this is way too responsible

Dalena and I, believe it or not, have already begun to talk about plans for retirement. I know it might sound crazy but this was one of the main areas where we really agreed. Though we're both only at the beginning of our careers we felt it necessary to come up with a plan to find out, what we need to have to retire and look at what it will take to retire when we want to do that.

It's so "responsible" but it's one of those things that we can't afford not to do. Talking about retirement at 27 is so weird though. Luckily for me, I've got a friend in the financial business and she has been helpful for us as we move forward with our plans.

This is a shorter post than normal largely because there is much to do today. We have some friends coming over for a brunch which should be nice but I wanted to toss out the thoughts on retirement stuff because it is exciting but also strange.

Plus...we have a goal to live in something like this : http://bit.ly/iZrzWC

Until later...Happy Sunday!

Credit Card Repayment Calculator

Credit Card Repayment Calculator

This is a very cool tool provided by the government. I stumbled upon it while doing some financial research. If you've never seen it give it a whirl especially if you have some sort of debt, even a tiny amount.

Saturday

It's the weekend! Hopefully all of you are doing something fun on this wonderful day. Apparently, we're supposed to hit 100 outside which doesn't make me happy. I mean, it is Texas and it is summer but I was enjoying 89. Ehh well...I can't control the weather, yet :)

Today has started out well. I made pancakes and eggs for a little brunch following Ultimate frisbee. We didn't get to play ultimate frisbee since so few showed up but ended up playing a variation of the game called hot box. It's a lot of fun and moves very fast. The game ended and I made brunch. It's been an eventful day so far. Dalena and I are about to bathe the dogs so they smell better and then we're going to wash everything too. They seem to be itching a good bit for some reason though neither of them has fleas or ticks.

Tonight I think we're having beer marinated pork chops which should be delicious. I think we'll do a salad with them too for a healthy bit of green. In case you haven't heard, the food pyramid is going away and being replaced with a dinner plate. Google it...seriously weird.

For now, I'm going to check and see if the water is warm enough to bath some stinky puppies. Until later...

Happy Saturday!

it's been a while

Hey all,

I was please to know that people actually read my blog :) YAY!

It makes it much more fun to do this knowing that there are readers. Thank you all for following and staying with it. Sorry for the delay in posting. There are things that I let get in the way of doing what I wanted to do and so I missed out on a few days.

Kerr is closed but things went very well. We had a few minor glitches but the staff pulled through and the residents are gone. Though it is empty, this is one of my favorite times of year. The noise level is much lower and things begin to smell and look better. Those of us in residence life do eventually begin to miss the residents but the wonderful part of that is this feeling of loss happens right around the time residents move back into the building. Life goes on!

News from the front...

Grades came out since my last post as well. I was extremely happy with my performance this semester and exceptionally proud of my wonderful wife. Both of us continued our domination of the academic challenges in our lives and earned all 'As'. I plan to maintain this GPA all the way through and would feel very good about this. I wish that the student I was now is the student I was then. I'm sure everyone feels that way but there is so much about myself I have learned over the years that has helped me enjoy success in and outside of the classroom. It's a little like Solomon I suppose...wisdom comes with age.

Summer being here means that the heat is on, summer conferences are about to begin, and so are summer courses. I have 2 that I will begin in June but Dalena has already started one. It keeps her very busy but I try to give her the energy she needs by keeping the coffee going and letting her focus. Her hard work has paid off in many ways. Not only is she the president elect of the counseling honor society at UNT, she is also president elect of the local chapter of the Texas Association for Play Therapy. We keep ourselves busy around here but it's all for the good of the future. She and I have some goals we'd like to accomplish and when we're ready to move our hope is that we're both marketable.

It's a fine thing to look over to my left and see Dalena hard at work. She is a bit of an inspiration and hopefully I am the same for her. Though I have a bit more free time than her (I actually have free time :)) we still manage to have fun. I think that Wine squared (http://www.winetimeswine.com/) is calling our name. It's been a tough summer so far that hasn't exactly let us take a break.

Don is doing much better which has been a big load off of Dalena I'm sure. We were really worried about him this past weekend but didn't end up having to go to Houston. He got where he needed to go and now things are much better. If you're curious about how he is doing, the link to his caringbridge is here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/donfonseca

For now faithful readers, I believe that is all. I'm going to spend a bit more time working on my about.me page and my linkedin. If you want to see those I'll put a link to them as well. about.me is a lot like an online business card that links all of the things you have on the web in one spot. It's very cool. Linkedin is a lot like an online resume. If you don't have one...get one. I just recently learned of this and feel behind the times. (about.me/ben_taylor)

Have a good night all. Until next time...

the beginning of the end

The week has started off decently enough. I turned my work in so I haven't had to stress much about school since Sunday. It is day 2 of closedown week which means lots of people are cleaning, packing, and moving. It is an exciting time to see so much change.

At the same time, I will miss the students and staff that are here during the year. I always hate the Spring because it means saying goodbye to some pretty amazing leaders and residents. I spend much time looking back on the year and reflecting on areas where I could have been better, things I could have done, and people I could have met. It's been a huge year for me.

Tomorrow marks 2 months of marriage. I hope it never gets old to count the months. This blog post is a bit jumpy from topic to topic but my brain is feeling that way right now...to my few but faithful readers, I'm sorry :)

Anyway, 2 months of marriage, yada yada yada, It's wonderful! I wish that things were a bit calmer for Dalena right now though. She is finishing school for the semester and spending a good bit of time worried about her family. Her step dad is still in the hospital and is struggling a bit. Dalena is really worried about her mom too. It's a rough time for her but with time, things get better, even when they really seem to stink.

She and I have been talking a good bit about the future and where we want to be. I think we're both so excited about the last 2 months and are ready to look forward. It's scary but also exciting. Change is exciting. I guess that's why this time of year is so much fun to me. I stay flexible so when things happen, I adapt and can progress forward. As each new event comes, I can experience it with Dalena and that is itself, a ton of fun.

for now, I must say good night. I have to be mentally awake a bit earlier than normal tomorrow for my evaluation with the bosses. It will be fun because they typically are fun but I still get nervous. I always worry that I'm not doing the job that is expected of me. I guess that is a good thing. Overconfidence will bite me in the rear if I'm not careful.

Good night all

weird feeling

I got a weird feeling today outside of Walgreens. Dalena and I were going to pick up a few things and a random dude knocked on my door. I saw this guy as we pulled into the space with a few dollars in hand so I figured he was going to ask me for money. This has happened on more than 1 occasion in this particular area. I got out of the car, and he did ask me for money after explaining his plight. Basically, he needed $20 to get firestone to come over, jack up his car, and then help him get the spare tire.

The weird feeling came when I tried to think about what to say. "No, I won't give you any money" didn't come out. Rather, I deferred to hollering at my wife after we got into the store because I didn't have cash. The guy mentioned something about me going to an ATM but that sounded shady. Dalena and entered the store, picked up our items and I spent the entire time in Walgreens debating back and forth about whether or not to take out $10 and give it to this guy. I felt sick inside, my stomach turning in knots.

Why did I feel this way you might ask? I've always been the nice guy. I'd love to help out everyone but after being the nice guy, I've gotten screwed over quite a bit. You see, the nice guy is nice to everyone but everyone isn't always nice to him. I've watched movies, TV and I've seen the news. Nice guy gives stranger some cash, but after pulling out his wallet, gets jumped for everything he has.

I was thinking about the Christian thing to do. I am reminded of the various parables and other stories about the good Samaritan, the woman who snubs the dirty homeless man who turns out to actually be Jesus, and the countless other tales of the diamond in the rough who is looking for that nice person to come along. Am I obligated to help this man? Is that the right thing to do?

The thing that threw me was that he asked for money. If he had asked to borrow my jack, or some tool, or asked for help changing the flat, I'd have done that without question. Instead, he asked me for $17 and offered to give me $40 in food in return for my assistance. What would you have done in the same situation?

As it happens, we did not give the man any money and I left Walgreens feeling weird and a lot like I should have given him something. If I had cash on me I'd have probably given him money but then I can say I'd probably have felt weird about doing that too. It's a strange thing.

For now, I must say good night. It's a big day back at work tomorrow after being out for a few days. The residents are packing to leave and the RAs are finishing finals. Here's to move out week!

Week in Review

I'm not sure what kind of information could possibly top Sunday May 1st. I'll see what I can do though. The week was rather eventful and a lot has happened since my last entry. As is customary, I'll start at the beginning :)

Dalena hopped a plane and made it safely to Houston Sunday night. I spent Sunday worried for her but knowing that the weather she was flying into was 100% better than what she flew out of. The RLAC Banquet, (end of year banquet for the Resident Assistant staff) was going on and I was trying to stay present there as several of my staff members were nominated for awards. Though none of them won, I was very proud of them anyway. It was a rough semester and they did well.

After the reception, all the craziness from the last entry happened. Fast forward to Monday. Staying up really late to play on twitter after a huge world event takes place does not for a good Monday make. Begrudingly, I woke up and got ready for the week. I find it odd that though I've not been married that long, I do not sleep well when my wife is not next to me. (sappy I know, but from the guys I've talked to, this holds true) The week started out and I just seemed to be a step behind. I'm not sure what was going on other than, I was stressed about the end of the year, worried about Dalena and her family, trying to figure out how I was going to get all the things that I do done for this week and next.

Thank God, Monday came and went and while I still felt overwhelmed, it wasn't quite as bad as this might read. Tuesday was spent preparing for my class which involved a presentation I needed to make about the final project. (Side note, I'm thinking of trying to get published with some of this research so here is hoping that happens) The class went very long and made for a very late night since Tuesday night is Kerr Hall staff night. Dalena's step dad was doing all right but as rough as my week was so far, Dalena and her mom were having a rougher one. They spent Sunday-Tuesday night in the ICU waiting room.

Wednesday, I woke up and packed my clothes. I was heading to Houston after work on this day. That drive ends up getting harder and harder each time I do it. I seriously wish that someone would hurry up and make a flying car. I've got the perfect prototype right here.

Anyway, we don't have flying cars that can travel through time so I huffed it and made the drive. I am so happy to have a Mom like mine. She opened her home to Dalena and her mom and they spent the night in a reclined position in the dark. Apparently the waiting room doesn't dim the lights so they slept in a brightly lit waiting room without taking a shower.

Since I arrived to Houston, we've spent a lot of hours sitting in the Shock and Trauma Intensive Care Unit waiting for good news. It's a sad place that can really get you down if you don't take a break now and then. Some people are there hoping for a miracle and some people are there that get to see one. It's a beautiful yet grusome place. That good news we were waiting for finally came today. For a full update on Don's condition, check out his caringbridge blog. I'll share the link later on but Don is doing much better today and is actually at the point in his recovery that he should be at. Doctors are very happy with his progress and plan to perform surgery on Monday. I kind of wish I could observe this because it is going to be 6 to 9 hours worth of work starting at the top of his head and working down, repairing bones and his eye as best they can.

For now, that is about all that is going on. I feel blessed to have been able to be here with Dalena and her family. It's been a lot of sitting but on the plus side, I've been able to get homework done and meet some new people in the process too. I'm sure our dogs hate that we've been gone so much but Mom takes them out and has been spoiling them. If she spoils our dogs like this I can only imagine what she is going to do with an actual grandchild.

Tomorrow we hit the road back to our home in Denton. Dalena is a little on the stressed side now because she has a lot of work to finish and missed a full week of school work and seeing clients. We are both so glad that this week ended with a high note though and hope that things continue moving in a positive direction for Don. For the most recent updates on his condition, go here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/donfonseca

I hope you all have a restful sleep. If you pray, think about praying for Don and his recovery, for Dalena's Mom to get some rest and ease the worry in her heart, for the doctors as they prepare for the full day of surgery Monday.

Take some time this weekend to clear your mind of the worry that rests inside you. I know I feel better when I get rid of that. Have a great weekend all!

What a day

Today was full of all sorts of emotionally powerful things. Some were amazing events and others were quite traumatic. It feels so long that I can't believe all the things that have happened. Here goes the run down.

Church this morning was pretty thought provoking. Working through the Book of Romans, we talked about the real problem with the world. All too often, people get caught up with the symptoms rather than dealing with the root of the issue. We as a people are distracted by so many other things that we forget the real reason we're here and who put us here. God. It was a great service and led to some great discussion over pancakes with Dalena.

After breakfast, we did some work around the apartment and did a little bit of homework. Dalena did more work while I watched some basketball. We got some bad news about an accident that her step dad had while working at home and which caused him to be airlifted to Houston Medical Center. We have been praying for him all day and the prognosis didn't look good earlier. We're still not sure how he is. Dalena hopped a plane to Houston and is there now. Hopefully everything turns out for the best.

Ma Mere, my grandmother, was admitted to the hospital today too. She recently had surgery to repair her pacemaker which was working poorly and it started to cause vibrations. She needed to be admitted so that it can be repaired.

I'm glad that both people are where they need to be so hopefully everyone will come out doing well.

After seeing Dalena off to the airport (Thanks Katie for taking her) Kerr staff headed to the RLAC banquet with a special guest. It was wonderful to see Lauren Dollarhide up at the podium speaking to us. She is an inspirational young woman who is in store to do some great things. God is good.

And now, as I type this post, I learn that Osama bin Laden has been killed. This closes a window to the much larger building of the war on terror. It's a bittersweet thing I suppose. One head to the hydra has been cut but now we as a people must watch out for the 3 heads that will pop up.

I just got an update on Dalena's step dad. He is out of surgery and has to make it through for now so that is good to hear.

What a full day!

Till tomorrow.

Pray for Don's recovery, Diricia's (Dalena's mom) worry and grief to be lessened, Demi and Dalena to be helped through this difficult time too. Pray for my grandmother and her healing in the hospital. Pray for the 9/11 victims and families. May they be at peace.

What a night.