US Introduction to the Swine Flu?

Stuck in Flight Delay H-E-Double Hockey Sticks

Yeah, you read that right. We've been at the airport since a little after 4pm to catch a 5pm flight. Guess what? Flight delayed. Nothing out of the ordinary for business travel right? Well the "maintenance issue" plane just didn't cut the mustard so the flight that was delayed to 5:50 was not technically canceled but had a later flight take it's place to DEN. Our connecting flight was since gone on to DFW and the plan is now to catch an 8:30 flight to DEN, lay over and fly out to DFW in the morning.

I'd take a delay any day over a "maintenance issue" as I've been through that before.

Any fabulous travel stories you'd like to share? I'm sure by the time this is over I'll have more to add.

Pictures from Afternoon Trip to San Franciso

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Bike Ride by the Bay

It's not often that I have opportunities to take business trips as most developers, unless consultants, typically hold up in their cubes and code till their hearts content. I have over the last two years found myself in places that look very different from the gray wall fabric of a cube. From Buenos Aires, Argentina to Hamburg, Germany, you could say my trips have been a bit exotic.

Today I find myself in a location I previously visited while a young developer with Sabre. San Francisco is a beautiful metropolis with hills that shoot up out of nowhere, beaches where families play on the sand and in the bay, piers once for industry but seemingly more commercial now and landmarks that are awe inspiring.

Today I took Advantageous of an early training session to become scrum master certified and came to the Bay early. At the advisement of my manager I rented a bike and rode along the Bay passing the piers, the beaches and was awestruck by the Red Beauty herself. The Golden Gate Bridge, in all her iconic glory was today not only magnificent but it represented a physical challenge; one that had to best and conquer. While the ride was not terribly overpowering, the urge to take periodic snapshots of my adventure was a temptation I gladly indulged in (I'll post the whole set later tonight, but for now you can check out my twitpics from my twitted status at http://twitter.com/austinsd).

Today I am grateful for so many things and among them the God given blessing of good health which enables me to enjoy an up close and personal experience with God's crowning creation's (humankind) handiwork.

Thankful Heart This Peaceful Morning

Have you ever been up early and just soaked in the peace of the stillness of the morning? That's me right at this moment. After getting about 4 hours of sleep, I'm up early to take care of some pre-game business as I've got another very exhausting day ahead. With all of the likely stress that 4 soccer games and a trip to the temple with our church youth will ensue, I'm still amazed at just how peaceful I feel.

It's been a while since I've publicly expressed my appreciation for the wonders of my life and I feel, especially during this peaceful moment, to express my gratitude so here goes.

First and foremost, my greatest appreciation come from the love my Savior has given me and for the wonders of His creations. From the beauty of the blooming blue bonnets of Texas to the natural wonders of Iguazu, all of His handiwork truly amaze me. Just the other morning as I was dropping my kids off and fretting about a rain cancellation of a soccer game, I declined to ask my kids to pray for no rain as the rain provides so many blessings and what is a soccer game worth in comparison to the value of balancing out His creations and keeping harmony in the tiniest of ecosystems designed by He who truly understands best.

I would be an idiot to not realize the great joy and happiness my only true love, my wife, brings to my life. We've walked the road of marriage for almost 14 years now and I can only think of one troubled time that caused us to really become hurt with each other. 14 married years of bliss and wonderment is truly an amazing task and I hope to boast of an eternity of joyful moments. I am, in great measure, the individual I am because of this beauty and encouraging queen. What a blessing she is to me and praise the God in Heaven for blessing me with her!

My children, in all of their whirly dervish, pig-pen, moody and giggly glory bring me an absolute fulfillment of joy. From their soccer games, to excitement over positive achievements on their report cards, their toothless grins say it all and warm my heart. I love them dearly and treasure each one.

The peace the Holy Spirit brings is such a powerful experience and right now I'm filled with His light and glory. How I love feeling close to God and having His influence in my life. I'm grateful for the guidance the Spirit brings me daily and having this gift is praiseworthy.

Certainly enumerating my blessings would take up volumes of posts and we don't want Google to choke on just how expansive I could make it ;) My heart just feel content and good and experiencing the fruits of the Spirit when it's so peaceful in the morning is a blessing in an of itself.

What blessings are you experiencing and have you expressed your gratitude lately? Link back to this post if you right your own gratitude list. I'd love to read it. Please share in the comment section.

Woman Drives Donuts Around Police in High Speed Chase

Check out the donuts that no Police would ever eat in this exciting clip.

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