Sweeter Victories to Come

At first, I couldn't believe it. Johnny Damon, the face of the Sox, joining the dark side. But then I started to think about the past. This is really nothing new. I remember driving home from the 04 World Series Game party and thinking that we're finally equals, only to be brought back to reality after the Johnson signing that winter. It was only one battle in a really long, onesided war. The trade and negotiations war hasn't been any better. Arod, Vasquez, Contreras .... all the way back to the Babe, the Empire has been able to get the man they've wanted. The Sox are, and always will be the consistent underdog.

Some say that Damon is a traitor, a sellout, a (woman of the streets) for sale to the highest bidder. No matter how you look at it, 52 million sounds much better than 40. I can't say I blame him for taking the money, but it still hurts. Damon once stood for most everything I liked about the Sox. He was funny, scraggly, and laid back. He was the anti-Yankee; a rebel. Now he is starting to sound like everything I hate about the Yankees. Click on Boston.com or ESPN.com to read some of his comments on his new team. Do I think he's a sellout? Yeah. I see now he was just playing the game. He was on a team of rebels with beards that played jokes on each other, so he met the status quo. He is already fitting into the mold of a Yankee player. In the business world, it works. He'll be dressed for success with a business attitude and a business perspective. But in the sports world, that isn't who I want to root for. I like the underdog. The scraggly rebels that have a good time and stick it to the man (except in football, gooooo Pats!).

So what do we do now? Where do we go from here?. To be honest with you, I kind of like it better this way. Yeah, I'd rather have the Damons and Johnsons and Jeters and Scheffields and Arods (at least their talent), but I'm glad I will not be rooting for a team of stiffs. I remember when Arod was practically stolen from the Sox and the Nation was in panic mode. Schilling made a great point that when we beat these guys (which we did), the victory would be that much sweeter. And it was. We stuck it to the man. The blue collar team (comparitavely speaking) beat the suits. David sleighed Goliath. So Sox fans, don't be down. Enjoy the games, and trust that the good guys will win in the end.

Chrissy Jawan and Baby Luke!

New Baby, Allegories, Pats, and the best Real Estate Agent Ever

(We didn't sell the house)

Not So Deep Thoughts by Chad McLeod

1. Congratulations to Mitch and Jawan on the birth of their second kid. To see pictures of the newest Mcginnis, check out Jawan's blog under Links on the left side of the screen.

2. Go see The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Awesome movie. Only one question, what's up with Santa Claus making a cameo? I don't remember that being in the book. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it. Lewis (the author of the book the movie is based on) was a genious. I also learned a new word from Chrissy because of this movie. According to Webster, an allegory is the representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form. The movie/book is an allegory of Jesus. It was PG too so its OK for the kiddies.

3. How 'bout them Pats. Last time I wrote a blog about them, they got whooped by Peyton Manning and Co. so if they get killed in their next game, sorry Pat's fans, I shouldn't have said anything. I just caught the last 30 minutes of the Patriot's dismantiling of the Tampa Bay Bucs. Looks like they're back. Do I think they're better than the Colts? No way. Do I think they could beat the Colts in the playoffs? I think so. Some may call me optomistic, just don't call me late for dinner. If anyone could stop the Colts, I'd put my money on the Pats in Indy. Wouldn't be shocked if it was the Seahawks either.

4. Still haven't sold the house, but had a good reminder from my brother in law this afternoon. He said when you're trusting in God and praying about something like this, its kind of like Jesus is your real estate agent. It's a good feeling to know He is in control; especially for a worry wart like me.

Merry Christmas Charlie Brown

Chrissy and I watched the Charlie Brown Christmas story tonight. I highly recommend it. I was surprised when near the end, Charlie asks if anyone can tell him what the meaning of Christmas is and one of the kids said he knew and started quoting Luke 2, the story of Jesus' birth. I was actually kind of startled. I know this movie still comes on TV every year, but it surprised me. Chrissy (who is much more interested in politics and world events than I am) tells me a new story every other day about some teacher changing stuff about Christmas to stuff about being just a holiday. I have no problem with public schools teaching what different religions believe and the holidays they celebrate, but CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT JESUS. I don't have a problem with kids learning about Muslim or Jewish holidays, but if they are, Christmas should be taught as well. That is the way I learned it and that is the way my kids will learn it as well.

House Hunting

I'd like to vent a little frustration. I'm now trying to buy my second house, and it isn't easy. We spent all afternoon driving around Columbus. I don't know if its like this in every city, but every house I liked was either too expensive, or in a rough neighborhood. And Mapquest doesn't always get it right either. It was pretty tough finding the houses we were looking for. Always at the front of my mind is the problem of selling our old house. What if we get stuck with two mortgages? A bunch of things are going right though. Though we haven't found a house, we really feel at home here. We've found some friends and we have a great church. We're also learning our way around the city. I enjoy my job here more than any job I've ever had. Chrissy also found a job. She is teaching art at a local school. I always told her I thought she was autistic (get it?). So even though there are many things I could worry about, there are also a lot of things I can be thankful for. I'm sure I'll look back at this blog one day and realize that it all worked out. It always does.

More Pics

Weekend With the Nieces

This is Caroline and Olivia, aren't they cute? Saturday morning Chad and I went and picked them up and they stayed with us until Sunday afternoon. Saturday morning we went to the Auburn Christmas Parade. It was very cold but it was worth it. The girls entertained us that afternoon by taking pictures and us teaching them how to play spider solitaire. That night we had some great food from CiCi's Pizza and then we rented Because of Winn Dixie. (It is such a good movie, I highly recommend it if you want to see a sweet feel good movie.) The girls were so sweet and so fun, Chad and I both had a great time with them.

Our first tree

It might be a little small, but it works. Notice what Maggie's doing? Yep, she's a trained dog. Not really, but she does know how to sit; at least when you hold up a treat. Monday, I officially started work for the Savannah district, Ft. Benning Resident office. What does that mean? We get to stay in an apartment/hotel for free for 2 months and all our food is paid for. Needless to say, Chrissy has gotten to go out to eat every day this week. We still haven't sold our house. Things are good though. Just have to keep trusting.

Thanksgiving in Anniston

Change of plans. We were supposed to go to Jacksonville for Thanksgiving at my parents, but Chrissy's Great Aunt Sarah passed away so we're in Anniston instead. We went to the funeral today. I only met Sarah twice. She had many friends, and I know she was a special lady. We had Thanksgiving lunch with Chrissy's family. Great food, good times. I had some excellent green bean casserolle. If anyone wants the recipe, they can get it from Chef Chrissy. We're staying at Chrissy's parents so we don't mess up our house which is still on the market. Our agent said the week after Thanksgiving is usually a good week to buy a house so be praying for that. The possibility of two mortgages is my biggest worry right now. Like Chrissy keeps reminding me though, I gotta let go and trust God.

Beckett To The Olde Towne Team

October, three years ago, I was going through a rough time. I had just been dumped a few months earlier. I was working in South Florida, away from all of my family and friends. Things were not going well, but when I woke up each morning, the terrible feeling in my stomach didn't come from being away from home, or from being dumped. The nauseous feeling was a result of one swing of the bat by Aaron Boone. The Yankees and Red Sox had just played one of the greatest playoff series in baseball history. It was the best series I'd ever seen (until the next year). Boone's extra inning home run was a crushing blow to an already crappy year. I moped every day for weeks; except one. In the last game of the World Series, 23 year old Josh Beckett pitched a complete game shutout and beat the Yankees. It put a smile on my face to see this kid beat them IN Yankee Stadium. Yesterday, the Red Sox and Marlins agreed to a trade to send Beckett and struggling Mike Lowell to Boston for three minor leaguers. Why was Lowell included in the trade? I assume the only way the Marlins would let Beckett go was if the Sox would take Lowell and his hefty salary as well. Beckett is a big game pitcher that will help the Sox next year. Hopefully, the injuries that have plagued him will no longer be a problem. Beckett also adds another goofy looking goatee/facial hair to the team. He pitched in 29 games last year. I think he'll be a good pitcher for years to come. I think management made a good decision in getting this guy. Its always good to have Yankee killers on your team. Welcome to Bean Town Mr. Beckett.

Warm Springs not so warm

Me and Chrissy went to Warm Springs, Georgia this weekend with some of my coworkers and their families. Warm Springs is a small town north of Columbus with a great restaurant called the Bullock House. The Bullock House was a buffet with fried chicken, dressing, corn, green beans, biscuits, and really good chocolate cake. The town also had some little Christmas stores. It was fun, but would have been better if it wasn't so cold. All in all though, it was another great evening with my wife. Saturday, I worked all morning and we went to Auburn in the afternoon. We didn't go to the game, but we spent some time with Chrissy's parents and brother. Church was good today. Mitch (the pastor) talked about being thankful. He told a story about a friend of his who is teaching English to college students in China. He was telling them about Thanksgiving and the history behind it. He said one of the students asked him who we were thankful to. It is amazing that some people don't even know. Sometimes I catch myself just being grateful for all I have, but forgetting about the God who has blessed me so. We're going to dinner with some friends tonight. I'll work until Wednesday and then we're heading to Florida for Thanksgiving. Good times. 

Wow It's Cold Outside!

My goodness it's cold. I took Maggie out this morning and nearly froze to death, thank goodness for coffee. Poor Maggie goes crazy when it's cold like this. She jumped around and started running back and forth almost yanking my arm off.

In Trouble

Friday night Chad and I went to the Inquirer's Class so we can join our new church. Although I was paying attention to what Mitch, our preacher, was saying I drew a picture on my paper. Chad saw it and decided that it would be a good idea to scribble over it. I couldn't believe he did that it was so mean. In retaliation I drew a mark on his hand. He then felt the need to draw on my arm. Again I retaliated and drew another mark on his hand. For some reason he couldn't believe that I did such a thing so he drew a mark on my jeans and then started laughing which made me start laughing. We couldn't hold our laughter in so we interrupted the class. I felt so bad, as I am sure that Chad did, for disrupting class like that. We're sorry Mitch.

MVP?

Does this look like an MVP? Somehow, the bushleague thirdbaseman for the pinheads in pinstripes was voted the AL MVP today. I guess the voters just don't understand that MVP means the most VALUABLE player. When your teams up by 9 or 10 runs, he's the guy you want at the plate, but when the games on the line, you can count on him to ground into a double play (check out the last play of the Yankees season). On the other hand, they could have picked the most clutch player that I've ever seen. Now, granted, I'm not that old, but I've never seen a player perform in the clutch like the Big Papi. Granted, he only played a few games of defense and Arod had a decent year in the field (4th in the AL in fielding percentage). I guess I just see value a little differently than the experts. Well, my MVP is Papi, the people's MVP. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go stair at the Monday Night Football game with a pouty look on my face.

Don't count out the champs

Everyone I hear talk football seems to think the Patriots will lose to the Colts Monday. On paper, it shouldn't be a game. The Colts are undefeated. They actually have a defense this year. They have a two great pass rushers (Mathis and Freeney). And of course, they've got Peyton Manning. On the other side, the big problem is the injuries. Best Offensive Lineman- out. Running back- questionable. 2nd String RB- out. Receivers Troy Brown, Tim Dwight, David Givens, questionable. D-lineman Jarvis Green, Marquise Hill, Richard Seymour, Ty Warren: all questionable. 2 of 3 best cornerbacks: questionable. Starting FB: questionable. Worst of all, Rodney Harrison out for the year. Even Brady is probable. Everything points towards a Colts victory, but don't count out the champs. Three reasons why I think the Pats can win tomorrow night:

1. Tom Brady. He is the best quarterback in football. He isn't the fastest. He doesn't have the best arm. He is simply a leader and a winner. He knows how to get the job done when his team needs it the most. When they are out talented, he has a way about him that just will not let them lose.

2. Bill Belichick. I don't think there is a better coach in football, or in any sport . He knows how to win. He's a genius, and he knows how to coach a team. He also knows how to pick winners. You'll never see a T.O. or Randy Moss on his team. He wouldn't allow that. He takes blue collar players that care about team and do their job. I'll take him over Dungy any day.

3. Clock Killin Corey Dillon (credit for the nick name goes to the sportsguy). After 1,635 yards last year, he has struggled in his second year with the Pats, mainly because of the young offensive line and nagging injuries. I just have a feeling that tomorrow will be a breakout game for him.

There is also the Tedy Bruschi return. A few days after the 04 Superbowl, Bruschi had a stroke. He wasn't even sure he'd ever play again. Now he's starting again. The fact remains, Manning has never won in Foxborough. Should the Pats win tomorrow? No. But you can't count out Tom Brady and Co. And in the words of the great philospher Rick Flair, "To be the man, you've gotta beat the man Whoooo!!!!".

Cute puppy

Have you ever seen a cuter dog? This is her "Are you gonna eat that entire hamburger?" look. Chrissy was looking at our pictures this afternoon and I overheard her tell Maggie that she looked thin in this picture. She tells me that I'm her best friend, but something tells me times might be a changin'. Is it crazy to talk to your dog like she is a real human? I guess that is a "pot calling the kettle black" kind of question since I actually have Q&A sessions with her. Oh well. Time to go to church. We're meeting together with the Spanish church tonight that meets at our church building.

Chrissy's Pumpkin

Here's a picture of our first pumpkin. I think it might be my first pumpkin ever. Did we ever have one Dad? Question of the day: How long after Halloween can you leave your pumpkin out? 

Happy Halloween!

It has been another uneventful halloween for me. Chrissy bought a bunch of candy and we didn't have one single trick or treater. Oh well, more candy for us. Alisa (my sister) sent me some pictures of my nephews. Have you ever seen a cooler pirate or rock looking guy? Chrissy bought a pumpkin. She did a great job picking it out. It looks like it has an m&m painted on it. We decided since it was halloween to rent a horror movie. We chose to watch the Amytiville Horror. It wasn't that scary. I was fine afterwards; as long as I didn't have to look in the mirror. What is the point of watching those kinds of movies? I always like them while I watch them, but then feel sick afterwards. Well, the OC is about to come on. Gotta go. 

For Sale

We officially put our house on the market today. I bought it when I wasn't even dating Chrissy in August of 04. It isn't too sad for Chrissy since she has slept there all of 5 nights. Our real estate agent seems to think we will sell it pretty quickly. There were many firsts for me at this house. My first new truck, my first dog, the first place I kissed my wife. I'll miss the old place. Quick story. I bought a used riding lawnmower a few weeks after I bought the house. I wasn't sure how I was going to get it off my truck. My coworker told me to back my truck up into the ditch in my front yard and drive the mower onto the street. My front yard has a pretty steep slope and the ditch is even steeper. I got it home that afternoon and backed it up to the ditch, just like he told me, but the tailgate was about a foot higher than the top of the ditch. I decided to park my truck in the garage and maybe buy some 2x6's the next day to use as a ramp. I was looking out in the yard that night at about 10:00 and I noticed a part of the ditch that was a little steeper than where I'd tried earlier. I figured I'd try it, but it was about to start raining so I knew I'd have to hurry. I tried to back the truck up my yard as it started to rain. Because of the steep slope, I couldn't get the truck to drive forward up the hill. The tires started spinning and pretty soon, I realized I was stuck in my front yard at 10:30 at night. I kept backing up and going forward but as soon as it hit the slope, the tires started spinning and slinging mud. I decided to back up into the back yard and then if I got up enough speed, I'd be able to get out. It was a great idea, and eventually worked, but I forgot about the tree in the back yard. After hitting the tree and slinging a bunch of mud, I finally got my truck back in the garage. I then decided to check the damage to my yard. About five feet into my front yard, I stepped in one of the ruts I made with my truck. My feet flew out from under me and when I landed there was a huge splash made from the mud. Covered in mud, yard tore up, and with the mower still in the back of my truck, I decided to call it a night. It wasn't the first, and I'm sure it will not be the last bonehead decision I make. It was a great house though. And I will miss it.

McLeod Family Reunion

A couple of weeks ago I experienced my first McLeod Family Reunion and what a great time I had. Our first night in Hazlehurst we went to a horse auction, and that was something that I had never done. I could not understand a word the auctioneer was saying except when he said "sold". Saturday we went to the big event. I had a great time meeting and spending time with Chad's family. There was also a lot of great food which we ate way too much of. Saturday we went fishing and that night we went to the state fair. Chad and I didn't ride any rides but we had fun watching his nephews on all of them. I can't wait for next year and do it all again.

Got the Baseball Blues

So, Maggie asked me the other day why the Sox were the wearing the wrong colors in the World Series. After I explained it to her, she gave me this look. Oh well, wait 'til next year

I Lift Mine Eyes

Here is the picture that Chrissy's aunt painted and gave to us. Pretty cool huh?

Busy Weekend

Friday night we drove up and spent some time with my parents. Early Saturday morning we started working on the house. Chad's job was to clean out the gutters (thankfully Dad showed up and did that-Chad and I both hate ladders-he saved us a lot of time and did a great job), pressure wash the house, cut the grass, and vacuum the house. I had the fun job of cleaning the kitchen, bathrooms, painting, dusting, and Chad let me pressure wash some. We were both so tired by the end of the day. Sunday we had a great time. We went to our old church at Faith. It was so nice to see every one again and to worship with them. After lunch my parents, Chad and I went to visit my Great Aunt Sarah. It was so nice just spending time with her. Aunt Sarah is a great painter and she gave us a picture that she painted 2 years ago. "I Lift Mine Eyes" is a beautiful picture of a young girl and her mother looking up to the mountains. We are so glad that we had a chance to visit Aunt Sarah and we can't wait to visit her again.

The Whitson House (Chad's Thoughts)

I had the opportunity to visit this house earlier today. We were told a few weeks ago that Chrissy's Great Aunt Sarah had a painting she wanted to give to us (I'll write about the picture later). We were in Anniston for the weekend so we stopped by her Talladega home on the way back to Columbus. There were many wonderful things I could write about the house, but I'm sleepy so I'll only write a few. Sarah told me that her family had bought the house in 1865. I asked her when it was built, but she didn't know. She did however know that the first white child born in the city of Talladega was born in that house in 1832. The area was inhabited by Creek Indians up to that time. The dining room table could seat up to 20 people. She had an old victrola. My Father in Law (Jack) got it going and we listened to a few oldies; and I thought record players were old. Another interesting thing about the house was the main hallway. The house used to be two log cabins. They were later made into one house and connected by what is now a long, beautiful hallway. The main hallway is twice the size of the average living room. The front porch was about 500 square feet, and the backporch was very small. You can see a difference in our culture by looking at the layout of homes. Today's homes are built for more privacy. We have large family rooms and large back porches today. Is this a negative thing? I guess that depends on your perspective.

MLB Regular Season Awards Nominees

It is now time for the first annual Major League Baseball Awards nominations. This is when I sit down and look at stats, and try to reach back into the old noodle to decide who was baseball's best in 2005. I'd love to have some feedback so if anyone wants to comment, click the comments button at the bottom of this blog. Once you type in your comment, click on the button next to where it says other and put in your name (don't worry about putting in a website). I'll post the results pretty soon. If you don't care about baseball, go down to the next blog. Anyways, on to the nominations:
Cy Young Award (best pitcher of the year)
American League:
1. Bartolo Colon - He led the league with 21 wins, 157 K's, 3.48 ERA.
2. Johan Santana - 16-7 record, 2.87 ERA, 238 Strikeouts.
3. Mariano Rivera - 1.38 ERA, 43 for 47 in save opportunities,
National League:
1. Dontrell "D Train" Willis - 22-10 record, 2.63 ERA, 7 complete games, 5 shutouts. Only 23 years old. Can't seem to wear his hat straight.
2. Chris Carpenter - 21-5 record, 2.83 ERA, 7 complete games, 4 shutouts
When asked who his favorite pitcher was, he said "Budweiser".
3. Jake Peavy- 13-7 record, 2.88 ERA, 3 complete games, 3 shutouts. Only 24 years old. Plays for a team with little run support.

MVP
American League:
1. David "Papi" Ortiz - 47 homers, 148 RBIs, .300 Avg. Mr. Clutch.
2. Alex "I slap like a little girl" Rodriguez - 48 homers, 130 RBIs, .321 Avg. Mr. Not Clutch.
3. Manny "Being Manny" Ramirez - 45 homers, 144 RBIs, 292 Avg. Knucklehead, but a great hitter. 144 RBis even though he usually hit after a guy with 148 RBIs.
National League:
1. Andruw Jones - 51 homers, 128 RBI's, .263 Avg. Led the majors in home runs. Also an excellent defensive fielder.
2. Albert Pujols - 41 homers, 117 RBI's, .330 Avg. Best hitter in baseball today. Did you see his game 5 homer against the Astros?
3. Derek Lee - 32 homers, 115 RBI's, .335 Avg. Only good thing going for the lovable losers.

Manager of the Year:
1. Bobby Cox
2. Ozzie Guillen
3. Phil Garner

Rookie of the Year:
American League
1. Huston Street
2. Tadahido Iguchi
3. Ervin Santana
National League
1. Jeff Francoeur
2. Zach Duke
3. Willy Tavares

The Wonderdog

Meet Maggie the Wonderdog. What makes her the wonderdog? She has no special talents. No skills. She is just a wonderful dog. Don't let that cute look deceive you, she is vicious. Not the typical growl and bite kind of vicious; her weapon of choice is her licker. She didn't get a chance to write anything in the profile so I figured I'd let you know a little about her by asking her a few questions. Her answers are in red.
What are your interests?
Squirrels, laying on the couch, laying on the bed, laying in the crate, licking people, licking myself, licking the furniture, going sight seeing in the truck, long walks around the lake, wrestling, and the Red Sox.
What are your favorite movies?
All Dogs Go to Heaven, Old Yeller (except for the ending), Lady and the Tramp, Best in Show, and Turner and Hooch.
What are your favorite songs/musicians?
Who let the Dogs Out?, Little Bow Wow, and Snoop Doggy Dog.
What are your favorite foods?
meaty bones, squirrels, and pizza.
Are there any Bible verses that are special to you?
Matthew 15:27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.

Wait till next year

Wait until next year. Something a Sox fan is used to hearing. Yes there was a year hiatus after the 04 "idiots" made history, but now it seems like the heartbreak has returned. Bill Simmons says that there is a five year grace period after winning a championship where you can't complain about your team. I'm not complaining, but it still hurts to see what happened to them against the White Sox. After having a few days to think it over, I've come to the conclusion that the reason we aren't still playing boils down to one thing; clutch or lack thereof. I never thought I'd say that after watching the greatest clutch hitter in a long time play his MVP worthy season. He didn't play too bad in the playoffs, batting .333 over the 3 games against Chicago. He wasn't his usual clutch self. After getting crushed in the first game of the series, the Sox lost by 1 in game 2 and by 2 in the finale. The Sox did just enough to hang in there, but not enough to win. Their pitching has been average at best for the entire year (except for Timlin and Papelbon). They needed to score a bunch of runs if they expected to win. Granted, I'm not Theo Epstein, and I'll never claim to be, but there was one decision I would have made differently over the last offseason. I think the key to the Sox's 05 letdown was the trading of Orlando Cabrera. He was mister clutch. He knew how to get the job done. Who did we get to replace him? Edgar Renteria and his 30 errors. I agreed with Epstein not resigning Pedro and D-Lowe. Pedro's arm is gone (you'll see what I'm talking about next year) and he wanted too much money and D-Lowe is a headcase. Credit has to go to the White Sox as well. They hit when they needed to and there pitching was amazing. I think that in the next few years, Mr Jenks will be the next Eric Gagne. You'll here that name for a while. So, looking ahead. We've got 4 free agents to decide on. Cap'n Caveman (Johnny Damon), Millar, Mueller, and Mike Timlin. Its times like these I am glad I'm not a General Manager. Damon is going to want superstar money after only one superstar year. Millar can't hit, field, or run, but evidently he is really funny. Mueller is a great hitter, but he has a bum knee, and he is also getting up there in years (and there is a guy named Youkulis who is a good bit cheaper). Timlin is a great setup man, not a great closer. He still has the ERA now, but he is also getting up there in age. My advice (which I'm sure Epstein is eagerly anticipating) is to go after Damon, Mueller, and Timlin. He also needs to get a new closer or maybe Chris Hansen can fill the role. I just don't know if Foulke will ever be back to his 04 form. Also, watch out for the new kid Papelbon. I got a feeling he'll be one of the great ones. He will likely be in the starting rotation next year. As always, wait until next year and GO SOX!

Moving to Fort Benning (Chad's thoughts)

It is official. We are moving to Columbus, Georgia. A few weeks before the wedding, I was told I was being sent to Fort Benning temporarily. We were fine with that at the time since it was only for a few months. We loved Anniston. We loved our church. We loved being close to Chrissy's family. Things don't always work out the way you want them to. After only two weeks in Columbus, my new boss told me that he wanted me to take a permanant position here. I wanted to do everything I could to keep us in Anniston. I loved where we were. The more I talked to my old boss back home, the more I realized how much better it would be for us here. He couldn't promise me that he could keep me in Anniston, and my new boss is promising me work here for a long time. After much prayer and thought, we decided it was best for us to move here to Columbus. We found a church that we are happy with called Westminster. Chrissy is taking a part time job substitute teaching. We've even already made a few friends. Life is good for me right now (mostly because of my wonderful wife). The next step is getting our house sold and then deciding where we'll live here. That will be for another blog.

The Wedding (Chad's Thoughts)

Chrissy covered most of it. I'll just add my top five favorite things from the wedding (in no particular order).

1. The groom's cake was a small model of Fenway.

2. I got to wear flip flops at the reception.

3. It was short (less than 30 minutes).

4. Great food at the rehearsal dinner and reception (Thanks Dad, Jack, and Sheila).

5. And of course, the best part:

The Wedding (Chrissy's Thoughts)

I loved our wedding. I am sure that everyone says that, at least I hope they do, but I was very happy with the way it all turned out. My parents did a great job at helping us plan things. They picked out the cakes and some of the flower arrangements. I did start stressing out a little when the rain started pouring down before the ceremony. Everyone was supposed to walk in from outside so we had to come up with a backup plan to walk down the aisle. Eventually, it stopped raining so the wedding party could all walk in as planned. I am not one to cry very often, but I did once the ceremony started. I just couldn't believe that God had blessed me with such a great husband. I am so excited that I get to spend the rest of my life with him.