Weathering the storm-

Well we have weather the remants of Hurricane Katrina here in Ohio. This entails about 24 hours of non-stop rain showers. Given the fact that our grass was brunch and crunchy from the dry weather conditions, it was a very welcome rain.

The more news coverage I watch about the horrible mess left in New Orleans and all along the Gulf Coast I just am overwhelmed with emotion. I feel so horrible for my American brothers and sisters in such need. I can not even fathom what it must be like evacuating an entire city like New Orleans. Then you hear the real life stories about people that clung to trees during the storm after their century old homes were blown away.

My heartfelt prayers and thoughts are with these folks. I plan on giving to the Red Cross and urge all of you to give as well. What is it for us to give up a weekend of eating out at nice places for folks to simply receive a warm dry bed to sleep in and a meal to eat??

It does feel strange to be so excited about leaving for a weekend in the Smokey Mtns. of TN for a weekend of relaxation when there is such a disaster occuring right here in our country. I guess that I need to contribute to the charities, pray for the families in crisis, and keep the entire region in my thoughts and prayers.

Other than that not much else going on-- the weeks do seem to go by quickly when you are taking Friday off!!

Count Your Blessings-

At the office we can watch cnn or the weather channel all day long on our computer desktop.
Needless to say I turned my attention throughout the day towards the hurricane coverage. Once again I am reminded of how lucky we are to have safe homes. Just think of how many times we have each escaped from a tornado, a bad thunderstorm, a blizzard, flood, or a hurricane. Guess we need to count our blessings!

Work kept me pretty busy today- it amazes me how lazy some of my co-workers can be. Our goal is to get life insurance cases through underwriting as quick as possible. Yet time and time again cases just get stuck in the process because nobody cares.

To report on my new subscription to NetFlix-- so far I love the service. Movie quality was good. The 2nd Bridget Jones Movie was very predictable.. kinda cute but kinda boring to tell you the truth. Million Dollar Baby was a good movie- very gripping and intense. I'll let you know if I get any other must see's!

Weather still looks awesome for my TN get-away! Yeah!

Tired-

Hello- it's Sunday night and I am watching CNN for coverage on the Hurricane Katrina- WOW what a major storm. Can you believe New Orleans??? I was at the gym yesterday and saw coverage on this--- and I thought to myself if I was there.... I would be hitting the road now. Get out while the getting is good. Of course, they are already saying that gas prices may go up because of this storm-- I can' even think about $3.00 per gallon.

A pretty quiet weekend over all-
Friday night- parental visit as Berkley and Stella painted Columbus red and light shades of blue.
Saturday- I was at the church bright and early for organist interviews (I am on the search committee) following by the gym and chores. Saturday night my friend Dan & I hit the town- we had a good time.
Sunday- Took my trust dog Trevor to church - as they held it in Goodale Park and had an animal blessing- so I now am proud to have a holy dog. Then I went to the pool and feel asleep reading- it was nice. Tonite I ran a few errand and watched the movie- Million Dollar Baby- good flick!

I am not feeling insightful tonite- so pretty much it is a play by play of the weekend.

Take care-

Cool nights-

Ok- I am still enjoying the cooler weather of later summer- it is a gift from God.
I am so ready to be loading up the car and heading to the mountains next week.
I have reserved Bill Clinton's autobiography on CD to listen to on the drive. I think that will be a constructive use of my car time.

Work has been so busy lately that I have barely left my desk. Sometimes I have 3 lines rining at one and like 5 programs open on my computer desktop. The good news is that my sales are really good and I am making good money. The bad side is at what cost is my sanity.


Does anyone else ever fell complete chained down by their daily routintes? Lately I have been feeling like I have no "me" time-- first it is get to work, then slave all day, come home take care of the dog, cook dinner, and then bam back to getting ready for tomorrow!! Where do I fit in??? I have also been thinking of how parents cope with the added responsiblites of kids?? I mean some days I am struggling with my sanity- and can't imagine being in charge of a couple of kids. Now- I still want children someday- but haven't quite figured out how- I guess that is why we need a partner n life- someone to share the work load and to help us out when we need it.
Funny enought- thinking about partners I have seen lots of TV commericals lately for Sex and the City on TBS- and in it the ladies are talking about their obsession with finding thier soul mates--- I have been thinking about my soul mate lately-- let me clarify-- if you are my soul mate- please come respond to this message- so it is easier to find you!!!! If you need my phone # let me know-- you can even call collect-

Well- I think you can see how bad I need a vacation!

Last random tht of the day- I found out I will likely be going out to Tuscon, AZ in October to represent Nationwide at a conference- love staying at a posh resort and charging it to the corporate card.

Routines can be a good thing-

It was a nice feeling to be in the car going to work this morning- now isn't that a weird statement? It was such a wonderful clear and crisp night for sleeping last night. I slept with the windows open and awoke chilled slightly by the morning air. The night breezes had left a wonderful crisp clean smell in the bedroom. It was wonderful! I really enjoyed walking Trevor this morning- with a cup of hot coffee -- I took a little extra long walk along the creek and saw lot of ducks swimming in the pond.. it was a peaceful morning. After all the trials of the past week it felt good to start a new week and get back to normal.

A good friend of mine invited me to go to Tennessee with a group for Labor Day. We will stay near Gatlinburg. I've been there before and had a great time- so I am looking forward to a little get away next weekend... I hope the weather holds out.

My friend Helene came over last night- our dogs played together very well. We grilled some chicken and ate on the patio- it was a lovely evening. We then watched a DVD of a movie called Sideways- it was cute- I reccomend a bottle of wine while viewing!

I subscribed to NetFlix- the clincher was I can finish out watching Sex and the City, The Sopranos, Queer as Folk, and keep up to date on the movies. I think I am going to splurge and buy a new larger TV for the living room- that way I can have some movie/ dvd parties this winter.

Have a great day all!

One day at a time-

A pretty relaxing weekend-
Didn't really accomplish alot- but kind of recovered from the week and tried to put my life together again. This morning's sermon at church was overcoming adversity and hardship in your life- how appropriate right?

I'm sorry I'm not really talkative right now- but I wanted to let everyone know I am OK.

Curveball in the game of life-

Just when I thought that things were going good- Joe tells me on Tuesday that he doesn't want to see me anymore- no reason other than it is just not working for him. He was very complimentary of me and said I was "perfect" in every way. OK- then so why this move???

I really think this may all just come down to my recent reflections on attitude and dealing with life. He made the comment that he thinks he is destined to be alone for the rest of his life. Now- that would equate to thinking that one is not capable of a relationship. If you are convinced in your heart that you will fail at something - then chances are you probably will.

Now hear I am- 29 (30 in December) alone again and so ready to share the beauty of life with someone. I must be in shock because I feel nothing- I am just numb to everything.

I plan on just taking the next few months to center all the attention on me.
Just relax and reflect on what I want for my life and prepare myself for whatever may lay ahead.

Family- what an adventure.

I have had my family togetherness time for the year. If I don't see them again until Christmas that is fine with me... now if they would only respect such a wish!
The weekend at the lake was OK- very hot and not the best weather - which put all of our nerves on end. I have posted some pictures from the weekend- I particulary like the picture of Stella (AKA - Mom) shopping - it shows here in here natural habitat.

Of special note was spending Saturday evening with Wendy Stinebaugh. She is such an inpsiration- in the past two years I have watched her progress from being in ICU at the Cleveland Clinic with a 0% chance of even living to being able to take her out to dinner just the two of us. What a change! She does use a wheelchair and an oxygen tank. I drove her car (yes she is back on the road too!)- and had to assist with the wheelchair but other than that she did it all herself. It was great to get to catch up 1-1. Whenever we have been together it has been with her parents there- and just being the two of us we could truly open up and be ourselves. I treasure her friendship and I know that God has special plans for her life.

It actually feels really good to be back to work today- strange huh?

Hope to hear from you all soon.

Family- what an adventure.

I have had my family togetherness time for the year. If I don't see them again until Christmas that is fine with me... now if they would only respect such a wish!
The weekend at the lake was OK- very hot and not the best weather - which put all of our nerves on end. I have posted some pictures from the weekend- I particulary like the picture of Stella (AKA - Mom) shopping - it shows here in here natural habitat.

Of special note was spending Saturday evening with Wendy Stinebaugh. She is such an inpsiration- in the past two years I have watched her progress from being in ICU at the Cleveland Clinic with a 0% chance of even living to being able to take her out to dinner just the two of us. What a change! She does use a wheelchair and an oxygen tank. I drove her car (yes she is back on the road too!)- and had to assist with the wheelchair but other than that she did it all herself. It was great to get to catch up 1-1. Whenever we have been together it has been with her parents there- and just being the two of us we could truly open up and be ourselves. I treasure her friendship and I know that God has special plans for her life.

It actually feels really good to be back to work today- strange huh?

Hope to hear from you all soon.

Glad to be home-

What a weekend--- I felt like I was on National Lampoon's Vacation.
For the most part I was miserable and frustrated. I even turned to alcohol to soothe my nerves. Then I get home and read Megan's BLOG about chemo therapy and realize that even with all my family frustrations I am truly blessed to have my health. I just really need to work at being honest with the family and myself and look out for what I need every now and again.

Off to the lake!

I will be leaving tomorrow for a 4 day weekend to Lake Erie. I am planning on lots of relaxation and good times. Now if the family doesn't get in the way all will be OK. I am looking forward to Saturday and spending time with Wendy Stinebaugh. We became good friends at Bluffton College - after graduation her heart condition worsened and she received a heart transplant two years ago now. It has been a really rough road for her- and many times I thought I was losing her. If you do not believe in miracles- then you should meet Wendy sometime.

Tired here and ready for bed- I will try to snap some good pictures to post on Monday.

Another day-

Truly just another day in the life and times of Andrew.
Nothing special to report. I did enjoy watching the space shuttle land this morning in California while I sipped on my coffee. I have always been fascinated by the space program, although I have no interest at all to even think about trying to go up there. It just is amazing to think about all the technology and and ingenuity that make space travel possible. I do agree that NASA needs to seriously reconsider the space shuttle program. They are an aging fleet of space vehicles and these high-drama flights (in-space repairs) are not good publicity.

On the weird side I watched a TLC special on a Romanian woman that had a 160 lb tumor removed from her back. It was bizarre to watch the surgery on the television. The doctors describe it as "medusa" like and non-human. The amazing part of the surgery was that it took huge amounts of blood donors to make it possible. They had 4 times the amount of blood that a normal human body has at any given point on site and ready to go. I guess the locals had all donated for this woman- many not even knowing her. That makes me wonder- would we as American's do the same thing? After 9-11 thousands of Americans gave blood - but that was after the worst terrorist attack ever. I am always hearing that the red cross is at critical need stage for donors. I just wonder if that woman had been in the USA would the Americans have rallied behind her as much? Just some food for thought.

Hope your day was great.

Tis better to give than receive???

I am so happy to be back in the office today- it was a very tiring weekend to say the least.
It was all about giving to others and having no "me" time. I spent all day Saturday entertaining the family and driving Mom and Miriam around to various shopping centers in Columbus. Seeing my nephew was fun- his 2nd birthday is this Thursday and he is just so full of life that it makes me tired!

Sunday was my final appearance for 2005 and maybe forever at the Baptist church in Kenton. I really don't like the direction that the chruch is taking. Very conservative and non-welcoming. I am not sure it is good to help churches that I don't agree with.

Dad did help me wash and sweep out my Jeep yesterday afternoon- but when I got back to Columbus I was so tired that I just crashed for about 2 hours- and then went to bed early.
That was about the only productive thing that I got done all weekend.

Quote of the day: "If you do not tell the truth about yourseld you cannot tell it about other people." -- Virginia Wolf.

Carpe Diem!

"Seize the moment before it's gone. For another day begins at dawn." - Clay Harrison.

Last night a group of us from the office went to a happy hour to celebrate with a co-worker who has resigned and is moving to Clearwater, FL. She and her husband have no jobs lined up. Don't have a place to live & are basically going back to where they used to live because the loved it there so much. She talked about how wonderful it was to walk on the beach at sunset and swim in the warm ocean waters. I asked her why she was doing this- and she replied- I just woke up and realized that I am living in corporate hell and I was so unhappy living in a cubicle that I had to get out before it really affected my mental health. I then questioned more and asked her if she will get back into insurance or the financial services industry in Florida- and she replied only if I have to. Our conversation then went on to discuss both of our passions for owning a small business and being our own boss. For working hard but loving what you do. Possilby not having alot but loving every minute of every day.

This has really started me thinking about what I am doing in life. Do I love what I do??? NO! I do like the comission checks when sales have been good!!
I want to start to do some exploring about living out my dreams and not sitting behind a desk.
It is likely I'll have to be in corporate America for a while longer- but perhaps I need to be bold and take some riks.

More thoughts on reacting to life.

"Your living is determined not so much by what life brings you as by the attitude you bring to life; no so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens." - Lewis L Dunnington.

I have a Franklin Covey day planner that I use at my office- and at the top of each day's page is a quote. This is the quote for today- and I found it very appropriate with the contemplation of life and its meaning in recent days. Life is funny like that isn't it???

I am really ready for this heat wave in Ohio to break- today is about the 4th day above 90 degrees. The weatherman keeps saying that we have low humidity- but none the less it is hot.

You could describe my movie viewing habits as behind the times for sure. Last night I rented a DVD for Joe and I to watch. It was National Treasure with Nicholas Cage. It was a cute PG/ Disney movie that had an interesting twist. Sometimes it is nice to not see movies in the Theater and pay the high prices but instead enjoy them cuddled on the couch with someone special.

Gotta get ready for the big family visit on Saturday. Berkley, Stella, Miriam, and Devan (aka Mom, Dad, Sis, and nephew) are invading my condo for a day of shopping, swimming, and pure family joy (in other words I will be drinking Saturday night). I really need to get my area rug back up in the living room- with no carpet at all- the room sounds like a gymnasium with the acoustics.

Hope you have a great day!

Life- a funny thing.

I just got an email from my good friend Laura who now lives in Bangledesh. Her uncle Fred passed away suddenly yesterday, I believe he was in his early 50's. Isn't it funny how fragile life is? Each day could be our last (especially if you have to drive the freeway to work).

I have been thinking quite a bit about how life is an endless chain of how we react to the punches that life throws at us. We can not always control what happens in our life- but we can control how we react to the circumstance. I am going to try my best to look at everything from a positive angle and attack life head on - and live to the fullest!

My heartfelt sympathies go out to the Ferguson family.

Quote for the day: "Being extremely honest with oneself is a good exercise."- Sigmund Freud.

Summertime Relaxation-

I took a few days off from posting and have relaxed. I spent quite a little bit of time in a deck chair lounging by the pool reading a good novel (thanks Megan for lending me the book- Naked by David Sedaris). The weekend weather was just perfect summer weather in Ohio and I took full advantage of it.

Friday morning I went kyaking alone on the Big Darby Creek. It was very tranquil and relaxing. I listened to nature and focused on getting my inner equilibrium back in check. I talked with God and we hashed some things out.. it was good.

Friday night we went to see Joe's favority singer- Joan Jett- it was OK... I could have lived without it but alas- you compromise. I did get a wonderful chair massage at the music festivals. A word of advice- always get massages when the massage therapist is drunk. I paid for 15 minutes but got closer to $45-- and she was really good.

The weekend was very very low key- more swimming and pool time, dinner with my friend Ray, church, and taking Trevor for a bath (the humane society had a $5 dog wash to raise money- so the pooch got cleaned!).

Work is the same as always- thank God that my sales are doing really well- or else I'd be up a creek.

Have a great day all.