Top 8 things of 2006

Well, I, for one, am glad to see 2006 firmly in the rearview mirror. I probably shouldn't get into the worst of 2006 in this forum, so let me just sum up the best of '06, so the rest can be thrown far, far away.

1) My wife going through Christlife - I don't know if this happened late '05 or early '06. But it did change her life, and, by extension, change mine. So much so that I went through the course later in the year. It didn't have quite the impact on me that it did on her, but it was a very good and very powerful experience.

2) Involvement at Church - I have been specding alot of time at the Church this year. In addition to Christlife, my wife and I went through a marriage course and I am now regularly running the sound board for sunday mornings (twice a month). I know God has a plan for me, and I know that he has given me gifts to use in that plan, but I haven't figured what that is yet. So, until I do, I will just help out wherever, whenever, and however I can.

3) My wife's health - Ankles aside, my wife's health has been improving all year. She now has long (for her, it's shoulder-length) healthy hair and she looks great. She is taking her meds and taking her insulin and it's wonderful. Now if only that high-ankle sprain would heal...

4) Good friends - This year also sees a "changing of the gaurd" in terms of who we spend our time with. The group that we usually hang out with won't be around anymore (for reason that touch on the "Worst of '06" list). However, we have new friends to share our time with; David and Paula, Jeff and Amy, Chad and Linda, Phil and Michelle. We still have Teri Sue and hope to see her fiancee, Mathew, back this year (maybe). The best things is, not only are these good friends, they are good people and fellow believers.

5) Rand in Middle School - Our eldest is now a middle-schooler. That is pretty freaky when I stop to think about it. He is in the youth group (well, the JV youth group it seems, but he is involved). And he is getting into alot of activities. He was in the fall musical and in the math club. He will be representing his school at the state-wide Vocabulary Bee. He is a smart cookie.

6) Mat is Middle School ?!? - Our middle child continues to amaze and confound. His teacher this year has determined that she cannot teach him math; She has nothing for him to learn. Therefore, she has arranged for him to test out of 4th grade and 5th grade math. He is now attending math class in the middle school with 6th graders. Next year I hope to get him accepted to an accelerated program for junior-high and high-school students at the U. He also continues to be a reading machine. And he also continues to be the pickiest eater on earth.

7) Charlie's Gang - Charlie seems even more social than usual this year. His first grade teacher tells us that he is friends with every single person in the class. This is an improvement from our point-of-view; Up until now, it seems that Charlie only made friends with girls. Scarcely a day goes by that Charlie does not ask to call someone or go to someone's house. His current best friend is Rachel, a little girl that lives around the corner. She is in his class. Also, Charlie and Mat go to Awana with another family in the neighborhood every Wednesday. This other family attend a church in Brooklyn Park, so it is quite a hike. But the other family drives and the kids really enjoy it.

8) Sales: The Dark Side of the Force - I also found myself in my first sales position. I am a Sales Engineer, doing pre-sales design work and presentations. But I am very much in the middle of the "sales process" and I have to work with sales people all day. It's not as bad as I feared; some of the sales people are really quite tolerable.

I tried to come up with an even 10, but I just couldn't manage it. Oh, well. Here's to find 10 notable positive things in '07, right?