Heard from an old friend tonight - a blast from the past for sure! Hadn't seen her in years but she told me she'd been catching up with me on this blog. Great to hear from her.
Well, my daughter and son have started their school years. So far so good!
Tomorrow night I'll "run the Italian Heritage Festival" which has been a tradition these last 12 years. All that means is, I'll go to downtown Clarksburg after dark and run Main Street, which will be lit up and busy with folks setting up for the Festival which is this weekend. Friday, the Court House will close at noon, I'll probably go "eat on the street" since the vendors will be set up, and then we'll head for Charleston. Ethan and I will be running the Regatta 5k there and try to get back to watch WVU's first game of the season on TV. Then Sunday after church I'm kidnapping my wife for our annual anniversary getaway :)
Right at the end of the campaign, I attended a dinner with a "silent auction" and I won an overnight at a great place not far from here. So that's our destination - but it's a secret from her so can't say any more about it right now -
It's been a pretty good week so far! Getting up earlier to get the boy to school, and getting to the office earlier, has been good!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Light at the end of the tunnel
Sure have enjoyed watching some Olympics this week. The 4x200 relay in men's swimming was incredible, with Lezak (32 years old) swimming the last leg and breaking a world record for splits, and just out-touching the Frenchman who previously had held the world record and who was way ahead of him until the last few strokes. Especially since the French publicly had promised to smash the Americans! Enough to inspire anyone -
I'm beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Yesterday was three months post-Election. I still don't know what I'll be doing, for sure, but the thought of doing my own thing is taking shape better. I finished the week-long Family Court mediation training and really enjoyed it - mediating is one option which would be good for me and might produce some income. It's also encouraging to find out that a number of jobs are open or are becoming open - I've put in an application or two and have had some nice comments in return.
Summer is winding down - just a couple more weeks until my daughter starts her junior year of college and my son enters middle school. Yikes! Not sure I'm ready for either -
I'm beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Yesterday was three months post-Election. I still don't know what I'll be doing, for sure, but the thought of doing my own thing is taking shape better. I finished the week-long Family Court mediation training and really enjoyed it - mediating is one option which would be good for me and might produce some income. It's also encouraging to find out that a number of jobs are open or are becoming open - I've put in an application or two and have had some nice comments in return.
Summer is winding down - just a couple more weeks until my daughter starts her junior year of college and my son enters middle school. Yikes! Not sure I'm ready for either -
Friday, August 8, 2008
8.8.08
The Olympics start today - I always look forward to watching them. Should be especially interesting this year since they're in Beijing. I hope things really are getting better there in the human rights arena...
Our friends, Pastor Andre and Mme. Justine Jean from Haiti, are our guests this weekend.
I finished the 40 hour Family Mediation Training seminar today and it was an enjoyable week. Definitely glad I completed it - working as a mediator is definitely a possibility for the future, not as an entire career certainly but as a part.
More and more things seem to be coming open so we will see. I'm sure I've used that phrase "we will see" more than once in this blog - sorry about that but it fits --
I realized this week that I have just a bit over four more months on the bench. Less than a week from now will be three months past the election - amazing -
Everyone out there, enjoy your 8.8.08 --
Our friends, Pastor Andre and Mme. Justine Jean from Haiti, are our guests this weekend.
I finished the 40 hour Family Mediation Training seminar today and it was an enjoyable week. Definitely glad I completed it - working as a mediator is definitely a possibility for the future, not as an entire career certainly but as a part.
More and more things seem to be coming open so we will see. I'm sure I've used that phrase "we will see" more than once in this blog - sorry about that but it fits --
I realized this week that I have just a bit over four more months on the bench. Less than a week from now will be three months past the election - amazing -
Everyone out there, enjoy your 8.8.08 --
Monday, August 4, 2008
King Tut's and Church
Forgot - we celebrated the boys' birthday at a great hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Knoxville called "King Tut's." The owner, Mo, was quite the funny guy! I'll write more about him later. For now, let's just say King Tut's is a very worthy successor to Senor Taco! After dinner, we went to a 10:50 showing of "The Dark Knight." All of us had seen it at least once except Ethan, and he was fine with it. Didn't get to bed till about 2:00 Sun. a.m. and barely got up in time for church - a great service at my son's church, Redeemer. Last Sunday, there was a nationally-covered church shooting at the Universalist Unitarian Church in Knoxville and it turns out a fellow killed there was the father of a member of my son's church - an eerie feeling to think that something like that happened just a few miles from where Christopher and Alice were worshipping at the same time - I've been praying for the U.U. congregation this week and now have a name to add to that -
Mediation
For a long time, I've been in favor of we Family Court Judges being required to complete mediation training. We have to send so many litigants to mediation, how could it not make us more effective in our jobs? Anyway, with my loss in the election, I decided to go ahead and attend myself. Depending on how things play out between here and Jan. 1, it may be beneficial in more ways than one for me to have qualification as a Family Court mediator!
Today was the first day of a five-day training program in Morgantown and it was enjoyable. I'm looking forward to the rest! I was a bit tired today - we didn't get home from Knoxville until after midnight, We left my son's apartment yesterday at 3:45 and by 5:45 we hadn't gone 20 miles - all the result of a major tractor-trailer accident/spill before noon yesterday which tied up traffic in a rather major way - obviously - hope no one was hurt -
Had a great time in Knoxville and looking forward to the next time with the whole crew! Since I'm in Morgantown each day this week, all day and in addition I have evening meetings tomorrow and Thursday, I'm taking #2 son Cameron and his wife to dinner tomorrow during my break.
We've gotten some major lawn work done this past week which is great. Our two huge spruce trees got a much-needed pruning, the grass is mowed and today I got my new "Garden Groom" trimmer in the mail. We've got some bushes - one especially - in desperate need of some major trimming. I may give that a shot this weekend, although our Haitian pastor Andre Jean and his wife Justine will be here for their once-a-year visit so it'll be very busy - we'll see -
Looking at about a dozen jobs as of now - not surpisingly, my interest level varies rather widely from one to another - but it is encouraging that so many things seem to be open right now -
Can't wait for The Amazing Race and Survivor to come back on the air! Should be next month. In the meantime - I'll have to content myself with the Olympics. I am looking forward to them - they start this Friday, 8/8/08. Go USA!
Today was the first day of a five-day training program in Morgantown and it was enjoyable. I'm looking forward to the rest! I was a bit tired today - we didn't get home from Knoxville until after midnight, We left my son's apartment yesterday at 3:45 and by 5:45 we hadn't gone 20 miles - all the result of a major tractor-trailer accident/spill before noon yesterday which tied up traffic in a rather major way - obviously - hope no one was hurt -
Had a great time in Knoxville and looking forward to the next time with the whole crew! Since I'm in Morgantown each day this week, all day and in addition I have evening meetings tomorrow and Thursday, I'm taking #2 son Cameron and his wife to dinner tomorrow during my break.
We've gotten some major lawn work done this past week which is great. Our two huge spruce trees got a much-needed pruning, the grass is mowed and today I got my new "Garden Groom" trimmer in the mail. We've got some bushes - one especially - in desperate need of some major trimming. I may give that a shot this weekend, although our Haitian pastor Andre Jean and his wife Justine will be here for their once-a-year visit so it'll be very busy - we'll see -
Looking at about a dozen jobs as of now - not surpisingly, my interest level varies rather widely from one to another - but it is encouraging that so many things seem to be open right now -
Can't wait for The Amazing Race and Survivor to come back on the air! Should be next month. In the meantime - I'll have to content myself with the Olympics. I am looking forward to them - they start this Friday, 8/8/08. Go USA!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Knoxville
In Knoxville and it's Saturday morning. The whole crew is here! Yesterday some of us got here about 4:00 p.m. and went over to my son and daughter-in-law's new house (still under construction) and spent a couple of hours putting in insulation. It was hot, dusty and full of those wonderful fiberglass fibers - but fun. This a.m., we were supposed to be up at 6:00 but that didn't work - I woke up at 7:00 and the "first crew" was leaving and left me in charge of getting round #2 up and out. A challenge to say the least, since my #2 son and daughter-in-law didn't make it in till 3 this a.m. I think I'll let them sleep and rouse the rest who are left (actually that's what I'm in the process of now) and get going.
Later on today we're celebrating Christopher's #28 and Ethan's #11 (this past Wed., July 30) by visiting a local swimming hole and finding someplace nice to eat. There's a restaurant right across from Christopher and Alice's current apartment, Senor Taco, where we ate last year on July 30. They have a tradition - which we didn't know - of stuffing a paper plate full of whipped cream right in the kisser of anyone who's celebrating a birthday. So that was fun! When we were here at Easter time, which coincided with #3 son Duncan's 25th birthday, we also happened to go there - he hadn't been with us for the boys' birthday in July 2007 so he didn't know but the rest of us did. Pretty hilarious - but I understand we're not going to Senor Taco tonight. Hmmm...wonder what fun birthday tradition there might be at the restaurant we do pick? : }
We're leaving tomorrow for home and all next week I'll be in a seminar to get on the list of Family Court mediators. There's actually been lots of action on the job front - I have about 10 applications out, some of them far and wide - and it's encouraging that several things have opened up. Still focusing on opening my own office because to date it's the only guarantee I have - but we will see. As someone said to me - it's a bit frustrating to know that God already knows, but He hasn't told me yet. True - but not only do I trust Him with the details of the future, I trust Him with the timing of its being revealed to me.
Things are better and I'm grateful.
Later on today we're celebrating Christopher's #28 and Ethan's #11 (this past Wed., July 30) by visiting a local swimming hole and finding someplace nice to eat. There's a restaurant right across from Christopher and Alice's current apartment, Senor Taco, where we ate last year on July 30. They have a tradition - which we didn't know - of stuffing a paper plate full of whipped cream right in the kisser of anyone who's celebrating a birthday. So that was fun! When we were here at Easter time, which coincided with #3 son Duncan's 25th birthday, we also happened to go there - he hadn't been with us for the boys' birthday in July 2007 so he didn't know but the rest of us did. Pretty hilarious - but I understand we're not going to Senor Taco tonight. Hmmm...wonder what fun birthday tradition there might be at the restaurant we do pick? : }
We're leaving tomorrow for home and all next week I'll be in a seminar to get on the list of Family Court mediators. There's actually been lots of action on the job front - I have about 10 applications out, some of them far and wide - and it's encouraging that several things have opened up. Still focusing on opening my own office because to date it's the only guarantee I have - but we will see. As someone said to me - it's a bit frustrating to know that God already knows, but He hasn't told me yet. True - but not only do I trust Him with the details of the future, I trust Him with the timing of its being revealed to me.
Things are better and I'm grateful.
