2011 IN REVIEW

2012 is almost here! Which means that 2011 is almost a distant memory. It's hard to believe how fast this year went. It seems that so much has happened in so little time. 2011 has been the first year in quite a while where I've found some stability and balance in my life. I'm very grateful for that. I'm healthy, in love with a wonderful wife, have a great (although impatient at times) family, a wonderful Church family, a stable career, money in savings, debt dwindling down, and a lot to look forward to in the coming years. Here's a list of 2011 highlights in no particular order:

- We painted pottery for Erin's birthday. Sadly, the place closed down. :(
- I rooted for the Steelers in the Superbowl because I love my wife, who roots for the Cowboys... who weren't in the Superbowl. :(
- We moved! Got a nice place with less rent just north of downtown Dallas.
- I joined a gym and have lost 60 lbs, and still going. It's been a significant lifestyle change, and a great one!
- Got closer to a good group of friends from Church, and have a wonderful inner circle of people. :)
- We became covenant members of our church and started serving communion as well as membership class table leaders.
- We bought a new car!
- Found a few fun new hangouts near our place. Top Golf, Gordon Biersch, and Trinity Hall Irish Pub.
- We took a trip to Seattle. It was Erin's first time in the Pacific North West!
- Erin tried pineapple again. And I had an amazing laugh at her expense. :)

- Had a romantic weekend in San Antonio.
- Was at American Airlines Center with Erin, Pop, and Niesie when the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA championship!
- Celebrated 4th of July with some old friends.
- We threw a fiesta at our place!
- We celebrated our 1 year anniversaryy at the same hotel we stayed at on our wedding night.
- I went to visit my dear friends Mandy and Eric in Memphis to meet their new son Ben.
- Celebrated my brother in-laws wedding, and gained a new sister in-law!
- Erin photographed her first wedding!
- We had our first big fight as a married couple, and worked through it and are closer than before.
- Deleted my facebook, then undeleted it, then deleted it again, then undeleted it and spend limited time on it.
- We had an nontraditional yet relaxing Thanksgiving.
- I turned 30.
- Started serving with a great ministry called Breakdown. Read about them. Great work is being done.
- Celebrated Advent at our church.
- We had a nice family Christmas a week early, and a wonderful Ukrainian Christmas Eve with close friends.

That's the highlights. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. There's a lot to be thankful for this year. I'm very happy that I've been blessed as much as I have. It seems like the last year flew by so fast that I didn't have time to enjoy it. But as I look back on the highlights of the year, I really did enjoy every bit of it. :) As much as a good year 2011 was, I am very optimistic for the next year. I sense big changes on the horizon. I'm looking forward to growth, and change, and fun moments. That is of course, only up until December 21... then we're all gonna DIE!!!!!! :)

The Golden Voice

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past week, by now you've probably heard of Ted Williams. "The man with the golden voice". Ted was a homeless man, who had been panhandling for years. He has a talent that's very unique, and one that got him overnight international recognition. Here's Ted's full interview on the Today show. This video sums it up best:

 

The thing that instantly struck me about this guy was his humility. Even in the very first video that was shot by the Columbus Dispatch reporter, he was just so humble and gracious. He had a kindness in his eyes. Even how this guy just carries himself in these interviews, he's like a child. He has an innocence, and gentleness about him. I believe that this is the perfect work of God. 

This man's whole story, and his rise to fame overnight is just saturated with the Gospel. He is a flawed, sinful man with a checkered past, with bondage, and regrets, and he's put himself and his family through pain and misery, and STILL, he's received favor. That's how God works. God meets us where we are. Ted doesn't "deserve" anything he has received this past week. Teds actions didn't earn him anything. But, because of his submission to "A God of his own understanding", and the fact that God softened his heart enough to make him grateful for what he had, even as a poor person, God has seen it fit to rise him up. 

I think of 1 Peter 5:6 "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time". There's no doubt that God has done a big work through this man. Ted might not even realize the implications of his whole rise to instant fame. The hope that God has given TONS of homeless people, and poor people who are battling addiction, and poverty. God's given those people a voice, and a direction. As well as inspiration to millions of people who are perfectly well off. If you've seen this story, and it's captured you in any way, don't tell me that you won't have different types of thoughts the next time you encounter a pan handler on the streets. Hopefully Ted's story will help soften some hearts. Maybe it won't. But I believe that Ted's story was, and is fabricated by a perfect God who knows exactly what he's doing. And I believe that he will see Ted through.

Beer, Glorious Beer!

I love beer. How wonderful this creation! When I say beer, I don't mean the watered down, pale, moose urine that college kids and rednecks drink. I mean good, wholesome, brewed to perfection BEER. The kind with flavor, and body. Not the kind you drink to get drunk. I'm talking about the fine beers. The kind you sip, and let dance in your mouth as you enjoy it slowly.

                                                                         credit

Knowing my passion for good quality beer, my brother-in-law gave me a beer brewing kit for Christmas. I've always flirted with the idea of brewing my own beer, but quite frankly, found the idea of it pretty intimidating. Brian (my bro in law) has brewed many batches of beer, as well as my Dad. So, I have some good success stories to go off of. So, I gave it a shot, and we'll see how it goes...

When brewing beer, there's a couple of things that are vital to making a successful batch. #1 is patience. Once you get the batch together, boil the sugar booster, mix the wort, add in the yeast, and top the barrel (total brewer lingo. hehe), it still takes about 2 weeks to ferment, and then once you bottle it, it takes another 2-3 weeks before it's ready to drink. Patience is key. #2 Constant temprature, and a dark place to store your brew where it will not be exposed to direct sunlight. I chose the top shelf of our coat closet. There's not even a light in there, and it's close to our bedroom. That area stays pretty dark almost all of the time. So, it should do nicely. I started the brew today, so I will bottle it 2 Sundays from today, and then decide what I'd like to do next!

My Pop and I are talking about brewing my next batch together. We want to get real creative and brew something kind of off the wall. Like, a brown ale, lots of flavor, but not as sweet as Newcastle. But not bitter either. Pop was telling me that when he used to brew, he experimented with ginger root, a some seasonings. At some point, I want to do a batch and incorporate a coffee flavor. This first batch I have now, is just a pale ale. It's a good starter. I'm definitely looking forward to giving it a try! I'll blog about the results. But for now, we wait....