Christmas Thoughts

Christmas Thoughts for all the Year

by the editors of McCall's Magazine, 1959

CHRISTMAS is celebration; and celebration is instinct in the heart. With gift and feast, with scarlet ribbon and fresh green bough, with merriment and the sound of music, we commend the day—oasis in the long, long landscape of the commonplace. Through how many centuries, through how many threatening circumstances, has Christmas been celebrated, since that cry came ringing down the ages, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11 KJV)

Christmas is celebration, but the traditions that cluster sweetly around the day have significance only if they translate the heart's intention—the yearning of the human spirit to compass and express faith and hope and love. Without this intention, the gift is bare, and the celebration a touch of tinsel, and the time without meaning. As these attributes, exemplifying the divine spark in mankind, informed the first Christmas and have survived the onslaughts of relentless time, so do they shine untarnished in this present year of our Lord.

Faith and hope and love, which cannot be bought or sold or bartered, but only given away are the wellsprings, firm and deep of Christmas celebration. These are the gifts without price, the ornaments incapable of imitation, discovered only within oneself and therefore unique. They are not always easy to come by, but they are in unlimited supply ever in the province of all.

THIS CHRISTMAS, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion, and replace it with trust. Write a love letter. Share some treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Find the time. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologize if you were wrong. Try to understand. Flout envy. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Appreciate. Be kind; be gentle. Laugh a little. Laugh a little more. Deserve confidence. Take up arms against malice. Decry complacency. Express your gratitude. Go to church. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love. Speak it again. Speak it still once again.

These are but inklings of a vast category; a mere scratching of the surface. They are simple things; you have heard them all before; but their influence has never been measured.

Christmas is celebration, and there is no celebration that compares with the realization of its true meaning—with the sudden stirring of the heart that has extended itself toward the core of life. Then, only then, is it possible to grasp the significance of the first Christmas—to savor in the inward ear the wild, sweet music of the angel choir; to envision the star-struck sky, and glimpse, behind the eyelids the ray of light that fell athwart a darkened path and changed the world.

Happy Holidays

The Editors of McCall's, December, 1959

Just the Facts

IMHO, this is the best overall assessment of the qualifications (or lack thereof) of Barack Obama to be our next President.

The Case Against Obama

Rhetoric v. Facts

[HT to Cindy for the link below]

I admit I'm not an economist, or even moderately knowledgeable on the intricate details of a very complex subject. But these people are:

Economists Statement on Barack Obama's Risky Economic Proposals

Root Cause II

Funny...I didn't hear this mentioned during last night's Vice-Presidential debate, and I watched the entire thing.

From the New York Times, 1999 (emphasis below added by me)

Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending

By STEVEN A. HOLMES

Published: September 30, 1999

In a move that could help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders.

The action, which will begin as a pilot program involving 24 banks in 15 markets -- including the New York metropolitan region -- will encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans. Fannie Mae officials say they hope to make it a nationwide program by next spring.

Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits.

In addition, banks, thrift institutions and mortgage companies have been pressing Fannie Mae to help them make more loans to so-called subprime borrowers. These borrowers whose incomes, credit ratings and savings are not good enough to qualify for conventional loans, can only get loans from finance companies that charge much higher interest rates -- anywhere from three to four percentage points higher than conventional loans.

''Fannie Mae has expanded home ownership for millions of families in the 1990's by reducing down payment requirements,'' said Franklin D. Raines, Fannie Mae's chairman and chief executive officer. ''Yet there remain too many borrowers whose credit is just a notch below what our underwriting has required who have been relegated to paying significantly higher mortgage rates in the so-called subprime market.''

Demographic information on these borrowers is sketchy. But at least one study indicates that 18 percent of the loans in the subprime market went to black borrowers, compared to 5 per cent of loans in the conventional loan market.

In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980's.

''From the perspective of many people, including me, this is another thrift industry growing up around us,'' said Peter Wallison a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. ''If they fail, the government will have to step up and bail them out the way it stepped up and bailed out the thrift industry.''

Fast forward 4 years, NY Times in September 2003 (emphasis again added by me)

New Agency Proposed to Oversee Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae

By STEPHEN LABATON

Published: September 11, 2003

The Bush administration today recommended the most significant regulatory overhaul in the housing finance industry since the savings and loan crisis a decade ago.

Under the plan, disclosed at a Congressional hearing today, a new agency would be created within the Treasury Department to assume supervision of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored companies that are the two largest players in the mortgage lending industry.

...

The plan is an acknowledgment by the administration that oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- which together have issued more than $1.5 trillion in outstanding debt -- is broken. A report by outside investigators in July concluded that Freddie Mac manipulated its accounting to mislead investors, and critics have said Fannie Mae does not adequately hedge against rising interest rates.

''There is a general recognition that the supervisory system for housing-related government-sponsored enterprises neither has the tools, nor the stature, to deal effectively with the current size, complexity and importance of these enterprises,'' Treasury Secretary John W. Snow told the House Financial Services Committee in an appearance with Housing Secretary Mel Martinez, who also backed the plan.

...

Significant details must still be worked out before Congress can approve a bill. Among the groups denouncing the proposal today were the National Association of Home Builders and Congressional Democrats who fear that tighter regulation of the companies could sharply reduce their commitment to financing low-income and affordable housing.

''These two entities -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- are not facing any kind of financial crisis,'' said Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee. ''The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing.''

Representative Melvin L. Watt, Democrat of North Carolina, agreed.

''I don't see much other than a shell game going on here, moving something from one agency to another and in the process weakening the bargaining power of poorer families and their ability to get affordable housing,'' Mr. Watt said.

The Root Cause

It looks like the Congress is going to pass some sort of legislation to "fix" the credit market. Good for them, I guess. If anything, this is actually making some of them show up for work more than a few hours a week.

But regardless of what ends up being done as a short-term solution, I haven't heard much talk about identifying the root cause of the mess we're in. Ken Blackwell summed it up well in the following article:

Addicted to Debt

Living within your means. What a concept. Today it's a novel thought. In my parents generation and before, it was a way of life.

Taxing the Wealthy

HT to my FIL Gene for this piece illustrating the fallacy of a "soak the rich" tax policy:

Just in case you are not completely clear on this issue, I hope the following will help. Please read it carefully.

Let's put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner and the bill for all ten comes to $100.

If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.

"Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20." Dinner for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected.

They would still eat for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to eat their meal.

So, the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!"

"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!"

"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"

"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start eating overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

Fair and Balanced?

Not surprising at all, but sickening nonetheless:

One Year Ago...

Today is the first anniversary of the beginning of my career with Harris. On occasion, it still seems a bit unreal how much change has happened in our lives over the last year.

I remember sitting in the orientation program last September 17th. Not knowing anyone in the room, living in an unfamiliar town, in an apartment (I hadn't lived in one of those since 1988)...it was such a long way from our cozy house in Virginia and my 20 year career of government service that we had left behind just days before.

Now we are in a great home, in a growing community, and have met a couple of neighbors who have similar family situations. My job is going great, I have made friends and colleagues, and many people have told me they are glad I'm part of the team. Brian and Sean (and even Colin, although he doesn't quite grasp it all yet) are loving their school room at home. And Cindy has made several good friends through church and homeschooling connections. We've even found a super babysitter!

So all in all, it's been a fabulous first year. Looking forward to many more!

Sorry Charlie

The conventional wisdom is that Charlie Gibson exposed Governor Sarah Palin's ignorance of foreign policy details in his line of questioning on the Bush Doctrine.

Not so fast. Here's the real story: Charlie Gibson's Gaffee

Charles Krauthammer should know. He is credited as the person who coined the term in February 2001.

Just setting the record straight.

Issues: Foreign Policy

Who made which of the following statements after the recent outbreak of violence in the Georgia-Russia conflict:

Statement #1: "I strongly condemn the outbreak of violence in Georgia, and urge an immediate end to armed conflict. Now is the time for Georgia and Russia to show restraint, and to avoid an escalation to full scale war. Georgia's territorial integrity must be respected. All sides should enter into direct talks on behalf of stability in Georgia, and the United States, the United Nations Security Council, and the international community should fully support a peaceful resolution to this crisis."

Statement #2: "I condemn Russia's aggressive actions and reiterate my call for an immediate ceasefire... Russia must stop its bombing campaign, cease flights of Russian aircraft in Georgian airspace, and withdraw its ground forces from Georgia."

Ready for the answers?






Scroll down...






Answers:


#1: Barack Obama, 8 August 2008


#2: Barack Obama, 9 August 2008

Liking Sarah Palin

"What Sarah Palin has done, and this is something I like about her, is that she's a women who has succeeded very much on her own terms. She talks about motherhood as a training ground for leadership; she manages and balances her family and her work in her own way. It's very hard to see where her family ends and her work begins. I think a lot of women see their lives that way. Not everyone's going to go out and shoot a moose and put their hair up in a bun and put on their sexy open-toe shoes and go to dinner. ... But does everybody have to be lock-step on every issue? Or can somebody who's outside--in Sarah Palin's case, very much outside--the traditional feminist agenda still move the ball forward for women? I think the answer is yes. When I hear Pat Buchanan on TV, decrying sexism in the media, you know? This is not all bad. ... I don't know where abortion rights are going to end up in all this, and honestly that concerns me, but I think we need to find a different language to talk about it. I think that there are more women who identify with Sarah Palin than Gloria Steinem right now. Even if they don't agree with 100 percent of her agenda, her life looks more like their lives."

The passage above is an excerpt from an article written recently by Dee Dee Myers. You'll remember that Dee Dee served as White House Press Secretary in the first Clinton administration. She is an ardent Obama supporter, but has the intellectual honesty to speak her mind on Sarah Palin despite the fact that she does not agree with her politics.

We could use more of this in politics and certainly in the media.

Another Genius

Hey Matt...stick to acting. Maybe there's a role in a "bad Disney movie" waiting for you.

Just for the record, Gov. Palin does not believe the dinosaurs roamed the earth 4,000 years ago, nor did she try and ban books as Mayor of Wasilla. Perhaps you could do your homework before opening your mouth.

9/11

Never before have two numbers joined together held such somber significance.

Seven years ago today, our country was changed forever. September 11th became no longer just a date, but also a stark reminder of the dangers present in the "New World Order" that took hold after the end of the Cold War.

I vividly remember being in my Reston, VA office the morning of the savage attacks that took the lives of almost 3,000 of our fellow Americans. At first, it seemed like an unfortunate accident. Bruce, an engineer who worked for me, stood in my office doorway.

"Hey boss, turn on the TV. A plane just hit the World Trade Center in New York."

"What did he say?" I thought to myself. I turned the TV on, and soon after saw the second plane hit the South Tower, followed by the attack on the Pentagon and the plane crash in a field near Shanksville, PA.

Everyone watching in my office, and surely across the Nation, knew in an instant that this was more than just a bizarre coincidence. We still couldn't quite grasp what had happened and why, but in the hours and days following these horrific events we had to come to grips with the new reality of what's now referred to as the "Post-9/11 World."

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who lost friends and loved ones on that fateful day seven years ago.

Prayers Commemorating September 11

Brian the Baseball Player

Today was one of those landmark days as a Dad, especially when you have boys. Brian entered the world of organized sports as his t-ball league started today. I was so proud of him getting out there with kids he didn't know, playing a game he had never played before.

He did great, even hit the ball by himself and did a really good job concentrating in the field. He has some perfectionist tendencies which we will have to work through (he didn't want to run to first base by himself because he was afraid of making a mistake, I think).

For more details, check out The Kelly's Korner.

Gatorade Revisited

I grew up on Gatorade. Invented in the mid 1960's at the request of a University of Florida assistant football coach, the carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage hit store shelves in 1967.

My introduction to Gatorade came when I was in elementary school and caught a nasty virus at school. I couldn't keep anything down, and as a result I was getting dehydrated. My mom called the pediatrician who told her to buy some Gatorade and try that. She did and it worked great!

Back then, there was only one flavor, lemon-lime (or "regular" I guess, since there were no other choices). I remember when the Orange flavor came out a few years later, and how strange it seemed that Gatorade came in a second flavor. I remember collecting Gatorade bottle tops with NFL teams on them, and how my mom wrote to the company because they were unable to find the last few teams we needed to complete the set (the Saints were one of them, I think there were a couple more). Stokely Van Camp kindly sent her the caps she needed, and we got the cardboard display board as well. Of course, it got messed up when the NFL expanded and there was no place for Tampa Bay and Seattle.

Over the next 30 years or so, Gatorade has really branched out from those two original flavors (I'll give Orange the benefit of the doubt). There is now Rain, Frost, X-Factor, Fierce, even Gatorade A.M. (makes me think of Tang). There is an entire line of Performance drinks. And of course Propel "Fitness Water". Saturday Night Live even did a spoof a few years back, mocking all of the designer flavors:

Despite all the choices -- even the "original" lemon-lime flavor sold today is different -- nothing has quite measured up to the original Gatorade flavor formulated in the 60's.

Until now.

Until Gatorade Tiger, Cool Fusion.

This is the real thing. This is Gatorade how it's supposed to taste. Mildly sweet, lemon and lime flavoring, very refreshing, no after-taste like some of the "modern" Gatorade flavors have. I read today that Cool Fusion has a hint of key lime. That would explain a lot.

Thanks Tiger, and thanks Gatorade people for bringing back a classic, even if unintentionally.

Disgusting

Ultra-liberal "filmmaker" Michael Moore is at it again. Does anyone actually listen to this ignoramus? Sadly, yes.

Gustav: "Proof There is a God"

Please pray for the people of the Gulf Coast over the next few days. This has nothing to do with politics, except in the demented world of Michael Moore and his compadre Keith "I'm Really Just a Sportscaster" Olbermann.

The Substitute Teacher

On just their 5th day of school, Brian, Sean, and Colin had the pleasure of experiencing a substitute teacher at St. Anne's Academy today. Mrs. Kelly was away at a church function, so Mr. Kelly (relation) directed the morning session.

After beginning with the Morning Prayer (read twice -- once by Brian, once by Sean), we moved on to the Daily Gospel reading. Mrs. Kelly did not leave specifics in her lesson plan, so Brian had to direct Mr. Kelly to the passage we were working on. He got to the correct page, but we actually read a different section than has been read all week. No problem, the boys picked up on the story of the Transfiguration quickly. Brian identified Jesus and Moses. Sean and even Colin paid attention for most of the reading.

At Colin's request, we next read one of the Magic School Bus books (his favorite, I think in part because he can say "bus"). This book was all about bees. We all enjoyed learning how bees built a hive, store honey, etc.

It was now late morning, and the announcement of John McCain's running mate was nearing. Since the essence of home schooling is discovery and exposure to all sorts of different concepts, I moved the classroom to the family room so we could watch history being made.

I talked with Brian and Sean about what was going on. I explained that there is someone who runs the country, called the President, and the current President is George Bush (a fact that both Brian and Sean remembered much later today). I also explained that there are two people who want to be the next President, and their names are Barack Obama and John McCain. They had a little tougher time with this concept and remembering the names. But they did remember that we want John McCain to be the next President! Yes!!!

As the announcement drew near, I told Brian and Sean (and Colin too -- he seemed fascinating with the TV coverage, maybe it was all the waving flags) that John McCain was about to tell us who he wants to help him as President. I didn't think they would quite grasp the idea of a Vice President at this point. I explained to them that almost all the time, that person has been a man. But this time, it would be a woman. I know that didn't mean much to them, but it made me realize what a historical event we were witnessing. And I'm glad I was able to experience it with my three boys. By the time they are old enough to vote, having a woman on the Presidential ticket will hopefully be no big deal.

McCain/Palin '08!!!

Cool Site (for Baseball-Loving Engineering Geeks Only)

The rest of you (normal) people can feel free to skip this post.

The Physics of Baseball

The University of Illinois has an entire course, Physics 199bb, on this subject. Kinda makes me wanna go back to school.

Sound Familiar?

See if this reminds you of something:

Time's up. Here's the answer:

You decide...

Huh?

This is scary:

Here are the real facts.

Nancy Pelosi is third in line to the presidency. I hope that bothers you as much as it bothers me.

From Dream to Redeem

The history of the U.S. Men's Basketball team at the modern Olympics began with perfect domination, a 63-0 record and 7 consecutive gold medals earned heading into the 1972 games in Munich, Germany. Although I was just 8 years old at the time, the memory of the final moments of that game is etched in my mind as if it happened yesterday.

When the dust settled on a highly controversial finish, the Americans had tasted defeat for the first time at the hands of the Soviets, 51-50. To this day, the silver medals that were designated for the American team lay unclaimed in a Swiss vault.

1972 USA v. USSR Gold Medal Game

Twenty years later, following a rule change allowing professional players to compete, the U.S. assembled the fabled "Dream Team". Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and crew demolished the field in cruising to the gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.

Since that victory, the record of men's basketball in international competition has been mixed. Despite winning Olympic gold in 1996 and 2000, it became clear that the Americans were no longer dominating the sport. Teams from several European countries had their own NBA players, and they generally came together better as teams than the Americans.

This trend came to a head in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, as the U.S. fought and scraped their way to the Bronze medal. Not winning Gold was one thing; this team didn't even have the chance to play for it.

Enter the "Redeem Team", our 2008 Olympic team. Kobe, LeBron, D-Wade and Coach K. A team of starts brought together in 2006 with the express purpose of restoring the U.S. to the top of the international basketball world.

So when it was announced that the Gold Medal game was to be shown live on NBC beginning at 2:30 am Eastern time, I knew I had to watch. And the "Redeemers" did not disappoint:

U.S. Reclaims Olympic Gold

Back where we belong!

Gotta Make the Donuts

And the campaign begins...

Don't Get Any Ideas, Gustav

So I'm reading an article on FloridaToday.com, as I've done about a million times since Tuesday. Amazing the habits you get into when you can't leave the house for 4 straight days. Then all of a sudden, without warning, comes this little tidbit:

Weather forecasters were keeping a close eye on a tropical weather system off the coast of Africa that is expected to reach the Caribbean within four days, tracing Fay's initial path.

"We could be dealing with Hurricane Gustav next week in the Caribbean," state meteorologist Ben Nelson Nelson said.


You have got to be @#$%* kidding me. All I have to say is "Stay away, Mr. Gustav...STAY AWAY!" No more Mr. Nice Guy.

Hey Rich -- where's that sponge?

I Came Back

Will He Come Back?

Of course, the answer is yes. After bravely going where no Kelly man had gone before, through the frighteningly-high waters to blessed freedom! Minton Road, here I come! I have never been so glad to see a traffic signal ever!

To celebrate, we loaded up the entire Kelly Clan and headed over to El Chico. Quesadillas, fresh homemade guacamole prepared table-side, 2-for-1 margaritas, and chocolate chimichangas (yum). We ate until it wasn't comfortable. And then we went to Target.

Hello world...we're back!!!

Beam Us Outta Here

I love our house and neighborhood, but this is getting ridiculous:

Oh Goodie (from Kelly's Korner)

I tried to get out today, but apparently my car had other ideas. Seems the starter and any other electrical parts that took a bath yesterday are still in the drying out process. Our street is beginning to show some pavement in the middle.

Both ends of the block still have problem areas. Hopefully they clear up enough for us to successfully exit the neighborhood later today.

Go Away, Fay

This:


reminds me of this:

The Thing That Wouldn't Leave (click on the arrow to play)

"I'm thirsty...is there anything in the fridge?" -- Tropical Storm Fay

Introducing FloridaKellys.net

Just when you thought you had enough Kelly websites to peruse (Kelly's Korner, 350 Degrees, St. Anne's Academy), we are proud to present:

FloridaKellys.net

Enjoy!

What Starts With "Exp..." and Ends with "Thinker"

This is all you need to know about the presumptive Democratic nominee for President:



"I would not have nominated ah Clarence Thomas. Ah I don’t think that he ah .. ah .. ah I .. I … I don’t think that he was an exp … ah, a strong enough jurist or legal thinker …"

The Biggest Upset You Didn't Hear About

OK, so maybe I'm a little biased because (a) I'm an American, and (b) I played water polo in high school. Nevertheless, this one is a contender for biggest upset of these Olympic Games.

U.S. Keeps Medal Hopes Alive With Stunner Over Croatia

Too bad it wasn't for a medal. Hopefully our team isn't done rocking the world.

Thanks Be to God

The last step in Brian and Sean's night-time routine is when I sit on each of their beds and talk a little about what's in store for tomorrow. Here's how tonight's conversation with Brian went:

Me: "You know where we're going tomorrow, buddy?
Brian: "I don't know."
Me: "Where we always go on Sunday -- church."
Brian: "No, I don't WANT to go to church. I am not going to church" (or similar whining).
Me: "But we need to go to church to thank God for all of the gifts he has given us. One hour a week really isn't much considering how much he's given us."
(I can tell I'm not making the sale. Time to turn it up a little.)
Me: "Can you think of some gifts that God has given us?"
Brian: "Uh, Mommy and Daddy?"
Me: "Good! Who else?"
Brian: "Sean and Colin? And me! And Bailey!"
Me: "Right...good!"
Brian: "And Gramma and Grampa! And Aunt Kellie!"
Me: "Very good. Anyone else?"
Brian: "Daddy, I think my brain hurts."
Me: "OK, but there are still more gifts."
(With some prodding, Brian named the rest of his extended family -- Grandpa Kelly, all aunts and uncles and cousins.)
Me: "See how much God has given you. You almost couldn't get through them all because your brain hurt!"
Brian: "Daddy, I'm going to give someone a gift tomorrow."
Me: "Who's that?"
Brian: "It starts with a 'G'."
Me: "God?"
Brian: "Right Daddy. I'm going to thank God tomorrow."
Me: "I'm sure that will make him very happy, buddy."

Welcome to Florida

We are coming up on the one-year anniversary of our big move to Melbourne. And what a great year it's been. Even the weather has been fantastic. After a couple of weeks of September steaminess, we were treated to an unexpectedly mild winter and spring. The temperature/humidity combo didn't really get unbearable until mid-late June or so.

I guess we were due for a wake-up call then. It looks like tropical storm Fay will hit at least some parts of Florida, possibly as a Category 1 hurricane, on Monday or Tuesday. Please keep us and our extended families in your thoughts and prayers. Guess it's time to take a look at the hurricane shutter DVD the builder gave us at closing.

The Giants Win the Pennant

October 3, 1951.

Although almost 5 years before my Mom and Dad were married, the date has a significance to me that bridges the gap between my Dad's youth and mine.

On that fateful (at least from a Brooklyn Dodger fan's perspective) autumn day in New York's Polo Grounds, the Giants capped the most improbable comeback in baseball history when Bobby Thomson pulled an 0-1 Ralph Branca fastball into the left field seats to seal a 5-4 victory and propel them to a World Series date with the Yankees. (The Giants lost the Series in 6 games.)

I'd heard the story over and over from my Dad (mostly at my request as his baseball-loving son). "We were up 13 1/2 games on August 11th," a reference to the fact that the Giants put together a 37-7 run from that point on to force a three-game playoff with their cross-town rival.

To this day my Dad, along with millions of others both baseball fan and not, remembers exactly where he was at 3:58pm that day. "Back of a Long Island Light truck," -- he worked for the utility company at the time.

It always fascinated me that he had such vivid memories of something that happened so long ago. It's one of the many reasons why I fell in love with baseball growing up. So when I ran across this book -- "The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World" -- in an O'Hare Airport book store, I decided to pick it up.

It's a great read, although extremely packed with details surrounding the event. One of the central themes of the book is the revelation (or more accurately confirmation) that the Giants had been stealing signs beginning on July 20, 1951. While that was a very interesting sub-plot, I enjoyed most the tracing of Thomson and Branca's lives before, during, and after the most famous home run of all-time.

If you love baseball, or even just that particular moment in time, and are patient enough to get through the sometimes overwhelming details that Prager uses to bring the characters and events to life on paper, you should enjoy this book.

I am also now motivated to read the rest of the baseball books in my collection. On deck: "Wait Til Next Year" by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Persistence

"Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

-- Calvin Coolidge

" Keep pluggin' "

-- Larry Kelly

I have a plaque of the first quote hanging in my office. The second quote was rendered by my dad at the end of just about every phone conversation we ever had when I was in college. They both speak to the same thing (although my dad really knew how to get to the point -- much easier to remember too!)

Persistence. Perseverance. Hanging in there, again all odds...or just again the frustration or boredom that inevitably sets in after you've been at something for a while. It can end up robbing you of the very thing you're striving for, and in a way that almost seems unfair. "I'm working so hard, and for what?" you might think. Once that thinking starts taking over, you're fighting an uphill battle.

Fast forward to a little after 5:30pm today. As I was leaving a building on our Palm Bay campus, I pulled out my trusty CrackBlackberry to see what I'd been missing all afternoon. There was a message from George, my boss. "Tried to stop by your office, then I called and couldn't reach you. So I reverted to Plan C -- email. Congratulations! You made it (and just in the nick of time!) Great work!" was the gist of his message.

The "just in the nick of time" was a reference to the Harris Fiscal Year, which ends tomorrow. The "congratulations, you made it" meant that I had officially maxed out my incentive bonus for the year -- with one entire day to spare!

Now I'm new to the sales and marketing arena, and the corporate world in general. In the government world, the fiscal year ends on September 30th and the big rush then is to make sure you have spent all your money. So the mind-set change is significant.

But my general approach, and this is where persistence comes in, has been the same. Throughout my government career, I never worried excessively about when my next promotion would come. Sure, I thought about the topic occasionally and I was generally aware of the process and when it happened every year. But some people were absolutely obsessed...knowing exactly what days were key, and wondering when the announcements would be made, and if they were late "what does that mean?" -- that kind of stuff.

My approach was always to work hard, do the best job I possibly good, in the most ethical way possible, while treating people how I wanted to be treated. Then, I figured, things would work out the way they should. Some people may think that's kind of naive -- I never took a job solely because it would help me get promoted for example -- but I think it worked out OK for me over a 20+ year career.

I guess I didn't know any other way when I came to work for Harris last Fall. George briefed me on the incentive plan that would now be a key part of my compensation. "A bonus," I thought, "that would be nice." I played with the numbers once in a while to see what I might have a shot at, but toward the end it looked like my payout would be minimal because of customer delays that were out of my control. It was a little disappointing, but I figured I would just have a big year next year. We're in Florida, I have a really good job, and a great family. Those are the important things.

Well some of the delays cleared up, the stars aligned, and we officially won a big enough job just in time to boost me over the top. It was a great feeling...not just because of the money (which is definitely nice, don't get me wrong!) but also because I had kept pluggin'...

Thanks Dad!

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

Hi…hope you are doing well. Just wanted to catch you up on what’s happened since we last saw each other.

I almost don’t know where to begin. I guess from the beginning, huh? Well the first couple of years were fairly uneventful. My career continued to go well. Fresh off my promotion to GS-15, I finally left the Washington Navy Yard and took a job in Reston. Once I figured out I wasn’t going back, I started shopping for a place to live in that area. Dad helped me look around, and I ended up buying a brand-new townhouse in Herndon. Since the market was down at the time, I ended up renting out my Springfield condo. I was fortunate to find a quite, reliable tenant who lived there until I sold the place a few years later.

In my almost 4 years working in Reston, I traveled overseas a few times. That was pretty cool! I went to England, Austria, and Japan in 2000 and 2001. Exploring the different countries and experiencing their cultures was awesome.

Soon after returning from Japan in early 2000, I got together for a semi-regular dinner at the home of Tom and Kellie Killick. You remember Kellie – Becky’s best friend. When they moved to Virginia, they kinda took me under their wing a bit…and I returned the favor by almost eating them out of house and home! You know, just like I did to you and Dad growing up!

So I was over their house one night (probably enjoying some delicious pork tenderloin), and Tom mentioned, for what seemed like the hundredth time, this “really nice girl” and how he should set up a meeting between us. “She’s Catholic, Irish, loves to cook, and drinks” (not necessarily in that order). I was finally tired of hearing the talk, so I forced the issue. “Look…set up a meeting, give me her phone number, something, anything! Or stop talking about her,” were my approximate words.

Well either to get me off his back, or because he really thought we would be good for each other (I prefer to assume the latter) he set up a Happy Hour meeting at the Rio Grande Café in Reston on Monday, June 12, 2000. That turned out to be one of the few days that would change my life. It was just the four of us…Tom, Kellie, me, and Cindy McDonald – Tom’s boss’s daughter. (Now I understood why he was a little hesitant about introducing us. His career hung in the balance! But to his credit, he did it anyway.)

We really hit it off that night, and when Tom and Kellie left I think Cindy and I hung around for another couple of hours. Just talking about life, our families, and stuff. A lot about our families. That was a good thing.

We started dating, with our first dinner out at a place called Sweetwater Tavern. To this day, it’s still our place even though the closest one is almost 900 miles away. Fourth of July rolled around a couple of weeks after that, and I met Cindy’s sister Lori and her future husband Lou that day. Soon after, I met her sister Kellie and her parents Gene and Diana. I finally met bro Michael on Thanksgiving weekend. Although I already knew I was in love with Cindy, it was that weekend when I spent a lot of time with her immediate and extended family that I realized I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Mom, you know how huge family is to me…to us…and all of Cindy’s family are just like my own. And it’s pretty much always been like that. They are really great, warm, caring people. I know you would love them more than anything.

I proposed to Cindy on December 27, 2000 (at Terry’s apartment) and we were married in October of the following year. I know you’re probably surprised that your quiet, methodical, deliberate son with the thought process of an engineer moved so quickly on this most important of decisions. All I can say is that when you know it’s so right, decisions are easy. I remember feeling a tremendous sense of calm and confidence during that time in my life. I’m sure you were looking over my shoulder, and whispering in my ear. That would explain it!

In 2002, we moved from Herndon to a real, grown-up house in South Riding near Dulles Airport. One of the big reasons we bought there was the young family atmosphere of the neighborhood when we drove through. We were not disappointed. It was a great place to raise a family.

Speaking of which, our first child was conceived on your birthday in 2002. I will always remember vividly the day we found out, Cindy bringing the pregnancy test stick to me with a big grin and tears rolling down her cheek. We were having a baby! Even though I was 38 at the time I felt like any soon-to-be new Dad, whether 20-something or Tony Randall (he was 79 when his wife had a baby – not sure if you got that news up there).

Brian Lawrence Kelly came into the world on the morning of July 17, 2003. That’s right – on Dad’s birthday. We actually changed his middle name because of that. It was going to be Benjamin until the night before when we were driving to the hospital.

I don’t need to tell you about the joy that both Cindy and I felt that day. There is nothing quite like holding your child for the first time. I know we always tried to trick you by asking if you remember when our birthdays were, or what the happiest days of your life were. I think part of the reason I asked was just to hear you give the answer. Now I truly know what you were feeling, on those days and every time afterward that you had the pleasure of recalling those days.

We have been extremely blessed to have two more precious boys. Sean Eugene Kelly was born on October 14, 2004. He takes after his Grampa McDonald in name (middle) and very much in the looks department. While Brian is definitely a Mini-Me, Sean is the spitting image of his grampa. Colin Andrew Kelly was born on December 2, 2006. He is my little man; I call him Col-Kel. It fits.

What else? Oh yeah…I left the CIA last September after a 20+ year career and took a job with Harris Corporation. My old boss presented me with a Career Intelligence Medal on my departure. I wish you could’ve been there to see it. (I know…you were there. You know what I mean!)

So why would I leave behind a rewarding, promising career with the Agency for the unknown world of corporate America? The answer can be traced back to 2005 when Cindy and I, Brian, and Sean were visiting everyone in South Florida. Due to the distance, it was a trip we could only arrange to make once a year at most. We were watching all the cousins play one day, and I got to thinking about how at the end of my government career (when we planned to move to Florida) several of the cousins would be grown and out of the house. We started thinking about moving down earlier than 2020, and things all lined up last spring/summer. I had a contact at Harris from one of my government assignments, he got my resume to the right people, and I landed a job with them at one of their Melbourne, FL locations.

We moved down here in September 2007, our new house was finished in December, and we are finally settled in (although Cindy opened a couple more moving boxes just yesterday). We love it down here! Cindy’s parents and Lori and Lou (and Kelsey) are close by – about an hour drive. Dad, Rich, and Terry and families are about 3 hours away. Even John in Panama City is reachable in about a half-day of driving.

I know you were always concerned about how my life would turn out. I’m sure I caused you some sleepless nights and constant worrying that I would find the “right one” and settle down. All I can say is that I trust you are not worrying any more! I did wander around aimlessly for a number of years, but it was all part of His plan. Easy to say now, huh?! But the wait was worth every minute. I am blessed to have a fantastic, beautiful, devoted partner who is the best mother to Brian, Sean, and Colin that I could possibly ask for. She has a tremendous passion for those boys, and for her faith – which is one of the many reasons I am in love with her forever.

So I did OK, Mom. I just wish you were with us to experience the joy that you worked so hard toward all your life. You would just love these boys. Brian is the cerebral thinker, Sean is the expressive sensitive one, and Colin…well, he’s just Colin. When he comes waddling to me at the end of a long workday, any worries I had when I walked through the door just melt away.

I miss you terribly Mom. I will always cherish the final moments we spent together 10 years ago tonight. I love you!

Love,
Chris

The Value of Engineers

This is one of my all-time favorites...

There was an engineer who had an exceptional gift for fixing all things mechanical. After serving his company loyally for over 30 years, he happily retired. Several years later his company contacted him regarding a seemingly impossible problem they were having with one of their multi-million dollar machines. They had tried everything and everyone else to get the machine fixed, but to no avail. In desperation, they called on the retired engineer who had solved so many of their problems in the past.

The engineer reluctantly took the challenge. He spent a day studying the huge machine. At the end of the day he marked an "x" in chalk on a particular component of the machine and proudly stated, "This is where your problem is." The part was replaced and the machine worked perfectly again.

The company received a bill for $50,000 from the engineer for his services. They demanded an itemized accounting of his charges. The engineer responded briefly:

One chalk mark..................$1

Knowing where to put it.........$49,999

It was paid in full and the engineer retired in peace.

Ugly Americans

Before I begin this rant, let me make one very important observation: our family is richly blessed to have our faith, very supportive and loving family and friends, good health, a wonderful house, bountiful food, clothes, and the ability to buy just about anything we want/need. While we have and continue to work hard, we are also fortunate to have as much as we do. God has truly blessed us many times over.

I think about how much we have on just about a daily basis. Sometimes I feel guilty for having so much while the vast majority of the planet is eking by on the bare minimum that can sustain life. We are shielded from it somewhat living in the U.S., until a natural disaster comes along and we are forced to face reality...for a short time at least.

Throughout my childhood, we never had as much as Cindy, I and the boys have now -- even in the very best of times. But that didn't affect how I look back at those years. They were great, mainly because we had each other. We didn't need much more than that.

Now I realize that TV news is full of sound bites and pieces and parts of stories. So I will allow that these quotes may have been cherry-picked from a much larger group. But even if they represent a few anomalies, they are disturbing nonetheless.

To the question of "how have the high gas prices affected your plans for the Memorial Day weekend?", here are some of the responses that NBC Nightly News received from viewers (my comments in italics):

"We will be spending a lot less. We usually do rib eye steaks and racks of ribs with lots of sides - macaroni salad, corn on the cob, baked beans, etc. This year it will be homemade hamburgers with french fries and soda instead of beer. The ground beef was bought on clearance a few weeks ago and frozen - I'll thaw it for weekend use."

Oh no...homemade hamburgers, french fries and soda. What the heck is wrong with that?!?! I actually prefer homemade burgers, especially the ones my Mom used to make!

"Instead of our usual ribs, we are having burgers. As bleak as it sounds, next year we may have a cup of soup."

Again slamming the good ole American hamburger. See above.

"Our plans this Memorial Day weekend to go boating and camp out were dashed by the ever-rising prices at the gas pumps. We decided to save the money and stay home and cook out... Ten gallons in the boat: $40. Twenty gallons in the camper: $80. Payment for camping fees: $45. The look on our faces after we tried to buy food: Priceless."

Don't even know where to start here. Grab your tent and blow-up raft and head out to a local campsite. Gas = $20, Boat = $0, Campsite = $40. Don't have a tent or a raft? Make friends with someone who does. Or just stay home and cook out, like this person was forced to do. Make the best of it. Plenty of people do.

"We are cutting expenses in every aspect of our daily lives to accommodate the high fuel cost. 1) Buying in bulk for food: Costco, Wal-Mart. 2) Staying home to watch movies on cable. 3) Vacation will be limited to going to the local beach and coming back home on the same day."

My sister Terry lives for number 1! And now Cindy is hooked on The Grocery Game. Watching movies on cable? Yeah, you don't get to share the experience with 300 of your closest friends who do fun things like take cell phone calls during the movie. And your feet won't stick to the floor at home. Bummer! Finally, most of our vacations growing up were to various beaches close to home (Naples, Stuart, Hutchinson Island, etc.) We did get fancy and stay in the local Holiday Inn for several nights, so I guess we were much better off then.

Again, I am not saying that everyone these days is spoiled rotten (are they?) And I fully realize we have more than 99+% of people. But our family growing up didn't, and we had a great time doing whatever we did 'cause we had each other and we considered ourselves very blessed. I didn't even know what a rib-eye steak was till I was a grownup-er!

Baseball Overload

3 days, almost 16 hours of baseball (plus two hours of weather delays), 1 FSU win, 2 Georgia Tech losses, 2 wins for "the U" plus a conference championship that we did not stick around to witness first-hand.

My brother Rich ("the FSU guy") and I ("the Georgia Tech geek") headed up to Jacksonville to hang out for a few days and hopefully watch one or both of our teams play for all the marbles in the 2008 ACC Baseball Tournament Championship game yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, that reward fell to the aforementioned semi-university from down south and the preppy capital of the Old South - the University of Virginia, where skinny blue and orange ties and sportcoats are the attire de rigeur at football games.

We arrived on Thursday afternoon about 5 minutes before the start of Game 5 pitting the Yellow Jackets against the Convicts...I mean Canes. Good tickets were easy to come by, and we settled into our seats in the second row of section 101 as Miami batted in the 1st inning. We were directly behind "Afro Man", a die-hard Tech fan who apparently is pretty well known (we saw a few Afro wigs on Saturday at the Clemson-Tech game). As we approached our seats, he was really giving it to the 3rd base coach -- reaching back to football season and Miami's humiliating 48-0 loss in the final game at the Orange Bowl. (Afro-Man actually gave Miami a little more credit, stating the final score as 47-0. I didn't have the heart to correct him).

The game was exciting, with four lead changes and a lot of offense, but we ended up on the short end of a 15-12 score. 9 runs given up by our starter, and 4 by the closer. Not a good sign of things to come.

We didn't hang around for the nightcap, preferring to save our energy for the next two (or three days). Instead, we took advantage of the $4 Margaritas being offered by The American Cafe at Jacksonville Landing.

The next session started on Friday at 5 pm with FSU facing off against Virginia. If you're paying attention, you'll remember that Virginia played in the title game. That honor came courtesy of their 5-3 victory in this game. FSU, who has been known all year for their offensive firepower, couldn't get a timely hit all night and Virginia got just enough plus a couple of great defensive plays to secure the win.

Again, we did not stay for the final game -- preferring instead to drown our sorrows at Rich's friend's club, The Twisted Martini. After several rounds of adult beverages, we found out by text message that North Carolina had beaten Wake Forest thus securing a berth in Sunday's final for Virginia. (There's not enough space in this blog for me to explain why, just take my word for it).

We always planned for Saturday to be the longest baseball day, and the fact that we had not seen a positive result yet made us more committed to sticking it out for the whole day. The first game didn't do the trick as Clemson beat the Jackets 10-4 to ensure that we would not be hosting a College World Series regional this coming weekend. (We're playing in Athens at the regional hosted by the University of Georgia).

Next up was the Miami-NC State game to finish off Group A play. Even though Miami had already clinched the right to play on Sunday, we still hung around to root against them. I think that's an official sport at Florida, FSU, and just about every other school in the country. It didn't work though as the Canes topped the Wolfpack 5-2.

By the time the first evening game started, we were hungry for some kind of win...anything. Game 11 matched up the current #1 team in the country, North Carolina, and the Noles. In a testament to the power of ACC baseball, Carolina was only the #3 seed in the tournament. So this promised to be an interesting game, especially since nothing was really at stake since Virginia was already in Sunday's game.

The game lived up to expectations, with Carolina pitching keeping the FSU offense in check for 8+ innings. However, the Noles put a couple of runners on in the 9th and the game changed in an instant when All-Everything Buster Posey strode to the plate to pinch-hit with one out and the game on the line. Despite not having even picked up a bat until a few minutes earlier, Posey pulled a 2-2 pitch into left field to tie the game at 5 and send the FSU crowd into a frenzy.

Then the rain came. Play was suspended for a hour and 4 minutes as a thunderstorm cell passed over the stadium. When the game resumed the Noles picked up where they left off, scoring 4 more runs to take a comfortable lead into the bottom of the 9th. FSU tried to make it a little interesting by letting the tying run come to the plate, but they took care of business and the #1 team in the land, 9-6. As it was almost 10:00 when the game ended, we just grabbed something to eat and ended the night "early".

We headed back to Melbourne (and Rich on to Pembroke Pines) on Sunday morning, disappointed in the results of the tournament especially since Miami was playing for the title. But otherwise we had a great time hanging out together and catching up.

The 2009 ACC Baseball Tournament is heading north to Fenway Park, so we'll probably skip next year. But expect us back at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville in 2010!

The Real Zoo

This (late) afternoon we made a last minute call to head up to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Although our trip wasn't very well planned, it turned out great. We saw some cool birds in their natural habitat, living just miles away from Launch Pad 39A where the Shuttle goes up.

Rock On

We are in the final construction stage of our pool. The "Rock Guys", as Brian and Sean call them, finished up yesterday. Blue Marlin comes out next week to apply the finish, install the equipment, and clean up the site. Filling should commence next weekend!

Tough Trucks

With Cindy off on her Christ Renews His Parish retreat, today was Day 1 of an all-guys weekend at the Kelly house. Today was also Big Truck Day in nearby Satellite Beach. Need I say more?

Just Call Me "Parrot"

Tonight's dinnertime conversation included Sean's assessment of who should be whom in the boys' current favorite bedtime story book, "Percy and the Pirates".

Sean: "Mommy, you will be Willy Weevil."
Mommy: "OK."
Sean: "Brian will be Sam Scurvy."
Daddy: "Great!"
Sean: "Colin is Ronnie Rum."
Mommy: "That's super!"
Sean: "And I am Captain Crook!"
Daddy: "Good job buddy!"
Sean: "And Bailey is Percy Pike!"
Daddy (getting scared now): "Well Sean, then who am I?"
Sean: "Daddy, you are the parrot!"
(pause while Mommy holds back her laughter and Daddy puts on a sad face)
Daddy: "Thanks Sean."

Scary

"That monster's scary!" -- random patron at showing of "Jurassic Park" that my brother John went to when he was living in Virginia. (Editor's note: this has been a long-running Kelly family joke because, of course, the "monsters" in Jurassic Park are in fact dinosaurs.

HT to the wife for pointing me to this website:

http://www.blogthings.com/whatshouldyoubewhenyougrowupquiz/

Here is my result. Pretty right on I would say.

You Should Be a Manager

You're very organized, motivated, and methodical. Fair and objective, you can see all sides of a conflict. You are a good mediator. You are task oriented. You do well with deadlines and schedules. And while you can be a task master at times, you're good at managing people and listening to their input. You do best when you: - Must have attention to detail - Are in charge of people You would also be a good accountant or personal assistant.

What Should You Be When You Grow Up?

My Sister the Runner

We packed up the crew in the mini-van yesterday and headed over to Disney to greet my sister Terry after she finished running in the "Donald" -- Disney's version of a half-marathon.

Terry has been blogging about this goal often over the past few months. As her big brother, I can say I am extremely proud of her for sticking with it and reaching what seemed to be unreachable just weeks ago.

We spent the rest of Saturday at the Magic Kingdom with Terry, Rich, and their respective families. It was a great time, but we were totally exhausted by the time we returned home at around 11 pm. I really felt like a wuss for feeling that way, especially since Terry woke up at 3 am, ran 13.1 miles, and then hung out with us all day and night.

Way to go Terry!!!

Going Home

In the course of unpacking our household goods last week, we came across a few items from our old house that were inadvertently packed by our movers. Since I had a business trip already planned for Northern Virginia this week, I boxed up the stuff to make a personal delivery. That delivery happened late this afternoon.

As I entered South Riding via Loudoun County Parkway, I was greeted by the huge new Home Depot that is in the latter stages of construction across the parking lot from the Giant supermarket. The new Ruby Tuesday and Panera Bread were open for business. A red "drought emergency" sign in the median reminded residents of the very strict water restrictions currently in place.

I continued down the Parkway and turned right on Freedom Street. Even though I had traveled that exact route many times before, today was different. I felt like a familiar outsider (if that makes any sense.) Making the final right turn onto Crossfield Drive, I pulled up in front of the corner house. I parked in roughly the same place as I did that warm summer day in 2003 when I brought our new baby to his house for the first time. (Ditto in 2004 and 2006.)

Brown landscaping aside, our old house looked frozen in time...unchanged from the crisp Fall day when we drove away for the last time. The mailbox clasp was still loose, causing the door to fall open. The porch was empty, as was the back deck. The outdoor temperature sensor, which I mistakenly left behind, was still in place on the inside edge of the porch roof.

I grabbed the box from the back seat of my rental car and approached the front door. I had placed a note on top of the box just in case no one was home. I rang the doorbell (that was weird). After waiting a moment, I started back to the car. Just then the door opened. Someone else was answering my door!

It was the wife of the couple who bought our house. Her two children were with her, standing back from the door. I explained to her about the box. She thanked me for bringing it. I said "you're welcome" and that quickly I was on my way.

Just as when I saw people I used to work with, I had mixed feelings when I drove away. Even though we are very happy in our new home, I feel a little sad at what we left behind. So many great memories..such a great house and community.

Ultimately though, I left happy that we passed on the first house we bought together to a nice family who is really enjoying living there.

Destination Reached

OK, now this is a real test of how long you have been reading this space. Exactly one year ago, I posted my first blog entry. It was titled Destination: Florida and in it I spoke about our plans to try and move to Central Florida sometime in late 2007 (October/November was our target at the time.)

I didn't know much more than that at the time. My resume had not been updated or sent out anywhere, we hadn't narrowed down our target area to a city or even a county (we were actually thinking more about Orlando at the time), we didn't even know about our eventual builder or community.

How much has changed in the past 365 days. During a trip to South Florida in March, we found out about Maronda Homes by way of a billboard on I-95. In April, I made a contact at Harris Corporation and the job search took a dramatic turn for the positive. Two interviews and numerous emails/phone calls later, I received a formal job offer in July. We packed up and moved in September, and we are in the process of settling into our new house as I write this first post of 2008.

A huge amount of activity and change. But after much work, we are realizing our goal of living in Florida and being closer to family. That one huge benefit has made it all worth it.

On behalf of all of us, I wish you and yours a very Happy and prosperous 2008!