I Have A Second Nephew!

I just got a call a little bit ago from a call I didn't recognize. I decided to answer, and my sister was on the other end. She tried to tell me that my little nephew had been born, and I thought she was kidding (wondering if she was confusing Halloween with April Fools Day). Well, it began to sink in and I decided that my sister sounded tired enough, so maybe she really did just deliver a baby.

So, Welcome, Caleb Andrew Bright!!! Caleb was born 25 days early, but is healthy and well, a little over five pounds. Jessica is also doing well, and rumour has it that Tim is already wearing some Happy Dad t-shirt.

On top of this exciting news (now I have two nephews!), Joy and I are going to double that in April. Joy's brother and his wife are expecting identical twins, and while we knew about this for a while, we just found out yesterday that they are boys!

I must begin my planning and efforts so that I can be the best uncle possible. This is so fun!!!

Congratulations, Jess and Tim, and HELLO CALEB!!!

Barack O'Lanterns!

In my last post, I give my readers a picture of the jack-o-lantern that Joy and I carved last weekend. On all accounts, it’s what you might expect to see on any average porch throughout the month of October. But America—with endless creativity, a penchant for a good laugh, and perhaps a bit too much time on our hands—gives us so many other options.

As soon as I heard about www.YesWeCarve.com, I knew I had to check it out. I mean, honestly, this is a highly-amusing site that helps the average American (dare I say, the Average Joe?) show their political support for Barry with their very own Barack O’Lantern (complete with pumpkin-themed political puns, stencils, a contest, and BYOP events). Art imitates life, right?

And these aren’t your average overgrown orange veggies. Go to the site and check out what people are doing. Seriously, what did you do with your Tuesday night? Well, if you feel inspired, you can download your own template and make your own. It’s gotta be better than some bumper sticker, right?

Fall Festivities

This Friday, Joy and I got together with some other couples from our Community Group at church for some enjoyment of all things fall. Positively, October is the best month of the year. Not only that, but October leads to November and Thanksgiving, which brings us into the Christmas season, which really gets me excited. I'm already itching to start playing Mariah Carey's Christmas CD, but for now, it's still October, and we had much to celebrate as the leaves' colors begin to fade and the crispness in the air leads to dew-laden mornings.

One of the couples in our Community Group lives out in the country in the basement of an elderly couple's home. They take care of the property in exchange for rent, and the property is vast and beautiful. And, there are animals! Chickens, goats (my favorite, of course), and even an emu! An egg the size of my head!

We first did some walking through the woods, visited the animals, and then went inside for dinner. Dinner consisted of hot dogs (we were going to roast them, but it'd been raining all day), and, some freshly prepared bear-meat stew. Believe it.

Dinner was filled with laughter and a certain giddiness, and then the knives came out for the pumpkin carving. And carve we did. Joy and I worked as a team, she at the drawing board and I at the blade. In the end, we were quite happy with our finished product.

We then ventured outside to spend a few evaporating hours around a campfire. We told jokes and stories and were thankful and blessed as the logs crackled and the flames jumped with October glee. A very nice evening indeed.

A Political Laugh

One good thing about Sarah Palin entering the national political arena is that there is ripe material for some great comedy. We've all seen the Saturday Night Lives (and if you haven't, you really should), but my friend Drew sent me this link and thought it worthwhile to post it here for you: http://www.palinaspresident.us/. Be sure to move your mouse around and click on everything in the room! I do it over and over and over. And tell me, what part is your favorite?

The End of Zima's Zenith

Many good things come to an end. Many not so good things, too. One of those is ZIMA, the "alcopop" that hit the shelves in 1993. Indeed, the cool-sounding beverage in the cool-looking bottle blurred the lines between beer and hard alcohol. Now, I must confess that my personal experiences with the product are rather limited, but there comes a moment we all must acknowledge that so much of the 1990's has now left us: The Clintons, The Economy, and now, The Original Malternative.

Perhaps more personally, the discontinuation of Zima makes me reflect back on a time when I was in my youth, oh so many moons ago. And so, I dedicate this post to Drew and Blom and those memories we all have which make us wonder in amazement in who we were and what we were thinking.

Still Undecided

As I sit here tonight watching the final presidential debate of the 2008 election, I realize that I am still one of those who simply can't make up their minds. Yes, I confess, I'm undecided.

I write this confession with trepidation and hesitation. People on either side will be distraught at my lack of insight and intelligence to the obvious choice and will wonder how I am still on the fence (although, truthfully, I do seem to be falling off on one side) when we all know this election has been going on for far too long.

For one, I actually respect both men, mostly because they both want the job. Goodness, I am a little surprised there are actually two people who want to be president. With everything going on, I would assume we'd have to play a bloody game of euchre, and if you can't call the suit, you just screw the dealer.

Seriously, can you imagine the job description for the incoming president? Figure out how to avoid a Millennial Depression (I don't even want to talk about my Roth IRA), have a workable plan for an expensive war (and all the vets coming home), give attention to immigration (please, not another fence...), regain a respectable name in the world while interacting with serious world powers (Russia, China, Iran...), deal with educational deflation (Barack says he'll give my wife a raise...we'll see...), manage the health of the nation and the income of the retired (would I actually be able to go to a dentist?), and to top it off, both sides of the aisle now care about the environment, but each seem clueless as to what could or should actually be done.

I am no serious political mind, but I have some thoughts on this spectrum of issues. And yet, which issue matters most? Aye, there's the rub. I've got just about three weeks left to figure it all out.

If only I'd been chosen as one of those undecideds to hang out with Katie Couric for the evening.

Joy A. Becker, M.A.

There is an announcement and congratulations that is long overdue. Late last month, Joy completed her Master’s in Education, and I am as proud as a peacock in spring. Joy works tirelessly each week as an elementary teacher, and I see every evening just how much thought and personal energy she puts into being the best possible teacher for her mix of students.

This summer, she left the resourceful and supportive teaching environment of the northwest suburbs of Chicago, complete with ethnic diversity and economically-advantaged children (for the majority, but certainly not all). She now teaches in a rural community in Indiana, and the contrast is evident in every possible domain. But in both of these juxtaposed settings, there are very clear challenges and obstacles. Joy faces each of these with thought, intent, and care. Parents are ridiculously fortunate when their children are in her class.

On top of the daily grind of contemporary teaching, Joy spent the last eighteen months completing her master’s degree. The whole program was online, and during the entire eighteen months, we never even had the Internet. That is a modern marvel indeed. Congratulations, Joy!