Week 23

Things are starting to move along. I've met with our pastor to discuss the move and to begin the process of selecting a new director for our children's program. I believe that someone great will fill that position and will do an amazing job with the kids.

We also talked about how I'll go about reducing the inventory of our house before our move. It's amazing how much stuff you accumulate when you live someplace for 13 years. I remember when we moved in, our house was very empty. Now, we've done our best to fill it up with furniture, books, and other stuff that we used to fill up the house. Now, we need to sell, sell, sell everything, even the house.

So let the posts on Craig's list begin.

When do we reserve the U-haul?

Over the last several years, our family has discussed moving. The closest we got was about 4 years ago when I got a job that allowed me to work from home. We went so far as to call people about their homes to see what the schools were like. But that discussion, like our others before and since, all were put aside because someone in the family had a serious objection to moving away from our house.

A few weeks ago, however, our casual conversation about moving turned into a decision, then a plan, and now it is a plan in action. We are moving. I've been in contact with the future schools, have a place to move, have already discussed moving with my employer, and have started packing.

It seems very surreal at this point, but it's all that I can think about. I find myself dreaming at night about where to put our furniture, what to bring, what to sell, and what to give away.

I'm trying not to get too excited, and I'm also trying not to get too sad, since we will be leaving behind a church family that we absolutely love, a house that we raised our babies in, and a state without snow.

Pray for us as we get closer to our June moving date. It seems like it's just around the corner.

101%

My niece sent me this quite a number of years ago. I just stumbled across it and thought I would share it.
This is neat, even if you don't like math!
_________________________________________________________________
1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?

And loo k at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111=12345678987654321

Now, take a look at this... 101%

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:
- What Equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?
- Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?
- We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER 100%.
- How about ACHIEVING 101%?
- What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:
If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

If:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But:
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:
L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D
12+15+22 +5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!