Dream•sync

[Edit - Missy was only 21.  She apparently had a blood disorder.  I was encouraged by her obituary which you can read here:  http://www.legacy.com/Dayton/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=139275067]

You know how facebook is this wonderful tool for communicating with friends both near and far?

Today I experienced one of those facebook days where I'm both happy for the connections it allows me to keep, and sad for the news it brings.  And still kind of hoping that this isn't true.

One of my friends from Ohio posted on her facebook status a prayer request today, for another friend who lost his wife suddenly this morning.

While death shouldn't surprise us it seems that it always does. We expect it in our old age while still inwardly denying that it will ever happen to us. We have experienced the loss of great grandparents, grandparents and for some of us even parents. Often we console ourselves by saying they lived full lives.

According to another friend's prayer request, Missy was 21.

21.

I knew she was young. Ben just turned 24.

I cannot imagine the grief he must be feeling. Or the shock. Or even the anger that may or may not follow.

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words."

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

We still grieve.  But we have hope.

Praying for you, Ben.

So...

1. The Apartment.  I know - everyone's like 'are you moved in yet?'  That would be a no.  And trust me, there are times where I wish I could say 'yes' :)  I never thought moving back in with my parent's could be such a challenge.
    
   That said, the drywall is up in the ceiling and the kitchen cabinets are being built.  Biggest thing has been getting the radiant heat system set up.  Kudos to my Dad - I've never seen such a high-tech heating system.  Some pictures:
   
   
   
   
   My Dad, my Uncle Rick and a couple guys from RBC helping put up the ceilings...
   
   
   
   
   
   Radiant Tubing Manifolds for one part of the apartment...
   
2. The HUGE work project - we launched on December 31.  And I'm happy with the results.  If you're wondering what I've been working on, it was a redesign of our corporate website.  From scratch.  With no consultants.  I'm very thankful I didn't go gray ;)  If you want to preview the site - ysi.com.  I'm not linking it because I'd rather not have my blog show up in all my colleagues Google alerts (still don't trust the 'do not index' option :)  Still finishing up some content for the site, but all of that should be finished by the end of January. 
   
   Side project is a certain business' website.  Purchased the CMS yesterday and I'll be looking through site templates this weekend.  Looking forward to this project. 
   
   
3. Office wildlife - It's been busy around here.  Just about every day I see something new - between new birds showing up, deer walking through and the occasional fox going after the squirrels it's never boring.  Was going to try to post video of the deer that walk through...can't get it to work so maybe next time if I can get it off my phone...
 
3 Cardinals - 2 males and one female...

"Nevermore..."

Cardinal vs Squirrel.  The Cardinal won. 
He just sat on the feeder watching the squirrel try in vain to reach the feeder.
 
He was trotting past my feeders after one of the fat gray squirrels.  He missed and so decided to head down our driveway toward the house.
4. Trips- I need to plan another trip to Ohio at some point.  Already have one planned for PA.  Looking forward to heading out with one of my 'old' friends.  She gets to leave her kids with her husband for a long weekend and we're both going down to visit.  Should be fun.  I'm taking a long weekend for that one - need a break from corporate web work :)

So that's the update.  Hope it was worth the wait.  Enjoy your weekend nonetheless :)



Listening to: FLN's Thrive Internet Stream  http://www.fln.org/flplayer/?station=thrive
Reading: Nothing!  Which is really weird... All the books I've picked up in the last several weeks I've finished, and none of my books are unpacked yet.  I have a couple in mind though....been working on a cross stitch project for KitKat :)
Studying: 'Living Beyond Yourself' by Beth Moore. Week 6: A Composite of Peculiar Patience

no type :)

Well, no type on the blog that is.  I've been doing plenty of code typing for the company's new website. 

Yes, that's the reason for my blogging absence.  Many intense hours of sitting.  Which sounds like a HUGE oxymoron LOL.  How can one be intense while sitting? 

Anyway, back to the update.  And what and update it will be!  Photos, video, and descriptions galore - just not on this post.  This post is just to let you know I'm still here. Before I blog I need to work.  And I need to buy some Muse music.  Wow.  Really loving the Thrive stream from FLN.  Check it out: http://www.fln.org/flplayer/?station=thrive

Yes this post is disjointed.  That's what happens when I get home at oh...  really early in the morning... and get about....well....not a lot of sleep :)

....and no this won't be a huge update post.  I've just been asked several times when I'm going to post something to my blog again and since I haven't had a chance to upload all the apartment update photos I figured I would at least let you know I'm still alive.

Swamped, but alive :)

I have a huge deadline looming - December 31 to be exact.  That's when the company's website launches.  That's when I can finally stop working 10 hour days.  That's when I can reclaim my life :)

So if you don't hear from me in the next few weeks don't worry - it's because I'm coding the other website so that I can finish it on time.  Or at least on the revised timeline.  By Dec 31st.

If you think about it - pray for my sanity - specifically coherence of thought as I'm tying databases together.  And for my eyesight as staring at screens all day when it's so dark out side even with the office lights on is rough :) 'Tis the season of light-induced and ocular migraine's for me.  So I'll always have a bottle of Excedrin on me for those who also suffer...

Quick update since I can't resist - I'm here, I'm typing - why not?

I was in CT this past weekend at the Revolve Tour with 13-16 year old girls as a chaperon.  Fun times.  Also reminded me of how old I am LOL.  I had a great group of girls though - and the weekend went so well Katie was left wondering when the ball would drop so-to-speak.  But thankfully none did- It was the Lord - we were and are still thankful :)  The night before we left I slept at Katie B's house and dreamed about presenting a poem/song I had written in Latin to the pope for him to critique.  He loved the first verse but wasn't keen on the other two.  I remember 'verit' being in it and it translating into something about John - whether Baptist or the Apostle I don't recall.  I remembered the dream after seeing a sticker on the bus steps that said 'kneeling bus' which I thought ironic :)

This week - I head to Ohio to prepare for the board meeting presentation this Friday.  I'm picking up a coworker from the airport at 6:30, which means I'm leaving NY around 11-ish.  Just in time to beat the storm that's supposed to be coming in.  Hopefully I won't be driving through it as I head south.

Speaking of driving, pray that what ever is going on with my car is fixed.  My car did not pass inspection the first time because there were too many 'not ready' warnings.  No check engine issues, it just 'wasn't ready'.  Which makes no sense to me, but apparently after many days of start and stop driving it's supposed to reset the car's EEPROM chipset and be ready to be inspected once again.  It would be a huge blessing if that could take place tomorrow, so I can drive my car to Ohio and not one of my parent's.  That and apparently there are now chunks of 'stop leak' coolant system sealant that didn't dissolve correctly over the weekend, so my car has been overheating, which is has never done in the 6 years I've owned it.  So tomorrow on top of trying to get it inspected my dad will also be suctioning the coolant system so I don't over heat when I (hopefully) take it to Ohio on Wednesday.

Thursday is prep for the Board meeting presentation, and Friday is the presentation to the Board.  Not really concerned about the presentation aspect, provided I can get a few more pages on the website done. 

Then I head home on Friday after the meeting, probably around 1 PM, to try to make it in time to grab dress rehearsal shots at my parent's church's musical thing that evening at 7pm.  Then Saturday I'll probably head to the Finger Lakes, for some much needed respite.

Ok - a much longer update that anticipated, but hey.  You should know me by now :)