New Horizons...

It seems that my time as house-husband is coming to an end. This Wednesday, at 6am, I will begin my new job as a Patient Care Assistant (PCA, aka CNA) at Alvardo Hospital. I'm pretty excited about this. As soon as I found out that I would be starting I received a big sense of relief. Having little to do save for house cleaning and preparing meals was beginning to gnaw on me. I had little purpose but adjusting to married life (which is a good purpose to have). But now I feel almost rejuvenated. At the same time I feel a bit scared too. I will be taking care of as many as 11 patients at a time. By care I mean to say taking vitals, assisting in ambulating (walking), emptying bedpans, and giving bedbaths (oh, what fun!). It's not a glamorous job, but it is the very basics of nursing and it's also the thing that any nurse who is a good nurse would like time to do because these are the times when you get to know your patient and are better able to care for them on more than just a physical level. So I'll start at 6am and leave work at 6:30pm. Crazy, huh? My first 12 hour shift right off the bat. I guess it's the new standard for nursing; 12-hour shifts.

I checked out some computer projects that a friend has been working on: Wilson Saunders. His website has the current games that he is or has been working on. I have to say that I'm very impressed. He brings a lot of elements to his creations: creativity, artistic precision, good interactivity, realistic animation, a fun experience and a challenging scenario. If you go to his site, definitely play "It's Raining Orcs." "Mallard Massacre" has really nice graphics too if you want to see his coding ability.

This weekend my parents came up from El Centro and had lunch with Shannon and me. We went to the Olive Garden and had some nice conversation. Here's a picture of Shannon with them with their Jeep Liberty - Freedom Edition. ~Michael

Best Date Ever!

Shannon and I just had one of the best dates ever last night. We grabbed a foot-long italian BMT from Subway, put some hot tea in our thermos and headed down to SeaPort Village. Sadly, the sun had set before we even left (the driving point of heading down there), but we pressed on and ate by the water-side. The sandwich and conversation was great. Our jackets kept us warm and I didn't burn my tongue on the tea. Afterwards we got an icecream cone at Ben & Jerry's and read the main part of a chapter from Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre.

For any who think British books from the 18th (I think) century are boring, this book beats expectations. It was slow at first, but it has loads of satire, which I love! It's two main targets are the religious elite and the aristocracy (the notion of which was absurd then and it is now). We're just passed the middle where the book is very romantic. I know that Shannon was really blessed as her romantic side was more than pleased last night. It's so cool to be able to see when your wife feels loved as a direct result of something you've done.

On the carride back we began to talk about aristocracy. I mused over whether it is really gone or not. I think we both agreed there's a sense of entitlement to white Americans to be considered middle class if not upper-middle. And yet so many minorities are stuck in the lower to sub-poverty line classes while we sit idly by and comment on social surroundings. Back in Brontë's day, you were born into your station and there you stayed unless perchance someone leant you a hand up or you soiled your reputation and fortune. In American Society, I believe the notion is that "No one is fixed in their station, however it is up to you and solely you if you are to climb up in society. No one is going to help you out. You have to pick yourself up." I have no application of this, but I did think it a somewhat significant observation at the time...

Tonight our new mattress comes! We ordered a Serta high quality mattress and I believe we got a pretty nice deal on it. So we're stoked! Because our backs have been killing us. Our bed has had it and we can't put up with anymore. Sweet dreams for us tonight! ~Michael

"I'm the Cock of the Rock!"

For anyone who has seen Celebrity Jeopardy, you may have wondered what Sean Connery was referring to when he made such a bold statement: the title of this post. Well, there is a small South American bird similarly named. And how have I come by such keen and valuable information? I gathered such information from our very own Wild Animal Park. That's right, the McMahons are humble members of the San Diego Zoological Society. And you can be too! For a mere $86 a year you can have free access to both the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park as well as 2 free passes for friends and a year subscription to ZooNews. Well, if that doesn't sell you, maybe these photos will:

The roaring (well, it was more of a yawn) of a male lion.

A lorikeet eating nectar from Shannon's hand.

And some of the largest horned-cattle I've ever seen!

We went to the Wild Animal Park on Saturday and studied in a warm greenhouse (it was a very brisk day outside up in Escondido). We had a very nice time. I must confess though, I struggled with just enjoying my time. I feel that God's been leading me in practicing enjoyment as a rule for my life. I don't know when it started, but I became task-oriented some time back and now I struggle with enjoying life. Maybe I'm saying it more dramatically than reality presents itself, but it has been refreshing to remember that every moment of life is just as holy as the next. Every breath breathed is a gift of God for our own enjoyment. Of course, there is a responsibility left to us that we may find our fulfillment in God rather than in His gifts, but I think I'm starting to fear that less and in a healthier manner than I have in the past. I feel like God is giving me a greater hunger for life and I hope that it only grows so that I would no longer desire to wallow in a slum making mud pies but instead yearn more and more for that holiday at the sea. ~Michael

The Splish-Splash of Little Fins...

That's right! The first addition to our family is now at home! We just adopted a cute Betta named "Red Baron." He's super cute and lives in our monument jar. The rocks are from places that Shannon and I have gone together, like Bolivia and beaches in the US. We also have some sand from Moonstone Bay up the California coast. But don't worry, we've cleaned them and got the water tested at Petco (for free!) where we purchased our new son. (Petco is a pretty cool place actually; they have a lot of resources to first-time pet owners with free FAQs available in store.)

In the Old Testament, the wandering Israelites and their forefathers set up rocks as monuments to signifacant events, usually acts and signs of God's love toward them. We decided about two years ago to adopt this custom to remind us of God's testimony of provision and love for us. So we've written down dates of significant events that have occurred in our lives together. God is really awesome. I'm glad that we've adopted this custom.

Chris Baron gave a sermon on monuments at our church about a year ago. It was a very powerful testimony of God's power in Chris' life and a challenge for us to remember what God has done for us. I know that I usually remember the bad things that have happened or my failures. It really is a discipline that we must develop to remember the good God has given us. If we don't do this, then we will find ourselves far more susceptible to the lies of the enemy and miss out on the joy that God offers us. ~Michael

A Pleasant Surprise...

I've recently begun reading Tolkien's The Silmarillion. I had just finished The Hobbit, but I didn't feel like I was prepared to read The Silmarillion. I heard that it was kind of a boring read: lots of history and names, kind of like "Numbers" from The Bible. But I have to say that I've been pleasantly surprised. I think I first took a liking to it because it recounts creation more than once, something that "Genesis" does. I also like the way that Tolkien has set his world with a main "God," but with lesser spiritual beings and Melkor (Morgoth) as a Satan-like figure but with greater power. Also, the way that Tolkien separates Elf from Man, the dealings between the Valar and the origins of the Dwarves and Ents are very intriguing. I feel thoroughly satisfied reading it. A pleasant surprise indeed.

I'm currently at San Diego City College with Shannon (she works here on Mondays and Wednesdays). I made some Shepherd's Pie for dinner and brought it with me when I came. I'm getting pretty good at making this meal, which really gets me stoked. I was thinking about Irish cuisine while I was preparing the pie: I don't think it is at all under-rated (since the food isn't gourmet); I think it's really earned the popularity that it does have though. Irish food is extremely cheap to make. The ingredients are mainly ground meat, onions, potatoes, salt, milk and some other garden veggies. The most sophistacated ingredient I used to make the Shepherd's pie was Worchestershire Sauce! One bottle costs less that $3 at Food 4 Less. My hat goes off to my ancestors. They have perhaps the least glamorous cuisine, yet it tastes so great and is well-liked by many.

The reason I brought dinner to Shannon is because we're leaving to go an Alumni Intervarsity Worship Night. That's right! We're now old enough to have reunions! (My HS renunion is in 2 year!!!!) It'll be nice to see how the ministry is going (it's a Christian ministry at UCSD for the one or two non-UCSD alumni reading this blog). Shannon and I both served the fellowship well and I can remember the year of prayer in fourth year there just before the ministry seemed to explode with fruit. Ecclesiastes says that the greatest thing for man is to be able to be satisfied with his labor. I think I'm really going to enjoy tonight seeing what fruits our labors have borne. ~Michael

Brother's Birthday

We went up to Palmdale, the residence of Shannon's father, step-mother and step-brother. It was Evan's, said brother's, birthday party this Sunday. We had a great time on our journeys and while we were there. Shannon read chapters of the Hobbit to me while we drove there. We had some great food (crab legs on Friday and Pork Ribs on Saturday). I played some video games with Evan. We enjoyed pizza on Sunday. We drove down and arrived at David Drake's for a Super Bowl party @ 4:00pm (we made really good time in getting there).

Some observations from the weekend:

God is always growing us, but it seems to never be by making us feel guilty. Sure, this is Biblical truths (2 Cor 6 I think...), but it really helped for me to experience this. The last couple years have been a struggle for me in letting go of childish things. In using the word "childish" I am referring to video games, but only relative to how I use them. I've really struggled with addiction of them over the last couple years, but I've also been learning about grace more and more since. This weekend gave me an insight as to what is unhealthy for me and always it comes down to the attitude of the heart. (I hope this can apply for various parts of your own life, reader.)

As I've matured it's been a struggle to "let go" of video games because they were all I knew about satisfaction. However, as I've learned more about love and grace through my relationship with Shannon via God's provision in my life, I've come to acquire a taste for richer things. I hope this sounds Lewis-esque if any of you have read The Weight of Glory. Video games were good for a time and I still enjoy them, but I feel like I've put all my investments in them rather than in something better. I went with what I was secure with rather than taking a risk with something new, an enterprise of great risk, but also of great reward: love and relationship. Anyway, before this becomes too long, what I've discovered in me is a greater desire for something that lasts. This whole time, even though I've known it all along, I was just scared of taking a risk in relationship and allowing it to satisfy me.

Another observation: cowardice is bad and it robs yourself of life and joy, not to mention it robs others of the gifts you have to offer. It's mentioned as the first sin of those who are thrown into the lake of fire in Revelations (that's sobering!). I've felt very strongly lately that I've been a coward in stepping out into things I'm scared of: marriage, love, school, responsibility, finances. But God's message to us is one of assurrance. We're supposed to treat His Word as a promise. He is always with us. And what suffering or humiliation can really compare with the loss of His friendship if we choose to doubt His Word? I don't want to live in shame or fear anymore. I feel like God really desires His children to shine with courage. It seems that this whole life is all about us overcoming lies, temptations and fears to prove to the darkness that God's Glory is better.

Finally, it's amazing what you associate with being married. Sunday at the birthday party all the kids were playing games and I was enjoying conversation with their parents. Weird!!! I feel like I'm not allowed at the kids table anymore at family gatherings. I'm married. This experience and my wife calling me out on some faith issues on the way home yesterday really made me feel married. It's a good feeling. ~Michael