Abbracciati – In hug, originally uploaded by Giuseppe Andrea.

Just a quick sentimental post from Lance.

First of all, while you’re hugging your guests and loved ones this Holiday season, give them a hug that’s a touch longer than usual. There’s no reason we have to walk in, squeeze and go. We’re not computers. We don’t just [squeeze] [release]. We’re humans. We hug. Hug like you mean it. God wants us to cherish our relationships.

I thought I was a long-hugger until I got to know my sister-in-law Deanna. I called her out on her performance many years ago and we still share a good laugh about that to this day. She’s a squeeze-release-squeezer. Regardless, she likes hugs. She’s a hugger.

Also, just a quick shout out to Flickr. They’ve been a great host to our photos this year and I’ve noticed that their algorithms are really maturing nicely. For example, tonight I was searching for a hug photo and I was blown away by what I found. Nothing but high-quality public photos float to the top, all based on popularity. Here’s my favorite. Nice. Thank you Time Magazine for declaring “You” as the Man of the Year in 2006. We appreciate the recognition and we’re doing our best.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! Don’t forget the reason for the season!

Everyone seemed to have a great time at our Couples Baby Shower. Here’s a great photo of Mike and Jen’s daughter Lilly checking out Kristin’s mysterious belly bulge. Thanks to all of our friends for celebrating with us. And special thanks to Jeff for cooking up so many wonderful culinary treats!

Kristin is 33 weeks along, so we have less than two months before our due date. We’ve been working hard to get everything ready for Benjamin’s much anticipated arrival. We hope to be ready by October 1st just in case he decides to come a little early. Benjamin is about four pounds now and gaining about half a pound every week.

Lance’s parents, Larry and Lea, will be visiting soon and staying with us for a few weeks. While they’re here, we’ll be looking seriously at the possibility of them moving to Austin. We’re looking forward to their visit and will be sure to make a few blog posts while they’re here. Please pray for their safe travel and that the Lord will lead us through our many planned adventures in Austin.

Our favorite technology mercenary zoomed through town this last weekend and our house seemed to appreciate in value for a few short days…

It’s a boy! 11:22pm. 6 lbs, 15 oz. 19.2 inches. Mom & baby are doing great!! Dad is happy, happy!

More photos on Flickr.

As we get closer to our one year anniversary, we thought we’d share with you a few snippets of our wedding video. After all, not everyone is going to make it by Austin anytime soon, so why not use the web to share it?!?

We’ll post ‘em on Our Wedding page. Stay tuned for a handful more between now and June 17th.

Lance’s good friend of twenty-six years, Larry Dye, is finally returning home from Baghdad.. and this time FOR GOOD! Hallelujah!

Larry has been in Baghdad for several years, working as a civilian contractor with top secret military clearance. Before that, he was in Germany for several years. He is now finally coming home and looking forward to rediscovering how to live life outside of the green zone. He is being transported on a Rhino Runner along Route Irish which runs between the green zone and the Baghdad International Airport. This bullet-proof RV-looking thing reminds me of the movie Stripes.

Let us pray for his safe return home over the next few days and, perhaps, a decision to live in our favorite place — Austin!

“Come on everybody, let’s take a trip to Brazil…”

This morning Kristin & I are listening to Bobby J’s Saturday morning jazz program on KSYM. Once a year, he does his Brazilian Jazz Show, also known as Samba Saturday. If you’ve never been introduced to Samba, just let me know — I’ve got a Samba compilation that I put together a few years ago with Bobby J’s help. Bobby J throws some great jazz parties, where we all just sit around visiting, drinking and spinning his 5000+ records, many of them original pressings!

Thanks to Cisco for introducing us to Bobby J and his wife Freddie, and also for taking this picture on his cell phone. There are a handful of things that Kristin & I miss about San Antonio, and Bobby J is at the top of the list.

Scott Leger of Wideawake submitted his song Maybe Tonight, Maybe Tomorrow to the International Songwriting Competition and won grand prize! You can download the song for free, or support the fight against cancer by purchasing it for $1 from iTunes. 100% of the proceeds go to LiveStrong, the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Upon learning of a friend’s cancer diagnosis, Scott wrote this song both as a personal coping mechanism and as a way to honor cancer survivors across the world. According to Leger, the song is dedicated not only to his friend but also to the millions of people affected by cancer. His hope is that the song will encourage people everywhere to live life to its fullest, whether they are dealing with cancer or any other challenge. The song was debuted at the Lance Armstrong Foundation Gala in front of a room full of VIP’s including former President Bill Clinton. In addition to its lyrical content, the song’s memorable chorus and strong pop sensibility resonated with the ISC judges, culminating in it being awarded this year’s Grand Prize.

Congratulations to Scott for this amazing accomplishment! Some of you may recall that Scott and Eddie from Wideawake played at our wedding. I’d like to say “Thank You!” again for a performance Kristin and I will never forget!!

Welcome! And congratulations to our good friends, Mike & Jen!

Our first meal at the house? Taco Bell! (A quick shout out to our good buddy, Larry, who is still hiding in a hole in Baghdad and craving the greasy cheesy love.) Here’s a quick snapshot of Kristin as she munches on a taco and shares her vision of the future.

We have posted more photos of the house on Flickr. I’m not sharing photos of the front of the house this week, cuz I’ll just get all fired up and start a whole new rant. In addition to the stone issues, our front door (which we were not able to select, since it had already been ordered) doesn’t match the Old World style we’re aiming for. Mercedes Home has been great, though, and has agreed to swap it out with one that has a wraught iron pattern similar to this picture. We’re really looking forward to the counter tops and hard wood floors this week!