Saturday, March 24, 2007

Toto and Dorthy

Toto and Dorthy did not have problems getting out of Kansas, but I did... Well, I am having problems getting out. The flight coming from Charlotte yesterday was delayed due to a small pox scare (see links below). So, I got a free meal and an extra night stay from US Air... Let's see if I can make it home today...

Small Pox 1
Small Pox 2

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Ummm... Toto?

So... For some reason, the only time I think to blog now is when I am traveling... So, here I am again.

Tiffany is presently in Arizona visiting her family. She is having a great time and I am jealous to say the least. So, I managed to score a couple more trips out of town to stay busy (Not that I need any help- I am presently doing the job of two people).

Today, I took the 6am flight out of Richmond and flew to Charlotte, NC. Once in Charlotte, I quickly made my way to the other end of the airport (Picking up a Jamba Juice on the way) only to find out that my plane to Kansas City had been delayed. Well, we eventually got on the airplane only to find out that there were 20 other planes in front of us (Which is not normal for Charlotte). Well, we eventually pulled out on the runway only to find out that there was a mechanical problem with the plane. So, they took us back to the gate (But didn't let us off the plane) and fixed the problem. OK... Eventually, I wound up in Kansas City. But, they did not have a car in my class... But, they did have a Jeep Wrangler to upgrade me to!

See, if I had arrived earlier, I would have wound up with something less wonderful than the Jeep... Of course, if I had gone to Arizona instead, I would have a tan right now... =)

This trip is actually going to be a quick one. I will be back home by tomorrow night. The good news is that we are finally getting the proper processes and procedures in place to install and certify these systems quickly. As a reward for this new found success, I get to go to Boston and Dallas again within the next two weeks.

Whew... Talk about a crash course education. My head feels like its full. I think stuff is starting to spill out the back. No, really... Does somebody have a plug?

Monday, March 05, 2007

Change for dollar?

Hmmm... It looks like it has been a while since I last posted... Let's see, has anything changed since Dallas? Yup! February 2007 will go down in history as being one of the fastest and most crazy months of my life!

I spent two weeks of February in training. The training took place in Reston, Virginia. As a result of this training, I now have two more certifications to tack on my name- TCTA and TCTE. What do they mean? TCTA is Tandberg Certified Technical Associate and TCTE is Tandberg Certified Technical Expert... A mouthful for sure and a ton of fun!

In the process of enjoying the two classes, I got food poisoning- Yeah! At the same time, my co-worker/mentor decided to move on to another company. What does that mean for me? MORE WORK and a ton of change! The range of emotions from this change have been varied. Sometimes, I think I can conquer the world and do both my job and his job. Other times, I feel overwhelmed and beat down.

I have been trying to focus though on something that does not change... Life can change fast and it can be seriously uncomfortable. Nevertheless, I want to remain optimistic and hopeful. But my hope and optimism is not some false feel good move to make it through the day or cope. I have hope in Lord! My hope in the Lord is sure and firm. It's not false or fickle. He doesn't promise that life will be easy, but He does promise to be with us. I am choosing to be faithful at work and work as hard as I can and leave the rest up to Him. I could choose to give up and walk away, but that is not the choice that I want to make. I have more to learn in this position and I am learning it for a larger purpose.

Change is part of growth and growth requires change. God is preparing Tiffany and I for something. We do not know what it is, but we know that changes like this and difficult times are part of the process.

I have been teaching Sunday School lately and we have been talking about growing and changing. It is fun to teach 7th, 8th, 9th graders some of the very lessons that I am trying to apply to my own life. It makes it so much more real.

Another area of change was noticed this past weekend. We drove down to Winston-Salem to visit friends from college. During this one weekend, we found out that two of our friends are pregnant now, another couple has choosen a mission field to serve on and yet another couple is leaving for the mission field next month. Seeing life changes in our friends causes us to ask questions and wonder what is next in our lives...

Change comes quickly. We are choosing to find our rest in the One that does not change....