First Day in Italy

Today was my first day in Italy and I have really enjoyed it I will write more but my wife wants to see pictures so here they are:

Credentials

OK I have been in the Credentials process for 3 yrs and I go today to plea for another year. To be honest I don't deserve it. I haven't done anything but really I haven't seen the point. In recent days I have had a change of opinion and decided to write my first paper. With the help of a friend I am hoping for one more year and I will work hard to get things done and fulfill what is required. I am asking for a small prayer so that I may get another chance.

Florida, Italy and a New House

As I have made mention before these past months have been busy and hectic. Again the reason why The (heart) of a Youth Volunteer no longer exist (at least for the time being). First off, it has been insanely busy here at work. I have been testing some new computer componants that might help the business be more "effective" and will hopefully soon come up with a solution that will satisify the management and employees and allow us to see how we manage time. With that I have done some training for Microsoft Project but again we have yet to decide if we are going that route.

A couple of months ago my wife and I made a plan to buy a house in May. With our agreement we decided to look for "ideas" on what we would like, this would give us a price that we could work toward. After looking through all the houses on our list (via Yahoo Reality) we started to just drive around until we came up to this house:

It had a "For Sale by Owner" sign, so we decided to call and the next day we looked at the house falling almost in love immediately. This past month and a half we have been working with a mortgage company and the home owners and were recently "officially" approved and will be closing sometime in October. We have some ideas for our area but we are happy and excited about this new venture.

Next week we go to Lake Wales, FL to see our new nieces, Anna and Wren both were born within the past several months. This is my vacation time so I plan on relaxing but at the same time it will be busy with visiting people.

I get back the following week and have a week at home before I fly off to....wait for it....ITALY. This is PURELY a business trip but I have never flown outside the US and so I am bit nervous but very excited. The reason I am going is to learn the "computer aspects" of a new machine we will be receiving in the shop.

See it has been busy and its going to get busier, I don't really expect a slow down until close to January 2009. I will keep you posted on these new exciting things and anything else that might be coming up in the near future.

Doctors VIsit

Went for a Followup Dr's visit:

Heres a shocker I'm overwieght but other than that things are good.

Shoo...

3SLI Continued

Today was the second night of 3SLI. It was very good. The speaker is Chip Taylor and he has done a fantastic job. My heart was spoken to tonight!!!

After the service I met up with some guys for some Halo 3 and really did an awful job. To my credit I don't do well in snipers but really I just didnt do good all around. I will write more about my experience later

3SLI

I am at my first 3SLI and I am very excited. Nothing really going on right now but things should get started here pretty soon. I believe that God has me here for a purpose I just hope that I can keep my heart open to what he has for me. I will blog more later about how things are going and my impressions.

Bungie???? (Updated AGAIN)

UPDATE: TODAY AT 7:07 am WE SHOULD HAVE WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE REVEALED AT E3. VER Y EXCITING WELL FOR ME AT LEAST!!!

UPDATE: IT LOOKS AS THOUGH WE WILL NOT GET AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM BUNGIE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY DISCOURAGING BECAUSE I WAS REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO A NEW GAME, SOMETHING NON-HALO AND SOME NEW HALO TITLES AS WELL. I GUESS THE FUTURE WILL EVENTUALLY TELL US WHAT BUNGIE IS OFFERING!!!

WHAT THE HECK??? According to the time on the bottom right some kind of announcement will be made at 10 am on Wednesday. Makes you think about the next project from Bungie,

• Are they announcing a new Halo?
• Are they coming up with a new series that will go multi platform?
• Peter Jackson's Halo Chronicles finally revealed?

I can't imagine that this kind of announcement would come unless its a Halo title, it would be neat if they introduced a new Halo and a new project!!!

OH NO 29

So yesterday started my last days of my 20's. I have 363 days left but I am ok with that. 20's ahs been fun but its time to move on.

I was given a sheet of paper that showed a picture of the gamersac from Sumo Lounge. This is going to be my birthday present when it comes in. I am super excited I have heard a lot of good things about the product. My next piece of gaming furniture is the sumo omni which looks very comfortable and seems to be a good thing to have around the house when you have guest and not much sitting space.

Last night my wife took me to get a game so I picked Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise. Yes its more of a casual game but it was only $40 and has had many good reviews. I only played for a very short time but it was fun.


Again I have lots of new news to share and I am excited about sharing it but things have been really busy but hopefully soon my blogging world will reappear and hopefully will have some news to share as to what I am up too.

ANNOUNCEMENT - IM A NEW UNCLE

Samuel is a Daddy Wren Mills entered this world at 8 lbs - 5 oz and 20 1/2 inches long

CONGRATS ELYA AND SAMUEL

WHOO HOO!!!!

UPDATE: Florida Here I Come

EDIT: So this was a joke really a really really bad joke. I DID go to Florida but drove by myself. I had plans to do something humorous but as I got to Atlanta I was so exhausted that all I wanted to do was sleep. Oh well.

Anyway my trip was good, I really enjoyed spending time with my brother and sister and have a good visit with the inlaws. Unfortuately I was sick and was not able to see Nanny.

My family and I will be returning to Florida sometime in October :)

So after last year's disaster in cars and having to borrow my in laws car in order to get around its time to take the Buick Beauty back to its home. I am very appreciative to have in laws who care and are able to help us in tough times but it will be nice to have one less car in the driveway.

I specifically chose this weekend because it is Labor Day weekend and it would give me an extra day to spent time with family. I am excited because I might be one of the first to meet my NEW niece or nephew and not to mention our new addition Jazmyn.

I have asked some of my dear friends in KY to come along with me so its a road trip starting tomorrow evening WHOO HOO. I will have pictures to post about our exciting adventures to Florida.

Its been a while

As usual it has been crazy busy around here. There is so much going on that I have not found time (or energy) to really post.

In my mind, I have been really thinking a lot about The (Heart) of a Youth Volunteer, some about how I don't really write about youth volunteering at all. Not because I don't want to but because I am not confident in my writings. Blogs are fun because it doesn't matter what you post they are silly and fun to read but when you start getting serious than a whole new approach is taking place. Its no longer friends and family who I am inviting but collueges, and the outside world (not that this blog has any outside exposure).

With that said I am looking to 2009 to really start something new and different and creative all with the name of The (Heart) of a Youth Volunteer. It might mean a new site but it will be fun to really finish out this year with post on what I am doing and taking the pressure off of what I wanted to build the site for.

Sunday Regurgitation

Several weeks ago I was trying to write every Sunday to explain the previous week of my every day life. This week has been filled with downers. First off we found out last Sunday that a man that I dearly loved passed away of cancer. Wednesday was his visitation at the church. Besides that I was preparing for College Camp '08.

I had trouble finding a worship leader so for the first time College Camp was without a worship leader and I also had trouble finding a speaker that could commit to the full week. This resulted in a different speaker everyday, which was kind of fun to plan!!!

The lack of attendees was a little bit of a shock. Only one couple stayed at the camp site and we had two visitors. It got a little depressing. Finding out that noone was coming and the few that were planning to had a change of plans it was decided to shut down camp a day early.

...added to that was a worthless camp meeting...

So as you can see the week was filled with downers...

I was encouraged today in the service with the idea of "looking forward to heaven" not that we are ready to die but that we are of the realization that death is not the end. There is obviously more to the sermon.

I am looking forward to a better week this next week. I would post some pictures but there are none to post :)

College Camp '08

This is my 2nd year directing College Camp for our state. I am going to write more later but it did end a day early and was a bit disappointing. It definitely is a learning process for me.

Here's hoping to a better one next year...

College Camp '08

Tomorrow starts College Camp at the Kentucky Horse Park and for the the 2nd year in a roll I am directing it. This camp has been on life support for several years and it seems that this year will be no different.



When I was in middle/high school, camp was a big deal, not just a big deal it was HUGE. It was always a time for old friends to get together reconnect and for at least a week forget about life. The experience of the worship services were always enlightening, and helped "boost" our spiritual gage, almost always in a life changing way.



Times have changed, we can see the change reflected in the camp attendance. When College Camp started it was packed out but now it lives with a ventilator. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Times change and so do people. It's not easy to take off work or travel for a couple of days. Plus, those childhood experiences are different, we don't connect the way we use to. It seems I am reading more and more of my friends who have abandoned the church and even God. I'm not sure I can blame them, not that the church is bad but sometimes it misunderstands who we are. There are these expectations to believe but not question, there are the "extremist" who represents "christianity" that look like hypocrites and say really stupid things. This whole christianity thing is not what they remember or even felt, and our questioning goes unanswered or we are given the "simple" answer but it lacks the meat.



We always learned this "love" of Jesus, this Jesus who went to people who are NOT perfect, who suffered from their own bad choices, but the church doesn't do the same thing. So in a sense we are rejectedby those who taught us. Our quesions go on unanswered and our spark of interest slowly dims to where we can no longer understand the flame that once was.



My hope and my prayer is that we get a few people who still have that spark and that we can feed that spark just a little, not with easy answers but with hope and a clearer vision of who God is.

This was written before College Camp occurred

A Case of the Mondays

Its Monday....

and it sucks....

But I had a great weekend with my wife's brother and his family. We went to Bowling Green to attend a wedding reception for Elizabeth's niece. (It was a reception for those who could not attend her wedding in Florida) It was a lot of fun. We stayed up til the early morning helping setup and then eating late night snacks and chatting with Jerry and Chris. I think I got a total of <5 hrs this weekend. I am at work this morning trying my hardest to stay awake. Its really a challenge.

Im here and now I am getting ready to get setup for College Camp starting this next weekend. There are several things I need to buy and get ready for so there is still a lot of work to do. Unfortuately this camp is going to be different. I have not found a music leader, I have a different speaker for every day of the weekend, and it looks like it might rain the whole weekend. Yeah....

It should be interesting that is for sure.

Bowling Green

This weekend we will be going to Bowling Green to be apart of Elizabeth's niece wedding reception. It should be fun. I always enjoy spending time with her family and really keep fascinated with Jerry's Koi pond.

Things again have been busy. Work has just been absolutely crazy with prints coming and going. When I get home my energy has just drained out of me.

I still drink Coke like its the only source of liquid left on this earth and I am fighting hard to kick the habit. Excerise has taken the back burner for now but hopefully I can motivate myself to get back into shape.

Besides those little things, life is good and getting better!!!

E3 Playstation

I can't say I was to interested in what Sony had to offer. Their games didn't look that amazing and they still have to prove a lot with PSNetwork. It will be interesting what else they will bring for 2008-2009.

Highlights:
Resistance 2
MAG - Although I am skeptical about their promises
DC Universe - Didnt look good but it will be intersting to see how it progresses

E3 Nintendo

Maybe its time for them to think realistically. They didn't really offer anything exciting. I am most excited about Animal Crossing: City Folk w/ Communicator though I think its kind of dumb to make it where you can hear everything.

No word on the storage problem, nothing real revolutionary, for the most part just a dissappointing press brief and will be very forgettable!!!

Malachi's Drawing

Malachi's Picture

Its tough to see but if you look to the right you can see a person with a face, arms and legs. The big tumor on its head is what Malachi calls a skateboard. The big square to the left is a skate park. The character on the very bottom is a Panda????

Every once and a while I get the pleasure of having Malachi with me as I work. Yesterday was such a day. He helped me in different capacities but mostly took my stamps and stamped paper and drew on pieces of paper. He kept occupied so I could get some things done.





Every once and a while I would go over and watch what he was drawing and at one point he caught me. He proceeded to draw and said, "here is eyes, here is nose, here is mouth, here is skateboard, here is arms and here is legs." It took me a second to process what he was doing but as I looked at the paper I saw that he actually drew a character and put it in the right places. I was in awe, I just couldn't believe that he knew as much as he did. It was the first time he drew something that actually translated on paper.





Malachi, you are awesome and I can't believe how smart you are. I am so proud to be the first to see your wonderful art work :) and now I can put it on my digital refrigerator so all can see it!!!

E3 Microsoft

OH MY GOSH...

This was really exciting, I watched it live at work with about a 10 minute delay. I was a little late tot the party with Resident Evil 5 (3-13-09) being presented. What an impression that has made on me. It was not even on my radar but now its a must have. It has online co-op and just really looks fantastic.

Fable 2 (10-08) was the second game that I saw, it looks really good and really caught my interest I might have to watch more before making that decision.

Gears of War 2 (11-07-08)....AWESOME 5 player co-op, great graphics, it just looks....well....oh my gosh.... I don't even have to words....

Then xbox showed us the avatars, which has been speculated but nothing really to make you think that they were actually going to do it. They looked so cool, and are suppose to be available on the Fall '08 update. I think it will make the online community more of a possibility. Again I don't have the words to explain, I think this will challenge the Wii's persona.

With that announcement came Scene it: Box Office Smash which is essentially the same game but will have downloadable content (which was a complaint of mine with the first) and it utilizes the new avatars.

The dashboard update looks great and the advancement to 8 people was cool. There is just to much to write really here are some quick highlights:

• Netflix - A combination with the xbox 360 makes me love this service.
• XBL - Lots of cool games including some tv games that are cool and Uno Rush
• Sharing Movies - Can't really explain this one to well but its really cool
• Games - Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise, We're in the Movies, Halo Wars, FFXIII are looked exciting

My biggest disappointment was the lack of new instruments for Rock Band 2, making me wonder if its worth the upgrade.

Again so much look for the E3 Press Brief online somewhere.