Never fear, God is here

As normal, I was somewhat concerned when I lost my job with the state recently. But after the initial shock, I thought "this may be God's way of telling me that he has something better in mind". I patiently searched for weeks, and prayed that he would guide me.

As it turned out, God made my misfortune into a blessing.

At the time I left, I was struggling with technology which was fairly new to me, and I was not receiving much help or support. And there were other issues that made me feel that I was in the wrong place.

With God's direction, I was hired as a contractor. Ironically, I am back with the state, but with a different agency -- the Department of Education. The manager and I work well together, and he has given me a variety of projects which allow me to improve and expand on the skills I already had. In fact, he is encouraging me to apply for a permanent position (when one is available). A good working relationship is very important to me, especially after my last job. But I am also making more money than before.

God is great!

Thanksgiving 2007

This year I plan to visit with Dennis and Lorraine. Their youngest, Ryan, and his wife will also be there. This will be my first time to meet Hillary. I look forward to taking pictures and posting some here.

Please share your holiday plans, experiences, and pictures.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Part Time Sports

One day I was searching the web for parttime jobs. When I found an opportunity with the Diamondbacks team shop, I applied. I thought this could be a good thing, because it's close to my day job downtown and I enjoy sports.



A few days later, a week before the season started, I was called for an interview. Either the store manager was impressed with my experience, or he was anxious to get the store staffed...I was hired on the spot. My experience as a cashier with Wal-Mart helped.



I stuck with it for the full season, including a couple of post-season games. Then I took advantage of the opportunity to work in the Phoenix Suns team shop (both are operated by the same company). Before the basketball season is over, baseball will be starting again. What I thought would just be a short term opportunity has turned out to be year round. It is tiresome at times, but I enjoy it.



Go Suns! Go Diamondbacks!

Gillette Fusion

I was sceptical at first...5 blades, what are they going to think of next, 6? But I heard from Dennis about it when he received a free sample in the mail. He was quite impressed. So I decided to try it out myself.





I found the shaver on sale and thought it would be worth a try for $7. It has a floating head, which allows for a smoother and closer shave. In fact, it gives me the closest shave I have had in years. It also has a trimmer; Dennis was impressed with it.



I have the power version. The difference is that it causes a little vibration which is intended to provide more comfort. To me it felt odd and did not seem to help much, so I don't recommend it. I do recommend the shaver though, especially if you are like me and have frustration with getting a close, quick shave.

New family communication tool

Brian had the idea of creating individual sites for family units, which can be linked together. With this service, we can post news, pictures, and various other interesting things related to our part of the family. And by linking each site, we can share news with our extended family.

I hope that several of us can participate in this. Those who do not have a computer, or don't use one much, can have their news posted by someone else. And please check in often, you may not receive notice every time something is posted.

I'm sure we all enjoy hearing from family. So, happy blogging!