Last year, after the hike was over, I was intent on keeping the beard as long as possible…that lasted all of 3 days since we were heading to Mel’s 10 yr reunion…So, here are the pics of the beard coming off…thinking about growing it back, what do you think?

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I was raised with the mantra above continually being repeated to me as it related to any facet of my life. My dad never cared if I got straight A’s, as long as my best effort didn’t result in straight A’s. If I could produce at that level, then I’d better bring home every report card covered in A’s, the more +’s, the better. Thus, it was second semester of my freshman year of college before I ever got anything less than an A on any subject on any report card. The class was LART, a snore of a class at AU that teaches the history of the church of God movement and other junk I didn’t really care about. Halfway through the semester, I tore ligaments in my ankle and had to miss a few classes as a result. My doctor visits were mostly during LART class and, since I was working to get my education at a place that gave you lower marks for poor attendance and not just poor performance, I received the aforementioned lower grade (a B+) and was livid. I called my dad, looking to get a sympathetic ear and some empathy for my anger, and his flippant response was simply, “Life sucks, then you die.” For him, he knew I’d tried my best given the circumstances, and that was enough.

Earlier in my life, one of my chores was taking out the trash at our house each week. It was the only time I ever ventured into the room on the right at the end of the hall. My two older brothers, James and John, called those few square feet home and kept Josh and I out under threat of death and dismemberment. At one point though, someone (it wasn’t me) snuck into the room, poured a bottle of deer pee (used for hunting, not medicinally!) on John’s bed, and lived to tell about it. While the culprit will remain nameless, he’s the best twin brother ever! I remember one particular chore day when I cautiously made my way into the filth hole where James and John slept and reached for the red plastic barrel-shaped trash can just inside the door on the left. I knew if I went in further than needed to reach the trash, my life was forfeit, so I determined to quickly dump the trash into my bag and be gone before anyone saw reason to harass me. I got the trash in the black bag and had turned to leave when I felt a hand grab the back of my neck and pull me back into the darkness. I was sure I was a goner! I held my breath and waited for the beating I was certain to endure, but it never came. The lights came on, and there stood my oldest brother, clutching my shoulder in one hand and the trash can in the other. My look was one of sheer terror, but for once, his was a look a kindness, sort of. He pointed to the inside of the trash can and asked what I saw. As I looked, still expecting death at any moment, I managed to stammer about the contents inside. There was a snotty tissue, some nasty gum stuck to the side, and a few other unmentionable items. Once I’d given inventory of the remaining trash, he told me to go ahead and get the rest out of the can and reminded me again that anything worth doing was worth doing right.

I’ve never forgotten that advice, and, to be honest, it is one of the reasons I’ve struggled mightily to keep this blog up to date. When we were hiking, every day was a new adventure, a new gripe, or some new experience to write about. I also had countless hours to think about what to say each day. These days, when the monotony of life gets in the way of adventure, I find it hard to continue bringing interesting things to the world wide web for everyone to read. I honestly wish I could do better, and I would like to promise I’ll be more consistent, but I’d hate to say that and make myself a liar. So, for those who like to comment and call me names for not blogging often enough, keep them coming. It reminds me to stop slacking!

We’re visiting family in Chicago now and everyone is crazy about the boy. It’ll be fun to see what he gets for Christmas, not that he’ll know any better, but fun just the same. Jake did role over on his own for the first time yesterday, which was pretty cool. I guess he’ll be driving soon! Merry Christmas everyone, and hopefully this won’t be my last blog of the year!