But before jumping ahead to next year’s goals and dreams, I wanna look back on the top five events of 2009 and what I’ve learned from each one. I know this is a bit cliché, but it has been a year worth reflection.

Numero Uno – The Birth of Jude and Parental Whiplash

Typically, a top five list should count down to number one, to build suspense. However, most of you already know what the big one is, so I’ll start with the one event that has changed us more than anything we can think of: The birth of our son Jude on July 8.

It’s funny to think back on our conversations as we predicted what life would be like with a new baby.  Our only visions were of bliss. Sure we heard it was hard work and that it would change our life forever, but for some reason we didn’t prepare ourselves for how difficult it would be. I’ve decided to name this naiveté: Parental Whiplash.

We were not ready. Yes, we read about and studied a variety of parenting methods.  We learned about more natural and instinctive ways of caring for a baby. And we continued to eat organic foods (cause that’s how we roll). As good as all that preparation was, it couldn’t prepare us for the 8 weeks of colic that followed.  We loved Jude with all our hearts, but at the end of it we had truly reached the end of ourselves.

Through those weeks, I re-discovered that the storehouse of my human resources is a wasteland compared to the magnitude of strength and wisdom of God that he offers so freely to those who ask.  I’ll always enjoy learning, but in all circumstances God is ready and able to go way beyond what I have learned.

Deuce – Discovering St. Bartholomew’s Church

We started attending St. Bartholomew’s Church in January of 2009, mostly as a curiousity.  Krista had encouraged it for some time, and we were in a place of wandering and wondering if we would ever find a church home that seemed like a fit.  We had no idea that the Anglican Experiment would end up as the exact thing we were looking for.

For reasons I’ve already stated and for some that I’m still sorting through, we love our church home.  It certainly caught us off guard, and was the best surprise of the year.

I suppose the biggest thing I’ve learned out of this is that no matter how well I think I’ve been able to keep God out of a box, he continues to show me where I have put divine expectations and boundaries up where none should be. He is the God of Being-Too-Big-for-Boxes (is there a Hebrew word for that?).

Number Next – Old Friends and New Ones

I realize that this could apply every year, but when you introduce a first child into the mix, it can mean newfound weirdness with your friends.  I can’t completely explain it, but I’ve heard this from a few different people. However, I’m grateful for old friends and new ones who have not missed a beat and have continued to reach out to us, even in strange times such as these.

The lesson for me? True friendship is worth the hard work that it sometimes takes.
(Disclaimer: this does not mean that I’m seeking more “Friend Recommendations” on Facebook. Stand down, ye extroverts.)

Fourth - Our New House

Our new house takes the fourth slot in the top 5.  We love the house and the neighborhood, and we look forward to seeing Jude grow up here.

As anyone who has bought a new house learns, we discovered that having a lot of money in savings was a really good idea, since the second you get the keys, the wall of the house turn into money magnets.

Ultimo  - U2 in Concert

I love the fact that I’ll get to tell my son that I saw U2 in concert twice (at least). The concert in Atlanta back in October was a great show, and though I had a great time with Brian, I do wish that Krista could have come.  She’s still yet to see them live. I hope another tour comes this way for her sake!

What did I learn at the U2 show? These guys are not even close to being too old, which became obvious about halfway through their main set when they rocked “Elevation” like a bunch of 20 year olds.

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Happy New Year to all… Tomorrow comes with new beginnings, if you so choose to have such hope.

Waiting for Jude
With two weeks before our official due date, we are still awaiting the arrival of our little one. Krista feels pretty good, and has actually enjoyed being pregnant, though I hear that’s not the normal experience.  I attribute her experience to the fact that she is non-toxic, pure granola girl.  Keep an eye out, as I’ll be using my website to post pictures within days after he is born.

Contract on a House

We are excited about the possibility of closing on a house at the end of August!  We made an offer on a house in Franklin, hoping that the seller would be willing to delay closing until that time, and somewhat to my surprise, it worked out.  It’s a great-looking place with most of the items on our wish list.  I’ll tell more once we have officially closed later this summer, since the deal isn’t done until then (this is me, guarding against disappointment).

Ellie’s Run for Africa

I ran in Ellie’s Run for Africa this morning, finishing somewhere in the top 1000, which was easy, since there were close to that number of people in the race.  It’s one of the best 5Ks in Nashville, thanks to a great cause (which you can read about here) and a great venue.  I was able to raise about $350 in sponsorships, and if you would still like to give to the cause, just follow the link (big THANKS to those of you who donated!).  Percy Warner Park is a gorgeous place, and running cross country is a nice relief compared to the usual road races.  Somehow I was given 3 as my race number, so I was thrilled to be in the single digits for the first time ever in a race.  Unfortunately, this did not mean I would receive an automatic bronze medal.

Tattoo
I’ve completed the second of three phases for the tattoo on my forearm. The purpose of it is to remind me of a core belief I have about God as my Father.  It’s the Greek text from Galatians 4:7: “No longer a slave, but a son.”  I also had a symmetrical cross put on the inside of my wrist as well.

Birthday Wish List

Finally, I know that a lot of you have been out shopping this week for my upcoming birthday (please read the sarcasm there).  Fortunately, I have discovered a perfect item that you will probably want to buy for yourself as well.  If you are into board games, check out Settlers of Catan.  Apparently it makes Monopoly look outdated and poorly designed.  Plus, it was invented in Germany, where all the great board games originate, so they tell me.  I found it here.

Celebrations
Krista and I celebrated our three-year anniversary the first week of this month. Now that we are expecting our first child, time seems to be flying by. But most every day I stop at some point and it registers with me again (probably when I’m looking at those gorgeous green eyes): I have it so very good.

To commemorate, we spent an evening out at Ruth’s Chris steakhouse. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a steak at that level. Add it to your list of restaurants for “special occasions” ASAP. In fact, here are a couple occasions you may consider:

• Cinco de Mayo (May 5th, to state the obvious) – I’m not sure how to say “Filet Mignon” in Spanish, but it would be worth figuring it out for their steaks.
• Mother’s Day (May 10th) – Even if you can’t bring mom along, this might be a great way to raise the glass to the one who always had grape juice handy when you said the magic word, “Juice!”

Holy Week
As I mentioned in my last post, Easter Sunday was very special for us at St. Bartholomew’s. After hearing about other services from a couple of people, we will be sure to attend all the Holy Week gatherings next year (rookie mistake).

On another church note, I was honored that St. B’s chose to print my Confirmed article in the April edition of The Branch, which came out this past Sunday. I don’t write these posts with the thought that an entire congregation will be reading them, so I was humbled that they would ask to print it!

Sporting Excitements
Even though the Predators didn’t make the playoffs, I’m still excited to begin watching what is arguably the most grueling journey to any professional sports championship: The Stanley Cup Playoffs.  I previously picked the San Jose Sharks, but it’s looking like Krista’s pick of the Canucks was the smarter play. The Sharks are down 0-2 in the series as of Tuesday.

Movie Anticipations
It’s been months since we’ve been to the theater to see a movie, but here are the top five Spring/Summer movies I’m looking forward to:

• The Soloist (April 24) – This may be one where the previews sucked me in, but it looks like a fantastic storyline.
• Star Trek (May 8 ) – I don’t know that I qualify as a Trekkie, but I’ve watched Star Trek since I was a kid.  Early reviews on this movie indicate a homerun.
• Terminator: Salvation (May 21) – Christian Bale as John Connor in the prequel.  My only question is, can you really designate one particular film in a time-travel series as a “prequel.”
• Public Enemies (July 1) – A movie about Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger, starring Johnny Depp. Looks spectacular, if you like a good gangster movie.
• S. Darko (July 10) – Though I will go in with a fair amount of skepticism, I can’t resist going to see this follow up to Donnie Darko, which is in my top 5 movies of all time. This one plays from the perspective of Donnie’s sister, Samantha, if I’m understanding the plot correctly. It has the potential to be a huge disappointment.

Blog Worthy
My friend Brian has started a blog based on an intriguing premise.  He limits each post to exactly 99 words, and titles each post using the acronym of the first sentence.  It’s a quick, but thought-provoking read.  Visit Habits of The Cold War sometime soon.

New Music:

Angels and Airwaves.  I had a $5 credit at Amazon.com and downloaded this there.  Solid pop rock.  If you like The Killers, you may enjoy these guys.

New DVD:
I got three words for ya:  The Dark Knight.  Can’t wait to have a guys night for this one!  Best of the Batman movies, by far.

New Hardware:
It’s not a question of if your hard drive will crash.  It’s a question of when. a 500GB hard drive for backups, and stumbled upon this Rocstor Rocpro 225 at Amazon.com for $86.32, plus there is free shipping since it’s over $25.  I’ve heard great things about the reliability of this drive so this is a very good price (retails at $147).  Buy.com has it for $98 (which seemed cheap before I found it at Amazon).

Newly Discovered Blog:
I have been enjoying http://www.internetmonk.com/ lately.  Good discussions and articles.  It’s been on my radar for a while now, but only in the last couple of weeks have I read it regularly.

New Camera (with The Picture of the Week):
A gift from my parents-in-laws with strings attached (they want lots of baby pictures).  Here was one of our first pictures, titled, “Wise Man With Broken Hand”

Favorite New Book(s):
It’s a tie for first place:

God of the Possible, by Greg Boyd.  I’m looking forward to getting into this one. I’ve been inclined toward an open view of the future, so this will hopefully provide some solid discussion on the topic.

Reason for God, by Tim Keller.  I heard a great talk from Tim Keller based on this book, and have wanted it since then.

New Resolutions:
I better jump on that soon.