OK, we didn’t really have soup, we had chili. Joy cooked the main dishes, and we all brought the surrounds. Just to prove how awesome she is Joy prepared not one but TWO different kinds of chili in fact: Chicken Tomatillo and a Beef Butternut Squash. Both were delicious, although I have to say I favored the chicken, if only slightly – but that could just be because I had Butternut Squash Stew for lunch and dinner the night before. JT made our  spicy cornbread –…

I finally got motivated this morning to get back out on the bike after a seven week hiatus. Throughout the whole ride the only thought that kept going through my head repeatedly was “70 miles!?! – 70 Miles ?!? – 70 miles!?! – seriously?!” This recurring thought was not caused by the fact that I was actually riding 70 miles – I was only out for 40. Rather it floated through my brain with every pedal stroke simply because whenever one of my feet would reach the…

I will admit it: I am a martini kind of guy. Gin and a little dry vermouth, stirred, served straight up in a cocktail glass. If I am feeling crazy I will have a Gibson but only if there is some Hendricks lying around. Even worse, I am a snobby martini kind of guy. Don’t talk to me about vodka martinis, apple martinis, chocolate martinis, Bellini Martinis, kumquat martinis, or anything else that ends in the syllables “tini.” Just because it comes in a cocktail…

Several months ago Jason and Irene asked if I would perform their marriage ceremony while in Cancun, Mexico. I was honored, but more than that it left me more than a little nervous – I mean, I have enjoyed the opportunity to do lots of things in my life, but perhaps nothing more important than this. I of course immediately accepted. First things first, I attacked the easy part: studying for my Doctor of Divinity, receiving my ordination and title (The Right Reverend Rusty Smith) and obtaining…