It has been many moons since I last posted. It will probably be a few more before I get back to serious posting on this blog.
I took a job in Denver, CO at the Rocky Mountain News in September of 2008. As you may know, the Rocky was closed by the parent company E.W.Scripps because it was losing them millions of dollars. It has been quite a ride since.
While in Denver area we lived in a rather small basement apartment while hunting for housing. Fortunately we never purchased a home and weren’t trapped there. We had been unable to sell our Michigan home because of the dreadful housing market there and kept postponing a purchase hoping it would sell.
I put out feelers for jobs in the area, but I ended up taking a position at the Naples Daily News in Naples, FL. We are now living in an RV park and have been for the last 2 months while shopping for a home. We made an offer on a home and it is now under contract. We should be living in it in 30-60 days.
That said, it has been very difficult to do anything creative at all in the cooking department. In our basement apartment we had no oven (we made do with a toaster oven) and in our camper space is so constricted that we basically live on burgers, hotdogs, spaghetti (brown rice of course), and simple foods.
In addition to all that, as I mentioned earlier last year, I decided to more deeply investigate traditional Christianity. That study has taken a front seat and put innovative cooking in the back seat for a while. At this point I will just say that while I have not chosen a final destination in Orthodoxy or Catholicism, I have left protestantism behind. My understanding of the problems with the ancient church were based in ignorance. Most people who criticize the church don’t really understand what it teaches.
Many of you may have been wondering what happened to me. That is the short version. I do plan to go back to more regular posting sometime after life settles down.
Thanks for the update, Brian!
So did your house finally sell in Michigan?
Kelly, no it never sold. We are renting it now. That’s probably for the best anyway considering the market.
Glad to hear you’re getting by. I figured you must be busy. Life seems to be full of challenges sometimes. Hope things start looking up soon
Michigan to Colorado to Florida – those are big changes. Possibly not as big as the religious change. I (sort of) grew up Catholic (still practicing!), and I know what you mean about ‘most people…don’t really understand what it teaches’. Good luck on your spiritual journey. I continue to steal your bread recipes.
Wonderful elxpaaniton of facts available here.
If you like the Eastern-ness of the Orthodox faith, don’t forget about the Byzantines, who are Eastern-rite Catholics (the Byzantines–the mice that roared)
http://www.byzcath.org/
Good luck in your search! You and your family are in our prayers.
And I, too, continue to steal your recipes. Thanks for sharing so much with us!
Hi Brian, the spammer commenter above brought me back here this morning and I was wondering where God has brought you in your faith? Have you seen this site? ConversionDiary.com – she went from atheism to Catholicism, very interesting.
Take care!
Kelly
Kelly, it’s good to hear from you. I have seen that site. It’s a good one.
I made this journey with another friend who walked a very similar path from a similar starting point. We both struggled with the choice when we came to the crossroads leading east and west. It was not a simple or easy choice. He went west and I went east. My family and I were chrismated/confirmed almost 3 years ago in an Antiochian Orthodox parish in Florida. We’re now in Colorado Springs in a Russian parish.
I keenly watch the dialog between the east and the west. I am encouraged by the progress of the dialog. I don’t expect to see it in my lifetime, but I know that someday the church will again be one.
Hi again Brian, you are so blessed to live in Colorado Springs! We visited a couple years ago and loved it. If we’re ever there again, I’ll look you up and I’d love to visit your church with you!
Kelly