I’ve been recently brow-beaten by some of my Ottawa friends to update the blog… so here are some quick hit updates

• We had an epic journey from Ottawa out to Winnipeg.  We stopped by Niagara Falls – figured we’d better see it while we’re still in Ontario.  Then off to Windsor for a few day with the my family.  Then we headed up through Michigan, the “UP”, to Minnesota, North Dakota and Winnipeg.  Three days of great family time in the Van together.  I think this is the optimum family vacation time for us… the boys are pretty independent, aren’t embarrassed to be seen with their parents, and still eat on the kids menu.  Trifecta!
• We arrived in Winnipeg in the middle of August.  Pearl got us unpacked and settled into the house in record time.  I mean it.  I’m sure it was a world record.  Those of you who know Pearl don’t doubt it.  The moving truck had just pulled away from our house and she already had the kitchen unpacked.  I love that woman!
• The boys love their school.  This is a huge relief to us and an answer to prayer.  The boys have all made friends and are doing really well.
• My eldest son Pierce is a rock star.  He made his praise band debut a couple weeks ago playing bass with the high school worship band.  I am one proud poppa.  He had his first school band concert last night.  He played bass with the grade 7 jazz band (that’s right… jazz band starts in grade 7!  I love this place!!) and percussion with the concert band.
• People here are friendly.  Seriously.
• I reached a major milestone in my adjustment to Manitoba life on September 14 at 8:23 PM.  I made my first joke about Saskatchewan.
• Proudest achievement since moving to Winnipeg:  I repurposed our old Windows XP desktop computer.  I loaded it with linux, installed XBMC and have it connected to our TV as a general purpose media server.  Once a geek… always a geek.
• Oh yeah, I almost forgot… I started a new job.  Life as the Director of Worship Ministries at Grant Memorial Baptist Church is keeping me busy.  There is much to learn, lots to do, but I feel so ALIVE after over a year out of full time ministry.  There’s nowhere I’d rather be and nothing I’d rather be doing.
• I miss my friends.
• I’ve been to Nashville, Louisville and Indianapolis on a tour of churches to get ideas for renovations to the auditorium at Grant.  Unfortunately I was not discovered while in Nashville.
• This is an amazing book that I recommend you read.  God’s laws don’t just protect us as individuals, they actually redeem and preserve every aspect of society – socially, politically, technologically, economically.

Hopefully that satisfies the people who’ve been ragging on me to post something!  And I promise to get back into the habit of posting regularly.  Really.