Meanwhile, 6 months later ...

Things have progressed over the last 6 months. It's been up and down. I spent some time decompressing from 9+ years of firm life. Jen and I took a trip to St. Pete in February for a few days. I helped coach a little league team in Sandy Springs this spring with a former colleague at my old firm. That was something that I had wanted to do for a while and just had not had time to do. It was a lot of fun working with those 10-, 11-, and 12-year-olds. We did well too. Finished the regular season 21-3 and then swept the league's "World Series" to cap off the 23-3 season with 2 trophies. I am planning to help out again next year, so it will be fun to watch the 10's and 11's become 11's and 12's and see how they progress.

On the work front, I spent some time looking at other opportunities, but nothing materialized. So we made the decision to strike out on our own. I've opened Pinto Law Office, LLC -- conveniently located on the first floor -- of our house! It's taken a while for things to get moving in the right direction, but June was a good month for us from a billings standpoint. Now I just need for those clients to pay me. I am primarily doing the same things I was doing before: Labor and Employment Law mostly representing employers. I am open to representing employees as well who have employment issues. I have helped a couple of clients recently with some internal investigations they wanted conducted regarding harassment allegations and potential disciplinary decisions. Feel free to refer business owners, HR managers, and individuals who you may know who need some labor and employment advice. The website isn't up yet, but I hope to have it finished soon.

July brings another trip to Scotland. This year, Jen is joining the team for our trip over to provide a youth camp for a church outside Glasgow. I am helping co-lead the team this year because last year's leader moved to Nashville. I am also speaking during the morning sessions, so I have been trying to finalize those talks over the last few weeks. I have a new-found respect for pastors who prepare messages on a weekly basis. Jen is a little uneasy (understatement) about leaving K-Man behind on this trip, but she knows he'll be fine staying with Grammy while we're gone. She's stopped counting the days until we leave; now she's counting down the days until we return. If you want to follow along with our Scotland trip, there is a website set up where we'll be providing updates and photos HERE.

One of the things about launching out on our own and giving up a regular paycheck is the uncertainty of it all. It has been, and will continue to be, a constant test of faith. I give it up and take it back all the time. We are learning. But it is hard. Jen has been incredible in her support of this decision. She lived through the years at the firm -- which were not all bad -- but it wore me down. I was, at times, not a very likable person. (I know, you're all shocked to hear that! But it's very true.) Jen endured a lot through that. I owe her. So I sometimes feel bad that after enduring the past 9+ years, she now has to walk through this present mess and the stresses that come with this. But I think, despite all the uncertainty, that she and I are supporting each other very well. Because with the uncertainty comes the freedom to make our own schedule and for me to be around in the middle of the day to do some things with Kee that I hadn't made time for before. So keep us in your prayers as we walk this walk and see the Lord's faithfulness shine.

Celebrating 15 years . . . in Los Angeles

Jen and I were married fifteen years ago this month. To celebrate, I thought it was important to do something special. I mean, she's special. She's even more special for putting up with me for the past fifteen years through two graduate programs -- in completely different fields -- and the debt that comes with such (perhaps ill-guided) decisions. So in December, I contacted Jen's college roommate about the idea of using this occasion to surprise Jen with a trip to L.A. to visit her since they hadn't seen each other since the move to L.A. about a year ago.

First, I had to secure the services of someone to watch Keegan. No offense to the little guy, but mom and dad need some mom and dad time if you know what I mean. And K-Man doesn't fit that plan. So I clandestinely contacted Jen's parents about watching Kee. They agreed. Then I had to pick a date. I tried to get it planned around our anniversary date, but my sister had the audacity to schedule her nuptials for the weekend that fit that. No problem. I'm flexible. I found another weekend that fit. And made sure that worked for our friends in sunny Californ-I-A. It did. Plan moves forward.

On Valentine's Day, I told Jen that I had a trip planned for our anniversary. I told her I'd reserved a place at Amelia Island. (Why Amelia Island? Because I knew there was no way that I could pack secretly for Jen. So I told her a beach location that she could pack clothes that worked for L.A. too.) I also told her that she couldn't go online to search out stuff to do and start researching the area; I would plan everything for us. She agreed. I told her that her parents had agreed to watch K-Man while we were gone too.

Then we just had to wait 3 freaking long months. In that time, we had a family emergency with Jen's grandmother and there was a question of whether our babysitting arrangements would hold. But they did.

Finally, the day arrived. We left for the airport yesterday morning. We got in line at the check-in kiosk at the airport. I upgraded us to first class (because I knew how long the flight was going to be and the option was there). Jen didn't notice the kiosk screen's indication of the arrival site of our flight. Then we got in line to check our bags. The guy took the printed tags and wrapped them around our bags. Jen noticed the "LAX" on the tags and said "those say LAX on them."

"I know," I replied.

Nothing.

We walked on to security. I handed Jen her boarding pass -- which prominently displays "Los Angeles, CA" on it. But we passed through security without any cavity checks and without Jen bothering to read her boarding pass.

On the train, I tell Jen that I upgraded to first class. Jen says "I wish the flight was 5 hours long to enjoy that."

"I bet you do."

We get to the gate. Still Jen is oblivious. I make a point of looking at the gate board and saying, "looks like we're supposed to leave at 9:25." "OK" Jen says without looking up to see where this 9:25 flight is going.

As we are sitting waiting for the flight, Jen says "so are we flying into Jacksonville?"

(I realize this probably is going to be my only chance to finally spring this surprise on her.)

"No" and I hand her the boarding pass . . . again.

After a few seconds, it registers what she's reading.

And all of the effort to get to that look on her face was worth all the wait.

Home from vacation . . . now we can rest!

We returned from our vacation yesterday. We had a great time, but taking a 16-month-old on vacation doesn't make for a restful break from the everyday. Regardless when Keegan went to bed, he was always up right at 7:00 a.m. -- with the sun. Oh joy. And with the other 3 kids there, he was too excited to nap well. Between wanting to constantly be around the older kids and the kids' inability to regulate the volumes of their voices -- like most kids their age -- nap times were few and far between. Despite our attempts to reason with him -- other parents reason with their toddlers, right? -- Keegan would not submit to his exhaustion and just sleep. So crankily, Kee trudged through the day dragging his mom and dad with him. Our respites did come though when he went to bed for the night, and we could enjoy some cold beverages in relative peace and quiet.

I guess it will get easier as we do this vacation thing again -- or maybe the trials will just change. But we look forward to watching K-Man attack our vacations with his boundless energy. We just may need to schedule some extra recovery days for when we return.

Below are some of the better pictures from the week.

I know I'm exhausted, but the water looks more interesting than the Pack-n-Play.

Raisins and bananas -- the snack food of champions!

Do you like my new Piggly Wiggly t-shirt?

My friend, Brooks, isn't impressed.

I'm going in -- not to take a nap -- I'm just tired of Daddy and his %$#@& camera.

Beautiful, ain't I?

Launch out into the deep water!

For a number of weeks before we left for vacation, one of my concerns was how Keegan would react to the sand at the beach and the ocean. See Jen grew up at the beach, so she loves it. Me? I grew up in the land of red clay. I hate sand. And up to now, we've noticed tendencies in Keegan that would lead one to believe he would be as fond of the sand as I am. I wouldn't care about that except Jen was so excited to bring K-Man to the beach. So yesterday, we took him down to the beach.

Of course, we bought the usual assortment of beach toys. Couple of pails. Couple of shovels. Couple of sifter things -- like we were going to make sand biscuits or something. We walked down the boardwalk from the back deck. We reached the sand, and he seemed to like the feel of the cold sand on his toes. He stopped to wiggle them in the powdery coolness. We kept walking toward the water. We found a nice spot where the soft sand borders on the area kissed by the waves. Here, Keegan sat down in the sand. Keep in mind, this is the same kid who won't sit down on the grass in the back yard or play in the dirt because he doesn't like how it feels on his hands. This same kid sat down and proceeded to throw sand all over the place. Jen had to sit upwind from him to avoid getting a wedding recessional of sand in her face. The sand ended up all over him. In his hair. On his face. All over his pants. He was content.

But we'd come all this way. We wanted to show him the water and see if he liked it. So we coaxed him up, and Jen walked him over to the water's edge. He squatted down to look at the waves as they ended just in front of him. He crept up a few steps. The wavelings touched his toes. He smiled and walked a few more steps up -- the water was over his ankles. With each new wave, he got more and more excited. But he didn't want to go out too far. He sat down on his knees and started collecting buckets of sand in his pants. But he loved the water hitting his belly.

I convinced him to get up and go with me a few yards farther out. I was holding him, and I was raising him up as each wave approached. After each crest, I would dip him down up to his neck. He loved it. Giggling. Laughing. When it was time to go in, we had to drag him back to the house.

When we were watching Keegan play in the water, Jen had a great insight. When he stepped off the boardwalk and touched the cool sand, Keegan was enjoying himself. When he sat down and started playing in the sand, he was content. When he took a few steps towards the water and dipped his toes in the water, he was exhilarated. When he walked out a little farther, the water washing up on his legs made him smile and screech in excitement. When I picked him up and carried him out past the breaking waves, he laughed as the water washed all over his body. And with each step he took, we enjoyed watching him stretch himself and find enjoyment in each new step.

It's not unlike our relationship with God. Some of us would be content to stay in the house and listen to the waves crash along the shore. Some of us like walking along the shore. Some of us walk at the water's edge. Some will go out until the water reaches our waists. Some of us might swim out to the sand bar in the distance.

The Lord offers us the ocean! He wants us to launch out into the deep water. He enjoys watching us stretch ourselves along the way, but He has more to give us if we'll trust Him as Keegan trusted me to carry him out past where the water was deeper than he is tall. The water is deep, but He won't let us drown any more than I would let Keegan drown. We can trust Him. Why don't we? He longs to hear us giggle!

Of spatial relationships and gender

We are on vacation for the week. But as you know, to go on vacation, you first have to pack what seems like everything you own. The week before we left, all I heard from Jen was that she didn't know how we were going to fit everything in our car. With Keegan, going on vacation requires bringing so much more stuff. There's the stroller -- not the one that folds up like an umbrella, either -- the jogging stroller that does collapse but only as small as an end table. There's the booster seat in lieu of the high chair. There's the pack-n-play which conveniently doubled as a stand for the portable DVD player which was enlisted around Dothan, Alabama in our quest for 20 minutes of solitude. But before we left, Jen didn't think that all of these things would fit in the car, despite my assurances. In the end, I capitulated and made the trip to Target in search of one of those top-of-the-car luggage carriers. Jen said some friends of ours bought one recently, and it worked very well on their trip. I was skeptical. I was envisioning one of those Griswoldian tumors on the top of the car.

So Saturday morning, I commenced with the packing of the car. Now generally, I don't subscribe to stereotypes, and I didn't conduct a scientific study. But anecdotally, I found some support for the notion that men do better with spatial relationships because I was able to pack everything in the car without having to put anything on top of the car.

We are down on the panhandle of Florida staying at a nice place on the water. Keegan's first trip to the beach in the warm weather. I'll have to tell you more about that tomorrow.