It has been more than 7 months since I've been to 'church'. Tomorrow, I will be going to one. I have to admit, I'm a little 'nervous' and a lot excited. I don't really know what to expect...

So this is how it feels to be on this side... Things have sure changed for me in the past year and a half...

It has been seven and a half years since I last used these words... "Please accept this as a formal notice of my resignation...". My boss has just announced to the rest of my team that I'm leaving the company.... Today my emotions are all over the place, my heart is beating faster, my stomach is turning, and my hands are jittery. To top it all, we're experiencing a snow storm, it's supposed to be the 2nd day of Spring?! Oh, what a day.

It has been a long, cold, and dreary winter here in Madison. Good time to stay put, keep warm, bulk up, replenish, and regroup. Really looking forward to the next season where all of these 'work' will be put into play. Soon enough Spring will be here.

"From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised." Psalm 113:3

It has been a month since I've last posted - my bad. It's not due to lack of things to write about, it's just that the past couple of weeks has been crazy. But this early morning, 3am to be exact, somehow I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. What else is there to do but update the blog, right? RIGHT!

Here's what I've been up to lately... other than sailing of course.

The month of August ended by moving to my own apartment. Thanks to my friends in LaCrosse (JJ, Joy, Joel, Becky, Mike, Glenn, Bing, Miranda, Sara, Anita) and Madison (Nobregas, Reynolds, Jeff, Matt, Sara), the move went smoothly. Of course, I was worried that there wouldn't be enough hands to do the work. But, God provided and my friends delivered. He even brought a couple from LaCrosse to help out in Madison. How sweet is that?! I am enjoying my new place - somewhat of a change from owning a house but it will do for now! It is right next to the bike trail that leads to downtown and the capitol plus shops and restaurants are right below my building. What more can I ask for?!

The IronMan competition was in MadTown last weekend! A bunch of crazy people were swimming, biking, and running all day for the race. I got a chance to watch from the lake for the swim portion and it was amazing!! At 6 in the morning, the water was calm with a glassy surface as the sun rose from the east. Fifty minutes later, there were man-made white caps and waves that overtook the water as the athletes jumped into the lake. What a sight! As a kayak volunteer I helped out directing swimmers to get back into track. Then at the very end, I got to follow the last swimmers and cheer them on to the finish line. I couldn't help but be inspired by what they would go through to push and define their limits. Deep inside I was wishing that I was as crazy as them and that I would be doing this too. I'm sure to these athletes this doesn't come easy - Yes, the race day is tough but even tougher is the day to day discipline and dedication in training for the race. This reminds me of life in general... our Creator has created us in the likeness of God - more than just what we define as a 'normal man'. How does that look, exactly? Well, Jesus lived this life for us. I would look at him and say 'He's crazy - I can't do that'. But, if I am to live for what I'm created for then I'll have to believe that this is possible. I will have to discipline myself in training to become more like him.

I might not be crazy enough to be an IronMan but I'm crazy enough to be a follower of Jesus. I can pass on an day race but I cannot pass on the race of life.

Who would have thought that I can sew and stitch?!

Last night I stopped by at MATC to participate in making a spinnaker. I didn't think I had much to offer other than a pair of free hands but not before long, I was running parts of the sail through the sawing machine!! The best part about this experience was that I met a bunch of new sailors and got to work with some instructors from the sailing club. On land, we were on equal footing and it felt good! At one point, I even got an honorary tech plus rating from one of them. Too bad it doesn't count on the water. I could have sewed all night to becoming a fleet captain :o)

It's amazing what a pair of free hands can do!

Been sailing a lot lately. In fact if, if I'm not in the house, I can only be in 2 other places and one of them would be the lake (hopefully on a boat). Sailing has become an obsession. When I'm done with my lessons, I come home at night thinking about tacks and jibes, imagining how I can do them better next time. When I see a rope lying around, I would pick it up and practice knot tying. The other day, I ordered my sailing books from Amazon and since then I've been checking the mail, everyday, if the package has arrived.

Obsession is such a tricky thing. It breaks the rule of "doing things in moderation" and you know what happens when you don't do things in moderation?! I must say though that the sweet thing about being obsessed is that it gets me to focus on one thing and all the energy that I have is poured into that. I get things done quickly and have lots of fun and adventure in the process. In return, it is this adventure that fuels my obsession.

Now, if I can just be obsessed about the right things then I would be able to accomplish so much more. But then again, can I really control the 'object' of my obsession? Or, will it be too late because once it's labeled then it already is?!

To the God of all things, I pray that you guide my path.