tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353150102011-12-22T16:37:14.866-05:00soapbox -- an improvised platform used by a self-appointed, spontaneous, or informal orator; something that provides an outlet for delivering opinionsDwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.comBlogger901100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-33301903597901220762008-08-17T07:34:00.002-04:002008-08-17T07:40:41.478-04:00

Please note that I've moved to damkes.blogspot.com. That's where I'll make new posts.Why? Because it's shorter and easier for someone to remember when they ask me for the blog address.

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-80978232793206577852008-08-11T07:34:00.002-04:002008-08-11T07:43:53.043-04:00

It seems we have a mouse. A friend has been staying at our house and he gave us the unfortunate news that he saw what could have been a mouse run under the dryer. He also thought he heard it in the dropped ceiling in the basement. Further investigation indicated evidence of mouse activity (i.e., turds).So I bought a fancy mouse trap that was to instantly electrocute the mouse - a humane kill.

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-58326880271459384732008-08-08T07:22:00.003-04:002008-08-08T07:56:53.064-04:00

Yesterday we attended Day One of the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. I've been attending now for five or six years and wouldn't miss it. It helps me correct my compass, so to speak, to set my path straight again an help me focus on what really matters.I started reading Fierce Conversations this week. The author suggests a definition for success which, in my mind, works. I say that because the

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-35741040580985600582008-07-30T13:53:00.003-04:002008-07-30T14:09:48.319-04:00

We're on our third day in Newfoundland. Our flight was late leaving Toronto on Sunday, so our transfer in Halifax was as long as it took to get one from plane to the next, and no more. We arrived in Campbellton at 3:00 am (Monday morning).Today it's raining with thunder, though it has been hot and sunny up until today. We've eaten a lot, and both Karen and I have managed to get some reading

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-60743230995636181392008-07-20T15:34:00.003-04:002008-07-20T15:45:35.975-04:00

A couple weeks ago I had our dining room curtains dry-cleaned due to a stain. I figured someone had spilled something on it, somehow. Didn't make sense, but it was the only reasonable explanation.This morning I noticed the stain again, in the same spot, but bigger. A closer examination showed water dripping from our window trim ....... an even closer look showed dampness on the ceiling.Aw, crap.

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-51177941320201466002008-06-30T07:25:00.004-04:002008-06-30T07:45:41.938-04:00

Lately I've been driving to church with Karen on Sundays. The price of gas nowadays encourages us to drive together whenever possible. It also means I have time to kill between church services and such.After dropping her off, I generally scoot up to Burger King for breakfast and to read the paper. Yesterday was no different - except I met two interesting people.First, in the line up in front of

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-66301640789760436322008-06-26T19:55:00.003-04:002008-06-26T19:59:55.485-04:00

That's right. Mr. Harris. Around 7:10 p.m., southbound on Yonge, headed towards Front Street. He had his right arm in the air, hailing a cab. It took the sting out of the $60.00 parking ticket I received at 6:05 p.m.

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-78614583915078032332008-06-03T19:58:00.007-04:002008-11-13T15:37:55.161-05:00

I was asked to write an article reflecting on my recent trip to Africa. I'm not sure when and where exactly it will be used, so I figured I'd post it here in the meantime. (I've abbreviated the name of the organization). ----------------------------------------I’ve heard it said that once you’ve been to Africa you leave a little bit of yourself there. That was true for me. I’m not sure if it was

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-6013045138698711372008-06-02T15:00:00.001-04:002008-06-02T15:00:30.910-04:00

Last night at church I was part of the worship team. I led "Healer". Very cool song. (The video is not me - it's from a Planetshakers conference!)And this marks my second attempt at embedding video. I deleted the first attempt, as I edited the text and in doing so made the video disappear.

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-34035787854363684892008-05-10T23:41:00.002-04:002008-05-10T23:48:55.269-04:00

Right now I'm installing Windows Vista Ultimate on my computer (as I blog on the laptop). Yes, I've heard all the warnings about Vista, but frankly, I don't care. If it flops, I'll just pop in my old hard drive and no one gets hurt!Today I spent quite a bit of time in my attic. You see, we've been having trouble with the bathroom exhaust fan, in that it doesn't seem to get the moisture out of

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-44306847985371295132008-05-09T11:12:00.003-04:002008-05-09T11:43:07.263-04:00

So I got back from Africa on Sunday, April 20. Dean flew in on Friday, and Deborah, Dustin and Nina (a friend) the following Monday. They were her for a conference at TACF. Karen then left on Sunday, May 4 with a team of women for their Short Term Missions trip to Ukraine. Dean and Nina left Monday, and Deborah and Dustin on Tuesday. In the midst of all that, I've worked a lot. Every day

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-70698485244349901942008-04-23T16:05:00.002-04:002008-04-23T16:18:48.109-04:00

I arrived home on Sunday afternoon at 5:30. Went to work on Monday at 6:00 am. Today the travels caught up to me and I've had to stay in - fever, sweating, dizziness - all the fun stuff. During the trip we visited kids who are or have been connected to CH one way or another - sponsored children, recipients of micro-credit loans, university students. It is amazing how little intervention or

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-73646801279990446182008-04-20T06:00:00.002-04:002008-04-20T06:03:48.754-04:00

We arrived in Amsterdam at 5:30 am this morning, and our flight to Toronto leaves at 2:55 (right now it's noon, local time). we should arrive in Toronto around 4:00 pm (Toronto time, of course). In all, we will have been on the go for 24 hours by the time we arrive home.KLM is a good airline, with personal TVs at for every seat. I watched two movies coming from Ethiopia (Hair Spray and The

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-50216800960038033212008-04-11T07:07:00.002-04:002008-04-11T07:10:32.174-04:00

We arrived back from Mexico on Monday. The pictures are here. Today I leave for Ethiopia (flight leaves at 6:00 pm). I'm travelling with two other men, and we'll arrive there tomorrow around 6:00 pm local time (8 hours ahead of Toronto's time). Must go pack now.

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-74324666730858053752008-03-30T19:06:00.002-04:002008-03-30T19:09:12.743-04:00

Tomorrow morning we rise at 3:00 am to make a 6:15 flight from Toronto to Cancun. We'll arrive in Cancun by 8:30 am, and should be at the Grand Sirenis on the Mayan by lunch time. Tomorrow evening this time we should be in the midst of a buffet supper after a long day of travel and tropical relaxation.Adios!

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-43280099254962639752008-03-11T20:06:00.012-04:002008-11-13T15:37:55.837-05:00

This may not seem like a lot of snow to you, but for Toronto, it's almost record setting. I started clearing it Saturday night and came into the house looking like a living snowman. I finished the job Sunday afternoon in much more favourable conditions.On Thursday it's supposed to rain. And maybe again on Friday. Most of this will melt, thankfully, but the street drain in front of our house is

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-54949278071481385622008-02-20T07:06:00.002-05:002008-02-20T07:22:33.234-05:00

Last night I went to the Travel Clinic to prepare for an upcoming trip to Ethiopia. There are many vaccines one needs, it seems, when travelling there. I'm already covered with Hep A & B, so I didn't need those. I couldn't remember the last time I had a Tetanus shot, so it was necessary. It's offered as part of a cocktail - tetanis, diphtheria and polio. I also needed a Typhoid vaccination,

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-35411858099311210722008-01-31T07:06:00.000-05:002008-01-31T07:38:13.085-05:00

A friend of ours is from Kenya, the Kikuyu tribe. That's the tribe against which all the violence is taking place. The media is only now starting to represent it for what it truly is - the beginning of genocide.Last week Friday she heard from her parents. They had no expection that they would make it through the weekend. How do you deal with that? Your parents are on the other side of the

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-16894949857171667722008-01-12T07:56:00.000-05:002008-01-12T08:17:33.073-05:00

My grass is green. It was only a couple of weeks ago that there was two feet of snow all over our property, and now not only is it all gone, the grass is still green. As a matter of fact, it's as green as it's been all year (think about that for a second).We were late sending out Christmas cards this (last) year. I didn't send some until Dec 28. We received quite a few cards with annual

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-14080659942454335432008-01-07T19:09:00.000-05:002008-01-07T19:19:39.378-05:00

........... That's how many days are left until Christmas.I was at work on New Year's Eve at 6:30 am - cleaned out my inbox (which means filling up someone else's) and uncluttered my office. No one else even showed up until 10:00. I left the office around 11:30 am to meet someone for lunch downtown. Then, I stopped at Yorkdale and saw a movie. What a way to end the year - get caught up at

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-62333847126256005582007-12-25T09:23:00.000-05:002007-12-25T10:07:44.091-05:00

It's Christmas! Soon we'll be headed next door for breakfast, spend the day with family, and eat turkey for dinner. But first, I'll call family in Newfoundland. Dean is in Peru, and he hosted a mammoth meal at mid-night last night (in keeping with their tradition), so he'll be in bed and / or dealing with indigestion all day. I'll call him later. Oral is somewhere off the coast of Africa on an

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-83771828086210133432007-12-07T07:21:00.000-05:002007-12-07T07:24:13.538-05:00

We negotiated our mortgage renewal this week. Based on our current amortization we would own the house in a little over eleven years. So, I locked us in to a ten year term, ten year amortization, fixed rate (5.75). In December, 2017, we'll be making our last payment. WOO!HOO!

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-49618821127853752332007-11-26T07:09:00.000-05:002008-11-13T15:37:56.167-05:00

Well, it happened. On Saturday morning at around 10:45 I received the first 'nick' on my car. Unfortunately, it's much more than a nick, and will cost $820 to repair. The person that hit me has already paid for the repair, which will happen this coming Friday at Downsview Chrysler.Then, last night in church I actually led one of the songs, from start to finish, which included a solo on the first

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-33399203406128945212007-11-22T06:09:00.000-05:002007-11-22T06:32:49.550-05:00

We arrived home on Tuesday at about 5:00 p.m. Our luggage clearly did not get enough of Europe, as it opted to spend an extra night in Frankfurt. It arrived last night around 8:30 p.m. It was a great trip all around, except, of course, for the travel time and jet lag, which as combined ingredients became a recipe for a sore throat and some nasal congestion. Karen preached in Lutsk on Sunday

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-49380692539831946042007-11-17T12:27:00.000-05:002007-11-17T12:28:02.795-05:00

Did you hear about the Newfie who ate dinner at an orphanage with a group of people who only spoke Ukranian? Well, it happened to me, and if you can think of a punch line, let me know.I've learned enough words so that it was not a total disaster, and one of the ladies could get by in english, but the humour of the moment did hit me.After the ceremony to open the new gym today, we ate, and ate,

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-42955192077132118852007-11-14T22:59:00.000-05:002007-11-14T23:00:16.419-05:00

Thursday, Nov. 15. It's still yesterday in Toronto. Weird.We arrived in Kiev on Tuesday at around 3:00 p.m. local time. There was one man unloading the plane, so it took us a while to get our luggage and leave. We were picked up and brought to Pastor Valerie where we visited for about 90 minutes before leaving for Korosten. Stan, Karen & I each have slightly different purposes: Stan is

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-49880209771023896292007-11-11T19:28:00.000-05:002007-11-11T19:29:16.038-05:00

Remember in the old Star Trek series when a new character showed up in a red shirt? Before the end of the show, he or she would be a token, yet dramatic, fatality.Yesterday I volunteered at Promise Keepers. I was given a yellow shirt to where. In Star Trek terms, we were below the red shirt. Yellow shirts were at the bottomed of the totem pole. In an org chart there's the main grid wth a

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-15778452598652905192007-11-10T10:25:00.000-05:002007-11-10T17:23:13.460-05:00

Right now it's around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. I'm volunteering at the Promise Keepers conference at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga. I'm at HQ, where the volunteers come to get a drink, a snack, or a walkie talkie. Or to talk. There's a group of guys here now debating how to hand out some LED flashlights at 2:30 p.m. for a massive demonstration in a later session. What's cool is I'm

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-72736334864623847802007-11-04T09:43:00.000-05:002007-11-04T10:08:34.402-05:00

Holy Cow! I can't believe how long it's been since my last post. Work has been non-stop these past couple of weeks, and it seems I'm barely out of bed when I'm out the door, and barely in the house before I'm in bed and fast asleep.But this morning there was small mercy - daylight savings time! I woke at 5:20 am, my body thinking it was 6:20. I managed to toss and turn and sleep a little more

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-31333768724151516332007-10-14T08:32:00.000-04:002007-10-14T08:32:40.423-04:00

Karen and her Calcutta team arrived home Friday evening. No one's luggage arrived with them. Seems their change in London was so short that they barely made it to the next plane, let alone their bags.One of the team members did not have a pleasant flying experience and went straight to the hospital upon landing. She's fine now. It was nothing that an IV and an anti-biotics prescription couldn't

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-55415753678862718352007-10-13T08:26:00.000-04:002007-10-13T21:18:43.777-04:00

In early September I received notice that I should present myself for Jury Duty at 361 University Avenue on October 9 at 8:30. I wasn't sure what to expect. 300 of us clamored into the room and at 8:45 Phil, the man that runs the jury duty office, showed us a video from the 80s and then talked to us. He asked if there was anyone that absolutely could not stay for the week. Lisa, who was at the

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-58361148629521411262007-10-08T09:01:00.000-04:002008-11-13T15:37:56.731-05:00

Well, the day that we've waited for for so long has arrived. Thanksgiving? No. Deep fried turkey? You bet.Last night went to Raymond's where he fried a 13 pound turkey. There's not much to be said - it was all we expected and so much more. In our excitement, Hitesh and I ran to the grocery store and bought some wings and cheese sticks to fry after the bird was cooked. Again, our expectations were

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-8342365483130452312007-10-06T14:14:00.001-04:002008-11-13T15:37:56.844-05:00

.... it's from a cool website with lots more.......

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-11997108441043781662007-09-30T09:26:00.000-04:002007-09-30T09:30:16.637-04:00

I heard from Karen about 25 minutes ago. It was past 6:30 pm Kolkata time, Sunday. They've arrived safely. One person's luggage didn't make it, and two people have colds.They're staying at a hotel, so they'll sleep well each night and hopefully get the colds out of their systems. I'm off to an "environmental waste day" for Toronto to get rip of an old computer, monitor and some paint, then to

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-22983639210420672472007-09-29T12:10:00.000-04:002008-11-13T15:37:57.069-05:00

Yesterday evening Karen, as part of a team of 6 women, left Toronto on a mission. Literally. They are headed to Calcutta (which, I learned, is properly spelled 'Kolkata') for a 12-day short-term missions trip. Their travels took them to London this morning, and now they are on a flight from London to Kolkata, where they will arrive tomorrow morning (local time) before dawn. They don't get home

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-9505425166060036002007-09-23T08:16:00.000-04:002007-09-23T08:47:29.005-04:00

This past week has possibly been the toughest of my career. I'm not sure why... I mean, I have an idea, but I'm not sure why the events of the week have affected me the way they did. But that's not important now.What's important is that on Friday night a group of people we support performed as a choir at a small gathering, singing and signing hymns and worship songs.One gentlemen, who frankly is

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-38137776098905649222007-09-18T07:21:00.000-04:002007-09-18T07:27:26.551-04:00

I've been summoned.On October 9, I must present myself downtown at The Superior Court of Justice on University Ave. Not just any court, the Superior Court. How about that?It is interesting how the system works. As I understand it from the documents I received, as of October 9, I may have to wait for up to 5 days just to be screened. Then, if selected, I will need to be available for 2 to 3

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-32316416533734800312007-09-13T19:48:00.001-04:002008-11-13T15:37:57.258-05:00

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-18291813876252534442007-09-07T07:13:00.000-04:002007-09-16T08:10:29.448-04:00

Yeah, a little self absorbed I know, but hear me out.A couple years ago when I started blogging it was more of a cathartic exercise to sort out some thoughts as I read through the Bible. When I was done that, I started to journal personally, as some thoughts were frankly a little too much to tell the world. But I found I missed blogging - so I started this one, with the idea that I'd write about

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-62234927374965008322007-08-23T13:21:00.001-04:002008-08-16T21:05:15.062-04:00

Don't you hate it when you put something out there, think about it some more, then decide that you didn't articulate it correctly? I think that's what I did yesterday. So I deleted the post. I had tried to articulate my Holy Discontent, as Hybels explained it in his book of the same title -- For me, I think it is "That everyone has something to offer, that everyone has purpose."I'm not talking

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-60292306010296688232007-08-19T15:28:00.001-04:002007-08-19T15:37:37.704-04:00

We arrived at the cottage on Trout Lake yesterday. I've been off work since Friday. The cottage has Internet service, but it's not allowing me to upload a picture of the lake. This is rough.Since I've been off, I've read three books: Sex God by Rob Bell, The One Minute Manager Builds High Performing Teams by Ken Blanchard (& a couple other people), and Holy Discontent by Bill Hybels. Oh, and

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-52310891629226394672007-08-12T08:53:00.000-04:002008-11-13T15:37:58.049-05:00

That was the codename that Hitesh and I used for the last 5 or 6 weeks to plan yesterday's surprise birthday party for Karen and Kim. It was a success. We managed to get them to show up at the same time, thanks to much deception from each of us. There was easily more than 100 people in the backyard, and several people contributed in such a way that the day could not have been a success without

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-45089837428155366172007-08-04T19:24:00.000-04:002007-08-04T19:41:06.246-04:00

I haven't posted for a couple of weeks. That's a story for another day. For now, I have a sad story.I was at one of our sites just yesterday, and was making some small talk with one of the staff. The conversation lead to exercising, gym memberships and personal trainers, and before I knew it, I was barefoot on a scale that not only weighs me but tells me my percentage of body fat. That's

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-42641562350706941962007-07-23T17:24:00.001-04:002007-09-07T07:37:30.918-04:00

I like the police and all. But I have to say it was more of a choice this morning than a predisposition.On Lawrence Ave, just east of Allen Road, there are several south bound streets. I was headed east, and merged into the right turning lane. I looked up, and saw that there was a no turning allowed between 7 & 9 am - it was 8:20. I looked over my left shoulder and there was heavy traffic. Not

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-7402320024823016642007-07-12T20:51:00.000-04:002007-07-12T21:17:25.299-04:00

"Live Free or Die Hard" - great movie. Yesterday I tried to share a leadership lesson from it. I wasn't taken seriously. Bruce Willis goes through unspeakable (but 'filmable') chaos, all sorts of stuff happens, he's almost killed....... and he walks away from it, smiles, and says "Huh"! That's positive thinking.Huh.But then there's real life stuff -- David Onley to be the next Lieutenant Governor

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-80249354548169114902007-06-30T07:12:00.000-04:002008-11-13T15:37:58.678-05:00

That's right, scrutility. It's not really a word, but I learned it this week. Here's the context. We're playing euchre, someone plays a hand that very likely could have been lost, but wins it. It was played with a great deal of scrutility. It was used by the mother of one of my euchre opponents. In the end, we won, so no amount of scrutility was able to help them. I've been back to work for a

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-3193910302094875622007-06-21T07:08:00.000-04:002007-06-21T07:19:19.175-04:00

So, I'm on my 10th day in Newfoundland. Karen's been here since Sunday. Since arriving last Tuesday, I've installed a surround sound audio system, repaired a computer, set up a new laptop and transferred files, transferred the Bible in mp3 to Oral's iPod, cut blinds, helped to install an LCD projector at church, visited family, drove to St. John's and back, and ate a lot through it all.All that

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-73216348062454779452007-06-17T19:04:00.000-04:002007-06-17T19:22:25.221-04:00

It's been a couple days since my last entry. My hometown only has dial-up, so it's a serious chore to get online. Knowing I was to be here in St. John's today, I opted to wait to make an posting for my trip across the island.The boat docked on Tuesday, June 12 a little before 7:30 am. I was on the Trans Canada Highway at 7:30. Here's the music:16 km - Marty Nystrom, In Christ Alone85 km - Sawyer

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-18091395714896746582007-06-11T17:06:00.000-04:002007-06-11T18:48:24.432-04:00

I woke at 4:30 local time (3:30 am EST). There was tossing and turning, and finally a decision at 5:00 am to get out of bed. I read Ezra, made some notes, showered, packed (what little there was), checked out, ate some complimentary cereal and a hard boiled egg, and put the car in first at 6:14 am, again, local time.I had made arrangements to stop in New Glasgow for lunch and see some old friends

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-2693973207706996002007-06-10T19:36:00.000-04:002008-11-13T15:37:59.075-05:00

I left Toronto this morning at 7:20 am, and pulled in to the Days Inn, Edmundston at 6:00 (EST, 7:00 pm local time) - 10 hours, 40 minutes. But I'll get there in a second.....Karen and her team arrived home on Friday afternoon. While we were waiting in the airport, there was a huge rain, wind and lightning storm in Toronto. Flights were delayed from both taking off and landing because it was so

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-84495240933544666722007-06-07T19:57:00.000-04:002007-06-07T20:00:54.668-04:00

The bathroom is clean (for the most part), the house is tidy (generally speaking), the dishes are ....... oh, no, I still have to do those ...... and the bedroom has been converted to the 'summer' coverings (almost). Looks like I'm ready. Just one more sleep, one more day at work .......... and the weekend's here........... which means Karen will be home.=)

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-83782861997294870322007-06-02T23:18:00.000-04:002007-06-02T23:25:04.085-04:00

That's how the saying goes, so since I haven't heard from Karen, I'm taking it as good news.In the meantime, I'm at home cleaning, washing cars and planning a trip. Karen gets home next Friday, then I leave Sunday. Tonight I booked a hotel in Edmundston, New Brunswick for June 10 - that's how far I have to make it in one day. According to Google Maps, it's 1096 kilometres - if I did it non stop

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-85671243695899033802007-06-01T11:29:00.001-04:002007-06-01T11:30:07.472-04:00

One of the ladies had to get her appendix removed last night. Wow! She's doing well now.

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-46517208941870966172007-05-31T08:04:00.000-04:002007-05-31T08:08:26.581-04:00

At 12:37 this morning, which I assume was 7:37 am in Ukraine, Karen and her team were off to work at an orphanage in Lopatin. They had a bit of a tough time with their luggage in Kiev airport, both in getting it and then paying extra to get it through to L'Viv. It took them two days, but they finally arrived safe and sound.

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-73983553642149274812007-05-28T20:17:00.000-04:002008-11-13T15:37:59.301-05:00

After 17 test drives and many emails to my insurance broker, the papers have been signed. On June 25, I'll take ownership of this Dodge Caliber. That's right, your computer screen is not playing tricks on you. It is indeed orange, Sunburst Orange, as a matter of fact. It also has orange on the dashboard and seats. Why June 25? Because I don't need it until then. On June 10 I leave for

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-53401015375779334492007-05-23T19:56:00.000-04:002007-05-23T20:08:45.042-04:00

The rules: Each person starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their eight things and post the rules. At the end of your blog, tag eight people and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.1. Upon getting tagged, I went to wikipedia to learn about tagging. 2. I don't know anyone else

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-37445649185248582702007-05-22T21:40:00.001-04:002007-05-22T21:43:01.646-04:00

I test drove a Ford Focus tonight. Now it has become a compulsion. With each test drive, an email follows to my insurance broker. I'm starting to think he may ask me to find a new insurance provider. I've become needy. Surprisingly, nice car. Handles well and roomy. And a good price to boot. Could we have a new contender for first place?Oh, and since yesterday, I've gone back to the Cobalt

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-35578921436391252172007-05-21T08:15:00.001-04:002008-11-13T15:37:59.479-05:00

In the busyness of vacation and car shopping, I forgot to post a picture of our completed dining room. When we left for Mexico in April, Mom and Dad were still here and they were facilitating access for the insurance contractors into the house. When we returned home on April 30, the dining room was complete but for the light fixtures, as they were not part of the insurance' scope of work. Our

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-26675416269749058292007-05-19T16:08:00.000-04:002008-11-13T15:37:59.942-05:00

Just when I thought I had finished car shopping, I decided to test some more. Karen was at the hairdresser, so I visited a Smart Car dealer, then drove a Honda Fit, and then two Chevs, the Optra Sedan and the Cobalt Coupe. Now I'm leaning toward the Cobalt, subject to insurance rates. More to follow, I'm sure.

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-88585059903199978642007-05-16T07:35:00.000-04:002007-05-16T07:38:07.948-04:00

Monday was my Birthday! Happy Birthday to Me! After supper I test drove a Volkswagen City Golf. I think that might be the car! I've already heard back from my insurance broker, and the City Golf is one of the least expensive in my long list for insurance.

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-67956206619611501322007-05-12T22:12:00.000-04:002007-05-16T07:38:47.671-04:00

Next month I am driving to Newfoundland in the Oldsmobile Alero and I'll be leaving it there for Dustin. So, I'm car shopping.So far I've looked at and test driven (get ready for it) a Mitsubishi Lancer, Dodge Caliber, Hinda Civic, Kia RIo 5, Kia Spectra, Hyundai Accent, Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Yaris, Suzuki SX4 and a Mini Cooper. Yes, I know the Mini Cooper is way out of the price

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-38824420993413804202007-05-01T10:45:00.000-04:002008-11-13T15:38:00.130-05:00

..... a true statement if I didn't talk so much ......We had a great trip. Karen got a cold, and my back went wonky, but our plans required us to sit around and lay around beside the pool or on the beach, so it wasn't all that bad. I read three books: The Tipping Point and Blink by Malcolm Gladwell, and Letters to a Young Evangelical by Tony Campolo. Of Gladwell's two books, I liked Blink much

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-86864391761311422712007-04-18T07:58:00.000-04:002007-04-20T07:59:28.377-04:00

This past Monday was Deborah and Oral's wedding anniversary. Tomorrow is Deborah's birthday. Happy Birthday, Deborah. They're off to Edmonton for a couple of weeks.Mom and Dad have been here for two weeks now. Dad has picked up, in total, 11 bags and 6 green bins of stuff from the lawn. We had a wind storm a couple months back, so there was quite a bit of stuff on both my and Marguerite's lawn.

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-63725286044843949392007-04-06T07:48:00.000-04:002007-04-06T07:54:46.052-04:00

It's already April, and the weather is still cold. My parents arrived from Newfoundland on Wednesday night. They had asked me what kind of clothes to bring. Of course, being April, I suggested they leave their warm winter stuff behind. Apparently it's cold and snowy until Monday. Who knew?While we were waiting at Pearson for them to arrive, some familiar faces walked through security and were

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-90220177618949032772007-03-24T21:11:00.000-04:002008-11-13T15:38:00.288-05:00

It was a chore, but the pictures are done. I had to reduce the size of more than 600 in order to upload them in this lifetime to my Yahoo Photo Page (which has now been moved to flickr). If anyone knows of an easy way to do it, please let me know.I 'simply' selected all 600+ and instructed them to be sent via email, so that Windows could reduce the size in the email. Then, once I had them in the

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-50391447727120553692007-03-22T22:10:00.000-04:002007-03-22T22:23:24.381-04:00

So I was the designated photographer and videographer on our trip to Jamaica. That lasted for a couple hours. I got bored, and another fellow picked it up. 600 pictures and three hours of footage later, well, it turned out okay.Right now I'm pulling the last video off the DV tape onto my computer, listening to the last church service on that machine while I do this on another machine. Using

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-87726358897623727762007-03-20T21:33:00.000-04:002007-03-20T21:36:50.390-04:00

Whenever a previous owner decided to build on the dining room about 40 years ago, he never wired in any lights in the ceiling. Since the ceiling is open right now, I had an electrician friend come by on Sunday and run some wiring. Now we have lights on switches. Very exciting.Tomorrow I'll call the insurance people and arrange for the repairs. Hopefully by the end of April we'll have moved

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-24475701096965302152007-03-14T08:02:00.000-04:002007-03-14T08:17:57.033-04:00

It's good to be home. We had a great time in Jamaica, accomplished what we set out to do and then some, but there's no place like home.Here's a quick rundown (also the name of one of the meals we ate - 'rundown'):- Saturday - orientation to the area, visited the school, visited Mandeville (the nearby town) in the back of a pick-up truck- Sunday - church in Tweedside in the morning, church (

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-74845880528073106692007-03-02T07:58:00.000-05:002008-11-13T15:38:00.518-05:00

This is our dining room. Two Sundays ago I came home to a leaking roof. The following Monday the Insurance Contractors came and removed all the wet drywall and insulation and brought giant drying machines. On Tuesday All Tight Roofing repaired the roof on the outside.Yesterday, almost two weeks later, the Insurance Contractor returned to remove the drying machines and take the specs so they

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-87395832667985059312007-02-25T16:17:00.000-05:002008-11-13T15:38:00.672-05:00

It's not like she reads this blog very much, but Happy Birthday Elaine, nonetheless!I had intended to bring a card to Quebec so she would get it hand-delivered by David before her birthday. I forgot to take it with me. Then, with the 'incident' at the house upon our return, I failed to get it in the mail before Thursday.Hope your day was great!

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-69431292548585429512007-02-19T09:56:00.000-05:002008-11-13T15:38:01.304-05:00

This is the site that welcomed us when we walked through the door, after our drive from Granby (minus the green pail - I put that in place before I had sense to take a picture).Water had somehow converted from the snow and ice on the flat roof above & made it's way through supposed water-tight construction, through the paint, and onto the floor below. Global warming, I guess. Is this what I get

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-90257079765529460882007-02-18T07:19:00.000-05:002008-11-13T15:38:01.435-05:00

Well, we did it. Dean and I went to Valcourt, we bought tickets and we watched the races. Of course, not being really sure what to expect, we almost ended up watching a parade in the town of Valcourt, thinking it was the races. Turns out Grand Prix Valcourt happens outside of Valcourt.But we did eat - poutine, onion rings, hot dogs, hamburgers, Kit Kats and home made potato chips. The only thing

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-78045498461355558512007-02-17T08:00:00.000-05:002008-11-13T15:38:01.592-05:00

Even in the title of this entry, I've begun a little too late in the story. I need to back up to Thursday, when we got an email from Deborah saying Oral missed a flight in London, so he would having a short stopover in Toronto. Dean and I picked him up at around 5:00 and dropped him back at Pearson around 9:00. During that time, we went Montana's and ate.And by eat, I mean there were wings,

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-61230692205133111582007-02-05T19:59:00.000-05:002007-02-05T20:18:42.691-05:00

Last week I learned that there's a difference between using vacation time and being on vacation. I was merely taking time. My goals were lofty - take four days off, read and watch tv and movies. Some wacky stuff happened at work and pulled me back in - two days off - back to work on Wednesday. But that's okay. In that time, I finished "Soul Cravings," went to a movie, and watched some tv. Besides

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-43065816555214853612007-01-28T12:41:00.000-05:002007-01-28T12:50:20.870-05:00

I woke up one morning in December absolutely exhausted. I peeled myself off the bed, and began my day with the words - "Man, I need a vacation." That was about six weeks ago.Tomorrow marks the first of three days off - vacation. I had planned to begin a minor renovation at my house, opening up the kitchen to the living room by putting in (or knocking out) a six foot opening. I wish I could

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-90316684560324058392007-01-16T07:01:00.000-05:002007-01-16T07:13:52.905-05:00

Three nights ago I woke at around 5:00 a.m. to the sound of Myrtle growling. She was fast asleep, and growling up a storm. Must have been quite the dream. Two nights ago I woke again, but this time I was preaching in my sleep. I was dreaming that I was in a church service, and I remember feeling so passionate about something that I stood to my feet in the middle of the service and started

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-50563182331389755992007-01-10T07:09:00.000-05:002007-01-10T07:11:25.808-05:00

Deuteronomy 1:17a (God's Word Translation): "Be impartial in your decisions. Listen to the least important people the same way you listen to the most important people."

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-65066649842916978862006-12-25T07:36:00.000-05:002008-11-13T15:38:02.066-05:00

Today is not just Christmas - it's Oral's Birthday (pictured with Grant). Happy Birthday, Oral. I had to share my birthday this year with all the mothers, as mine was on Mother's Day. I can appreciate a little bit how you might feel.It was 11 years ago yesterday that Karen brought home Myrtle, probably one of the best Christmas gifts I've ever received. Here is a picture of her from this summer

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-87166359666782238152006-12-10T09:55:00.001-05:002006-12-25T08:03:34.826-05:00

If I did this right, I've posted this blog from an email..........

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-9529039672092919222006-12-09T08:31:00.000-05:002006-12-09T08:53:27.693-05:00

I just finished reading Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton. What a great book. I didn't realize it, but I had already been impressed by a statement of his contained within this book, but quoted by Steven Sample in The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership.On page 119 of the Orthodoxy edition that I read:But all conservatism is based upon the idea that if you leave things alone you leave them as they are.

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-7373599349473813152006-12-03T08:45:00.000-05:002006-12-03T08:54:27.141-05:00

Last night I had reason to go see the University of Toronto Gospel Choir (UTGC). What a great show! It may be that I haven't been exposed to so much soul in music for a while, but the music was great (great also = loud, but the volume was warranted), and the choir both performed and ministered. I can't believe I hadn't heard them before. They've been in existence for 12 years, and are working

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-85529591621575408972006-12-01T16:47:00.000-05:002006-12-01T16:57:01.010-05:00

I've been a big fan of The Imperials for almost ever. I own almost every album since "Sail On." Thay've just sent me their new copy in the mail, and for a 50 year old group with as many past members as I have socks, the album is really good. I don't have the urge to skip songs. Very exciting.On another note, I also downloaded the Eva Avila album from iTunes. Also a great album, but a slightly

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-72376132370872191412006-11-26T08:11:00.000-05:002006-11-26T08:20:27.263-05:00

That was the appointment I had written in my planner yesterday. Has sort of a ring to it. And it's very literal. Yesterday, one month before Christmas, I cleaned out our eaves troughs, put up the lights, and finished picking up the leaves.Between the two yards, we have two humongous maple trees. A huge windstorm about five weeks ago cleaned off our lawns from what would have been 7 or 8

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-1162413271283900482006-11-01T15:27:00.000-05:002006-11-01T15:34:31.290-05:00

I think it's funny what people will blog about. I read one that is helping the rest of us catch up on what we missed on TV. The blogger feels it's his responsibility to watch everything and tell everyone about it. Somehow, for me, watching "Heroes" is a much more enjoyable experience than reading about it.I read another one which is by a person who clearly enjoys writing and using images.

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-1161432458877241292006-10-21T08:03:00.001-04:002006-10-21T08:07:38.883-04:00

Yesterday we were in Hamilton at the wedding for two of our friends. We were the emcees. They had a great wedding and reception. The guests were also a lot of fun. Then, at home, there were two Blissed CDs waiting in my door, along with a copy of "Orthodoxy" by G.K. Chesterton. My friend's a rock star.And today is Dean's birthday! He's 40! Happy Birthday Dean! Enjoy today!

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-1161222437284605352006-10-19T08:24:00.000-04:002006-10-19T08:40:31.116-04:00

If you ever want to be rid of your ego, simply arrange to speak in front of a large group of peers, be videotaped, and be ready to have an immediate critique following your talk. Then, expect a second critique after the video of your talk is viewed, in the same session.Woohoo!We had a workshop on Tuesday on "How Leaders Speak." It was high level learning, with immediate, practical application

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-1160943954780360752006-10-15T16:18:00.000-04:002006-10-16T17:07:14.610-04:00

I decided to go into work this afternoon for a couple hours, to catch up a little from last week, and to get ahead of this week. We're attending a wedding this coming Friday, so it'll be a shorter work week.On the upside, when no one else is in the office, I get to crank iTunes out of my whopping 12 watt speakers and sub (Israel & New Breed). For an office, it works just fine..... and before I

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-1160259971641806882006-10-07T18:25:00.000-04:002006-10-08T07:07:50.213-04:00

I haven't picked up a book since the week after vacation. I started on Genesis again a couple weeks ago, and then on Matthew yesterday. I still get a kick out of the motley crew lineage of Jesus - incest, prostitution, adultery, a king that was so sinful he sacrificed his own child (Manessah - 2 Chron. 33:6-7), which is ironic, in a prophetic sort of way.But I'm also reading blogs and websites.

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-1159736685454867302006-10-02T07:30:00.000-04:002007-02-19T10:18:53.063-05:00

Today is our anniversary. 13 years ago, this is what we looked like..........This is us today (or, at least, a couple weeks ago)....... Note the hair changes!Next to God, Karen's the best thing to ever happen to me! Happy Anniversary!

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35315010.post-1159654880723692552006-09-30T18:13:00.000-04:002007-09-07T07:36:42.302-04:00

This is my first attempt at uploading a picture to a post. Everybody else does it, so why can't I? This is a picture of me and Grant, my nephew. My arms are longer than his, so I took the picture. If I left it up to him, and he managed to snap a picture, it'd probably be of the inside of his mouth and there'd be saliva all over the camera. This is from our vacation, and there's more where this

Dwayne Milleynoreply@blogger.com0