2009 - already?

Hard to believe it's been two months since I've posted. A lot has happened in the past 8 or so weeks, many of which really deserve their own posting, so I'll just lightly touch on what's been going on personally and professionally.

Tonia and I celebrated an amazing 9 years of marriage last month. I can't begin to express what that means to me in words. She's the best wife a guy could hope to have. She's put up with me, helped me grow, encouraged me, pushed me, been a great step-mom to my son, and a wonderful manager of our home. I repay her by doing stupid stuff, and for the life of me can't imagine why she chose me.

Nick continues to learn to be a teenager - and I continue to learn how to be the parent of a teenager. We're entering one of the biggest transitions in his life, and our relationship. As such, roles are changing. My job needs to change from being more the coach or manager that gives him direction and instruction, to that of the encourager and cheerleader he needs to help apply the things he's learning in his own life. It's an interesting and challenging time for certain, but a defining time as well. My son is becoming a man.

For me, I continue to struggle to make positive change in my life (details later). It's a daily, sometimes hourly, question whether I'm up or down about life in general. My last physical had some disturbing news about the progression of diabetes. I need to make significant lifestyle changes now, or this disease will kill me sooner rather than later. So it's a constant battle internally to resign myself to the fate of the disease, or to learn how to fight harder.

Professionally, the scope of my job has changed significantly. I'm now in the systems department, focusing primarily on security and PCI/DSS compliance. I welcome the new challenge and hope this process can help our company move forward. It's an exciting time as it feels like we're on the verge of turning a corner. Several things we've been working toward are falling into place, so 2009 should be an exciting year.

The Worship Team is going pretty well. We've made significant progress in the quality of what we do. I LOVE to play, but more than that, playing with a purpose of leading our congregation's hearts and minds into the presence of the Throne is also a great responsibility. I'm honored to be able to participate at several levels from planning, to running sound, to playing instruments.

For goals this year, health has to be top priority. I'll make a detailed list of goals for my next post, I think.

Happy 2009!