Friday we went to pick out everything for our new house. What a challenge. Picking out bricks, tiles, carpet, cabinets, countertops, appliances, doors, windows, fireplace design, even doorknobs and grass. I never realized that building a new house would be so exhausting. That is over, though, and construction is slated to begin on May 12. We are told that construction will take 75 to 90 days from pouring the foundation to closing day. That sounds pretty fast. I guess the fact that this builder orders all the framing components pre-assembled speeds up construction time considerably. The builder's in-house architect told us the wall frames and roof trusses are delivered already assembled, and that they just set them up and attach them to each other. He told us that since we modified the windows in a couple of the rooms that we shouldn't panic when the walls are first set up because they will be the way they appear on the original plan, and will then be modified to fit our specifications. I suppose that this construction method is why this particular builder is about 20% less expensive than the other builders in town for comparable houses.

We've walked through a number of their homes during various phases of construction, and we've been quite pleased with the quality and appearance of the homes. I hope everything will go smoothly and quickly during the construction of our new home. Now, if we could just sell the house we're in now so we won't be faced with double payments. If you're interested in a nice 3 bedroom 2-1/2 bath condo in Odessa, Texas let us know.

I am sitting here with tears in my eyes. I just finished reading this news item about Daniel Amaya, a local Marine Corporal who was killed in action in Iraq. Daniel's family were interviewed in the article. They speak of how proud they are of their son, and of how much they will miss him. Nowhere in the article do they blame the government or the president for their son's death. As I type this I am holding my sleeping 13 month old in my arms. The words and the tragedy strike too close to home. I do not know this family personally, but they are typical of the people in this city. I salute them and pray for their comfort. Most of all, I say Thank You to their son for his sacrifice for the freedom of others. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

Early this morning we were awakened by a flash and a mighty roaring and shaking. Lightning had struck somewhere very close. The house shook, and a car alarm blared. I went downstairs to make certain that it wasn't one of our cars. It wasn't. I thought no more about it, and we went back to sleep. When the sun came up I noticed that there were firetrucks in the alley at the end of our block. Upon further examination, I saw firemen going in and out through a hole in the roof of the apartment building at the end of our block. Yes, lightning had struck very nearby indeed. Such a close call leads one to count his blessings. What if the lightning had struck our townhome rather than a building a couple of hundred yards to the west?

Live each day as though it were your last, the Bible says. The reality of that came a bit closer today than I would have preferred.