"If dreams are like movies, then memories are films about ghosts"

Lately since I don't have time to sit down and write songs I've been writing poetry in my head. You may remember the poem I wrote for my daughter, Adelaide. I've been working on a new one...and it's pretty much done, but I don't like the last two lines yet. I'm not sure if I'll put it to music or not.

I've been driving in my hometown,
past the memories with windows down.
I let the wind rush in and hear the sounds
of friends I've made and dreams I've never found.

I am not quite the man I thought I'd be.
I've never climbed a mountain or sailed the sea.
But I've kissed a dying woman's cheek;
I've held my daughter's hand and watched her sleep.
Maybe that man was someone else, and this is me.

So when I drive back home I hug my wife,
thank God for each breath that brings me life,
and ask that I could walk this narrow line,
with love that flows like beams of heaven's light.

If I ever figure out what I really want to do with the last two lines I'll repost. By the way, you may be asking yourself why I'm driving with windows down in the weather we've been having...mainly because I don't have AC in my car. It sounds wonderfully poetic though, doesn't it?

Roll your windows down, the summer's nearly gone...

Ah...The Alternate Routes...great music I've been listening to all summer. Come to think of it, summer is gone, not nearly gone. I'm starting back to school this week so that means blog posts will probably be scarce again for a while. Too bad I can't blog for a living. I will have to post some guitar updates though. I hit some serious roadblocks with the headstock so I am still working on it, but I can happily say I am almost finished with the neck.

I registered for my first marathon two weeks ago, which is a little frightening. My long runs are up to 18 miles. I've had one really good 18 mile run and one 18 miler where I thought I might not make it. I'm not sure what the difference was, but I would sure like to avoid the latter from now on.

I also took a fun family vacation to Hilton Head Island. We've been going there for years so it's always slightly nostalgic to go back. This year there was the added benefit of this restaurant called "David's Roastfish and Cornbread," which ranks right up there with Oriental House for me. It was hot, but Addy got some good beach time and even ate sand for the first time. She also enjoyed her first Greg Russell concert and a trolley ride from Harbor Town.

Kristi took a full time nanny job starting today, which makes me a little sad because we won't be seeing much of each other...but at the same time it's such an obvious way that God is providing for us while I finish school and it still allows Kristi to be a stay at home mom with Addy, which we have prioritized.

Now I'd just like the cooler weather to hurry up and settle in. Here's some pictures from our HHI trip for the road...

Who knew the decal would be the hardest part of making a guitar?

This week has been quite relaxing. I found myself getting a little bored for the first time in what feels like 2 years. I've had a chance to catch up on things I used to do in my former life, like wash my car and take Lucy and Addy for walks downtown and in Lake Conestee Nature Park. It's been wonderful.

On Tuesday night Kristi made probably one of the most delicious meals I've ever eaten. I don't know what it's called, but it involves onions, mushrooms, chicken, and cheese. For the sides we had green beans and rice. It was fantastic, and I'm thinking about making it the "guest" meal, which is the meal we make when visitors come over. Up until this point we usually make this pan seared Italian chicken. Maybe we can rotate.
Today I finally got my waterslide decal onto the headstock of my guitar neck. It has been quite a frustrating process. The first problem was that I didn't have anything to fix the ink (make it not smudge). I thought I could just use a coat of lacquer, but it really didn't work very well, and when I stuck the decal into water ink went everywhere. So I bought some decal bonder on ebay, waited a few days for it to get here, and then sprayed my decals. After they had dried I attempted to stick one on the headstock. Unfortunately application of the 3 I had made were all unsuccessful. Those things are very hard to get on straight without the edges curling. So I made 6 more, and after the first 2 were failures, the 3rd was a winner. I kind of wish it was a tad higher, but it looks good so I'm not going to push my luck.
One thing I have really enjoyed this year in general is seeing how far our yard has come. When we first moved to our house in '08 there was little to no landscaping. Here is an old blog post with some pictures shortly after we moved in. We spent many hours doing back breaking work killing grass, creating mulch beds, and planting somewhere in the realm of 50ish bushes and 4 trees when all was said and done. And when I say we, really it was mostly me, especially the digging. We bought the tiniest bushes available (they are the cheapest) so it has been fun to watch everything get bigger. This year I've been tackling the grass, which was just as big a problem. I've sprayed weeds, pulled weeds by hand, and began following a fertilizing schedule that someone from Southside gave me. Things have gone better than I imagined, and the yard is looking great, grass included. I was admiring my work and thought, "hey, I should take some more yard pictures for my blog." So here for your admiration is the Stoeber's 2010 version of our yard.

Next week I am going to Hilton Head which is pretty exciting. I don't get vacations too often, so time at the beach is always appreciated, although I do admit I'm hoping the temp stays at least in the lower 90's. I'm thinking my chances are slim.

mmmmmm Brussel Sprouts...

I enjoy making fancy dinners...most people are aware of this. Lately I have been more adventurous with my dinners. There was the swordfish, which turned out wonderfully...

This past Sunday I decided to try a grilled Salmon recipe, and for the vegetable I thought I would give Brussel Sprouts a chance. Now I have only ever tried them one time before, and it was a long time ago. My mom made them when I was young, and the story is remembered by all family members because my dad tried to pretend he liked them and ate a ton, and then felt sick later that night. We never had them again after that.

So against my better judgement I decided I'd go for it. I found a recipe on allrecipes.com which had hundreds of positive reviews, surely they couldn't be that bad, right? After washing and trimming they looked quite promising.



Things started to go downhill after they had been in the oven for a little bit. The smell just wasn't one you think of when you think of a delicious dinner. Nonetheless they looked pretty when they were done cooking.
Unfortunately that's where anything positive ends. Kristi and I both tried to pretend like they weren't that bad, but I think after the fifth one I felt like I might gag if I swallowed anymore. Kristi ate a few more than me, but felt about the same. It really put a damper on the whole dinner. That and the fact that the salmon didn't turn out quite as delicious as I thought it would. Oh well, they can't all be winners I guess.