Thursday, July 30, 2009

Happy Ten Year Anniversary!

No, not Leah and I...we haven't even made the zero mark yet!


I was looking through some pictures today, and I came to the realization that I've now been playing guitar for ten years!


It all started many years ago in the summer of 1999, when I was but a wee lad...



I still remember my first guitar. It was a Bentley, which I think was some cheap knock-off brand. After I realized that I was going to stick with it, I moved up to the Takamine in the photo above. It was also cheap, but I thought it was the coolest guitar in the world.


Now, ten years have gone by. It doesn't really seem like it's been that long. For one thing, I would have hoped to be a better player than I am after ten years, but there simply aren't enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to get done and practice.


Anyway, feel free to wish me and my guitars a happy anniversary in the comment box. This really is a momentous occasion!






Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Boxes

Packing sucks. Although I have to admit, I'm very good at it. Somehow, I've developed a keen sense of knowing how to maximize the space in a box. Sounds weird, I know. I'm probably bordering on OCD. However, it is somewhat fascinating to see how little of a space my belongings really take up. Obviously furniture and gear are exceptions, but all of my books, CDs, office supplies, etc, actually take up a relatively small space. Things that seemed to take up so much space in my office and bedroom are now in small, neatly packed boxes in my garage that will probably all fit in my car.

This is in contrast to my lovely fiancé, who is just awful at packing. First, she's the world's greatest pack-rat - even better than my 77-year-old grandmother who still has drawings I drew when I was five (and some my mom drew at that age too!). I would imagine that 80 percent of the stuff we will need (or have) in our apartment is already there. She's also pretty terrible at unpacking - most of her stuff is still in boxes a month after she moved. I take part of the blame for that though - I told her to wait until I move in so we don't have to rearrange five times.

I think the goal in all of this process is to minimize the amount of stuff we have for maximum benefit. We'd love to live well on less stuff, especially since we're going to be poor. Since newlywed poverty seems to be a common phenomenon, do any of our six subscribers have any tips on how to live well on a small budget with less stuff? If so, leave them in the comments. You know you want to.


Monday, July 27, 2009

my name is ross

I am now a blogger. I tried this once before, without much success and without much to say. Hopefully this time around will be different. But I don't have much to say right now, so things aren't looking too great.

I'm hoping to have a few things to say so that this doesn't simply become another one of Leah's blogs. She already has a few of them, and never writes on any of them. I'm hoping that I can encourage her to persevere. After all, John Calvin says that perseverance of the saints is one of the characteristics of a Calvinist and a true Christian. We'll start with perseverance of the blog, and hopefully we can work our way up to saints.

And in a rather crude adaptation of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians..."If anyone has no love for this blog, let him be accursed." Well, maybe not quite that strong. But at least read it and comment.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

it's a family affair

So, I've successfully convinced Ross that (a) blogging is cool, and (b) he needs to start doing it. In the spirit of becoming a family (two more weeks!!), we decided to make a team effort of it. Thus, the Ward Family Blog was born! Until further notice, the family blog will be located at leahandross.blogspot.com.

We do have some RULES around here. If you're gonna read the blog, you must follow the rules!

Rule #1: Always Leave Comments. Otherwise, we'll feel pretty alone in the blogosphere. It's a lot like going all the way out to your mailbox every day only to find that there's nothing in it. We need affirmation! A phone call to tell us you liked it is not an acceptable substitute!

Rule #2: Tell friends and family about this blog. A blog is only worth it if people we don't talk to regularly will read it.

Rule #3: Encourage us to post entries whenever you see us. We like to procrastinate. And also, we like affirmation (see Rule #1).

Rule #4: If you're a blogger or you use a reader, follow this blog or add our feed to your reader. We're vain; we like you to be notified about whatever we say.

I'm excited about this blog! Hopefully it can help family and friends keep up with us, get to know each other better, share ideas & advice, etc.

Regular posting will begin after the wedding on August 8. We may do a few posts from our honeymoon, but we're not making any promises. In the mean time, bookmark us, follow us, add us to your reader, and get ready to post those comments! Thanks for reading. Much love & God bless!