Welcome Back Y'all

A great family, no?

It’s been a while and I’ll get to some of the reasons why in future posts but today I’d like to focus on moving forward and laying the groundwork of where this blog will be headed.

One of my largest struggles with this, besides not having ANY time to write, was I know as the house finished folks didn’t want to know small details of things I’m doing so what is it that readers want to know. I think I’ve heard the status of how John is doing, and Ellie, and now Olivia too. But I struggled with to what degree of detail should I share, you all don’t want ALL the details but maybe the highlights. To be sure this isn’t a personal journal, rather maybe a letter like the folks of generations past would write each other from one family to another or letters home from the battlefields. With Veterans Day just past, I take inspiration from the many men woman who have served who so completely relied upon the connection to their families to keep them going. Not that I’m at war – by no means – but I most certainly have come to rely upon the connection to family, friends and God to get me to where I am as well as being able to remain focused on the good of tomorrow.

From that intro I’ll give you a few highlights of the past year to 18 months. Shortly after the grand opening last summer I was still unemployed and came across a business that I was interested in buying from the 70 year old owner who was looking to get out of the business and enjoy some of the spoils of his many years of hard work. Chavas Vending was a small family business that I saw had a ton of potential but needed an equal part of hard work (and money) to fix certain things, bring out existing good things and make needed changes to bring it up to today’s business standards. This vending company was challenge that I officially jumped in with both feet October 31st, 2009. Being two weeks shy of a full year without employment made me extremely ambitious and hopeful of the things to come.

On another note, Ellie is now going to Kindergarten at Des Moines Christian School in Urbandale, Ia and absolutely loving it. Every week she amazes me with the facts and ideas that she is now forming and able to recite. Little things like constantly working on writing letters and numbers, reciting bible verses in a way that makes me challenge my own knowledge and already see that she is going to be MUCH more intelligent than I ever could be. She continues to be the sunshine of my day and one of the two reasons I exist.









The other reason is Olivia Addison O’Bannon. What a wonderful blessing that Lord has given this family in Olivia. To be completely honest I began (and sometimes still do) to wonder if this is it for me with having children. I wondered that the dream that Leslie and I had to fill this house with the pitter-patter of small feet might be those only of Ellie and no others. I hoped that Ellie would know brothers and sisters and had no idea how He would provide and as usual He has provided a wonderful additional set of pitter-patter sounds in Olivia. She is now almost the age that Ellie was when Leslie was killed and I often try to think back to how we raised Ellie together and think of how different Shana and I are doing because of our circumstances and hope that I’m doing all that I can to create a loving and rich environment for Olivia as I had a hand in creating for Ellie. Olivia is already a completely different child than Ellie in most ways. She is headstrong like Ellie but has no fear in venturing out to discover her world around her. She often challenges authority but does respond when authority is applied. She has an infectious smile like her big sister and has a great sense of bond to her family that is much different than what Ellie knew growing up. It warms my heart that such a larger immediate family surrounds Olivia and I hope that gets to know and share a similar bond with her extended family like Ellie has been fortunate to develop. I know raising Olivia will be completely different than Ellie, and she is a different person than Ellie, I just hope and pray everyday that I can give all of me and create a model for both to follow that shows my love for God, family and each other that is at the root of both girls’ persons from which they both stand upon.

Well I think that’s a good start for today and hopefully sets the stage and whets your curiosity of posts to come. I have more to share, much of which is full of struggle as I continue to struggle mightily in many areas and I ask for your continued support in prayers and thoughts. Hopefully future posts will be shared parts challenge and victory and hopefully you come back to share in those highs and lows with me. Thank you following and supporting, I pray that you and yours are all doing well and chasing the priorities that make the most difference in the greatest life you can have.