Another weekend is in the books and I'm tired. Our weather has been brutal lately and it culminated in a 107 degree day as I slogged around the golf course at Ancil Hoffman yesterday. I shot 43-43=86 and took $31.50 from my playing partners. Thank the Good Lord that I had a cart, because the heat and leftover humidity that is in the air from the hurricane that bounced through Texas was debilitating. I finished out of the money in the tournament, but was happy to unburden my friends of some money. I won the overall bet, as well as thirteen skins. I collected six of the skins on a par three where I hit the ball short and then chipped to about six inches for the par. My opponents all skulled second shots and let me walk away with the loot.

It was 104 degrees on Friday night and we packed up a barbecue, some inflatable rafts and a full ice chest and headed over to Folsom Lake. We met Robb and Cheryl at the lake and brought their son, Nick, who was over at our house and had gone to see Bruce Almighty with the boys. Nick was leaving early Saturday for his Grampa's wedding up in Sonora and leave it to Daniel to put his mark on the situation. The boys were throwing the football in the water and Daniel nailed Nick in his right eye with the ball. It swelled up and was starting to turn from red to purple by the time we said our goodbyes at about eight o'clock. We have an annual pass to Folsom Lake and enjoy going over and getting wet in the lake during the summer. We brought some brautwurst and cooked up some brauts for dinner. We also spent part of the weekend at Alicia's house swimming. The weather has been over 100 degrees for six days and it is expected to last until at least the weekend.

Darla and I are off on a bus trip up to Reno on Friday with Nancy Dean and the gang from Richter-Robb, my new employer. Neither of us really wanted to go on the trip, but being the new guy on board this will be a chance to get to know everyone in a social setting. Nancy has about three of these trips a year, to San Francisco or Carmel or Half Moon Bay and it is a chance for the troops to get away together and relax. A friend of mine, Mel Tobias, who was instrumental in getting me this job, is coming along with his wife. I've known Mel for years and he handles all of the inspection work for Richter Robb as he did for Republic Western. We will stay at the Fitzgerald Casino in downtown Reno and Mel is buying everyone lunch on Saturday. We are on our own for the weekend as far as food and entertainment and Darla and I will likely find our way over to the Atlantis Casino for dinner on Saturday night. I'll let the casino buy us dinner as we are members of their Player's Club.

Jennifer will be home for about ten days in late August. She is coming home for her twenty-third birthday and she hopes to catch up with friends and family during that time. She plans to go water-skiing with Darla and I up at Lake Almanor and she wants to go to the California State Fair while she is here. She is looking forward to getting back to California for a few days and out of the Army environment.

Darla and I took the boys out to dinner last night at Black Angus. David ordered and ate a one pound prime rib. David is 6'4" tall now, although he is stretching to weigh 155 pounds. Some day he'll look back on the days when he was trying to put weight on instead of take it off. I remember when Darryl could eat for days and never gain any weight. The last time I saw him (in Houston), he was working on a little boiler around his waist. Funny, how the Lord always reserves some humility for the skinny people.

David is looking for a Summer job. He has an interview today at Brookfield's , a family style restaurant in Roseville and he has an interview with Pete's Pizza on Wednesday. Pete's is a family style Italian restaurant and the owners are Christians. He needs to start making some money as he wants to work on his Mustang, repairing some of the dents in the body. He will get his driver's license in mid-September and is looking forward to the freedom that represents for him.

I have finally begun treatments with a chiropractor. I am getting adjustments three days a week and my back feels much better. The Dr. took x-rays and found out that I have a congenital defect at the base of my spine. The bones cracked while I was in utero and they fused back together, but do not operate to give me the shock absorber effect that the spine is intended to provide. The pain in my back was right at the base of the spine and I've been attempting to cushion the pain for so long that one of my legs is actually riding higher than the other. The doctor is working on bringing those bones back into alignment and repairing a compression in the disk above the defect. He is a BIG man and uses his three hundred pounds to manipulate my spine. It is a harrowing experience, but I am feeling better. (Like a battered wife who gets flowers.)

Well, that's enough rambling for this week. I've written my first insurance policy and quoted several $20,000 plus accounts, so the job is coming together. Be well and remember that Christ came to Earth as a servant leader. My question is, have you been served? And, better yet in view of Christ's example, who have you served lately?