I know this is entirely random, but I just read that Lexington, Kentucky is #47 on the list of Mercer Human Resource Consulting Group's Top 50 Most Livable Cities in their Quality of Living survey.
U.S. cities such as:
Honolulu
San Fransisco
Boston
Washington, DC
Chicago
Portland
New York City
and Seattle
were ranked above Lexington.
Pittsburg and Winston-Salem followed close behind Lexington.
Getting ranked at #47 not abnormal for Kentucky, it's usually just in secondary education. (Joking. Sort of.)
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Friday, April 21, 2006
Team Hoyt in Lexington
From the article:
Dick and Rick Hoyt compete together just about continuously in marathon races. And if they’re not in a marathon, they might be in an Ironman triathlon — that daunting, almost superhuman, combination of 26.2 miles of running, 112 miles of bicycling, and 2.4 miles of swimming. Together they have climbed mountains, and once trekked 3,735 miles across America. It’s a remarkable record of exertion — all the more so when you consider that Rick has been confined to a wheelchair and unable to control his arms or legs since birth. The two will bring their inspiring story of courage, hope and exceeding expectation to Immanuel Baptist Church on Sunday, April 30 at 6 p.m. The event is open to the public.
Dick and Rick Hoyt compete together just about continuously in marathon races. And if they’re not in a marathon, they might be in an Ironman triathlon — that daunting, almost superhuman, combination of 26.2 miles of running, 112 miles of bicycling, and 2.4 miles of swimming. Together they have climbed mountains, and once trekked 3,735 miles across America. It’s a remarkable record of exertion — all the more so when you consider that Rick has been confined to a wheelchair and unable to control his arms or legs since birth. The two will bring their inspiring story of courage, hope and exceeding expectation to Immanuel Baptist Church on Sunday, April 30 at 6 p.m. The event is open to the public.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
God's Workmanship
My fiancee Ashlee has posted a somewhat brief overview of the history of our relationship over at our wedding web site.
I appreciate so much Ashlee's recognition of God's hand in and over and above our relationship. It is so wonderful to realize that in spite of our best laid plans, God comes through and gives us gifts better than we could even imagine.
The countdown on NickandAshlee.com tells me that we have 35 days before the wedding. (Yes, I know I'm a nerd.) Tomorrow Ashlee and I will begin moving things into our home, where she will live until I move in with her after our honeymoon. It is so close! Yet in the midst of the chaos of keeping tabs on my Middle Schoolers (or Middle School leaders, as the case may be, Chuck), learning Hebrew and sometimes mend-bending theology, preparing for and planning the wedding and honeymoon, trying to be a decent brother/friend/fiance/son/coworker, and trying (too often failing) to keep God as the number one priority in all of these relationships -- I have peace.
It's the peace of a God that time and time again has bailed me out not because of but in spite of my efforts. The comfort of looking back over my life and seeing that even at the times I was in despair, God with his birds-eye view and boundless wisdom knew that I was exactly where I needed to be and that He had a plan on the other side. I have tasted the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). And it tastes good.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Planning a Honeymoon in Charleston
Between school, work, church, helping plan the wedding, and nursing my fiancee who has mono, I've also been trying to plan our honeymoon.
We're headed to Charleston, South Carolina for six days after the wedding. I originally planned to fly, but after comparing the cost of flights to the cost of driving, it's much more economical to drive. Additionally, it's not as long of a drive as I originally thought - only about 8.5 hours. Divided over one evening and another day, that's not bad.
(On a side note, I believe today I paid a higher rate for gas than ever before in my life: ~ $2.75/gallon. It cost me nearly $50 to fill up my Passport.)
One of the biggest decisions to make about the honeymoon is lodging - it can be hard to make choices strictly from looking on-line and it's also not a cheap thing to consider. (Not that much of anything about a wedding is cheap!)
Originally I thought we would stay in downtown Charleston at a Bed-n-Breakfast. Now I am looking at renting a villa on Kiawah Island which is nearby. It's inviting because it would probably be a little more of a relaxed, quiet environment, and we would still be able to access Charleston easily. One resource I have found is the Vacation Rentals By Owner. I like the idea of renting directly from an owner, because I feel like I'm saving money. However, I still find myself being skeptical of the owners, so I am also looking at bigger rental agencies.
I have found TripAdvisor.com to be a useful resource, although, once again, I am often skeptical of people. TripAdvisor provides forums in which people can ask and answer questions, give reviews, etc. People visit and post in the Charleston forum often, which is neat. Over the internet you don't often have full disclosure to know if a person giving a negative review of another hotel or restaurant is actually the owner of another establishment. Perhaps I am too distrusting.
Does anyone know of any good resources for trip planning in the Charleston area?
Does anyone have recommendations for specific restaurants or lodging in Charleston?
Does anyone own or know anyone that owns rental property in the Charleston area?
We're headed to Charleston, South Carolina for six days after the wedding. I originally planned to fly, but after comparing the cost of flights to the cost of driving, it's much more economical to drive. Additionally, it's not as long of a drive as I originally thought - only about 8.5 hours. Divided over one evening and another day, that's not bad.
(On a side note, I believe today I paid a higher rate for gas than ever before in my life: ~ $2.75/gallon. It cost me nearly $50 to fill up my Passport.)
One of the biggest decisions to make about the honeymoon is lodging - it can be hard to make choices strictly from looking on-line and it's also not a cheap thing to consider. (Not that much of anything about a wedding is cheap!)
Originally I thought we would stay in downtown Charleston at a Bed-n-Breakfast. Now I am looking at renting a villa on Kiawah Island which is nearby. It's inviting because it would probably be a little more of a relaxed, quiet environment, and we would still be able to access Charleston easily. One resource I have found is the Vacation Rentals By Owner. I like the idea of renting directly from an owner, because I feel like I'm saving money. However, I still find myself being skeptical of the owners, so I am also looking at bigger rental agencies.
I have found TripAdvisor.com to be a useful resource, although, once again, I am often skeptical of people. TripAdvisor provides forums in which people can ask and answer questions, give reviews, etc. People visit and post in the Charleston forum often, which is neat. Over the internet you don't often have full disclosure to know if a person giving a negative review of another hotel or restaurant is actually the owner of another establishment. Perhaps I am too distrusting.
Does anyone know of any good resources for trip planning in the Charleston area?
Does anyone have recommendations for specific restaurants or lodging in Charleston?
Does anyone own or know anyone that owns rental property in the Charleston area?
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