For many years, I have wanted to invest in a house. Unfortunately, I have never been in a place where I actually could. We are now well on our way. As of today we are on a verbal contract, but tomorrow we are to sign papers to have a ratified contract. What does this mean? If all goes according to plan, Elisabeth and I will be moving out of Mowbray and into our new home in Lake Monticello. Details to come…
Be sure to check out the Photos page to see all of the pictures for September, including shots of when we went to Three Hills in Warm Springs, Virginia.
One of the beauties of modern day technology is how instantaneous it is… Oh except for when it takes me over a week to write about an event. Um, sorry about that. 
So, last week, we took Thursday off to drive 12 hours to Indiana, arriving at 6 in the morning. We went specifically to spend time with Mama and Papa Barahona, who we will not see over the holidays. Elisabeth, Anita and I made the trip together an also got to spend a little time with Mama Krabill. Unfortunately, Papa K was out of the country, thousands of miles away in Africa. Our time was pretty low key, just hanging out, enjoying the outdoors, taking my dad’s scooter out and looking at garage sales, and of course, eating lots of yummy food!
I love photography, but have never pursued it in a formal way. I have yet to take a class. There are pieces, slices, glimpses that I see and enjoy capturing. Being a part of an art’s community has encouraged me to further explore discovering this part of me. Take a look at the photos page; enter into what my eyes have seen so far this year. Let me know what resonates with you.
Check them out in the photos page; they are divided up by month, so it will be easier for you to follow. They are long overdue, so enjoy! We’ll try to be better at uploading them sooner. 
So, in this age, in this time, are we all more or less connected? What with Myspace, Facebook, Email, chat, blogs, YouTube videos, photo sharing, music sharing, cell phones and on and on and on. I just communicated with people in Calgary, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Vancouver, and Florida. I see friends’ adventures from across the globe as they are happening. At the same time, I haven’t spoken to my best friend in months (lives in Seattle), and I don’t really know my neighbors, though they all seem very nice.
There is nothing new or mind blowing here, but this is just a reoccurring theme for me as someone who has traveled a fair bit,who has friends and family thousands of miles away in all directions. I think about the quantity and the quality of these various communications, and feel different levels of satisfaction with each one. And you, whoever you are reading this, wouldn’t you rather go out for a cup of coffee? Something more than sustaining? But then again, better than nothing no?
So, as much as I like WordPress, I am less than impressed with the photo managing tool. It’s just not very user friendly and involves several steps to post pictures – resizing is also annoying. Both Slide.com and RockYou.com are ok, but I don’t like how they display images. So, I’ve started looking for a user-friendly photosharing site with a large capacity for photos. Easy uploading features such as those on Facebook or Dropshots would be great, and then of course there is that whole price thing… My thought is that I can just post links on this site which would take the viewer to our photo sharing site.
Anyway, post you thoughts. Which one is best and why — if there are any to stay away from.
Well, we hit the ground running after our trip out west – we are already into our third week back. I am still not sure how that happens. The Menno convention was really great. I had minimal responsibilities (running sound for a small outdoor stage) which allowed me to attend both the youth and adult worship services, some workshops, hang out by the pool and catch up with several folks from different stages of life. Elisabeth came out on Wednesday, which made the trip a lot more fun.
We spent the weekend with Mama and Papa K (check their blog for photos) as well as with Sabrina, Stephanie and David in Sacramento. Our time together was brief but enjoyable and before we knew it, we were on red-eye flights back to VA to meet my parents who were in Cville for a week. Again, our time was brief but it was great to see them again.
And this week I finally started my new job at UVA. It has been really great so far even though there is so much to learn. My immediate goal has been to become a sponge, learning names and protocols and procedures and history etc. This will most likely be a several months long process, but in the meantime, I am happy and very thankful. It is nice to have a regular routine, even though I am getting up earlier than I like, and even though I have to wear a tie every day — oh except Friday, which is a “Dress down” day, which basically equates the same outfits minus the tie… My mother couldn’t be happier. Right mom?
Tonight we are off for some delicious treats to celebrate my sister’s birthday. Cheeses and wine, and dips, and crackers and pita, and dates and all kinds of Mediterranean deliciousness awaits!! Happy birthday Anita!!
Well, it’s happening. A few years ago, I was priveleged enough to be asked to be part of the planning committee for the 2007 Mennonite convention in San Jose, that is to be held this coming week, July 2 -7. I will be running a sound stage and doing some ushering in between. It should be fun, and I’m sure that I will have more to say about it once it is all wrapped up. We will also be spending the weekend with Mama & Papa Krabill and some other friends in the area.
The following week my folks will be in town for a visit, and the week after I finally start my new job at UVA. In the meantime, I have been doing some work for an ex-boss and friend of mine at a print shop, Indigo Night. Check out the link, it makes for an excellent, really thoughtful gift.
It is with great joy and thankfulness that I can say I am now employed at the University of Virginia. First and foremost, it is another testament to the Lord’s faithfulness in my life, and another example of how the Lord often blesses us in ways that we cannot fully know or expect. It has been a long journey, where I have had to battle some self-esteem issues, where my patience has been tested,where I have had to work hard not to fall into laziness, and where we have had to be, not only conscious but intentional, of every penny spent. And while all of these things don’t end per se, I just feel like myself again.
