Couldn't Just Let Them Bee

About a month or two ago I was mowing the yard and a yellow jacket flew up my shorts and stung me on the back of my thigh.  I didn't need to do any research to confirm this but I did and found their sting ranks among the top 10 most painful insect stings.  And unlike a honey bee, they don't have a barb on their stinger so they can jab you over and over and over...  And believe me, it did.  About a week after the swelling went down (and man did it itch!), I counted about a dozen spots where it got me.  After looking around outside, I found yellow jackets were flying in and out under the shed.  So of course I did the smart thing and got out the gasoline and sparklers...  That didn't even touch them (I was being careful not to burn down the shed).  Then I tried various sprays and had a hard time finding anything that would bring them down.  Even after coating them.  Finally I found a red can of Spectracide that was designed just for yellow jackets and that did the trick.  I wiped out a bunch of them from 25 feet away but those cans are mostly propellant with very little juice.  Then WalMart brought out their Christmas stuff and the sprays all went away.  Fast forward to today and  I was mowing and hadn't seen any bees in a while so I grabbed a shovel and decided to turn over the ground where I had last seen them flying in and out.  Of course I am wearing shorts...  Well there were more bees than I could have imagined under the shed.  One of them found his way onto my left calf and started going to work.  Fortunately he only got one jab in me before I smacked him.  Ran in the house and pulled out the gallon jug of vinegar we had bought since my last encounter and swabbed down my leg.  Gave it a smear of Benedryl and I was good to go.  Hurts a little but only a fraction of the last time.  After the swarm settled down, I tossed a Gopher Gasser in their hole.  Not sure what effect that had but it couldn't hurt.  I read the best thing to do is to flood them out with water so I may take the garden hose and let it run down the hole for a while.  Another day...

It has been a while since I have posted because I have been busy!  Thank God!  Work is going great.  I got in with this company at the perfect time - they are expanding from a regional company  into a national, full service security company.  They hired on some FBI and Secret Service executives and are plugging me into a lot of the operations and financial meetings.  Hard to believe I have over 25 years experience but it is about to start paying off.  I have been doing a lot of traveling to Chicago and NYC but I don't mind.

Speaking of 25 years of experience, a couple of weeks ago, Lucie and I went back to Maine for my 30 year high school reunion.  I am happy to report that I was not the fattest, baldest, or oldest looking so I may push my luck and go back again next year.  We had a great time seeing some "old" friends and faces.  Someone brought a yearbook so I was able to show Lucie some before and afters of the people.  Only about 25% of the class showed up but hopefully word will spread and more will come next time.  My junior prom date was there and she gave me a big hug so either that night wasn't as bad as I remembered it for her or she suppressed the memory...  Although we were only up and back the same weekend, we had a good time visiting those friends, my younger brother and my mother.  (Took the Acura up and we made near record time!)

One more quick story - my mother came down to Amish country near us about a week or two ago with a church bus tour group.  So Lucie, Elliott and I drove over to see her and have dinner at the Amish restaurant they were eating at.  We had a nice visit and ran into my old youth pastor and his wife.  They hadn't changed all that much but I bet they felt ancient after seeing me.  The group only had time to eat for about an hour before they were off to the huge Sight and Sound show.  We had an issue with the restaurant - they charged us the group rate (because we ate with the group) which, oddly enough, is more than the regular rate! - but overall it was a good time.

Promises, Promises

In my March 28, 2012 blog, I put a picture of a car at the bottom of the blog with a line about it being a personal rainbow with more info to come.  Well, here we are 6 months to the day later and here is the update.

During the time I was unemployed, I would frequently get discouraged or down a little.  Never did I doubt God but many times I just did not see an answer to our problems.  So I would ask God for just a simple sign of encouragement.  The Bible says he cares about the birds in the field and He provided signs for the Israelites so I didn’t think I was out of line asking for a sign.  One day at the Costco parking lot, I saw a car that really caught my eye.  Sharp, high tech, sedan-like yet fast and different.  So I did some research and it was a 2010 Acura TL SH AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive).  Loved it.  That night Elliott came home raving about a car he had seen that day – same exact type!  From that day forward, it seemed that car would roll by right when I was feeling down or discouraged - and I took it to be a word from God that not only would He meet my needs, but He would grant me my wants.  Now that is getting on some theological thin ice but there are plenty of stories in the Bible where God granted in excess to His people.  I kept my prayers simple and said, “God, if it is Your will…”  Lucie and I went and test drove a couple and we enjoyed the dream.  Regardless of whether I ever actually got one or not was sort of irrelevant – God would send one by me right when I needed a lift and I would be encouraged.  Sometimes I would laugh right out loud and thank God for sending me a little rainbow to brighten my day.

Fast forward to present time and now I am working (thank you Jesus!) and I get a car allowance plus gas and toll reimbursement.  So I looked up local Acura’s for sale and found one in Philly.  It seemed the perfect car – color, options, etc.  But it was just out of reach financially.  I told God I didn’t know whether I should put the car allowance towards savings or “claim” His promise to me.  So I said I was going to go for it and God could easily close the door on me if I was not to have it.  I was fine either way and kept my prayers ending with, “…if it is Your will.”  After running numbers every which way, the dealer could not get a monthly rate to what I could afford and the whole experience with them didn't feel right.  I set a limit and refused to budge from it.  So we shook hands and I walked away (though they put a lot of pressure on me).  A little disappointed to be honest but I had to be true to my word – if the door was closed, I was not going to barge through it.  The very next day after not bowing to the sales pressure and sticking to my guns, a 2010 Acura TL SH AWD showed up online at the Delaware dealer where Lucie and I first test drove one – same color, options, everything.  It was a little cheaper than the Philly one (higher mileage) but I thought it just might get the price down to my range.  So again I laughed at God’s work and said, “If it is Your will….”  I contacted the Delaware dealer and it turns out, it was THE exact same car Lucie and I test drove months ago!  It had been sold but the new owner traded it back in within a month to buy a 2012 model.  How crazy is that?  So Lucie and I went in, signed some papers, and came out feeling good.  No - feeling great!  And so blessed.  It was actually cheaper than my budget so we extended the warranty.  And to “top” it all off, they gave me a Patriots hat!  So it was quite a day and quite a confirmation of God’s blessing.

Oh, and it was our 25th wedding anniversary too…

EMPLOYED!

On August 14, I officially became the Project Manager for Harvard Protect.  They are a security services company based in NYC with operations in many states.  They are a division of Harvard Maintenance which has about 6,000 employees.  The security side is growing rapidly and I was brought in to manage operations and projects outside of NYC.  I will be focuses on compliance issues, policies and procedures, etc.  I was originally scheduled to start at the end of the month but I met with some great and enthusiastic people and they moved my start date up.  I am really excited as I will be working with some former colleagues including the retired Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, Philadelphia.  The new Senior VP is the retired Deputy Director of the Secret Service - he has a great vision for development and growth.  I am getting in on something that will get really big.  Right now I will be based from home but going to the Philadelphia and Wilmington and NYC offices as needed - as well as traveling to wherever I am needed.

It's been a long 10 months or so of unemployment.  I have a letter going out to my State Representative next week with some thoughts and recommendations on how the state can improve that system.  The whole family was able to recognize how blessed we were and how God never forgot us.  SO many times He provided in a way we never saw coming.  Our church family was so great to us with financial support, prayers, words of encouragement, food and on and on.  Pretty humbling and we pray they are rewarded for their thoughtfulness.  I kept a personal log of events that I hope I never have to look at again...

Meanwhile, life goes on at the Hale Homestead.  Elliott is working at Walgreens and managing his money.  He saved and bought a beautiful acoustic guitar that he plays on stage at church services.  He is so good with his money we may turn over the household finances to him to manage!  Ashleigh is finishing her last week of work for the hospital system and returns to school next Sunday.  Her summer has been a whirlwind of activity, concerts, games, running, etc.  She needs to get back to school to relax!  We will miss her energy (and drama!) around here but she is only an hour away.

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

I am beginning to see a light at the end of the unemployment tunnel.  Not getting too high, not getting too low.  That is one of the many lessons I have recently learned.  Over the past few months, two former colleagues have been pushing for the creation of a Project Manager position at their contract security company.  They needed the position before I came along but I am the perfect candidate - if I may say so myself!  Creating a position in a company with small overhead is difficult and as much as I thought I would be right for the job, I had to continue to look for other opportunities, apply, interview, etc.  It finally seems to be coming together and I am expecting an offer next week.  I am ready to hit the ground running and can't wait to get back to work.  We're not there yet, but it's coming!

Today was a typical day - I worked in the yard in the wicked hot sun (in my bathing suit), finished, hopped in the pool, and it immediately clouded over and began to sprinkle!  I got out when the thunder started.  Of course I wasn't inside an hour when the sun came back out...

I'm a little concerned about Mocha tonight.  She was occasionally crying seemingly at random but seemed fine - ate, walked, pooped, etc. with no problems.  So I gave her a thorough exam and found her right rear leg was very sore - she yelped at the touch.  I gave her some aspirin and will keep an eye on her.  Everything I have read says it is probably a muscle strain.  Hopefully it is not too serious and with rest she will be fine.  She is not limping but she sure isn't running and jumping around either.  Can't afford to go to the vet so we will just watch her.

The Olympics started last night.  I love to watch the individual back stories.  Still can't understand the global fascination with soccer though...

Hales Hooping

Today Elliott made his first appearance at the church adult basketball night that I run at our church.  I didn't introduce him as my son.  He and one of his friends (also from church) came so I just said they were a couple of high school guys from church.  And he did well!  He had some good shots, some good moves, made a few baskets, had a steal or two, and generally represented well.  When the night was mostly over I told some people he was my son.  They were impressed.  And for the record, the old man did pretty good as well.  I have said that I could pick any two players that come out (usually about 15), add their ages together, and I would still be older than them!  But when you get older, you don't play harder - you play smarter.  And I do fine.  Also for the record:  Elliott has more skills already than I ever did.  It was a proud night for me.

2,000 Q-Tips

Today I used the last swab in our bathroom Q-Tip holder and went to the hallway closet to get some more.  Wouldn't you know I found two more containers - with 625 Q-Tips in each?  So at some point, I thought it was worthwhile to buy nearly 2,000 Q-Tips.  Then I just smiled and realized it wasn't me who thought it was a good idea to buy that many, God was prepping us for such a time as this.  He knew way back when when I was standing in Costco buying the family size container that a day was coming when I would need to go to the closet and pull out another box.  As insignificant as the cotton swab is, and really how almost unnecessary it is, I learned another lesson today about God's planning, God's timing, and God's provision.  And that encourages me.  Like the sparrow, if God can care about our swabs, how much more does He care about and have a plan for us?

Lessons I've Learned (so far!)

In no particular order...

• God has a plan
• I can't see all of the Plan but that is where faith comes in
• People can be very generous
• Sometimes it’s the little things that matter
• Nothing happens by coincidence
• Being optimistic is a choice
• There are shopping deals to be had if you look for them
• SOME generic foods taste as good as the “real” ones
• Sometimes bad things happen to good people
• Some problem resolutions were initiated long before we know them
• Strenuous exercise helps clear the mind
• There’s something to be learned, confirmed, or found at every church service
• God’s timing isn't our timing – it’s better
• Lucie and I have great kids
• I have a great wife
• Don’t put your faith in opportunities or possibilities – just keep your eyes on God
• Sometimes God’s plan doesn’t line up with “conventional” wisdom
• God may use distractions to keep us occupied until His next step is revealed
• Be thankful for closed doors because God keeps us from where we’re not supposed to be
• Most often resolutions to issues are not what we expected

I am sure there are more lessons to be learned and my situation isn't resolved yet, but I thought I would write down what I know for now and maybe add to it later.  When this is over.  Soon.