Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and good wishes!  We were blessed today, as we finally closed on our house!  I briefly mentioned it on June 4.

As my wife so elequently put it… Making a house, a home.

Woohooo!!  We are home owners again!! 

Now, to start on getting the trees, the landscaping bricks, mulch, grass seed, deck lumber, bushes, brick and mortar, pavers, basketball goal……

Well, not brand new, but new to us. We just bought a boat! Okay, well, we are buying the boat. I’ve already made the offer, and the owner accepted. All that we need to do now, is wait for the bank to open, so we can process the check!

The entire family is so excited! Our first launch will be at CenterHill Lake, which is only 45 miles away from us. It’s complete with two waterfalls, loads of marina’s, and camp sites.

We may also be taking the boat to S. Holsten lake this year for camping… but not sure if I can trust the 2000 Olds Bravada to tow the boat for 4+ hours, and into the smoky mountains.

Without further adieu, here is the boat:

90 HP Two-Stroke Engine
24′-length
Fisher Freedom 240 Deluxe

All, please send your thoughts, prayers, wishes, karma (insert your term here), to us.

We are supposed to be closing on our house next month.  Now, for the time being, everything seems okay.  But, with the current state of our economy, and all the foreclosures going on, we are getting nervous on whether something happens with the bank.

Here is a picture of the house we are buying.  We are currently living in it, since we signed a 6-mos lease, with purchase.

Thanks!

I totally forgot how much I love Swedish Coffee. Or, rather, Kaffe. I just arrived to Stockholm, and after not getting ANY sleep, I found the closest Kafe I could find, after I left customs.  My eyes are all red and dried out from the flight, and was uncomfortable.

MmmmmmmMmmMmmmm. Good stuff! It’s dark, and flavorful. I needed that!

I definately rate SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) better than Continental!  Sorry Continental.  You may have my skymiles, but that’s no substitute for good service and updated planes! 

Because she loves me, that’s why! How do I know this?

We left to the airport, just her and I,
Fighting the traffic, we did try.

Arriving to the airport, just 10 past 8,
We kiss goodbye, as I walk to my gate.

As I check in, I give my passport a little whirl.
On my gosh! The passport I have, is a little girl!!

My wife’s old passport, I hold in my hand,
My heart is beating loudly, like a marching band!

I call my wife, bless her heart,
She races home, to do her part.

She must get back to the airport, before my flight leaves.
Rush, honey! Rush, honey, if you please!

Without an argument, without a fight,
She leaves in a hurry, to get me on my flight.

Blurring phone poles, and speed racing instincts
She must get back, before my flight becomes extinct.

Moments before it’s too late, she arrives saving the day.
She had been on the road, almost four hours today!!

My wife is great, my wife rocks!!!
She is everything I ever wanted, wrapped in a box.

I love you, Tammy! Thank you so much for taking care of me today! I appreciate you, and everything you do!!

So, my wife has been reading “A New Earth“, by Eckhart Tolle, in order to participate in Oprah’s Book Club. My sister is also reading it. I have not… yet. But because of Oprah’s reach around the world, millions are agreeing

I really should, so I can be a more informed reader. Apparently, according to Tolle, Jesus Christ was an enlightened man, just as Buddha or Muhammed.

WHAT?!??!!!!

If there was ONE thing that seperated Christianity from the rest of the World Religions is that Jesus Christ DID what most enlightened men only talked about. To be “Enlightened” is to have the wisdom and charisma of a higher power. But Jesus Christ WAS an extension OF “the higher power”, filled with the Holy Spirit.

Name ONE enlightened man that was able to cure disease, feed thousands from a loaf of bread, born of a virgin, and even conquer death!! Yes, they all were great speakers and they were all wise. But, to talk about things, and actually DO them, are completely different.

Jesus Christ cannot be placed in the same group as Muhammed or Buddha, except the group of “Man”, since they were all males of the human race. That’s the only commonality

Do I respect Muhammed and Buddha? Yes. Do I consider them wise and enlightened? Yes. Do I consider them the leading authority of how to live life, and even after death? No. That is for my Lord and Savior to do.

I really should read this book. Apparently, it says that we are all a part of energy, and that is what connects us with God and the rest of the world. And that, at some level, EVERY religion worships the same God (at some level). But, to deny my Lord and Savior the respect he deserves is terrible.

EDIT: I am not condemning the book, as I have not yet read it. It seems to have good ideas. Only the thought of Jesus being Enlightened disturbs me.

Do I believe someone will go to Hell if they do not believe in Jesus Christ? No. But, I do believe they won’t go to heaven, if they don’t believe. Now, where they go, I do not know. This “Enlightenment” that they speak of may not be the same thing as Heaven, but rather another stepping stone to get to Heaven.

Paul warns us not to be deceived by other traditions of man in Colossians 2:8:

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

I only know what the Bible tells me. And, the Bible has been the leading authority, to not just Jesus’ life, but also proven as a historically accurate book.

Reference: Probe Ministries: “A New Earth” Significant Issue

EDIT#2:  Fixed broken link to Reference above.

Apparently, I’ve started a total transformation over the last 12 months, and I didn’t even know it.  How wierd is that?  I’m eating healthier, gave up my cigarettes, starting a workout program, getting more involved with my family (both immediate and extended), and, for my final transformation, emotional/spiritual.

The fantastic news is, I’ve been doing all of this with my wife, making us a team in these life changes of mine.

For my final efforts on having a better life, I’ve been starting yoga for flexibility, strength, and meditation, which should help me in all aspects of my life, except for spiritual.  There, I leave it to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to help me on that path.

Yoga is awesome!  I initially had my first taste of it, when doing Tony Horton’s P90 system, since you have approx 5 mins of “Power Yoga”, where you go into positions of “Downward Facing Dog”, “Plank”, “Crescent”, and “Warrior II”.  Then, we (my wife and I) started watching “Namaste Yoga“, and that opened the entire realm of yoga to me.  Since then, one of my favorite sites has been Yoga Journal, where I can study the positions, learn my breathing, and get expert advice and teachings.

This morning was my final revelation (spiritual).  It hit me, while driving to work.  I have alot of things that I need (and want) to happen in the upcoming months, such as closing on the house, vacations, safety in my travels, a boat, etc.  Well, in order for me to receive, I need to give, and I have NOT been giving.  Not just monetary, but time and attention as well.  I need to devote more time to Jesus and the church.  I need to devote more attention to my wife and kids.  I need to listen, when someone needs an ear…

I pray I can continue with this transformation, and become a better <father,husband,friend,brother,co-worker…>

Okay, so moving a saltwater tank is not exactly the easiest thing in the world. After our move in January, the tank didn’t do too well. Actually, after my last batch of fish died from poor water quality (I know, I know…), I decided to just let it go, until I have time to start it back up again.

Well, I’ve started it back up.

I purchased 40 lbs of live rock from PetCo online. My last 45 lbs of Live Rock were sitting dormant in saltwater buckets. While they haven’t been in clean water for 4 months, they were still in water, which means (hopefully and crossing fingers) I still had some bacteria lying deep in the rocks. Plus, I had matured these rocks with excellent coralline algae.

So, I’ve added another bag of live sand on top of my old substrate (in order to seed my old substrate with the new live one). After cleaning out my nasty filter (oh god, the smell from hell), I then added the 40 lbs of Live Rock from PetCo. I let that sit in the tank for 24 hours.

I set up two clean 5gal buckets of saltwater, and started to clean, scrub, rinse, repeat, my old live rock. I think I cleaned them up pretty well, actually. I only hope my new Live Rock will seed my old Live Rock. The tank looks nice and full now. 85 lbs of live rock in a 55 gal aquarium.

I give it prob 4 weeks before my tank is fully cycled. I’ll probably start stocking it after we close on the house.

I booked my flight to Sweden last week, but finalized everything with my Hotel Bookings.

This trip to Sweden will be different.  Why?  Because my colleague and I are taking a Saturday in downtown Stockholm.  So, hopefully, I’ll have some cool pictures.  Last time I went, I had no spare time, except for an hour at the mall before we left.

I will fly into Newark (2-1/2 hours) then fly directly to Stockholm (8-1/2 hours).  From Stockholm I’ll be taking the train to where I’m going.  Alot of colleagues fly from Stockholm, but after 8-1/2 hours, I actually enjoy the easy-going train ride.

This is the first time I’m going Continental.  Before, I took SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) and absolutely loved it!  I think because the stewardess’ were ALWAYS offering bread and water.  Every 30 mins.  All kinds.. hard bread, rolls, etc.  What carb-lover wouldn’t want it!?!  But, they won’t give me my sky miles, so I’m stuck with Continental.  We’ll see how they are.

I’ll be posting during and after my trip, so stay tuned!

Tammy thinks that by posting about the boat that I want, it’s throwing karma out there, to bring it back to me. Kinda like visualizing or manifesting the ideas. So here it is. This is the boat that we want.

It’s a 25′ long pontoon boat, that has everything we could want. I great stereo system… jumping platform on the back, changing room, sun deck to layout, plush seats, etc. It can hold up to 12 people comfortably. Talk about partying on the lake… HAYEL YEAH!!

Good fishing seats at the front of the boat, an pumped tank to keep your fish fresh, and all sorts of other goodies. Actually, if we get the performance pontoons, we can throw a bigger engine, and can even pull tubes and skiiers. No kidding!

Check it out.