A Taste of Morocco

Last weekend both of my sisters were home at the same time, which hasn't happened since Christmas. So of course we took advantage of that and had some family over for a party! It was quite the celebration! Emily entertained us with pictures and souvenirs from her trip to Morocco. Theresa announced that she had been accepted into grad school, another reason for celebration. And then of course, there was the turban photo shoot...

Coffee, Somalians, and Ham Radio

In this country a 27-year-old Caucasian male doesn't very often find himself in the minority. As I settle in for an evening of design work at the local coffee shop, I glance over the top of my MacBook to find a scattered population of Somalians and a loud cluster of Ham Radio Enthusiasts.

Now, don't get me wrong. If I have to spend time working in the evenings I would much rather have an interesting group of people surrounding me than have my cat (who would like to remain anonymous) pouncing on my overpriced/light-up keyboard. Or be surrounded by thirty 27-year-old Caucasian males, who would, by the way, provide about as much creative inspiration as a dog cleaning up after a particularly disastrous defecation.

Anyway, back to the coffee shop. It all started last Tuesday. I was busy putting together some logos for a client when, for a short moment, I thought an extraterrestrial was calling home from a deep-seated, leather upholstered chair to my right. Unfortunately I was wrong, however, not completely disappointed to find an older, Spock-like gentleman picking up a frequency on his hand-held radio complete with a four foot telescopic antenna. Jackpot. Who could have dreamed there were more on the way?

And so they came. One by one they carried their trinkets, books, and love for all things wired into the center of the coffee shop. Settling in amongst "real" peers for the first time since the Tuesday before to enjoy a long evening of radio jokes and machine speak.

Now, I should pause for a moment to clarify the minority reference above. Obviously I'm not Somalian. So, that leaves the Ham Radio enthusiasts. Hopefully it is obvious that I'm not a Ham Radio Enthusiast. Even if I were, I can guarantee you would walk into this coffee shop, look at the bubbling conversation over a disemboweled radio(?) and immediately place me in another category.

Moving on.

Tuesday night, a week later, same coffee shop. I had almost entirely forgotten "the radio people". Largely due to a camping trip over the weekend and about a thousand other things on my mind. Then, as I settled into my spot for the evening next to the big window, I noticed Spock sitting in the deep-seated, leather upholstered chair to my right. Glory. Whether it was the possibility of yet another evening lost in this strange world or just the coffee...I felt my heart race a little. I waited in great expectation as my favorites from last Tuesday stumbled in.

I was not disappointed. Nor was I unprepared. Knowing the great conversation that was about to take place, I slowly slid a piece of paper and pen out of my bag prepared to write down anything. Things were moving too fast, multiple conversations at once...books, drawings, bags of things I'm convinced were stolen from the CIA. And so, for the next half hour or so I obtained the following list of conversation topics. They are all accurate to the best of my ability, and have only been generalized minimally to fit in this post.
---
Terabytes

Radio panels

Cars

Incandescent light bulbs

Solar cells

Wind mills

BBQ

Colonoscopies

Cash for clunkers

Oil drilling

Terabytes
---

It was at this point that I decided to give up my little mission of recording their entire conversation, and focus my attention as much as I could back to my work. Their conversation peeked my interest only once more when they started discussing all the flaws of Adobe software products (which, I'm convinced, was for my benefit only). So, we'll see what's in store for me next Tuesday if I choose to visit the coffee shop. I'm sure, whatever I experience, there'll be Coffee, Somalians, and Ham Radio.

The Banister

In the summer of 1999 I attended Missouri Boy's State. Basically it was nine days of mock state government (city mayors to the governor). 1000 of Missouri's "finest" high school senior boys attended with mild to moderate levels of enthusiasm. By the end of the week, it was commonly known across campus that the theme had changed from "A Week To Change A Lifetime" to "A Week That Lasts A Lifetime".

One of the more memorable daily events (aside from morning Reveille) was the speaker each night. We heard speeches from known politicians such as Mel Carnahan, Jim Talent, and John Ashcroft. They all said the same thing. And I remember Ashcroft saying it specifically, "In life (dramatic pause) you will face many challenges...". They would then go on to list said challenges and present various "life solutions" such as education, hard work, etc.

Now, I've experienced ten years of life since that week that lasted a lifetime, and I've been through a lot. I've graduated from high school, attended, endured, and graduated from Truman; dated, become engaged, gotten my first job, traveled the country, gotten married, moved ten times, gotten a second job, and I've bought a house—which leads me at long last to the banister.

It is possible that I have learned more about life through the long and arduous installation of our balcony banister (see below) than I did through all of the a fore-mentioned life events combined. Truman prepared me for a lot, but they sure as heck didn't tell me how incredibly frustrating newel posts can be.

I am pleased with the finished product, but just pleased. I now have two more railings to go, and will tackle them as soon as I feel sufficient levels of sanity are at hand.

So, Mr. Ashcroft, whether it be the Bush Administration or balusters and newel posts, you were right. We will face many challenges. Thanks for the inspiration to push through.


If you couldn't tell from the tone...this was posted by Jason.

Nintendo Wii/iPod Nano Giveaway at Christian PF!

I recently discovered the blog Christian PF (Personal Finance), which is full of tips and advice about personal finance. This site seems like a great resource for anyone who wants to use their income wisely. The About page says it best:

To put it simply, I don’t think that God put us on this earth to amass wheelbarrows full of cash to bathe ourselves in. I believe there is a much better and higher purpose for our money: to build God’s Kingdom and help others.

If you're interested in learning how to be a better steward of your money, check it out!

And of course, be sure to enter the Ninetendo Wii/iPod Nano Giveaway in honor of two years of Christian PF. Happy Friday!

Big Sky Country

A few weeks ago we traveled to Red Lodge, Montana, for a spring getaway. It was great! We spent a lot of time driving around, just looking out the window at the amazing views. Montana is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, and my photos can't do it justice. It was truly breathtaking.





Among the highlights of our trip:

• A self-guided tour of the area led us to a pottery studio in a little town. The studio itself was basically a two-room shed next to a creek. A reclusive potter's paradise! The artists' work was gorgeous, and it was fun to find such a neat place so hidden away.





• We stumbled upon a little place called Prairie Dog Town State Park. The name says it all. Prairie dogs everywhere!





• Our last full day in Montana, we (randomly) drove to Cody, Wyoming and visited the Buffalo Bill Museum. We were expecting a tourist trap, but it ended up being a really impressive museum (five museums in one, actually). We probably appreciated the aesthetics of the museums more than the content, but again, a fun surprise.





• The biggest highlight of the trip a was our two-day visit to Yellowstone National Park. WOW. Refer to all of my flowery language above about the beautiful landscape, and multiply that by ten. We only saw about a quarter of the park, but the variety of scenery in that area alone was amazing. Hot springs, valleys, mountains, forests, prairies... not to mention the animals! We waited on a lot of buffalo to cross the road, and saw all kinds of deer-like grazing creatures.










Jason got up close and personal with a bear!





This elk was nice enough to walk through the Roosevelt Arch into Yellowstone, so I could get this great photo.




Yay for Montana!

Sorry for the Delay....

New posts coming soon, I promise! Our internet has been acting up. But I hope very soon to post pics of our vacation, plus news of the latest house projects. Maybe even a post from Jason, if I can convince him! Stay tuned!

Woo.... New Design

After having this blog for several years, I've finally actually done something about they way it looks! Hurrah! It's a work in progress, so more changes to come.... Hope you like it!

Wordless Wednesday