On to 2008!

So a good friend reminded me recently—not intentionally, but through normal conversation—of two things: 1. I have a blog. 2. I should probably update it before my unborn son heads off to college. Thanks, Tyler!

Anyway, I’ve been thinking of a good way to wrap up 2007. I covered a bunch of different subjects last year—the primary one being college football—and, while I do make a point of writing about things that interest me, I want to be more intentional in 2008 about what I write and how often I do it. So I guess I should just make a clean break of it and dive right in to the new year.

One of the things I really want to spend more time doing this year is reading. And not just reading anything, either. I want to expand my horizons to understand more about the world around me and how I fit into it. I want to read books that will broaden my horizons and challenge my thinking. Basically, I want to read with intent. That’s why you’ll probably see me writing more about religion (Christian apologetics in particular), politics, business, etc.

Quick side note here—I still plan on writing about some of the things you saw last year. For instance, my interest in college football is such that I’m even looking at starting a separate blog just for that. So, please don’t think I’m not planning on keeping you all updated with what’s going in my (our) life, because I will. It’s just that those updates will be shorter and less infrequent. What I hope to accomplish this year is more of an academic pursuit of sorts.

Back to wrapping up 2007. I could spend time talking about the end of football season (Tebow winning the Heisman, LSU winning it all—even though I think there are at least 3 teams who could challenge them…can you say “playoff”?, my top 5 for next year—in no particular order, Georgia, Florida, USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma, etc.), but I won’t. I will tell you in quick update that it’s a matter of days until Jacob is born, so obviously that’s dominating our thoughts at this point. I’m probably much more anxious than Becki is (she’s content to wait until the due date), but we’re both really looking forward to meeting our son! His official due date is Jan. 27; we’ll most certainly be updating all of you when the big day comes, and will, of course, be posting pictures.

Here’s my plan to ease my blog into 2008. I would really like to do a few book reviews and share with you what I’m reading and how it’s impacted my life. I’m currently reading “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis, and it’s reminding me what an incredible genius he was. So I’ll definitely be sharing my thoughts on that one real soon. In the meantime, I’d like to cover some of the books I read in 2007, so look for the first one in the next 2-3 days. I’ll cover one every couple of days or so. Then I’d like to take some time to talk (and probably rant) about Walt Disney World—one of my favorite places in the world but, in an ironic twist, probably also a place I am hating more and more, too. We just spent a weekend there and I had a whole list of things to talk about by the time it was over. So you’ll get to hear my thoughts on that, too.

So, there you have it. My plan for 2008. Hope you enjoy it. I’m really looking forward to it, myself. See you in a couple of days!

dreaming of our future....

So, I came across a great blog full of incredible resources yesterday at www.thesimpledollar.com. I haven't had a chance to look through the whole thing yet (it's really massive), but it's definitely going to be one that I check on a regular basis. One of the coolest things the author does--besides all of the great, practical tips--is offer book reviews of many of the same business books I've either been reading or am planning on reading. For instance, I've had my eye on "The 4-hour Workweek" for some time now. Instead of buying it, though, now I can just read the review on the blog. Cool stuff. Check it out.

I also want to give "blog props" (it's a made-up word!) to my friend Scott's blog. Scott and I have been friends for years and although we definitely don't see eye-to-eye on favorite college football teams (he's a Georgia Bulldog), he offers some great insights on a lot of other issues. You can read his blog here.

I'm currently reading (again) "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People". This is, I think, my third time through, and I think I'm reading it at the perfect time. As I'm starting to increase my vision for our future and expand my horizons, I'm recognizing that there are quite a few disciplines I need to develop, and this book is helping me to do that. One of the things that has really struck a deep chord with me is the ability to "begin with the end in mind"; in other words, to create the dream before you start moving toward it. It sounds simple, but, quite honestly, I've never thought to do it! Anyway, last night I spent some time "vision-casting" our future, typing out about a page on how I would like our lives to look in a few years. Here's what I wrote:

Beginning with the end in mind, here is my vision for our future:

We are in our log-cabin home on the side of a mountain in North Carolina. Smoke rises from the brick chimney and, as we watch the sunset from our swing on the spacious porch, we look forward to the warmth of the fire, as fall is setting in. Our children are playing in their playroom downstairs, while upstairs we begin cooking a gourmet dinner in our equally-gourmet kitchen. We have all the latest conveniences, including WIFI internet access, HD plasma screen TV’s, etc., but those things don’t define us. They enhance our lives, but we don’t allow them to encompass us. Our beautiful home is large enough for not only our immediate family, but is great for entertaining, as well. We have approximately 3500 square feet of living space, including 6 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, a 3-car garage, and a huge basement area that is split between a play/game room for the kids and a theater/sports room for the adults. On the deck is a large eating area, complete with a summer kitchen, and a spacious hot tub allows us to soak our cares away as we enjoy the mountain view.

We are completely debt-free, except for our mortgage and a few business investments. The only time we consider using large amounts of credit is when we come across a great business deal that we know will earn us a nice profit. We work together on several business ventures and “work-from-home” jobs. Tripp may be employed through traditional means every once in a while, just to build capital, but, generally, all of our business/work is done from our home office, which, again, is filled with the most up-to-date technology.

In addition to our business lives, Becki teaches our children full-time in our home. We are both very active in our church, and not only lead and host our own small group, but also mentor young couples. We are certified financial planners with Dave Ramsey (one of our businesses) and we help people with their financial issues. In addition, Tripp is seminary-trained in Apologetics and teaches a small class at our church, as well as leads youth camps several times throughout the year in various locations and times. Our Pastor has even asked him to lead a sermon series on the defense of the Christian faith in a few weeks.

Because of the dynamic nature of our lifestyle, we are able to travel frequently and for many reasons. We will sometimes travel as a family to business conferences/seminars/meetings and also to a few of the camps that Tripp is speaking at. We can also take trips—planned and unplanned--to see our parents and/or extended families, and we never miss an organized event in our family life (reunions, for instance). Several times a year we pile into our SUV and travel to Gainesville for an extended weekend to see the Gators play. We also make a point to go to a few road games each year, and will even throw in a bowl game every couple of years (we even got to see the Gators win their 5^th National Championship in the Rose Bowl last January!). We make a point of taking the kids places that they will have lots of memories from, and are frequent visitors to National Parks. We use our traveling opportunities to help teach the kids, and believe they are getting the best education possible by seeing the world with us!

We are all in great shape, healthy, eat right, and exercise as a family. Tripp plays golf at least 3 times a week and is teaching Jacob, our youngest, the game right now. Becki recently became interested in tennis and is getting quite good at it. The kids are always interested in doing physical things outdoors, and, although we enjoy watching TV occasionally, they almost always find something more “interactive” to do.

Besides our SUV, we also have a 4-door sedan as well as a 2-seater sports car in the garage. We briefly considered buying an RV, but rent one on occasion for trips (we did this two years ago and drove to California for the family reunion, stopping at places like Durango, CO, Mesa Verde, and the Grand Canyon as we went!).

We are constantly hosting dinner parties, game nights, movie nights, etc. Tripp loves to have people over to watch College Football when they’re not at a Gator game.

We are blessed more than words can say. Though we are well-taken care of materially and financially, our true joy is being able to “do” lives together as a family, with no one telling us what to do, when to do it, and how. We are self-made and independent…but not arrogant about it. We recognize that everything we have is a gift from God and it is only by His love and grace that we are allowed to live this lifestyle.