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December 31, 2002
JoeyDay.com, Version 1.0
Welcome to the new and improved JoeyDay.com! It's exciting to be in a new location. What a way to start the new year, eh? Don't forget to update your bookmarks—Qangaroo.com will probably be gone in about a month.
Speaking of 2003, I'll be going to a party tonight with Janene and some of her friends, as well as a second party tomorrow afternoon. I hope that everyone has a safe and happy holiday this evening. Happy New Year!
Janene's Grandmother is being moved to a different medical facility so she can continue to receive the care that she needs. We still don't know how long they plan to keep her. This situation will be better for everyone involved, since Janene's mother is a nurse and works at the place Granny is being taken. That will make visiting and looking after her a lot easier.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
December 30, 2002
New Domain Name
It's official. I am now the proud owner of JoeyDay.com. I completed the purchase about an hour ago, but as far as I can tell the domain isn't working yet. As soon as it's up I'll be moving my whole site over there. I may leave Qangaroo.com up for another month (with a message and an automatic redirect to JoeyDay.com), but I can't keep it up for too long since I'd have to continue to pay for the hosting.
From what I understand, Janene's Granny is doing better. She is on a new medication that seems to be working. They may be discharging her tomorrow, but we are still not sure. Janene and I will be visiting her later tonight. I want to thank everyone for thinking about her and praying for her. Please continue to pray with us that she can have a speedy recovery and that this new medication will not cause any further complications.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
December 29, 2002
Prayer Request
Janene's Granny was admitted into the hospital last night. She's been bleeding in her digestive system and began vomiting around 5pm Friday night, and still hasn't stopped (as of noon today) despite being given nausea relief medications. Doctors are worried that her blood is too thin, but because of her history of strokes, it is careful work to thicken her blood without going too far.
Basically the reason I'm telling you this is to ask all of you to please pray for Granny. Pray that she can be comfortable and sleep in the hospital. Pray that her doctors will have sound minds and a keen understanding of her medical needs. Please pray above all that God's will can be done, and that He will show Himself in this trying situation. In my experience it is after these hard times that one can look back and see that God's hand was working in ways that were never expected. Pray for miracles to happen. I know that they can and will.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
December 26, 2002
Christmas Aftermath
I hope everyone had a good Christmas. I sure did. I got all kinds of cool stuff. Janene gave me a Michael W. Smith CD and a very nice shirt to wear to church (her sisters got me a matching tie). Santa brought me the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition DVD, along with the Back to the Future Trilogy on DVD. I also got a thing called a ThumbDrive. It's made by Memorex, and it is a small plug and play USB device that holds 128MB. It will be nice for transporting files back and forth between home and school. I update Qangaroo.com from several different locations, so being able to keep it on the ThumbDrive will make things a lot easier. So I guess now you can ask me, "Is that 128MB in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?". :)
I hope no one thinks I'm going off about all these material things because they were the best part of my Christmas. The best part was being able to spend it with my friends and family. Steve and Merissa came home for the weekend and we've been playing games and watching movies all week. I've also been able to hang out a lot over at Janene's house with all of her family doing the same. Janene's Granny is a riot!
Anyway, it looks like 2003 is right around the corner, eh? When I look back on all that has happened this year I have to conclude that this has been one of the most important years I've ever lived. I've made some decisions this year that will carry me through the rest of my life. I can only hope that 2003 will be half the year 2002 has been.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
December 25, 2002
Merry Christmas, 2002
I hope all of you were able to take a few moments on this day and honestly reflect on what we've celebrated. The meaning of Christmas is not wrapped up in family and friends, a spirit of giving, and peace for all men (although I wouldn't suggest for a moment that we shouldn't think about and celebrate these things on Christmas). The reason this time of year exists is not so we can give gifts to one another, it is so we can celebrate the greatest gift that was given to us—the gift of God's Son, Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that we can all come to know Him better this Christmas season. God bless!
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2002
EmailProtect
Working during the day is a little different for me. I guess it's just because I'm not used to working eight hours straight. I'm ready for Christmas now just so I'll get a few days off. I just got off the phone with a guy who shouldn't be allowed near a computer. You know how they have background checks when you want to buy a gun? Well, they should have IQ checks when you want to buy a computer. I guess I don't really mean that—I'm just a little frustrated right now.
Janene and I spent last night with my family decorating the Christmas tree. My dad wanted to do it the way he used to when he was a kid. We threaded popcorn onto dental floss and made green and red paper chains. My dad even covered our tree-topper star (what else do you call that?) with tin foil so it would look more like the cardboard star he had as a kid. My mom does our tree different each year, and she's good at making it look really nice. It's kindof strange to see such a makeshift tree, but it was fun putting it together. We got some good pictures when we were all done. I'll have to see if I can convince my mom to let me post them here.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
December 20, 2002
Hustle and Bustle
My holiday season is going well. I've got most of my shopping done already. I think I'll go shopping tonight and then again Saturday morning and that should wrap it all up (no pun intended). If you want to know what I got you—too bad! You'll just have to wait until Christmas. ;)
Work has been kindof exciting lately. I'm now working full time hours to cover for co-workers who are sick or on vacation. Karma's got me on the phones, too. It's a nice change of pace from answering emails in the evenings. I can see how I could get tired of it very quickly, so I'll probably be glad when I can go back to part time, but for now I'm having fun. The hours mean more money, but it will all go on the paycheck I'm scheduled to receive on December 27th, so it doesn't help much for the holidays. Of course, I've never been one to turn down money!
I hope and pray everything is going well for my friends and family. Know that I'm thinking about you all this holiday season. Merry Christmas!
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
December 16, 2002
Mid-Semester Limbo
I have a few files on the site that were getting neglected in all the clutter of my archived journal entries, so I've added a new Articles section. As time goes by I'll probably add current news articles and other things, in the same way people keep newspaper clippings of significant events in their journal. Should be interesting to see what kind of things turn up in there, eh?
I finished Fall semester last week, my last final being on Thursday. I did so much better than I thought I did on all of my finals. I know I couldn't have done that without the Lord. It seems like in all three finals it came down to one question I couldn't answer. As I would pray about it, the concept would come back to me clearly enough that I could answer the question and feel confident about what I had written. I haven't seen any of my grades yet, but (depending on how good they are) I'll post them here when I do.
So I'm kinda floating until next semester. I'm still working 20-25 hours a week at ContentWatch, but I have to continue working evenings since someone else uses my desk during the day. Of course, she doesn't work on Fridays, so I think I'll have the weekends pretty much clear. That'll be nice.
I don't know if I've said this on the site yet (it may have been down at the time), but I registered for classes next semester. I'll be taking General Psychology, World Religions, and Calculus III. I'll also be taking Symhonic Band with Janene. All my classes are concentrated in the mornings on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Symphonic Band is my only Tuesday and Thursday class. That should help a great deal with homework. I'm looking forward to next semester being much better than this one was.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
December 08, 2002
Happy 23rd Birthday, Jason!
I want to wish my friend Jason a very happy 23rd birthday. Jason: I don't know if you read my website regularly anymore, but I just want to let you know I'm thinking about you today. I hope and pray that this day finds you in good health and that you can rejoice in another year spent with good friends and family. Happy birthday, bro!
I heard a good story in church today. The story takes place around Christmas, and is about a man who works at the post office. His wife had passed away a few months earlier. He was going through all the letters written to Santa Claus, and he came across one written from his own address. He immediately realized it was from his daughter. He opened the letter and this is what it said, "Dear Santa, my mother passed away two months ago and since then my dad has cried himself to sleep every night. He says that only eternity can heal him. Could you please send a little eternity to my dad this Christmas?".
I like this story because sometimes I feel like I could use a little eternity in my life. I think we all can. What's amazing to me is that Christ was not only a little eternity, He was all of eternity, and He gave himself for us. That is what Christmas is about. His life, sacrifice, and resurrection should be the focus of our thoughts year round, but especially this month. May we all be awakened to a new sense of wonder this Christmas season.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
December 07, 2002
The Big 1.5!
Today, Janene and I have been together for a year and six months. It seems like I have known her forever, yet the first time we held hands still feels like yesterday. I'm still every bit in love with her now as I was then, and so much more.
Janene: I want you to know that I love you very much. This last year and a half I've been having the time of my life. You have taught me so much about who I am and who I need to become. You have set such an amazing example for me of a person who is close to her Heavenly Father and really strives to do the things He requires. You truly are a beautiful person, and I think some of that beauty is due to an inner peace and the glow that comes from knowing who you are and who He is. I love you very much, sweetheart. Happy Anniversary! 
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
December 05, 2002
I'm Alive Again!
As many of you probably noticed, Qangaroo.com has been down for almost a month. My site hosting provider, Go Daddy Software, does not accept checks. Since I no longer had a valid debit/credit card, I was unable to make my monthly hosting payments. In the November 1 entry (a little way down the page) I mentioned some of the trouble I was having with my fine financial institution. Note: I throw the word "fine" around very loosely.
I finally received my debit card after five calls to the credit union. After the site went down, I started to get really mad. I don't have any big bills to pay that require a credit card, but if I did, my credit could've been seriously damaged from missed payments. A few weeks ago I went to a new credit union to open an account and see about transfering my car loan. They were very friendly and helpful, and they've been able to refinance my car loan at a very low 6.15% interest rate (on my own credit—I'm so proud of myself :D). They sent me a debit card and it actually arrived two days before the one I've been expecting for three months from the other credit union! As soon as the new loan goes through I'll be closing my old account. Boy, will I be happy when that's over with.
I saw the ENT last month about my sinus/throat/ear problems. He says I've got a deviated septum and recommends corrective surgery. It would be outpatient, which I guess means I'd be in and out rather quickly and that I should only experience discomfort for a few days. The idea of getting surgery doesn't sound very pleasant to me, but I'm willing to accept it if it will help me get better. I would like to see another doctor to get a second opinion, and I should have plenty of time to do that on account of our insurance company. They won't pay to have the surgery done until at least March. It's a long complicated story involving my dad switching jobs last year. I won't bore you with details, but suffice it to say, there is a whole list of specific procedures and medications that the insurance company won't pay anything on for the first year of coverage. I'm thinking of waiting to have the surgery after Spring semester, seeing as how it will put me down for at least a few days, and that won't work whilst I'm in school.
Well, that pretty much wraps up everything that's happened to me during the month that the site was down. One thing I should mention is how grateful I am to my Heavenly Father for the blessings He gives me everyday. I feel bad that I didn't get to put in a Thanksgiving entry, because I really do feel thankful for my life, the people in it, and the experiences I have that make me who I am. It seems like everywhere I look I can see God working.
I've been praying about my finances a lot this past week because I was very afraid I wouldn't be able to pay some of my bills. The money simply was not there and the bills were coming due fast. I prayed to the Lord and expressed to Him my frustration about a situation that was completely out of my hands, and placed my complete trust in Him that He would help me. As it turns out my first car payment on the new loan won't be due until January 15, 2003. That means I won't have a car payment at all in the month of December, which will allow me to pay all of my bills and have money left over to go Christmas shopping. I truly see this as a blessing from the Lord—grace and mercy where no amount of effort on my part could have possibly rectified the situation. He is an awesome God. Of that I am certain.
Posted by Joey at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)