have two houses for a little over a year, after which I can rent mine out. So what was to be a relaxing weekend, automatically became stressful. I’m not use to a lot of stress. When things become stressful I’ve learned to either ignore it or just hope it would go away. When you live on your own for so long you don’t have to deal with it. Before I dealt with stress the wrong way, then I learned to deal with it in a healthy way then I went back to unhealthy by just ignoring it. The problem is I’m not alone anymore. So it’s back to learning…but mostly it’s back to praying. I want this house. We shall see.
We celebrated Anna & Cameron’s birthdays Saturday. Actually there is a whole flock of birthdays over the next few weeks. Cameron turned 19 and Anna 20 and you can see by the picture they get along splendidly. Actually they do. Last night we celebrated Sylvia’s birthday in grand style but let me tell you eating cake ain’t helping my weight loss :).
Meshing families can be touchy but so far I can’t imagine it going any smoother. We continue to trust God with this, and continue to leave our hands off of it and not try to expect everyone to act a certain way. There will be hiccups along the road but so far……it’s amazing.
On another note my nieces are coming to visit in a few weeks… woo hoo. I’m so looking forward to their visit.
Laura and I have an adopted daughter, though not legally Grace is someone we make part of our lives. She has known Laura for many years and though she is from Alabama she goes to school in Austin. Grace had the opportunity to play at the New Folk Ballad Tree at the Kerrville Folk Festival which is a huge honor. She is tremendously gifted and someday if you love folk music you’ll know of Grace. Here is a sampling of her music when she played at The Warehouse at Journey (aka church).
* Cameron use to be teased by his brothers that he was adopted, so he used to say I’m a doctor…
It started a few weeks back but to put it in honest perspective it’s been going on for a while. I’m traveling more then I like to and since then I’m feeling out of sorts and out of place. The only thing that keeps me going is the people at the end of most of these trips.
Due to some changes at work I’ve had to spend quite a few months in the Rio Grande Valley, which really isn’t a valley but a very large flood plain. So I find myself flying in and out of Harlingen on Monday’s and Friday’s. But trying to be the good son I went to So. Cal. on Mother’s Day weekend which was a blast and then up to Abilene on Tuesday and Wednesday (It was good to have dinner with Cole). Thursday was the coolest trip to Sea World I’ve ever had (like 20 years between trips) in which a duck bit Cameron’s lip (photo later) and we took a combined family trip (minus the middle children) together. It was great and I had a wonderful time. By now I’m wasted from few hours sleep and lo and behold I plan a 6:30 am flight to Nashville with Brandon to see an old (as when she was in the youth group) student of mine get married just over the border in Alabama (sounds like a nice song title or a Rick Bragg book title). We met up with my college room mate James Bristol and beautiful wife Joyce and then over to Flying Saucer to have a pint with Lucas. Finally getting to Murpfreesboro to be with my Sister and her family. I missed a few people but hopefully will catch up with them July 4th weekend.
Well after finally getting home past midnight from Nashville, i raced home to do laundry so I could head out Monday to Harlingen. I’m back home this Thursday evening and then Friday head to Las Vegas for a weekend with Family specifically to see cirque du soleil, love show. We arrive back on Sunday night then I’m driving back to Harlingen on Monday evening.
Traveling can be fun if your going to some exotic place but the RG Valley is not exotic especially when it’s 97 degrees outside and humid. The traveling will probably slow down a little bit in the next few weeks oh wait, i’ve got to go to Dallas and Abilene over the next few weeks. Never mind.
Okay what would cause a couple to leave a Steve Earle concert. Well how about a sore back, a runny nose and a cough. Steve Earle was playing at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, which in itself is a great place to see a concert but not when you just don’t feel well. I might have made it through the whole gig if it wouldn’t have had an opening act. Allison Moorer is Steve’s 7th wife (he’s only 53). As a nicer guy then me said in the men’s room after her set, “just because he married her we shouldn’t have to have her forced upon us”. Her claim to fame is she’s Shelby Lynne’s sister and of course is married to Steve. Her new album is covers of others which makes sense because her music is the same monotonous drone (Shelby is releasing covers of Dusty Springfield songs soon), but yet I haven’t listened to it since it also probably kept Buddy Miller out of the studio as he produced this album for her (ok it doesn’t help that he’s playin guitar for Robert Plant and Allison Kraus). She did a cover of Joni’s Mitchell “Both Sides Now” which was the highlight of her set. Steve came on and played solo acoustic material until his DJ joined him, and though I really enjoyed the music my body won and Laura and I took off and enjoyed the rest of our great Sunday evenings together with me leaving every Monday morning.
Pierce Pettis played a few songs at church Sunday. His song “You Move Me” was written when he didn’t have his kids one Christmas after his divorce. It reminded me of the first Thanksgiving without the boys, a few tears flooded up as he sang, and though I wish I could say I felt like Pierce, I didn’t, I knew God was with me but I was angry at the circumstances. It took me a while but I was dancing and singing soon enough. Also over the next few years Pierce’s children Grace and George will probably be releasing their first albums, they are immensely talented like their father.
NP: nothing playin just sitting in the hospital waiting on a grandbaby to present itself to the world.
UPDATE: Piper is 9.1 lbs and 21″ long momma and baby are doing great. The last pregnancy photos are located at:
I was driving by the McAllen airport this morning and was wondering why there were police cars all over the place and took a left towards our valley office and saw the people lining the fence of the airport and the camera crews. Where this video was filmed was my vantage point at .32 seconds when driving by. I pulled into the mall parking lot and watched for about ten minutes. I couldn’t keep my eyes dry and was deeply moved by the ceremony.
Joseph Rubio was part of a group of 4 that pushed the number of dead in Iraq to over 4000. I don’t care how you feel but this is wrong.
