Chismville

I was talking to my parents on my drive home yesterday (Friday) when I was able to announce to them that I had seen my first bit of snow on the ground as I turned onto my street Liberty Rd. I just love my street name! Anyways, I saw just a few specks of snow flurries while I was at my office and in the D.C. area but nothing like what Joli got to see! Our area (Northeastern part of Frederick County) probably got close to an inch of slow for our first snow fall of the season! Hey! Not bad as it is still a little early. It was so fun to drive up my driveway and see patches of snow covering most of the grassy areas around our property. Today there are still a few patches remaining. It is just beautiful. I wish Joli could describe what it was like. She said is was so peaceful when it came down.

I’m still trying to get use to this new part of America and hope I will get settled in soon. I have had trouble breathing on and off since I left San Diego. It all started when I hit Colorado and has been up and down ever since. I’m not sure if it is stress, the different climates, or what! The weather here has changed so much since I moved so I don’t think it is the weather as I’ve seen really hot, really humid, San Diego like weather and now this cold front. Today the high is around 30. The cool part is that I can deal with 30! My buddy, Ben Laughman, told me yesterday it did not get much colder than 30 in the middle of the day in Maryland (not including the wind), so I thought that was real cool! Don’t get me wrong 30 is VERY cold but not outrageously cold. I’m buying my first pair of long-johns today and already have an umbrella and two pairs of gloves! My job this fall consists of selling Christmas displays, so unfortunately, all my estimates are OUTSIDE! I had an appointment the other day when the temp was 23 degrees! OHHH was I cold. My body finally broke down on Thursday. All day Thursday through today I’ve felt like a whipped puppy. I have been outside quite a bit this week, and this has been the coldest week to date. So, I’m staying inside today getting a good amount of R&R trying to beat this flu bug or whatever it is I have! It is hard for me to stay in bed all day, so I got up to upload a few photos of our kids, family and write this quick blog.

One cool activity I just started was playing basketball with a group of Christian men on Tuesday and Thursdays. The last time I played ball with a group of guys on a weekly basis was in high school 15 years ago at the YMCA in Mission Valley. These guys are just awesome. They will discuss a few prayer items and pray together before we all start. We play from 6am to between 7 and 7:30. It has been great for me to get the exercise and get back in shape, as I don’t do well just being a runner or sitting in front of an exercise video. Just completed my 2nd week playing and am feeling better.

In short, besides my health issues, I am LOVING Maryland. I am so happy here yet must say…I wish I could see my wonderful Chism Family more often. God has not made it possible for man to figure out a way to be in two separate parts of the country at the same time. Sometimes I wish it were that easy. I love and miss my California family and my dear friends so much. Please come and visit whenever you are near DC or Baltimore. We are right in the middle of these cities.

Congratulations to Kendra and Jesse on the birth of Randy Nathanael Beaty this afternoon! I am SO excited for my sweet sis and bro and can’t wait to meet my new nephew!

I was pondering how magical are the little things in life through the eyes of a baby. Aria plays delightedly with her feet every time I change her diaper. She has become the world’s easiest baby. She smiles and plays and eats and sleeps and hardly fusses when her overly-zealous sister sits on her or enthusiastically pats her head or face. Although I’m trying to lead a peaceful and simple life, I can scarcely find time to update our little blog. I have written scores of interesting posts in my head like the one about my bubble bath with Joel and Chalice in our fancy whirlpool tub with Aria looking on, or the delightful snow flurries I experienced just the other day. I am proud of my sister Jenny as she books many Premier Jewelry shows and thrives with her new side job. Oh she is so entertaining! Heidi shows up faithfully every 6:30 AM of the weekdays to exercise with me. Sometimes I think it is a conspiracy to get me in shape and get me out of bed before my kids! David is playing basketball two early mornings a week with a group of guys. He’s such a good basketball player. It takes a real man to brave the cold at 5 something before work to shoot hoops. Kendra and I decided to start keeping eachother accountable for Bible memory. We now have nearly half a dozen people memorizing Isaiah 40! Please join us if you feel inclined. I plan to sign off this popcorn sort of post and head to bed so I’ll look perky when Heidi shows up tomorrow morning. Yay! for my new little nephew!

It took about 5-6 weeks but today was a very exciting day for me! I finally received my State of Maryland Salesman’s Licensed! Not every salesman needs a licensed in Maryland. I was required because I was selling home improvement jobs. It is actually a pretty cool system as far as government regulations go. It protects the homeowner to know that a person selling a paint job, a roof or remodeling project must be licensed by the State. It hopefully will set ourselves apart from the competition.

I’ve been working on selling only Christmas lighting projects, which has been cool. I’m really enjoying being Christmas Decorator and helping people light up their homes for Christmas. Now that I have my Home Improvement Lic. in hand, I’m officially licensed to take on residential painting estimates for Ted: and hopefully take a BIG load off his back.

I recently had a conversation with my brother in law, Jesse Beaty, about the Obama-McCain elections. He shared with me a very interesting fact about a group of Obama supporters and their reason for voting for him. Jesse is taking a number of electrical classes twice a week down in Rockville, Maryland to complete his journeyman electrician certification. Most of his classmates are union workers and are voting for Obama, which is very typical for union employees. Jesse began discussing Obama-McCain and causing a reaction as no one liked the fact that he was voting for McCain. The very sad results Jesse shared was that these men thought Obama should be elected so that he can raise takes of the rich and have more money available for people like them. They said that rich people already have too much money and can live with a little less. In other words, they do not see a problem at all with taking from the rich and giving to the “poor.” However, they consider themselves the “poor and needy.” They feel like the victims and cannot speak well of anyone who has money.

After listening to his colleagues defend Obama, Jesse broke the news that his tax increases are not just for the rich. He will tax the working citizens of this country, yes! even union workers. Why do you think you pay such high union dues? Do you think those dues are going just for hard hats and a decent medical insurance policy? No way! That money is being used to get Obama elected so that the union can have what they want: a socialistic way of life!

It got me thinking about the Rich vs. the Poor the other day! Typically a rich person became rich which means at one point in his (or her) life, he was poor. How did he become rich? Because of family inheritance or luck? Maybe the rich person you know or have heard about became rich by having a goal to do something, anything! That person did not just sit around waiting for the government or a rich uncle to bail him out of his financial struggles. He set his mind to do something productive and did it! Most people (not all) who want government handouts will never be goal setters. They will never run a successful business or train their children to be self-starters! They will continue to work the minimum amount of hours and struggle through life knowing that our friendly government is there to help! Can you imagine what America was like if we all were hungry for someone bailing us out of all our daily struggles or giving us financial support?

My wife gave me a simple little book called, “Strang & Fascinating Facts About Famous Brands.” Joli, knowing I love marketing, thought it would be the perfect Father’s Day gift! She was right! I just love this booklet. All this book is about are 1 paragraph to 1 page stories about people who started very successful companies but typically with very little money. Will Kellogg, inventer of breakfast cereal, came up with the idea while working in a sanitarium. His patience loved his little invention so he became a traveling salesman trying to sell his knew little product of “corn flakes.” No the Kellogg family is worth billions. Mr. Subway (Subway Sandwiches) was just a kid looking to go to college. A doctor friend of his encouraged him to earn money for school and said to start making subs and selling them. I’m not sure if the guy ever went back to college as Subway soon began to grow by leaps and bounds! Hersey and Resees Chocolates all started by a family, not a big corporation. The Resee family saw the money that their farm neighbors: The Herseys, started making from chocolate that they put their pennys together and invented the Resees Buttercup in their basement! Dominoes, Pizza Hut, Dr. Pepper, Ivory Soap, they all had meager beginnings. All of their founders were determined to press on with their goals of making it in this world without the help of Uncle Sam. This is pure and good capitalism!

So, if you want a morale booster or a book to help you get motivated to press on in life, get a copy of the facts about famous brands and read a few entries! God made man to be creative, to take dominion of the earth, to subdue it and rule it well! He expects us to be diligent and work for His glory. My hope is that our nation will one day begin to see that they are living each day under the mercies of Christ and will begin to follow our Maker! My hope is that these union workers will realize that the rich are not all evil. Maybe they too can realize their God-given abilities and do something great!