Now where were we?

So it has been quite a while since my last post, so let's pick up where we left off...
It was just shy of my thirtieth birthday and I was lamenting over things I never did out of fear. Update, I have officially retired from the Army and moved to the Lubbock area. I am attending South Plains College and will transfer to Tech next year. I have reached out to my music appreciation teacher about taking voice and piano lessons. I have not written any songs or poetry yet but that is for two reasons. One, we have been having landlord issues (which I will go into more in a minute), and two, nothing has come to mind. One thing I learned the hard way when I was younger. If you force ideas onto paper, it usually is crap. So I will wait for inspiration to strike and we will see what comes of it.

Now the landlord situation. We rented a place in Crosbyton, because, well, the rent was cheap! It wasn't the nicest of places, but it is temporary while I am in school and it was $325 for a two bedroom duplex. There was also the possibility of moving into a 3 bedroom duplex for $345 a month when one opened up. We signed the lease back in October and put down rent for November and December, to basically hold the unit until I retired in early December and we were able to occupy the place. After moving in and getting all the utilities on, we discovered a ton of problems. The toilet, which was leaking, was also missing a seat. The faucet in the tub was completely corroded out and it was impossible to pull the catch up to get the shower running. The kitchen sink wouldn't drain. The dryer plug didn't work and the stove that was promised was M.I.A. This was followed by nearly a month of trying to get things fixed. Most of these things should have been fixed during the two months that we were paying rent but not living there. However, I digress. It has been almost two months since we have moved in and many of the things have not been fixed. There are other problems that we have found, but I won't bore you with the details. Let us just say that there is a good chance I will get to find out what it is like to file a civil suit against someone.

Now on to happier things. We are about a month away from our son, Sawyer being born, and I am so incredibly excited. I have so enjoyed watching Layla grow into an adorable little toddler, but there is something about the bond between a son and his daddy. I am looking forward to cultivating that relationship. Teaching him how to throw a football. Teaching him how to act like you know what you are doing under the hood of a car for 5 hours and then calling a repair man. Teaching him how to treat a woman, and, coincidentally, when the girl of his dreams comes along, not be to scared to let her know (personal experience lesson there). Teaching him how to love God with all of his being. How to find what he loves to do and pursue it unabashedly. Teaching him a strong left hook to only be used on bullies, people who start a fight, and anyone who lays a hand on his sister(s) (this will be followed by lessons in full on hand to hand combat. It may be a little weird to get a call from his kindergarten teacher asking what an arm bar is but hey...). These lessons and more are what I am looking forward to. I will never hesitate to tell him that I love him and that as long as he is pursuing his dreams that I am so very proud of him. I know I will fail him at times, because I am, after all, human, but I will do everything I can to be the father he deserves.

Okay, sappy out of the way. Here is my challenge this go around. Tell someone that you love them. Whether it be your spouse, your kids, or you decide to freak someone out on the bus or subway, remind those around you that you love them. That they mean the world to you and that you would not be who you are without them. Continue to live unashamed, living by Romans 1:16- "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the salvation of man, first the Jew, then the Gentile." Until next time my friends, I love you all, my brothers and sisters in Christ!