It could have been worse…

June Gloom is in full swing here in Malibu.  On a good day, we may get 90-minutes of sunshine.  Other than that, it’s foggy, grey, and depressing.  From early in the morning until about 2pm it looks like this.

And then it clears up for a couple of hours, before returning to fog by about 5pm. So depressing.

That nasty weather was definitely a contributing factor to an accident we had this week. I took the neighborhood carpool to Malibu High as always on Thursday morning. About two miles north of PU on PCH we were approaching the intersection of Latigo Canyon and there was a light blue Honda Pilot stopped at the stop sign. Somehow, the driver didn't see our enormous Nissan Armada with the headlights on, and pulled right out in front of us.

I swerved to the left (into oncoming traffic lanes!) to avoid hitting her driver-side door head-on. Thank God there was no traffic in the other lanes. She clipped my rear quarter-panel and back tire on our way past. While it doesn't look so bad, the damage was substantial enough that I couldn't drive the car after that.

Thank God, no one was hurt, but it was sure a scary morning. She took full responsibility and was very apologetic.  She was insured and it looks like her insurance will take care of everything.

Now we're in a rental car (currently an enormous Lincoln Town Car) until the Armada is fixed. They estimate 2-3 weeks. Unfortunately, we're supposed to leave for vacation in 2 weeks! Gheesh! Why does this always happen right when we are leaving for summer vacation? (http://blog.m5williams.info/2007/07/damage-from-fender-bender.html)

Nashville with Matt for CSC

Last week I took at trip to Nashville for the Christian Scholars Conference.  I wasn’t planning on going since I have so many other travels this summer.  However, when Provost Tippens called with an opportunity to respond to a paper by David Miller, I knew it was an opportunity I shouldn’t pass up.

David Miller is on the faculty at Princeton University where he directs the Faith & Work Initiative.  David’s paper was a summary of his book God at Work along with an announcement of a new phase in his research where he is further refining “The Integration Box” model with an instrument development study.  I will be paying attention to his work over the next few months and would be interested in joining in the conversation.  If you are interested in the topics of faith/spirituality and work/life balance from an academic perspective, you should check out his blog…http://faithandworkblog.com/.  It’s not updated often enough, but it’s a good start.

The conference was engaging and enjoyable.  I always enjoy my visits to Lipscomb University.  It’s a beautiful campus in a lush, green, pastoral quarter of Nashville.  There are many things about Nashville that are appealing.  One of the highlights of the trip was seeing so many old friends.  I had lunch with Ted Thomas (formerly minister of the Silver Spring CoC in Silver Spring, MD) and Gayle Crowe (former minister of the Chatham CoC in Chatham, NJ…and father of one of my best friends DMC). 

 

These two guys are so special to me because it was in conversation with them many years ago that convinced me it was time for a career change.  I’m so grateful for their influence in my life.  Without them I would be Lord knows where… but almost certainly not here.

But the big highlight, was that Son #1 was able to come along for the trip.  We had a blast.  We spent the first night on the plane at DFW… and didn’t arrive in Nashville until nearly 1am.  But the second night we did a double-feature… Iron Man 2, followed by Prince of Persia.  What fun.  I preferred IM2, but he liked PoP better.  Both were fun. (Ironically, last time I attended CSC I took in a Double Feature at the same theater!)

We also made a stop by the Parthenon…

And then had the most amazing burgers at Five Guys…

Day 3 we had to fly back to LA.  But before leaving, we made a few stops.  Like at Krispy Kreme for some hot, fresh donuts.

 

On Legends Corner in downtown Nashville… 

I think Matt only recognized Johnny Cash from the guitar face.

Then we stopped by the Ryman Auditorium, home of the Grand Ole’ Opry…

And finally, we wondered by GameStops, Targets, Best Buys, and Walmarts looking for a PSP Bundle Pack.  With the bundle you save about $30, but Matt really wanted to buy a PSP for the plane ride home.  So, we finally picked up a new PSP and the Prince of Persia game and headed to the airport.  It was a terrific trip for both of us.  I really enjoyed having Matt with me.  I look forward to having him with me again.