finite speck

Most of the time my posts are fairly upbeat or flat I think. Like photos and videos, people post to show things are going well. Well, last night had some rough spots. One of my kids spilled a whole glass of milk right before we sat down to eat. Stop. What's your response? I'm actually curious how that hits you. Does it cause frustration? Would you raise your voice at them? Would you be compassionate and say it's alright because it's not like the did it on purpose? As you can imagine based on how I started this post my response was not pretty. It was ugly. And my wife has a hard time knowing how to confront me in those moments. And these moments happen more than I'd like to admit. I do realize it and I know I need God's help to step back and not get angry about things and instead have compassion, help clean up, and talk in a normal tone. This is tough for me. But I know it's possible because of Christ working in me. I'm writing this post to help me ...

I texted Tom yesterday. Our next-door neighbor in Gulf Shores. And within minutes I got a phone call. He's probably around my parents' age and instead of just texting me back he wanted to give me a call. I simply asked him how it was going down there with our renters so far and he could have replied it's going pretty good or something short and sweet. But, he gave me a call and talked for about 10 minutes filling me in on how great they have been. He said, "I don't know where you're finding these people or how you're deciding who to rent to, but they have been great people so far. We are so thankful." He said they've introduced themselves to every family that's stayed there so far and they've really enjoyed getting know them. He did mention that we had a mechanical failure (our dryer) went out he was told by one of the renters. But it's great to know we have someone down there that's watching what's going on at our property!...

It took me and my wife bribing my son first with the promise of a couple bites of chocolate to get him to try. But what put him over the edge was the cheers of the neighbor girls. Our 3-year-old son learned to ride a bike last night! It took more work with him than it did with our 5-year-old a couple weeks ago because Baer didn't really know how to pedal. But, once he started getting the hang of it and once he knew the neighbor girls were watching he was all in and he started riding his bike. It's been interesting to watch the motivations of our two oldest. Josie got in her mind she was going to ride a bike and she did it. No coaxing from us at all. Baer on the other hand needing a lot of persuading, bribing, and cheering. I noticed he said, "I can't do it." I lot through the process of teaching him to ride. But he could and he did. Another big thank you to some other neighbors of ours, Ben and Sarah, for giving us the bike that both Josie and Baer have now ...

It's just stuff, right? My daughter said this last night, "God is more important than things." It was in response to my mother-in-law's family feud around all the stuff that they have to divvy up. It's been over a year since they started and it's been extremely emotionally charged. Many things have been said among the siblings about each other and who gets what. Some are upset that others don't value some things as much as they do or want them. Some think some have taken too much stuff. Some feel like they don't get anything. Some think it's not fair. Some just want it all done. All these things are important to all of them for different reasons. And they're not the only ones that value stuff. I do. My kids do. My wife does. Not everything, but there are things that we place value on. But, my wife and I want to work to instill in our kids that people and God are way more important than things. I find myself saying things like, "Don...

I remember as a kid loving them, but as an adult, not so much. But about every 6 months or so I say it's time to pull out the inflatable mattresses and let the older kids sleep in a tent, the basement, or the family room with me. They love it! Usually, it's a day of excitement for them where they can hardly contain themselves. For me, well I need to learn to enjoy their excitement and channel that energy into more than something that annoys me. I should be glad their excited... that I came up with something that they enjoy. We watched a movie, had sherbert, and then told silly stories for a little bit. It always takes a bit for them to wind down. Then they are out... and I usually am able to sleep for a while on those mattresses and then I'm usually awake, not able to sleep well. But I made it through another one and 6 months or less from now we'll probably do it again. Hopefully this next time I can better enjoy the moments leading up to it as their excitement bu...

So you're married, you have little kids, you're both in bands that are touring, and COVID-19 hits. What do you do? You keep showing up every night with a cover from your kitchen instead of with your band from the stage. You use the tools you have like Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook to share the music you and your wife recorded in your kitchen. You play live shows from your home to your fans via social media. And then you release multiple albums from these kitchen covers to your fan base. At least that's what Drew and Ellie Holcomb have done. Way to make something out of the hard situation this pandemic has brought the music industry. Thanks for showing up every night. Our oldest 2 kids (4 and 3) ask if they can watch the newest kitchen cover every night now before bed. You can check them out here or find them on most social media channels.

So I write this blog post just about every morning. It's one of the ways I start my day and I enjoy it. It helps get my brain going. It's my best time to write. I could write a bunch of posts all at once and then schedule them out ahead of time. It might be more efficient, but I like the idea of writing every day and there's always something from the previous day that comes to mind that I can write about. I've also started handling social media for our vacation rental property and throwing that in as part of the morning routine, but being consistent with it has been challenging. Because it involves images, text, hashtags, etc. there's more to it and to do it on a whim in the morning has been a challenge. So I've started scheduling them out on Facebook and I've found some tools for scheduling on Instagram as well that I'm going to look into which allow me to already have the posts ready to go and then the posts just release when I want them to. That...

I have another neighbor story. Yesterday a neighbor I hadn't introduced myself to yet was out grinding stumps in his front yard with a stump grinder. This got me excited because we cut down a bush last fall but there was still a stump in our backyard which I had planned to grind out this spring sometime. Well know was the perfect time I thought. I went over to talk to him to see how much it costs to rent and where he got it from. To my surprise, after talking for a bit he said he had until the next morning, and when he was done he would let me use it to grind out the stump. I offered to pay him something for it and he wouldn't take anything. And then he ended up just grinding it out for me! Plus, my father-in-law came over to help me. And we ended up also doing some yard work in the front pulling out another dead plant and reworking one of the front beds. Plus, during lunch yesterday, my mother-in-law came over and did some yard work as well. But, back to my neighbor, Pa...

There's one thing that's changed this year for sure. You know when you incorporate a new thing in your life and you're not sure how it's going to go? Are you going to stick with it? What all will it impact? Well, my wife and I both started using the 1 Second Everyday app at the beginning of the year to compile, 1 second of every day of this year. And the result of using this app has been that we take way more videos of our life on our phones than we used to... in a good way. We're not constantly whipping out our phones to record. But, when those little moments happen and we have a phone on us we're getting a few seconds. I think I used to think getting those videos needs to kind of be planned or that certain things aren't worth getting my phone out for. But looking back on the year so far I'm thankful for the idea behind the app of just capturing little moments. A lot of it is of our kids, sometimes super happy, sometimes sad. Sometimes it's be...

Do you disagree with what someone is saying? How do you handle it? Are you right? Are you sure? Is there are a right to the argument? Why do you get so uptight? These are all questions for me. A lot of this is my personality. I don't enjoy conflict. Many times I might even sit back and listen instead of jump in. And it depends... I'll give my input if asked or even if not asked. But, if I strongly disagree I sometimes lose my tactfulness. Especially with my family or people I'm around regularly. But why do I take it so personally? I think it's because I want things to be fair. If it doesn't seem fair or there are rules that have been established and they're going to be changed and I've been following them I don't like it. Writing this down seems silly, but I think there's truth here as to some of what goes on in my head around conflict. I'd say another part of it is just sin. I want to be right. I want to be a hero. I want to be the one peo...

Well, I wasn't planning on it. No one was yesterday. We didn't even have the bike until this weekend. My neighbor across the street asked me this weekend if I would want to borrow their beginner bike for our son because he thought my son was doing awesome on his balance bike. So I said sure. But, my daughter had other plans. She's a little older than my son and has been practicing on his balance bike and her bigger bike with training wheels. So yesterday, my daughter decided that she wanted to try this smaller pedal bike with no training wheels and within a matter of about 30 minutes she was riding a bike! It was a super proud moment for me filled with a lot of running beside her and encouraging words. And she was stoked. So much so we had to show her grandparents and all she wanted to do the rest of the evening was ride that bike. Thank you Ben and Sarah Hawkins.

I learned one thing yesterday about getting more people to follow you on Facebook yesterday. We just started a business page on Facebook for our rental property in Gulf Shores about a month ago and I was having a really hard time getting much engagement at all. I started doing some reading on ways to get more eyeballs on our page and one that "seems" to have helped at least in getting people to notice us was to reach out to all of our friends and request that they like our page. We went from about 10 likes to over 100 in one day. Now what I don't know is if that group of people is really the "best" group of people to start with or not to get the word out about our rental property in Gulf Shores. Are they themselves interested? Do they know people that may be interested? We'll see. Here's how to invite all your friends to like your page: Go to your Facebook Page. On the right-hand side, under Community, click on “invite your friends to like th...

Yes. It was announced for the state of Illinois that schools will be closed for the rest of the semester. I don't know what exactly that means for kids getting ready to graduate or even for those that are in a different grade. We don't have kids in school. But, it's a huge disruption for our state. So many unknowns once things begin opening back up. Will companies start hiring again? What will the job market be for kids that did graduate? Will there be graduations this year? I don't know if something like this has ever happened that kids were not allowed to go back to school for about 3 months and they instead were taught remotely from their homes.

Do you want to have a solid workgroup? Communicate. I can't think of anything more important than regular communication with your co-workers. Let them know what you're working on and encourage them to do the same. Have meetings when it makes sense. Ask questions in a group setting. Don't hide things unless there's a reason to. Some of the worst things that can happen if you don't communicate are multiple people working on the exact same thing. I'm all for people having autonomy and not having to report everything they're doing, but I'm also for working as a team, so you don't have overlap or time wasted. So, today as you think of your fellow employees, when is the last time you talked to them?

As I was sitting here thinking about what to write about this morning I'm thankful that at my age of 40 I have people I can go to for different things that I have a personal connection with somehow. I'm thankful for Craig Moore who handles our insurance. Thankful for Travis Critten and Todd Sauder who are our financial advisors. I'm glad we have Scott Sauder for electrical work. And Nate Kern for plumbing work. I'm thankful for my brother-in-law, Chad Herman, for just about any kind of home advice. Thankful for my parents and my in-laws for just about anything. I was originally thinking this morning and the last few days that with how bad things have gotten with COVID-19 that if there are ways for me to support those that help me and my family I want to. And I was thinking about writing short posts about how they support help us... maybe I still will. I know testimonials/reviews are really helpful, so I'll see what transpires here.

For those out there that want to be better at writing, I would encourage you to start a blog and write every day. Don't think too much about what to write or how good what you're writing is, just write. Don't worry about how many people, if any will even read your blog. Just write. Don't concern yourself with how well your grammar even is. Just write. It's all about practice. And all about the number of words that you can churn out regularly in my opinion. It doesn't mean that because I write a blog every day that I will become the best writer that ever was. But it does mean that I'm showing up every day for a few minutes and practicing the craft. With time the skill will get better. It's like anything. The more you do it the better you'll become at it. Do you want to be a better writer? Find a way to write every day. Create a blog. Create a social account. Create PDFs. Create emails. Just write.

At our life stage, once our kids are in bed we're right behind them. There's always plenty that we could do, but rarely are me or my wife motivated to keep going much after their bedtime. Last night I was ready to watch a show, but my wife was ready to talk or do something else. So we compromised and talked for a bit and I got some ice cream. The downside is getting up the next day is tougher... even though we really didn't stay up that late at all. When you have little kids when do you get things done? It's tough. I've defaulted to realizing that it's more important to enjoy my kids when their little than try to do a lot of projects and "get things done."

Yesterday was so good. It was different not to go somewhere for Easter Sunday, but it was good to be at home with our little family and celebrate together what God has done. And teach our children about the forgiveness of sin that comes from God through Jesus' death and resurrection. My wife found something really awesome online that I hope we do every year from now on. On Good Friday we had our kids go outside and pick up a bunch of rocks and put them in their Easter baskets. We talked about sin. How each rock represents sin. How the more we have the heavier the basket is to carry. Then we went inside and talked about what sin is. We had our kids' name different sins as they pulled out rocks. And we did as well. Then we covered the basket of rocks with a red blanket representing Christ's blood that was shed and covers our sin. Then on Easter morning we got rid of the rocks and filled their Easter basket with good things and covered the baskets back over with the red bl...

I can be such a perfectionist. I want to do things well to a fault. I have picked up photography over the last year or so and I've learned a lot, but I still feel like I have so much to learn. Case in point yesterday we decided to take photos of our family and I had in my head we're only gonna take 10 photos or so and they're gonna be really good. Well, they turned out OK. I used a timer and had it only take one photo each time, where I probably should have had it take at least 5. And I shot manual. They weren't bad, but maybe they could have done better. I drive my wife a little crazy with it all because she just wants me to shoot automatic and just shoot a ton of photos. That drives me crazy. Then in the middle of it all, I think am I actually doing this right? Are my settings right? I still feel like I have a long way to go. But I'm gonna keep trying. I have learned a lot and I like to think I'm getting better.

God Rested Andrew Peterson So they took His body down The man who said He was the resurrection and the life Was lifeless on the ground The sky was red as blood along the blade of night As the sabbath fell they shrouded Him in linen They dressed Him like a wound The rich man and the women They laid Him in the tomb Six days shall you labor The seventh is the Lord's In six He made the earth and all the heavens But He rested on the seventh God rested He said that it was finished And the seventh day, He blessed it God rested So they laid their hopes away They buried all their dreams about the kingdom He proclaimed And they sealed them in the grave As a holy silence fell on all Jerusalem But the Pharisees were restless Pilate had no peace And Peter's heart was reckless Mary couldn't sleep But God rested Six days shall you labor The seventh is the Lord's In six He made the earth and all the heavens But He rested on the seventh God rested H...

I really enjoy music. I haven't been to many concerts in years with having little kids, but it's something I really enjoyed doing in my 20s and 30s. But lately, I've been thinking about all of the music artists. They make the majority of their money off of concerts I believe. Definitely not from being on streaming services. And right now there's no way to have a concert with COVID-19 going on. I'm sure it's tough. I also believe the whole landscape of concerts may change in the future some with the lasting impacts of this virus. Maybe it won't, but I can't imagine we're going to have people flocking to huge concerts any time soon. What I am encouraged to see though is the generosity of some artists on social media as they are just playing music from their kitchens and living rooms regularly. Especially during this time. I think of artists like Andrew Peterson who's been reading his books and is playing music tonight. Sara Groves who did a c...

At least until April 30th (I believe this is true) in the United States, social distancing is still in effect due to COVID-19. That means... No more dates for those that were dating and not living together. No more hanging out at bars. No more parties. No more athletic games. No more church activities. No more family gatherings. No more bowling. No more arcades. No more restaurants (other than take-out/drive-through). No more retail shopping that isn't essential. No more movie theatres. No more conferences. No more trade shows. No more school. No more nonessential use of mass-transit. And there's a lot more that there is "no more" of for the time being. It is a very different world that we live in right now. I've heard that the highest spike in Illinois for COVID-19 is predicted to be 4/12/20, this coming Sunday. We'll see what this weekend brings.

Yesterday I mentioned something about the chairs in our kitchen and how I see more scratches continuing to show up on our floor from them. I know I've mentioned it quite a few times because yesterday my daughter said something to me about having said it many times. To which my wife also agreed. So, why do I keep saying something about it? I know this isn't the only thing on repeat for me. Why not just take care of it? Or stop talking about it? It makes me think of the Israelites in the wilderness as the complained not about scratches on the kitchen floor, but about the food, they had to eat. And God called what they were doing sin. And they were punished for it. Why do we complain? Does it make things better? Does it make me feel better? Does it make anyone else feel better? Sometimes it might make us feel better about ourselves, but it really never builds up. Most of the time I don't even think I notice it sadly. But, what the antidote? Is it to just take care of the...

What will things look like in 2 weeks? Will we experience a lot of death? Are there going to be a lot of people I know that get sick? How much is COVID-19 really spreading? I don't know the answer to any of these questions personally. And I'm not writing to scare anyone. More for my own recollection of this event in history. Time passing will be the one thing that truly tells us what is happening. One bright spot in this (there have been many), but a little girl named Molly has been hiding painted rocks around our neighborhood with little messages on them. Our kids have loved going on walks and looking for them. Yesterday she hid one right in our front yard and Josie was super excited when she found it. What are ways during this COVID-19 pandemic that you can brighten the days of others like Molly?

Zoom. I'd never heard of it until about a year ago when one of our clients we work with started using it. And since then I've loved it. And our company has incorporated it into all of our meeting rooms and we use it all the time now as we moved to work from home. But, I'm not the only one. They've seen crazy growth. My parents have used it now. My sisters. My Aunt Barb even... she's in her mid-70s. I think it's just easy to use and it works well. I know they've experienced some issues in the last few weeks due to the huge success on their video conferencing platform with "zoombombing", where people jump on a call that is supposed to be private and they are working through those privacy challenges. But it seems like they're really doing it well in general. They have to have a huge percentage of the market today compared to Skype, Hangouts, and WebEx.

There's an aspect of COVID-19 that's been good. I've been challenged many times to reach out to others. I've video chatted with people I never would have before. Like our pastor and his wife. And we've done it just to encourage others. Have you called someone today just to see how they're doing? Just do it.

Of any time in my life. Now is a time to give thanks. To think of others. I still find myself very selfish, even during these times. I'm thankful for my neighbor across the street who manages a Lowe's and has figured out how to keep it going and provide people with home needs even though many of his employees have taken time off and he's having a hard time finding others to fill their spots. I'm thankful for my inlaws that have graciously allowed me to work in their basement as I work remotely since I think I would have a really hard time with 3 little kids working from our home. I'm also thankful for all of those that are working from home while having kids at home too and are able to make things happen, like Caleb Smith or Bryan Jackson. I'm thankful for lunches with my kids during the week. I'm thankful for those that are working the tough jobs. Like another co-worker's wife who is working with COVID-19 patients at OSF. And for others that are...

My kids are 4, 3, and 11 months. The older two have heard the word Coronavirus many times and in some ways understand what is going on, but yet they still don't totally get it. They know that we aren't going places like we used to. We're pretty much at home, other than me going to my in-law's basement to work. I typically have been coming home for lunch with my family. It's just so different. We talk to our neighbors from 6 feet away right away. We ask questions like, "Are you still working?" and "How's your family doing?" and "How are you doing with your kids' e-learning?" I look at my kids with different eyes right now. I think, our world may never be quite the same as it was before. Will that be a good thing? My wife says it's all kind of depressing. The news just talks about the virus 24/7. Talking about what the government is doing. What healthcare is doing. How many cases there are now. This all makes me want t...

My wife asked me what day it was last night. And that's when it really hit me that this stay at home thing has changed things. It's tougher to even know what day it is. Every day seems similar when you don't get out. My wife asked that I lead our family more and think about what we can do as a family since it's just us now. It's tough for me when I get criticized. I don't like to hear I'm doing things well. Yet I realize I could do way more. I could think of ways for us to do some things as a family regularly that point our kids and my wife towards God... and myself. It's easy for me to get engrained in a task, in work, and now on our vacation rental property. It's tougher for me to think about how I really help my family grow. God, today, help me think about my family. Help me love my kids and wife. I want our kids to understand the gospel. I desire for our kids to know you and follow you. Help me get creative like I am for work, with my fam...

I've been thinking about ways to start building up a following on social for our vacation rental property. I've mainly been on Instagram so far, but I want to start posting more on Facebook as well as getting our website up and running. But, this Coronavirus has put a real damper on things. There are positives and negatives. The positive is that people are probably spending even more time on social and so the likelihood of being seen if you're using good hashtags and spending time writing things well is higher. The downside is that the chances of people traveling right now are getting lower and lower for the next month or so though. The one thing I wish I had done while I was down at our rental property though was to take even more photos. I got some beautiful ones of the rooms and property, which I believe is most important. Now that I'm Instagram and getting likes by other beautiful rental properties I'm noticing the little details that they've taken photo...