The Pool Table

After many years of wanting one, we finally have a place where we can put a pool table. So in early January (01/02/17) we got one. It was fascinating to watch it being put together (complicated!), but the delivery/set-up guys loved where it was going (right inside our front door!). Best of all for them, there were no stairs involved!

April Event at the Range

In April I took several friends and acquaintance to the range for an afternoon of fun.  And yes, fun was had by all.

Cisco Layoff

May got interesting.  I was in Miami in May for some training when I got an urgent message to join a conference call with my boss.  That was how I found out I was being laid off.  It was quite a surprise since I was at 211% of my goal for the year and was unaware of any complaints that were serious enough to warrant dismissal.  I guess that’s life in corporate America? To date Cisco has laid off thousands in 2016-2017, and I was merely one of many.

I spent a total of about 2 1/2 months looking for a new position.  It was interesting, but not as stressful as you might think. Trusting God to have a plan gave me time to work on other things while I looked for a job.

Constitution Study

One thing I started while between jobs is a book based on the Constitution Study I started back in New York.  Progress has been slow since I went back to work, but I’m still working on it.  Check out my progress and see my new articles & essays at The Constitution Study.

Preaching

I also had more time to preach and work on sermons while I was laid off.  I asked our pastor, Brother Mark, to let other small churches know that I can fill-in if they need assistance.  To help them know a little more about me I’ve started recording my sermons and posting them with my notes at CyberEngel.

Driver’s License

In June, Joelle became a licensed driver. She passed first time, and since we’d already bought Pamela’s late mother’s Ford Fusion for her, she also had something to drive!

World Wide Technology (WWT)

On July 31st I started working for World Wide Technologies.  After years covering public sector accounts, WWT has me covering three (3) enterprise accounts.  The main differences?  Fewer accounts with lots of projects AND I can take my customers out for lunch without breaking the law 🙂 .

It has been different, but so far I’m enjoying working here.  I work on a great team with a couple of wonderful account managers (you know who you are).

Family Visit

In August we had a wonderful visit from family. My sister, Sue, came down from NY and Dad & Cathy came up from FL for a week.  My dad and I played a lot of pool!  We also had a cookout with our friends and church family and did a little sightseeing in Nashville, as well as had our Thanksgiving (on a Thursday in August!) while the family was all together.

Surprisingly, after Sue returned home, Dad and Cathy returned a few weeks later when Hurricane Irma went through FL. After a harrowing drive though terrible traffic from Florida, to Georgia, and then Tennessee, they arrived safely to wait out the storm here with us. We all spent a lot of time watching the Weather Channel before they returned home once the storm was past. They had minimal damage to their house, and we were never hit by the excess rain that curved around Nashville and missed us entirely,

Solar Eclipse

We took some time to watch the eclipse.  We couldn’t get to totality (up in Murfreesboro, about an hour away), but we were pretty close, and it was definitely a memorable event.

Meredith Manor

Pamela and I became empty nesters Labor Day weekend when I drove Joelle up to school in West Virginia.  It took all of us a little time to settle in to the new normal, but almost daily FaceTime calls has made it easier on mother and daughter (and dad was well).  Joelle is doing great, making the President’s List her first quarter, with perfect attendance. She’s also made a lot of friends from all across the US (even some from Hawaii and Alaska!) and is learning how to be a dependable adult by getting her required work done.

A Soldier’s Child Event

In October the gun range I’m a member of hosted an event for the group “A Soldier’s Child“.  This group helps children of service men who have died in the line of duty.  The group got a chance to go through multiple stations trying different firearms from a .22 pistol all the way up to a .50BMG!

November Calves

By November this year’s new calves started arriving, always an exciting time.  This year Joelle and Pamela decided to name them after Bible characters, with the first two (female and male) being named Ruth and Boaz. As the first two babies they’ve become inseparable, so the names also seem appropriate,

Christmas

Joelle didn’t come home for Thanksgiving, but she did make it for Christmas. It has been a great (though too short!) time, but Joelle is missing her new life (even cleaning stalls!) and is eager to return for the new year.

Last New Calf of 2017

Just before New Year’s night a new calf was born.  I don’t know why they seem to wait until the coldest nights to be born, but they do. It has been down into single digits overnight this week (very cold for TN) and we worried the new bull calf has had a tough beginning to his new life. Because of that it seemed logical to name him Jeremiah, after a prophet that also had a difficult life.

As usual, we look forward to the new year with God in control.  Look for the next update same time next year 🙂