done. almost.

1 Saturday, 12 temporary food inspections. two were busted for not submitting applications. shame, shame.

i'm too tired to be witty.

only one tomorrow. then sleep.

where have i been?

Wow. Where the heck does time go? On one hand, I'm glad things at work have FINALLY picked up. I've been busy almost the entire day-every day-for the past two weeks. I don't know what has sparked the change, but I welcome it. Too much cube time makes Justin go crazy! On the other hand, I have weekend duty this weekend. Thankfully, it's my last assignment for the year. I have EIGHT inspections on saturday so far, and they keep coming in. sheesh.

What else is new?...life groups are starting in Reality, which is exciting. I'm hoping for another year of growth and craziness with the high school guys. They rock.

I have once again attacked my thesis with a vengeance. Now that lab work has finally been completed, I'm working on data processing. If anyone has access to the stats programs, "Prism" or "SigmaPlot" I'd love it if I could borrow it.

Tommorrow night is the "Redneck Drive-in" at the Dean's. Meet at Northwoods at 7:30pm to caravan (with or without mules) to our makeshift movie extraveganza!

um...that's all. Leaving early again today to hit the gym...the joys of comp time.

this came in the mail yesterday:

Girlfriend Day

Happy BIRTHDAY to Gina!!!

This lovely young (yep) girl is celebrating the day of her birth today! Email, call, or send a singing telegram to her.

I love you!

work week recovery

I had an exhilarating, but exhausting weekend that I will be recovering from over the next few days. Where to begin...

Friday night I went to the gym (as usual), then went over to Molly and Ryan's new house to help with some renovation. I enjoy destroying things with blunt objects, so I spend the night demo'ing a ceramic tile entry way. Whoever installed the thing should work for the department of defense. The concrete board under the tile was glued, screwed, and nailed to the plywood. I left bloodied and battered, but not defeated.

Saturday I got up at 6 and headed to Pekin to run my first 5K. I've never run over 2 miles in my life, but wanted to see if I was capable of 3.1. It was brutal (especially the last hill) but I managed to finish in 22:19, which put me 25th out of 101 runners (including little girls). It was fun once the feeling of imminent hurling subsided after the race. I may just do another one sometime in the distant future.

After the race, I went back to the Hite's to work on the house again. With a HUGE team effort, the laminate floor was laid in the living room and nearly all the tile was put down in the kitchen by the end of the day. The ladies had almost all of the painting finished as well. What an awesome thing for friends to come together in community to help each other out. Charlie reiterated this in his message at Nexus saturday night. beautiful.

Sunday we celebrated Leslie's commitment to a new life, free from shadows of the past. You can read more on Charlie's blog (http://charliedean.wordpress.com/). It was a great reminder for me of why I made the same decision to follow Christ and leave the worldly life behind. Leslie, you are awesome! It takes a bold and courageous heart to step out and declare what you have.

Reality last night was uplifting as well. The room was packed with new students and new leaders. Eric called someone up on stage from each school represented. People from 14 different schools had come together (some drive nearly an hour each week together) to hear a crucial and dangerous message. THAT is awesome!

So despite the aches of the strains I put on this body this weekend, I am rejuvenated in what God is doing in Peoria and in the lives of my friends. I wish I had weekends like this all the time (minus the running)!

looking back

looking back over the past 5 months or so, life has changed.

it doesn't matter what hurdle i'm facing or how stressed i am because i now have someone who is here. someone who cares and really, honestly wants to know how my day was or what i'm thinking about.

when i think about Gina, i can't help but smile. her charm is infectious, her laughter contagious. she is everything i wanted and more than i knew i needed. i don't know how i will ever thank her or be as much for her as she is for me.

with others from the past there was always a glaring issue of self-confidence or weird family issues or baggage they wouldn't let me help carry. or all of the above. i am so thankful that Gina is the complete opposite.

i have also stepped away from the young adult "house group," which was fun, but lost a lot of its intimacy when it exanded from a small group of friends with bible study, discussion, and prayer into a social gathering for whoever wanted to attend each week. i now have two brothers, chris and joe, i meet with each week. i wouldn't trade that time for anything. the connection between two men who are strong enough to share their weaknesses, shortcomings, and desires with each other is a powerful thing. and the fact that both of them are insanely hilarious helps too. it has challenged me and grown me spiritually.

it's only been 5 months. i can't imagine where life will go from here. i am listening intently for what is in store. i only want to trust and obey, and live faithfully.

Josiah

In 2 Kings 22, Josiah, the king of Judah decides to repair the temple of the LORD after 100's of years of idol worship and kings that refused to submit to God. As construction is underway, a high priest finds the book of the law in the temple. He gives it to Josiah's secretary, who reads it to him. And he freaks out when he hears what God has commanded his people to do and realizes how far they have strayed. He says, "Great is the LORD's anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us." He instantly sends for a prophet to inquire what God has in store for he and his people. While God condemns the nation to destruction, he allows it to stand while under Josiah's reign.

Josiah was ignorant of the law God sent down because his fathers had turned away from it and buried it within the temple they neglected. But when the truth was revealed, Josiah drops everything to make things right. What if the leaders of the nations of the world would listen to the laws we are all commanded to follow. Not the laws of men, but the laws of the creator of men. Will the world continue to worship itself and place idols in the high places, resulting in it's own destruction? We must all be more like Josiah and spread the word to those who have not yet heard it!

Labor Day in Review.

Wow, what a weekend. I need one of those more often (like today).
Saturday my lovely girl, Gina, slaved away cleaning the house while Shawn and I picked up the new 61" Samsung at Best Buy (I'm still sorry it took so long Gina). I still had time to mow and trim the lawn and finish cleaning though. Thanks to everyone who came to the cookout-it was fantastical.

Sunday afternoon was spent playing pool volleyball at the Dean's. More delicious eats! I think I ate my body weight in carbs this weekend. mmmm... Then we watched "Blades of Glory" with Gina's bro, Wes.

Yesterday we lounged. I washed the cars and we went for an evening jog (or maybe it's pronounced "yagging," it might be a soft "j"). In other news, I locked myself out of the house for the 2nd time in a week. Good thing I have the skills of a burglar. forget i said that...

how sweet is this?

I normally don't pay for an "extended warranty" on anything. But when I bought my 52" Toshiba HDTV two years ago, I decided to pay the extra $400 for the 4-year plan because it was a floor model. The bulb has to be replaced annually and they cost $100 (you do the math).
Ever since I've had it, the high definition input (HDMI) was very fussy. The cable had to be juuuuuust right in order to get a clear picture. I finally called the repair man to come look at it. He said major surgery would be required to fix it. He ordered the part in July and it still hasn't come in. So he called today to tell me that under the contract, I was now entitled to a brand new tv. All I had to do was take it to Best Buy and get a new one.
I called the store and they said they no longer carry that model, but I can get ANY tv, up to the price I originally paid. When I asked what models were comparable, the salesperson said I could get the best unit they carry for the same price now. And it will be brand-spankin new-not a floor model.

Sometimes things work out deliciously. Now I just have to find a truck...

an anomoly

Yesterday I watched "Bowling for Columbine" for the first time.
Yes, I realize I'm 5 years late, but honestly I thought watching it would cause me to dislike Michael Moore more than I already do. However, I caught the first few minutes of it the other day and decided to give him a shot (pun).
Going into it, I figured it would be Moore's personal agenda against gun-owning Americans and a bunch of liberal propaganda. And true to form, it was there.
BUT, he did make some good points that got me thinking.

Canada has approximately 10 million families and 7 million guns. Yet, there are only 35ish gun-related homicides in the entire country each year. Compare that to the U.S. and there are over 100,000 each year. We've had 1/2 the Canadian average already in Peoria this year. The same goes for other countries across the world: Germany, Britain, Japan, Australia, etc. There are just as many guns in these countries, their citizens watch the same violent movies, play the same violent video games, listen to the same "metal" music, etc. But there is no where near the rate of gun-related crime.

While there are no easy answers to this epidemic of violence in our country, it is obvious that taking guns out of the hands of responsible citizens will not solve the problem. There is an evil deep in our culture that must be uprooted and exposed. The fear instilled in its citizens by the news media, the level of poverty and denial of basic health care needs, and America's trigger-happy government must change. If only we would adopt some of the policies and practices of our peaceful neighbors, we could move from the "land of opportunity" to the "land of tranquility," and we gun owners would not be persecuted by congressman who know nothing of such things.

Pekinites.

So explain to me this:

I had to do a well inspection today in Pekin on 1st Street. In order to get to said location, I was required to turn left on North Street. When I did so, however, it took me on a loop back to the road I turned off of. Apparently there is a North North Street and a South North Street. South North Street was approximately 74 yards down the road on the other side of an empty lot. 1st Street starts and ends on either side of the lot. Both North North Street and South North Street are two blocks long. Who in the world thought this was a good idea? Pekinites...

good morning

I've avoided drinking coffee at work for approximately 2 months now, but this morning I gave in. Just needed a little pick-me-up.
There is never any sugar packets in the kitchen so someone brought in a styrofoam cup full. I can't stand artificial sweeteners so I decided to add a little from the cup, even though it wasn't covered and could have been tampered with by biological terrorists.
I tipped the cup ever so slightly and tapped the side and a sugary conglomerate the size of a chicken egg broke off like an ancient glacier into the ocean of my coffee mug.
Needless to say, there's a little extra zip in my zip-a-dee-doo-da. yum.

hunt'n vids

Since I'm a huge dork, I posted the opening sequence of my two latest hunting DVD's on youtube. And here they are for your viewing pleasure.


Obviously, the quality is reduced, but you get the picture.

the struggle within

What do you what to be when you grow up?

Probably one of the most asked questions you'll hear throughout your childhood-young adult life. And it's one that I keep asking myself.

I don't know why I can't be content in a job.
Maybe it's because I'm impatient, or because I want too much too fast, or because none of my employers see things the right way (my way-sarcasm). Or maybe it's because I've sought employment at the wrong places for the wrong reasons.

This weekend, Cal delivered a message that hit me between the eyes. Identify your strenghts-the ones you enjoy, and hone them. Develop what you love doing and go after it. It's simple. But it takes a lot of guts to turn away from security, however unsatisfying it may be, to go out on a limb and try to make a living doing what you truly enjoy.

All I know is that if I continue on this path, doggy paddling my way through life, scraping to get by, sooner or later I will drown. I don't want to waste this life. I don't feel I will ever be happy working under someone's thumb. If I'm not free to create things and explore what I am capable of, I feel suffocated.

Sooo...what do I do?
I'd love to run my own video production business. I know this isn't something that is built overnight. I get a great amount of satifaction and happiness when I can share what I've created with other people and they are entertained! To date, I've only done one project for $, and I think it turned out very well. My thought is to start a website, where customers can send in their own footage (home videos, sporting events, hunting footage, etc.) and I will edit and produce professional DVDs. Start small, think big. One day I could have my own crews going out and filming events themselves. Who knows.

Maybe I'm out of my mind. Maybe I should just be complacent and happy where I am. Maybe I'm over-dramatic. I just want to be able to look back on my career and say, "that's what I wanted to be when I grew up."

2006 Trojans DVD

I'm delivering the final product in about an hour. Here's the opening video!

a mixture

Let's take a look at what's going on in this week's headlines...

Yesterday afternoon the secretary came back and said there was a man at the front desk to see me. As I wasn't expecting anyone, I was surprised when I walked up there and saw my grandpa (who lives 2 hours from here)! Turns out he was at a farm equipment auction about 1/2 mile from the office. Very cool.

Our softball team won last night, which makes three in a row (our longest streak this season). That puts us at exactly .500 for the season, heading into the tournament tomorrow if the rain holds off long enough.

My Uncle Dave visited the guy with the outdoor show on Wednesday and dropped off 4 of my dvd's for him to preview. He was "very impressed" and hinted at me possibly doing some editing work for him. We'll see if that goes anywhere! He also wanted my photos from the boar hunting trip for his magazine. pretty cool.

Gina and I had a wonderful evening with her relatives Wednesday night. I think their whole family is blessed with some kind of cooking gene that turns everything they touch to culinary gold. I know I will never go hungry with Gina around!

And lastly, Cougar, my little angel cat (not) stole a chicken breast off the stove last night that was supposed to be my lunch for today. I found it mauled on the kitchen floor. He's not my favorite person at the moment. My life is exciting.

David Crowder-Praise Him

I love this video.
It's a reminder that wherever we are, whatever we're going through, we must stop...and praise him...

Sleeping at Last

Careful Hands

Sleeping At Last -

on music

There is something in music that awakens the soul, lifts the spirit, or soothes a wounded heart.

Last night the incredibly gifted band from Chicago, "Sleeping at Last," played at the Warehouse. When they were here a year ago I had never heard of them. I bought both of their albums after the show and have listened to them dozens of times since. I was looking forward to their return all summer, to say the least. And they did not disappoint. They've crossed the boundary from relatively unknown Christian artists to the "mainstream" and have had one of their songs featured on "Grey's Anatomy." Their talent and unique crafting of word and music is moving. There was even a marriage proposal during "Umbrellas," a song about love, marriage, children, and life (no, it wasn't me).

So what is it between those chords, drum beats, and melodies that causes a transformation of the mind? In 2 Kings 3, when Elisha is seeking wisdom from God, he says, "But now bring me a harpist."
While the harpist was playing, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha...
The word of God came through the music.

Which reminds me of a conversation with a friend I grew up with in church, who has for the most part walked away from anything resembling a church. He, however, worships music. A roommate of his professes to be an atheist, but says there is something about music that is "spiritual" to him. It moves him in an indescribable way.

Could it be that through the locked doors of an unsaved heart, God knocks loudly through a drum beat? Can a guitar riff pierce the darkness and reclaim that which is lost?

now bring me a harpist...