i've been everywhere man, part 2...

i'll start by saying this... 

put down the phone, put down the fork, put down the nuclear missile and take a long breath...  hey!...  you're alive!  and it's only for a moment, (well, in this body anyway).  now, imagine not having the things i just mentioned, yes, even your nuclear missiles.  imagine not having your Hulu plus, your bed, your whole grain Eggo waffles, your toothbrush, your job to pay for that stuff and a thousand other things... imagine having to live the simplest life possible because you have no other choice.  could you do it?  could America do it?  the Magic 8-ball says "its sources say no"... but let's say we could.  are we still not blessed?  if we all believed we were, i'd bet even Congress could get something done.  i think our 1st world stuff can be considered blessings, but it can't be the root of being blessed.  we can't consider our stuff more important than the opportunity we've been given to be here on earth, breathing, and hopefully fulfilling your life's purpose.  if you have some stuff, you should appreciate it, enjoy it, and don't take it for granted; but don't let it consume you.  remember to breathe, and appreciate breathing too.

now, back to the title... 

again, not quite everywhere, but here we are now in Jacksonville, FL.  finally?  i don't know the answer to that question.  and for the sake of both you and i, i'll refrain from filling you in on everything since my last post.  here's what i will discuss...

we did reproduce.  daniel mckinley phelps, ii.  number ii will be 2 years old in January.  even on his worst days, he's still the best kid ever.

Laura is now a Manager of Media Relations at CSX Transportation.  a stellar gig with a stellar company.  

i am working on this... The 12:12 Sound.  this is certainly in its humble beginnings.  i believe in helping others, and helping others is what 12:12 stands on.  since i know you're wondering what 12:12 means, or what scripture in the Bible it may reference, i'll say that it has numerous meanings, and yes, it does reference scripture...

1 Corinthians 12:12 ESV - "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ."

in the Church, we all have a place and purpose.  see also 1 Corinthians 12:4-6.  likewise, in a church building, we also all have a place and purpose.  for some, that place is behind a live sound console.  i want to help those who believe this is part (notice i said part) of their purpose in their church.  i want to help these fine ladies and gentlemen not only do it well, but do it with excellence as their standard.  relating to my opening remarks in this post, some folks have more stuff than others.  what matters most is not having the stuff, but how you use the stuff you have.

and i'll leave that right there.

blessings to you and yours.

i've been everywhere man...

... well, not quite, but we have lived in almost every state in the southeastern U.S., and Georgia is next.

Laura, my beautiful and extremely talented wife, has accepted the assistant news director position at WTOC-TV in Savannah, and we couldn't be more stoked.  since leaving print for t.v. in 2007, she has climbed the news ladder quickly, but each promotion has been well-deserved.  she's pressed in to excelling at producing news.  and thankfully, her superiors have taken notice, and invested time and money into her growth as a leader in the newsroom.  it has not been in vain.  the decision to make this transition was an easy one, and she can only grow more through the duration of this position preparing her for whatever's next, because as we've learned, we don't know what's next.  (see all previous posts.)

i'm looking to get back into audio production, etc., and Savannah holds plenty of opportunity for me in that field.  as much as i love editing, the newsroom has never been good atmosphere for me.  ironically, it's where i've spent 5 of my 7 years post-college.  all is can say regarding that is i survived.  i'll edit video again if need be, but for my health, i'm retiring from the news.  i'll edit audio for sure, especially if it means returning to the studio.  and f.y.i., my dream of building and operating a legit recording studio is not dead, so if you know where i can find a half a million dollars or so, please let me know.

and to close another "we're moving" post, heading back to the coast may be the best news of all.  with Laura from Jacksonville, FL, and myself having grown up near the grand ole OBX of NC, we can say without hesitation that being land-locked for nearly three years has made us feel a bit misplaced.  we'll also be closer to our families and many close friends.  yes, we'll miss some folks in AL, as we still miss folks everywhere we've lived, but it's just a part of relocation.  let's all appreciate modern transportation.

perhaps i'll write again soon.  hopefully, for at least the next two years, it won't be to say that we're moving... but that's not something i can guarantee :)

much love - d.

the news...

more news... another update if you will... but it's not time to share it... and it's not a baby.  now you don't have to ask... if it's a baby.

love - d.

"funny the way it is..."

thanks dave matthews and crew for writing that song!
{pre-thoughts:  from my understanding, there can't be truth without honesty... hence why dishonesty is unsettling, (at least for anyone with even an ounce of morality), because the truth ultimately makes us whole, even if it initially wounds.}

in Ecclesiastes 2, Solomon touches on the futility of work.  i'll just be straight and say i hate work too.  specifically, the work i don't love.  and the old adage - "do what you love and you'll never work another day in your life" - remains true.  [God please let me do something i love, for you, for pay, soon.  in Jesus' name amen!]

but "our days of labor are filled with pain and grief".  been there?  there now?  Solomon goes on later to say we must find satisfaction in our work.  a bit hard to do, in work we have no passion for.  (repeat previous prayer)  in Colossians 3 we find that in whatever we do we should be a rep of Christ.  it makes me wonder if Jesus ever had a fit with a crooked table, or did he make everything perfect the first time?... did he ever take his dad's name in vain when he hit his thumb with a hammer, or did he never miss the nail?... God, yet man... crazy.  but we are only human... we screw it up, we smash our thumb, we scream (or sometimes quietly shout) expletives.  and all for what?

we "should eat, drink, and enjoy the fruits of our labor, for these are gifts from God."  the greatest comfort is in the truth that He "makes everything beautiful in its own time."  and thank Him for it... because i can't do what i'm doing now forever, and what we're made for lasts forever.

"there's a darkness upon me that's flooded in light - in the fine print they tell me what's wrong and what's right - and it comes in black and it comes in white and i'm frightened by those who don't see it - where nothing is owed, deserved, or expected - and your life doesn't change by the man that's elected - if you're loved by someone you're never rejected, decide what to be and go be it -- there was a dream, then one day i could see it, like a bird in a cage i broke in and demanded that somebody free it - there was a kid, with a head full of doubt, so i'll scream 'til i die or the last of those bad thoughts are finally out" - the avett brothers.

amen.

how could i title this...

well... here we are... settling into something new... again.  the third time around in just over three years for laura and i, and our second time together.

i'll get to huntsville is a moment, considering my LAST post LAST year was with regards to our move to columbia.  SC was / is awesome, well it (for sure) was for me.  live production kicked my physical butt, but i loved every second of it.  and it kept me quite busy, hence the zero posts in almost a year.  the free time i did have i wasn't in the mood to write.  songs either.

a special word to ALL the friends i made in columbia... love from me to you.  and thanks!  for every(if i had to write each specific thing it'd take forever)thing!  regardless of how bad i am at keeping in touch, i don't forget people.  and i'll never not love and appreciate you.  of course the same goes for every other friend and family member i have east of the mississippi river and the few special folks i know on the west coast.

laura turned a great year at wis-tv, even though she may not have loved every second.  but that's for her to speak of if you ever wanted to know.

the relocation story goes as follows... she gets a call earlier this year, out of the blue, from a super awesome news director we both worked for for a year in greenville.  he asked what it would take for her to come work for him again.  she spat out a "reasonable yet outrageous" number thinking he'd tell her later the company wouldn't pay it.  well, they would.  she accepted the job.  (weeks pass, we plan the move)... he calls again.  this time he offers her a promotion above her initial position, and we hadn't even finished packing.  there you go.  what would you have done?  having asked that, i must note this... our decision wasn't solely based on her pay raise.  we felt right about it, regardless.

as for me, well i believe i've been a good house husband for the last week and a half.  however, i am again pursuing work in live production / audio engineering.  it's all i really want to do and it's all i really enjoy doing.  the only other thing is with regards to our music... we've already played two open mics since we've been here, met some really cool folks, and booked our first featured set for august 19th.  (plan to come if you wish :)).  i'm looking for more venues everyday.  i did interview for a production tech position at WAFF, laura's new station, but the man called me earlier today to tell me they filled it with someone else.  that's cool, i wasn't disappointed.  it just means i'll have to wait a bit longer to start earning an official paycheck.

i, guess, that's it for now?  i'll fill you in again later.  how soon will that be?  God only knows.  but He's still in charge, and we're taking life one moment at a time.

a few things before i go this time...

- if you pray to whom i believe to be the One True God, pray for us.  we will return the favor.
- i need some outside inspiration for new songs.
- i need a new apple powerbook (a used yet newer apple powerbook is ok)

i (we) miss and love each and every one of you!  especially you!

peace - d. (and laura)

"hello hurricane... you can't silence my love!"

for p@, (and the rest of the world...)

just got back from publix, probably the best grocery store ever!  i could spend hours in any grocery store... don't know why, i just love it!  also love the day off.  cookin' mahi for my love tonight... and for the record, laura and i's cooking ratio... about 20:1 (her 20 meals to my 1, she's the better chef!) (also known as limiting :))...

what's new you ask?  (why, it's only been 4 months since my last post.)  i'll preface by saying the move to columbia SC was bittersweet (see prior posts)... but, other than missing folks, it's been awesome!  and although "new" is often difficult, this has been nothing but good for us.  we feel even more independent, we have better/better paying jobs, a new audience, and an ever growing number of new family members to add to the many we've already been blessed with.  and yes, columbia, you're a new home to add to the list...  we've been...

busy... and good busy too.  up until the last couple of weeks, i accrued overtime on every paycheck!  slow season they call it now, but thankfully still workin'.  what are we doing?  first, the brief on laura: she's still rockin' out the news... producing the morning show for the local NBC affiliate, WIS-TV.  the morning show's May book was the best in quite a while!  she enjoys it yes, but she's starting to get the feeling she won't be writing for the news for the rest of her life... her heart is open to what may be next... whatever it is, even more than now, will be the best channel (pun intented) for her passion.  she's a fighter though, and she'll give this 110% to the end.  me?  everything from setting up powered speakers on sticks (stands) for a b-day party to building stages and flying arrays for music festivals... and "everything" in-between... last week i manned audio for Vice President Joe Biden.  seriously?  yes.  did a good job too, humbly speaking, even with the 1970's house system i had to work with.  folks asked, "weren't you nervous?"... no, actually.  without belittling his title, a job is a job for me, no matter who it is... i.e. i'm not going to give any less of me to the local band, and turn around to work harder for the national artist... i will give my best to both, period.  (though i've learned some feel they deserve more...)

sushi is awesome!

...the truth is, everything we have we should count as loss (Philippians 3).  nothing is really ours anyway.  i've felt a little complacent recently, and felt as though i'm in neutral, but i still feel i'm learning.  i'm reminded daily of what good stewardship really is, and i suck at it.  God forgive me.  time is the worst.  decent at money... sticking to the tithe for sure, would be scared not to.  interestingly, we've been good stewards of our music.  we've been given opportunities, thanks to a new friend, to gig quite a bit.  a few weeks ago, after a set at a local bar, we were called "Christ-y" during conversation with a stranger... ha-freakin'-larious we thought... but we were humbled by it immensely!  to sit back and know that HE's coming through, is exciting... oh yeah, Jesus is hanging out with us at bars... (what?  He would've went regardless!)

haven't been writing much though, :(... laura has written one new song since the move, ironically titled "A Piece of Home" (it's awesome), but i just haven't been in my writing "zone"... sad, considering i feel there's been enough inspiration.  some new material will come soon though... i'll just go ahead and type that into existence.

since the majority of folks who'll read this are not columbians, we sincerly love and miss each of you!!!  i cry a little just thinkin' about it... seriously... perhaps it'd be fitting to follow laura's path, and write another new song about our prior "home" and the people we love there.  some of you also physically relocated, and it should be obvious that you're included in the loving and missing as well!  one truth we'll always know to be true... there's no distance in prayer!  we do love this place and the people here, and we know we're here for a reason.

i guess that's it for now (p@).  i hope it won't be so long before i write again that you'll have to remind me to.  come visit us!

- d.

the official unofficial...

i spent my (this past) friday and saturday with my lovely wife in Columbia... our future city of residence.  as of today, she's been employed with WIS-TV for one week.  the work isn't new to her, just the way they do it, so it'll take a few more moments for her to get into the swing there... but so far, so good.  she loves it and they love her.  she'll be just fine.  i am so proud of you my love.

friday, following lunch with laura, a station tour, and a kiss from her after a week of kiss deprivation, i was quickly on to my only pre-planned "job interview"of the day.  the words 'job' and 'interview' are in quotations for a couple of reasons... i met with a man who owns his own recording studio... i could never consider work in a studio a 'job' because i enjoy it so much... it's my dream!...  and it wasn't quite an 'interview' because we really just sat and talked shop for an hour and a half... i went into detail about my experience in college and the freelance recording i've done since... he said more than once how impressed he was with the demo i put together.  we listened to it and i explained how each part came to be. 
so you're thinking... "d! get that job!"  it is not yet possible for him to bring me on as a full-time engineer, which he made clear to me in our first phone conversation, but this we did agree on... in the next few months as i get settled, i can sit in on a few sessions to observe his work and get a feel for the studio... then potentially assist him for any larger sessions he may be hired to do.  eventually, what we'd all hope for, with my increasing presence there, he'd let me take the helm as engineer with/without his assistance.  even writing this makes me want to run around and shout... i'm one step closer to turning my dreams into reality!!!
onward... i decided to take a breath and spent nearly the next two hours (and just enough money to upset laura) at the local record store.  about a month ago i started collecting vinyl, and may God help me!  so far a small, but sweet collection.  and as you'd guess, i really appreciate the sound only vinyl can produce.  (at checkout i asked them if they needed help... they said no.  tear.)
there's this business i wanted to check out across the street from the record store called Upstairs Audio, which i just found out this morning is owned and was founded by an awesome dude currently running for mayor of Columbia.  they do home audio/video sales and installation... something to do, right?  i gave my resume' to and had an awesome conversation with the store manager.  making good contacts is half the battle.  we got to talking about ACS Columbia, about how he had applied there once with no luck, and i mentioned how i'd heard of them and also wanted to inquire of them regarding employment.  he was nice enough to tell me how to get there... and i had one more resume' in the truck...
you know i went.  here's the story... walked in the door... said i wanted to leave my resume' with them... they introduced me to the guy who does the hiring... shook his hand... gave him my resume'... he looked it over... we had a very short exchange of how i was in the process of relocation... he said, simply... "when you get down here, call me... we'll be busy next month."  with a simple "yes sir" i shook his hand and said i'd talk to him soon.  WHAT!  i was ecstatic to say the least.  i'll be calling him this week...
i'm ready to go.  i love Greenville and i love my friends here, but laura and i knew if we had to do this, we'd do everything in our power to make our time apart short.  the rest is in God's hands... actually it's all in His hands, but we certainly can't sit on our asses and expect Him to take care of all of it, can we?  no! i feel like we've done our part, for now.
by the way... saturday... a whole lotta nothing... together.
soon.
love.

going green...

well, not really... at least not entirely in the environmental sense.  however, quite a fitting blog title for this so far so good st. patrick's day, wouldn't you say?

while in the last stage of recovery from losing my last two wisdom teeth this past thursday, there has been much to think about regarding the finality of things...

our home here in g-ville has been viewed by a few more potential buyers in the last few days.  all the showings were reported to us as good ones.  selling it has been prayed into reality by us and many Faith-filled friends, so now it is just a matter of when... others still say "rent, rent"... and while the thought of that was never not an option, there's something about getting stuff out from underneath of you as you're trying to take steps forward.  as we'll soon be located 4 hours from here, still owning the home means it'd be our responsibility if something were to happen, i.e. HVAC issues, water leak, etc... granted we sincerely do not believe anything of that nature will happen anytime soon, it is always a possibility.  {so, if you or someone you know needs a fine townhome here, OURS IS AVAILABLE!

two week notices can be tricky.  well, for me they are.  laura starts her new job in Columbia this coming monday... regardless.  i'm not yet employed in Columbia.  i still need a paycheck.  we still need to sell this house.  laura will be renting a room from our first new God-sent (girl)friend who owns a home there until we sell.  so i will hang here for that paycheck i still need, as well as remain keeper of the house.  starting to get the idea?  we'll survive, we promise, but it'll be interesting for a moment at least.  we're not "worried", but it goes without saying...

what'd you think i was going to say it?

so are we going green?... in no more ways than we already have... but it is one of my favorite colors!  here's a blog closing tangent... when i was younger... back when the next best thing to Jesus were crayons... if a picture/drawing didn't have any green in it, it was absolutely worthless to me.  it could not only not be considered a work of art, it wasn't worth my time to even imagine it.  today, although crayons have long since evaporated from my elementary school's radiators, i still dream of custom green fender strats and more money in my pocket, and occasionally reminisce on all the time i spent being green in high school... all in all, i'm thankful that i'm still able to breathe down here on God's green earth!  may we all make the best of it...

love.

number one...

number one... the first of many... i hope. and may the numbers increase frequently - symbolic of a life moving forward. but having said that, you all be sure to spur me on to keep this up... we all have a part in this...


my initial plan with http://benarrowminded.blogspot.com/ is to keep everyone informed of our experiences in this new season of life we're about to enter. later i'd like to use it as an outlet for work/audio related things. after some encouragement from a friend, i thought i might as well... my amazing wife Laura even recently started one to share her (keeping me healthy) recipes... http://chezphelps.blogspot.com/. but for now, i will share these words with everyone...

in less than 3 weeks, we will say a bittersweet farewell to NC. as most of you already know (and my sincere apologies to those who don't yet), Laura has accepted a position with WIS-TV in Columbia, SC! she is their new morning show producer and she starts March 22nd! this is a huge promotion for her and an even bigger opportunity with regards to her love for the news!!! as you could guess, she is uber excited... i am excited for her... and although it had a slow start, my personal excitement is growing by the day. of course you all know i'm slow at nearly everything, but the feeling quite a bit to do with the...


bittersweet... you all must know that in our hearts, the bitter part weighs more. WE WILL with no doubt MISS PEOPLE! there are - the friends we've drawn close to in the last few years (i.e. our Gateway church family, the Channel 9 crew past and present, 6:22 ministries, our neighbors, etc.) - those nearby (still in NC) life-long friends, many of which i grew up with - and most importantly, our families, which we miss dearly every day regardless of our location. my eyes produce tears even now as i think about the time i have missed/will miss with my near 2 year old niece as she grows up.  thank God though there is no distance in prayer, and on a much lighter note, we can utilize these ever increasing means of earthly communication on this crazy thing we call the internet. (oh, and need i say thank God for means of transportation! i wonder now who'll travel the most... probably laura and i... but most if not all of you should visit us at least once!)


sweet = NEW! {i.e. new careers, new opportunities, new schedules!, new things to learn, new people to meet, new songs and new places to play them, new friends to hear those songs, new music biz professionals to offer us publishing contracts for those songs, and even a new place to call home (here i will interject that we REALLY NEED TO SELL this... http://tinyurl.com/3b6w33b... in the next 2 weeks would be nice!)}

so laura landed her gig... what is - d. gonna do? i am of course looking for full time work in my area of expertise. to date, i've sent resumes' and demo reels to 3 recording studios, inquired about employment with audio production companies, and even submitted an online application to teach one-on-one music lessons to whosoever in the Columbia area. i honestly believe the door to step into my passion is wide open, and i am, with no hesitation, putting my foot in it.

"moving on..." just to be clear, these places will always be "home" to us... perquimans county north carolina, duval/clay county florida, and the more recent pitt county north carolina... from here, we will be honored to consider richland couty south carolina our home - in addition to the others of course. and this is pretty sweet... an interesting fact about our new location that we could only attribute to the goodness of God... other than being a moment to the west, we'll be right in the middle of our two families. it'll now take all of us an equal amount of drive time to visit each other! (somewhat of a "your welcome" to laura's folks and a slight "sorry" to mine, however.)

as this process of transition continues, we don't know yet how it will all play out, but... we are trusting God. we are believing for miracles. we are optimistic. we are tearful. we are joyful... we are blessed. and in the playing out, because we love you, we'll do all we can to share it with you.

love.