Kindness over Killing
Life over Death
CHOOSE VEGETARIAN
1.31.2006
1.30.2006
The Chaos & The Calm
On Day 1129...
Well, chaos and calm seem to best describe our life of late. It is either one or the other, nothing in between. It all began 3 weeks ago when our secretary quit without notice, leaving a note on her desk in the middle of a busy afternoon (apparently in NC professional courtesy is not a common practice). Although it was a lot more work, I was able to just go from part-time to practically full-time, and Andrew helped on the days I thought I was going to drown in invoices. And then came last Monday... The Site superintendent for our biggest development quit (in an almost identical manner to the secretary). Leaving only 4 employees, (myself, the president, the CFO & A) A was tasked with jumping in and figuring out where all 23 houses were in the construction process and making sure that we don't fall behind. So... instead of working a combined total of 65 hours last week, we worked 98. The chaos was only worsened by traveling two weekends in a row, so not only was our professional life a a hectic mess, home was anything but an oasis from the madness.
In an attempt to bring some normalcy, this weekend we became hermits, venturing out only for the necessities... i.e. coffee. It was a great break from from insanity...I mean, life. We slept in... We watched "24" and "The Apprentice" on DVD... All in all, nothing important was accomplished other than a clean house and folded laundry.
Although work won't let up much in the next few weeks, I function better knowing that all the dishes are clean or in the dishwasher, my bed is made and everything will be in its place when I get home. Let's just hope we can keep it that way. :)
L
Well, chaos and calm seem to best describe our life of late. It is either one or the other, nothing in between. It all began 3 weeks ago when our secretary quit without notice, leaving a note on her desk in the middle of a busy afternoon (apparently in NC professional courtesy is not a common practice). Although it was a lot more work, I was able to just go from part-time to practically full-time, and Andrew helped on the days I thought I was going to drown in invoices. And then came last Monday... The Site superintendent for our biggest development quit (in an almost identical manner to the secretary). Leaving only 4 employees, (myself, the president, the CFO & A) A was tasked with jumping in and figuring out where all 23 houses were in the construction process and making sure that we don't fall behind. So... instead of working a combined total of 65 hours last week, we worked 98. The chaos was only worsened by traveling two weekends in a row, so not only was our professional life a a hectic mess, home was anything but an oasis from the madness.
In an attempt to bring some normalcy, this weekend we became hermits, venturing out only for the necessities... i.e. coffee. It was a great break from from insanity...I mean, life. We slept in... We watched "24" and "The Apprentice" on DVD... All in all, nothing important was accomplished other than a clean house and folded laundry.
Although work won't let up much in the next few weeks, I function better knowing that all the dishes are clean or in the dishwasher, my bed is made and everything will be in its place when I get home. Let's just hope we can keep it that way. :)
L
1.25.2006
1.24.2006
Random Photos
This picture (and the one below) were taken yesterday. This is my brother Ryan. In my family the Goofy Gene is carried down through the males, and skips the females. :)
1.23.2006
SURPRISE!!!
Well Folks, I managed to pull if off. :) (For those of you who know me, it is not easy to keep a secret this big from A, for this long!) As many of you already know (because we saw you) I was able to get A all the way to the airport and through security before he guessed where we were going. :) So, here is the story...
This past weekend A & I flew to VA to spend a very special weekend with friends from our VA life, in celebration of A's 24th year upon this earth. :) It all began with our tradition of going to the Melting Pot for A's Birthday. This year was our third time. He thought we were going to the Melting Pot in Charlotte on Friday and instead we flew out of Charlotte and were able to meet two great friends at the Melting Pot in Reston, VA... re-living out great time last year. Thanks to the work of many friends, we also had a champagne brunch with some of our closest friends on Saturday morning and then a huge open house Saturday night. Topped off by worshiping at our VA church and lunch with friends Nathan & Sarah that afternoon, we headed back home Sunday night exhausted but very happy. It won't be soon forgotten.
L
This past weekend A & I flew to VA to spend a very special weekend with friends from our VA life, in celebration of A's 24th year upon this earth. :) It all began with our tradition of going to the Melting Pot for A's Birthday. This year was our third time. He thought we were going to the Melting Pot in Charlotte on Friday and instead we flew out of Charlotte and were able to meet two great friends at the Melting Pot in Reston, VA... re-living out great time last year. Thanks to the work of many friends, we also had a champagne brunch with some of our closest friends on Saturday morning and then a huge open house Saturday night. Topped off by worshiping at our VA church and lunch with friends Nathan & Sarah that afternoon, we headed back home Sunday night exhausted but very happy. It won't be soon forgotten.
L
1.17.2006
Random Thoughts... Just 'Cause
On Day 1116...
My mom got a call yesterday from my dad who is in India visiting his parents. He was hit by a car and had to get 20 stitches above his eye. He lost a lot of blood, and delayed his return by another week, but said he was doing ok and just ready to come home.
It is raining here in Asheville, we are trying to get the footers poured for our house, and things just keep coming up. They weren't ready on Friday, and it snowed, Monday was a holiday (for everyone but us :), Today it is raining again and tomorrow it is supposed to snow! AUGH!
We had two different companies price our building supplied (lumber, nails etc) and one came in at TEN THOUSAND more than the other.
My brother is probably going to come and live with us this summer. YAHOO!
I feel like I am missing a huge part of me... I am carless for 3 days while my little Honda (Cord) is getting fixed. I had forgotten how much I use a car. I am at the mercy of A's schedule.
L
My mom got a call yesterday from my dad who is in India visiting his parents. He was hit by a car and had to get 20 stitches above his eye. He lost a lot of blood, and delayed his return by another week, but said he was doing ok and just ready to come home.
It is raining here in Asheville, we are trying to get the footers poured for our house, and things just keep coming up. They weren't ready on Friday, and it snowed, Monday was a holiday (for everyone but us :), Today it is raining again and tomorrow it is supposed to snow! AUGH!
We had two different companies price our building supplied (lumber, nails etc) and one came in at TEN THOUSAND more than the other.
My brother is probably going to come and live with us this summer. YAHOO!
I feel like I am missing a huge part of me... I am carless for 3 days while my little Honda (Cord) is getting fixed. I had forgotten how much I use a car. I am at the mercy of A's schedule.
L
1.15.2006
WHY? WHY? WHY?
Off CNN today...
SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- California's oldest death row inmate -- a 75-year-old who is legally blind and nearly deaf -- is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to do something it has never done before: block an execution because of the condemned man's advanced age and infirmity.
Clarence Ray Allen's attorneys contend that executing a feeble old man amounts to cruel and unusual punishment banned by the U.S. Constitution.
Allen is set to die by injection Tuesday for ordering three slayings while behind bars for another murder. He has been on death row for more than 23 years.
Allen, who turns 76 on the eve of his execution, would be the second-oldest person executed in the United States since the Supreme Court allowed capital punishment to resume in 1976. He often uses a wheelchair and had to be resuscitated after suffering a heart attack last year at San Quentin Prison.
Umm....Need I ask More than the plain and simple "Why the Heck...???"
Read the full article Here.
A
SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- California's oldest death row inmate -- a 75-year-old who is legally blind and nearly deaf -- is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to do something it has never done before: block an execution because of the condemned man's advanced age and infirmity.
Clarence Ray Allen's attorneys contend that executing a feeble old man amounts to cruel and unusual punishment banned by the U.S. Constitution.
Allen is set to die by injection Tuesday for ordering three slayings while behind bars for another murder. He has been on death row for more than 23 years.
Allen, who turns 76 on the eve of his execution, would be the second-oldest person executed in the United States since the Supreme Court allowed capital punishment to resume in 1976. He often uses a wheelchair and had to be resuscitated after suffering a heart attack last year at San Quentin Prison.
Umm....Need I ask More than the plain and simple "Why the Heck...???"
Read the full article Here.
A
To the Beach & Back...
Well, we had a whirlwind of a weekend, but it was incredible. Thursday night Jen (the Youth Pastor's wife) and I frantically planned, bought and stored groceries for the weekend, once we found out that our regular cook was not coming. I left early Friday, the main group came that evening, and Drew followed on Saturday morning with a few stragglers. :) We had a great time in Edisto, SC (just south of Charlston) playing football on the beach and staying up late. I was in charge of cooking so that took up most of the time, but we were able to spend a significant portion of the weekend discussing different ways to really study the Bible, and listen to talks on Scripture meditation. It was truely a blessing to see youth with a desire to serve each other and their Lord. L
1.11.2006
New Bloggers!
1.09.2006
1.06.2006
Cuttin' Down 'em 'er Trees!
Well, yesterday we finally began to move dirt! Here is a picture of them taking the first swipe down our lot. In the past two weeks things have finally started falling into place. We have our building permit and on Wednesday we embarked on the American Dream... or at least signed our life away... and have joined the ranks of the average mortgage-paying citizen. We spent our Christmas vacation visiting roof truss plants and pricing out lumber. We have also picked out lighting, plumbing fixtures (there are so many toilets to choose from!), cabinets (for those who know me, it was a huge step but they are not black!), countertops, appliances (those are black), tile, carpet and even bought the hardwood. And we are still having fun. :) So, there is our Christmas vacation, house update... and pretty much our entire life right now summed up in a paragraph and a few pictures. :)
L
P.S. The title of this blog was inspired by the brothers that are doing the excavating. They are truely southern, complete with accent (although some may call it a different language) and "chewin' tabaca."
1.02.2006
Improving My Mind through Extensive Reading
Well Folks,
It is that time of year again. A time for making goals and resolutions and all those sorts to things. I think that half the reason people make New Year's Resolutions is because they have just come from over a month of chaos-filled holidays complete with bingeing on food, drink, movies and just being slothful. Although I didn't plan it to coincide with the beginning of 2006, it does provide a sort of "clean slate," if you will...
I have made a goal this year to read a book every two weeks. Some of you are thinking... "Wow, that is a big ambitious you will never make it!" ... and others (probably the majority of you) are thinking... "That's it? Only 26 books in a year??" Well, one must start somewhere.
So, I have added to my sidebar a list of the books I am reading, and Lord willing, it will soon be followed by a list of books completed. Now, this is more to keep my feeling guilty and moving along in my reading than to keep you updated, but I hope that it will serve as a little of both...
So Happy New Year!
... and I am off to find a book :)
L
It is that time of year again. A time for making goals and resolutions and all those sorts to things. I think that half the reason people make New Year's Resolutions is because they have just come from over a month of chaos-filled holidays complete with bingeing on food, drink, movies and just being slothful. Although I didn't plan it to coincide with the beginning of 2006, it does provide a sort of "clean slate," if you will...
I have made a goal this year to read a book every two weeks. Some of you are thinking... "Wow, that is a big ambitious you will never make it!" ... and others (probably the majority of you) are thinking... "That's it? Only 26 books in a year??" Well, one must start somewhere.
So, I have added to my sidebar a list of the books I am reading, and Lord willing, it will soon be followed by a list of books completed. Now, this is more to keep my feeling guilty and moving along in my reading than to keep you updated, but I hope that it will serve as a little of both...
So Happy New Year!
... and I am off to find a book :)
L
Letter from a Soldier
The following is a letter from my friend Rachel's brother who is currently in Iraq. The letter speaks for itself. May God bless our troops.
L
------
Merry Christmas from Iraq,
This will likely be the last update that I write before I return home to Fort Benning. I will then give an after action review and get around to the all important task of the thank you notes that are so overdue.
Christmas in Iraq doesn't seem like Christmas at all. We work the same hours, doing the same things as every other day...well, that may not be true for the support and logistics people who mostly have the day off, but we infantry and armor types are doing the same stuff as always, just on a slightly decreased volume. One of the only thing that has made it feel like Christmas is the 5 packages that I have received in the past five days full of lickies and chewies (Army talk for candies and snacks). The books are appreciated as well. The scumbags decided to send us some Christmas presents as well, in the form of a rocket and mortar attack on the FOB that lasted about an hour and a half. No one was killed and there was only one minor shrapnel injury that required 4 stitches and the guy getting returned to duty. The most important part of their gift was their hitting the generator that powers the area that I live in…talk about hitting a guy where it hurts. Not that they were trying to do so, but they got a lucky shot, and suddenly we were without lights and water. The happy ending to the story is that KBR (Kellogg, Brown, & Root – we love those guys) yanked one of the generators that was powering their own living area in order to ensure that we soldiers had lights and hot water. If I ever meet a person who complains about that company in front of me, they will likely pick themselves up off the ground wearing a bloody nose.
This has been a big year for Iraq. To think that a year ago this nation was in the middle of major upheaval seems foreign. Places like Fallujah, Baghdad, Ramadi, Baqubah, and Mosul were the scenes of constant attacks by IED and small arms fire. This year has seen the tide change in the Diyala province of Iraq. In our province during the election for the constitutional congress last December, there were over 500 incidences of violence be they mortar and rocket attacks, SAF (Small Arms Fire), and IEDs found and detonated. In the referendum in October, the Iraqis took the lead on securing their own elections. This allowed us to do virtually nothing except provide logistical support and forces in reserve during the elections in December. The number of attacks dropped drastically as well. From the elections of 2004, we saw 40% fewer attacks during the referendum, and over 75% fewer attacks during the elections. The Iraqi security forces have truly taken the fight and risen to the occasion. I will not lie and say that I have been entirely optimistic, but this seems to be a genuine desire on the part of the Iraqis to own their own country. If you think about what has been attempted here in the last 3 years, the enormity of it is overwhelming. A despot who terrorized his neighbors and threatened the world with Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological weapons was deposed and is facing justice in a way that he denied to his people. Terrorist have shifted their focus from attacking our soft underbelly in the United States, and are instead choosing to meet us in Iraq, where they must play the game at a serious disadvantage. There is the birth of an actual democracy in the Middle East, and as the President said, democracies are not normally aggressors. Think about the gamble that our nation took in this. We have given away the lives of over 2000, and the health of 10 times that number. We have spent several hundred billion dollars prosecuting a war that history would have said was futile. The threat against the United States decreases as the rest of the world sees that we will not cut and run till the task is complete and the enemies of freedom are dead. This is greater than our support of the British in WWII, and defending France in WWI. Those were established democracies that merely needed defending. Iraq was among the worst dictatorships in a region of despots. To be willing to prove history wrong, and create the first Islamic democratic Republic in the history of the world says that the President is either visionary or insane. Though by no means complete, it seems that every step that the Iraqis take to create a peaceful democratic society shows the man to be more visionary. We need not fear this society exporting terrorists to our shores, and the Iraqis> have shown more and more willingness to decrease hostilities with their neighbors.
Christmas in the desert is a little odd. Dinner was outstanding though. I call it dinner because it is a cross between lunch and supper and lasts from noon to 7pm. Today's menu includes fresh and cured ham, roast beef, turkey, salmon, shrimp, lobster, crab legs, and scallops. Au gratin and mashed potatoes, sautéed onions and mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, dressing, green bean casserole, cranberry dressing, and fresh dinner rolls complete the array. There is sparkling cider, egg-nog, and punch to drink, and a vast dessert table with about 6 different types of pie. The commanding general of the 101 st Airborne Division, Major General Turner, stopped by and donned a hat and apron and served the meal along with the rest of us officers. That was the one thing that made this holiday seem real. For a few minutes it felt like I could tell the guys that I have lived with for a year thanks for a job well done by just handing them a plate with green beans and dressing on it. Nothing can repay the debts that we owe each other, and the debts that we owe those who have fallen.
I write this in honor of Captain Joel Cahill, killed on November 6th in Ad Dawr by an IED. He was perhaps the finest Infantryman that I have ever known, and is survived by his wife Mary and two daughters Faith and Brenna. I wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas from Iraq and know that we fight so that my son and Joel's daughters may grow up in freedom and prosperity and can celebrate Christmas at home surrounded by family and friends who will die from old age rather than violence. I would rather be there with you all, but am happy to know that I am paying the debt of freedom for my son, just as my father did for me back in the 70s.
I wish you a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the land of sand and scorpions.
Captain Jason Allen
Infantry, US Army
L
------
Merry Christmas from Iraq,
This will likely be the last update that I write before I return home to Fort Benning. I will then give an after action review and get around to the all important task of the thank you notes that are so overdue.
Christmas in Iraq doesn't seem like Christmas at all. We work the same hours, doing the same things as every other day...well, that may not be true for the support and logistics people who mostly have the day off, but we infantry and armor types are doing the same stuff as always, just on a slightly decreased volume. One of the only thing that has made it feel like Christmas is the 5 packages that I have received in the past five days full of lickies and chewies (Army talk for candies and snacks). The books are appreciated as well. The scumbags decided to send us some Christmas presents as well, in the form of a rocket and mortar attack on the FOB that lasted about an hour and a half. No one was killed and there was only one minor shrapnel injury that required 4 stitches and the guy getting returned to duty. The most important part of their gift was their hitting the generator that powers the area that I live in…talk about hitting a guy where it hurts. Not that they were trying to do so, but they got a lucky shot, and suddenly we were without lights and water. The happy ending to the story is that KBR (Kellogg, Brown, & Root – we love those guys) yanked one of the generators that was powering their own living area in order to ensure that we soldiers had lights and hot water. If I ever meet a person who complains about that company in front of me, they will likely pick themselves up off the ground wearing a bloody nose.
This has been a big year for Iraq. To think that a year ago this nation was in the middle of major upheaval seems foreign. Places like Fallujah, Baghdad, Ramadi, Baqubah, and Mosul were the scenes of constant attacks by IED and small arms fire. This year has seen the tide change in the Diyala province of Iraq. In our province during the election for the constitutional congress last December, there were over 500 incidences of violence be they mortar and rocket attacks, SAF (Small Arms Fire), and IEDs found and detonated. In the referendum in October, the Iraqis took the lead on securing their own elections. This allowed us to do virtually nothing except provide logistical support and forces in reserve during the elections in December. The number of attacks dropped drastically as well. From the elections of 2004, we saw 40% fewer attacks during the referendum, and over 75% fewer attacks during the elections. The Iraqi security forces have truly taken the fight and risen to the occasion. I will not lie and say that I have been entirely optimistic, but this seems to be a genuine desire on the part of the Iraqis to own their own country. If you think about what has been attempted here in the last 3 years, the enormity of it is overwhelming. A despot who terrorized his neighbors and threatened the world with Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological weapons was deposed and is facing justice in a way that he denied to his people. Terrorist have shifted their focus from attacking our soft underbelly in the United States, and are instead choosing to meet us in Iraq, where they must play the game at a serious disadvantage. There is the birth of an actual democracy in the Middle East, and as the President said, democracies are not normally aggressors. Think about the gamble that our nation took in this. We have given away the lives of over 2000, and the health of 10 times that number. We have spent several hundred billion dollars prosecuting a war that history would have said was futile. The threat against the United States decreases as the rest of the world sees that we will not cut and run till the task is complete and the enemies of freedom are dead. This is greater than our support of the British in WWII, and defending France in WWI. Those were established democracies that merely needed defending. Iraq was among the worst dictatorships in a region of despots. To be willing to prove history wrong, and create the first Islamic democratic Republic in the history of the world says that the President is either visionary or insane. Though by no means complete, it seems that every step that the Iraqis take to create a peaceful democratic society shows the man to be more visionary. We need not fear this society exporting terrorists to our shores, and the Iraqis> have shown more and more willingness to decrease hostilities with their neighbors.
Christmas in the desert is a little odd. Dinner was outstanding though. I call it dinner because it is a cross between lunch and supper and lasts from noon to 7pm. Today's menu includes fresh and cured ham, roast beef, turkey, salmon, shrimp, lobster, crab legs, and scallops. Au gratin and mashed potatoes, sautéed onions and mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, dressing, green bean casserole, cranberry dressing, and fresh dinner rolls complete the array. There is sparkling cider, egg-nog, and punch to drink, and a vast dessert table with about 6 different types of pie. The commanding general of the 101 st Airborne Division, Major General Turner, stopped by and donned a hat and apron and served the meal along with the rest of us officers. That was the one thing that made this holiday seem real. For a few minutes it felt like I could tell the guys that I have lived with for a year thanks for a job well done by just handing them a plate with green beans and dressing on it. Nothing can repay the debts that we owe each other, and the debts that we owe those who have fallen.
I write this in honor of Captain Joel Cahill, killed on November 6th in Ad Dawr by an IED. He was perhaps the finest Infantryman that I have ever known, and is survived by his wife Mary and two daughters Faith and Brenna. I wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas from Iraq and know that we fight so that my son and Joel's daughters may grow up in freedom and prosperity and can celebrate Christmas at home surrounded by family and friends who will die from old age rather than violence. I would rather be there with you all, but am happy to know that I am paying the debt of freedom for my son, just as my father did for me back in the 70s.
I wish you a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the land of sand and scorpions.
Captain Jason Allen
Infantry, US Army
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