A dizzy whirlwind and a few short hours later I left that church with my best friend, now my wife, by my side. It was surreal and amazing and one of the most amazing days of my entire life.

It’s startling to imagine that was ten years ago; it seems like just yesterday. And I think it will always seems that clear.

Ten years ago I became the husband of the most beautiful, gracious, amazing, and charming little redhead that ever graced the planet.

And I am so truly grateful, Meg, for you and for that day. Happy tenth anniversary.

I’ve never been a big fan of blogs with lots and lots of words. Maybe it’s my short attention span, or the fact that I peruse around 150 sites a day (and in those volumes you have to become a scanner). Regardless, I’d like to tell more of a story; and utilize video, image, and hand-drawn scribble. Let me show you what’s inspiring me, or maybe (and more interestingly) show you the results of my inspiration. So let’s see where this goes.

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As I’ve dug I have come across quite a few interesting things. Here are two. First is set of safety glasses I dubbed weezer-specs. I got them on a client visit when I was an engineer. I ended up using them most of my time as and engineer, and seriously considered putting tape around the center for laughs. Second… well let’s say my Crocodile Dundee costume would have been much more effective had I found this earlier.

It’s been great. I count myself blessed to have such great friends, and family, especially my wonderfully creative, caring 5-year-old.

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We visited the local hardware store where we purchased about $15 worth of PVC pipe, tubes, and elbows. For the rest of the afternoon G spent his time creating contraptions, routing water, and experimenting with “hmm, what happens when I plug this pipe?” or “if I can this valve, the water comes out… where?”

No Wii for us on this fine summer afternoon, we’re enjoying some quality young-engineer -development with PVC.

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Here’s how I use it for my quiet time journal. I use this from my iPhone, a paper Bible, from my laptop, or from another computer.

Benefits of this workflow:
- Access to your journal (both input and output) everywhere
- Search. Ever think “what was that verse I read on anger?” Now you can find it.
- Backup. Because it’s stored at Evernote, you won’t misplace your journal.

Typically I use YouVersion.com as my Bible. I occasionally use a hard copy Bible (especially if I’m journaling from my iPhone).

In Evernote, I create a notebook called “Journal.” Each month, I create a new note called “July 2009 notes,” changing according to the date. This way I have a grouping of notes by month.

For each day, I create the entry like this:
“date” – “scripture for the day” (ie. 7/17 – Psalm 73). This way I have the date referenced, and regardless which Bible I pick up I have my place marked. This gives me flexibility in my routine.

How you notate is up to you. I keep all my notes in plain text (no Bold, italics, etc.). I do this primarily because the iPhone only lets you append info to the end of a note with that has formatting (you can’t edit into the middle of the note). I typically quote scriptures, and include verses referenced like (3) or (v4-10) so I can figure out what I was referring to later on, then add the thoughts that God shows me in and around the scripture clippings.

I’ve been using this technique since fall of last year and have really stuck to it. For me I’ve always struggled with paper based journaling. Doing it this way allows me to stay with a workflow I’m already using with everything elsee. Sidenote: I also use this “Journal” notebook for any sermon notes or conference notes I take. That way this information is all in the same location and easily retrievable.

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Today we finished. We installed a Reese hitch on my Jeep. To say it was a tedious task is a huge understatement. This must be the seemingly easiest, but actually most difficult, task I’ve ever taken on. Amazingly difficult.

But it’s done. Fini. And documented via video and photo. Yeah!

Video segment here.