Words from the Eudoxus

The Cool Teacher

2010-02-18T07:48:00.003-05:00

I was thinking yesterday about how, when I was younger, I figured if I became a teacher, then I'd be a cool teacher like Mr. Turner from Boy Meets World. Maybe I wouldn't ride a motorcycle or have a kick-awesome mullet, but I'd want to be cool.
The more I thought about it, though, after being a teacher for a couple of years, I've come to a realization. I'm not the cool teacher. I'm more like Mr. Feeny, only not as wise.
By no means do I consider this a bad thing, but it's funny how your view of things change.

James 1:2-3

2009-10-14T13:33:00.003-04:00

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance."

Nothing great has ever happened without pain and trials of the ones who accomplished it. Trials of many kinds bring us closer to Christ, and almost force us to depend wholly on Him and no one else, including ourselves.

Endurance is required to reach our goal of bringing the Kingdom of Heaven here. We must run our race with endurance. Without endurance, it's a sprint, and, while it may have great results, we don't want to be disqualified ourselves.

What trials are you facing? I know we're facing some big ones. Thank God today for your trials, not because of the pain, but because of the long-term result, which we may not see for a very long time.

James 1:1a

2009-10-13T11:35:00.001-04:00

"James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Chris,"

James declared himself a "bond-servant." What is that? A servant is one who serves (duh!), but a bond-servant implies something a little different.

When a servant or a slave had worked long enough to pay off a debt (or if the time limit on debt had run out...Jewish culture had such an awesome way of dealing with debt), he could make the choice to go out on his own as a free man, or he could stay with his master, because he loved his master, and was then a bond-servant.

A bond-servant doesn't serve because that's his job or because he's paying off a debt or because that's the position he was born to. A bond-servant serves because he loves his master. James declared himself a bond-servant because he served Christ out of love for Christ, not out of obligation to repay the enormous debt which all of us who have accepted Christ's salvation have been relieved of.

Are you a bond-servant, or just someone trying to work to earn the salvation you've already been given?

Acts 1

2009-09-28T07:53:00.001-04:00

"And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
- Acts 1:45

Jesus did not tell His disciples to do anything. He told them to wait: to wait to receive the Promise of the Father. Why do we hurry into doing things "for God" when sometimes He just wants us to stop and wait on him? Go when He says "Go." Stay when He says "Stay." Proceed when He says "Proceed." Wait when He says "Wait."

Meet Charlotte

2009-09-10T22:02:00.001-04:00

Here's Charlotte! We got her from my parents last Sunday. She's a cockapoo (half cocker spaniel, half poodle). She's seven weeks old, and she's loads of fun.

Birthday Fun

2009-08-30T21:40:00.004-04:00

So, today was my birthday, and it was a most excellent day.

Sarah and I started the day off going to Beach Churc h and got to worship with our Lifegroup and a whole bunch of other Christ-followers (always good times).

After lunch, I got to open my presents from Sarah. Yes, I said presents. My wife tends to go all out, and she definitely went all out on this. She'd been saving her blow money (see Dave Ramsey if you don't know what that means) for months. She bought me a table saw AND a router, both of which I've been wanting for a while, but I don't possess the discipline to save my blow money long enough to get them. Here's a couple pictures.

After an afternoon nap, Sarah started work on a homemade cheesecake (which we will be eating shortly). Then, we went out to Travinia for dinner and went to Barnes and Noble.

To top off everything my awesome wife has done for my birthday, I've received numerous text messages and facebook wall posts wishing me happy birthday, and phone calls from two of the closest friends from my past, Christof and Nate. Thanks for everything.

And now, back to the regular world (where my wife is still awesome, and I get to eat cheesecake).

California is Run by Wannabes

2009-08-29T12:00:00.004-04:00

Okay, so maybe not all of California, but check this out.

To help with the state's budget crisis, Governor Schwarzenegger (it's still weird to type the name as that of a politician) ordered a GARAGE SALE at the Department of General Services’ surplus warehouse in North Sacramento.

That's an awesome idea, and maybe everyone else should follow in Cali's steps for a change, but where have I heard of this idea before?
Oh wait, DAVE RAMSEY!!!

For the article, click here.

1st Week

2009-08-29T11:56:00.003-04:00

Well, the first week of school at North Myrtle Beach High School is over. It was a great week, but really long. Thus far, my students have been great. I've already had a few sleepers, and two of my three classes have already had a quiz (the beauty of 4x4 schedule - you hit the ground running).
To end a great week, our football team walked away with the victory last night against Loris (our new principal's old school). I didn't get to go to the game, but I read about it first thing this morning.

Anyway, one down, quite a few to go. It will get more stressful, but I'm sure it'll be an awesome year (well, semester, since we are now on true semester schedules).

What in the World?

2009-08-24T19:03:00.002-04:00

Do you find yourself spending long hours online? Do you check your Facebook and Twitter accounts every few minutes? Do you Google random words just to give you something to look up online?

If this is you, there's someone who can help.

No, seriously, there's now a rehab center for internet addiction in Washington.

If this is you, please, click here, we're begging you.

I Don't Like Jesus

2009-08-23T16:01:00.001-04:00

Check out my friend Todd's new blog I Don't Like Jesus. You may just find out that you don't like Him either, and that's where the journey begins.

School Days

2009-08-20T10:25:00.002-04:00

Well, the summer flew by apparently. I'm back at North Myrtle Beach High, and things have been going pretty well thus far. I'll be teaching Algebra 1 and Honors Geometry this year.

This week has been meetings and working in our rooms. Tomorrow is New Chiefs...New Beginnings, which is our freshman orientation. Students come Monday.

I'm really excited about the upcoming school year. I hope it will turn out to be as great as last year.

Summer Activity

2009-07-13T18:52:00.001-04:00

So, I've been lazy this summer. Lucky me. Actually, I've been doing a bit of reading and working on a couple of projects, but nothing big.

Since I haven't blogged anything lately, I figured I'd just write out a list of the books I've read this summer, in case anyone cares.

I reread the Harry Potter series (in preparation for the new movie)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (5 books in the series)
The Warrior Heir
The Wizard Heir
The Dragon Heir
What's So Amazing About Grace?
I'm now reading The Hobbit and will hopefully get through at least part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy before school starts back up.

Anyway, nothing much else has really been going on. I've been helping Sarah here and there with her cows, but that's it.

I hope everyone else is having as good a summer as I am.

Congratulations

2009-06-22T07:47:00.001-04:00

James Walker Thompson V finally arrived to grace the presence of his parents, Jim and Sara Thompson, this morning at 3:06. Congratulations, Jim and Sarah!

Can we be next?

Attention Myrtle Beach

2009-06-02T22:39:00.001-04:00

Head out to Market Commons tomorrow night at 6:30. Our church is going to be having a Connect Service there, and it's going to be kick-awesome!

Lifegroup

2009-05-28T10:32:00.003-04:00

I just thought I'd mention the fact that I love the guys in my Lifegroup from Beach Church. I always look forward to Wednesday nights when we get to talk about life and share each other's burdens and walk through things together.

Angels & Demons

2009-05-17T19:29:00.002-04:00

After getting home from Charleston for the weekend, Sarah and I decided we'd go see Angels & Demons to round off our weekend. I think it was a mistake.
The movie was a pretty good movie, if you haven't read the book. If you've read the book, forget about seeing the movie. The book was fantastic, and could easily have been made into a feature-length film without all of the "creative licenses" that were taken to make changes.
Since it did have to do with the Illuminati, I'll give the movie a 2 out of 5.

Anniversary Trip

2009-05-16T14:27:00.001-04:00

So, Sarah and I are staying in Mt. Pleasant this weekend for our anniversary trip. Yesterday afternoon, we went downtown and hit the market and walked around, and then went to Gilligan's Steamer and Raw Bar for dinner, and then headed to Marble Slab for desert.

Today, we, of course, went to Folly Beach for a while, and now we're getting ready for James and Amelia's wedding tonight. Other than that, we're just relaxing and enjoying our time together.

Happy Anniversary!!!

2009-05-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Anniversary Sarah! It's been 3 years today! I love you!!!

Horry County Wildfire

2009-04-23T09:22:00.002-04:00

Please pray for all those living in the area where the wild fire is burning in and around Myrtle Beach. Many of my students live in the area endangered by the fire, and quite a few of them did not come to school today.

Please continue to pray!

Chick-fil-A

2009-04-21T09:31:00.000-04:00

Check out my friend Kelly's blog about Chick-fil-A!

April 15

2009-04-15T07:36:00.001-04:00

Happy Tax Day!

Happy Birthday!

2009-04-13T08:41:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Sarah!!!

Just a Reminder

2009-04-12T15:39:00.002-04:00

Just a reminder of the true reason for "Easter" (which I prefer to call Resurrection Day).

Spring Break Day 1

2009-04-04T19:17:00.001-04:00

Spring Break Day 1:
- Went to check out parts of the Cooper River Bridge Run
- Drove back from Charleston
- Helped Sarah with some Chick-fil-A training
- Mowed our lawn for the first time
- Spending the rest of the evening relaxing with Sarah (and probably going to get some CFA milkshakes later)

Yay!

2009-03-19T20:30:00.000-04:00

Sarah's home! Woohoo!

Bachin it, Day 4

2009-03-18T22:23:00.002-04:00

Today was an up and down day.

- I woke up 45 minutes late. Considering I normally get to work an hour and a half before school starts, it wasn't that big of a deal, but I hate being late.

- I gave blood at school today. Since I'm a universal donor, they wanted me to donate two units instead of one. No problem for me. When you do two units, though, they hook you up to a machine that draws your blood, separates the parts (red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma), and then puts back what it isn't using. So, 5 minutes of drawing blood, 5 minutes of a saline solution going back into my body. Took a little longer, but wasn't bad at all.

- At the end of the school day, Mr. Brown (my principal) called me down to his office. Guess what...I'll have a job next year. Woohoo!

- The best part about today, though, is that it's the day before Thursday, and Sarah comes home on Thursday!!!

I'm about to head to bed...still not sleeping well.

Bachin It, Day 2

2009-03-16T20:33:00.002-04:00

Day 2
- Woke up after not sleeping well
- Went to work
- Went to the store to get sugar to make tea
- Cleaned up paint chips in the garage because I've been too lazy to do it in the last month
- Sat on the couch and watched TV
- Going to bed soon

Happy Sad

2009-03-15T23:24:00.002-04:00

Today was one of those good-bad days.

The Good Part - Sarah and I got paid this past week. That means its tithing time. Today, we tithed to Beach Church for the first time. We've been sending our tithe back to Crossroads to continue to support that ministry while we sought a new church home to get involved in. That's finally happened. The reason this is the good part is because we finally feel like we're becoming a part of something here in Myrtle Beach. Anyone can attend a church, but contributing is a different thing (actually, we're commanded to contribute, not just attend).

The Bad Part - Sarah has Chick-fil-A training in Atlanta this week. That means that this afternoon, I had to take her to the airport and leave her there (because you can't get through security unless you have a plane ticket). I cried when walking back to the car, and I'm not afraid to admit it. Sarah and I don't do well apart from each other for long periods of time. So, I'm baching (bacheloring) it this week. It's not fun, but it's a necessity. C'est la vie.

Time Flies

2009-03-06T14:04:00.002-05:00

So, it's been almost a month since I've posted anything at all. What can I say, I'm the world's worst blogger. (Okay, maybe not the worst, but I'm definitely not good at it.)

Sarah and I went to the upstate a couple of weeks ago to visit family and celebrate my dad's birthday. Last weekend our friends Alex and Jenn came down here to visit us. They're moving to Vermont soon. This weekend, thankfully, we're not doing anything. Sarah and I are just going to relax and relax some more. That's the plan anyway. I'm sure something will come up.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T14:15:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day Sarah! I love you!

What Pork?

2009-02-13T21:21:00.002-05:00

The Stimulus Bill was voted on after not even being available for 24 hours. It was so long, that, even reading at an average college-level reading level, it would take 12 hours nonstop to get through it all. Now, you tell me, did every one of those government officials read it? I seriously doubt it.

Here's some pork I found out about (even though that are "no earmarks or pet projects in the bill")

- $8 billion for a high-speed railway from LA to Las Vegas (because we need easier access to major gambling so that we can win money instead of earning it)
- $2 billion for the litium-ion industry (because better batteries will stimulate our economy)
- $800 million for carbon-capture projects
- $650 million total for NASA - $450 million for "science" and $200 million for "aeronautics" (because getting to the Moon again will really help the accountant and constructions workers down the street who lost their jobs)

And here's a partial list from Foxnews.com
- $100 million for the Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program
- $200 million to the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Program
- $300 million for "Violence Against Women Prevention and Prosecution Programs"
- $900 million for the IRS for the "Limitation on Administrative Expenses"
- $1 million for the Railroad Retirement Board for administrative costs
- $2 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Act
- $50 million for Health and Human Services to carry out injury prevention programs
- $1.1 billion for studies on the effectiveness of different medical treatments
- $200 million to upgrade labs and facilities for the Department of Agriculture "to improve workplace safety and mission-area efficiencies"
- $10 million for urban canal inspection
- $16 billion to pay for student financial aid
- $1 billion to pay for the U.S. Census
- $600 million to pay for a fuel-efficient federal auto fleet
- $650 million for the Digital Converter Box Program to help the constantly delayed transition from analog television
- $485 million to the Forest Service for "hazardous fuels reduction and hazard mitigation activities in areas at high risk of catastrophic wildfire"
- $3 billion for the Centers for Disease Control wellness programs and vaccinations
- $410 million for Indian health facilities

WHAT THE HECK ARE THEY THINKING!?!?!?

What in the world?

2009-02-09T20:56:00.001-05:00

I don't think I've ever heard anyone speak so much to not say anything as I have so far tonight listening to the Presidential News Conference.

Congratulations

2009-02-05T13:25:00.001-05:00

Congrats to my good friends, Jim and Sara Thompson, on the fact that they found out today they'll be having a totally awesome BOY (named James Walker Thompson V, of course).

Congrats Jim and Sara!!!

PS Is it the Weber's turn now?

Twilight

2009-01-31T17:52:00.002-05:00

I finally gave in and read Twilight in the last couple of days. It was pretty good, but I don't see what all the obsessions has been about it. Then again, I'm not a teenage girl, either. I started New Moon today.

And, in case any of you are thinking that my salvation is at stake because I'm reading a FICTIONAL book about vampires, get over it. And just so you have something else to gripe about me over, I've also read all of the Harry Potter books (and loved them), parts of the Book of Mormon (and hated it), and parts of the Baghavad Gita (and hated it). I've also ready all of the Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings trilogy (and own the movies), but most people don't make a fuss about that because they were written by Christian men (even though Tolkein never made any comment that LOTR was based on anything Christian).

By the way, I also used to have earrings.

Sorry for the rant, but several people I know (my wife included) have been bashed by comments on their blogs because they've read the Twilight saga, and it really irritates me that people take the time to comment like that. For those of you thinking of doing that on my blog, here's some advice. Use the 10 minutes it takes you to fume about this and the 2 minutes it takes to write a comment, and go outside, knock on your neighbor's door, and show them love. I promise you won't be nearly as concerned about my reading after that.

The Week In Review

2009-01-30T19:48:00.001-05:00

This week was reeeeeeeeeeeeally long. It wasn't bad at all, but just long.

Monday we had parent-teacher conferences at school. That means that my work day was over 13 hours long. It didn't help that I woke up tired, so by the end of the day, I was kaput.

Tuesday was great. Nothing spectacular.

Wednesday, I left work right at 3:30. My head was pounding, and I had a meeting with my principal and curriculum coordinator near the end of the day, so I couldn't really leave early. I went home and crashed on the couch and just sat there until Sarah and I went to bed.
I figured, the work I didn't get to do because I left early could easily be made up on Thursday morning, considering I get to school before 7 each day.

Thursday, I overslept, which means the work I had put off on Wednesday couldn't get done before school on Thursday. Not most of it, anyway. I still got to school on time and with time to spare, but the whole day I felt like I was running behind and missing things.

Friday was a Friday. My students were relatively well-behaved and respectful, but it was Friday all the same, and so they were somewhat antsy and inattentive.

That's my week in a nutshell. The plans for the weekend - lounge around and relax.

15 Things You Should Know About Abortion

2009-01-25T19:55:00.003-05:00

This is just a cut-and-paste from John Piper's blog, but I thought you may want to read it. These are fifteen things about abortion. Some of them are purely scientific. Others are purely faith-based. Even if you don't believe in God, there's an overwhelming amount of evidence that abortion is just as wrong as any other murder. Here's the list:

1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the baby in a mother's womb (except in the case of abortion).

2. Fetal surgery is performed on babies in the womb to save them while another child the same age is being legally destroyed.

3. Babies can sometimes survive on their own at 23 or 24 weeks, but abortion is legal beyond this limit.

4. Living on its own is not the criterion of human personhood, as we know from the use of respirators and dialysis.

5. Size is irrelevant to human personhood, as we know from the difference between a one-week-old and a six-year-old.

6. Developed reasoning powers are not the criterion of personhood, as we know from the capacities of three-month-old babies.

7. Infants in the womb are human beings scientifically by virtue of their genetic make up.

8. Ultrasound has given a stunning window on the womb that shows the unborn at eight weeks sucking his thumb, recoiling from pricking, responding to sound. All the organs are present, the brain is functioning, the heart is pumping, the liver is making blood cells, the kidneys are cleaning fluids, and there is a fingerprint. Virtually all abortions happen later than this date.

9. Justice dictates that when two legitimate rights conflict, the limitation of rights that does the least harm is the most just. Bearing a child for adoption does less harm than killing him.

10. Justice dictates that when either of two people must be inconvenienced or hurt to alleviate their united predicament, the one who bore the greater responsibility for the predicament should bear more of the inconvenience or hurt to alleviate it.

11. Justice dictates that a person may not coerce harm on another person by threatening voluntary harm on themselves.

12. The outcast and the disadvantaged and exploited are to be cared for in a special way, especially those with no voice of their own.

13. What is happening in the womb is the unique person-nurturing work of God, who alone has the right to give and take life.

14. There are countless clinics that offer life and hope to both mother and child (and father and parents), with care of every kind lovingly provided by people who will meet every need they can.

15.Jesus Christ can forgive all sins, and will give all who trusts him the help they need to do everything that life requires.

Pharisees

2009-01-22T19:57:00.002-05:00

On the way to work this morning, I was passed by a policeman. I was driving down Hwy. 31. He was going at least 75 mph (speed limit is 65 mph), and I saw him change lanes twice without ever using a turn signal.
It made me think about the fact that this man's job is to uphold the law, and yet there he was, breaking the law, right in front of me.
It's a trivial example, of course, but it got me to thinking.
In the Bible, the Pharisees and Saducees were given the task of upholding the Law and teaching others to do so, and yet, often times they were the ones breaking the Law. Was this policeman a modern day Pharisee? But I didn't stop thinking there...
How many times have I, as a child of God and an Ambassador of Heaven, broken the Law while telling others the obey it? How often have I proven to be a hypocrite? Of course, as a child of grace, I'm no longer under the Law, but that doesn't mean that I should just live how I want. It means that I should desire to live in God's will...not because I'm scared of punishment, but because I love my Savior, Jesus Christ.
How about you? Have you ever found yourself in this situation?

Lord, forgive me for being a modern-day Pharisee. Help me to live under your grace and to give that same grace to others. Help me to love you the way that you desire for me to love you. Amen.

Windows 7

2009-01-21T19:30:00.003-05:00

So, this week, I downloaded the Beta edition of Windows 7. Windows 7 is the new operating system Microsoft is working on to release towards the end of this year. So far, it's been pretty cool. I'm trying it out on my old laptop, so it's definitely not going to run as well as it would on a newer, average system, but it's working a lot better than I thought it would. It's actually running better than XP right now. How crazy is that? Anyway, here's a couple of screenshots of the Desktop, Start Menu, Libraries screen, and Computer screen, as well as a shot of Microsoft Word (it's not a new version...still Office 2007). Enjoy!

Desktop Screenshot, feature the Betta fish (get it...Windows 7 Beta--Betta fish...you're so funny, Microsoft)

Start Menu. One of the features of Windows 7 is that the Quick Launch toolbar is integrated into the Taskbar. You can see the icons just to the right of the Windows icon.

Libraries are another new feature...you can put all of your pictures, videos, music, etc. into libraries even if they're from different folders.

The Computer screen (formerly My Computer) shows the drives and how much space they're using.

Microsoft Word...nothing new here.

Snow?

2009-01-20T21:26:00.002-05:00

This morning, I was at work, and it started snowing...in Little River, SC. That's crazy! The funny thing is that people just freak out about it. A little bit of snow, and the second half of the Staff Development day was canceled, and tomorrow we have a 2-hour delay. Can't complain about that (even though I'll still be at work just as early in the morning). Happy Sort-of-Snow Day!

Buffalo Wild Wings

2009-01-18T20:33:00.002-05:00

Tonight, Sarah and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. Quite a few people have told us how great it was and that it was a whole lot better than Wild Wing Cafe. Well, let me tell you...all of those people are wrong. The restaurant felt more like a bar than a restaurant, and the selection wasn't that great (14 wing sauces compared to over 30 at Wild Wing). Sarah ordered the boneless wings, and guess what...they tasted like they were Tyson frozen boneless wings that were dipped in sweet barbecue sauce.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share my opinion.

Painting

2009-01-18T08:18:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I finished painting the living room, so here are those pictures. All we have left for now is the master bathroom, and then we're done (until we decide what we're doing with the office and guest bedroom). Enjoy!

Today, we finally finished the living room. Woohoo!

6 Years and Counting

2009-01-14T07:46:00.000-05:00

6 years ago today, Sarah and I had our first date. Happy Anniversary!!!

Good-Bad News

2009-01-08T20:16:00.000-05:00

Today we got some good-bad news. Please pray for us over the next few days. Thanks.

Painting Days 3 and 4

2009-01-04T13:01:00.002-05:00

Here's a few pictures of the last couple of days' work.

Before and After Pictures

2008-12-30T18:17:00.007-05:00

Saturday I got the kitchen painted. Today I did the master bedroom. (It was too humid yesterday to effectively paint, so I didn't.) Here's some before and after pictures of those two rooms. More to come as we progress further.

A Great Christmas

2008-12-26T19:56:00.002-05:00

Tuesday, Sarah and I had our Christmas dinner and went ahead and did our own Christmas gift-giving in our new home. Sarah cooked a wonderfully delicious spiral ham, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese, and apple dumplings.

Wednesday morning, we got up and drove up to Spartanburg to spend Christmas Eve with the Hill family. It was a grand ole time, as always.

We spent Christmas with my family, including my brother Rob and his son Tyler.

It was nice getting to spend time with family and just relaxing together.

Starting tomorrow, the painting project begins. Hopefully over the next week, I'll be able to get the kitchen, living room, foyer, and master bedroom finished. We're still waiting on a couple of walls to have the popouts repaired, and we still have to decide on colors for the office, guest bedroom, and guest bathroom before I can begin to paint those. Updates (including pictures, possibly) will be coming on the painting project.

In case you don't check back with me before next Thursday (or, more accurately, in case I don't blog again before then), have a Happy New Year!

Huckabee

2008-12-22T17:32:00.002-05:00

Last night, Mike Huckabee unapologetically explained Christmas. Way to go, Mike!

Check out the video here.

School's Out

2008-12-19T13:12:00.000-05:00

As of today, school is out for two weeks for Christmas break. Even though they were very anxious to be done, my students were great this week.
I'm really glad to have a break. There hasn't even been a teacher work day yet in Horry County this school year, so all of us were ready for one. Maybe I'll finally have a chance to relax in our new house and get some things done. That's the plan anyway.

Mourning

2008-12-07T20:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I found out that my great uncle Billy passed away Friday morning. It wasn't unexpected. He was 88 years old and lived a long, full life. That doesn't make his passing easier, but it is comforting. It's also a comfort to know that Uncle Billy's eternity is sure. He is and forever will be worshiping in the presence of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Pray for our family, though, as death is never an easy thing to deal with.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2008-12-01T07:14:00.001-05:00

Sarah and I had a great Thanksgiving weekend. We had tickets to the Clemson/Carolina game, but because they said it was going to rain on the news, we opted not to go, and Sarah's brothers took our tickets to give away or sell. Instead, we got to watch the game in Hi-Def at Sarah's parents house. That was pretty cool.
Only 3 more weeks until Christmas break. That's 15 school days, and only 45 classes for me to teach, and 60 classes for my students to attend. It's coming fast! I can't wait.

Boring

2008-11-25T21:11:00.000-05:00

Sarah is in Spartanburg spending time with her family. I'm here all by my lonesome. It stinks. Tomorrow, though, is a half-day at school, and then I'm heading up to Easley, and I'll get to spend the weekend traveling (with Sarah) from Easley to Spartanburg and back to see all of our family. It's going to be another busy (but great) weekend.

Housewarming Weekend

2008-11-23T19:08:00.001-05:00

Well, everyone has gone back to the upstate now. I think everyone had a great time being together this weekend. I know I did. I got to spend Saturday morning with my parents, which I don't get to do very often. Sarah's brothers and dad got to go play golf, and her mom, sister-in-law, and Sarah got to go shopping. Only a few more days and we get to see everyone again.

Housewarming Weekend

2008-11-21T17:26:00.000-05:00

This weekend, family is coming to visit for a "housewarming weekend." It's going to be a fun weekend with time to catch up with our family and just spend some time together. I can't wait.

The Secret Life of Bees

2008-11-15T19:09:00.001-05:00

Tonight, Sarah and I had our date night. We went to see "The Secret Life of Bees" and then to Five Guys for dinner. I thought the movie was really good. Sarah says the book is better. I've found that that is usually the case. Anyway, next weekend our families are coming in to town, and we're really excited about that.
Well, that's all I really have to say about anything. Life has been really good lately. It's just been busy. We're gradually coming to realize that the house we're staying in belongs to us. It's kind of surreal at times, but it's starting to feel like home now.

:-D

Electoral versus Popular

2008-11-05T10:15:00.001-05:00

I'm just curious. How is it that Barack Obama got 52.31% of the popular vote, but 68.43% of the electoral vote, and John McCain got 46.4% of the popular vote, but 31.56% of the electoral vote? Is it possible that the electoral college, which is the basis of national elections, doesn't fit the population densities of our country anymore? I'm just wondering, because the percentages are drastically different.
For those of you who don't know me, I am familiar with the electoral college, so you don't need to explain it to me, but if you have any thoughts on the subject, feel free to leave a comment.

(And, in case you're wondering, I'm not trying to stir up controversy. Obama won whether you work with electoral votes or popular vote. I'm not trying to say that McCain had the majority. I'm just saying it doesn't add up.)

Christmas Tree

2008-11-03T20:40:00.002-05:00

Tonight, Sarah and I drove up to Florence to hit the Hobby Lobby and purchase a CHRISTMAS TREE! It was 30% off, and all of the other Christmas decorations were 50% off. It was great (except for the having to drive to Flo-town to get it).

No-Shave-November

2008-11-01T07:53:00.000-04:00

Well, after a couple of days out of town at the state math teachers conference (which was about as boring as it sounds), I'm back. And guess what...No-Shave-November has finally begun! YAY!!!

We're In!!!

2008-10-28T06:27:00.000-04:00

As of Saturday at lunchtime, we are in the new house, and, as of yesterday afternoon, we're about 98% done unpacking and whatnot (thanks to my wife, Sarah, who did a whole lot of the work yesterday while I was at work).
We couldn't have gotten everything done so quickly if it weren't for our families who came down to help us move. We REALLY appreciate all of the help they gave us.
All we've really got left now is to put up our wall decor and figure out what we'll be doing with all of our books. We really need some bookshelves!
God has truly blessed us.

Just a note...

2008-10-24T10:48:00.001-04:00

My wife is awesome. Thought you may want to know.

We've Got a New Fridge!

2008-10-21T19:26:00.002-04:00

As of tonight, Sarah and I own a refrigerator. We've looked around, and we finally bought one from Lowes. We feel very grown up buying appliances together. Now, we just have to close on the house on Friday, and then have the fridge delivered on Saturday morning. We're almost home!!!

Final Inspection

2008-10-16T11:13:00.001-04:00

In just a few hours, Sarah and I will be doing the final walkthrough of our new house. Maybe we'll have some new pictures up this evening.This is very, very exciting. In 8 days, we'll be HOMEOWNERS!!!

Good Long Weekend

2008-10-06T14:39:00.001-04:00

Sarah and I went to visit our families in the upstate this weekend. It was a great weekend getting to see friends and family and go back to visit Crossroads, but it was very tiring. Right now, I'm exhausted, but it's a good exhaustion.

On a side note, it's spirit week at North Myrtle Beach High. Go Chiefs!!!

Date Night - Fireproof

2008-10-02T14:38:00.001-04:00

Last night Sarah and I spent our date night going to see the movie Fireproof, starring Kirk Cameron, and made by the same church who made Facing the Giants a couples years ago. It was a great movie. Sarah and I both really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a quality movie to go see. That's all for today.

Wow, A Blog During the Week!!!

2008-09-29T15:33:00.001-04:00

So, today was, of course, a Monday. It wasn't a bad day at all. In fact, it was a pretty good day. Nothing spectacular, but nothing less than good. My students were great...they behaved and participated, which is a little out of the ordinary, but I'm not complaining.
On the way to school (since it's a 40-minute drive) I was listening to Steven Furtick from Elevation Church in Charlotte. He's preaching through Song of Solomon right now and doing a series on relationships. I think that Sarah and I do a pretty good job with our relationship, but there's always room for improvement. Two things that Steven said, both of which I've known for a while and heard several times, are stuck in my head. One - I need to keep pursuing my wife even after I've caught her. Two - I need to never stop dating my wife. I'm not going to explain anything about those, but I thought you might want to hear what I heard this morning.
Hope you're having as good a day as I am!

Weekend Update

2008-09-28T15:13:00.002-04:00

Well, apparently I only blog on the weekends right now, so here's this weekend's update.
Yesterday, Sarah and I drove up to see the new house and check on its progress. It looked great. The paint is done, the flooring is down, and it seems like they're just doing detail work now. As of now, our closing is October 24, which is just under 4 weeks away. We're both really excited. The only problem is that right now, all we can do is sit and wait. If you want to see some pictures, check out sarahweber.org.

Last night, my aunt and uncle came over for dinner. It was great getting to chill out and eat with them. Sarah and I really enjoyed it. Sarah cooked pork loin, and it was awesome. Suzanne brought apple pie, so we had a great meal and a great dessert.

This morning we went to Palmetto Shores Church in Socastee, and then came home to eat leftovers and relax together for the rest of the day.

It's been a great weekend, and it's going to be a great week coming up.

Fun Times

2008-09-20T22:35:00.003-04:00

Today, Sarah and I were planning on going to the beach. Even though it was bright and sunny in Conway, once we got to Surfside, it looked really cloudy, and we didn't want to take the chance of getting stuck in the rain, since we were having to pay to park at the state park.
Anyway, we went to check out the progress on our house, and it's coming along well. As far as we could tell (we can't go in, but we looked through the windows), all of the painting was done and the garage door was installed.
Then we went to try out a new restaurant - Panda, which is in Carolina Forest near the Kroger. The food was good and priced well, but we were the only customers there, and it was lunchtime on a Saturday. Weird.
Well, after that, we went to Wal-Mart, bought Clue and Monopoly, and spent the majority of the rest of the day playing games. Most of the time, Sarah won (every time we played Monopoly she won), but I had a few victories.
All in all, even though we didn't get to go to the beach like we wanted to, it was an awesome day. I really enjoyed getting to spend a whole day with my wife and not worry about anything else. Maybe we can do it again tomorrow :-)

Starting off badly

2008-09-08T21:46:00.002-04:00

So, before the tardy bell even rang before first block today, a fight broke out in my room. It was over within a few minutes, but that is a horrible way to start off a day and a week. Hopefully tomorrow shall be better.

We made it through

2008-09-06T18:56:00.002-04:00

Last night Tropical Storm Hanna came through. Basically, it was a great big thunderstorm. Other than that, we didn't have any problems whatsoever. Anyway, Hanna is gone, and it looks like we're completely avoiding Ike. Woohoo!

On a sidenote, if you want to leave a mean or rude comment on my blog, at least leave a name with it instead of "Anonymous." Thanks.

Date Night!

2008-09-04T20:41:00.002-04:00

Tonight, Sarah and I got to reinstate date nights. We were both excited about getting to go out and spend some time together outside of the house. And guess what we did!

We went to Dream Dinners and prepared a bunch of meals for the month of September, and now all of those prepared meals are in the freezer just waiting for us to cook and eat. It's going to save time in the evenings that would normally have been spent prepping meals, and it's about the same price as the grocery shopping would have cost.

School was canceled for tomorrow due to the "hurricane." Sarah and I don't think we're going to get too much bad weather here in Conway, but only time will tell. We'll keep our eyes on the news tomorrow and head inland if we have to.

The good news...we do not yet own our house at The Farm yet, so if anything is damaged there, we aren't responsible for it, but DR Horton will be taking care of.

Anyway, that's it for now.

Open House

2008-09-02T21:10:00.002-04:00

Tonight was Open House at NMBHS. There was a pretty good turnout of parents. I was glad to get to meet some parents and talk about their sons'/daughters' strengths and weaknesses. It helped me to get a better view of some of my students, while reinforcing some ideas I had about some others.

Anyway, I think the next couple of weeks will really show what my students are capable of, since we'll be getting into new stuff. I'm excited, and I know my students are going to prove that they're completely capable of everything I throw at them.

1 Week Down

2008-08-29T14:27:00.000-04:00

Well, I've finished my first week as a real teacher. It's been good, except for the constant shuffling of my students (meaning that their schedules keep getting changed). I am still excited and still confident that it's going to be a great year, filled with triumphs and failures, both on my part and that of my students. Here we go!

Today, Sarah and I are driving up to Easley to stay with my parents for the weekend. She'll go see some of her small group girls tomorrow and I'll just chill out with the family. Sunday morning, we're planning on heading to Crossroads, and then spending the rest of the day with Sarah's parents before coming back down. It should be a nice relaxing weekend. I can't wait.

School Days Part 2

2008-08-26T21:39:00.002-04:00

Since we're on A/B schedules, today I really finished my first day of school. That is, I finally got to meet all of my classes and students. It's going to be a great school year (as soon as everyone can get their schedules straight). Tomorrow, "real" school starts.

Schools Days

2008-08-25T06:23:00.000-04:00

School starts today. I get my first students. I'm 90% excited, 8% nervous, and 2% scared...I think. Maybe I'm 90% scared, 8% excited, and 2% nervous. Who knows. Anyway, it's going to be a great day. I can't wait.

On a side note, was anyone else a little disappointed with the Olympic Closing Ceremony last night?

Church Search Week 2

2008-08-24T15:53:00.000-04:00

We visited the same church again today. We thought the preaching was awesome, but there was something about the atmosphere that just didn't click with us. We may go back, but for the next few weeks, we're going to try out some other churches. Pray for us as we seek out the local body that God has for us to commune with.

Freshman Orientation

2008-08-21T19:10:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow morning is Freshman Orientation at NMBHS. I'll finally get to meet some of my first students. I'm pretty pumped about it. It should be awesome!

It's Been A Busy, Busy Week

2008-08-17T18:18:00.004-04:00

Well, this past week has been incredibly busy.
Last Monday, I spent a good bit of time finishing getting our house set up.
Tuesday, my new teacher orientation for Horry County Schools started. We spent the day attending classes and meeting other new teachers. It was worthwhile, but it was draining.
Wednesday, I continued my orientation by first meeting with all of the new high school math teachers for the district in the morning and with all of the new teachers at North Myrtle Beach High in the afternoon.
Thursday and Friday I actually got to work in my room at North Myrtle Beach High. It's a pretty cool room: oddly shaped, but pretty sizable. I also got my list of classes which I'll be teaching, and it's all Algebra, all the time.
This week is more of the same. There'll be some staff development classes and some time spent working in my classroom. Hopefully it will be completely ready by the end of the week. One week from tomorrow class starts.
Yesterday and today have been a nice break. Sarah and I got to spend some time together (which is always good).
Hopefully once I'm in the swing of things, I'll have more time to sit, relax, and possibly even blog. Until then, don't hold it against me.

Moving Day 2

2008-08-09T21:12:00.000-04:00

Well, we're in Conway. Everything is in the house. Now, we just have to go through the numerous boxes we have. The important thing is that Sarah and I now live in the same city again, under the same roof! YAY!!!

Moving Day 1

2008-08-08T21:03:00.003-04:00

Today, Sarah, my dad, and I loaded up the moving truck, Dad's van, the Jeep, and the Honda. It was a very long day, but everything is in a vehicle somewhere. Tomorrow, we're hitting the road early and driving down to Conway, and then it's unload time. So, the first part of heavy lifting is over.

Whooah, we're halfway there.
Whooah, livin' on a prayer!

Moving Weekend

2008-08-07T21:36:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is the start of the big weekend! We're loading the truck up and early Saturday morning we're on the road to Myrtle Beach (well, actually to Conway). We're renting a house in Conway for a few months until our house is built, and then we have one more move for a while. It's going to be so awesome knowing that when we unpack in November, we won't have to pack again for quite a while. Anyway, keep us in your prayers as we're traveling on Saturday and as my parents are driving back from Conway (they're going to help us load and unload the truck) on Sunday.

WOOHOO!!!

2008-08-05T11:31:00.001-04:00

I picked up my diploma from Converse on the way back home from Myrtle Beach today. I guess it's totally official now...I have finished graduate school. YAY!!!

Fare Thee Well, CrossRoads

2008-08-03T11:23:00.003-04:00

Today was my last day working at CrossRoads. There were several technical problems before service started, but it was definitely a great service to finish on.
I am so thankful that the last two and a half years have been spent working for such an awesome church as Crossroads. It has definitely been an adventure with highs and lows, but has been a most excellent experience.
Sarah and I will miss being at CrossRoads. We only hope we can find a church in Myrtle Beach as great as CrossRoads has been to us. Keep us in your prayers as we search for the church body God has for us and as we begin the next chapter of our lives.

Exhausted

2008-08-02T14:17:00.003-04:00

Man, I am pooped. I've had a lot of tiring weeks in the past few years, but this one was one of the worst. Don't take that the wrong way. It has been an awesome week, but an extremely tiring one.
Here's the rundown from the past few days:

This week was VBS at Crossroads. The theme was PowerLab, and it was totally awesome. Everything about it was done with excellence, of which I am always a fan. Kids were impacted for Christ, and those kids respondedly way beyond expectation to the challenges they were given, which included raising money for kids in Brazil and school supplies and soccer balls for kids in Mexico.

Every night this week from Sunday to Friday I was at the church running tech and helping set up and close down.

This week was also my last week of grad school. I only had one class this term, but it was Probability and Statistics, which isn't any easy class during a regular semester, and only gets worse during a term that only lasts 3 weeks. My final was on Thursday. I am not sure what I made on the final, but I got an A- in the class, so I can't complain.

And what else occupied my time, you may ask. Well, that one's easy: I've been packing to move to Myrtle Beach, of course. For those of you who don't know, Sarah has been down there since July 1 working, so we've been apart for 5 weeks, which isn't cool at all. Of course, being this close to moving only makes it worse, because the suspense is even greater.

So, this is where I stand right now...tomorrow I'll head down to MB for orientation on Monday, then come back on Tuesday, and take one last, huge load next weekend to finish the move and start to settle in to Horry County.

The last two years have been a lot of the same...working at church, working at Home Depot, and taking classes. Next week, I start a new adventure. I'll be working one job, won't be taking any classes (at least not for a while), and I'll get to spend some quality time with my awesome wife. By Thanksgiving, we'll be in our new house and hopefully settled, and then, well, who knows what will come next. All I know is that it's going to be good. How do I know? Because I am confident in the calling that Sarah and I have received to move to Myrtle Beach, so I know that His plan for us there, however scary, risky, and dangerous, is the best place for us to be.

Stick a fork in me...

2008-07-31T10:28:00.002-04:00

Countdown

2008-07-30T14:33:00.000-04:00

Countdown

2008-07-29T21:42:00.000-04:00

Countdown

2008-07-28T18:21:00.000-04:00

Tootaloo Home Depot!

2008-07-26T23:16:00.000-04:00

Today was my last day working at Home Depot. It was a long day, but that's okay. It stinks that I won't get to hang out with my friends there, but I'm really glad that chapter of my life is closed. It's going to be great when I start working only one job and not going to school. Hey, I might even have time to spend with Sarah. That would be totally kick-awesome!

Graduate School is Almost Over

2008-07-25T09:17:00.000-04:00

As of today, I only have four more days of graduate school! That's three days of class and one final. WOOHOO!!!

We're Buying a Home! We're Buying a Home!

2008-07-23T09:09:00.002-04:00

So, as of yesterday, Sarah and I are officially buying a house! It's in Carolina Forest, where Highway 501 and Highway 31 intersect, and it's awesome!

It's a 3-bedroom, 2-bath house with a 2-car garage, screened in porch, and a patio. There are 10-foot ceilings, vaulted ceilings in the great room, a nice breakfast nook, and a stupendous kitchen (complete with stainless steel appliances and an actual pantry).

Want to see some pictures? Visit my wife's page here. You can see the floorplan here, and see the virtual tour here. If all that doesn't make you jealous enough, check out our neighborhood and amenities here.

Yay us!

YAY!!!

2008-07-17T08:07:00.000-04:00

Sarah is coming home today!!! WOOHOO!!!

Home is Where the Heart Is

2008-07-14T17:34:00.001-04:00

If home is where the heart is, then I already live in Horry County.

Contract

2008-07-12T17:34:00.000-04:00

I got my contract in the mail today. WOOHOO!!!

The Smoking Nurses

2008-07-10T21:42:00.001-04:00

On my way to work today, I saw a couple of nurses sitting outside of TGIFridays smoking a cigarette. Now, if you're job is to help people be healthy, why would you smoke a cigarette?
It got me thinking...am I trying to help other people while destroying my own life? Am I encouraging others while disqualifying myself?

Just a thought.

I HAVE A JOB

2008-07-07T17:28:00.000-04:00

Guess what! I have a job! I'll be teaching math at North Myrtle Beach High School. It's gonna be awesome!

Friends

2008-07-04T08:17:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I had the chance to meet my friend Ryan for lunch. Ryan and I have a rather unique friendship. We see each other about once a year, and yet we are close friends and I know that I can always depend on him if I need him (I hope he thinks the same about me). Anyway, it was a great lunch and hangout time.
On the way back home, I stopped by Awanita and got to spend some time with my good friends Sam and Lauren and some other Awanitans.
It was a great day, but the company of good friends is nothing compared to getting to spend time with my wife. I can't wait until the period of our lives is over. I miss her.

Lonely Days

2008-07-02T17:31:00.003-04:00

Today was my first day without Sarah. It stinks. On top of that, I am not feeling well. It's only a month, but that's a long time while you're in it. We'll be better for it, but it still stinks. That's all I've got for now.

My Wii Fit Age

2008-07-01T13:27:00.000-04:00

Will and Diana have a Wii, and they have a Wii Fit, which is the exercise thing you can get for it. Somehow, the Wii Fit takes into account your balance, agility, age, weight, height, and probably some other things, and gives you a Wii Fit Age. I am proud to say that my Wii Fit Age is 21, even though I am almost 28. However, the Wii also says that I am obese. I don't mean overweight, I mean, it read off of the charts. Maybe it was the delicious waffles that Will made this morning, I don't know. I'll be the first to admit I'm overweight, but come on...obese? Oh well, what can ya do? It's just a computer, and who would really trust a computer that tells you to stand on it?

The Long Drive ?Home?

2008-06-29T21:23:00.000-04:00

Today, Sarah officially moved away from Greenville. During church this morning, Ben, one of our elders, prayed over the two of us, and, of course, Sarah started to cry. That's not a bad thing. There have been so many people here at Crossroads who have touched our lives, and hopefully we have touched the lives of many also.
The drive down was easy, but very boring. We had to take both cars, so we drove separately, and talked on walkie-talkies, which Sarah got a kick out of.
When we got to Surfside, our great friends, Will and Diana, were finishing up cooking an awesome meal for us. Then, we got to relax, and I got to play the Wii for the first time. It was pretty fun.

All in all, it was a very tiring day, but not a bad day at all.

Sarah's Last Day

2008-06-27T21:36:00.002-04:00

Today was Sarah's last day in the office at Crossroads. It was a very emotional day for her. She even posted a picture of her empty office chair on her blog.

She has officially closed this chapter of our lives at Crossroads. My chapter here still has a few more pages, since I won't be able to head to Myrtle Beach until early August. As these pages begin to turn, I'm reminded of a ling from Semisonic's Closing Time:
"Closing time - every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

This is the end of the beginning of this part of our lives. But there's a new beginning on the horizon. It includes both of us working new jobs in new areas, contributing to our world in new and exciting ways.

Just like most things in life, this end of a beginning is filled with joy and sorrow.

Thanks, Crossroads Staff!

2008-06-25T19:57:00.003-04:00

Today, the Crossroads staff all went out to Wasabi as a "send-off" for me and Sarah. It was a great time to just get to hang out and break bread together.