tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90425661758498254862024-02-19T11:13:37.144-05:00More later...Random thought and ideas from memjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-59480338671292267262021-02-17T22:56:00.001-05:002021-02-17T22:56:10.059-05:00WOW - what a long time!<p> Well, here we are in 2021, and I haven't posted on this site in 9 years. I happened to come across it by accident, having subscribed to a blogger's writings and it logged me in. I didn't even remember that I had this! On the positive, I did realize that Dad had a lot of his writings from when he was at Morganton Baptist on HIS blog site, so I've been able to pull those off of that and save them onto my personal computer. And the cool thing is that he did a sermon series on the one that I am doing now. <br /><br />Oh, I should probably mention some changes that have happened in the last 9 years, at least on a person level. First, the older twins are now nearly 10. Samuel and Joshua are in the 3rd grade now. Their twin siblings, Amelia and Quinton, were born in 2013 in early November. There was some craziness right after they were born that I might blog about in the next few days to preserve for posterity, but this is not the time. <br /><br />Besides that, I worked for two different companies as a merchandiser. This became my second career, even if I sort of fell into it. I worked with Anderson Merchandisers from 2014-2016, then worked at Food Lion in Blue Ridge as a deli worker (using a lot of the skills I acquired when I worked in food service), plus learned how to decorate cupcakes and cakes a bit. After leaving there in 2017, I worked with Schwan's Foods until September of 2020 as a merchandiser putting up pizzas and other such things like that. <br /><br />Dad passed away in November 2017 of a massive heart attack. It was completely sudden, and he didn't know what hit him. We moved in with Mom in February 2018, and now have a house of our own right next door to her. We lost Tasha's Mom, Bonnie, to cancer in November 2020. It's been a rough time losing parents in November. </p><p>As I mentioned, I left Schwan's in September of last year. The reason for this was that I was called as the pastor of Mount Lebanon Baptist Church in Suches, Georgia. I've been hoping and praying for the opportunity to preach on a regular basis since I was ordained in 2011. God really provided greatly for this opportunity to come open. I'll write more about this later as well in an upcoming post. </p><p>Just as always, more later...</p>mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-11387631929419860952012-11-07T10:43:00.000-05:002012-11-07T10:43:06.261-05:00A few thoughts on the 2012 ElectionJust a few thoughts:<br /><br />1) I predicted back in 2008 when Barack Obama won the election that if the Republicans ran another older white male for president, they'd lose. Unfortunately, that happened and in terms of the electoral college, the Republicans lost badly (the popular vote was much closer). I was surprised at how Romney actually made it a closer election than it seemed.<br />
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2) I think that we're going to see one of the worst 2nd term presidents in a long time. This is not necessarily an Obama thing, but rather, it's a presidential thing. We've already seen in the past that most second term presidents are not very successful. For instance, Bush 2 can be termed a failure for his second term, Clinton's certainly was, Reagan's was not great, Nixon was impeached and resigned, and Truman left office with the lowest approval rating until Bush 2. Eisenhower didn't have a necessarily bad 2nd term, but it can be said that many of the decisions made in that second term made things interesting for the next 50 years.<br />
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3) The charter school amendment in Georgia passing is going to be a windfall for private companies working in Georgia. Sadly, this means that Georgia students and teachers will again be getting the short end of the stick once again. I told Tasha last night that we should seriously start contemplating working for charter schools because that's where the money for schools in Georgia is going to go. At least we might not have furlough days there if that happens.<br /><br />4) When I woke up this morning, I felt that we had reelected Hoover rather than electing FDR. The analogy is that in the Great Depression, Hoover sat back and tried to let the market correct itself until it was essentially too late. Having read some about what Hoover would have done if reelected, it seems that our current president is doing much of the same. Mainly, it was to let things work themselves out on their own rather than stepping in and doing something. When Hoover did step in, he did so in a way that did not assist people, and did not work towards any means of pulling out of the depression. Sound familiar?<br /><br />5) Finally, it'll be interesting to see what both parties do in the next four years. I sincerely doubt that there will be much crossing the aisle to work with one another, so nothing will happen really in the next few years. Sad, really, that we are stuck in neutral as a country.<br /><br />In all, it was an interesting night last night. As I said four years ago, I hope that my assumptions are wrong and that the president proves to be a great person. As always, more later....mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-56403439867037317352012-09-30T21:20:00.001-04:002012-09-30T21:20:15.197-04:00Birthday boys!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We couldn't post this video except here, so here's the boys having their birthday cake! :)mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-751122674867538112012-09-03T19:18:00.001-04:002012-09-03T19:18:47.764-04:00Bath time! Here's the boys taking their first bath without a support. Samuel's having too much fun and Joshua seems to be like "what in the world are we doing?!"<br />
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mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-44504578788014002612012-04-30T23:09:00.003-04:002021-04-30T13:18:51.468-04:00My Automotive History - UPDATED 2/2021So, I stole this idea from <a href="http://www.15q.net/">www.15q.net</a>, which is a cool website about mostly license plates across the nation. However, one section, the author put down all of his cars, beginning with his first. So, I'm stealing the idea! I wonder who else might do this with me? :D (Btw, I don't have pictures for all the cars scanned, so I'll put in some pictures from the internet as fill-in.)<br /><br /><br />
<b>My first car of my own - 1982 Buick Electra Limited</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcvTJvpnKG0pfOXud21ZlYuUPxMb41QS5nw4PMDFgppHo5yNXZ1VF7KVWiol0bhVCARpleIktkg6hSLD0zrL1nJMnQ1_k_NKcIYM1fSHQl1AcfxTZTx4NoTwHNDasHTCFbRL9RIk4kFI/s1600/Buick+Front.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcvTJvpnKG0pfOXud21ZlYuUPxMb41QS5nw4PMDFgppHo5yNXZ1VF7KVWiol0bhVCARpleIktkg6hSLD0zrL1nJMnQ1_k_NKcIYM1fSHQl1AcfxTZTx4NoTwHNDasHTCFbRL9RIk4kFI/s320/Buick+Front.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(By the way, not my car, but pretty darn close. I'll see if I can change the picture with a scan of my Buick later)<br />
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This was a grandma car, literally. The original owners had bought it new in 1982 as a closeout special. They had had the engine rebuilt two years before I bought it, had the interior redone a year before. In other words, I was getting a car that was nearly brand new for $1200. The downside was that we had to immediately put it into the shop for $1200 worth of transmission repairs and the seat transmission (to move it forwards and backwards) went out in 2001, necessitating me to drive from nearly the back seat for the last year I owned it. When gas got to $1.75 a gallon, I couldn't afford the 14 miles to the gallon that I was getting. We sold it for $1 to a family that needed good transportation and a reliable one at that. A good first car.<br />
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Particulars:</b><br />Owned: June, 2002-July, 2002<br />
Miles Driven: Approximately 50,000 - the speedometer broke shortly after we bought it b/c of a faulty wire.<div>Disposition: Sold to another family in Mableton, GA<br />
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<b>2nd Car - 1992 Mercury Tracer</b></div><div><b><br /></b>
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<b><br /></b><br />(Again, not the real car, but close.)<br />
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I HATED this car. Dad found it for me from one of his friends at NAMB and we bought it for around $1500. The engine was underpowered, the steering horrible, and, as you can see from the above picture, everything was plastic. It was not a car that was built for a 6'1'' person, and was often in danger of being blown off the interstate by crickets and grasshoppers. Most of the time, it was running on three cylinders because it would burn through spark plug wires, and most important...IT WOULDN'T DIE. I tried many times to kill the engine in this thing. Give it to Ford for finally building the indestructible engine. Even though it would burn oil, I wouldn't put any in and hardly ever took it to get an oil change. It would finally ping when it would be ready for another quart. What finally killed it was getting rear-ended by another person in Carrollton who was going around 35 and didn't hit her brakes. The whole rear end of the car was crushed, the trunk deck was lifted around an inch, and the rearview mirror popped off with so much force that it took an entire piece of glass from the outside with it.<br /><br /><b>
Particulars:</b><br />
Owned: July 2002 - September 2004<br />
Miles Driven: No idea, but too many for my tastes.<br />
Disposition: Totaled and sent to a junk yard in Ranburne, AL<br />
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<b><br />3rd Car - 1978 Mercedes-Benz 300D</b><br /><br />
The most amazing car known to mankind.<br />
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This was and still is my all-time favorite car. I still talk about it at least once a week and still have a heart and longing for another one. We had a 1982 300D as a family car in the mid-90s that Nathan had a wreck in and was totaled. We had another 2 D-model Mercedes from 1996-2002, one of which was another 300, and the other was a 240. When the opportunity to have whatever car I could find for $1500 came up, I began to look for another 300D for myself. This beauty was what I found. A perfect body, but needed some light work underneath the hood and in the suspension. It had the Euro headlights, plether blue interior, and the original radio was still in it. I was hoping that this would be my long-term project car, but unfortunately, the original engine gave out at 340,000 miles, cracking two of the five cylinders while I was driving to work one day in Carrollton. We tried to sell it for a while, but it just sat. Sadly, in late 2006 I sold it for a parts car. Even more sad, I never registered it with Mercedes or wrote down the VIN number, so I won't ever be able to come across the chassis if I wanted to. <div><br /></div><div>(UPDATE 2021 - I found out from the person I used as a broker to sell this car that it is actually still on the road!! The person who bought it put a new engine into it, and when he was not able to drive anymore gave it to one of his children. They still drive it!) <br /><br /><b>
Particulars:</b><br />
Owned: October 2004 - September 2006 (ran until April 2005)<br />
Miles Driven: close to 100,000.<br />
Disposition: Engine busted, sold to a junk dealer in Western North Carolina<br />
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<b>4th Car - 1995 Mazda Millenia </b><br /><br />
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For a while, I didn't have any car to drive consistently. I drove a 1995 Dodge Spirit that had been my Mamaw's, then Dad's. However, Dad gave it to BJ without telling me or letting me have a say! I drove Dad's 1995 Toyota Paseo convertible for a while, all the time trying to save up enough money to buy a car. This one was not a bad car overall, but not a great one, either. Bought this through Craigslist in Blairsville for $1200. I only owned this for a short while because it spat smoke like it was a chimney. Apparently, the V6 model of this car had a problem with the scrubbers that were installed, but it cost quite a bit to get down to them so you could fix it. Instead of dealing with that, we sold it so that we could get something a little better and more dependable. Funny enough, I made money on the sale of it, selling it for $1500!<br />
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(UPDATE 2021 - Dad's Paseo ended up being donated with their 2005 Kia Sedona van and a 2001 Ford Taurus that I had briefly owned but given to Dad to American Red Cross - see below.)<br /><br /><b>
Particulars:<br /></b>
Owned: March 2007 - September 2007<br />
Miles Driven: About 10,000.<br />
Disposition: Sold to a guy in the Atlanta area.<br />
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<b>5th Car - 2007 Hyundai Accent GLS </b><br /><br />
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This was my first brand new car ever. We bought it at Cartersville Hyundai (which, sadly, is out of business) for around $10,000. It was a fun little car, but that was the problem: little. When Tasha and I found out that we were having twins, we realized that we needed something much larger pronto. Thankfully, the resale value had stood up rather well and we were able to get more than we owed for it when we traded it in for our first van (see 7th car).<br /><br /><b>
Particulars:</b><br />
Owned: September 2007 - September 2011<br />
Miles Driven: Slightly more than 40,000.<br />
Disposition: Traded in at Capital BGC in Marietta, GA.<br />
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<b>6th Car - 2008 Hyundai Sonata GLS </b><br /><br />
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(unfortunately, we don't have a good picture of our Sonata, but it looked exactly like this)<br />
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The infamous 'trim piece' car...we bought this car when gas went over $4 a gallon. Tasha had a 2004 Honda CR-V (a car we should have kept) that was killing us on gas at the time. We traded that in for this car, and were pleased with it while we drove it. A good and roomy car, it did lack a bit under the hood, but it was a sedan and a new one at that. The problem for us was that right before we traded it in for our second van (see car 8), the back window exploded on us because of the heat. While all of us have heard of this before, I don't think any of us have ever seen it happen. When we took it to the dealership (because we were still well under the 50,000 mile warranty), we were told that the back window was only covered in the 10,000 mile warranty because it was a TRIM PIECE. I was seeing red. Needless to say, we quickly decided that since Hyundai couldn't actually stand behind what they stated their warranty was, we couldn't own any of their vehicles. We traded this car in after about a month of getting it fixed.<br /><br /><b>
Particulars:</b><br />
Owned: November 2007 - October 2011<br />
Miles Driven: 48,000<br />
Disposition: Traded in at Capital BGC in Marietta, GA<br />
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<b>7th Car - 2004 Honda Odyssey EX-L</b><b><br /></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMmXfU6iF1XBPUTClBe4Vdn5fAbN8WviMI1USb8vlq2Cen4KvHigk7q_Po0pIdMcmX8MBqtGKqXoNlrR-1PN4BFWzbuqzJS46d1lbUAYMcYGAPL-Wsds8i727XlBb7Z860xkc0wZVEBs/s1600/04+Honda+Odyssey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMmXfU6iF1XBPUTClBe4Vdn5fAbN8WviMI1USb8vlq2Cen4KvHigk7q_Po0pIdMcmX8MBqtGKqXoNlrR-1PN4BFWzbuqzJS46d1lbUAYMcYGAPL-Wsds8i727XlBb7Z860xkc0wZVEBs/s320/04+Honda+Odyssey.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b><br />We bought this because we needed something to bring the boys home in, and this really fit our needs. I told Tasha that if we were going to get a van, the only kind that I wanted was a Honda. She found this one at Capital for a song, and on top of it, it has all of the bells and whistles that one could ask for. It was just at 103,000 when we bought it (we've put on around 11,000 going between Blue Ridge and other places in it), and runs very smooth. Leather seats, heated seats, CD player, DVD player, 2-zone AC/Heat, side and front airbags, 4 captain chairs, and a tape deck. :D<br />
<br /><b>Particulars:</b><br />
Owned: September 2011 - October 2012<br />
Miles Driven: around 20,000<br />
Disposition: Traded in at Cobb County Kia for 2013 Kia Sorento<br />
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<b><br /></b></div><div><b>8th car - 2005 Honda Odyssey EX</b><br />
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We got this van after the Sonata fiasco, but also because we realized that we needed another vehicle that Tasha could get into the back of if the boys needed us. Since Joshua came home from NICU and on an apnea monitor, we had to be sure he was breathing. This is pretty much a bottom-of-the-line Odyssey, but it still has cruise control, a CD player (which we had to replace immediately after buying because the laser didn't work. Thankfully the dealership we bought it from paid for the Pioneer system we have in it now), and also room for 8. It's got a bit more pep than the 04, but it does sometimes ride a bit rougher than the other van. This is likely because it needs better tires than what came on it when we first bought it.<br />
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Particulars:<br /></b>
Owned: October 2011 - October 2012<br />
Miles Driven: Around 8,000<br />
Disposition: Traded at Cobb County Kia for 2013 Kia Sorento<br />
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<b>9th Car - 2013 Kia Sorento LX</b><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi93ejJGztzZvOQkBFlso4KXIueNbOJaRgjsxvr28LqrOjvmc2JrRtJ89UDXCKrW_JoMb-Rp3intjKc41-62_RWlzFOPxpH9W4ZXfgRgRhiMOdVnXJmpXIOnyhRbjFWAcQFCn2KdMR0MtE/s2576/20190115_073715.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1932" data-original-width="2576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi93ejJGztzZvOQkBFlso4KXIueNbOJaRgjsxvr28LqrOjvmc2JrRtJ89UDXCKrW_JoMb-Rp3intjKc41-62_RWlzFOPxpH9W4ZXfgRgRhiMOdVnXJmpXIOnyhRbjFWAcQFCn2KdMR0MtE/s320/20190115_073715.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We traded in both of the Honda vans for this Kia Sorento when we thought that it would be all we needed for a family of eventually 6. Needless to say, this was not the eventual case! After I left working for Blue Ridge UMC, we only needed one vehicle for a while. That was until February 2014. Our family was knocked to pieces (see further posts for more details). Tasha ended up driving this for quite a while until we were gifted my Mamaw's 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan (see below). I ended up driving this again when I was driving all over creation for merchandising jobs. It ended up having electrical problems, and we traded it in for another van. This was the vehicle that we have owned for the longest, at least to this point. Tasha had a wreck in it in March 2014. The side doors, side pillar, and front fender were completely replaced. I had an animal hit in it Christmas Eve 2016, with the entire front bumper cover being replaced. <br /><br /><b>Particulars:</b></div><div>Owned: October 2012 - March 2019<br />Miles Driven: Started around 1900 miles, drove it until it was over 153000. <br />Disposition: Traded in at Gwinnett Place Ford for 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan<br />
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<b>10th Car - 1995 Buick LeSabre Limited</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwdP2HClpken7no1I39Pv8BhKRP3PU0qzGdApnfSLVaUdCHFuj-aDRMhDamIOWozD_KZBsWB-wFH_xGTIjtztTgcOI8AoETvGNrS5lPn_Tz0aZb1JszyEfO8Mzm7ydfd55MgqjGl3wN0/s2048/95+Buick+Drivers+Side.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwdP2HClpken7no1I39Pv8BhKRP3PU0qzGdApnfSLVaUdCHFuj-aDRMhDamIOWozD_KZBsWB-wFH_xGTIjtztTgcOI8AoETvGNrS5lPn_Tz0aZb1JszyEfO8Mzm7ydfd55MgqjGl3wN0/s320/95+Buick+Drivers+Side.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b>We bought this car for $1500 from a 'pay-as-you-go' place in Acworth, GA. As you can see in the picture, the front left fender was held together with Gorilla Glue tape. The interior was nearly perfect with leather seats that were like couches, and other than the heads blowing on me once, it was actually a rather dependable car. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Particulars:</b></div><div>Owned: March 2014 - March 2015</div><div>Miles Driven: Not 100% certain, but well over 80k</div><div>Disposition: Sold locally in Blue Ridge - have not seen it on the road in more than 2 years (as of 2021)</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>11th Car - 2001 Ford Taurus </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Cxp1OXDVp93uVymnLGlCKA6BZONBrEHUKtuXm7ThOKThXstq-niv0ORUB9CpGZVT2I2JDtLLR9aL71loFLGHcaSIlOGv2DvUImTcAcnudz42FgItu9inHfKkqsdME4e-EzaNudGXJak/s2576/20190307_115012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1932" data-original-width="2576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Cxp1OXDVp93uVymnLGlCKA6BZONBrEHUKtuXm7ThOKThXstq-niv0ORUB9CpGZVT2I2JDtLLR9aL71loFLGHcaSIlOGv2DvUImTcAcnudz42FgItu9inHfKkqsdME4e-EzaNudGXJak/s320/20190307_115012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Literally the only photo I have of this car is it on the back of this wrecker taking off the other two cars with it that were donated to the American Red Cross by Mom after Dad's death in November 2017. We bought this Taurus as a stopgap until we could afford something better, and Mamaw gave us her old Grand Caravan shortly after we got it. This Taurus had transmission issues, which are common in these vehicles. I ended up giving this car to Dad right after we got the Dodge from Mamaw, and Dad drove it until his death, and then Mom drove it until it was donated in 2019. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>Particulars:</b></div><div>Owned: March 2015 - July 2015</div><div>Miles Driven: maybe 5k? I drove it for work as a merchandiser, so I know I put on some</div><div>Disposition: Given to Dad, finally donated 2019. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><b>12th Car - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieU1Xvvtq32jO2BUsgvrzp_FZuBqypI4TXU55j0cX76tIgi6rnKej9Kw-6CaaouYQmbvj4ioQeL9PS0Vtocfnc1Ut0-_D33bOyMLS_JhA6-q4o1ZH9oxGRiYPZ9XyJB7zMbXpsZz0ot9c/s2048/Purple+Van+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1153" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieU1Xvvtq32jO2BUsgvrzp_FZuBqypI4TXU55j0cX76tIgi6rnKej9Kw-6CaaouYQmbvj4ioQeL9PS0Vtocfnc1Ut0-_D33bOyMLS_JhA6-q4o1ZH9oxGRiYPZ9XyJB7zMbXpsZz0ot9c/s320/Purple+Van+3.jpg" /></a></div><br />Oh, what stories this van could tell. My Mamaw gave us this van after she determined that she did not need a second vehicle after buying herself a Toyota SUV. When we went to pick it up, the bottom radiator hose burst on us, so I had to change it in the Jefferson, GA Walmart parking lot. Second, it broke down on us in Knoxville, TN on the way home from Oma's House in Virginia on New Year's Day in 2018. We were able to limp it back home and drove it for another few months, hoping and praying that it wouldn't break down again on us. It had dual controls for AC and Heat, split in front and back. It had dual sliding doors, a large amount of storage room, and a tape deck. Affectionately nicknamed "Purple Rain".</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Particulars:</div><div>Owned: July 2015 - February 2018</div><div>Miles Driven - not 100% sure, but likely over 100k</div><div>Disposition - Traded to Jacky Jones Ford for 2017 Ford Transit 350 XLT</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>13th Car - 2017 Ford Transit 350 XLT</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2tX0aQgUFCXRqsl6M3pKpuMwOKD_xFlOkPK3LSAywjveAnDG_8Id-p3iQBWWIH7-VVxRiFMRf-02r6bu__hQ-b1IPjP-beSjDYaB0B8rn2TIkSuWjxR0AhPKM1EFRC-YD2hIZ-ygJos/s2576/20201201_073637.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2576" data-original-width="1932" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2tX0aQgUFCXRqsl6M3pKpuMwOKD_xFlOkPK3LSAywjveAnDG_8Id-p3iQBWWIH7-VVxRiFMRf-02r6bu__hQ-b1IPjP-beSjDYaB0B8rn2TIkSuWjxR0AhPKM1EFRC-YD2hIZ-ygJos/w197-h262/20201201_073637.jpg" width="197" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR1oFxgONLpusmXXAHVjtnJahyphenhyphenMqkn3uDlFvqOmgb8bTjI3QZJqR4VTkxhhOnE-PKy76zZU4RptEO4ph3XEY5j6Qu5RTYy3RpXl3bDeGTcxb08vowTcDsizalXWcm8qjyD3__QkzpuOE/s1440/20191231_122230.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1164" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR1oFxgONLpusmXXAHVjtnJahyphenhyphenMqkn3uDlFvqOmgb8bTjI3QZJqR4VTkxhhOnE-PKy76zZU4RptEO4ph3XEY5j6Qu5RTYy3RpXl3bDeGTcxb08vowTcDsizalXWcm8qjyD3__QkzpuOE/s320/20191231_122230.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-FzkMwXbDsPu9xpNb_dyjs-aTc-rrojKBKIWYN0ykRqrsuk7C1rM2nG8EgnhaSZUDrp0HIlD2gcemjw63kSNaGjmloFBPAW8P-2HMc-L3DWjMjvOLsVypfKGqJfssJ7-acy3C4SX9vE/s1280/2017+Ford.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-FzkMwXbDsPu9xpNb_dyjs-aTc-rrojKBKIWYN0ykRqrsuk7C1rM2nG8EgnhaSZUDrp0HIlD2gcemjw63kSNaGjmloFBPAW8P-2HMc-L3DWjMjvOLsVypfKGqJfssJ7-acy3C4SX9vE/s320/2017+Ford.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>Quite literally the largest vehicle we have ever owned. This is a mid-roof Ford Transit. It stands at 8'6'' tall, and is almost 18 feet long. It's a huge vehicle that can seat 15 people (although three seats are currently taken out at the moment for more storage space). A few downsides - it is difficult to park in most parking places, so you have to be choosy, or park further out than usual. The height and weight of it makes it scary to work on. The tires wear out quickly because of said weight. But on the positive, it is an easy van to drive, it's got great sight lines, it makes you feel like you're flying in the air, and it's HUGE. We have enough room for all the kids, plus more. And it actually gets halfway decent mileage considering its size. <br />
<br />Particulars:</div><div>Owned: February 2018 - Present</div><div>Miles Driven - As of 2/18/21 - around 46000</div><div>Disposition - Currently own/drive</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>14th Car Owned - 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0BZyFT0dmKDByHBqla_uNThEVkFK8UlbOkSwH73oThVxAJzJENOg5sHuEiSe_6YG5wKHaEVO83EZm-tUOza3Gp8AjMoKzeSzdsa94kVvH0fZ1rt6w7CJvSOWY4qC-6TCsNanfVQi9YQ/s960/2019+Dodge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0BZyFT0dmKDByHBqla_uNThEVkFK8UlbOkSwH73oThVxAJzJENOg5sHuEiSe_6YG5wKHaEVO83EZm-tUOza3Gp8AjMoKzeSzdsa94kVvH0fZ1rt6w7CJvSOWY4qC-6TCsNanfVQi9YQ/s320/2019+Dodge.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Our latest Dodge Grand Caravan (and likely last one since the announcement that Grand Caravans will not be produced anymore after 2020), this car has power sliding doors, power rear lift, power windows, power locks, power front driver's seat, dual heat/AC, CD/DVD player, XM Radio, fog lights, alloy wheels, roof rack, and leather seats. About all this doesn't have is seat warmers, a DVD system for the back, and the trip computer. This is honestly perhaps nicer than most of the other vehicles that we have owned. We traded in the Kia Sorento for this when the Sorento lit up more lights than a Christmas tree. The only downside is that we have put a great amount of miles on it since we first got it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Particulars: </div><div>Owned - March 2019 - Present</div><div>Miles Driven: 53000</div><div>Disposition - Currently own/drive<br />
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<br />Hopefully these last two will last as long as the Kia Sorento did. We have extended warranties on them, and have already had to use them once on each vehicle. We are enjoying them greatly, but you never know when we might add another to the fleet! </div><div><br /></div><div>UPDATE - 4/20/21</div><div><br /></div><div><b>15th Car Owned - 1956 Pontiac Star Chief</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7oddygSK4OY6D90hyphenhyphen4NfSWdDa6au_7Nb0ltI8ZLkSr9hbJuC9Z8a9HNyU-dFIw_TPeCGHN_MfoMpZDUyqgsq0R70B3lfR0e00u1EM7dWoSIwF6BAM0mY27BxQFkUcCH6z6CSzLL8K8Hw/s960/Pontiac+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7oddygSK4OY6D90hyphenhyphen4NfSWdDa6au_7Nb0ltI8ZLkSr9hbJuC9Z8a9HNyU-dFIw_TPeCGHN_MfoMpZDUyqgsq0R70B3lfR0e00u1EM7dWoSIwF6BAM0mY27BxQFkUcCH6z6CSzLL8K8Hw/s320/Pontiac+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiix7fOWnnRjauMyhE8mq5ruEs5Zi4FSRZuywMc7-Rmw3u2DNkwwBbuIuDi_nqmBSTZw-uld3Qo5nms1rMb3NbCoMbZC6WY18Me6exi2GRIwYTunPE18IX5ChC7pIMK_uFaG69H0zB2QOU/s960/Pontiac+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiix7fOWnnRjauMyhE8mq5ruEs5Zi4FSRZuywMc7-Rmw3u2DNkwwBbuIuDi_nqmBSTZw-uld3Qo5nms1rMb3NbCoMbZC6WY18Me6exi2GRIwYTunPE18IX5ChC7pIMK_uFaG69H0zB2QOU/s320/Pontiac+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Oh man, this has quickly become perhaps my favorite car that I've owned to date. A true classic car in all senses, we got this from a friend of a friend. It has (likely) 186000+ miles on it, but it cranks every time. It has the 316.6 ci engine (5.7 liter) V8, automatic Hydramatic transmission, and power steering. It also has factory air conditioning, although it has to be converted to the new fluid. It does still need a little bit of work (namely floor pans in the front), but it drives so well. When we picked it up, we drove from nearly Athens, GA back to Blue Ridge in it without any trouble. Thus far (April 2021), the only things we've had to do to is get the brake cylinders changed, a fuel filter, and normal oil change. We've got some plans for this long term, but it'll be a ways down the road. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>Particulars: </div><div>Owned - March 2021 - Present</div><div>Miles Driven: around 1000</div><div>Disposition - Currently own/drive</div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div>mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-44458395389388310152012-01-11T12:03:00.002-05:002012-01-11T12:12:24.970-05:00WorkSo I obviously haven't updated in quite a while. No small wonder with two boys needing bottles, changing, and trying to be in a routine. In any case, it has been a bit crazy over the last few months. I have been working at Blue Ridge UMC coming up on three months now and things seem to be humming along. I've got around 10 kids that show up regularly, and we are starting to show signs of maybe growing just a little bit. Considering my first night I was here we had five kids, I think that this is a bit of an accomplishment. I also feel like we are making an impact within the church itself. While it isn't part of my job description to read scripture, greet people, or to sing in the choir, I have always done this in whatever church we have been at. I just feel more complete as a churchgoer to do this. Honestly, I don't feel that it takes away from the youth, either. Pretty much I feel like this is one of those great examples of follow my lead. It most certainly falls into our new slogan of "Seeking Jesus, Serving Jesus, Giving Jesus" within our own church. <br /><br />In any case, I have been reading some blogs about different aspects of church ministry, and I find it funny sometimes how some ministers try to put a blanket idea over all churches because that is what they feel comfortable in. I recently read a particular post about an evaluation of a church in Oklahoma where a pastor from here in Georgia had gone out. Knowing how this particular minister is and what kind of church he has had, I found it a little amusing that essentially he was telling this church that they needed to make a church just like his out in Oklahoma. One major thing that he did not address, though, was how people would connect more deeply with God through the church. It was all surface stuff rather than anything deeper than just the aesthetics of the church or the flow of the worship service. This, of course, was the major flaw at his church and was one of the reasons why he ended up leaving his ministry. While extraordinarily talented at creating an atmosphere that was inviting and new, he lacked the skill to move new Christians away from the baby food and onto the meat of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps what is saddest, though, is that he does not realize that he is lacking badly in this. <br /><br />I guess what I am trying to say for myself and those who read this who are in ministry is that we must always strive to be inclusive towards others, but also that we must address the deeper needs of those that we are trying to reach. I might have a ministry that is overwhelmingly attractive towards youth in Blue Ridge, but if I am not meeting their spiritual needs, then what am I doing in the first place? <br /><br />Oh well, rant over. :D More later!mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-64743705029114301562011-08-16T23:37:00.002-04:002011-08-16T23:40:18.186-04:00Changed the backgroundAs some of you may have noticed, I changed the background of my blog here. One of the reasons that I had it the way that it was was a defense mechanism. When we lost our two children the last time that we did IVF, needless to say I was pretty depressed. Finding that template that had the birds flying just seemed to be symbolic for me to know that it was ok. However, I didn't want to have the colors other than black for mourning on here...just somehow it all made me feel somewhat better about the whole situation.
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<br />In any case, the new template is of the world. I can't wait until the boys are here and can explore their new world. I know that it will be limited to their cribs, the house, and church for a while, but I know in all too little time, they will be able to go anywhere they want to go in the world. Only 7 1/2 more weeks until they are here (hopefully no less).
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<br />Ok, got to get to bed. More later! mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-10638490774268353022011-07-18T10:38:00.002-04:002011-07-18T10:42:07.985-04:00New post...only 2 months late...It seems that when I am working on school things that I don't blog quite as often as I would like to. I suppose that's because I'm already writing so much during the week that I don't really want to write too much otherwise. Anywho...in the previous two months, I've been ordained and had a job interview with a company a friend works at. Needless to say, one went much better than the other. :D <br /><br />The ordination service was really great because it truly felt like I am doing exactly what God wants me to be doing in my life. I don't know if I'll end up in a church or not, but I know that being a pastor is truly what I am called to do. <br /><br />As for the interview, it was not with a Christian company or church. It just didn't go as well as I thought it would. We'll see what happens over the next few days. I'll post something here when I know something. :D <br /><br />For now, that's it. More later.mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-69287861969809537512011-05-08T22:10:00.006-04:002011-05-10T00:26:24.722-04:00Finally updating.It's been quite a while since I have written in here because I have not had a ton of time to write at all. Let's start back with Thanksgiving.<br /><br />Thanksgiving - We had a great trip up to the mountains and had nearly everyone from the family up at Bonnie and Jim's house. What the real surprise was, though, was when we went to TubaChristmas. Tasha had been acting strange most of that day, and I just figured that she was trying to be squirrelly. I really kind of got irritated with her because I was hungry and nobody would give me an answer on where we were going to eat. Well, what Tasha was up to was a surprise party for me at Mercier's Orchards. It was truly a great surprise, considering that I haven't had that kind of party for me I think ever. :D <br /><br />Christmas - we went up to the mountains while Tasha's family went down to Florida. What was supposed to be a fun Christmas day ended up being quite scary, frankly. Tasha and I had gone to her parent's house with our cats and to take care of the two dogs up there. We knew that there was going to be a bit of snow. Most reporters and websites were saying at worst, we'd have three inches. Well, we had that when we got the Accent stuck into the snow and mud on the side of the road at Deep Gap in Fannin County. Luckily, we caught a ride from a good Samaritan that let us hitch over to Home Depot. Dad came down from the house to pick us up there. <br /><br />The sad thing is, this should have been the end of the day at that point. There was around six inches of snow on the ground already. Well, we realized that the dogs (both Tasha's parents and grandparent's dogs were at the house across the county at this point), and they weren't going to 1) have enough food for two days, and 2) weren't going to make it for the bathroom for those two days either. We got a break from the snow for a while, and so BJ, Dad, and I piled into Dad's van to go down to the Bonnie and Jim's house. Well, we were doing well until we got out of the one set of tracks that went down to the house. We ended up in a ditch that was just low enough to put one tire up from the ground. While BJ and I hiked down to the house in the snow, Dad waited on a tow truck. We were able to let the dogs out, put out food and for the dogs and put out enough food and water for our cats as well. I got enough clothes for a couple of days, my computer, and our toiletries. Dad had come down and as we started to walk back, a person picked us up and took us to the van. We luckily got someone to stop with his Toyota Tacoma, and actually pulled us out of the ditch! When we got the van out, we realized that if we had gone off the road another 30-60 feet further, we would have dropped around 30 feet, and if we had gone off the road about 40 feet earlier, we would have been into heavier trees than we did hit. We finally pulled Tasha and I's car out two days later. We ended up with a full foot of snow! Needless to say, if we think there's going to be snow for Christmas, we may not go out.. :D <br /><br />January - Started out the New Year at our friend's house, Kerri and Michael. We ended up getting home around 2:30. Who'd have thought that, right?! :) We began to do shots in secret for another round of IVF. Both Tasha and I felt bad about keeping everything secret from everyone, but we didn't want to have the same thing to have happen like last time and everyone be disappointed. We didn't take a trip like we usually did on MLK weekend because poor Tasha was getting progesterone shots. We did get to travel a bit, though. We also did have another major snowstorm that knocked Tasha out of school for a whole week. This made things a bit dicey because we knew we were going to have to do a transfer on the 18th of February, and that was originally a day off for her. Well, we did lose that day, but Tasha was able to take the day off later. <br /><br />Also what happened in January were two important events for me. First of all, I was licensed for the ministry by Morganton Baptist Church on the first Sunday of the month. This was the first major step towards ordination for me, and made it where I could marry my first couple. That happened over MLK weekend! Kara Vick and Robert Boyer asked me to marry them at Seney-Stovall Chapel in Athens on that weekend. We nearly didn't make it because of all the ice that was still on the road after five days of it being on the roads and trees. Even when we were driving over, we still hit ice patches, especially when we picked up some of Tasha's medicine at our doctors in Sandy Springs. We ended up going sideways for a while until I could get us stopped spinning. It ended up taking us five hours to get to Athens from Emerson, a trip that usually takes only at most 2. We stayed at the Holiday Inn right next to campus and had just a wonderful time while we were there. I even danced quite a bit while we were there! :) (Btw, one of the cool things that I just found out about Seney-Stoval is that REM filmed there before. I was on the same stage as REM...just not at the same time. :D ) <br /><br />On a sadder note, Papaw passed away after his long battle with Alzheimer's. We ended up having a gorgeous set of funerals down in Milledgeville and up in the mountains. It was of course hard on the family, but it was definitely a release since Papaw had been sick for so long. <br /><br />February-now - The last couple of months have been sort of a blur because they have gone by so quick. Why not just combine them, right?! I started classes again just before February, and just ended them this last weekend. I took a leadership class, Old Testament (which I hated because of the teacher) and a New Testament class (which was interesting, but hard b/c of the teacher's hard grading). I also changed majors to Master's of Religious Education. I finished my degree for Christian Leadership, so when I do graduate from Liberty, I'll have two Master's degrees. <br /><br />On February 18th, we had two embryos implanted into Tasha. Obviously we were very nervous about going through this process again, but we trusted in God completely. We honestly felt that God led us to do IVF one more time. Well, after two weeks, we went back for our pregnancy test and were confirmed pregnant! After a couple more weeks, we actually had our first ultrasound and were able to hear our babies heartbeats. Yes, we are having TWINS! :D It was absolutely amazing to be able to hear the heartbeats, see their little bodies already growing, and know that God had blessed us so greatly. We have since heard the heartbeats grow steadily stronger, seen some of their facial features begin, and hopefully in a few weeks we'll know if we're having boys, girls, or one of each. We are also in high-speed planning mode. We already have quite a few outfits, the crib that all of Heather's kids used, a brand new crib for later for our second baby, and a list of things that I have to get done before the babies get here. :P <br /><br />One other major thing that we did last weekend was to trade in the Accent for a 2004 Honda Odyssey van. I have officially joined the daddy van club. :P But at least it's the EX-L model van from that year - it has all leather, DVD system, cruise control, heated front seats, and tons of other stuff. It's a really sweet vehicle. :D <br /><br />Also, I have been preaching quite a bit over the last couple of months at New Vision Baptist and Trinity Baptist here in Cartersville and once back up at Morganton. It's been amazing to be able to hone my skills as a preacher and feel much more confident while in front of lots of people. I still haven't really had a bite on a job, but I feel that one is coming very soon. <br /><br />Hope that fills everyone in on all that's happened since I last posted. :D I'll try to post more often, but for now, all I have to say is that I will write more later...:Dmjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-46536914706280092352010-11-16T14:43:00.002-05:002010-11-16T14:55:42.496-05:00CrazyIt's been a crazy couple of weeks since I last posted and it's not letting up. First of all, it's a week to Thanksgiving now. We are only 46 days until a new decade (I suppose we'll call them the Teens). It's hard to believe that this year is nearly done, though. I know that God's going to continue to bless us next year. <br /><br />It looks like we are going to be back up at Morganton Baptist for a while starting the last weekend of December. Not sure what all I'm going to get involved in yet, but I know it'll be good. :D One thing that I know will happen is that I'm going to try to start a young married and soon to be married class up there. I feel that this is something that God wants me to do. <br /><br />In any case, got to run for now. Clothes are waiting to be folded and washed. More later!mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-70171162700319685212010-10-20T01:19:00.003-04:002010-10-20T01:31:51.826-04:00It's been a while...So, you see the title, no real reason to re-write it. :D In any case, I finished this semester of classes, and it looks like I'm going to have 2 A's in these classes. They weren't as easy as I thought they were going to be. The first was Discipleship 500, which is basically an introduction class to discipleship. The final project is what kicked my butt. Talk about practical learning; we had to come up with a complete discipleship curriculum for a particular group within the church. Mine ended up being youth, and I think that I did a decent job on it. However, I also think that it would have been much better had I not waited until Thursday night to really get working on it. I had worked on it some on Wednesday, but I realized on Thursday that I was doing everything wrong and had to basically scrap everything. In any case, I finished it, got it turned in, and will be reworking it sometime in the near future so that it more represents the kind of youth group that I want. :D<br /><br />The second class was Team Leadership and Conflict Resolution. Talk about hitting home. What this class did was remind me that even small conflicts can result in separation from God. Not exactly a pretty picture. We had to do a paper on a book called "The Peacemaker", and it was tough. There was some conflict in my life that I liked to hold onto rather than letting God take care of it, but I was able to realize my mistake and correct it. <br /><br />I could have graduated this semester, but I wanted to take two more classes. I was thinking that I was going to take Prep of the Sermon, but I realized that it was not that practical for me to do so. This is not to say that I don't need it; I just feel that I need help in other areas more so. Also, I have access to the course syllabi if I ever want to find more books to read. So, the first class that I chose was Intro to World Missions. I have long felt that I want to work in home missions more than world, so this may end up being more of a challenge than I anticipate. The kind of cool thing about this class is that there is a 15 page paper that is about people groups and how to reach them. This sort of ties into home missions because there are so many people from all different places in the world right here in the US, so it's important to know where they come from, who has been working with them to know Christ, and how to culturally meet their needs in the name of Christ. I know that I'm probably the only nerd who gets excited for things like that. :D <br /><br />The other class is sort of a repeat of one of my earlier classes, but I feel that I need more work in it. It is New Testament Introduction, which is similar to New Testament I. The difference is that it is more historical in view, thus quenching my thirst for historical classes. :D That, and I think that it will help me again to focus on the reasons why God chose to send Jesus at that time rather than another. <br /><br />In any case, I'll be finished with classes sometime in March this coming year. I think that I'm going to enjoy these classes. Y'all keep praying that God leads me to the church that I need to be at and to the place in both Tasha and my lives that he wants us to be in! :D <br /><br />More later...mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-37972015185382418762010-09-07T19:16:00.002-04:002010-09-07T19:24:42.898-04:00Ready for this year to end.So, I had to go to the doc today. Yesterday I had a bad toothache (so I thought) and just felt sort of cruddy because of it. Last night, my right cheek began to swell, but it looked like I had a sunburn on it, so I didn't really think about it too much. Well, today, I was swollen badly to the point that when I got to the doc, I was beginning to see some of the swelling towards my eye. Needless to say, not good. <br /><br />Now, I know what most of you are thinking: why didn't you go to a dentist?! It's because while we have dental insurance, the only company around here that will take it is Coast Dental. The last time I was at Coast, I ended up with a poorly fitted crown that I found out that I didn't need. I had discoloring on my teeth that the doctor misdiagnosed as a major cavity. So, without working to make sure that it was just discoloring, he went ahead and starting drilling because this dentist knew he was going to get a big payday on it. In the meantime, he bruised my cheek to the point that it was black and blue and hurt me pretty bad. (Hmm, maybe this is why I avoid dentists like the plague?) So, that's why. That, and by today I was able to close my teeth without any probs.<br /><br />Well, the doc came in and I described what was hurting me, and of course he was my cheek. He looked in the cheek and also felt along the cheekbone until he found where I was hurting (but gently). What I have is a infected salivary gland with stones likely in it. Like kidney stones, but your face. Who knew, right?! So, he has put me on a STRONG antibiotic (that I have to take 4x a day), gave me a steroid shot 'intermuscually' (i.e.: in my butt), and gave me more steroids to start taking tomorrow, which begins with 6 pills!! Oh, and he told me to chew gum if I can on the side that is hurting because it'll cause the gland to work and push out any grime. Guess what happened when I got gum and started chewing? Of course, grit came out. Yummy. <br /><br />So, I am chewing gum like it's going out of style, but it's making my face feel better. I'm hoping that these meds work quickly because I was starting to look like Quasimodo. I just don't get how our family keeps getting the weird things this year. Hemorrhoids, tubal pregnancy, infected salivary gland. Ug. No more! <br /><br />Ok, more later...mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-54432180087934710672010-08-27T19:37:00.002-04:002010-08-27T19:57:35.426-04:00Tubal PregnancyWell, we had a bit of surprise this week. On Monday, we went to the doctor to have blood drawn after having a shot of chemotherapy to treat this failed pregnancy. Well, the numbers from Tasha's blood indicated that there was still something wrong. On Wednesday, we went to the Lawrencville office of the doc, had more blood drawn, and also another ultrasound showing that Tasha's left fallopian tube had likely a embryo growing in it. Well, on Thursday, we got the bloodwork back and the numbers indicated again that things weren't going right. <br /><br />At Noon-ish, I got a call from our doctor telling us that we would be doing surgery last night on her. Tasha was feeling a lot of discomfort all through the day. We drove from Tasha's school back to the house for a minute because we didn't know when the surgery was going to happen. When we got home, the doc called again and told us to go directly to Northside Hospital and go to admissions. <br /><br />After getting down there, we were pretty much pushed through quickly. Tasha was in pre-op around 5 (after getting done with paperwork around 4:20). Our personal doctor came over from Lawrencville to do the surgery. What they ended up doing was take the left fallopian tube completely out. What we later found out was that the embrionic tissue had already pushed through the wall of the tube, so she was darn near close to having a complete rupture. <br /><br />We ended up staying overnight for observation, and came home this morning. Needless to say, we're both tired (Tasha more than I of course!) but we are thankful that she was able to have this done lapriscopically. Even though this pregnancy didn't work, we are very hopeful and staying positive that the next time we are pregnant that everything will work out great! :)<br /><br />So, this weekend we're going to be resting a lot. I'll post more later. :Dmjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-69575314730931284662010-08-17T23:36:00.002-04:002010-08-17T23:52:59.776-04:00BWV582The above title is a reference to a numbering system that classifies composers. For example, Mozart is K in the grand scheme of things, but this particular piece that I have listed is from Bach. It is Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor, written likely around the early part of the 18th Century. <br /><br />I first heard it through a cassette tape that Dad had bought at Cracker Barrel of Old Time Radio programs. This particular program was Vincent Price and Ida Lupino as the two stars in a piece called "Fugue in C Minor". They used the motif from this piece as their main music that night, and it has stuck with me. <br /><br />For some odd reason, it has stuck with me as both haunting and beautiful. Tonight, I finally looked it up to find out officially what its title is and what the meaning behind it is. Of all places, I found a decent description of it on Wikipedia (yes, shudder you masses). It described that this is one of Bach's most complex pieces that he composed, and that there is likely not an original copy. <br /><br />The first notes begin a motif of deep longing or suffering. It it later broken up into 7 groups of 3 similar variations on this theme. From what I read, it all pertains to Christ's suffering and death on the cross. As the theme progresses, we hear the music move from the minor to the major. This of course represents Christ's rising from the grave and being triumphant over death and sin. <br /><br />I am often reminded that even though there are hard times here on Earth, we have a heavenly reward. Christ did suffer even more than what my smallest worries or problems are, and that He is in control. It is just hard to let go sometimes, especially when it comes to our problems having children. But I know that God will provide us in every way, and that I must have faith. <br /><br />More later.....mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-68132069310268554382010-08-11T23:01:00.002-04:002010-08-11T23:05:57.886-04:00Bummed outSo, as many of you know, we did IVF this summer. However, we found out that it is highly likely that we miscarried once again. There is really nothing that I can say or write that will make me feel better about this other than we know that somehow this is still in God's plan. It hurts so bad, though. This is our third miscarriage in a little more than two years. And each time, it's like part of lives are being torn away. <br /><br />This is a difficult time for both Tasha and myself, but we know that God has plans for us to have children one day. Thankfully enough, out doctor is happy about the fact that we at least were able to get pregnant once again. However, for me, we have to find out why Tasha's body is rejecting the embryo before we do another cycle. <br /><br />I didn't really write this for sympathy, but more so as a plea for prayer. We are having to rebuild our finances and also save up for another round sometime in the future. Thankfully, God has blessed us with the ability to keep up with all of our bills and whatnot, so we are not in any danger of falling behind or losing our house. But just pray that God will do miracles for us in the coming times. <br /><br />More later...mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-41212923711145091672010-08-09T23:27:00.001-04:002010-08-09T23:32:04.186-04:00Hard week...So, I can't really go into too many details, but it has already been a hard week. We had to go back to the doctor today and also got a call from the doc. Things aren't going great, but they aren't to the point where we (or the doc) is giving up hope. We'll know more tomorrow morning hopefully. For those of you who read this, I want you to pray hard for us. This is most certainly the Devil at work. <br /><br />John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. <br /><br />Something to ponder. more later...mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-27379273999031120062010-08-02T17:19:00.002-04:002010-08-02T17:42:59.687-04:00Genesis 1-3So, this morning I decided that I was going to start reading the Bible straight through. Just sort of decided on the fly. Surprise, right?! :D <br /><br />Anyway, I read through two different translations of Genesis 1-3. The first was the New International Version which I am very familiar with. It's pretty much the one that I have read when I was growing up, so nothing too new there. <br /><br />The other was from the Darby Translation from the 19th Century. It is a lesser-known version that comes out of the Brethren sect in Ireland. In any case, it was interesting to me to see the difference in the translation and made the text come alive once again. <br /><br />In any case, I'll be going through Genesis 4-7 tomorrow I guess. Taking it three chapters at a time for now, but I'll probably gain more later.mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-24628514951114794752010-07-17T16:03:00.003-04:002010-07-17T16:06:39.065-04:00Follistim, Ganirelix, and Progesterone, Oh my!So, we are only a few days from re-implantation for the babies. :D The doc took 26 eggs from Tasha, of which 21 were good ones and began to divide after being fertilized. They've already frozen 10 of them, so we've got 11 to choose from! We're just ready for this to happen now! <br /><br />At least we're down to one shot a day. Right now, Tasha has taken 26 shots to date. All we have is progesterone, which is done inter-muscular. Needless to say, it's not a great one, but at least it doesn't sting!<br /><br />Got to get going here, more later!mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-33986267533957996972010-07-13T22:36:00.003-04:002010-07-13T22:40:52.005-04:00What a week...So, this is kind of the first time to sit and write this week. It's been crazy! We've been going down to Sandy Springs every morning for the last week and a half. On top of that, I've not been sleeping well because of the medicine that Tasha and I were both on. <br /><br />To say the least, things are moving quickly. We have been seeing an amazing growth of Tasha's eggs this week, and it looks like everything is still on target for a retrieval on Thursday. We'll see if re-implantation takes place on Sunday or Tuesday, but things look good for either day. <br /><br />Just keep praying for us. We're not to dire financial straits, but we aren't doing great right now either. Thankfully, we have enough to make it through the end of this month and next and we have plenty of food to eat. Just as long as nothing major happens, we'll be good! :D <br /><br />For me, it's crazy to think that if everything works out right, we'll be having twins in April. In a way, it freaks me out a bit to think that I'm going to be in charge of my own kids. But Dad gave me a great example to follow for being a father, and I think that I'll figure a lot of things out as I go. I'm sure I'll quote Nathan later in saying "well, they aren't dead yet, so I must be doing something right." :D <br /><br />Got to get to bed. This is the first time that I've felt tired this early in two weeks. More later...:Dmjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-88033062813080625452010-07-02T17:47:00.001-04:002010-07-02T17:48:28.359-04:00New stuff going on..:DSo, we're going ahead with IVF this month. Needless to say, we're a bit excited and a bit scared. It's going to be great, though. I'm sure I'll be updating from time to time this month. For now, more later...:Dmjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-87613336468955104232010-06-26T02:15:00.000-04:002010-06-26T02:17:51.988-04:00SleepSo, today was kind of long. Tasha had an appointment mid-day. Nothing major, but it took me a long time last night to get to sleep, so I was a bit sleepy when I got up. Well, I made the mistake of sleeping from around 5 to 7 tonight. Guess what? I'm still up at 2:17 in the morning, knowing full well that I have to be up at 8 am tomorrow morning to go walk. Ug. Anyway, I guess I'll try to get to sleep here. More later!mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-52251000181047250472010-06-09T01:51:00.002-04:002010-06-09T02:08:45.085-04:00Marriage<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWS94gEdjLxTU1ck5gGefu7Ue6ei0hzA2VC_kSAyVs4jiNXQ9haF3HvREnowsaHDsXW3mJib26pr0PTAGKRlEsUrgtMnuU65krMuKuCaNvnxmDxDIdjTlkDaq_CHz9gzO_xv1GFntC73U/s1600/princess-bride.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 229px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWS94gEdjLxTU1ck5gGefu7Ue6ei0hzA2VC_kSAyVs4jiNXQ9haF3HvREnowsaHDsXW3mJib26pr0PTAGKRlEsUrgtMnuU65krMuKuCaNvnxmDxDIdjTlkDaq_CHz9gzO_xv1GFntC73U/s320/princess-bride.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480647807229498242" /></a><br />Mawwage. Ok, had to get that out of the way. <br /><br />This week I've been reading a book called Why Marriages Succeed or Fail by Dr. John Gottman. This is obviously a book that I had to read for class, but one major fault that I see in it lies in that it does not really give a way for people to realize the major foundations that a successful marriage can be built on, even when everything's gone to pot. Tasha and I talked a good bit yesterday and today about what a great marriage is built upon. What we realized is that there are four basic points. <br /><br />1) Always put God first. <br /><br />This seems like an easy one, especially to those of you who read this blog. But for the vast majority of people who are married, this perhaps in the most difficult; this is especially true in our society today. Even in Christian homes, there is a lot of 'me first' mentality. This is not always an individual me first, but can be a couple we first. What we have realized is that when God is displaced from being first, everything else comes apart. It says in Ephesians 5:21, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (NIV) What this means for us is that we must love as Christ loved us. If need be, we have to be prepared to love someone so much that we would die for them. I'll say it again, whenever we displace God, everything else falls out of place. <br /><br />2) Communication is key<br /><br />One major part of this book that we read showed examples of different conversations that happened during sessions for couples to be worked with. What I found is that there was a major lack of healthy communication that happened with many of the couples. Of course, this was all verbal communication, but you could tell that the non-verbal communication matched what the verbal was. This is something that I personally have to watch out for. Also, having hostile humor and mocking the spouse, even in good fun, can be damaging. Something that I have realized between Tasha and myself is that we have excellent communication. This is not something that happened overnight, and it is something that we have to constantly work on. Whenever we don't talk about something (and not necessarily at length), I inevitably do something that isn't quite right. Thankfully, I've not done anything that couldn't be reversed, but we see that when communication breaks down for most people, then couple start to lose control of the peripheral things in a marriage. (i.e.: money, possessions, etc.)<br /><br />The next two are interchangeable because they are related. <br /><br />3) Respect one another <br />4) Love one another<br /><br />Without respect, there cannot be love, and without love, there cannot be respect. Tasha and I did a study with our small group about a year and a half ago about marriage, and we found out that the majority of men are much more keen on respect than love; women are the opposite. God hardwired us this way, and even addressed it in Ephesians 5. <br /><br /> 22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.<br /><br /> 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.<br /><br />Paul wrote this I believe very intentionally in this way. It is harder for men to show love, even to their wives. It is not necessarily easy for women to show respect as it is to show love. This also goes back to keeping God first in our lives, too! If we don't respect Christ, we don't love him. If we don't love him, then his sacrifice on the Cross is meaningless to us personally. <br /><br />I know that there are a lot of different opinions on marriage, but I truly feel that if these four things happen, then the majority of marriages would not end in divorce. I hope that each of the people that read this will be blessed and hopefully will know that God is with them. As always, more later...mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-85122671667247082002010-05-21T04:28:00.002-04:002010-05-21T04:31:21.455-04:004:30 AMSo, I wake up this morning at 3:45 because, you know, that's just what I wanted, right? Ug. <br /><br />I literally woke up like a shot this early and can't get back to sleep now. This is on top of two tylenol PMs that I took around 9. At least I slept around four hours already, but I REALLY wanted to sleep deeply and be refreshed in the morning. Well, now. <br /><br />Tasha has a job next year, which is great. I've had to put the job search on hold until I get better. I didn't think that hunting for jobs right now should be a stress I need, at least until my rump feels more like itself. <br /><br />Think I'll wrap this up for now and try to get some more sleep. Hopefully it'll come and soon. More later...mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-28885666340734528162010-05-15T19:53:00.002-04:002010-05-15T19:56:28.500-04:00HemorroidectomySo, for those of you who don't know and needed a laugh (I know who you are. ;D ), I had a hemorrhoidectomy done on Friday. Yes, I had THREE (not the two originally reported) taken out under general anesthesia around 10:30. Amazingly enough, I'm doing pretty well, even though I do have spikes in pain from time to time (i.e.: when I have to go to the restroom). I'm also on good meds, so it's not too bad. Anyway, just wanted to let people know that I'm doing alright, and to laugh while you can. :P :Dmjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9042566175849825486.post-79739755120550833992010-04-23T12:44:00.000-04:002010-04-23T12:46:20.975-04:00Trying. Desperately.You know, people, I am desperately trying to get a job. I had someone say to me that we shouldn't do adoption or try to get pregnant because I have 'no prospects'. I want everyone to know that I am doing everything within my power to try to get a job so that I can fulfill my duty to God as the head of this house. <br /><br />Needless to say, I'm a little mad right now. More later.mjone182http://www.blogger.com/profile/14317902517654901855noreply@blogger.com0