New Car et al

For those of you who remembered, we were looking at buying a new car. Well we did it. We bought the 2007 Toyota Rav4 you see pictured above. It was the last 2007 on the lot so we got a great deal on it (several thousands off sticker price). We are happy with it so far.

These last few weeks have been crazy. As you already know, Kim's stepdad passed away last month. What you don't know is that Kim's grandfather passed away just 4 days prior. Yes, Kim lost her grandfather and stepdad in the same week. We went to her Papaw's funeral on a Saturday in Tampa, got on a plane in Orlando on Sunday, and went to Theron's memorial in Idaho on Monday. To make things more interesting, her grandfather, Phil Williamson, Sr., died the same day Kim started her new job. It has been stressful, but God has been good all along. We appreciate all of you who prayed for us.

Life is slowing coming back to normal (whatever that is). We're all looking forward to brighter days ahead.

Superman Retires

Theron M. Bradley, Jr., 1/27/47 - 10/26/07

On Friday, October 26th, 2007 at 10:45am, our lives changed. Theron Michael Bradley Jr., Kim's stepdad, finished his race and battle with brain cancer. He was diagnosed with the disease in early March 2006 at which time the doctors gave him only a year to live. He fought well and lasted 18 months. He was a very special person to both Kim and I. He was kind, generous, patient, incredibly intelligent and very funny. You always had a good time around Theron. There are so many memories I have of him - too many to list here, but I'll include a couple.

It's because of Theron that I am such an Apple lover now. He sent us our first Apple computer in 1997. A ripping fast (lol) Apple MacIntosh 7200/90. When we tried to get connected to the internet using Boone Online, we encountered some problems. We loaded all the software that Boone Online had supplied us to enable us to go online, but our computer kept freezing up every time we tried to log in. To make matters worse, Boone Online's resident Mac expert was on vacation that week and there was no one else to help us. So I called Theron, our "friendly Apple tech support" as he liked to call himself. He spent probably 4 or 5 evenings (after working nearly 12 hours at "the site") engrossed in discovering the culprit behind our computer gremlins. Turns out that Boone Online's software loaded a version of PPP that our computer didn't like. I would never have discovered this problem on my own, but Theron would not rest until he figured out what the problem was. He took this approach to nearly everything he did.

Theron was a very intelligent man. He knew something about everything. You didn't dare challenge him to a game of Jeopardy - you would lose, big time! He knew alot of geological facts about Yellowstone National Park. We've visited the park with Theron on several occasions. He used to love giving us tours and information about the different areas of the park that we passed through. He held degrees in Math, Physics, Nuclear Engineering and Law. He worked for the Navy and the US Government for 30 years, designing nuclear powerplants for aircraft carriers and submarines and overseeing nuclear facilities in Idaho. He was NASA's Chief Engineer (THE Chief Engineer) from 2002 to 2004. However, through all of this he was humble. He never once made me feel inferior to him on any level. He was a great example to me on how to treat others.

I'm really going to miss Theron. He was a believer in Jesus, His death and resurrection. It was a great source of joy for me to know that Theron was a top scientist in his field and yet still had faith in Jesus. Too often, these two positions are mutually exclusive. I know that one day I'm going to see Theron again. I think he's probably in heaven now learning about all the cool sites and landmarks (such as they are) so that when we get there, he can give us a tour. I look forward to that day.

Consumed

This may strike some of you as funny considering my last post, but it's time for us to purchase a new car. Our Ford Freestar spends too much time at the dealership (our last service visit lasted 1 week) not to mention the poor gas mileage we get with it. I've looked at nearly every vehicle that might possibly suit our family (I even looked at a used Mercedes Benz wagon, LOL). We only have 2 kids but occasionally Kim needs to haul around another little screamer (or 3) after gym, homeschool co-op, church, etc, so third row seating becomes a necessity. What we want is a larger mid-sized wagon with optional 3rd row seats that gets decent gas mileage. These vehicles are called crossovers - a blend of wagon, car, SUV, minivan, etc. Unfortunately, crossovers happen to be the rage right now so trying to find an affordable model is proving to be elusive. I have it narrowed down to 2 main vehicles that we are considering:

2007 Kia Rondo
2007 Toyota Rav4

The Kia is the least expensive of the two vehicles but also feels riskier, both tactilely (is that a word?) and emotionally. It's not a bad vehicle; in fact, Kim and I were both pleasantly surprised after driving it. It feels cavernous on the inside thanks to the high roofline. It's spunky 4 cylinder engine is adequate(162 HP) only.  It's performance is better than a bus, to be sure, but I certainly wouldn't want to run time trials up Pike's Peak with it. Handling is tuned more for the cushy interstate ride rather than for carving up mountain roads - which only makes sense for a vehicle in this class. The interior is neither inspiring nor insipid. There's plenty of soft touch plastic throughout the cabin to remind you that you are not in the penalty box for buying Korean. The Rondo can be optioned with a fold in to the floor, 50/50 split, 3rd row bench seat. With the seats up, cargo space is akin to what you'd find in the trunk of a hard top convertible - not much if any! But with the seats stowed into the floor you have the same amount of space as what you'd find in a mid-sized SUV. Add in the optional roof racks, and you're ready to vacate with the Griswalds. To sum it up, the Rondo is boring but so practical that you are willing to withstand it's hum-drum personality (and exterior quirkiness). And the price is right. The sticker price is just under $19.4K and there is currently a $1.5K cash back offer. Factor in our trade, and it's the value winner for sure.

Too bad for the Kia, but I had to go out and drive the Toyota Rav4. The Toyo's VVT-i 4 cylinder engine has better performance, both of the seat-of-the-pants variety (166 hp, feels like more) and of mpg figures (21/27). It seemed to have more useable power when you needed it - I think that has more to do with Toyota's VVT-i technology rather than pure hp/torque numbers. The steering was a bit too assisted and numb, but I was comparing it to my Mazda Protege5, which is superb in that department. The turning radius on the Rav4 is phenomenal.  You should have no problem navigating through the shopping cart obstacle course known as the Walmart parking lot - autocrossing for mommies (would that be mommy-crossing?). The Rav4 is also offered with an optional fold into the floor 50/50 split bench 3rd row seat. Again, add the roof racks and you're not really giving up the space from the minivan for those long trips. What really stands out is that the Toyota has a solid feel to the sum of it's parts, something I don't remember getting from the Kia. The Toyota felt more like a unit rather than thousands of parts working together in unity. Price is more than the Kia, but at $24.4K list price, you feel as if you are getting what you are paying for.

The question is: can we really afford what we would rather have? Early financial indications say no (thanks in part to Toyota not offering ANY incentives on the Rav4). So maybe we'll end up with a Kia after all. After WEEKS of internet research (I'm sure you guys have noticed my absence here in Paradise) I'm ready to get past this consuming decision.

Stop and Think!

There's a statement that I'm sure all of us who are parents have said to our kids on numerous occasions. Let's take the same admonishment for just a moment and think about something.

Why do we work?

Well our most basic of needs is because we have to eat. If you don't work, you don't eat. It's a biblical principal spelled out for us in Proverbs and it makes pretty good common sense to us as well. Now this is in no way a slam on welfare and soup kitchens and the like. If we decide, as a people, to help those who need it, then by all means we should (also a biblical mandate). But those who refuse to work have no right to demand they be given anything by anyone.

But most of us don't work solely so that we can eat. We have cars, mortgages, kids, clothing, kids, health situations, KIDS... the list goes on and on. Today I stopped to think about what we work for in America. The simplest way I can put it is because we want things. Also, we want nice things. For some, we want the best things. Most of us do not have a driving passion within us to go to work because we want to. Now we try and fool ourselves a bit by trying to find a job that we like so that it feels less like work. But we work so that we can acquire nice things. Gotta have HDTV, surround sound, the newest iMac (ouch), clothes that are in style, a nice house with more room than we really need, a new car that gets 50 miles per gallon and has 45 airbags (for safety).

I made a conscious decision when our kids were born to not let work replace the responsibility we have of raising our kids. Kim and I have jobs that allow us to be home with our kids far more than other parents we know. We feel it's important for the kids to have us around in the formative years. Because of this belief, we don't have as much nice stuff as we could have. If Kim and I both had full time jobs, then we would make twice as much money as we make now. We'd have that new Honda Odyssey, the 50" plasma TV, the 6 bedroom house with swimming pool. But where would our kids be? Beyond our kids, why should we continue to fuel this never ending desire to fill our lives with things that a) don't last, b) ultimately don't satisfy and c) drive us into debts that aren't worth paying?

Right now there are alot of things I'd like to have. I'd like to have a bigger house. I have ideas for my business that need space that we currently don't have. I'd love to have a swimming pool. Being in Florida without a pool almost seems cruel (not really). Our van is in the shop for the third consecutive day (in a seemingly endless spiral of defects). We'll probably be replacing it soon enough. I'm an audio professional. But I don't have the latest surround sound set up here at home. I have a hand me down Pro Logic equipped receiver. Pro Logic! I work in the field of television, but I don't own a big screen HDTV. Somehow my 27" CRT standard definition TV is enough. I'd love to have a 1080p HDTV with a Blu-ray DVD player, don't misunderstand me.

But in all these things, I'm happy. I honestly and truly am happy. I'm content. I'm so thankful for all the things we have. That doesn't mean we have the perfect life, with no troubles at all. But I don't have to look at what my neighbor drives, or what my friends have to judge whether or not I'm successful (and happy). It's a freedom that too many people have traded in for the illusion of the American Dream. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing America. I've literally traveled all over the world, and I can tell you that the U.S. is where I most want to be. What I am saying is this: let's not get caught up in the trappings and greed of our culture which promises happiness but instead only gives us shackles. Shackled to a job so that we can have the latest, greatest_____. Evaluate your life; are you working just for stuff? Are you trading in all your time to fill your lives with things? All you parents out there, do you want to get to the day when your kids are 18 and you realize you missed them grow up so that you (or they) could have an iPhone (that'll be obsolete by then anyway)? Or a Mercedes Benz when a Mazda would do the job?

Stop and think.

For Kevin

Fortnightly Update

Sorry to have jumped off the blogging bandwagon for a while but things have been a little crazy lately.

• I just finished mixing a DVD series that took well over 20 hours to complete. It should have taken only about 12 hours. It needed ALOT of work.  Plus I "composed" all the music for it.  Got to love Garage Band.  Next up will (more than likely) be creating the audio podcasts of the series.
• Kasey took a leap into our recliner on Tuesday. Her knee went between the seat cushion and the back cushion only to be met by a metal hinge on the back. She sliced it open nicely, so off we went for a 4 hour visit to the ER to get it stitched up. The hardest part for Kasey is that the doctor said no gymnastics for at least 2 weeks. Kasey's first meet is tomorrow - she's been training and working hard all summer to be able to attend this meet. She's still going but will not be competing. There is another meet in Daytona at the end of the month that she'll be able to compete in.

• I got a new computer (the iMac you see above) this week! The last day or so has been spent getting all the files transferred over. There is always something that has to be a little tricky. This time it was getting all my iTunes files (2000+ songs) transferred. But all seems to be working smoothly now.
• Like all the other ASU alums, I was so excited to hear of App's win over Michigan.  I was keeping my eye on the ticker on ESPN.  When I turned on the TV it said Mich. 32, App St. 31 with about 2 mins to go - no other details, so I figured that it was a close game but Michigan would prevail.  I was almost jumping up and down when they updated the ticker to say FINAL - App St.  34, Mich. 32.  All the media coverage for ASU has been phenomenal.  Not many other App State fans in Sarasota though - except for the Ohio State fans who live here.
• We had a black vinyl covered chain link fence installed in the backyard so that Sammy would have a place to run around in.  Good night, how expensive can a dog be?!?  

I'm almost past the "drooling over my new computer" stage (the 24" iMac is much more impressive in person than in pics) so I'll need to get back to my regular routine of washing the dishes, entering receipts in Quicken, blah, blah, blah...