Overdue Update

It has been a while since either one of us has posted an update, and keeping this thing up is something that I want to do. Kris is asleep, and I am restless thinking about work matters and other things. So rather than fret and toss and turn, I'll write for a while until I get tired and fall asleep. I hope that mentality does not rub off on any potential readers--"I'll just read until I fall asleep"--so I'll try to keep it interesting.

The biggest news item since our last update is that I'm gonna be a dad! Harry's biological father decided to reliquish his parental rights, and I will be adopting Harry soon. We are all excited, and I am looking forward to making it official, even though I have felt like a dad to Harry for a long time. We are a family no matter what, but I am excited about making it official.

The house is coming along well. Kris spent a lot of time working last week, hanging and staining closet doors and a door to the yellow room. I was out of town at a continuing education opportunity, and when I returned, I was blown away by the progress! I know I;m not very good at expressing that, but I hope Kris knows that I was most impressed, and am glad that my wife is handier than I am :^)

Work stuff is keeping me busy. I am continuing to work on updated policy and procedures manuals, a construction project, a trail project, and a couple of grants, all the while trying to fend off attacks. I am grateful for my job, but it causes an inordinate amount of stress to work hard and be met with unappreciative and vindictive people. I suppose I had fair warning, but it is still hard!

Harry was in a Christmas Parade this past weekend with his scout troop, and Kris and I enjoyed watching the parade, selectively picking up candy, and freezing. We even saw a few stray snowflakes! We also attended a Christmas Tree Lighting Service in our Town, which was a fun event, and has been a bright spot in a busy stressful week.

This time of year is extremely busy and stressful, and I think it is compounded by the fact that we are newlyweds trying to still adjust to living with each other and being a family. Even given the stress though, I have had several opportunities presented this Christmas season to pause and reflect on the real importance of Christmas, family, love, hope, and other important themes. The pastor's sermons the past couple of Sundays still linger in my mind, and the message that the speaker gave at a luncheon I attended today was certainly poignant. I pick on Kris alot because she has an innate ability to detect "different people"--people that for some reason or another stood out as if there was something special about them, or something that she was supposed to hear or see via divine intervention, the universe, etc. Lately, I guess I am noticing the same things, or at least reflecting more on what I do notice. I think it's neat how God works sometimes!

I am glad to have my car back! I hit a deer two nights before our wedding, and it had been in the shop for over a month. I enjoyed driving my mom's car, but it was good to have my car back!

I have gotten back into doing the crosswords in the paper during my spare time, and when I am on the phone on business calls at work. I used to enjoy them a lot, but quit doing them for a couple of years. Don't know why I started doing them again, but they are fun, and stimulate my thinking.

I enjoyed hanging out with my brother this past week while I was out of town on business. Got to eat dinner with him and friends one night, and crashed at his place one night after having dinner with him, his roommate, and our parents. That was a lot of fun, and I enjoy getting to hang out during those slowmotion times in our otherwise fast paced lives.

Boston Legal has become my new favorite television show lately. Kris and I have been watching episodes on DVD before bed, and they are addicting!

That's all I can think of for now. There are other things I would like to blog about, but it is getting late, and I need to blog more regularly instead of lumping everything together in a long post.

I'm off to bed to sleep and get ready for another day of fun at work tomorrow!