Relaxing is hard work?

Confession time...

I've tended to be judgmental of those who, in my lofty opinion, just drive themselves too hard. Now, I'm a believer in hard work, a good work ethic, but not at the expense of family, health, relationships, etc.

However, it's interesting how Pharisaical one can be. Looking down my nose at others, while my own soul creeps towards it's own distracted state of being. Always on alert but never paying attention. Always looking to accomplish the next thing.

Last night I find myself talking through a to do list for today so that we can hurry up and accomplish getting on the road.

This morning I woke up almost jumping out of bed to get stuff done.

Kiley asked if I wanted to go for a run with her and I found myself saying, "No, I've got too much to do."

Then I stopped...

Why am I in a hurry?

What is so important?

Nothing.

We have no agenda, other than relaxation.

We aren't going to hit the road today unless we have a last minute impulse. We're going to slowly enjoy packing. Go for a long swim and play at my folks' house. I plan to leisurely get the yard ready for us to be gone.

Who knew that making yourself relax was such hard work?

How?

How do you pack for seven weeks?

Celebration

Got to celebrate Mom's Birthday tonight (aka "grammy"). Her wish was to eat at Leatherby's and have the boys spend the night...let's see, "You mean I get to eat ice cream and be alone with my wife all night for your birthday gift?" I suppose I'll sacrifice...

Today

Lots to do today:

• Brendon's last day of school and School Family picnic
• Exchange the camping grill & pick up storage bins
• Food & Supply shopping for the trip
• Pack Clothes
  
• Celebrate my Mom's Birthday at Leatherby's (It's a tough job)
• Think of all the little stuff to pack that we haven't thought about yet
• Get the house clean and ready (never understood why we clean the house before we go and then clean it right away when we get home - why not do it once?!)
  

Unexpected blessings

I mentioned in my earlier post that I went to the orthodontist for the last time before the trip. Even though I think he moved every tooth in my mouth in the space of 10 minutes...

There was an unexpected blessing...

He and I have been talking about this trip for a while over our monthly lunches and he's been intrigued by the concept of time away, and, especially extended time with my family and with my God (we've had some interesting conversation, let me tell you).

So, on the way out of the office yesterday he was asking questions again and then said, "I've been meaning to tell you this for a few months and it keeps slipping my mind when we meet. If you are going through Oregon at all, or want to, my second house is available to your family to stay as long as you want. It's pretty nice. Lots of stuff for the kids to do. And it's in a beautiful location. Just call me a few days ahead of time and I'll arrange with my caretakers to have it ready for you..."

Wow...

Thanks God for unexpected blessings.

Not sure if we'll be using it, but, as of right now, we have been planning on coming back via Oregon...

Last Day at the Office

It was kind of surreal walking out of my office for the last time for 7 weeks yesterday afternoon. I turned around and looked around for several minutes before closing the door. It wasn't so much out of sentimentality as it was thinking, "Now what the heck is here that I'm forgetting and am not going to have when I need it in two weeks?!"

Quick run down of my day yesterday:

• Took Brendon to school (if you can call it that, they watched movies all day) and gave his teacher her present.
• Had Breakfast with Jeff Norris and his wife
• Cleaned up some paperwork and answered questions about, "How do I...?" for the last time.
• Showed my dad and Gregg where all the lawnmowing stuff is at the house.
• Had "coffee" with Gregg at Java City (some kind of fru-fru drink for me)
• Deleted my office e-mail account off of my phone (this almost sent me into seizures)
• Went to a late lunch with Jim - wonder if that'd kind of be like a "last supper" - we ate way too much.
• Deleted the office e-mail off of my computer and removed any files that might be tempting for me to work on while I was gone. They're safely saved on multiple hard drives for when I return.
• Watched Ryan re-decorate his office. (TWO desks? - does he have multiple personality disorder?)
• Went to the orthodontist one last time for 7 weeks - I swear he put his knee in the center of my chest for leverage as he was pushing stuff in and out of my mouth. Bunch of pain...
• Packed the pick-up with stuff for Kiley's family. Packed tools for "just in case".
• Helped Kiley install the new curtains in the camper.
• Played with a GPS that a friend is loaning us - are these things cool or what?!
  
• Got the camper ready -- all we need is food and clothes! (I suggested Kiley we take a sabbatical from the latter of the two -- I got the eye roll).

Too close for comfort?

I've been wondering lately about how our family will do in such close quarters for the next few weeks. You always hear the stories of families who just don't get along when they actually have to spend time together. I guess we'll find out won't we?

Just call me Clark Griswold...



This just makes me laugh...

It's getting real

Well, we went and picked up the truck and trailer tonight. They're both sitting out in front of the house (much to the chagrin of our HOA, I'm sure).

I backed the trailer up perfectly with no problem. I'm getting better. In fact, it's so perfect that the back bed opens up into the garage with just about an inch to spare on the one side.

Now packing begins in earnest...

Comments

I've turned off the moderation for comments for those who will be reading this as, honestly, I don't want to have to deal with it while we're on the road. So BE NICE!

Don't make work-related comments either or I'll turn it back on. ;-) Hey, I'm on vacation!

Everyone cheer Kiley on...I'm trying to get her to start posting as well...maybe with her posting, there'll be something interesting here.

Spiritual Maturity

Dallas Willard wrote, "One of the sure signs of spiritual maturity is that certain thoughts no longer occur to you."

He goes on to give the example of a recovering alcoholic on his first day of sobriety is thinking thoughts of pride, "I am going without...." Twenty years of sobriety later, however, those thoughts are gone and he is free to think about more important, deeper, and more joyful thoughts about life because he is no longer consumed with simply being free of the addiction.

What thoughts need to no longer occur to me?

Books I'm Taking with Me

Kiley has always said, "If Mike is going to have an affair it'll be with a book." I'm not sure how I feel about that statement, but, I have to confess, I love books. I've rarely met one that I haven't enjoyed at some level.

One of my many plans is to read books I wouldn't normally read or have time to read. Stuff that's not work-related, fun, mind-challenging, paradigm shifting, or just plain what everyone else out there is reading...

It's actually been a little bit of a challenge to figure out what to take along and what not to take along.

Here's a list of the books in my book box. If I get time, I'll put in links later:

• Star Wars:Specter of the Past by Timothy Zahn
  
• Star Wars: Vision of the Future by Timothy Zahn
  
• Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 by Jim Lovell & Jeffrey Kluger
  
• Team of Rivals: The Politcal Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
  
• Every Man's Battle by Stephen Arterburn & Fred Stoeker
  
• Choosing Your Faith by Mark Mittelberg (I actually have a pre-published copy of this that I've been meaning to read)
  
• Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur
  
• Wild at Heart by John Eldridge (One of those classic books that I keep recommending but haven't taken the time to read thoroughly myself)
  
• Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform Us by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun
  
• The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard (I've been reading this book over and over for about 10 years now)
  
• I'm still looking for a good book on Marriage by Les & Leslie Parrot. Haven't decided which one yet.
• I'm also going to be hitting bookstores along the way!

Plus, I'm finishing these books up this week:

• Time Bomb in the Church: Defusing Pastoral Burnout by Daniel Spaite (This is the primary source that we've used
  
• It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg
• Paul: A Man of Grace and Grit by Chuck Swindoll
  

A sure Sign of Growth

I've been thinking about how we grow lately. As I've read and reflected, one thing I know, is that one of the sure signs of emotional maturity is the lessening of self-absorption.

Whether it's in a marriage or in a friendship, this is one of the hurdles that we rarely overcome. It's one of the secrets to the deep levels of relationship that we were designed to experience, but few ever cross the line that takes us into these deep cool waters. Once both individuals begin to wade into these waters, though, the rewards are instant, exponential and unexpected.

I've only known a small handful of people who live in that realm.

tick tock

5 Days and counting...