After nearly six years of self-employment I am back in the game working as an employee for someone else.  Self-employment is a great thing but one can only survive so long without a paycheck.  The economy has been hard on everyone and software developers are no exception.  I missed paychecks from time to time and covered my bases with savings.  The business hit a low this year.  I went two and a half months without a paycheck and our financial resources finally dried up.  A wise person once said that "If what you are doing isn't working you have to do something else."  Although a project did come in after I put myself back on the market, I continued my search.  The temporary income took a lot of the pressure off during the job hunt.  I was offered and accepted a position at Geneva Roth Ventures in mid-June as a software engineer.  Looking back, I'm thankful for the lessons God taught me, the business knowledge I've gained, and the skills I've been able to hone.  One of the most remarkable and comforting exercises I like to do is to look back on my life and see how God has orchestrated ever detail of my life.  Every step of the way He has connected me with the right people in the right place at the right time so that I could assimilate the skills and knowledge needed for the next step.  My current employer is very entrepreneurial.  We often discuss business strategy and development.  It is a great fit for me right now.  I can't wait to see where God's going to take me next! 

Martha really surprised me on by birthday this year.  We had a joint birthday celebration for my Mom and I and my parent's house on the 13th since my Dad would be having surgery on the 17th and would be in no condition to celebrate on my actual birthday (24th).  When we loaded up the van to head to Adrian for the day I didn't notice that Martha had packed a few extra items for the kids.  I was totally surprised when I discovered that we not only had tickets for the Royals game Sunday afternoon but also for the Mercy Me concert immediately after the game.  I think the concert was better than the game even though the Royals whipped up on the Tigers.  There had to be at least 10,000 people that stayed for the concert.  It was a remarkable worship experience that one does not get to experience very often.  The kids spent the entire weekend with my parents so that gave us extra time to do some things we have been able to do in ages.  Jonalyn gave me a gift card for the AMC so we ended up going to the movies twice!  I wonder how she is going to top this next year...

I wish I could package up the little magic moments in life and hold on to them forever.  Children grow up fast I've been told.  Tonight Emily leaped into my arms and and wrapped her tiny body around me like a monkey.  I relished in it.  When I came home from work and they ran to greet me at the door with hugs and kisses, I basked in the warmth of it.  Courtney snuggled up in my lap and tickled my cheek with your little blond curls.  I clung to it.  But, try as I might, I can't capture it.  These "magic moments" are fleeting.  Perhaps that's so there'll always be room for more.

I didn't realize how "in tune" Benjamin was to details until we had the following exchange the other night at dinner:

Me:  "How much chicken did you eat tonight?"

Benjamin:  "I ate like 10 bites."

Noticing a pile of chicken still on his plate and questioning his counting skills I replied:  "You ate 10 bites?

Benjamin:  "No, I said 'like'."

Me:  "So, how many bites DID you eat?"

Benjamin:  "4, 5, 6, or 7."

I never cease to be amazed at the way his mind works.  Am I going to be able to keep up with him when he gets to be a teenager?!

I didn't realize how accustomed I have become to the convenience of credit/debit cards until this week.  We separated ourselves from all credit cards a while ago after being inspired by Dave Ramsey to "live like no other so that one day you can live like no other."  We did, however, hold on to our debit card and mine somewhere, somehow disappeared from my wallet.  In an effort to protect our great wealth (tongue in cheek) I called the bank and disabled the card.  Unfortunately this also disabled Martha's card.  The new cards would arrive in the mail in 7 - 10 days.  No problem, right?  Think again.  We decided to end the week with a movie and a pizza.  I had a whopping $10 in my wallet but I was sure I could make it work.  The last thing I wanted to do was go out of my way and waste a lot of time in the bank drive through.  With my tank on empty, I drove to McDonald's first thinking I might be able to use my ATM card in the Red Box.  I came to my senses shortly after entering the building.  What kind of fool would try to use an ATM card in a Red Box?  And who wants to wait behind six people to rent a movie anyway!  I decided to focus on the pizza.  Surely $10 would get me eough pizza from Papa Murphy's to feed my family.  I drove the 3 miles to their nearest location.  The place was packed but it didn't matter.  The menu said I would need at least $11 and change for a single topping pie.  I could not longer avoid the ATM machine and my family was counting on me so I jumped back in the car drove 2 miles to the nearest ATM.  Fortunately no one was behind me because it took at least 15 mintes to get my wallet out of my pocket.  I'm sure I looked like an idiot twisting, turning, and contorting in my seat.  For some reason my pants pocket just wouldn't let go!  With a crisp new $20 bill I headed back to Papa Murphy's.  The place was still packed.  I waited while at least 5 customers placed and purchased their orders and forced a smile as I stepped up to the counter for my turn.  Unfortunately, this was only an exercise in patience becuase I had left my wallet in the car.  With a somewhat embarrased look on my face I headed back the car, retrieved the wallet, and entered Papa Murphy's for the third time.  After waiting behind at 5 customers AGAIN I finally got to place my order.  Wouldn't you know it.  The final cost after tax -- $9.86.