intoto in transit

This weekend, before the usual week of pre & then post Thanksgiving activities, make me pause and want to do just that – thank the Lord for his Providential care of us. This last week has been a whirlwind of interesting developments on the job front & a week of preparation for Aimee for yesterday’s audition for the Musical Theater dept. at University of Alabama. The day was an interesting, exciting, and absolutely exhausting day!

Jan & I are impressed with the program there – we really did not expect to be! They had about 22-24 students audition, and will only be accepting 8-10, but Aimee has such talent and drive that we feel confident that she will be offered a spot. Then it will be the whole thing over again in January at the Cincinatti Conservatory of Music with similar hopes and (we think) equal opportunity for her to be accepted into the program. The final decision(s) may come down to $$ and overall opportunity.
This week promises to be a busy one as well, but without quite the same level… As we prepare our hearts to worship God this morning, it IS with thankful hearts. He does indeed care for us, his flock.

WOW – what is a dad to say? My baby is no baby no more! This picture is the “headshot” that Aimee will be submitting with her auditions for musical theatre programs at several colleges. The first one is this Saturday at the University of Alabama. So far, she is auditioning at four colleges, so… pray that God opens the right door to the right place!

Flew back in from Seattle on the red-eye (aptly named!) Friday evening. Running ever since w/a long list of things transpiring quickly. Aimee & Jan are in Little Shop of Horrors and I must say that it is a kicking show! What a blast!

Had to clean the house for a couple wishing to look it over for a possible buy. Our great 2700 sq. ft. 1906 Victorian house didn’t suit the snooty wife, so they can stay in in their tiny 1700 sq. ft. wanna-be for now! We didn’t want to sell anyway!

As part of my job with Entirenet, I am often in Seattle (usually two weeks out of a month). This week has been a typical week, with an uncommon twist. I regularly am in town or on the road presenting technical training to Microsoft staff & partners. This week we were doing a 4-day “airlift” for 150+ Deployment partners on the latest methodologies available for installing & managing Windows XP & Office 2003. Typical except for this time, I got a couple of job offers while in town. It seems that I have made a bit of a name for myself in the tech community around deployment, and am suddenly in high demand… cool! The jobs that I have been offered look to be so interesting that I probably will have to really consider them. News at 11!

Jack’s Life is the name of the newly released book by Douglas Gresham. If the author’s name isn’t immediately familiar to you, he is one of C. S. Lewis’ stepsons. His mother, Joy Davidman, married Jack and they were both Suprised by Joy. I learned a lot about one of my favorite authors, though I thought I had read every biography about Lewis. Gresham shares an immensely personal insight of this man who became his step father and shared the death of his mother. The book is thin, but full. It is apparent that Douglas was eternally changed because of God’s sovereign placement of C. S. Lewis in his life. In fact, God has used Lewis to change many of us. Get this book, and bless the God who calls men like Clives Staples Lewis, or Jack, and men & women like ourselves to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).

Today we spent the day accompanying Aimee and the other kids from Studio One as they all performed their various theatrical skills at the district Trumbauer Theater Competition. They all worked hard, and will all be going on to State competition the first week of December. The talent in this bunch of kids is phenomenal, and all of the parents in attendance were proud of all the kids. Aimee & DJ sang their duet from Little Shop of Horrors, “Suddenly Seymor”, and it was just about perfect! Its been a long several weeks for all the kids, and they all have worked really hard. Props to all of them for the excellent performances and their support of each other throughout.

Our son Will, or Hollywood, the name he acquired soon after birth in Hollywood, FL; turned twenty today! I think that he is as surprised by it as are the rest of us. He’s come a long way from that cuddly little guy over there.

Today Will is the manager of Lagniappes Coffee Cafe, our local anti-Starbucks establishment. In addition to his hard work there, he also attends college, and writes, records and performs emo rock & roll with The Cycle. Listen to the tunes there, and buy their CD!

Happy Birthday, Will!

By way of Between Two Worlds comes the links to an interview with Douglas Gresham; stepson of C.S. Lewis on the upcoming Narnia movie:

Part 1: The Man Behind the Wardrobe

Part 2: Narnia Comes to Life

Twenty one years ago today, on a cold morning, outside at the Point Mallard Prayer Chapel, Jan Norrell pledged to be my wife ’til death do us part. Thus began a somewhat hectic journey from Decatur, AL to Ft. Lauderdale, FL via Pensacola! With 4 year old daughter Ashley, we loaded everything we could pack into Jan’s tiny Toyota Celica for the arduous trip south. What a weekend!

One year and one day later, our son Will was born in Hollywood, FL; Hollywood remains his nickname still. And after a move to Herndon, VA, our daughter Aimee came into the world & closed out the chapters of our “making babies” “birthing & having babies” period.

Jan, I love you, and hope we make it another twenty!

And Ashley, Will, & Aimee – wish us well on this day – without us… well you know where that goes! I love you all!

In an amazing feat of legerdemain, Microsoft announced significant new directions for the company. The web is buzzing with speculation & wonder as to what this could all ultimately mean. Sites such as Robert Scoble’s “Scobelizer” Blog; and Steve Gilmor’s “InfoRouter” are saying things like “Office Live or Office Dead is for the jury…”

Watch this story, folks… things are going to get ugly!