Goodbye to 2006

We just returned home from visiting my parents in St. Louis. Sara was able to fly up too, but John had to stay in Dallas and work the 26th. We had a really good visit... plenty of R&R and quality time with the fam. It was fun having us all together and watching the Broncos win and the Cowboys… well… we’ll try to forget about that game. I worked just a little- fixed and started several scripts which needed to run over the break, but a power-outage on the 26th undid all my work.

Although the Bean is not yet born, he got a majority of the gifts, including a really cute Broncos outfit with matching booties and bib. Sara also got him an “I love Daddy” jumper and a hand-made outfit from Bolivia. Can’t wait for him to be here!

In our family fantasy football league, I whooped up on my dad and sister to become the first family league champion. In the Bayside League, I was 6 out of 14. Not as good as my second place finish last year, but it was fun none the less. This is probably the last time I’ll play in the Bayside League since we won’t be living here next fall. Hope someone will pick it up after I leave.

On a sadder note, I found out that Marilyn Fowler passed away on Christmas Eve. I used to go to church with Al and Marilyn in Searcy. She had been battling leukemia and had completed her third round of chemotherapy and was so close to beating it. I’m glad she’s out of pain now, but it’s got to be hard on Al and the family.

Only 3 days left of 2006. This has been a really good year. A few highlights:

• Apr 7: Passed my Ph.D. candidacy exam
  
• May: Finished taking the last course of grad school
  
• July 19: Becky and I celebrated our third anniversary
  
• July 28: Found out Becky was pregnant!
  
• Becky won 2 awards at work (Aug and May)
  
• Oct 8-14: Our first cruise- to the Bahamas
  
• Nov 17: Found out we’re having a boy!
  
• Nov-Dec: Taught a class on Christian Apologetics (toughest class I’ve ever taught)
  
• Today: Posted my 100th blog post

A few goals for 2007:

• Name our newborn son
• Change my first diaper
  
• Move back to Arkansas
  
• Begin teaching at Harding University
  
• Graduate with my Ph.D.

Some books I want to read in 2007:

• Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn
• The Way of the Wild Heart by John Eldredge
• The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey
• Sacred Parenting by Gary L. Thomas
• Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson

May God richly bless us all in 2007.