Freemasons

I just found out that I have freemason heritage in my family. How cool is that??? I have a great uncle (I think that's the relation) who was a 3rd degree Master Mason. I also have a great aunt who was into the Daughter's of Job for a little while. I am trying to investigate more into my freemason heritage, but I think its so interesting that there was a Master Mason in my family!!!

I'm a College Graduate!!!!

I graduated today! This is one of the happiest days of my life! I got a lot of really cool gifts but there is one that stood out as one of the coolest gifts that I have ever received. Matt Doan, high school pastor extraordinaire, gave me a book of Puritan prayers. I went outside after everyone left the party and in the quiet and alone-ness of Eric and Becky's backyard, randomly opened the book to a prayer and was immediately convicted. God's immediate and direct conviction is such a tough thing to receive, but such a sweet thing to receive. At this time in my life, it is so easy to get a big head. I have received a lot of congratulations today and people have been telling me how great it is that I stuck with it and graduated and how the fact that I stuck with it speaks highly of my character. To be honest, it was going to my head until I read this prayer:

My God,
Thou hast helped me to see that whatever good be in honour and rejoicing, how good is He who gives them, and can withdraw them; that blessedness does not lie so much in receiving good from an in Thee, but in holding forth Thy glory and virtue; that it is an amazing thing thing to see Deity in a creature, speaking, acting, filling, shining through it; that nothing is good but Thee, that I am near good when I a near thee, that to be like Thee is a glorious thing: that is my magnet, my attraction. Thou art all my good in times of peace, my only support in times of trouble, my only sufficiency when life shall end. Help me to see how good Thy will is in all, and even when it crosses mine teach me to be pleased with it, Grant me to feel thee in fire, and food and ever providence, and to see that Thy many gifts and creatures are but Thy hands and fingers taking hold of me. Thou bottomless fountain of all good, I give myself to Thee out of love, for all I have or own is Thine, my goods, family, church, self, to do with as Thou wilt, to honour Thyself by me, and by all mine. If it be consistent with Thy eternal counsels, the purpose of Thy grace, and the great ends of Thy glory, then bestow upon me the blessings of Thy comforts; if not, let me resign myself to Thy wiser determinations. Amen.

Since I am not a Puritan, here is my prayer (in true Doan style):

God,
In this time of constant congratulations and accolades, please do not let me get a big head. I do not deserve any glory for this but I give this up for Your glory through me. I give this to you to praise You for what You have given me the strength to accomplish.

Look What My Work Friends Did For Me!

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THANKS WORK FRIENDS!!!

I'M GRADUATING!!!!!!!!!!

I did it in a gentleman's 9 years, but I'm graduating tomorrow!!! It feels surreal. I don't really believe it. I felt the same way on my wedding day. Last night at approximately 12:00AM I submitted my last final via email and I can't even express the weight that has been lifted from my sholders. No more weeks of 3 all-nighters. No more set of five 20-page papers all due at the same time. I'm going back for grad school in the fall, but I'm taking it slow. I'm refusing to take more than 2 classes so I can get back to being a husband instead of a student.
I feel so relaxed and peaceful and mellow. Now I have to start working on my summer reading list!

Check this out!

This is my kid! I have a kid. I'm still not sure if I believe it yet. Although yesterday (our second ultrasound) was, at the risk of sounding overly dramatic, the most magical day of my life. The nurse did her ultrasound thing and baby was conveniently in the perfect position for her to measure the back of the neck. Then the nurse started pushing on Michelle's stomach to get baby moving and that's when it happened. I was transfixed on the ultrasound monitor and everything got really quiet and I had no perception of anything else other than my kid swimming around. Baby was kicking like crazy and flipping around and we got a great couple of shots of baby. The ultrasound photos do not do justice to what Michelle and I actually got to see on the monitor. The nurse said that baby is developing perfectly, but seemed slightly surprised by the length of the legs. So that's it...I'm going to be a father. Feel free to take as much time as you need to gaze at our beautiful baby.

Last Weekend

Last weekend was one of the coolest weekends of my life. I might even say it's the third greatest weekend (1st - my wedding, 2nd - finding out that Michelle's pregnagnt). I got employee of the month. This to me was finally a recognition from my work that I do actually work there instead of a nameless, anonymous mystery person doing all of the work that I've been doing for the past year and a half. I also found out that I was accepted to grad school. I applied in February and it felt like it took forever for them to make a decision. It turns out they had some new software that they started using this semester that makes it harder to process applications. And I bought a new car. I got a 2007 Chrysler Pacifica. We weren't expecting to get a new car for a couple more years. I wanted to pay my old one off and go payment-less for a while, but there were more costs to fix everything that was wrong with it than what it was worth. So we traded it in. I put the stock photo below because I haven't taken a picture of it.