So we've been home from vacation now since Sunday. Hilton Head Island was great, as usual. Good golf, nice beaches, and quiet this time of year. Ian did very well during our stay there, although we had to let him sleep between us while we were there since he hated his playpen as a crib (and hates it in general). That made the first few nights back home miserable, but last night he was back to his normal sleeping habits.

I played four rounds (72 holes) of golf, and my last round was, of course, my best. I had a few bad shots, as usual, but nothing too terrible. All in all for the four rounds, I was minus eight on golf balls... meaning I used up all my remaining old balls and two brand new ones. I lost both of the new ones on the same friggin' hole! :) That's okay, it was fun, and that's what matters.

Now we are back to the ol' grind here at home. Why is it that you always feel tired after vacation, though you go on vacation to rest? Oh well, at least it is a different type of tired.

And so Wednesday has come in this week of vacation. Ian has reacted badly to the plethorous amounts of pollen and has caught a cold on top of that. When he was diagnosed with RSV in November 2005, they told us this could happen. Makes it tough on him to sleep... which in turn makes it tough in us to sleep.

The time to golf is good for me. I've been able to get out each of the last three days and play 18 holes each day. I'll put more information out on that next week. One problem I'm having is that I keep offering up all my golf balls to the water gods (the ones who live in the hazards and attract the flight of your ball so that no matter where you aim, your ball hits right in the middle of the hazard). I would have thought I would have appeased them by now, but thats not the case, apparently. I have three of my old balls left... something tells me they won't make it out of here...

Golf is one of those things where perfection is elusive (and for some of us only an abstract idea). One shot is a perfect, down the center, right-where-you-wanted-it drive, the next is a nasty squib shot off to the right because you toed the blasted ball. Those sweet down the center shots keep me coming back, but after the way I played hole 18 today, I have to ask... WHY!!!???

At long last, vacation! Elaine and I are ecstatic to be away from work and able to just relax. She'll do some shopping, I'll be playing exactly four rounds of golf. Ian is a bit out of whack, but overall handles things pretty well, I think. Ah! How we love him!

At church, our bishop was released from his calling as bishop and a new person was called. He is a close friend of ours, and we are excited that we don't have to go through the ordeal of explaining the ins and outs of Ian's liver disease and how that affects us... Jack already knows (perhaps better than most) pretty much everything there is to know. He and his wife, Jaime, ran the campaign to raise funds for Ian's transplant.

So, I realize I should probably explain that we belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), commonly referred to as "the Mormons". Our church has a lay ministry, meaning no one gets paid for the work they do for the church. Members attend a specific unit, usually defined by geographic location. Out of the congregation, various people are called to fill different positions within the ward or branch. Hopefully, this helps provide a little light on how Jack, a friend of ours, became the bishop of our ward. Callings are given through revelation, meaning there are not applications or campaigns or anything of the sort. One day, for example, Jack would have received a call from the Stake President (wards and branches are organized into larger units called stakes), and the Stake President would issue that call to Jack.

That pretty well sums things up in a few brief sentences. If you want to know why we do things the way we do them, feel free to visit the church website for information on organization, or feel free to submit a question to me via comment, or just ask your Mormon neighbor.

Spring is in the air... uh, sort of. It is warmer than February and very windy. I think that counts.

Okay, okay. So it has been quite some time since I entered anything here. Why rush things? :)

Ian continues to do well. We had a visit to the tranplant center in early February, and the doctors are still pleased with his health. They certainly understand our frustration in having to wait, but the system exists for a reason. Ian's PELD was a 12 from these labs. We have noticed some apparent variation in the different labs. Whenever labs are done here at home, his score climbs. Whenever labs are drawn in Atlanta, his score falls. Coincidence? Not after this many times! Coincidence is not usually consistent as well.

Work is absolutely chaotic. We are still completing the move of the Envirosealed division from Chattanooga, TN, to Christiansburg, VA. On top of that, we have a customer coming to audit the processes (which are not yet completed due to the transition). Add in that we are currently doing feature specific testing for the Qualtrax 4.o release, and I am busy enough that my wife doesn't see much of me. Yeah, don't ask her how she really feels about that. You'd get an earful. :)

Speaking of Elaine, she and three friends took a much-deserved road trip for the weekend down into North Carolina. This is her first real getaway since Ian was born 20 months ago, and she is just plum tuckered (I always wanted to use that - in honor of you, Mark). I have heard from her, so I know she's okay, but she is doing what she is supposed to and being away. I anticipate a much relaxed wife when she returns.

Our family vacation is coming up later this month. I think all three of us are looking forward to this (can a 20 month old look forward to something that he has no concept of?).

I went golfing with a friend today, possibly for the last time. He has accepted a position with his employer and is moving to Hagerstown, MD on Monday. It was a little on the windy side. That always makes the game... how shall I put it... more interesting? But seriously, golf is golf, wind or no wind. We enjoyed ourselves, which is the main point. I also ran into someone I worked with six years ago. We spent a few minutes catching up and reminiscing, as well as updating each other on where people are now and what they are doing.

Hmm... you would think I would have much more to say, but such is not the case.