It's been a long week...

• My laptop died on Thursday. It skipped the blue screen of death and went immediately to the black screen of no return. Worked before lunch, dead when I came back. I was surprised at how "not frustrated" I was. I called Gateway, they wanted too much to fix it. So I took it to Data Doctors and they're retrieving my hard drive. The more I think about it, the more my stomach ties up in knots. I'm confident I'll get all my data back but there are somethings I'm not sure will be retrievable... mainly my iTunes playlists. Big deal, right? It is for me. I've kept a playlist of the worship set songs from every weekend I've been at Palm Valley. I am was proud of my archives. If, by some miracle, those are retrieved... Data Doctors will be my hero.
• Part of the reason I wasn't all that frustrated at the passing of the 'ole Gateway is because I was going to be breaking up with it anyways. Our relationship had peaked and it was time to see others. For several months, we've been planning and taking steps toward shifting the creative side of PVC to Mac. I'm very excited about this and anxious to learn some new software that is going to help take our music and media to new heights. I started researching Macs hard core yesterday and hope not to be computerless for too long.
• Jude's doing great! It's so crazy to see him develop and grow. We're seeing more smiles and having more interaction with him every day... even a little laughter. But he's still an infant. He fusses and obviously doesn't sleep through the night yet. Kim's so awesome in handling the tough stuff. I usually get up to heat the bottle and she'll feed him, allowing me to sleep and be rested for work. She's great when Jude's fussy too... that's when Jude-atude emerges. She's reading to him, singing songs with motions (his favorite is Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes), and just playing with him a ton. My favorite thing I've done with him thus far is begin telling him the story of Jesus. It's a good one. We've started reading Luke. I'm telling it now because I want it to be a part of him as he develops. I also want him to hear the story from me first. I hope this is something that he remembers and carries on for his children.
• Being a dad is exhausting but worth every tired tear. I'm moving at a slower pace and am having to relearn how to live and prioritize. Along with the fun, smooshy stuff have been some tough moments, particularly between Kim and I. Not only are we learning how to parent but we're having to learn what it means to be husband and wife with a child. I value my relationship with my wife above every other relationship I have, outside of Jesus... including my relationship with my son. But with a new child, it's been tough for me to show that. I'm looking forward to the coming weeks and thinking creatively on how I can make my heart a reality.