Just sitting here looking over the new Xanga and trying to understand it. I haven't really arrived at a point of knowing all about it but I have at least started to be able to add new posts.

Retirement has been a big blessing to me. I try and get a few things done around the house, that I have been neglecting, but I'm not stressing out over anything at the moment. Work was beginning to be very stressful with all the uncertainty and i was glad to leave that behind. I now get up later than my previous 5:00 AM and stay up later than my previous 10:00 PM. No set times but I try and coordinate as much as I can with my wife's schedule so as not to disrupt her too much. Her workplace is also starting to go through big changes and I won't be surprised if she decides to retire one of these days soon also. She has an amazing work ethic and has only missed days when she was in the hospital or I was in the hospital but when outsiders take over as your employers, things change and they don't know you or seem to care about you. It will be their loss if she does retire but they won't ever realize it. She started her job working all evenings and Saturdays, worked her way up to steady daylight, and is now back to working every evening.

My present workload is planning to gut our kitchen and remodel it completely. The deign will be basically the same as the doorways don't allow for much change of the layout, so that will help a lot. We need to go and purchase the cabinets (IKEA) while they are on sale (until the 24th). They have an online design program that really helps, though it isn't perfect by any means.

Well that is enough for now.

Hard to believe I started to regularly update this site in March of 2001 and pretty much abandoned any regular updating in March 2008. I remember so many great friends here from all over the world and the promise it had to bring us all together for the sake of the Gospel. I'm not sure what the motivation was to post daily for a while and then los interest in it all but I recently (June 1) retired from my job with the government and now have decided to attempt to again share what's going on in my life both in the world and spiritually (if you can separate the two.)

I lost interest in my profession when the repubs decided it was fashionable to speak badly of the federal workers almost daily. I've worked with quite a group of dedicated federal employees that, despite the inaction of the congress in properly funding the things needed to make government work properly for the citizens of this country, still managed to do an excellent job. While they were being denigrated, I was thinking they didn't make enough for the work and effort they put forth. Though I could have worked another three years and had a larger pension, I just decided it was time to put all that behind me. I do not regret having left the work force and am enjoying just doing the things I want to do each day and ignoring those I don't feel like doing on any particular day.

As for spiritual things, the Saturday night service we attended all those years finally dwindled down to just those presenting the service most weeks so we finally decided to just give it up. We tried the two Sunday morning services but they were mostly not satisfying us as far as reaching us spiritually. I have a hunger for services in which we can all feel an equal part and participate as we feel lead and don't want to just be a spectator in the pews listening to the "inspired" wise man put me to sleep. It has porbably been about two years now and other than attending my best friend's church (he has been moved from Erie. PA to Warren, Pa) occasionally, we just usually watch Andy Stanley on our Roku on Sunday mornings. I haven't even had my guitar out of its case for several months now. I listen to lots of worship music and still enjoy singing along but that's about as far as my worship leading goes these days.

Well, that is certainly enough for now as my bed is calling me. Any old friends out there send me some comments!

Just wondering if anyone is around anymore. I have retired and have been thinking about posting here again. Can say more Here than on Facebook.