Yes, I am alive...

I know that my hoarding minions have been anxiously and daily checking my blog in order to hear a word from me lately. I must deeply apologize for my lack of posting in the last month. If you know me, you know it is not because I have had nothing to say. Rather, it is because I have been on the road and without viable internet access much of the time. From June 12 - July 1, I slept in my house a total of 3 days. Much of that time was involved in church stuff.

First I spent a week in Orlando at the Southern Baptist Convention. Our condo was supposed to have internet access, but that was spotty at best. I found one spot where if my computer was on the coffee table and didn't move, I would have a very small, slow access for random times throughout the day. This meant that internet time was a valuable commodity. I tried to order internet at the Orlando Convention Center at $12.95/day on the first day. That was a disaster as well. I had connectivity, but loading a page took me back to the days when we had 56k access and would wait about three minutes for the page to load. (We were amazed then, but current speed makes us much more impatient today.) Orlando was also full of swimming, water park, and Universal Studios with the kids. All in all, great trip, but bad for internet and blogging.

We returned from Orlando with enough time for me to wash some clothes and pack for a mission trip to Kentucky with Sixth Street. Not only did we not have internet access, but cell coverage was limited as well. I only had cell phone coverage (no data for internet or Twitter) and only in certain spots around town. Our lodge was cell phone purgatory. Most of us had to drive a mile up the road at night to talk to family. It was a massive step back in time in a lot of ways, but a wonderful trip and a reminder of the tyranny and burden that our connectivity with internet, social networking, and cell phones can put on us. Hard to imagine a few short years ago, we would sit on the porch and talk to each other face to face instead of SMS and Facebook chat.

After the mission trip, I was home for two days before heading to Shocco Springs with my oldest two sons for Student Life Kids Camp. We were busy from sun-up to sun-down with no public internet access. It was a memorable time with the kids from Sixth St and my boys. They are growing so fast and I want to be actively involved with them as much as possible.

Anyway, I am back online (kind of - I'm at my mom's house on her computer right now). I have lots to talk about regarding the SBC, the fall, rise, and fall again of my beloved Red Sox, and other stuff. I'll be posting some of them sooner.

By the way, so that I can get a feel for who actually does read my blog, please take time to comment from time to time. I have tried to open up comments again. Please register and try to avoid anonymous comments.

P.S. - In case you missed the news, Alison and I are expecting our fourth child in January. No, this wasn't according to any plan. Yes, we are thankful and realize children are a blessing from the Lord. Yes, we know what causes it and we don't plan to cease that activity. No, we don't know what. Yes, everyone we know is hoping for a girl. Yes, the boys are excited about it. No, we don't have any idea why the Lord would see fit to give us another child except that he has a very ironic sense of humor.