End of Year/New Year Projects

As to be expected, reflecting back on 2011 brings both joy and some pain. Getting laid off from work is a bummer when you have productively worked your entire life. It also causes me to remember that God is still in control and that brings a sense of peace and anticipation for what He has in store ahead. It has also gotten me to work with some very good recruiters and new friends are always nice.

2011 also saw one of our 4 kids moving to Florida (and taking half of our 12 grandkids along). That too was a bummer. 

                     Bummers         2

                     Home Team     0

I guess I never anticipated the heavy emotional impact that would have. Even loosing close contact with any of your children takes a heavy toll which brings us back to the God in control promise. We did get a web cam and got to see the Florida "B"s open their presents. (All the fun and none of the mess!)

I had always wanted to write an article for a model railroading magazine and that came to fruition in the Nov/Dec 2011 issue of N Scale. Working with the publisher was enjoyable and I learned some things to avoid next time.

We started going to a new church (pastored by an old friend). That means more new friends and more excitement.

I also got involved with a model railroad forum which seems to have an abundance of interesting and friendly folks (with a few negative clunkers to spice things up). Looking at their work brings a lot of inspiration and also a sense of relief. Although I am not and never will be an expert in most endeavors, I at least feel competent in most and can enjoy the hobby with what I can do. And the new shelf layout is well underway

My wife and I also managed to get the last of the boxes from our "house move" opened and everything put in place. Score a major victory (and a sense of relief) there.

So what lies ahead. All kinds of "opportunities." I need to:

·         Find a full-time job

·         Get some major dental work done

·         Make the new house more energy efficient

On the railroad:

·         Complete the second magazine article

·         Raise the layout height 6" (more on that later)

·         Finish wiring the South Westville/North Woodbury module

·         Build a timber trestle (to cross Timber Creek)

·         Decide whether to build a peninsula in the room or take over the storage area (The town of Woodbury needs to go somewhere.)

·         Sell off the 4'x8' (which is the centerpiece of the next article)

The fun (and the challenges) just never end!