Time for a Change (Part 3)

Well in a little over a month my life has drastically changed. I am set on losing some extra pounds, I will have a new job Friday and now for part 3 of my crazy life:

Tomorrow Amy and I will be closing on a brand new house. We had to jump through some hurdles to make sure that we could get the house closed on time, but in less than 2 weeks we figured out a way. I cannot believe it! So we will officially close the house tomorrow and the next day I will begin my new job. I have been so stressed lately, but God has blessed our family so much and I owe him all the glory. I will be posting pics of the house in the next few days.

As I mentioned earlier tomorrow will be my last day at my current job and I have been running through so many emotions lately. For the most part I am thrilled to death that I have been blessed with such a great opportunity. I am sad though that I am leaving this job that I have been doing for the past four years and that I have grown so accustomed to. I am scared that I am entering into a job where I have no experience other than what I have gained through personal study.

I feel that God lead me to my current job for a multitude of reasons. I was considering
joining the Army to support my wife and I. I was thinking about this because I wanted to make sure that Amy was provided for the way that she should be. I took all the tests and had all the medical stuff out of the way, however Amy and her family suggested that maybe I consider all my options. Long story short that lead me to the job at State Farm and allowed me to learn more about Amy's family, reconnect with good friends, and help me to pursue my college degree. For these reasons and so many more I will forever be thankful that God lead me to State Farm.

So the next chapter in my life is beginning, and while it may be difficult to let go of the current one I know that I have to so I can continue to grow into the provider role. I look forward to learning and growing into this new role and getting to know my new coworkers and I cannot wait to begin this new journey!

Update on the Spidermonkeys

Our new shirts arrived. They are pretty neat, we decided to go with a blue shirt that has the logo that R.C. cola uses. We did not change the R.C. at all, but where it usually says cola we changed it to say C.O.C. Everyone seemed to be pleased at how they turned out.

So I thought I would give an update on how we are doing in our softball league. We always play two games a night and the last two weeks we have went 1-2 which is not too shabby. We played probably the 2 best teams in the league last night and we played pretty well the first game. I was surprised at how well we did b/c the first time we played this team they annihilated us, but we were actually hanging pretty tough with them. We lost that one, but not by much.

The second game was pretty rough. I think emmotions started to run high between the two teams and then it became a shouting match. I understand being caught up in the moment and both teams brought up valid points, but I just feel it could have been handled in a better way. I talked to the guys afterward and said that I realize how hard it is to keep emmotions in check especially when you have a valid point. I said I was just as guilty as anyone about not being able to show restraint sometimes, but we must realize that we represent Ridgecrest and for many people that is their first exposure to our church. Anyways we lost, but that wasn't as important to me as how we reacted. This experience taught me something that I already knew, but it was good to be reminded. We cannot control how people act towards us, the only thing that we have control over is how we react to them. Jesus taught us that when faced with adversity rather than get anry and blast fellow Christians, we must show restraint and turn the other cheek (Matt. 5:39). As I stated before I was just a guilty as anyone on the diamond, so I pray that I can be a better leader than I was last night and lead by example rather than my words.

So Confused

God has granted me so many blessings lately that it is almost unbelievable. When I was going to school Amy asked me what my dream job would be and I told here I would love to someday work for the Dallas Cowboys. I am a pretty reasonable person and I know this is not something that just happens and besides Amy is a hometown girl so we won't be going anywhere. As I was finishing up my school I thought well maybe I can get on with the Redhawks and get some experience with them and then try to get on with the Hornets (that is when I was convinced that they were staying). As soon as I finished my degree I tried to get on with the Redhawks and they said that they could get me in an intern position, and I could work my way up b/c all the current postions were filled. I have a wife to support so obviously that wouldnt work, so I put that out of my mind and the Hornets were gone so that was no longer a viable option.

So I get this excellent job opportunity with Make a Wish that I accept and yesterday I get a phone call from the Oklahoma (whatever our b-ball team is) and they say they saw my resume that I put in like 2 months ago. They ask me to come in for an interview. Now I am super confused, I have let God guide me to this point in my life, but I am wondering why would I be presented with this opportunity now? I feel like if I dont go to the interview I will always wonder if I was missing something. If I do go to the interview and I like what they have to say, I feel like I will be letting a lot of people down with the other job as well. Either way I feel like I am in a lot better position than I am with my current job. The lady that I spoke with asked me a few question, one of which was why was I interested in the job. I answered as honestly as I could. I told her I love sports, anyone who knows me knows that. It is something that I am passionate about. With the exception of Amy it may be the thing that I am the most passionate about. I dont know why, I just do. I feel incredibly bad that I am even considering this, but I just dont think it is a coincidence that I get this call the week before I am supposed to start. The way I look at it is there are three options that I will leave the interview with:

1. They offer me less $$ and I have peace of mind to know at least I know what I have to be thankful for.
2. They offer me more $$ and I will most likely accept
3. They offer me the same $$ and I have a lot to think about.



Man, what a pickle I am in.

Time for a Change (part 2)

So I have not been talking about a big change in my life, b/c I did not want to jinx it. I put in for a job as a Major Gifts Officer with the Make a Wish Foundation about a month ago. It has been a long, arduous process but I finally got word that I did get the job. I am proud of this accomplishment b/c I was the definite underdog going into this process. Thanks to personal studying and the best mentor/friend a guy could ask for I felt fully prepared to go in and get the job. It is a great feeling to know that I edged out a lot of people for this job that were more qualified on paper than I was. Now it is up to me to prove that the people hiring me made an excellent choice, and I dont intend on disappointing them. They took a chance on me, and I want to prove to them that it was a good chance. It is difficult leaving a job that I have become incredibly comfortably with, but I know this is the kind of career that I need to continue moving forward instead of staying stagnant. I put in my two weeks notice which was incredibly hard to do from an emotional standpoint, b/c my boss is wonderful and I work with some of my best friends and my sister-in-law. The boss said that he was incredibly proud of me and that if I were to ever have the opportunity to better myself he would not stand in the way. He said if you get the chance to have a job that not only benefits you here (pointed to his wallet), but benefits you here (points to his heart) as well he could not be upset at that. It was awesome to know that there were no hard feelings and is a testament to what a great guy that Bruce is. I look forward to starting this new journey and I ask prayers b/c everyday that I am on the job I get the chance to truly make a difference in a sick child's life.

Update on Time for a Change (part 1)
Starting Weight:274
Currently: 262

Just Thinking

So I was just thinking about how blessed of a life I have lived and how sometimes I take those blessings for granted. Every time that I have been in need the Lord has provided. It started at a young age and has continued to this day and I am sure it will continue into the future. Whether it be living arrangement, friends, a wife, or job occupation the Lord has always been there. Even at times that I strayed, the Lord was here right beside me guiding me all the way. No point to this post just wanted to take the time to thank the Lord for everything that he has done and will continue to do.

BAMF Story of the Week (Week 6)

Wow, Tuesday kinda snuck up on me. So let's get right to it:

A guy came into our office, nothing about this guy usually says BAMF to me, but on this occasion his BAMFness came out. Rick is a bigger (and I dont mean strong) man in his late 30's maybe early 40's. He is not married and has no children yet he goes to Disneyland twice a month. Rick always comes back with a present for Noelle (he might have a crush on her, or maybe he is just nice). So he comes in to the office to bring up Noelle's customary present and they strike up a conversation. I was only half listening until something caught my interest, I detected a BAMF moment and sure enough this was the next thing I heard: "I have a big dog t-shirt that says "bite me" because I show no mercy. I'm pissed off all the time".

Just shows even the nicest of guys have a little BAMF in them.

Ridgecrest Spidermonkeys and other Tidbits from the Weekend.

So I have had so much fun playing softball with Eastside CoC these last few months I decided to put together a team of my own comprised of our church member. We have a lot of guys with really good talent and then we have some people that are not that great and a few guys that are in the middle. The Spidermonkey's had their first game tonight, we lost 2 in a row. That is the bad news, the good news is we are playing in a really competitive league (1 above what I did with Eastside) so I look forward to seeing what we could do against some guys that are about at the same talent level that we are. We had a guy that hit a 3 run homerun and another that got a triple so we definitely have the offense to compete at this level. We need some work defensively. Everyone involved seemed to have a good time and it is a great feeling to know that I was a part of starting up something new at our church.

On a sad note, previous to the game I was a pallbearer in Amy's great grandmother's funeral before the game. It was kind of expected, but it is still never easy to lose someone that you love, so I am asking for prayers for Amy and her family. The funeral was beautiful and it was neat seeing the life that she led and the people that she touched. She was a wonderful Christian woman and I only wish that I would have had the privilege of getting to know her better.

Time for a Change

OK, so I have decided that for health reasons I should probably go on a diet. I dont even like calling it a diet, b/c that sounds like something you intend on quitting. I dont plan on quitting, I just plan on eating better. So far I have cut out drinking sodas on a daily basis. I was not eating breakfast, so I decided it was time to have something to start my day off right like an apple. I am starting off slow on the workouts (partly b/c I dont want to do it and partly b/c I am incredibly out of shape). My starting weight is 272, so I have a long ways to go but I know with persistence a more healthy life is attainable.

BAMF Story of the Week (week 5)

It is Tuesday, I had a lot of BAMF's to choose from but my brother-in-law gave me a pretty good one.

Jack is recalling what happened while he was getting gas to his buddies which included Brian. Jack says he was pumping his gas when this guy starts honking his horn at him to pull forward. Jack explains he is almost done and as soon as his tank is full he will leave. Apparently this made the guy waiting pretty angry and he decides to leave, but as he is leaving he flips his cigarette out the window at Jack. Here is where the BAMF moment comes in....Jack says to his friends "Man, I was so pissed. That guy is lucky I had my flip flops on or I would have kicked his butt (I am cleaning up the language here)".

OK Jack has a valid reason to be upset, I would probably be upset as well. What a crazy reason not to beat someone up though. I mean if you were that concerned about having flip flops on take them off, they are incredibly easy to take off. Jack is so lucky I have my flip flops on or I would kick his butt for being my BAMF of the week!