A New Beginning

Let’s get this out in the open. I haven’t updated my blog in a long time. I’m sorry. I could make a bunch of excuses, and most of them would be legitimate, but let’s not go there. Let’s just forgive and move on, huh? Ok.

I believe an update is in order, since I don’t currently live around or regularly talk to the readers (if there are any) of this blog. I am working for my dad, who is an exclusive agent for Allstate Insurance Co. His office is in Palestine, TX, which is where my family and I moved at the end of July. We lived with my parents for about a month, then closed on our first home August 24, 2007. The job is going well, as is the family.

I’m enjoying being a parent because of all the things that you get to watch your kids do, or not watch them do, depending on the situation. At dinner the other day, Andy stuck his hand in a bowl of pasta sauce and smeared it on his face, then said, “Look! I’m a sauce face!” He then proceeded to laugh as if it was the funniest thing he’d ever said. As a parent, I’m conflicted. Part of me says, “He needs to stop that, it’s bad table manners,” while the other part wants to point at him and laugh.

I’ve also given up the hope that Sara and I can have anything nice. It will be at least 4-5 years before we can start to buy stuff that has any value at all. It all gets torn up otherwise. I don’t know how some people do it. The only way I can think of is to keep your kids confined to a certain few rooms at all times. Even my car is not safe. Andy had gone outside the other day to wait on me while I got ready to go to the store. When I walked out, I saw him with a stick in his hand, using it to scratch the side of my car. Why did he do it? Because the scratched paint looked neat. Good thing I don’t have a really nice car.

In addition to the aforementioned goodness, this is also a great time for both Sara and I on an individual basis. I have realized how much I miss music and how much of a passion I have for it. (A little background: I played saxophone in high school and college band for 8 years, picked up the guitar after that, and will buy a bass guitar as soon as I am able. I also LOVE music theory, and have a decent skill at it, but haven’t thought about it in about three years.) I’ve never really known how to express that passion, because of certain flaws in my character. However, I’m in a position now where I am working a professional job for the first time, I’m a college graduate, a father, a husband, and other things. These things have caused me to really mature in some areas where I have previously been lacking. My attitude has always been to take what comes at me and make the best of it. I guess that’s why it took me almost 7 years to finish college. I couldn’t make up my mind about anything because I couldn’t realize my passion, set a goal, and then make that goal happen.

Because of that shift in my character, I feel excited about my career for the first time in a long time. The last couple of years have been a lot different than I thought they would be. I guess I just expected it to work out the way I wanted to without having to do much about it. As I look back at that last sentence, I realize how ridiculous that was. So even though I’m in insurance sales now, I don’t believe that I will stay in insurance sales for more than a few years. I love music so much and every time I try to escape it and do something else, it finds a way to pull me back in. I was a music major in college twice! And I still didn’t get it! I waffled more than a Belgian in a batter factory.

So here I am, working in Palestine, TX selling fine insurance products. Do I love it? Nope. Is it providing for my family now? Yes. But for the first time, the future is not something that will just happen to me. Of course there will be things out of my control, but the things within my control, will be. It feels really good to realize this for the first time.

I didn’t mean for this post to turn into a personal retrospective. I meant it to be a look at my life right now, but this is what came out, which I guess is honest look at my life right now.

I promise more postings more often. They won’t all be like this. But there will be more of them. I want to keep in touch with you all more than I do. I guess this is a good way to start.

Peace.