No, not rock ‘n rolled, but written a blog post. A lot has happened in four months. I’m not going to even try to cover everything. In fact, I have been thinking about restructuring this blog to be more topic specific… but for now I reckon I’ll keep it as is.

Top of the list of changes is we moved about 5 miles west to the VERY small community of Laquey (that is pronounced “lake way” – weird, I know, something about us Missourians that pronounce things not like you would expect). We have a place on 3 acres about a tenth of a mile from the kid’s school. Very convienient for them, but takes me a little longer to get to the base for work. But we like it. We also got a dog – Abigail (Abby) – from the shelter in Lebanon. She is a really friendly dog and the kids think she is great. She even gets along with the guy most dogs hate – me!

5 Guys Wide has been playing a lot with more stuff coming up. Be sure to visit our website at http://www.5guyswide.com.

School is trucking along… not even sure where I left off last, probably American Military History and English Comp II. Got A’s in both and currently in Music Appreciation and Vietnam War, again, A’s in both. Next up will be Middle Eastern Culture and Society (to satisfy my language requirement… weird, but better than taking Spanish, which is all the college offers) and American Revolution. Should be interesting.

The South Central Missouri Civil War Round Table is taking off and it has been a great enjoyment for me. We have gained new members and the discussions have been great. We moved to monthly meetings on the first Sunday of the month.

We also got a Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War camp organized in Rolla, MO. Sigel Camp #614 will be chartered soon and I am the interim Secretary and Signals Officer. Much better than driving to Springfield or Washington Missouri for meetings. Plus we hold them at the Columbia College campus in Rolla, so that is a plus for me.

Again, just so much going on… I’ll try to keep things better up to date here. Thanks for reading!

I had a few minutes today during lunch to just stop and think about stuff. No particular reason. Just thinking. This happens to me every now and then. So, I am gonna think out loud here…

I wonder if I should re-prioritize things in my life. Obviously there are constants (my family, work, church, etc.) but some things I really enjoy, some things I enjoy and somethings I just sort of like. But lately some of the things that I thought I really enjoyed is turning out to only give me brief moments of enjoyment. For example, I love playing music. I have a great time when the band I am in gets to play and it all falls together. It is a great release. Then it is over. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not going to quit playing music but I wonder if being in the band is too much? It takes a lot of work to run and to really do it right requires a huge commitment in time and energy. And then it’s over. I think this has to do with the last gig we played. Was fun to play but then it was over and I really wondered if all the time, effort and exhaustion that came from it was really worth it. I could just do studio work. I still get to play, be creative and it is only expected to be a brief blast of enjoyment.

What I am finding is that I am really getting into my interest in history, especially the Civil War and Missouri history. I find that learning leaves me fulfilled. I went to a speaker series in Jefferson City a month ago and while the PA was sub-par I really enjoyed my time and left feeling like I learned something or was really part of something. Same thing with trips to Civil War battlefields and other events. I always feel charged. I am looking into possibly volunteering locally at the Old Stagecoach Stop and actually attending and getting involved with the local historical society. There are opportunities to volunteer and participate at Wilson’s Creek as well as other battlefields in Missouri. I am now the president of the newly formed South Central Missouri Civil War Round Table. It’s gonna be great meeting, discussing and having fellowship with other interesting people. I have also toyed with the idea of incorporating music into my historical passion by putting together a Civil War era group to play period music now and then. Fun, educational and energizing (to me anyway).

But the rub is I have to prioritize my already stretched time in order to do these.

So maybe the thing is to re-focus… re-prioritize the things that I really love and incorporate the rest into the mix somehow. Not sure how to accomplish that though. Most certainly is going to require considerable thinking, prayer and soul-searching.  Just for the record in case my band-mates are reading this: I’m not quitting…but I am searching deep down to find what it is I really want to be doing that will provide the maximum fulfillment in my life.

I think it is time for a pro’s – con’s sheet, lot’s of prayer and some sit down time with my wife to really grasp what is important to me (and my family).

So… that is my out loud thinking… I KNOW there will be more to come…

So, once again I am slacking at keeping this blog updated. But like the title states, it has been quite a busy month and lot has been going on. I almost do not know where to start.

I guess school is as good a place to start as any. So last term was American Civil War and Intro to Geology. As expected I did great in Civil War class, in fact, I aced the mid-term and had the highest grade in the class. Geology however I wasn’t so lucky. I ended up with a “B” in the class. A high B at that, so I really should not complain.  But my pride keeps telling me I could have done better. So, my GPA slips a hair from 3.75 to 3.70. Next up is American Military History and English Composition II. Both at Ft Leonard Wood, so that is kind of nice with gas prices what they are. Plus both are with instructors I enjoy, so that is also a bonus!

We had a small turnout for the first meeting of the South Central Missouri Civil War Round Table, however we made some great progross and the group is now officially active. That has been something I have been excited about for a while now. We are meeting bi-monthly for now and have elected  provisionary officers to lead the group (and go figure they elected me President) until we have enough members to vote and elect leaders. We met at the Pulaski Couny Tourism Bureau and the pace and people were great. It looks like this faility will work out great for us. I’m very excited about what the future holds for our group. Next meeting is in August.

We’ve had a string of tornados and nasty weather over the past month cut through our little neck of the woods and it’s been quite interesting. Flooding has been a problem and a tornado actually touched down 5 miles east of Laquey which forced all of us on post into the basement (think hundreds of civilians and soldiers and you can image how hot and stuffy it was). Laura and Evan hunkered down in the basement at home and, get this, Sierra was at school and had no idea all of this was going on. Her school doesn’t even have a basement… I like her school and the people running it, but that is weird.

We are planning a concert fundraiser for the Joplin tornado victims next week. Having a meeting tonight, but it looks like some great bands, including my band will be playing. 5 Guys Wide, Out Of The Box, Tattooed Prophet and Redemption Story are all signed on with maybe one or two more still. We are donating 100% of the proceeds to assist the relief efforts in Joplin. Worthy cause, so come on out and support us!

We are planning a vacation this summer and will be heading towards Washington D.C. with some stops in Tennesse and other places along the way. Will be all of us, included Matthew, so it should be a lot of fun. We may even get to take a tour of the White House (great… I tour it when the President is someone I am less than excited about). We also may try and make a pit stop though North Carolina and visit my friend Bob who I have not seen since my wedding back in 2006. The kids are excited (well, I know Evan and Sierra are… not sure about Matt…but then I am never sure about that boy! Ha!!)

On the music front, my band has been getting some gigs and we are starting to get a groove with each other. As much as I alook forward to rehearsing I’m looking forward more to performing. I think by next summer we are going to be getting somre really good gigs and that excites me. My music project, Sixty6 Project, is on hold for the moment while I look at funds and what I want to accomplish. I have some ideas, but not sure if they will work. Stay tuned for that…

Sierra’s last day of 4th grade is next Tuesday. Wow… seems like the other day we were getting her ready for kindergarten! Evan starts pre-school at the end of August… same thing.. wow… wasn’t he just born yesterday? No idea what Matt is doing.. he is being homeschooled and, well, I don’t get to hear much of how he is doing. He is 16 and I hope he is understanding that the time is fast approaching that he has to become an adult and his schooling is going to be critical!  I pray for that boy a lot… I remember being 16…

Other things that have happened: My niece had her Confirmation at the end of April, I had a blowout in the Jeep in Ibera, MO on my way home from Jefferson City (that was an adventure) on the 19th of May (which resulted in me getting 4 new tires), Sierra had strep, we got the air and brakes fixed on the van, Laura’s parents paid us a visit (always great to have them), Laura got a new Acer netbook, the day we got our taxes back our washer bit the dust, so we now have a new washing machine. And yes, I turned 45 on the 15th of May!

Anyway… that’s it for now… I’ll try to stay up with better than I have been!