A lot to say

I apologize it's been so long since I updated this. Life has just sort of gotten busy, to the point where all I could do was hold on and enjoy the ride.

Some of the quick high points:

The other Unix Admin on my team quit back in February to travel Africa for a year, simply because he was almost 40 years old and if he didn't do it now, he never would. (You can enjoy his travel blog here.) Since then, I have basically been a one-man 24/7 support operation for almost 50 servers. We finally hired a replacement this month, but I am still bearing the brunt of the work until he gets up to speed. Hopefully, things will lighten up by the end of the year.

I've been doing a lot of work on the house. Between painting the "pink room" (it was the Disney paint color "Satin Ribbon" when we bought the house) a much nicer pale yellow, replacing the roof and gutters, redoing the bathroom, and preparing to paint the rest of the house, I've not had much in the way of free time. In the past month, I've also had to take time to work on my car, because both the alternator and the clutch went out on me (at different times). Fortunately, I was able to get the parts and do both repairs myself (for a fraction of the cost of having a mechanic do it).

Gwen and I also got a puppy back in May. She's a hound mix named Kaylee (we changed the name from the abominable "May Apple" that she came with), and is now about 7 months old. She likes to get into a lot of trouble (including a NY strip steak that I was about to cook for a friend's birthday dinner), but she's really a delight to have in our home. I am so glad that we were able to buy a home with a fenced-in yard. It's been a life saver with her.

However, the biggest news is something that I am really looking forward to. Last week, Gwen and I went for our Level II Ultrasound and discovered that we are going to have a son! We are due on or about February 9-10, 2011! I promised that I would let people know within a year or so of when we got pregnant, and here we are. I'll update with pictures as they become available.

And yes, I fully recognize that my sisters are both eagerly awaiting the opportunity to watch me handle my own kids. I've gotten so much delight from watching them deal with their progeny that turnabout is fair play.

In any case, I need to get back to work, but I did want to get this written up before I let it slide (yet again).

It's a Crazy Life

It seems like every time I post, I start by apologizing for not posting. Sorry, but that's life.

I'm still alive and kicking. A lot has happened, and yet it seems like I'm still right where I was before.

I'm still waiting for the final approval on the house, still waiting for the wedding, and still dealing with things day-to-day. I'm starting to get impatient at the wait. Like Inigo Montoya, "I hate waiting."

Darn it, I don't want to wait another month for my house. I don't want to wait another 75 days to get married (but who's counting). I don't want to be patient. I just want to be able to move forward with everything.

But, all in all, life is good. Yesterday, Gwen and I went to Cabell's Mill and took our engagement pictures. My old friend Meghan borrowed my camera and took the pictures for us (and it only cost me a grilled cheese sandwich, some tomato soup, and some ice cream). She did a phenomenal job, and really brought out the beauty of Gwen's hair. I will try to post some of the pictures later today.

We hope to have the announcements ready to mail in a week or three, but I am in the process of verifying addresses. If I haven't contacted you already to verify your mailing address, and you want to be sure to get one, drop me an email.

That about covers everything for now. I will endeavor to post more often in the future.

I'm a Lucky Man

Yesteday was a very good day, for many reasons.

First, I have a ratified contract on a house!

It's not the same house that I mentioned last time (I missed out on that one and one other in the past month), but it's a very good one. It's a 3 bed, 2 bath house on 1/6 acre, with a decent-sized kitchen and a master bedroom suite.

Its location puts me only 15-20 minutes away from work, as compared to the hour-long commute that I have now. It's even right down the street from one of the 6 elementary schools that I attended as a kid.

It has a small, wood-framed shed in the back that I can convert into a decent workshop. It even has electricity wired to the shed!

Now, admittedly, it does have its own share of problems. For example, when they added an addition, they built the laundry room just inside the master bedroom when it would have been trivial to put it in the same place, but be accessible from the dining room. But that will be an easy fix (cut a hole in one wall for a door, and build a wall where there is an opening now). The main bathroom also has a faux tile, fiberglass backstop for the tub/shower area. I'd need to replace that with some real tile when I have the time. The attic is perfect for a lot of storage, but it will need insulationm but that's relatively easy to do.

Most important of all, it is a place where I could raise a family. It has enough room to let me go a good 5-10 years before I'm likely to need a bigger house. It's in a quiet neighborhood with good schools (the same schools that several of my cousins attended, actually), and it's close to a lot of good, wholesome activities.

It's a short sale, which means that the seller's bank needs to approve the offer (and that can take several weeks), but if all goes well, I will be in my own home by July.

Second, I got to spend a wonderful evening at the Temple doing baptisms for several of my own ancestors. I met my girlfriend and her father up there after work (she was already there as a Temple worker, and he had just finished a session), and I got baptize her for 12 of my ancestors, and I was baptized for another 12. Her father then confirmed both of us for those ancestors.

This was only the third time in my memory that I have had the opportunity to do baptisms for my ancestors, and it is always a powerful experience. I was reminded of the first time, about 10 years ago. I had just taken out my own Endowment a week or so earlier, and my father, sister, and I went one Friday night to do the family baptisms. I got to baptize Mer for 10 ancestors, then our father baptized me for the rest. It was such an incredible experience. To me, it ranks right up there with the day that my brother was ordained a Priest by our father, and then he stood up, walked around the chair, and ordained me a Deacon.

Just in general, life is good. I have a good (albeit busy), stable job. I am buying a house that I can call my own. I have a beautiful, intelligent, witty, and charming girlfriend (which is another story completely, but will have to wait until later). I am reminded of the last verse and chorus of Montgomery Gentry's song "Lucky Man":

Got some friends who would be here fast
I could call em any time of day
Got a brother who's got my back
Got a mama who I swear's a saint
Got a brand new rod and reel
Got a a full week off this year
Dad had a close call last spring
It's a miracle he's still here

But I know I'm a lucky man
God's given me a pretty fair hand
Got a house and a piece of land
a few dollars in a coffee can
My old truck's still running good
My ticker's tickin' like they say it should
I got supper in the oven, good woman's loving
And one more day to be my little kid's dad
Lord, knows I'm a lucky man

My old trucks still running good
My ticker's ticking like they say it should
I got supper in the oven, a good woman's loving
And even my bad days ain't that bad
Yeah, I'm a lucky man
I'm a lucky lucky man

I truly am a very lucky man.