I started seminary in January, finishing two terms and many books over the course of the first year.  Seminary itself has been a very rewarding experience.  I enjoy going to school including the interaction with classmates and professors.  As much as I know I learned this first year, there was most certainly just as much or more that I missed or failed to consider.

Unfortunately, because I was so busy, it seems like I had little time for personal reflection and I plan on changing that over the course of this next year.  That in itself came from personal reflection so perhaps I have had a little time.  I guess what I have in mind can be called “resolutions” but I would consider it a very poor idea for anyone to wait until the new year to take stock of one’s life in order to make changes.  Yet, the time of the year is fitting as this is what everyone (almost) thinks about as January 1st comes and goes.  It’s just a better idea to evaluate these sorts of things often and not just once a year because of sentimentality.  Few things in my schedule will change this next year – at least as far as I can tell right now.

As far as seminary goes, I think I could be far more diligent in my work, presiding over the things I’m learning and considering how new and expounded truths should help shape my heart and not only my mind.  Fortunately, I have good friends with whom I can share new ideas in the context of Christian brotherhood and not simply in the confines of a stale virtual classroom.

This is also a year of firsts.  I now have a teenager in the household.  Cierra turned 13 yesterday.  I absolutely cannot believe that fact.  Cierra and I spent a few minutes this morning talking about a video we have of her sitting in our living room at our house on Fort Belvoir.  She was somewhere between 1 and 2 years old.  The video captured her singing along with “Jesus Loves Me” on a little Fischer Price cassette player.  We also laughed about a chocolate pudding episode when she was three – this event she shared with her 1 year old sister.  Mom was upstairs doing laundry and the girls discovered a bowl of chocolate pudding in the fridge and it wasn’t long before they were both swimming in it on the floor.  Good times.

Lastly, I think I’ll share how my 2009 began.  I just read Jason Pelt’s year-end review about an hour ago which reminded me of how I heard the news of their house fire.  It was of course January 2nd – one year ago today.  I was sitting in my living room on that morning, reading and enjoying a cup of coffee.  My cell phone rang and it was Jason Pelt on the other end.  Jason sounded a little strange.  Here’s a recap of the conversation:

Kevin: “Hello”

Jason: “Kevin”

Kevin: “Yeah, what’s up, Jason?”

Jason: “Um, I need you to do me a favor.”

Kevin: “Uh, sure, what do you need?”

Jason: “Can you run to Target or Walmart and get me a cell phone charger?”

Kevin (confused, thinking Jason is calling me in his sleep): “Um….”

Jason: “It’s for a Samsung Instinct.”

Kevin (convinced Jason is calling me in his sleep): “I guess; is everything okay?”

It was only then that Jason, who had no sleep the night before, informed me that their house had burned down.  Interesting way to start the new year.  Thanks Jason.

Happy New Year!

As all parents know, as kids begin to develop their skills in speech and comprehension they can often get things mixed up and have no clue how their innocent combinations of just the right words at just the right times makes for the perfect recipe for laughter.  My two girls, as with all children I suppose, have also been known to say things that produce such a response and I think I’ve been extra alert for these moments now that Annie is sharing these little stories from their lives.  Of course, my kids are getting older and such moments are more infrequent than I’d like to admit – although perhaps a pre-teen with such verbal predispositions such as I’m talking about may not be a good thing.  Nevertheless, Cierra and Tori, especially when they’re communicating with one another, often produce turns of phrase for which the most profitable sitcoms would pay millions.

This is where Cierra excels.  She’s a lot like me – direct, to the point and would likely find Occam’s Razor a worthy principle by which to guide one’s use of words.  Cierra is also quite pensive at times – at least that’s what it looks like.  When riding in the car, Tori is usually folded into some impossible pretzel shape in the backseat reading a book while Cierra often stares out the window ostensibly deep in thought.  It is with such an introduction I give you Cierra’s most recent note-worthy quotes.

Quote 1

Location: Dentist’s Office / Setting: The girls have just completed their six-month cleaning and Tori seems to be pleased with the flavor of toothpaste the dentist used to clean her teeth when Cierra, finished with the hygenist, enters the waiting area.

Tori: “Did you get your teeth cleaned, Cierra?”

Cierra (annoyed): “Yes.”

Tori: “What flavor did you get?”

Cierra: “Disgusting.”

Quote 2

Location: In the car. / Setting: Music playing; peaceful ride to Fredericksburg; Cierra is doodling in her drawing book when she slowly brings her head up and sits staring for a few seconds.

Cierra (turning to me):  ”I just realized that you can’t scratch your nose if you’re wearing an astronaut suit.”

Update 7/31 9:00 pm – 57%

Update 7/31 11:42 pm – 61%