Molly's Halloween Costume

Drum roll please...I have Molly's Halloween costume for this year. In honor of her daddy's school mascot, Molly will be a pirate this year. Previously, she was a ladybug and witch. This year we're adding some sentiment to her outfit. Now I just need a costume!

Move

I still have mixed emotions about all this change, but I love my new apartment. It's small, but just right for me. I got up at 7AM and got to packing. The movers were suppose to be here between 8-10AM and the cable guy from 10AM-12PM. However, the cable guy showed up way before the movers! Cable man can at 10 on the dot. Movers however, called at 10:45AM, were in Arlington, and still needed gas. Sheesh.

So, they showed up about 11:45AM. They did a pretty decent job with the move...very careful with stuff. However, mom had left all the cables connected to the back of the tv and when one guy was bringing it in, he tripped on the cord and the tv went right into the stair rail outside my apartment. I heard the crash hoping it was either nothing valuable or something I hated anyways so I had an excuse to buy something new. It was the bedroom tv so now there's a nice gash in the corner of the tv. The insurance only covers $0.60 per pound so I'll be lucky to get about $30. Oh well, could have been the new tv... =/

We finally finished all the "moving" portion of the day about 4PM. What a day! It would have been much more relaxing to go to work! Now I sit amongst boxes and boxes and boxes! I ran out of energy so the rest is tomorrow's chore. I barely got furniture moved into place and sorted into each room. Hopefully, I'll post some pictures as the place takes shape.

My Former Youth Pastor

Steve Richardson was my youth pastor in junior high at FUMC Duncanville....

FUMC-Royse City stunned by pastor’s arrest
Sept 25th, 2008
By David Wilfong

Herald-Banner Staff

Members of the First United Methodist Church were in shock when they learned that their pastor, Steve Richardson, had been arrested by agents of the Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) on charges relating to child pornography.

Richardson was taken into custody on Wednesday on a charge of transporting child pornography, at which time agents confiscated his computer and executed warrants at his home and church.

According to a statement released by the office of U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper, Richardson has already admitted to ICE agents that he had been trading child pornography online using his work computer.

The trading apparently took place on a “Google Hello” Internet program.

The arrest was the result of a long-term investigation by ICE that involved at least two other persons.

According to Roper’s statement, the investigation began in August 2007 when ICE Special Agents executed a search warrant in a child pornography investigation at the residence of an individual who consented to agents assuming his online presence on Google Hello to communicate with individuals involved in distributing child pornography.

On December 20, 2007, an ICE Special Agent, using that identity in an undercover capacity said he communicated with and received an image of child pornography from Hello user “cowboysspades.” He received a total of six images from “cowboysspades,” one of which fits the definition of child pornography (the other images would be considered child erotica).

In a Sept. 26, 2007 ICE raid, special agents executed a search warrant on a private residence which resulted in the seizure of computers and arrest of an individual for possession of child pornography.

That individual advised that one of the screen names he remembered trading with on Google Hello was “cowboysspades” and that “cowboysspades” had sent him “homemade” images within the past three months.

Examination of that person’s computer revealed a folder named “from coyboysspades,” which contained approximately 30 images of child pornography.

According to investigators, the Google Hello records for “cowboysspades” lists the email address as “girlpedolover@hushmail.com.” Further investigation revealed that the Yahoo! e-mail name “girlpedolover@yahoo.com” is registered to Steve Richardson in Royse City, Texas, with the same IP address as one of the nine IP addresses “cowboysspades” used to logon to his Hello account.

The statement goes on to say, “Further forensic investigation revealed additional chats between ‘cowboysspades’ and others. In one, ‘cowboysspades’ received and distributed dozens of images of child pornography including several images of infants engaged in sexually explicit conduct.”

Steve Richardson and his wife adopted an infant girl from Ethiopia, which they brought home to the United States on May 5. Currently, there is no reference to the international adoptee in the criminal complaint.

Richardson came to Royse City in August of 2006 following five years of service with the First United Methodist Church in Boyd.

Old Apartment, Last Night

I hate change. Each time I am mid-move, I have mixed emotions of excitement and loneliness. I am still sleeping in my old apartment, yet half my stuff sits across my complex in a small one bedroom. For three weeks, I have looked forward to this moved with positive anticipation. I bought a new tv, new dishes, and even new shoes for my wonderfully huge closet. Hopefully, once the dust settles and my new cabinets fill with dishes, I will feel home.

Weekly Update

Eek. I need to put an appt reminder on my calendar that says "UPDATE BLOG!". The last week has been unusally busy with lots of packing to fill my evenings. The apt is almost all packed up and ready for the 29th. I know which apt I'll be moving into and I've been stalking it for a week. Our apt manager said they were moving out last week so I have been waiting for the outdoor furniture and bike on the patio to disappear. Luckily, a Uhaul truck showed up last Thursday, so the little apartment is waiting for my boxes!

Since I will be living on my own, I am on the search for a 2nd tv. One tv just won't do. I couldn't sacrifice the tv in my bedroom for the living room and I can't very well not have one in my living room or Bo will never come visit me! I'm looking for a 30-40" flat screen, but not sure what direction to go. I'm thinking I heard an LCD is better than plasma, but that's the extent of my knowledge.

Saturday I ran the Oktoberfest 5K in Addison with Nick. It took me 39 minutes to run the 3.1 miles down Arapaho. I started out pretty good until I hit the 3rd mile, uphill, and into the sun. I lost it and had to walk for a little bit. By the end of the mile, I was huffing and puffing pretty hard. We're scouting out our next run, hopefully another 5K. Nick wants to run the 8 mile Turkey Trot but I am going to need some shorter practice runs before that!

I also saw the Women on Saturday. Is anyone aware that that movie has no men in it? Not a one. Still, a decent movie. Speaking on movies...Sex and the City comes out on DVD Tuesday. I will be in line.

We Will Never Forget

A somber day on the job: working for an airline on 9/11 when layoffs are announced. Fortunately, my job was spared today. I can't say the same for others. However, one more slip of the economy and my neck's on the chopping block next.

Lately my life has seemed a dream. One of those unsettling thinker dreams you have when you've eaten a big meal before bedtime. Restlessness controls you and you wake up in disbelief that those situations really happened. Today was a sombering reminder than I am not dreaming and I am simply on the other side of the fence from not having a job or a place to live.

Maybe when the snowglobe settles, I'll look back at think the abandonment I feel from my close friends and uncertainty of the real world was a blessing in disguse meant to prep me for my next stage of life. Eighteen days from today I get to welcome myself into a new home. 636 sq feet of Jen's space. No one elses. Hang the pictures where I want, arrange the furniture to my liking, and decorate to my taste. Myabe then I'll feel as if I have regained some control over my life that seems to overwhelming to contain right now.

RNC

"I'm not a Republican because I grew up rich, but because I didn't want to spend the rest of my life poor, waiting for the government to rescue me...." -Mike Huckabee

"Then he ran for -- then he ran for the state legislature and he got elected. And nearly 130 times, he couldn't make a decision. He couldn't figure out whether to vote "yes" or "no." It was too tough. He voted -- he voted 'present.' " -Rudy Giuliani on Obama

"Tough times require strong leadership, and this is no time for on-the-job training." -Rudy Giuliani

"Because change is not a destination, just as hope is not a strategy." -Rudy Giuliani

"Well, I'll tell you, if I were Joe Biden, I'd want to get that V.P. thing in writing." -Rudy Giuliani on Obama's tendancy to change his position

"Know the difference between a hockey mom and a pitt bull? Lipstick." -Sarah Palin

"This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word "victory" except when he's talking about his own campaign." -Sarah Palin on Obama

"My fellow citizens, the American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of "personal discovery." This world of threats and dangers is not just a community, and it doesn't just need an organizer." -Sarah Palin

Life is Sudden Sometimes

Let's say..

Supplier "A" signed a one year agreement with you. However, shortly after the agreement was finalized, Supplier "A" can no longer support their end of the bargain. You have a Supplier "B", but for political reasons, this might not be the best alternative yet. You are supportive and have nurtured the relationship with Supplier "B", however, timing isn't quite right for a few months. Your parent company is not crazy about an investment with "B" without indefinite commitment. For good reason though - stakeholders are interested in the well-being of the company, emotion aside.

Rather than relying on any supplier, you might be able to offset the inconvenience caused from Supplier "A" by relocating to your own facility. Relocation comes with a hefty price tag though. Because Supplier "A" caused the initial trouble, costs associated with this should be covered by "A". Anything less would be unacceptable and legally unsettling. So what to do?

It's more than business, it's personal.