Good-bye 2004!

I am making a commitment to post something here at least every week during 2005. I have felt for awhile that I was remiss in making my thoughts and feelings available to others. Maybe you're thinking, "Boy, Steve... not arrogant or self-important are we?"

Well, no, not really. I just feel that there are thoughts and opinions that I am supposed to share. So here it comes.

Biggest disappointment of 2004: The re-election of George Bush. I don't like him. I don't like what he's doing to my country. I don't like his philosophy. And perhaps worst of all, I hate the fact that he has convinced so many people that he is a Christian. Although that may be true, I just don't think he emits a true picture of what a Christian is supposed to be. To quote one of my favorite bumper stickers: "When Jesus said love your enemies, I think he probably meant don't kill them."

Biggest thrill: My middle son, Steven, got married to Nicole Norton, and I got to perform the wedding.

Saddest moment: The day my Granny Lee died (December 30th). She was 94 years old.

Happiest day at work: The day I was promoted from a Customer Service Manager to a Project Manager. More money, a job I really like, and no more employees. Win-win-win.

Biggest change: My wife, Judy, has lost 170 pounds in 2004. She looks even better than the day we got married. I'm really proud of her. She's worked very hard.

Best book I read this year: The Signature of Jesus by Brennan Manning. You won't be satisfied with your faith in God after you read this. You will aspire to a deeper relationship with Jesus.

My prayer for 2005: Like the prayer of Saint Francis, I want to be an instrument of God's peace and love. And I want God's best for you and your loved ones.

Home is home

I am back... and mostly in one piece. The worst part was the travel; three planes going and three planes to return again. A close second in the worst department would be the "shuttle" that transported us from the hotel to our car. I fell once getting out of it and every time I had to ride it was an adventure.
Kudos to my brother-in-law, Neil, for taking us to the airport and picking us up when we got home last night. He even got the car washed while we were gone. His effort is truly appreciated. Additional kudos to Avis car rental. They went the extra mile for us. Also, thanks to our red cap in St. Thomas. We'd probably still be stuck in the airport if not for his help. And thanks to most of our flight crews from American Airlines. All of them (except maybe the last one) went out of their way to make us comfortable and were far superior to the flight crews we experienced the last time we flew (on Southwest). Finally, thanks to our fellow passengers who put up with us with such kindness and compassion.
Okay, I'll post some pictures to stevelee.us as soon as I get a chance to retrieve and upload them.

On Vacation

My wife and I are going on a dream vacation, at least I hope that's what it is. We're going to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and we leave tomorrow. I haven't been to an airport since 9-11 and our plane leaves at 5:46 AM. I hope everything goes smoothly. We have two plane changes to make. Please pray for us. I hope to have lots of really cool pictures to post when we get back.
Home

Nicknames

When I was growing-up, I made up nicknames for all my siblings. The first one went to my brother, Jim. I called him Ug (Lee). After awhile he started to call me Home (Lee). I decided that this would at least provide an interesting name for this page.

And so we begin...