...slow internet.

I have spent all evening trying to use the internet to work, and I have encountered some sort of weird Twilight Zone-esq internet connection that has prevented me from accomplishing ANYTHING.

It is SO frustrating.

I actually waited a good 10 minutes for THIS page to load so I could write this frustrated post.

This is worse than dial-up.

It's horrible...horrible...horrible...

AAAAAARRRGGGH!!

PLEASE. SOMEONE. MAKE THE INTERNET GO FASTER!!!!

Christy and I had a GREAT anniversary yesterday!

We started out with me taking Christy to breakfast at a fancy-schmancy place in Pasadena. This scores me points because Christy likes 1) eating breakfast,  2) going out to eat, and 3) going out to eat at FANCY places (which we don't often do).

So I won with that one.

Then we walked around Pasadena for a little bit...so fun (and all of this before 11AM in the morning...ahhhhh the morning life...)

...then we went home and did some stuff and got ready to go out for our evening date...

We took the kids with us and headed off to APU to drop off the kids with a babysitter out there and to go to our FAVORITE restaurant, Tulipano Italian Restaurante.
This is the restaurant that is the closest thing to "our place" as a couple, since we've been going there since we were dating...and it's pretty spectacular! The food is always great, the service is fantastic, and it's not too pricey...

BUT the best part of the night was Christy's surprise for me.

After dinner we got in the car and drove over to our friends' house to pick up THE MOST AMAZING CAKE EVER!
You may have seen this little ole blog entry she posted a few days ago...but this cake is seriously soooooooo awesome. Just look at it. LOOK AT IT!!!

It's an iPod Classic!! Tell me that isn't just AWESOME...and so detailed!

I ate some in the car and it was TASTY.

YUM.

So if you ever need a cake, you definitely need to contact Kristi...she's the bomb!

mmmm...so all in all...it was a great anniversary! We had a wonderful time!

Here's to a zillion more years!

OH--and P.S. I guess they are finally making a Titanic 2
Doesn't look interesting to me...

Today Christy and I celebrate 9 years of marriage!

Yes...NINE years ago we tied the knot at Rose Drive Friends Church with about 500 friends and family members there to witness it.
PS--little known secret--Duane Funderburk played the piano and led the orchestra that played seven songs I arranged especially for that group of about 14 (strings, piano, and horn). He was just a brand new Dean back then...

YAY FOR 9 YEARS!

Just a little tidbit for your enjoyment...

this is a picture of a picture (in sepia tone) so that's why it looks a little fuzzy...

This church is literally down the block from my house...Christy drove by this sign and literally gasped out loud in shock.

So...can someone PLEASE explain this to me???

BECAUSE I'M EXTREMELY CONFUSED

I love my Midway people.

When folks find out that we drive 2.5 hours (or more) every weekend to and from our church they often ask us why we do it...

The answer is quite obvious...isn't it???

WE LOVE OUR MIDWAY PEEPS SO MUCH!!!

yeah...

So...although I usually post like a madman, I felt like letting that last one simmer for a while. Not to mention a certain day came and went during the latter half of this week.

**And let me just take a quick timeout to say THANK YOU to all of you that wished me Happy Birthday this week. I literally received about 50 or 60 wall comments, emails, etc...to congratulate me on my day. Plus a ton of phone calls and text messages...and even some gifts...it was overwhelming. So thanks.
(p.s. I'm not very good at saying thank you...so I'm trying reeeeeeealy hard, but my empty-tin-can chest makes it all the more difficult...so thank you...from the bottom of my...tin-can?)

Another blogger makes reference to me on one of her posts...well...turns out you've been winning the last couple of days, sawwadeetekaka...but in the end, I'll kick your blogging butt. Heh heh...just thought I'd throw that in there for some good fun...

If you've been reading for a while, you know that we put Noah in Kindergarten this year, making this the first time that BOTH kids are in school and out of the house in the morning (at least until 11:30 or so...). So after 5 years of having a little munchkin hanging out with you all day, said munchkin is gone in the morning and Christy and I are finding that we have about 3-4 hours in the morning of precious alone time...and it's been an adjustment.

But nothing that took us very long to get used to...I mean, we're not crazy!!

With two little guys, our day starts pretty early in the morning. After dropping the kids off at school, one can usually find us at the local Starbucks reading our books and talking with people.

For a while, the cost of the coffee outweighed the benefit of the time spent at Starbucks. THEN, a weird thing happened. This local Starbucks became the place that Howard Schutlz dreamed it would---a place to connect. We started to notice that the same people were always there around the same time every day. Sure, some came and went with their Joe-to-go...but a good many of the folks were sticking around...but here's the weird part...they were talking...to each other. 

Strangers.

People with no other connection except for their desire for a swift kick-in-the-pants in the morning...these people were talking.

So what did we do? We joined in the conversation, of course!

And the conversation was anything if not interesting.  Politics has been a hot topic lately (well...where has it not), along with the state of the world, religion, philosophy, and other things one would never imagine would be discussed with a group of strangers over coffee.

Honestly, it's been quite fascinating to watch/partake in.

And living where we do during the week--these aren't your ordinary people--these are lawyers, pop stars, writers/producers, actors, etc...all connecting with a grad student in theology and a music pastor/film composer with just as many opinions as them.

So now, of course, this isn't just any conversation.

It's networking.

It's connecting.

It's community.

It's relationship.

...and it's an important part of our day.

I don't always stay for very long. I leave after a little bit and generally Christy will stay a tiny bit longer and then walk home to get some exercise or something. Sometimes I bring the laptop and work while I'm there, other times I just read and study.  I'm fairly convinced that being connected with these people will eventually turn into an opportunity to work with one or more of them--but that's not why we do it.

We do it because we were made to do it. God formed us for community.

And whether that's hanging out with precious friends for dinner and The Office on my birthday, studying the book of James with my small group, or talking about Obama over Pike's Place Roast (which is quite gross, btw), it's what we were made to do...

...so we do.

Voter turnout at an all-time high...

The first African-American president...

...History in the making...and we all experienced it together!

Whoopee!

So yesterday was an intriguing day, to say the least. It's really the first election I've really been interested in, thanks to characters like Obama and Palin coupled with the declining state of our economy (not to mention SNL and Colbert Report). There sure is a lot going on right now to engage my brain in current events...or maybe I'm just getting really old. (Did I mention that Friday is my birthday?)

Combine all of the hype and excitement about the election (errr...Obama), with all of the Prop 8 madness in California and you get an impassioned people. People so happy they wanted to cry, and people so mad they wanted to pull an "Andy Bernard" and punch a hole in the wall.

This was also our first election day with Facebook...and iPhones.

So all throughout the day Christy and I were able to check in on people via facebook...and ALL DAY people were commenting about voting. Did you vote? I voted. I just voted for Ron Paul (ok no one said that). I just donated my facebook status to remind people to vote...blah blah blah...TONS of facebook status' about voting. Very cool. I didn't even have to TALK to anyone to find out their thoughts...they posted them for me on the interwebs! And I was addicted...Christy and I both were...we checked status updates every 5 minutes to see what was going on...it was super fun!

Then the day went on longer...and the results started coming in...and the facebook status' got weirder and meaner.  I can't believe Obama won. The country is going down the toilet. McCain was jilted. California is stupid. Get ready for more taxes. The socialists are coming....and on and on and on...and worse...lots that were so bad I would never repeat them anywhere.

I was actually quite embarrassed by it all. I'm thinking, "These are my friends? Do you all REALLY think that!!?!?!" And I was just astonished at what I was reading from former classmates, friends, and acquaintances via their facebook status updates. Especially the ones that were anti-Obama...

I mean, let's be clear about something: I voted for McCain. There, I said it.
It didn't really matter all that much since California is a shoe-in democratic state...but still. I don't think Obama is going to save the world...however, contrary to many of the people I apparently am friends with, I also don't think now that he's elected America is going to hell in a hand-basket.

Geez.

Let's BE REASONABLE, PEOPLE!

But OK, I'm willing to put reason aside if we really need to and to engage my emotions (a rare occurrence--just ask Christy--I'm like a regular vulcan over here). So, you didn't vote for Obama. You really wanted McCain to win...but he didn't. I understand you're upset. Maybe you're even furious about it. Understandable, especially if you're really passionate about it...but let's not be hateful, petty, and downright ridiculous because your candidate didn't win. That's just juvenile. Be upset. I get it. But don't be a retard about the fact that your side didn't win. GOSH.

This race ultimately came down to two candidates. McCain and Obama. One of them was going to win and one of them was going to lose. We all voted (like 80 % of us did!), and there is a winner. Did you really expect something different? Did you think both people were going to win? Did you think there wouldn't be a loser? Why do you think they call it a RACE!!!!!

OHHHHH...you just thought it wouldn't have turned out the way that it did.

Well...I have news for you.

OBAMA WON.

You can't change it. It's over with.

So please don't be a 5th grader on your facebook status and tell me that the nation will crumble apart and disintegrate from the very core like the boxer briefs I still have in my dresser drawers from 1998.

It won't.

Guess what...life goes on. Get over your bad self.

---aaaaaaaaaaaand cue the end of the rant...

I am really anxious about tomorrow.

Oh my goodness...hurry up and be November 5th ALREADY!!!!

...or maybe it's just the caffeine.

Is anyone else really hyped up about Election Day???

...until my birthday!

That's right! I will be turning 29 on Friday...oh shoot...that just sounded really old...

GREAT.

Well...that is that. I'm old now...or at least I will be after Friday.

I'm posting a link to my amazon wish list below...not that any of you are obligated to buy me anything, but just in case you have lots of extra cash floating around and feel generous.

P.S. We are probably saving up to buy a Wii for Christmas (for the boys...um...and me...from Santa Claus...) but I felt compelled to include it on the list because WHY NOT?
It IS a wish list...

Also, check out this cool video from Starbucks. FREE COFFEE IF YOU VOTE.
I'm there.

Scrubs, Season 1

My bro-in-law introduced us to this show, but gave us season 2 to start because the first season was evidently not as good. So I turned it on for 2 minutes and said aloud to Christy, "I can't do this...I HAVE to start at the beginning."

So we are...and after four episodes, I think I like it! It's a pretty funny show! Just one I never got into back when it started...
It is very fun to have TV on DVD so we can go back and watch stuff later on in life...like we did with Arrested Development.
Anywho--it's good so far...

Met-Rx Brownie Bar

Sunday mornings are hard mornings to eat. I need a food item that will sustain me from 6AM until Noon (or a tad later) because I have no breaks between those times to sneak a snack. No recess. No respite...I'm "on" from the morning until after church...so it is difficult to find a food item that will last...

Now, I finally have.

I tried several different bars. Some were preeeeeeetty good...but this one takes the CAKE! It is pretty balanced, has a good amount of protein AND enough calories to be an actual meal and not just a snack. It fills me up and lasts me until lunch!

I actually prefer the chocolate brownie ones...and make a trip to 7-11 every Saturday night to get one. They know me...

Ok...back to Scrubs.

...and God bless the extra hour of sleep we all get tonight.