Happy New Year, etc.

Ok. I realize the purpose of a blog is to actually occasionally post something. So I will try to do better.

I am sitting in a hotel room in Mobile having just finished my part of a project and waiting for two attorneys in my office to finish their meeting with a client. This timing means that dinner is going to interrupt my viewing the LSU vs. OSU game. Where are their priorities? Of course the attorney who was raised in Louisiana didn't even realize the game was tonight. Go figure.

On the drive down here today we discussed how quickly time passes. Specifically we discussed that the older you get, the faster time seems to pass. Both of them commented on how hard it is to believe we are already one week into 2008. This week has seemed to fly by. So does this observation make me sound old? I hope not. I resolve to enjoy 2008 no matter how quickly it passes.

I started 2008 in Atlanta. In a change for my tradition of bringing in the new year with my other family, I accepted two tickets to the Chick fil A Bowl. So a mother/daughter bonding trip began the new year. Because of the long game, trying to meet up with a dozen other people after the game and then moving with the crowd, we actually brought in the new year in a stair well of a parking deck. Then one of our first adventures of the new year was taking a "shortcut" to some friends' cars. That means under the bridge, past the homeless people, down the railroad tracks and OVER a fence. (Depending on who you ask, the fence was either 8, 10, 12 or 16 feet.) I pointed out to Alicia and her friend that I was old enough to be the mother of at least one of them. But they were all sure I could climb this fence. Getting up did not concern me. It was the getting over and down that worried me. The next day I asked Alicia if she was more embarrassed or proud that her mother went over this fence. She replied that she was not sure. But for any of you who were worried that I would start acting my age now that I no longer do youth work, I will still do things occasionally to make sure I do not become one of the old fuddy duddys of church.

Maybe I was inspired from spending time with several of my former youth over the holidays. We were presented with several opportunities to remember fondly adventures with the youth department. In fact, I was on my way to a reunion party when I got the phone call offering me tickets to the ball game. I do want to tell everyone how much fun it has been seeing everyone and catching up. And playing Catch Phrase and Taboo.

2007 ended nicely and 2008 started out crazy. It has been busy and fun and interesting. And it promises to be a year of change. I have family and friends going through divorces. I have friends having babies. I have new neighbors. New ministries. I hope to do better in keeping a journal of all of this. There should be lots to say as the church I serve determines the direction in which it would like to go (including do they want to keep their associate pastor) and lives around me go through their transitions.

Happy 2008!