Another Start

So I couldn’t go 10 days the first time, so here it goes again. I am in Arkansas starting this time, so I need to get in the habit here. Isn’t there a saying, “if at first you don’t succeed…”?

Some topics of my life... lately… pictures, the future, getting older.

Pictures: I have begun to scan some of my family’s old pictures into the computer. We really are blessed to have so many. I think I mentioned before that we probably have 30,000 plus pictures. I probably have about 500+ with me. It takes some time, and is repetitive, but I love just imagining the lives lived before mine. It is kind of exciting, visually stimulating, and a little depressing. There are so many questions, and answers that were known, that will never be known again. And I had a chance to know some of them before my Grandpa died. For instance, I was going through this bunch of pictures from the 1920’s and four of them came up labeled “Alaska.” It really throws me off, because I don’t remember anything ever being said about Alaska. Then in the next batch, I get some more about a friend from Alaska, who always labeled his pictures in a particular way.

* Note to self and to others: always label pictures. And I need to find a way to label digital pictures. *

So anyway, here a few favorites of mine from what I have been scanning. I have probably scanned about 150 so far.

My great-grandmother and her sister about 1916.

Great-grandparents before marriage about 1919.

Great-grandparents after marriage about 1925

This one caught me off guard a little. Really wasn't expecting it. But I like it. I am not sure if it is my grandparents or some friends of theirs. They went out camping with friends quite a bit.

So fascinating. It just amazes me when people say history is boring.

The future: As I am getting closer to getting out of debt, I have actually been a little overwhelmed with the possibilities this brings. I can see so much potential. As I was driving back to Arkansas yesterday however, I came to a conclusion as to where I believe God wants me. To be completely out of debt, including houses and vehicles.

The possibilities I was considering included focusing on the oilfield both on my career and investing, real estate investing, world wide traveling, or even just earning enough money to quit and not work. (Done that to a degree before, not very well.) I am so blessed to have so many options, but it makes my head hurt sometimes.

It is very humbling to know without a doubt that I don’t deserve my life at all, and yet I have it, and what I currently have, and the potential I have is far, far more than 90% of the rest of the world if not more than that. There are many people out there who would kill to be in the position I am. Very humbling.

Along with thinking about the near future, gets me thinking about my age. I am extremely blessed to be living in a college town, which keeps me younger, but I am 30, and only getting older. And with that are a few funny instances that catch my attention. Such as my right knee. I always used to laugh at “older” people who would play ball or something and stretch and complain how joints and muscles would ache for no reason. Now it is my turn. And I get to laugh at myself. For some reason, my right knee has been bothering me for no good reason.

I am realizing that the things that more experienced people say really are accurate and really do come around to the younger, though we think it never will. Youth really is wasted on the young.

I will be updating on “diet – round two” more often, and thoughts as well. I’ve done it before I can do it again.

Take care.