So, this is my developer's blog. It's the "in vogue" thing for developers to do. I see them all over the place, so why shouldn't I have one, too?
I've recently changed jobs and am working on a project now that is starting from the ground. I'm also the lone developer on the project. That kind of makes it my show, to a certain degree. I'm responsible to the Customer (who shall remain nameless) and to the Company (who shall also remain nameless) I work for.
Being in on a project from the ground up is a pretty cool thing. You get to make a lot of decisions that will have a huge impact on the project months, if not years, down the line. Some of the decisions I've already made have been which language I will use: Java; what type of application it will be: a web app.
A few decisions were made for me, including which database I'll be using, which is Microsoft SQL Server. That suits me fine, as I'm going to try to take a database agnostic approach by using Hibernate. We'll see how true to that desire I can stay later on down the road.
It does have the up-side, or so I've heard, in that SQL Server is supposedly easy to administer. It certainly seems easier to administer than Oracle, the only other database I've worked with. The tools seem to be a lot more developed and "user-friendly". That's good in my book, as I don't want to spend all my time adminstering the database.
The big decision I'm working on right now is what application server I'm going to be using. I've basically narrowed it down to three choices. The first is to use Tomcat augmented with the Metro web stack that is available from the GlassFish project. The second is to use the actual GlassFish server itself (or whatever lame name Sun gives it once it's released officially). The third is to use JBoss.
I'm researching all three right now and I plan on posting here what I find and my ultimate decision.
So, back to the purpose of this blog. I'd like to document the steps that I take as I build this application. I'd like to make note of the pitfalls I fall into and how I got out of them. I'd like for this to be part history, part road-map to how to do it better in the future.
We'll see how it goes from here.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Official News About Our New Addition
Well, we had our ultra-sound yesterday and we now know what we're going to have. My Mom is so thrilled she's called me 3 times in the last 24 hours and emailed me at least twice. She's already started smocking, I do believe, and is preparing to bring out the Princess clothes on demand.
In case you need more insight, we're having a girl. As Dalynn put it "... there was no hot dog but we saw a hamburger bun..."
Now, before you ask, we haven't officially chosen a name, yet. There is a strong front-runner, though, and that will probably be the name we go with. Once we finalize it, I'll post it here for you.
Having a girl is a bit frightening to me, I have to be honest. I pretty much have the boy thing wrapped up, at least up to this point. I know how to change a boy diaper, I know how to play with boys. I have no idea how to fix hair (God knows, I don't fix mine, that's for sure, and never have) or put a bow in. I think I can get the diaper changing thing relatively quickly, but what do I do when it comes time to show her how to potty on the potty? I can't just tell her to "stand and shoot"... What if I have to play Barbies or My Little Ponies? I'm certainly not up on that kind of thing. Being the oldest of 3 boys (initially) and not having lived at home when we adopted Katy, I'm a little bit behind the curve.
For all of you girl parents out there (and here, I'm specifically thinking of Lori, Becca and Sara Beth) we'll be coming for your clothes!
That's the other thing, we have boy clothes coming out of our yin-yang. Oh, and we have boy toys, too. But, nary a girl clothing is to be found in our home (and only a few girl toys...). Somehow, though, I doubt that us finding suitable hand-me-downs will deter Dalynn from stopping and shopping at every little girls department she can find! She told me one day when we were looking for some clothes for Cole before he was born, "If we ever have a girl, we're in trouble. I'll buy everything I see."
Also, I hear all the time about how daddies are crazy about their little girls. Now, I'm crazy about my boys, so to imply that there is a level of craziness yet to be attained is a little bit... overwhelming.
So, a girl seems to me to indicate Barbie-styled Pink Insanity... Yeah, that can be a little frightening!
All in all, though, I'm thrilled. I've been thinking for a while now that I'd be disappointed if we never had a little girl, simply because I'd like to see what the experience on the other side of the coin is like. I have a feeling that I'll be even happier once I get to really experience it.
In case you need more insight, we're having a girl. As Dalynn put it "... there was no hot dog but we saw a hamburger bun..."
Now, before you ask, we haven't officially chosen a name, yet. There is a strong front-runner, though, and that will probably be the name we go with. Once we finalize it, I'll post it here for you.
Having a girl is a bit frightening to me, I have to be honest. I pretty much have the boy thing wrapped up, at least up to this point. I know how to change a boy diaper, I know how to play with boys. I have no idea how to fix hair (God knows, I don't fix mine, that's for sure, and never have) or put a bow in. I think I can get the diaper changing thing relatively quickly, but what do I do when it comes time to show her how to potty on the potty? I can't just tell her to "stand and shoot"... What if I have to play Barbies or My Little Ponies? I'm certainly not up on that kind of thing. Being the oldest of 3 boys (initially) and not having lived at home when we adopted Katy, I'm a little bit behind the curve.
For all of you girl parents out there (and here, I'm specifically thinking of Lori, Becca and Sara Beth) we'll be coming for your clothes!
That's the other thing, we have boy clothes coming out of our yin-yang. Oh, and we have boy toys, too. But, nary a girl clothing is to be found in our home (and only a few girl toys...). Somehow, though, I doubt that us finding suitable hand-me-downs will deter Dalynn from stopping and shopping at every little girls department she can find! She told me one day when we were looking for some clothes for Cole before he was born, "If we ever have a girl, we're in trouble. I'll buy everything I see."
Also, I hear all the time about how daddies are crazy about their little girls. Now, I'm crazy about my boys, so to imply that there is a level of craziness yet to be attained is a little bit... overwhelming.
So, a girl seems to me to indicate Barbie-styled Pink Insanity... Yeah, that can be a little frightening!
All in all, though, I'm thrilled. I've been thinking for a while now that I'd be disappointed if we never had a little girl, simply because I'd like to see what the experience on the other side of the coin is like. I have a feeling that I'll be even happier once I get to really experience it.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Mysterious Ways
I mentioned in a previous post that things were not going well with my job. In fact, I would have been laid off October 1, 2008. The beautiful part is that I started my new job October 2, 2008!
The way that things collapsed at my old job was frightening. It was through no fault of our team that we were basically fired from the contract. A lot of political wrangling went on, and we all got caught in the middle.
Because Bridgeborn is such a small company, they couldn't carry us across contracts, especially since they didn't really have anywhere to carry us too. Of our 7 person team, 2 resigned (me and another developer) and 4 were laid off.
The job that I have now, though, is nothing short of a blessing from the Lord. I'm working as a contractor to ODU in support of 2 research scientists research for a 5 year contract with DHS. I'm contracted through a company based out of northern Virginia. I'm going to keep their name confidential for now.
What I can tell you is that I got a much needed pay raise and much better benefits upon switching jobs. I also learned a lot in the negotiation process when I was negotiating for my salary.
Better yet, this new job is a fresh project and I'm free to construct the software I'll be developing as I see fit. I'm still learning about the theory that I'll be working with, so once I have some more concrete understanding of it, I'll post a brief synopsis here.
Being in on a project from the ground up is an awesome resume builder. Being involved in (or, in my case, actually making) the architecture decisions gives you such an awesome overview of what it will take to build a project. I'm researching application servers right now, and I get to choose what other software we're going to be using. It's all very cool from a very geeky perspective.
All in all, I just wanted to let all of you know that the Lord has been providing for our family in a powerful way here recently. Being without a job for 1 day would have been disastrous for us, considering Cole's cancer. We have not been without insurance at all and knowing that we'll be able to afford the mini-van we're going to have to buy is really all that we could have asked for (and is in fact what we were asking for). The reality, though, is that the Lord has provided beyond what we were asking.
I'd like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Bridgeborn.
They supported us through a very difficult time and they supported us with class. One of the things we kept hearing while we were in the hospital is that a lot of companies will initially support a family for a few months, then quietly let the person go.
Not so with Bridgeborn. We were in the hospital for no less than 7 weeks, and they allowed me to be with my son the entire time. They provided a laptop for us so that we could communicate with the outside world and so that I could work from the hospital (which I did). They also made it known to me that I would have unlimited personal/sick leave so that I could see to Cole's treatment.
All of that combined meant that we could focus on Cole's treatment and not have to worry about whether or not I was going to lose my job at the same time. That kind of assurance is so invaluable in times of trouble.
I'm going to miss our team, and I'm going to miss the other folks at Bridgeborn, but I'm happy that the Lord provided in such an amazing way.
The way that things collapsed at my old job was frightening. It was through no fault of our team that we were basically fired from the contract. A lot of political wrangling went on, and we all got caught in the middle.
Because Bridgeborn is such a small company, they couldn't carry us across contracts, especially since they didn't really have anywhere to carry us too. Of our 7 person team, 2 resigned (me and another developer) and 4 were laid off.
The job that I have now, though, is nothing short of a blessing from the Lord. I'm working as a contractor to ODU in support of 2 research scientists research for a 5 year contract with DHS. I'm contracted through a company based out of northern Virginia. I'm going to keep their name confidential for now.
What I can tell you is that I got a much needed pay raise and much better benefits upon switching jobs. I also learned a lot in the negotiation process when I was negotiating for my salary.
Better yet, this new job is a fresh project and I'm free to construct the software I'll be developing as I see fit. I'm still learning about the theory that I'll be working with, so once I have some more concrete understanding of it, I'll post a brief synopsis here.
Being in on a project from the ground up is an awesome resume builder. Being involved in (or, in my case, actually making) the architecture decisions gives you such an awesome overview of what it will take to build a project. I'm researching application servers right now, and I get to choose what other software we're going to be using. It's all very cool from a very geeky perspective.
All in all, I just wanted to let all of you know that the Lord has been providing for our family in a powerful way here recently. Being without a job for 1 day would have been disastrous for us, considering Cole's cancer. We have not been without insurance at all and knowing that we'll be able to afford the mini-van we're going to have to buy is really all that we could have asked for (and is in fact what we were asking for). The reality, though, is that the Lord has provided beyond what we were asking.
I'd like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Bridgeborn.
They supported us through a very difficult time and they supported us with class. One of the things we kept hearing while we were in the hospital is that a lot of companies will initially support a family for a few months, then quietly let the person go.
Not so with Bridgeborn. We were in the hospital for no less than 7 weeks, and they allowed me to be with my son the entire time. They provided a laptop for us so that we could communicate with the outside world and so that I could work from the hospital (which I did). They also made it known to me that I would have unlimited personal/sick leave so that I could see to Cole's treatment.
All of that combined meant that we could focus on Cole's treatment and not have to worry about whether or not I was going to lose my job at the same time. That kind of assurance is so invaluable in times of trouble.
I'm going to miss our team, and I'm going to miss the other folks at Bridgeborn, but I'm happy that the Lord provided in such an amazing way.
Monday, September 22, 2008
The Quicksilver Knight and the Air Show
We had a really good weekend. Just plain and simple, it was a really good weekend.
Friday afternoon, around 6, I took Cole and Logan to the park. We're at a stage now where Cole pretty much does his own thing while I ride herd on Logan. It's not a bad place to be, and I can manage both boys with little problem over a wide area of space.
On our way home, Cole was a little disappointed to leave, so I decided to tell Cole a story about the Quicksilver Knight. Cole is the Quicksilver Knight (he was wearing a Quiksilver shirt, hehe), you see, and so I told him about all of the amazing things he had done. Like the time he rode through the forest and heard a damsel in distress. Upon investigating, he found her cornered by a dragon. He fought off the dragon and rescued the damsel.
Cole took to the idea like it was genius. All the way home, I regaled him with his exploits and reinforced in him how courageous and just the Quicksilver Knight is. Once we got home, I put a jacket on him and told him it was his Quicksilver Knight jacket, and we went back outside to see Dalynn (who was talking with some neighbors). Cole hurriedly told Mommy all about what he had done as the Quicksilver Knight. There was much posing and running around in the story-telling. It was awesome.
Later that night, Dalynn interrupted him when he was talking to me, and Cole said, "Mommy, when the Quicksilver Knight is talking, you listen!" It was rather cute, and we couldn't help but laugh. I'm sure we don't want to encourage that kind of behavior, but hey, once won't kill us (or him).
Another added benefit of Cole's new persona is that I have him convinced that all the scary monsters are afraid of the Quicksilver Knight. It's pretty cool to see him boldly walking into a dark room because he knows that the monsters won't get him, he's the Quicksilver Knight!
On Saturday, we took the boys to the NAS Oceana air show from about 10:30 am to about 1:30 pm. We went with our friends Anthony, Nerissa and Raymond. Both the boys were mesmerized by the planes and the noises. Neither were afraid of all the loud noises. We got the boys a helicopter toy (which Logan proceeded to demolish over a period of 24 hours) and a die-cast model of an F-4 Phantom II which is currently Cole's favorite possession.
That night, we went down to the ocean front to watch a dusk parachute jump. We had pizza at North End Pizza (which was good) and then headed out onto the board walk just in time to see a plane flying around that was setting off fireworks off of itself. Very cool. Then, another plane flew overhead and out jumped 5 men with boot streamers lit. They parachuted all the way down to a cleared space on the beach. We got right up in the front line of the circle and were able to watch two more waves of jumpers as they landed. It was all very cool stuff.
Sunday, we went to church and just took it easy.
Not a bad weekend to have before Cole gets chemo tomorrow.
Friday afternoon, around 6, I took Cole and Logan to the park. We're at a stage now where Cole pretty much does his own thing while I ride herd on Logan. It's not a bad place to be, and I can manage both boys with little problem over a wide area of space.
On our way home, Cole was a little disappointed to leave, so I decided to tell Cole a story about the Quicksilver Knight. Cole is the Quicksilver Knight (he was wearing a Quiksilver shirt, hehe), you see, and so I told him about all of the amazing things he had done. Like the time he rode through the forest and heard a damsel in distress. Upon investigating, he found her cornered by a dragon. He fought off the dragon and rescued the damsel.
Cole took to the idea like it was genius. All the way home, I regaled him with his exploits and reinforced in him how courageous and just the Quicksilver Knight is. Once we got home, I put a jacket on him and told him it was his Quicksilver Knight jacket, and we went back outside to see Dalynn (who was talking with some neighbors). Cole hurriedly told Mommy all about what he had done as the Quicksilver Knight. There was much posing and running around in the story-telling. It was awesome.
Later that night, Dalynn interrupted him when he was talking to me, and Cole said, "Mommy, when the Quicksilver Knight is talking, you listen!" It was rather cute, and we couldn't help but laugh. I'm sure we don't want to encourage that kind of behavior, but hey, once won't kill us (or him).
Another added benefit of Cole's new persona is that I have him convinced that all the scary monsters are afraid of the Quicksilver Knight. It's pretty cool to see him boldly walking into a dark room because he knows that the monsters won't get him, he's the Quicksilver Knight!
On Saturday, we took the boys to the NAS Oceana air show from about 10:30 am to about 1:30 pm. We went with our friends Anthony, Nerissa and Raymond. Both the boys were mesmerized by the planes and the noises. Neither were afraid of all the loud noises. We got the boys a helicopter toy (which Logan proceeded to demolish over a period of 24 hours) and a die-cast model of an F-4 Phantom II which is currently Cole's favorite possession.
That night, we went down to the ocean front to watch a dusk parachute jump. We had pizza at North End Pizza (which was good) and then headed out onto the board walk just in time to see a plane flying around that was setting off fireworks off of itself. Very cool. Then, another plane flew overhead and out jumped 5 men with boot streamers lit. They parachuted all the way down to a cleared space on the beach. We got right up in the front line of the circle and were able to watch two more waves of jumpers as they landed. It was all very cool stuff.
Sunday, we went to church and just took it easy.
Not a bad weekend to have before Cole gets chemo tomorrow.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Cult of Personality
There's been a lot of "uncertainty" at work recently. Uncertainty of the type that causes one to question whether or not they will have a job after a certain date. I'm not going to go into the details much more than that, but that should give you enough of a clue what to pray for, I should hope.
All of this uncertainty has lead me to question a lot of things about myself, and I'd like to share one of those things with you. I believe the Lord uses these times in our lives, these "wake-up calls", in order to shake up our insides. After all, if things are going smoothly then what reason is there to question your core beliefs as it appears that they are obviously working (and are therefor presumed correct), right?
In all of this recent turmoil, I've come to realize that I can fall prey to the "Cult of Personality". A cult of personality is when you believe in someone beyond their ability to perform, to the point that you begin to see them as your possible "protector", or worse yet, your "savior". It's a bit like attributing God-like power to a mere mortal.
Now, we do this all the time with our country leaders. Take FDR, he had an amazing power to make people believe that he was the man that could accomplish the job. He made people believe that it was impossible for him to fail. Another good example is Obama. Something about Obama makes you want to believe that he can do all that he claims he can do (at least, I feel that way when I hear him speak, he's very persuasive). But, beyond that, you are lead down the path of believing that he, and perhaps he alone, can cure all of our country's woes.
The fact that we do it all the time doesn't make it right. In fact, it's a form of idolatry. Remember that whole "Thou shalt not have any other gods before me" thing? Yep, I'd say this qualifies.
So, how did this play out in my life? Quite simply, actually. There is a man who had shepherded our project from day one. He was our champion and stepped in to defend us when it was necessary. He is a quite larger than life kind of guy, one of those men that you instantly like because he's so brash but so compassionate. He's pretty real.
I had only met him once or twice, but I had heard story after story about his exploits on our behalf. I came to believe that he, and he alone, would protect us through any hard times that arose.
This all occurred over about a 2 year period. Within the past few months, though, I started recognizing what I had been caught up in. The Holy Spirit was talking to me about it, quite honestly. I started asking questions like, "Why do I see this man as my savior?", or "Why do I think that he is the only one that can protect us?"
Now, in my life, when it comes time to challenge a view that I have, I ask myself questions. I was actively challenging this view, and rightly so. I had started praying that the Lord would protect our project (which is the source of my income that supports our family) and I asked him to help me remove my faith in this man and place it in the Lord.
Then, about a month ago, the unthinkable happened. Our project was removed from this man's domain. We were quite literally snatched out of his hands. He rallied to our defense, but he was powerless to effect any kind of change and we were placed in someone else's domain, someone who we knew didn't wish us well. It's all very political, but the easiest way that I can describe it to you is that we were basically delivered bound and captive to our enemies, people who had wanted control over us for a long time.
To say that I felt helpless is an understatement. I was fearful and afraid of what would happen, and things only continued to get worse. They got about as bad as they could get, actually.
Then, a new man stepped in and started acting as our potential protector. We are now in his domain, and he is a man with serious clout. He took a shine to what we were doing and started down the path of acting as our protector.
Once again, I found myself being caught up in the cult of personality: "Maybe this man will save us, maybe this man will provide!"
I quickly removed my thoughts from that path, though, as I realized what it was. I once again asked the Lord to be my protector and provider.
Things still look bad, and I'm still stressed about a lot. This is not an easy time, to say the least. The potential for disaster looming in the wings is huge. My main concern is how will I provide for Cole's health care if I should lose my job? After that, how will I provide for our family at all?
No, it's not an easy time, but it is made easier by the fact that I'm not foolishly putting my trust in someone that can, and may, fail. If our project is saved then I will rightly attribute it to the Lord, and not to any man.
All of this uncertainty has lead me to question a lot of things about myself, and I'd like to share one of those things with you. I believe the Lord uses these times in our lives, these "wake-up calls", in order to shake up our insides. After all, if things are going smoothly then what reason is there to question your core beliefs as it appears that they are obviously working (and are therefor presumed correct), right?
In all of this recent turmoil, I've come to realize that I can fall prey to the "Cult of Personality". A cult of personality is when you believe in someone beyond their ability to perform, to the point that you begin to see them as your possible "protector", or worse yet, your "savior". It's a bit like attributing God-like power to a mere mortal.
Now, we do this all the time with our country leaders. Take FDR, he had an amazing power to make people believe that he was the man that could accomplish the job. He made people believe that it was impossible for him to fail. Another good example is Obama. Something about Obama makes you want to believe that he can do all that he claims he can do (at least, I feel that way when I hear him speak, he's very persuasive). But, beyond that, you are lead down the path of believing that he, and perhaps he alone, can cure all of our country's woes.
The fact that we do it all the time doesn't make it right. In fact, it's a form of idolatry. Remember that whole "Thou shalt not have any other gods before me" thing? Yep, I'd say this qualifies.
So, how did this play out in my life? Quite simply, actually. There is a man who had shepherded our project from day one. He was our champion and stepped in to defend us when it was necessary. He is a quite larger than life kind of guy, one of those men that you instantly like because he's so brash but so compassionate. He's pretty real.
I had only met him once or twice, but I had heard story after story about his exploits on our behalf. I came to believe that he, and he alone, would protect us through any hard times that arose.
This all occurred over about a 2 year period. Within the past few months, though, I started recognizing what I had been caught up in. The Holy Spirit was talking to me about it, quite honestly. I started asking questions like, "Why do I see this man as my savior?", or "Why do I think that he is the only one that can protect us?"
Now, in my life, when it comes time to challenge a view that I have, I ask myself questions. I was actively challenging this view, and rightly so. I had started praying that the Lord would protect our project (which is the source of my income that supports our family) and I asked him to help me remove my faith in this man and place it in the Lord.
Then, about a month ago, the unthinkable happened. Our project was removed from this man's domain. We were quite literally snatched out of his hands. He rallied to our defense, but he was powerless to effect any kind of change and we were placed in someone else's domain, someone who we knew didn't wish us well. It's all very political, but the easiest way that I can describe it to you is that we were basically delivered bound and captive to our enemies, people who had wanted control over us for a long time.
To say that I felt helpless is an understatement. I was fearful and afraid of what would happen, and things only continued to get worse. They got about as bad as they could get, actually.
Then, a new man stepped in and started acting as our potential protector. We are now in his domain, and he is a man with serious clout. He took a shine to what we were doing and started down the path of acting as our protector.
Once again, I found myself being caught up in the cult of personality: "Maybe this man will save us, maybe this man will provide!"
I quickly removed my thoughts from that path, though, as I realized what it was. I once again asked the Lord to be my protector and provider.
Things still look bad, and I'm still stressed about a lot. This is not an easy time, to say the least. The potential for disaster looming in the wings is huge. My main concern is how will I provide for Cole's health care if I should lose my job? After that, how will I provide for our family at all?
No, it's not an easy time, but it is made easier by the fact that I'm not foolishly putting my trust in someone that can, and may, fail. If our project is saved then I will rightly attribute it to the Lord, and not to any man.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Something Else to be Thankful For
Something else to be thankful for! Cole got to go fishing for the very first time while we were in Wilmington. Let me tell you, he's a natural. Every time he put his line in the water he pulled a fish, or sometimes two, up. Granddaddy was quite pleased with the whole event. It was also my first time fishing in about, oh, 25 years.
Now, I watch this, and I just think that in January, this was a little boy who couldn't walk...
Things to Be Thankful Over
Man, it's been about a month again, but this time, I'm going to have a positive post.
Things don't seem so overwhelming as they did, which is good, and over the last month I've remembered many things that I have to be thankful for.
Before all of that, though, let me point you to the story of a little girl named Kathryn Leggett. Kathryn has a very rare form of cancer and has just been moved out of the PICU at Duke, back into a regular ward bed. If you'd like to see God at work, read over the last week or so of her Caring Bridge page. Please keep her and her family in your prayers as they face a rough road ahead of them as Kathryn recovers from a bad bout of pancreatitis.
I took last week off of work and Dalynn, the boys and I went to Wilmington. We stayed from Friday to Thursday. It was a very wild, hectic week, but we all survived.
During our stay there, Cole and I got so spend a lot of time in the pool. He learned to swim with swimmies on (the little blow-up balloons you put on kids arms), which was a lot of fun for both of us. At one point, it suddenly struck me that if Cole had a line, we wouldn't be in the pool. We wouldn't be able to go to the beach. He wouldn't even be able to take baths as much as he does (which he loves again, by the way). So, I'm thankful that Cole doesn't have a line.
While we were in Wilmington, Logan came down with rotovirus (a kind of really bad stomach virus that kids can get, but that they can pass on to adults). It's a long story on how he got it, but he did get it from Cole. When Logan got it, he ran a 104.5 fever at one point and had these really nasty green poops. But, when Cole had it, he only had the nasty green poops, not the huge fever. If he'd had the fever, we'd have been in the hospital while they tried to figure it all out, so at least one night in the emergency room, if not a full admission. I'm thankful for that, too. I'm also thankful that Dalynn and I didn't get it (although my mom did). That would have been especially tough on Dalynn with her pregnancy.
There are a lot of other things I'm thankful for, but which I can't really go into right now, unfortunately. Just know that we are all doing well, and even though we're faced with challenges daily, we overcome them daily, as well.
Things don't seem so overwhelming as they did, which is good, and over the last month I've remembered many things that I have to be thankful for.
Before all of that, though, let me point you to the story of a little girl named Kathryn Leggett. Kathryn has a very rare form of cancer and has just been moved out of the PICU at Duke, back into a regular ward bed. If you'd like to see God at work, read over the last week or so of her Caring Bridge page. Please keep her and her family in your prayers as they face a rough road ahead of them as Kathryn recovers from a bad bout of pancreatitis.
I took last week off of work and Dalynn, the boys and I went to Wilmington. We stayed from Friday to Thursday. It was a very wild, hectic week, but we all survived.
During our stay there, Cole and I got so spend a lot of time in the pool. He learned to swim with swimmies on (the little blow-up balloons you put on kids arms), which was a lot of fun for both of us. At one point, it suddenly struck me that if Cole had a line, we wouldn't be in the pool. We wouldn't be able to go to the beach. He wouldn't even be able to take baths as much as he does (which he loves again, by the way). So, I'm thankful that Cole doesn't have a line.
While we were in Wilmington, Logan came down with rotovirus (a kind of really bad stomach virus that kids can get, but that they can pass on to adults). It's a long story on how he got it, but he did get it from Cole. When Logan got it, he ran a 104.5 fever at one point and had these really nasty green poops. But, when Cole had it, he only had the nasty green poops, not the huge fever. If he'd had the fever, we'd have been in the hospital while they tried to figure it all out, so at least one night in the emergency room, if not a full admission. I'm thankful for that, too. I'm also thankful that Dalynn and I didn't get it (although my mom did). That would have been especially tough on Dalynn with her pregnancy.
There are a lot of other things I'm thankful for, but which I can't really go into right now, unfortunately. Just know that we are all doing well, and even though we're faced with challenges daily, we overcome them daily, as well.