Hello Ian.

Ian,
Welcome to our little family. For a while now, your mom, sister, and I have been waiting to meet you. For as long as I can remember, having been a son to an excellent father, I've been filled with wonder at the thought of being a dad myself to my own little boy. Being a father to your sister has been the greatest joy I've known, and now adding you as my son is an excitement indescribable to me. You will carry on our family name, and you will be the future patriarch of a family just now budding.

Allow me to briefly introduce you to your little family:

Mommy is the standard of excellence and the glue to our family. She's like me but smarter, prettier, smells nicer, and ... she's a girl. Very unlike me, she likes olives and running. Very much like me, she loves good food and traveling. Mommy also loves naps, so let's keep that in mind as we grow older.

Caroline is the little beating heart of our family. She's quite a charmer and is beloved by anyone and everyone who lays eyes on her. She's a little rambunctious and likes doing things her way. She loves bananas, music, dancing, monkeys, shoes, playing dress up, and reading. She also loves you very, very much.

Daddy likes his music loud, his books partially read, his food raw or rare, and the Dallas Cowboys (though real football is played overseas as what we call "soccer"). I love ties and cuff-links but really prefer a ten year old pair of Longhorn shorts. While I don't like running, I do love cycling and walking around a golf course, though I'm not great at either. What I am great at is music, and I'm curious to see if you share that with me.

Piper is like a bear - a giant bear of love. She often sits on her rear like a bear, but she also plays on her back like a kitten. She loves fetch, eating, walks, and shedding. She's really the sweetest dog you'll ever meet and will be one of your best friends in this world.

My new life.

A few days ago, Caroline turned 18 months. Today, Katie and I celebrate eight years of marriage. (I thought it was ten, but she says I am wrong. Oh well, eight it is.) Anywho, the later year-and-a-half have fit into a larger eight years full of many different places, faces, peaks, valleys, churches, houses, friends, and work. Last night at dinner, Katie asked me if I was happy with where we were as a family and I as a husband and father. Emphatically, my answer is YES. I absolutely love our home life. It was maybe a year ago when Katie and I started working on simplifying our lives and focusing on being at home free from distractions. While I still struggle unplugging from the office, it's been amazing to compare our home life today as compared to a year ago. Undoubtedly, much is due to our move, but we have found ourselves having stripped much out of our lives and living in an environment truly centered on our family and time together. We love our slower pace of life - no longer distracted by junk to buy or new restaurants to try and instead enjoying what's really important: one another. Simplicity is so sweet. I have to say that Katie is such a great mother. I love watching her take care of our daughter and run our home. Yet, she is still a fantastic wife...phenomenal, in fact. She does an amazing job loving her daughter and her husband both, and that's tough - we both throw a lot of fits and require tons of energy. As for our spunky little girl, she is truly coming into her own, and it is such a joy to share life with her. I love that little girl more than I every could have imagined. She is my heart. I love coming home, staying home, and just being home with my family. Here's a list of some of my favorite things (in no particular order) about our life right now:

1. Bath Time with Caroline
2. Farmers Market Saturdays
3. Cinnamon Roll Sundays
4. Long hot baths
5. Hot dogs, Chicago style
6. Swimming with Caroline
7. Hanging out with Dawna, Robert, and Chad (Bob)...and watching them with Caroline
8. Dancing with Caroline
9. Nights with just Katie
10. Mornings with just Katie (rare)
11. Walking with Caroline holding hands
12. Reading to Caroline
13. Singing to Caroline
14. Walks with Piper
15. Dinners at home
16. Reading the paper
17. Making new friends (esp. over scotch & intelligent conversation)
18. Living in our new house
19. Quiet nights & weekends
20. Living amongst all the trees & hills (really, even in OK)

Tonight, Katie wrote on her blog about Caroline's 18 month birthday party. I encourage you to read it. I also have pictures and videos on my MobileMe.

An Update

This post is brought to you by Sierra Nevada Torpedo. Thank you California. The following is a little update on our life...scattershot style.

We decided to stop the weekly church-hop visits and settle in for the summer at a local PCA community in Edmond. Last week, we had our second Sunday morning visit and met some people our age who meet with their small group right down the street from our house, which we went to that night. A few of the guys in the group are in my scotch club, and it was just a really natural and fun time of hanging out. It was very encouraging. Wednesday mornings on my way to the office, I'll usually be going to the morning Eucharist at All Soul's in OKC, where I have friends as well and a great relationship with the Curate and Rector. I had a great and long conversation the other week with the Curate, Fr. Lock, who really encouraged our family to explore the local PCA community but was very clear in affirming that I always have a home in their parish, no matter how often I am able to come. Fr. Lock reminds me much of Fr. Kincaid in Dallas (the Curate and Incarnation), in that, their friendship is immediate yet deeply rich. His prayers for and friendship towards me and my family preceded our move up here and has been a constant that I have been indescribably appreciative of. Anyway, I feel as if in the church front, Katie and I aren't currently wandering aimlessly anymore but are instead more on track to finding a local community for our family that compliments and strengthens my own relationship with the Church.

My frequent overnight travels are coming to an end for a while, which is something I'm really looking forward to, especially with Katie progressing in the pregnancy. Hopefully, it'll allow me to settle into a regular schedule a little better. I feel like much of my weeks at the office have been catching up from being out of town or preparing from being out town again, so I'm expecting my productivity and efficiency to increase...which would be great, as I have seemingly such a huge task ahead of me.

It's getting hot, but at least not as hot as in Dallas. It's fun to be up here and is a great environment to hang out with Katie's family, swim with Caroline, and share meals together (as able between travels and baseball). It's going to be a great summer.

The World Cup is back, and fortunately my friend Nick (from work and new neighbor) is a fan and likes talking about it. He's also hugely into cycling, so my bases are well covered. I do though miss what I know would be a great time watching these games with guys like Ben, Stephen, Adam, and Ryan.

Currently, I'm watching Phil Mickelson's press conference, and I strongly believe that KPMG needs to design him a better hat.

Caroline had her first "timeout" today, which was a technique we were planning to implement this week. It actually went really well. Really.

I'm stoked about the new iPhone and it's delivery to me on Friday. I know this irks Prouty, though that's because his frustration is already heightened at his seeming inability to beat me at our advanced-rules of Words with Friends.

We named our little boy. I'm not really sure when we're announcing it, so I won't publish it here, but I am announcing that we have one. I guess if you're really curious, you can call me.

I'm a little confused on why, in the latest round of rap collaborations, two all-time greats, Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg, have each been brilliant in their respective projects but not so much that of P.Diddy. I guess I just expected more from him. Oh well.

That's it.

A Month of Wind, Hail & Flood.

It's been an interesting month in OKC...basically since we bought our house here. Let's first recap a couple of events before I launch into today's events. During the week of May 10, 34 tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma, and on May 19 alone, there were at least 12 more. Watch this video to see how one rudely introduced itself to a van in Norman. Welcome to Tornado Alley. Additionally, May 16th brought us one of the worst hail storms in the history of the state. This video of a pool well demonstrates the force of the storm. Be sure to stick through it - you'll be amazed. With it came flash flooding and massive damage to the community. Afterwards, everything was quite surreal, as the city was snow white, covered in hail, yet it looked like a war zone with cars and homes absolutely destroyed.

It's really been a very difficult time for many, including some of those close to me. Fortunately, we have been spared, for which we are most grateful. So far though, we have encountered great forces of wind and hail. Today, we met the flood. I woke up around 5:15 so that I could get to the office early and knock out a few things before our Monday meetings. When I awoke, it sounded like one of the worst storms I've been around. The power went out right around then, so I figured I would sleep in at least a little longer until there was enough light bleeding in for me to effectively shower and get ready. So, on the first appearance of said light, I got ready and headed out the door. Ah, but there was a problem. No power = no working garage. (First, imagine the picture: I'm in my garage. It's dark. I'm wearing a suit. I'm trying really, really hard not to brush up on one of our cars that are crammed in there due to all of our extraneous moving stuff.) So, I reach up ever so carefully and pull the cord to successfully unhitch the garage. Next, I try to find the cleanest place to grab the handle, and I pull the garage open. But here's the kicker - and I kid you not - right as the garage fully slides open, the power comes back on. Awesome. I should have waited 30 seconds. So, now I'm in my suit up on a ladder, really trying not to get dirty while reattaching the garage to the chain. Now, is this a big deal? Not really. However, it is a foreshadowing.

I drive out. It's raining. Hard. I can't really see, but I've driven through hard rains before and aren't that concerned. Anyway, I head down I-35, but the interstate soon reaches a complete halt. After seemingly an eternity, I am able to make it to what I believe is a smart detour, I-44. Not so much. Now I'm on a different road, but with the same result - I'm alternating between standing still and going .029348 mph. I'm about a third of the way in between I-44 and my next planned road, I-235, when I get an email from Jack saying that we should stay home safe and dry. Stay home? Safe and dry? It's just a little rain, right? Wrong. Now, it's important to understand that my drive is usually around 25 minutes. At this point, it's been 55 minutes, so I did know something was up; however, I was assuming it was a mere weather related accident. Again, not so much. Around then, Katie calls/texts/emails (I can't remember which one) asking if I'm okay and have gotten to the office. I call her, and she quickly informs me that I'm out in what is becoming one of the worst floods in Oklahoma's history. Like a one-in-a-hundered-year kind of thing. Great. Well, I'm already out, so I might as well press on...or at least I try.

Right around my correspondence with Katie, my car pulls a KITT and blitzes me with an array of warnings about my tire pressure. Three of my tires are between 35-37 PSI. Normal. My back driver's side, though, is at 25 PSI. Not normal. Very not normal.

So, let's reset....

I'm stuck on I-44 barely moving with a gazillion miles before I can get off in one of the worst floods ever in the state and I just got a flat with rapidly decreasing PSI in my tire. Luckily, I didn't have to pee.

Anyway, that basically sets the drama for the rest of the morning that would include countless u-turns from confronting former roads that were now river rapids, driving through blocked of roads where police were warning through their car speakers for only trucks to proceed (I assume my MDX counts, and to it's credit, it faired very well), witnessing numbers of cars submerged, abandoned, or stuck on medians where they tried to cut off the road, and much of what you would expect in such situations. There were many rescues, but I didn't see one and fortunately wasn't a part of one. My trusty Michelin held up until I could get to a discount tire, though it wasn't until I had driving for 3 hours since leaving my driveway. The distance I covered on a normal day would have taken me around 25-30, though more on the 25 minute side. After I got my car road-worthy again, I wasn't able to get home for another 3 hours due to washed out bridges, roads, and blocked roads. For about half that time, I was huddled in a Barnes & Noble, thankful for my doppio espresso and banana nut muffin.

Oh, but at Barnes & Noble, I realized that I didn't have my iPhone power cord with me. For most people, this wouldn't be a big deal; however, as my iPhone (with push services, wifi, 3G, and bluetooth all turned off) lasts around 45 minutes to an hour before dying. So, that actually created a whole other wrinkle in the day that I won't get into (but I will say I am greatly anticipating the arrival of my new iPhone 4). Needless to say though, I finally got home and spent much of the rest of my day on conference calls in my office, dry and happy. It was a long and weird day. In my time in the car, I could have driven to Waco, yet I never made it south of 50th in OKC. As the rain continues even now, I'm curious what tomorrow will bring. Still, the evening was filled with family and friends, and I'm currently quaffing a Chimay Grand Reserve. It certainly ended well.

A weekend of bliss.

A couple of days ago, Katie and I came off the first weekend we've had alone together since Caroline was born. Though we both, of course, greatly missed Caroline, we had an amazingly wonderful time. I felt it best to recount our weekend through food.

Friday night, we went to Fuji for sushi. A friend of mine from work knows the owner and spoke really highly of it, so we thought we'd give it a shot. We've both been craving sushi for a long time, but we hadn't yet gotten out to try the local spots, Kang's perhaps being the most famous for our area. It was huge success. So stinkin' great. Anyway, we're looking forward to visiting the other local sushi spots, but we think we found a definite keeper in our arsenal.

The next morning, Katie and I got up and ventured to the farmer's market. I think we were both presently surprised, and we quickly stated that we want to make Saturday morning jaunts here routine. We've been greatly enjoying the fruits (pun intended) of our visit the last few days.

After hitting the market, we ventured to Big Truck Tacos, a very Austin-esque taco joint. If you know Katie and I well at all, then you are well aware of our devotion to breakfast tacos (or burritos). I believe we have found a home in Big Truck Tacos. A catering truck that opened a restaurant, this trendy hole in the wall, is authentic mexi-awesome.

For lunch, we had Thai food, which only goes to show that we were on a roll of gastronomical greatness. This is quickly becoming the greatest weekend ever.

Saturday dinner was slated for me on the grill. The choice as to what would go on this champion of the patio was easy: THICK bacon wrapped filets with veggies. The only problem with our dinner was the absence of a wine bottle on our table, but that's the sacrifice one makes with a pregnant wife. Luckily, she's worth the abstinence.

Sunday morning we slept in (and by "we," I mean Katie slept in and I read the paper). After moseying around a bit, we decided it would be an excellent decision to grab brunch at Cheevers. What a brilliant move on our parts. Very cute atmosphere and exceptional food. Katie, though I have no idea how to describe what she got, said that it was "one of the most phenomenal meals that [she] had ever put in her mouth." Pretty high praise, huh? Well, it was quite good, and we're both really excited to go back together. (Unfortunately for her, I'm already scheduled to go back for lunch next week without her...)

Sunday night, I concluded the weekend with a luxurious Trappist Rochefort 10. There might be a better way to end a great weekend of food and fun with my wife, but I can't imagine one. Simply perfect.

Church Shopping

There's a certain sort of shopping I dislike: Church Shopping. It just feels wrong. It awkwardly tests my deep frustration for modern consumerist Christianity, in that, I am, myself, "shopping" for a church based upon theology, catholicity, teaching acumen, community, geography ... and honestly, probably a lot of individual personal preference. It's really difficult, especially with all of the new variables involved with children's programs. So that you understand the depth of our search, we/I have visited the following churches up here:

Anglican/Episcopal

Presbyterian (PCA)

Presbyterian (PCUSA)

Methodist (UMC)

Baptist (SBC)

Roman Catholic

Quite the diversity, eh? Anyone who knows me is well aware of my theological and historical passions. So, to no surprise to those around me, a Methodist or Baptist church is really a place I never thought I'd visit. To be honest, any Protestant church stretches me right now. Yet, what we're finding is that, at the end of the day, what we know to be true is true: the Church, the Bride of Christ, is the people, and this is where we need to start. This is the place, in all likelihood, that our closest network of friends will come from. We need a place local that we can plug in and serve. We need a place that loves Christ, our family, and our children. So, if the church is SBC but not all that Southern Baptist, then okay, it's probably worth a decent look (not to pick on the Baptists, but as a somewhat tongue-in-cheek...but not that much...example). At the same time, I am so very concerned about what will be taught our children, and I don't want to be in the position where I'm always disagreeing with the teaching, especially with future children's and youth groups. This is so very important. Very important.

So, we're struggling to find the right place with the right balance. Furthermore, we're trying to find a church with good diversity of age, which is surprisingly difficult. It's just such a necessity to have people around who are older and have walked through life before us. So many variables, and it just seems so hard.

All that said, we know that God has the right place for our family - and that's key, because we're looking for the right church for all of our family. Here's hoping He leads us there soon.

The Blog 3.1

It's been really busy the last four months. Really, really busy. During this time, I've questioned whether or not to maintain the blog. I've seriously considered fully unplugging from the grid: getting off of facebook, twitter, etc. For what it's worth, I am barely present on facebook, which has basically become nothing more than an rss feed for my twitter updates. Twitter, for that matter, has also been greatly reduced with regards to my daily usage. To be certain, I'm so very limited on time. It's very short and precious right now. However, I really do like writing/journaling/blogging, and the blog medium has given me a space to do this with the greatest consistency since 2004. Additional pros are basically divided into two compelling reasons: First, it helps people in Dallas (and outside Dallas, of course) keep up with our family, and second, it archives stories and thoughts to look back on later, both as an individual to chart growth and also for my children to later read my thoughts and events as my own life progresses. All of these reasons in favor of blogging seem very good to me and have been swirling around my brain for the last few weeks. A couple of days ago, my sister-in-law resurrected her blog, and it really turned up pace of my own thoughts. Part of my hesitation revolves around self-imposed pressure for consistency and general excellence (if not perfection). These are tough qualities for me to maintain with a blog, especially over long periods of time. So, I've kept on considering...

...and considering...

...but then it hit me. The reason I like to blog is actually rather selfish. I do it for me.

It simply helps me think. I'm a verbal processor, and this is how I dialogue with both my muses. While it is a way I am able to share my life, it is also how I intellectually strive for truth. It is how I interact with my own thoughts that allow me to be clearer and better spoken when I engage others in the real world. Also, it helps keep me accountable to my passions for researching and thinking by providing a space to spill my thoughts. It keeps my mind energized and engaged in a sphere I want to keep thinking about, hopefully maintaining some relevance and slowing the dulling process so to avoid reaching a fatal moment when I can no longer add value. Lastly, though very relatedly, it keeps my dreams alive. So, I do it for me. Having fully embraced this, I'm going to again be selfish and remove (as best I can) my self-impossed pressures for consistency and perfection. I will write when I can, and it might just be a bit messy from time to time.

I've also combined my blogs and will be only writing on Anthological Prolegomena. In reality, I did this a year ago, as no knew postings went on the (re)public house, except of course for links to this one. To that end, I imported all previous posts from the (re)public house to Anthological Prolegomena. As prior comments were all kept on (what was then) Haloscan, those will not move over. There might be a way, but I'm sure it's tedious, and I already said I'm not going for perfection right now. This will drive my obsession for consistency crazy, but I'm sure it's good for me to let it go. If you (for whatever reason) want to see comments on imported posts, then just go to the (re)public house to the same date as the imported post, and you'll see the original post with comments. I'm doubtful anyone really cares though. I don't.

Therefore, this blog will include all. It is now a space for me to share my thoughts on not just theology and Christendom but also my life, including family, friends, and work.

So, that being said, I'm back. Hopefully I'll see you here.