I think I mentioned before that our small group was going to begin a series studying the Apostles' Creed. Tonight we're going to discuss the statement, "I (or we) believe."

The book we are using encourages readers to think of the belief as analogous to "placing trust in," so when I think about the words "I belive," I try to imagine how I place my trust in each of the objects of belief that are listed in the Creed--and how I don't.

Do I affirm my belief in God when I plan my schedule in the morning? Do I affirm my belief in God when I spend my money? Do I affirm my belief in God when I talk to my coworkers? What about when I spend time with Brooklynne or Halleigh?

Is it different to place my trust in God than to trust in Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

And do I really place my trust in the church, the communion of saints, forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting? I mean, trusting in the triune God is one thing, but when I say the creed, I say that I believe in (place trust in?) these things too.

I think some of these questions go beyond the scope of the first week of this study, but I would love to know your thoughts about the idea of belief in the Apostles' Creed. What does it mean to you? What ideas that should be discussed?

The Blizzard of '09 has arrived! Of course, a blizzard in NC consists of 1 inch of crusty snow, but we'll take what we can get. We let Kona out for a bit and she seemed to enjoy the snow every bit as much as she used to in MT and VA. maybe we can get some video of HJ and Kona playing later.

By the way, if you live in the area and did not get enough snow, you can pick up some extra here.

In other news, the Travis weight loss challenge is progressing well. Despite gorging myself on Greek food Sunday, I lost another 3 pounds this weekend, bringing my two-week total to 9 pounds lost. I think that total is deceiving, because I probably started at +10 pounds from my body's usual equilibrium, thanks to my annual holiday binge, but it's still encouraging to make good progress in the beginning.

I'm also excited about my Steelers' chances in the Superbowl. If I can squeeze $40 out of my Feb. budget, I might make good on my dream of dressing HJ in a Bettis throw-back jersey.

If ARO closes later (rumors are flying), I'll see if I can live-blog the Inaugural events.

Spurred on by my wife's subtle nudges, I began moving furniture out of the office/guest room so that Brooklynne can transform it inot a proper room for a little girl. The desk in the office is almost as tall as the ceiling, so our plan is to use it to divide the main part of the room from a new office "nook" in our master bedroom. Not too hard, except that I will have to wire a new eithernet line to carry the signal from the router in it's new location to the living room, where brooklynne keeps her desktop. The guestroom will be displaced as well as the office, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

While Brooklynne and I were at the Filling Station Saturday, I came to the realization that there is no dessert or treat that I like better than a milkshake. Brooklynne tried to challenge that notion by listing every good, sweet thing she could think of, but I could definitely say that there was nothing that either of us could think of that I would enjoy more than a milkshake. In fact, give me an endles eggnog milkshake and some fritos, and I'll be happy forever.

Actually, not really. I would be fat. Have you noticed that 3 out of the 5 "things that I love" have been junk foods? I think I'm addicted to junk food.

Which doesn't make it easy for me this winter, since Evan, Dad, and I are locked in a weight-loss battle royale. We each have a goal and we're racing to see who can get there first. I've lost 4 pounds in the first week by simply eating less and minimally increasing my level of physical activity (20 pushups and 25 situps--total--one short bike ride in place of driving, and an hour of basketball with the guys). I really need to pump up that excercise because what's the point of being skinny if you can't have a milkshake? Just ask Daniel Day Lewis. 

Henderson was the greatest base stealer of all time, but it may have taken Burly's unwaivering support to get him over the hump in the voting. Here's the Rickey!

I went to pick up my new wood supply on Saturday. The load looked good and there were some really nice pieces burried down below, including one enormuos piece that was probably at least 14-16 inches across. I need to get serious about using it. If only I could arrange for a few 30 hour days....

In other news, We ate dinner and watched the first 3/4 of the game with Kristy Kent and Jen Hagin last night. It's always so good to see those guys and it is great to watch the game with other UNC grads whose minds are warped in a similar manner to mine.

Saturday night Brooklynne and I went out on a date to the Rockwood Filling Station. It was good, not too expensive, and the atmosphere was lively.

Sunday morning it was good to be a church for the first time in about a month. In Sunday School we are starting a series on community building, which generated a promising level of discussion. In the service, Alan challenged us to a renewed commitment to studying the sciptures. I plan to take that one to heart. Our small group is also starting a study of the Apostles' Creed. Between these three themes, I think I'll have my head filled most of the time.

Anyway, I'm just ramblng until I get inspired to do some real  blogging.

Brooklynne has been bugging me all week to post something. I'm busy! But in fact, I do have a ton of material that could be blogged. I think the best way to catch up though, is to post a news roundup list.

• We had a great time out west with Brooklynne family in UT and CO.
• Ben seems to be doing really well.
• Halleigh got to play in the snow, which was new for her, and she was afriad of the horses, but eventually warmed up enough to take a ride with Katie.
• I went scuba diving for the first time while we were in CO. I thought there was more to it, and I'm certainly not an expert, but it was pretty easy.
• I splurged on a large stack of oak wood for 50 cents/bft. The unit would have cost $1400 if I got it at a discount price ($3.50/bft.), but I got it for 200. Here is the list of projects I already have on my mind: headboard and footboard for our bed, toy chest for Halleigh, a murphy bed for our den (the guest bedroom will be occupied in April!), a new dining table, and a hallway bench for storing and putting on shoes.
• Some guy is giving away shed trusses on craig's list. if there are enough, I'll have a woodshop to do all these projects in.
• The UNC-WVU game was disasterous. I hope in all our recuiting, Butch found some guys who can play D.
• The UNC-BC game was disasterous, although I'll tell you I have not been into full basketball gear yet, so the loss was easier than it could have been.
• My watch's battery failed again. I've worn my watch for 13 years now, and I *think* this is the third time I will have replaced the battery.
• Brooklynne and I may go TV-less after Feb. 19. Even with the government coupon, a converter for our TV will be $20 (or $80 if we got one for our other TV and both our VCRs). Getting a working TV for $20 is pretty good, but the problem is I HAVE A WORKING TV NOW. Certainly, the converter box companies are gouging customers, and our reps should have seen this coming. I'm annoyed.
• A couple more pictures after the jump below....