A picture…

…and a video

I did the math. It’s been 140 days since I last posted. That’s a long long time. I guess I’ve kind of left all of the family updating to Bri, since she’s the one with the camera and the long days of Caleb’s curiosity and cuteness. This year has definitely felt like another adjustment. I’m still dealing with a number of health issues that are leaving me feeling hard pressed but making it through. Lately I’ve been dealing with pretty painful tendinitis in my right knee, a result of repetitive 45 minute drives to work and winless flag football teams. Health issues aside, we’ve migrated from our “old” company to a brand new “company” at work. We’ve been developing Facebook games for over 6 months now as Broken Bulb Game Studios, and having a lot of success so far. New office, new co-workers, and a new overall environment.

It’s also been a financial adjustment since we sold off good-ol MagMyPic. I’m thrilled to be relieved of the stress of that side project, but losing half your income means prioritizing the things you really need and learning how to budget properly all over again. It’s easy to feel more responsible with your money when things are going well. It’s another thing when you have to tighten up, and are out of practice a bit. God has been faithful no matter the circumstance, sustaining us physically but more importantly bestowing the grace of endurance through the physical trials and parenting trials, stress and such.

I’ve been teaching the Jr. High class at Desert Hills again lately, and we’re proceeding through a scriptural look inside Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. I’ve been alternating teaching weeks as I ease back into some of the responsibilities I used to have there. Learning to manage stress and in turn my stomach problems has helped let me add a few more things back in, and I feel edified by the new endeavors. We’re also completing our home remodel, so we are eager to let the stress of a thousand hammers and nails give way to a little more breathing room this summer. I’ll have my office on the other side of the house, so I won’t have to tiptoe at night anymore, and we have room to grow in this home (not saying we are just yet…don’t get ahead of yourself!)

Those that check in with us, I ask you to be in prayer for me to learn better ways to manage stress at work and home, prioritizing what’s important and loosing my grip on what isn’t. It can be hard, but the light and momentary troubles are more than worth it, and I am thankful for the place God has us right now.

To state the obvious, our lives have turned into a frenzied disarray. Dozens of people hammer away at various parts of the house throughout the day, everything is coated in a fine layer of sawdust, and we have a gaping hole in our living room wall. It’s chaotic right now, but the changes are very exciting. Here are some pictures I took this evening right before the sun went down.

The huge hole that will soon be an archway into the new room:

What is soon to be the new living room. That creepy dark doorway will be Andy’s new office/man cave:

The view from the new living room into the house:

Our new enormous new patio roof. It will be insulated and finished with a ceiling fan when all is said and done. The  ply board wall on the left is the office addition:

And the view from the backyard. The room on the right is the office addition sans windows