My sister Katie, and her husband Scott, got a new dog this past weekend. It is a very small Chihuahua and doesn’t have a name yet.

For now, his name is “The Perfect Gift” but not for reasons that you may think. He may have been the perfect gift to Katie, but he is nicknamed that for now because of his birthday. How, you say? He was born on Christmas day. Every Christmas, Katie works very hard to get everyone the “Perfect Gift” and when we open one of her gifts, we all have to stop and watch it be opened, because, you guessed it, it’s the Perfect Gift! So for now, this cute little guy is The Perfect Gift, because of his unique birthday.

I look forward to seeing him in person . . .

UPDATE: His name is Pip!

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Laura had to say goodbye today to her 2001 Mazda Protege. It was sad for both of us because we were attached to that car.

She bought it new, it ran well, was very reliable, she drove it while we met and got married, and it has never skipped a beat. We have beat on it a few times and it has never complained. “Black Beauty” has served us well and we hate to say goodbye. Unfortunately, goodbye means “good-buy.” With the insurance money Black Beauty is bringing us, we can better afford the Hyundai Sonata we bought, as the Mazda replacement. We hate to get rid of it, as it is a fun, around-town type of car. We just know, though, that if we put more money into it, it will continue to swallow our dollars in the future.

Do you get attached to things like I do? How about your car? If you had to get rid of it, would you take it for one last drive? Would you walk though the house you are selling one last time? Would you be sad to throw out an old toy? I’m very sentimental and abhor getting rid of anything, but alas, sometimes, it must be done.

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We found a great deal on a 2007 Hyundai Sonata that only had 11,000 miles on it. We had a little accident with Laura’s 2001 Mazda Protege and had to get rid of it. We took the insurance money that we received and put it toward the new car. Well, new car to us, but one year old. I tell ya, I’m finished taking the huge hit on new car depreciation. From now on, we will let someone else pay for the new car smell and we’ll cash in on the savings. For 11,000 miles, we paid $7,500 dollars less than sticker!

It has a nice V6 engine, alloy wheels, and very low miles! We like the warranty that comes with all Hyundais, and suggest that if you are in the market for a new car, at least check out the Hyundai. They have the reliability of a Toyota or Honda, but without the high price because of the name.

You can see some more pictures of the car here. You can check out Hyundai cars here. A nice lady that used to go to our church sold us the car off of a Saturn dealer’s lot. We also suggest buying a used car that is on another automaker’s lot, because they may very well want to more happily get rid of it. We also got a CarFax report on the vin number, so we could guarantee the history of the car was clean. It was and we are happy campers! See you on the road . . .

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My Parents came up to visit from Texas to help Laura and me celebrate my Birthday. They both work full-time, so they aren’t able to get up to visit very often. Them just being here makes for a great birthday gift!

We visited the Franklin Park Conservatory and had a good time. I enjoyed taking photos with my new Nikon D40. The photos are here, in our photos albums page.  Or just click the picture to be taken to our photos page.

My birthday photos are here.

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Laura’s paternal grandfather lost his battle with cancer today, this afternoon in his bed, as peacefully as could be.

He is the first grandparent to pass away, on either side, for both of us. We have been so blessed to have families that have been healthy. It is a rare, but true blessing to have eight grandparents still alive while Laura and I approach the age of 30. Sadly, now we only have seven.

Bill was a very funny man, always smiling, making us laugh, telling jokes, or acting goofy — to get us to smile. He had a sweet spirit about him that was contagious and attractive. I remember an afternoon where he and Laura were sitting on the couch and he was grabbing her knee to tickle her. She was struggling to breathe because she was laughing so hard from the tickling. He relented and then she grabbed his knee to tickle him. It didn’t tickle him at all, but he roared out in a silly laugh, to mock her ticklishness. All the while, I’m laughing because he’s acting like it tickled when, really, she wasn’t able to get him back! Or, he’d poke her in the ribs, she’d squirm, and then he’d yell in a mad voice to, “Sit still girl! Quit shaking the couch!”

It truly is amazing to see someone like Bill be so happy, when he came from such poverty and lived such a hard life. His life is a lesson to me to not become cynical or bitter. See, he grew up with nothing. And when he had kids, he had so little money, he would walk the rails, and at the sharp turns in the railroad, he’d look for and pick up coal that had fallen from the coal car, to take home and heat his house. (Now, he has a coal miner figurine, carved out of a piece of coal, pictured here.) A coal miner in West Virginia didn’t earn a fancy living or garner much respect in the eyes of most, but Bill was a wealthy man — not in finances, but in family, spirit, and attitude. Someone like myself has a lot to learn from people like Bill. He never played the “woe is me” card, never felt sorry for himself, and lived like he had no regrets.

I have a fancy job, make decent money, have a nice house, drive a nice car, eat out at restaurants, have fancy toys and a big TV. Big deal. Would I have the same spirit about myself if my material possessions were taken away? Would I be as cheerful as Bill if I grew up with nothing? I would hope the answer is yes, but Bill wouldn’t have to hope — he lived it!

In the end, God provided for Bill and his family. Today, his nice house is paid off, the funeral taken care of, four kids, now grown, had their needs met, and God took care of this coal miner’s family. God always provides, doesn’t he? Bill has had a blessed life, and the final blessing God bestowed upon him, in a final act of grace upon this man, God took him swiftly, painlessly, and quietly. His oldest daughter and a visiting nurse stood at his bedside this afternoon. The two were discussing how Bill didn’t have much time left, and that his breathing would stop and start and stop yet again. At one point, the nurse said, he just won’t start breathing again. His daughter looked down and noticed he wasn’t breathing. She said, “Like now? I don’t see him breathing.” And that was it. He was in heaven. God took him so peacefully, that he was taken right in front of others, and they didn’t even know it. Losing him this year makes this past Christmas extra special.

Even though Bill lost his battle with cancer today, he leaves us as an inspiration to look beyond ourselves, make due and be happy with what we have, and be a joy filled blessing to others. We are so happy that Bill no longer has to suffer in this earthly tent we wear for 80 some years. He is now cancer free, pain free, and able to run outside and know what it truly means to walk with Him. I look forward to seeing him again.

For more, visit TobyLaura.com!

I absolutely love the snow. Growing up in Indonesia and then Texas, I didn’t see too much of it, so now, even as an adult (loose definition) I still enjoy seeing it covering everything.

Ohio has a good balance of snow, where it comes, looks great, and then melts away. If it stays too long, like in Chicago or NYC, then it just gets muddy and this oily, black slush stays around for months, like sooty oatmeal! I love the white clean look of snow that we get here in Columbus.

Of course, it’s a good reminder of how a relationship with Christ can make us look and feel clean. As Autumn turns to winter, the earth can look dead and gray. When it snows, there is this refreshing, cleansing feeling that the land takes on. The snow reflects the sunlight and brightens everything up. Jesus can do the same thing: brighten our lives as we shine for him, and give us a clean and fresh start, wiping the dead decay out of our lives. The past is past and the new is here. That’s what snow says to me. It also says “Christmas!”

If you’d like to know more about Christ, or if you have a doctorate in Theology, I’d encourage you to check out David Dykes’ blog. He updates it at least once a week and gives some encouraging words and challenging thoughts in his posts. He is the pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, where my parents attend. 12,000 members are fortunate to hear his powerful sermons each Sunday in the GABC pulpit.

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Laura and I visited Upland to celebrate Lightrider’s 20th anniversary.  It was Laura’s first time to Upland, where I spent many formative years, and it was a very fun time.  Click the picture above to enjoy the pictures of our visit.