Last night Vicki and I reached a milestone in our lives.  At about 7:00pm I ceremoniously removed the right side of Grace's crib thereby turning her infant crib it a "big-girl" bed.  There was not a lot of fanfare, there were no tears, but it was meaningful.

For Vicki and I, it marks the end of an era; all our kids are now in "big-kid" beds.  It is a great feeling, but it caused me to pause for a moment and realize that the end of one era simply means the start of another.  I don't know what to expect in the next era of life, but I do know that Vicki and I will depend on the wise input of friends and family who have already helped us navigate through the first era.

Having four kids is great...and two boys and two girls is an additional blessing.  It hasn't been easy...it has challenged my patience, my ability to spend time and show love to four kids (and a wife), and has forced me to evaluate myself in light of God's desire for my character (Galatians 5). 

Coming soon...no more diapers.

They don't have the best reputation...I'm not exactly sure why.  Maybe I am one of the fortunate ones because my mother-in-law is great.  She doesn't butt-in, she watches the kids so Vicki and I can get a date in every once in a while, and she treats me like her own son.

She had surgery a couple weeks ago and spend a lot of time in the hospital.  Since Sunday, she has been staying with us.  We had a hospital bed brought in, transformed our dining room into a hospital room, and now somewhat resemble the set of ER.

I wonder how many people truly don't enjoy their relationships with their in-laws...I do and I hope she gets better soon...

"Mature" trees...that just means big and old.  I have a really "mature" tree at the back corner of my property with more leaves than you could possibly count.  When November arrives, it translates to a lot of raking for me but it means a whole lot more for the kids.   After a whole lot of raking, then the real fun begins.

I captured some video with my phone...Vicki joined in the fun...hope you enjoy...they sure did.

Oreos are really yummy.

I initially started this blog to try and keep up with Dave's blog (co-worker and friend)...but then quickly realized that I also want to introduce others to the work we are doing at Mission Research.  We create useful, intuitive, and inexpensive software and our latest product, GiftWorks, provides non-profit organizations with quality software at an affordable price.

blog software

This blog software is called dasBlog. The binaries and source code are available on SourceForge.  Thanks to Dave for the recommendation!

now

I am a senior developer at Mission Research, a software startup in Lancaster, PA. We are makers of GiftWorks -- affordable, easy-to-use fundraising software for non-profits. We have been selling GiftWorks for a little over a year right now.

RR Donnelley (2001-2004)

Before coming to Mission Research, I worked for RR Donnelley & Sons where I developed cross-platform web-based systems for our healthcare and financial companies.  I left RRD in 2004 and took a year off to dabble in a few things...until I was connected with Mission Research.

Keystone Asset Management (1998-2001)

Keystone provides services for the mortgage industry.  We developed systems that allowed quick and efficient communication between real estate agents across the country and our clients.