Well, here we grow again!

Well, I know it has been quite a while since my last little update. Lots have happened, and I hope to catch you up on it all now. For starters, April was recently diagnosed with Renal Tubular Acidosis, a kidney disease that creates lots of kidney stones. So, this means that she will have have kidney stones sporadically from here on. She is doing well now, but has pain sometimes related to it, and stays in touch with her doctor. Second, she was recently on the front page of the Greensboro News and Record People and Places section, about the disease, and a friend of her parents that has kidney disease as well, and is in need of a transplant. It was good for her to be around someone having similar problems. I also purchased a book for her on a recent trip to Concord Mills in Charlotte. It's called "Empty Womb, Aching Hearts", a book about dealing with infertility. It is filled with stories from other women dealing with the same kinds of feelings she is, and she gets alot out of it. Kinda like a Dr. Phil episode just for her. :-) I know this has been difficult for her, and for me, as well, as I want to help however I can. I played in a disc golf tournament this past Saturday, and had alot of fun, and April helped by registering all the players! We went up to Boone on Sunday to see the snow, and boy did we see it! LOTS OF IT! It was great to finally see some Winter!
Other than that, I guess that's all. Yeah right. I have been dealing with an unruly wisdom tooth, one of two remaining, and boy is it mad at me! It apparently has a bad cavity in it, and direct contact with a nerve there. I am on a steady dose of Hydrocodone and Ibuprofen, as well as antibiotics to kill any infection. It has been getting worse with time, and I am scheduled to get them removed tomorrow. So, I had to be off Monday, as the pain was so bad, it hurts worst in my ear, and around there. I was having trouble keeping stuff in my belly, and headache, and etc. Well, I called in to use a day out of my weeks personal time, and told them to call me if they really needed me, but knew I would be knocked out. They did call me around 2:30 to ask if I could come in, which I said I would, but thought about it, and decided it was not best I drive with all that painkiller in me, so I asked to let April take me over there, knowing what was going on. So, I was laid-off, let go whatever. It was not a complete surprise. After all, just last week the guy who was in charge of the coffee/beverage department, was relieved of his duties and transferred to Marketing. And he was the founder of the coffee company. It was his company that Krispy Kreme bought to form the coffee company. There was a sense that there more to come down last week, and it did. So, my tenure with the Krispy Kreme Coffee Company was up. Kind of bittersweet. I loved aspects of the job, hated others. I am not a big fan of the "corporate" mentality that treats employees as robots, and jobs that have more supervisors than regular employees. In my department there were ten people, six of which were supervisors, leaving four regular people. Gregory, the Roastmaster, is still someone I will respect, has alot of heart and soul for that place, with the inability to carry it out due to the constraints of being in such a structured environment. Am I sad? Well, I will miss the best times there, will miss other things not so much. I will miss the schedule. I never really fit in there, kinda like a square peg in a circular hole. You know how it is to join a baseball team that has been together for years, and you feel the outsider always. So, the winds of God they blow. And I am carried away.
It is with great pleasure that I officially announce my new position, Coffeehouse Manager of the Bean'ry Coffeehouse in St. Augustine, FL. I have known for many months that this was my new job, but could not officially share it because of my job at Krispy Kreme, and the knowledge that God would need to close the door there before I could take the other position. So, April and I will be moving down the end of June, and taking over The Vine, transforming it into the new Bean'ry. We will be carrying out the same vision as The Bean'ry, with the only difference being that currently it is and will, operate as "for profit". They are giving us complete creative control, and we will be creating a little community whereby Christians can make a difference by serving, and sharing their faith in practical ways. It will also be an exceptional coffeehouse specializing in great drinks, and great baked goods baked in house by my lovely wife. Yes, April will be a huge part of The Bean'ry, and will be my partner there. The church will be eventually bringing us both on staff, and until then, April will do some substitute teaching. There will be live jazz, open mic nights, all the things I did at the old Bean'ry, but now better with age. Fresh roasted coffees, coffee education classes, and ways to help coffee farmers, all new things! I have already been in touch with college ministries down there at Flagler College, who are all excited about what we will be doing, and will be helping out in some way. We will be doing alot with the homeless, including canned good and clothing donations, as well as referral services. Like I said, many aspects of the old Bean'ry, now more mature, and more focused. There is also a possibility that we may get some help from an old, dear friend, and many of you knew him from the old Bean'ry, where he was my head volunteer. That's right. Alex Brown may be helping us down there in some form, maybe training sessions, maybe other stuff.
So, we will be putting our home on the market, and apparently I will be looking for a job for five months. We will miss some of our good friends in this area, but know God has something really big for us down there, and we could use the change of scenery after the year or so it has been. We know that God is doing a new thing, that Spring is on the way, and that news things are beginning to blossom. Please keep us in your prayers as we make this crazy transition. I will try and keep you guy more updated in the future, as well.