Not Just Me

I am not terribly computer literate.  That is one of the reasons I love Mac so much.  I know there are things I sacrifice, but with advances in technology that is getting less and less.  With my Mac I can usually do anything I want with very little worry about messing something up or having a serious system error.  If I don’t know how to do something, I can Google it and usually there is a discussion board somewhere that will walk me through my problem.  The days of PC users only programing for PC’s is over, there are many Mac users out there, and it is becoming an accepted platform now.  (When I first started using Mac’s there was an outcry in the office and the promise of “if you buy it, you are fully responsible for it, and I cannot help you!” from the IT manager.)  I have not only used them since, but have actually requested them when I transferred jobs in the past, not that it would have been a deal breaker, but it would have made me very unhappy if they said no.

So all this leads to my latest problem…  My twin daughters are approaching driving age and for them to get their permits they have to have a certain number of hours of training.  No longer is the training done in schools, now you have to go out to private companies and pay them for it.  We did our research and found one that does one on one instruction at a reasonable price and signed them up.  There is a 30 hour on-line component that they have to go through before they can do the hands on driving with the instructors.  And therein lies the problem.  For some reason the embedded videos on this website will not play on either of our Macs.  We have done the required Flip4Mac download, tried Windows Media Player, and a plethora of other things, (one of my friends set me up with the Mac guy from Best Buy and he spent about an hour trying to help us.  He downloaded things I had never heard of and nothing worked! This guy knows his stuff and has pay for programs that handle even the oddest codecs and formats.)

For weeks I have been thinking this was our problem, the weird Mac people with no tech support available; but now I realize it is really this companies fault.  In the world of YouTube, Podcasting, and on-line video access so easy kids are doing it, it is really time to step up and make the video files available to all systems.  It shouldn’t require searching endlessly for an outdated program (IE6 not supported since 2005ish?) when there are easy fixes.  I was actually relieved after spending hours trying to solve the problem to learn it was not just me!

It is not just you either… when you are in the middle of your problem it is easy to look around and think it is all you, you and you alone are the reason, the cause and have to be the solution…  Not true.  Others have struggled with the exact same thing you are; other people can’t make it work without help either, and the cool thing is, this guy I have never met was willing to hang in there with me to try and find a solution.  There are people around that want to roll up their sleeves and help you too, no matter the mess you are in.  If you truly want help, it may take time, it may take effort, it may require admitting you have made some mistakes, but there are people that will come along side of you and help you.  Even if they cannot solve it, they will let you know it is not just you!

Weekend Getaway!

This weekend we had a great opportunity to get away for the weekend.  A friend of mine made arrangements at a ranch outside of Woodland Park for us.  This ranch brings in all kinds of groups, so they are set up with many cabins, dorms, meeting rooms, and a cafeteria.  Between our friend and the people that run the place, they had taken care of all our meals and our lodging!  It was a really nice treat, and not having to cook made it especially enjoyable for all of us.

We took games to play, books to read, warm clothes and brought some movies that we projected on the wall off my laptop from the projector the church used when we were in the elementary school.  It was a lot of fun.  We had a snowball fight, fed the horses, played scrabble, and watched three of the kids dance around like superstars lipsyncing lyrics to our favorite songs, the other kid was the DJ.  (names have been withheld to avoid embarrassing them too much! although I do have pictures!!!)  That was definitely the highlight.  There was actually internet access so we also enjoyed Facebook pictures and watched Alison chat with friends for a while, them had our own slide show from iPhoto going way back to Dallas…    The low light was that Jack and I both picked up some sort of stomach bug, and it wiped me out all night Saturday night and all day Sunday.  Jack recovered much quicker than I.  Luckily Woodland Park isn’t that far so we made it home fairly early Sunday so I could get in my own bed!

Here are some of the highlights!

My Promise

I hereby pledge to blog again soon.  I know I have been missing in action lately… Sorry… I will resume blogging again regularly next week!

Spring Break Begins!!!

With the first day of Spring, the school district we are in begins Spring Break. They have two weeks off, which is unusual for most districts, but I am sure fun for the families that have kids in these schools. (our kids attend charter schools, so they only get one week off.) Last Sunday in nearly every conversation I had, someone was telling me they would be gone this Sunday! I think we may have 25 people in church the next two weekends! But I think getting away with family is one of the most important things we can do.

My family is taking the following weekend off. A friend of mine has set us up with a cabin in Woodland Park. I will turn off my cell phone, go internetless, (good news – We are supposed to get internet at the church today!!!) there is no T.V. and we will just have quiet (as quiet as a family of 6 can be!) family time… I am really looking forward to it.

So what do you do for Spring Break? Do you look for warm destinations or cold, do you pack it full of activities or kick back, if you stay at home, what do you do to make it fun for the kids or feel like a break? For you international friends, what, if they do it, does spring break look like where you are?

Love This Guy

As far as mentors go, you cant get much better than Mark Batterson.  He is the pastor of an amazing church in Washington D.C. with an awesome mission and a great coffe house that they use as a ground zero for building relationships with people.  (Ebenezer’s Coffe is ranked like #1 for D.C. coffee shops!)   He has written a couple great books, and has some great ideas on church.  I love this post, so please click through and read this!

How Much Would You Pay?

How much would you pay to go to see your favorite band preform?

Appreciation

Everyone loves to be appreciated! Sometimes a note, an email, or a kind word can keep a person going through the most difficult of times. Sunday was such a day for my family and me.

Our church presented us with tickets to one of our favorite musicians in appreciation for all of the work we have done to get the building open. It was a relief, a kind gesture that really encouraged all of us. We would normally not attend a concert because to take our entire family is quite a bit of money, but they are sending us! It was so cool to know that they care enough to do something so personal for us!

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all of you that contributed! The kind words on the card will stick with us for a long, long time. Again I would like to say, no matter how difficult this has been, I cannot think of anything in the world I would rather be doing! You all make this a joy, even in the tough times.

So from my family to yours, thank you, thank you, thank you!
you have truly blessed our family!

School Moves In!

Today the school begins to move into the building… some snow this morning and 150 students carrying desks, chairs and other classroom items over.  It will be fun to watch, maybe like ants all marching with supplies!  I just hope they stay out of the mud!!!  I am thinking of going over and watching, but I have so much work to do today!

THE TCO IS ON THE WAY

We need occupancy for the school that is leasing space in our building.  It has been a frustrating process that reveals all the bureaucracy and difficulties of working under guidelines, laws and requirements.  We have seen a system that sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t, and it has been a long, long journey.  We have had to obtain permits from the State, and from our local regional building agency.  The process has turned up a couple problems with how the regional department checks out their plumbers, and the State has not been impressed.  But today we have reached a breakthrough!  The State Department of Regulatory Affairs (D.O.R.A.) has processed the paperwork and registration we have been waiting on in RECORD SETTING TIME!  You hear stories about how long it takes government to get things done… well let me tell you the folks at DORA were amazing.  They went above and beyond to help us fix a problem that we (the church) didn’t cause but could have paid dearly for in time and fines.  They really went the extra mile for us.  In less than 24 hours they took us through a process that usually takes 2 weeks!  They were a true example of excellent customer service, and I am so appreciative of them all.  This allowed the Department of Oil and Public Safety (D.O.P.S.) to issue us a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (T.C.O.) until the final plumbing and electrical DORA inspections are approved. That means as soon as the DOPS inspector comes down today we will have a TCO and the school can begin moving in!

Thank you DORA and DOPS!

Updated Site

I really feel like this blog needs an update.  No idea how to do it, and really dont have time to do it.  So if you could update this site for me, what would it look like?  What does it need?  What should I take out?