Where We Are

Rather than try to fill in all the details of the past week or so right now — which I may do via posts and pictures later — I think I’ll just report on where we’re at right now. Its just easier.
Nicole is on her way to Canada, having dodged the cops twice now with her crazy speeding (not literally dodged, but she’s had a couple scares — I knew I shoulda put the radar detector in the car for her.) She’ll be there the rest of the week hanging out with Benjamin and the rest of her family and friends. Ben had his first Halloween last night, and I know some people are opposed to the tradition for religious reasons, but for us its just about how cute he looks in a costume — and how much candy we can get out of the deal. Unfortunately we didn’t see him, as we were on an airplane, but I’m hoping there were some pictures taken.
Nic and Abi are both still doing well. Abi is moving a lot more, and the belly size is continuing to get more noticeable.
I am at work, slowly setting up a new computer. I’m following ObiShawn‘s lead and moving all my daily work into virtual machines (VMs) on a pretty hefty host computer that does nothing but run Windows and VMWare. I’ll also be migrating the Macs at home to Leopard this week while Nic is away.
Last week, after 4 hours of flying followed by 9 hours of driving, I ended up with a slipped disk, that put me on the floor while changing a diaper. From eMedicineHealth
The disks are protective shock-absorbing pads between the bones of the spine. Although they do not actually “slip,” a disk may split or rupture. This can cause the disk to fail, allowing the gel to escape into the surrounding tissue. The leaking jellylike substance can place pressure on the spinal cord or on a single nerve fiber and cause pain either around the damaged disk or anywhere along the area controlled by that nerve. This condition is also known as a herniated, ruptured, prolapsed, or, more commonly, slipped disk.
Its extremely painful — especially given that following the rupture I had to drive another 9 hours home, and then fly for another 4 hours down to Florida. I drove straight from Canada to the Urgent Care clinic, who stocked me up on some painkillers (Lortabs, of course) and muscle-relaxants so that I could survive our vacation.
I can walk almost normally now (by that I mean, like a normal 80-year old man), and I’m trying to be really careful as I move computers and luggage around.
In other news, we’ve settled on a new church home — at least for now. After much deliberation and consideration, we’ve decided to attend Grace Fellowship. It’s no Northway, but it has its up-sides. The facility is very comfortable and organized, the people warm and welcoming, and the teaching is very Biblical and challenging. We will miss the adventure we’ve left behind, but feel this will provide us some closure on that chapter in our lives.
Despite the frustrations that came along with our vacation, we are feeling somewhat refreshed and re-focused after it. And life carries on…