Roast beef dinner and family time with Tío Lynn, Grandma Conchita, Lorena, and I.
Year: 2024 Page 1 of 13
2024 was a crazy year for Lorena and I. It seemed like I was running like crazy for the entirety of my PhD leading up to walking the graduation ceremony in December of 2023. We assumed that life would slow down some after that, but we decided, early in 2024 that we really did not want to be so far away from shopping and medical services as we got older. We also reaffirmed that we hated HOA’s and did not really need an acre of land (after downsizing from three acres). So we decided to put our Godley house on the market and build a house in Granbury.
We needed a place to live while our house was being built in Mexico so we decided to live in one of the apartments of our little apartment building in San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon. We believe God has his hand in virtually everything and this has been no exception. Grandma Conchita is not getting any younger and it has been a huge blessing to be close to her over these last few months. It appears we will be moving out of the apartment in a couple of months and into one floor of the house that is in the process of remodeling up the hill from the apartments. We don’t expect to be in the new house in Granbury until late in 2025–we are hoping to celebrate Thanksgiving there, but that might be too optimistic.
I was reminded today of a post I made back in 2016 about my (almost) brush with serial killer Ted Bundy. The post tells the story and references a series of comments I made to a ThinkingChristian blog post. I was a minor participant, but I am not unhappy with what I wrote even though I only vaguely remember doing it. You can find my comments in that blog post by searching on “chapman55k.”
Kelly got me this book for Christmas. I have read up to page 119 so far. I like it. At the same time, the book features what seem to be unsupported assertions that might not have stood the test of time. Maybe they are valid assertions, but we cannot know that from what was written as far as I can tell. The cited McCarthy example is a case in point. I would venture to guess that most are in agreement with the assertion, but I know that it is an ongoing discussion. It is irritating because I think I am learning a lot from the book, but I cannot be exactly sure because of these unsupported viewpoints. Browsing the citations in the end notes for the chapters did not mitigate my uneasiness.
McCarthy threatened the entire edifice of anticommunism by associating it with crackpot theories and embarrassing theatrics.
Continetti, M. (2022). The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism. Basic Books. Page 110
Maybe I should not have started this post with a diatribe on my reservations about this book because I am enjoying it immensely. It was a spectacular gift. At the same time, an analysis of conservatism associated with both the New York Times, National Review, and Bill Kristol with the bulk of the author’s life lived in the Northeast with twenty years in Washington, D.C. gives me great pause. It reinforces my decision to not characterize myself as conservative nor of the right, but as a follower of Jesus. It is hard for me to imagine that someone of this pedigree has any real sense of what people think in fly-over country which makes up the vast bulk of those who make up “the right.”
That the author is characterized as an intellectual in this podcast, also gives me pause.
Most know I am a native son from Oregon. I truly love Oregon. We currently live in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, but will move back to Texas, God willing, when our house there is built–probably toward the end of 2025. It is becoming increasingly evident that I will never again live in Oregon although I will always call it my home. The kids are on the east coast and Lorena’s family is in Mexico and Texas. While it remains, in my estimation, the most beautiful state in the nation, the politics of the state have made it almost unlivable. The schools are some of the worst in the nation, there are huge crime and drug problems, and Christian morality is actively mocked in law and culture. Still, I would love to be there. Our first relative arrived there in 1846 along the Applegate Trail. The latest any of the others arrived was in the last couple of decades of the 19th century.
We are grateful to Texas and Nuevo Leon with their beautiful cultures and acceptance of outsiders, but I will always be an outsider in those places even though their moral senses are more aligned with my own.
A good number of years ago–I am estimating about eight or nine years, our little family went to Denny’s in Arizona with our wonderful friends, Al and Michele Rizo and their family to have dinner. We had done that quite a few times over the years, but that might have been one of the last times before we lost Al to cancer. We miss him a lot. Michele found a picture of the event that she sent to Lorena a couple of days ago. I thought it was way to good to not put up here. Kelly is her usual magnificent self and Christian lent me the chain necklace his Grandpa Lauro had given him long enough for this picture.
Lorena’s OXO egg timer broke shortly before we moved to Mexico. It was not just any egg timer, but one that pokes a small hole in the egg and has an adjustable timer that seems to never miss. Lorena religiously makes a breakfast every morning that consists of a piece of 60 calorie Dave’s Killer Bread toast, an egg cooked so that the yoke is still a little bit liquid to spread on the toast, the homemade applesauce that Grandma Sarah taught her to make with 2½ teaspoons of chia and 2 teaspoons of cocoa nibs, and a cup of coffee. It just does not work together as it should unless the egg is cooked perfectly. We could not find one of these egg timers in Mexico, so she was VERY happy that Christian found her one for a Christmas present. He is, by far, her favorite son.
Lorena and I are spending the whole day traveling today. We had an absolutely incredible time with Christian and Kelly in Washington DC. I am reading the book that Kelly gave me title The Right. The Hundred Year War for American Conservatism by Matthew Continetti. I like it so far, and will report back when I’m done. The headset Christian gave me cuts out 99% of the airport noise. Amazing.
We took a picture of our family together for Christmas for the second year in a row in Washington, D.C. This year it was in Kelly’s apartment in front of her Christmas tree. We are having a truly amazing time–so grateful to God for all he has done for us and for those thing from which we have been saved.
We have been having a great time with Kelly here in Washington, D.C. We met two of her best friends who were both just amazing people and have had a low-key, restful time. It got even better last night when Christian arrives. Kelly made reservations for Pastis for lunch–a place everyone but me has been. Tonight we are going to just hang out as we get ready for our Christmas celebration tomorrow morning (early because we fly home to Mexico early Christmas morning.
I read Matthew 24 and 25 yesterday. It is about the second coming of Christ and the end of the world. With the new year around the corner–the time for resolutions and such–it got me to thinking that the end of my world as also just around the corner as I move toward my 70th birthday.
The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
Psalms 90:1
All of my grandparents lived to their mid-80’s to early 90’s. I might make it that far, but I am certainly not promised that. I am grateful for family, life, health, and especially, the God who loves me, protects me, and has made provision for my sins. I love to make resolutions every year and I plan to do that after Christmas, but today I am just thankful for the reminder that time is short, there is much to do, and that I want to spend it in the best God approved way possible, all the time knowing that my salvation is not of works, but is wholly a gift of God. I am SO thankful for every reminder of this.
Kelly just signed up for another 18 months at her apartment in Washington, D.C. I often reserve a workspace where I can get out of the apartment and sit in a nice environment to get some work done. All this is within walking distance of lots of restaurants, a couple of nice grocery stores, coffee shops, a book store, and just a block away from the Metro train station that can take you anywhere in the area including the airport. We are glad she decided not to switch apartments to another area.
Lorena and I flew up from Mexico and are in Washington, D.C. for Christmas for the second year in a row. Kelly has to work today and tomorrow, so Lorena and I are enjoying just hanging out in this crazy town. It amazes me that we enjoy it so much. There are so many things to do and see with history, art, food, and shopping opportunities everywhere one looks. The weather has been clear and crisp since we got where which is what one wants and expects for this time of year in D.C. Hopefully the Texas and/or Mexico houses will be completed by next year so the kids can come to see us over the holidays.
Tío Lauro took this panorama which is about a 210 degree view from the second floor balcony of the house up the hill. The apartments only require a few finishing touches now, so Tío Lynn has moved his workers up there to get the first floor ready for us to move in within a couple of months. We are amazed how quickly it is taking shape now. For a long time, it did not look like much was happening, but there was a bunch of hard structural work and tons of infrastructure that needed to be put into place before the more cosmetic, but less labor intensive cosmetic work could start. For us to move in, the first floor has to be complete along with the open stairway to the azotea and some work in the basement so we have more than just one bedroom for visitors. We are looking forward to seeing the progress after we return from a week away to see Christian and Kelly for Christmas.
Troy sneaked away from the AGU conference long enough to get coffee with Kelly. He absolutely qualifies as an uncle in the best sense of the word. I cannot wait to see how it went with them. I am sure it was great.
Troy and John from University of Nebraska-Lincoln along with Chris from University of Nebraska-Kearney are presenting three different posters at the American Geophysical Union Conference in Washington, D.C. It sounds like it is going really well. The really good part is that, God willing, they are going to get together with Kelly for dinner on Tuesday night. I have my name as a co-author on all three of the posters.
Lorena has bugging me about cutting off my beard for quite awhile. I finally broke down and did it. As a reward she let me get an Indio mini-beer (6.42 fl. oz.). This is me sitting at my desk in the apartment living the high life and feeling like a Xoloitzcuintle (Mexican hairless dog).
I am not sure how this happened, but if everything goes according to plan I will be a co-author on nothing short of four posters: three at the annual American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in Washington, D.C. and one at the annual American Society for Cell Biology conference in San Diego, CA. We are all pretty excited to see the reception received by the posters. A lot of research went into virtually all of the posters.
The point of Thanksgiving is thankfulness to God. I am profoundly thankful to God for the family He gave Lorena and I. We had a beautiful time together.
We were very grateful to have Christian and Kelly here with us for Thanksgiving this year. We went to a wedding, an art museum, Barrio Antiguo de Monterrey (amazing), ate lots of good food, made plans for the layout of the new house up on the hill, and had some deep, but sometimes not so easy talks. We love our kids and looking forward to seeing them in a couple of weeks in Washington, D.C.