Sorry for the long time between posts

Holy cow! (or corn!) have I fallen down on this job.
I can't believe I haven't posted since March. So much has happened since then.
First, and most importantly, my family made it to Nebraska! I'm no longer in my one-bedroom apartment. I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say, we made it across Utah, Wyoming and Nebraska with the wife, two kids, a dog and two cats. I'm happy to say that we have one vehicle that fits in the garage now, and soon we'll be able to get the second vehicle indoors.
I call that a win.
We're settled enough that we're starting to take in some of the things that we've been told are "musts" for Lincoln residents. For example, my daughter and I (for Facebook fans, this is Emily, who made me get up to watch the Jayhawks play multiple games and win the gold medal in the World

University Games) ate ice cream yesterday at the University of Nebraska Dairy Store, a cool sandwich and ice cream shop it has on its east campus in town. She, Josh and I ventured out to the Lancaster Super Fair. The kids rode the rides while I looked at cattle, sheep, llamas and rabbits. I did, however, make them pose in front of the John Deere display at the fair so my dad could see them next to green paint.
My wife, the Rev. Amy Seifert, has started serving the churches at Havelock (a cool, old, railroad neighborhood in northeast Lincoln) and Eagle (a small farming community just east of town). These churches would admit they have had their issues in previous years, but there are a lot of good things going on at both. For example:

• At Havelock, we had a community block party with free food for everyone and games for the kids, complete with prizes. About 375 people showed up over the two-plus hours we were hosting the party. And each week, the church hosts FoodNet, a ministry that allows people who are a little down on their luck to drop by and pick up food, pretty much by just signing their name (no long application process).
• At Eagle, we had a Vacation Bible School with 45 kids over the course of the week. We didn't have a single night with fewer than 35 kids. We were all pretty tired afterward, but it was a great week.

Back to family stuff, Josh got involved right away upon arriving in Lincoln. He's going to be a Lincoln Northeast Rocket. In fact, many thanks to Coach Kyle Parker for leaving open a roster spot on the American Legion juniors baseball team. Josh got to play in seven of the 12 games after his arrival. He even pitched a district playoff game against the "big dog" in the area, Lincoln Southeast. He left the game after five innings with a lead but we lost in extra innings. Still, it was a great way to meet some classmates prior to the school year starting.
Then, he started band camp. He's playing snare in the drumline for the LNE marching band, so it looks like I have a reason to watch the halftime shows this year during football.
Emily was a big help during the move from Utah, but she's looking forward to getting back to her teammates and other friends at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. She really has no ties to Lincoln, so I think this has been a boring summer for her. But I have to say I admire her work ethic. She's been at the gym all but a couple of days doing her lifting, running, ball handling and shooting regimen. Here's hoping it pays off with playing time as a redshirt freshmen for the Mountain Lions!
As for me, I'm catching up on some reading at night, and I'm getting ready to start classes for Lay Servant Ministries in the United Methodist Church. This kind of stuff keeps my mind sharp and makes me think through my faith. I highly recommend this kind of spiritual exercise.
That's it for now. I'll try not to take so long between posts next time.

A few things to get used to in Nebraska

Now that I’m starting to get settled, at least a little bit, in Lincoln, I’ve started to notice a few idiosyncrasies about my new town.

First, very few places here have Coke Zero on the fountain. Needless to say, this is disappointing. I was used to walking into a Maverik store or one of the Conoco stations in St. George and filling up with a Coke Zero to give myself a caffeine jolt in the morning. Since I don’t drink coffee, it wasn’t a big deal for me to stop by Swig (the original store at 1000 East and Tabernacle) and buy a Coke Zero on the way to work.

I was starting to lose hope here in Lincoln, but I finally found a Kwik Stop on Cornhusker Highway near 27^th Street on my way to work. I stopped in thinking a Diet Coke would taste pretty good after not sleeping all that well the night before. Much to my surprise, when I looked at the fountains (no bottles or cans for this guy, not in the morning anyway), I saw that beautiful black background with Coke Zero in white type!

And the Kwik Stop has a rewards program that looks a lot like the one I was taking part in at Maverik.

Ahhh …

The other idiosyncrasies come related to roads. Apparently, Nebraskans aren’t to be trusted to drive fast or turn left. I guess that’s why there are no NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers from this state.

I got used to Utah’s 80 mph speed limits on interstates. In Nebraska, the top speed is 75 mph. And state highways are only 65 mph despite being divided and in fairly good condition. In some areas, authorities have placed speed limit signs with flashing lights if you’re going even 1 mph over the limit.

I understand safety. But in a state with so many wide open spaces, slower speed limits like these seem a little outdated.

About that problem with left turns, the issue really is just about every non-residential street block in town has a median. I’m not sure how much money taxpayers spent to put those things in place, but it’s a bundle of cash. Seriously, I bet I’ve made more U-turns here in a month than I did in the previous six months in Utah – and remember I worked on St. George Boulevard, with a median all the way down its length.

I’m sure I’ll get the hang of things, and some of these issues that seem new to me now will fade into the realm of the usual in short order.

I can’t wait for the weather to warm up so I can start exploring the downtown and some of the parks around here. I also want to walk the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus, but I have to wait until it warms up. I don’t think the Cornhuskers would appreciate me walking their campus wearing a jacket with a great big Jayhawk on the back!

Some big things starting to fall into place

Sorry for not posting of late. I arrived in Lincoln to find out that our office's videographer had given his notice. Needless to say, I had an obstacle to overcome right out of the gate.
Let me sum it up this way: We use an expensive, awesome piece of equipment called a Tricaster to conduct our webcasting. Usually, learning how to use it comes as part of a full semester class on TV production technology.
I got a six-day crash course.
I finally have my head around things, and I'm happy to say I was able to livestream my first broadcast this past Monday.
So far in my time in Lincoln, I've traveled to Wichita and Newton. Next week, I get to make a pitstop in Leavenworth and see some family members before heading to film a training session in Parsons.
Tonight, I'm writing you from enemy territory. I'm just a short distance from the K-State campus in Manhattan. I got a few odd looks when I filled up the Honda CRV I'm driving at the gas station. The huge Jayhawk on my jacket really grabbed their attention.
Anyway, I've had a lot of fun learning about my new responsibilities and am finally starting to get into a routine -- or at least what I think is the routine -- about this job as a communications director.
One quick highlight: I got to tell a story about New Church Lawrence, a somewhat unique church plant in Lawrence that combined a push toward students at KU with people in the community. The result so far is a congregation that has about 60 students and about 60 adults from the community. For those of you not familiar with church plants, that's a huge victory. And the people I talked with are genuinely pleased with what's going on with this church so far.
The story was picked up by the United Methodist News Service. I'm not sure why, but I took more pride in that than I did all the times I had a story picked up by AP or Gannett News Service.
The one downer is it's pretty lonely here by myself. The weekends are the worst. At least during the week I get to talk to other people during the day. On weekends, it's pretty much just me except for Sunday mornings at church. And then, I've been careful not to get too involved yet because wherever Amy ends up serving a church in the Lincoln area, that's where Josh and I will end up.
We got good news about that this week. I can't share details yet. Really, Amy should be the one to do that. But I'm excited for the opportunity she'll have to serve God in a new way.
I think Josh is going to be pleased by it, too. But that's all I can say for now.
I think that just about catches everyone up. I plan to spend some time in the next few weeks to explore Lincoln a little more than I have so far. And I start talking to high school counselors next week to figure out which high school we want to enroll Josh in next fall.
Big things!
I miss my friends and family back in St. George. I'm hoping to make it back there at some point in April for a few days, but we'll have to see what the work schedule looks like.
That's it for now!

Made it to Lincoln!

I made it to Lincoln!
Let me tell you, 16 hours by myself on the road was not fun. Throw in a snowstorm, and it was kind of a nighmare.
The funny thing is, I didn't run into trouble until I got to what I thought would be civilization. I made it from St. George through nearly the entire length of Utah and across all of Wyoming on Tuesday. I stopped for the night in Sidney, Nebraska. I knew the forecast that night was for snow, but I couldn't go any further.
The next day started out with icy conditions from Sidney to North Platte. It took me about 4 hours to travel that distance (instead of the planned 2 to 2 1/2). From there, the highway was just about clear all the way to Grand Island.
I made it into Lincoln, and that's where my troubles started. I was pulling out of a truck stop when a person cut me off. I had to hit the breaks and slid into what I thought was a snow drift. Turns out it was a parking lot median. Luckily, a man with a chain offered to help pull me out.
I finally got on the road to my property manager's office to pick up my keys. I pulled in at exactly 4:30, the last time of the day they could check me in so I could move in Thursday. Well, the lot was all ice, so once again, I got stuck. This time, a woman who worked in the building and three young guys with a jug of salt helped me get moving.
Finally, as I was looking for my apartment, I got stuck in a "turn only" lane and had to turn right. I pulled into a convenience store, and, you guessed it, got stuck again. This time, a nice guy with a tow rope pulled me out.
To say the least the people of Lincoln made a great first impression for being so helpful!
I went into the office Friday. It was kind of an odd day to start, but it worked out really well. I cleared out emails and voice mails sent to or saved by my predecessor, who must have been a dynamo based on what I have heard and read. I also spent the entire day reading through the file drawers and getting them organized so I can find stuff.
My eyes kind of hurt last night, but it means I'll be able to hit the ground running Monday morning. Now I feel like I can be useful next week. People who know me know I can't sit still very long without something to occupy me, so getting all of that done was a good thing.
As I write this, I'm happy to report that I am all moved in. Stuff is put away. I'm getting ready to watch the KU-Oklahoma State basketball game this afternoon. And I may just splurge a bit and venture out to Taco John's either for dinner tonight or lunch tomorrow.
I explored the southern part of Lincoln today. I found Walmart, Target and ShopKo. I found two grocery stores and a Menards! (hadn't seen those since our Minnesota days)
At first I thought I was going to play hookie from church on my first Sunday in town, but I think I need the spiritual recharge and the interaction with people after being by myself for most of the past five days.
Anyway, that's the update for now. I'm here now and ready to get started in the new job.

The only thing that doesn't change in life is ... well ... change.

It's a simple statement that often is overused, but it's true. And that's what this blog is really all about. I plan to share my thoughts on our changing world while commenting on a wide range of topics: from family life to kids' activities to pop culture to one of my favorite topics, sports.

I wrote a fairly popular column in my former life as a newspaper editor. My weekly Slice of Life column was meant to give people some insight into life of a father and husband as his kids grew up around him. I plan to take that same tone. While this is primarily written for the benefit of family members and friends from afar, I hope you'll find some entertainment from what I'm writing. And, if you're so inclined, feel free to chime in on the discussion.

As I write this, I'm preparing to get started as the communications director for the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church. It's a chance to use my writing, photography and, to some extent, video skills while serving my Savior. I'm sorry if that turns some of you off, but I'm really excited to get started.

But I have to get to my new home base -- Lincoln, Nebraska -- first. So, I'll share some adventures (hopefully not misadventures) in moving. I'll also share a little about what I'm up to as I explore my new surroundings.

I'm a proud alumnus of the University of Kansas, thus the title for this blog. I really am a Jayhawk moving into the middle of Husker Nation.

So that's the plan. I plan to write once or even twice a week. Some posts will be short. Some will be long. Some will be reflective. Some may very well be nonsense.

I hope you have as much fun reading it as I will writing it.

Rock Chalk Jayhawks, KU! Hail to the crimson and the blue.

And I'll also be rooting for the scarlet and cream of Nebraska U!