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2009 turns into 2010, and I wonder… will ‘10 come in nearly as epic as ‘09 did? I’m not much for big “year in review” posts, and I’m even less for “resolutions that I’ll break before February” posts. But I think this year deserves something of a tip of the hat. Here are the highlights:

April – Disneyland trip. This was the first of our 2 vacations this year – included a quick stop in Vegas, a full-blown Disneyland experience, a little Route 66 driving, and a stop in Santa Fe, which is a new favorite destination for us.
July – PNW trip – almost 3 weeks on the road, including much needed rest at the beach in Bandon, and wonderful time reconnecting with family and friends.

Also during the year, my freelance business made some very significant strides. In fact, as this year wraps up, it is our sole source of income. I never thought I’d be able to grow it into a self-supporting venture, but it seems that has happened, and I’m very grateful. That it supports me and allowed almost 4 full weeks of vacation… unbelievable.

It seems like this was the year that Colorado really became our home. The trip to the PNW was significant because in many ways it felt like a watershed moment for us. Because of various factors, it would have been easy to go back to Vancouver, get all misty-eyed, and decide to move back. But this time, on our drive home, it felt like just that – home. When we arrived, it was good to settle back into life refreshed, and with a renewed vision for what our life here is, and what it will become.

Then to top it off, a little bit of extra work came in around Christmas time which allowed us to enjoy and experience the holidays without the added stress of wondering where our rent money would come from. What began as a year full of uncertainty and stress, still ended with uncertainty but with a level of peace about where we are that we haven’t experienced in a long time.

So what does that mean for 2010? (Two-thousand-ten? Twenty-ten?) First of all, it means that as we approach the three-year mark since we moved here, we’re ready to make some pretty significant decisions that will affect us for many years. Decisions about when/where/how to plant a church. Decisions about how to move forward in business. Decisions about how we approach the kids’ schooling. Things are not the same as when we moved here, and we are not the same. (I’d be disappointed, in fact, if we were the same as 3 years ago)

So with that, since I don’t make “resolutions”, I offer the following as a bit of a preview of what’s to come for us. I’ll be interested and entertained to read this one year from now and see how off-base I was.

In 2010, we will begin our church plant. Not just the “process”, but the community of people will begin to form and we will start journeying together as we discover who God is calling us to be as a church, and how we can together live on mission.

In 2010, my business will take another step forward, finally settling into a company that can provide a more predictable income stream. Health insurance coverage would be a dreamy addition.

In 2010, we will welcome into our family Nick’s new wife-to-be, her 7 year old daughter, and their baby that will come into the world this summer. I have been asked to officiate the ceremony, and for this I’m extremely honored and excited. These events also will bring a stream of family visiting town, and we’ll get to see everyone then.

See, nothing resolute, just a forecast of what’s on the horizon. Like I said, 2009 was epic in our family, bringing travels, changes, growth, refocusing. It’s my hope that 2010 is equally as moving. I’m sure it will be, in its own way. Regardless, we will remember 2009 fondly, and look to 2010 with anticipation.

After a couple different exchanges on various Facebook profiles, I feel like I should be a little more complete on this issue. The issue is “Black Friday”. As one of my friends noted, just a few years ago nobody used the term “black friday” as a sales pitch… it’s been an unofficial name for years, and it was just commonly accepted that the day after Thanksgiving would be a peak day for retailers. Now, it’s part of advertisements. How long before printed calendars show it as an “unofficial holiday”? So what’s all the fuss about? It’s not like Black Friday is the one day of year that we go all consumerist and greedy on each other, right?

So let’s start with this: first, I in no way set myself above anyone else in terms of dealing with materialism and the fallout from wanting more stuff. In fact, it’s as big a deal for me as anyone else. That I’m aware of it doesn’t make me better, only aware. I want a better phone. I want a bigger TV. I want a newer car. And I have to face the reality that because I don’t have a ton of money doesn’t make me more spiritual, it’s just easier to not be materialistic when you can’t afford stuff. I shudder to think how much harder it would be if I had more money to spend.

I guess my objection is that on this one day – this single day in the entire year, we are expected and encouraged to spend inordinate amounts of money, because the SALES ARE SO GREAT… you’ll never beat these deals. And on that day, consumers spend enough money to make the year profitable for retailers. That’s why it’s called Black Friday – so it has a name. It’s not just another day of spending, it’s a day where the entire economy focuses on how much is spent, and if Black Friday is slow, retailers panic. It’s because of this that I can’t simply call it “another day”. It’s because the final tally at the end of the day is a magnified look at how much wealth is pushed around inside the borders of this country, in the name of “giving”. Add on top of that what we all know – most of what we “give” and “receive” could be classified as junk. Gadgets that will sit in a box 6 months from now, clothes we won’t wear (or won’t fit into), toys that break or lose the interest of the kids… I don’t need another coffee mug. I appreciate the thoughts of the person that buys me another mug to enjoy coffee from, but I have lots of mugs. I could probably use a different mug every day until Christmas.

See what I mean? It’s not just another day. It’s a day of hoarding. Yeah, we’re giving away all the stuff to other people, but it’s still hoarding, we’re just relocating the mess.

The estimated cost to alleviate the problem of unclean drinking water in our world is $10 billion. Some estimates say more like $20B, and I’m sure it’s an ongoing problem that wouldn’t be solved today and forever at that price tag. But when you realize that Americans will spend by some estimates $20B today – that’s twenty. billion. dollars. – that doesn’t count the rest of the shopping season, that’s just today, and that’s in an economy where people within our own borders are losing houses and going hungry at alarming rates – you at least have to stop and think. If every American who is shopping today spent half of what they planned on spending, then took the other half and dedicated it to the water issue, there would be a global impact unlike anything the world has ever seen, economically speaking. Would it solve the problem? Doubtful. Would it make such a major impact that the world would be forever changed for it? Absolutely.

So my point is not that we shouldn’t spend. I’ll be buying Christmas gifts this year. If you take this as a reason for feeling guilty, then you’re sorely missing the point. Only a fool turns away God’s blessings – feeling guilty about what He’s given us is a slope we’ll never stop slipping down. It’s why I don’t live in a hut on the prairie. How long before I feel guilty that there is a clean stream flowing by my hut, and lots of wildlife to subsist on? The point is that if we balance our viewpoint, and understand that all our resources, though given to us, are God’s, we can then approach life with a global perspective. This perspective says that we do live in a wealthy society, and by global standards we are all wealthy. It says that we can enjoy the blessings of being in this place – we can enjoy technology, abundant food, and clean water. But it also says that we have a responsibility not to turn our backs on “the rest”. The poor, the afflicted, the marginalized. We do a great job in our country of simply ignoring the unseen – and if it’s not right in our faces, it’s unseen. So is it possible to enjoy what we have? To buy nice things, to eat well, to give Christmas gifts, and to still willingly shoulder the burden for someone who can’t carry it on their own? I say yes. I say that if we look at things with balance, and not get caught in one extreme or the other, we can make a difference. I know that sounds like a cheesy PSA on network TV, but it’s true. That’s why I believe in what Advent Conspiracy is doing. Not because I think celebrating the Advent of the Christ needs to be repackaged, or that I think anything substitutes for sharing the love of Christ and God’s unmatched sacrifice with all who will hear – but because I think living with the entirety of God’s creation in mind is our responsibility.

Spend less – don’t stop spending. Go ahead and keep our economy spinning. But take time to consider whether there are better ways to allocate the resources we’ve been given.

Last month, I wrote an article entitled “What I’ve Learned As A Freelancer“. That was part one, and discussed the importance of communication. That really is part of retaining focus on your client’s needs. Part Two focuses on your needs.

The term “Who’s The Boss” probably brings up visions of Tony Danza in a hopelessly 1980’s northeastern household, or if you’re like me and was a junior high boy in the 1980’s, visions of Alyssa Milano in a denim jacket start to cloud your brain– but I digress.

In freelancing, it’s important to remember that you are the BOSS! Not Bruce Springsteen, but the guy in charge. Really. I know it sounds obvious, but this is YOUR business. It’s YOUR company, YOUR rules, YOUR livelihood. Many freelancers never get out of the corporate mindset. You may have left your corporate job for the freedom, the money, the control, but never really break into the right mindset. What does that mean?

1. It means you don’t have to take every job that comes down the pipeline. You may feel desperate – bills are looming, and you want to take every job you can get your hands on. And to be fair, sometimes you have to scrape for every dollar you can get. But YOU’RE THE BOSS. That means you can assess the hidden costs and turn down a job that appears to costly. Will this client be so needy that you spend 2 hours coddling them for every 1 hour of actual work you do? Will this client be so demanding that you lose your motivation and end up doing a crappy job? Will you have to incur expenses you can’t bill back? Will this client take an extra 60 or 90 days to pay? If you can identify these things up front, you’ll save yourself time and money by either turning down the job, or charging what I call the “high-maintenance tax”… bid it out to compensate you for the headaches you’re about to get into. Not all of these things can be identified up front, but after a few high-maintenance jobs, you’ll learn to spot the signs quickly.

2. It means that when it comes down to it, you set the policies and procedures. If you’re not used to running a business, you might find yourself getting run over by clients. If you set your policies and procedures up front, and are clear about them, don’t be shy about sticking to your guns. A client who CAN run you over, WILL run you over.

3. It means that you don’t have to answer to anyone but your client and yourself. This is the part I’m sure you got down right away – if you need to take the day off, and you can still meet your deadlines and pay your bills, then take the day off. Don’t feel guilty about not being at your desk. Some will say the way to succeed as a freelancer is to treat it like a “real job” – work consistent hours, restrict vacation time, and so on. I say that’s a load of bovine excrement. If you want to treat it like a real job, then get a real job! Me, I prefer the reality of being able to work as much or as little as I need to, or want to, depending on the circumstance. There are times when I spend several days putting in immense hours – which is the price I pay for having days where I work very little, if at all. And dangit, if I want to take a Monday off, there’s no one who can tell me no.

Remember – You’re The Boss. You may not look like Tony Danza, but you get to set the rules. Don’t forget why you got into freelance in the first place.

Next time, I’ll talk about workflow. Workflow is really the other side to the freedom issue – that is, how do you keep the lid on your wild side so that you stay organized and productive?

I upgraded to WP 2.7.1 – big jump from 2.5, where I was. Broke a few plugins – I’m hoping the new Live+Press actually works right. Most everything else seems to be ok.

So I’ve been reading some articles on the InterTubes about “freelancing”. Now having done freelance work for many years, but really putting hard effort into making a living at it this last 18 months, I have what I think to be a pretty solid perspective on things. I’m talking primarily about my segment of the industry – web design, development, etc, though it could cross into graphic design, copywriting, and the like. The first thing I have to say to most freelancers out there: It’s because of you that I have work. A major source of work for me is cleaning up after freelancers who either have no business being in this industry as designers, or no business being in business as a business owner. Did you hear the work business a lot in that sentence? I hope so, because as a freelancer, that’s what you are. So I thought I’d take some time out from the regular BORE of my blog and write something with some hopefully valuable content. This will be the first in a series. The series will be over when I’ve decided I’ve written about enough lessons. So it could be a one-part series, or this could continue on into 2012. We’ll see how it goes.

The first thing I’ve learned as a freelancer, is I think the single most important key to success: Communicate with your clients. In fact, every other lesson I’m going to write about are things you can avoid learning the hard way, by simply being a good communicator. OVER-communicate. Don’t keep your clients in the dark. Don’t try to ‘put one over on them’. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver, and be sure to deliver what you promise.

The worst thing you can do is avoid communication. When you’re running behind, and you aren’t able to meet a deadline, we tend to build up this gigantic confrontation in our minds (ok, maybe that’s just me). In reality, if your client has been in business for more than 10 minutes, they understand. They probably struggle to meet deadlines just like you do. That’s the problem of having work to do – which nowadays is a good problem. Most clients will understand if you pick up the phone, proactively, and tell them where you stand and what they can expect. What they don’t understand is why they’re paying you good money and they can’t get a hold of you and your deadline is 4 days past. And let’s be honest here – unless the client is paying you so much money that it’s worth it, a client that will verbally abuse you for falling behind isn’t a client you want. Once you can communicate your status, give an expectation that the client can count on. Then live up to it. If your deadline is today but you can’t deliver until Friday, say so. Then DO IT. Don’t say Thursday because they want to hear it, just tell the truth, then live up to it.

Your client will respect you, ultimately. And a client that respects you is a client for life – and a client that will pay more to work with someone they can trust. Almost all my business is based on referral. I occasionally hit Craigslist for a gig or two, but that’s the exception nowadays. A referral by a client who knows you are up front and honest is infinitely more valuable than any other. The reason a company is hiring a freelancer is because they don’t have the expertise in-house to do what you do – they are paying for your expertise. They are looking for a reason to trust you, otherwise they wouldn’t be paying the higher hourly rate. So always give clients a reason to trust you. Be open and honest, and you’ll set yourself above most freelancers. But if you want to be an incommunicative liar, that’s fine too — keep the bar low, that just means another client that is an easy sell for me. But I’d like for our industry to have a better reputation than that.

So that’s the first lesson in Freelancing. Stay tuned for Lesson 2, titled “Who’s the Boss?”. (rumors of an appearance by Tony Danza have been greatly exaggerated).

I know I haven’t blogged for a time. I’m currently on a break from a training session in downtown Denver. It’s pretty laid back, so I’ll post quickly, then grab a quick bite for lunch, then back at it.

It’s been crazy cold for a day or so. A few inches of snow (4? 6? I don’t know exactly), and last night it got down to 2 degrees in Broomfield, 5 below 0 at the airport. So warming up the car has been fun… as in it takes halfway to my destination before it’s really warm.

I was up late last night… after a busy day, I was working on a quick turnaround freelance project until 1:30am before I gave up and went to bed. Put an hour into it this morning before coming downtown, but couldn’t get it done. It had to be delivered to the client today… or, I should say, I was contracting with another company who needed to deliver to the client today. I feel bad that I couldn’t complete it, and this will probably jeopardize my chances of getting work from this company in the future, but I can only do what I can do. My instinct is to take it personally and get really worked up about screwing the thing up, but I am trying to just let it go, knowing I did what I could. Even the lost future work isn’t that huge of a deal in the big picture… but it sucks when my whole business is built on reputation to not complete something like that, well done and on time. This time is was neither.

So as a result of staying up late, I was up until almost 2, then Sam woke up after a zombie dream at 4:45 – which means I got just under 3 hours sleep, then another hour after that until I got up. That leaves me with no energy, and tonight’s show at Forza will probably happen primarily on autopilot. Ugh.

Saturday will be busy, catching up on some church stuff, maybe getting a Christmas tree, stuff like that. But Sunday… oh, Sunday, how I relish the thought of sleeping all day. Or at least until the early football game. I still will probably bust out some code for the big project Dan and I are working on, but nothing too crazy. It will be a mellow day I hope.

That’s all. There’s a chicken burrito at the place next door calling my name, then back to teaching CSS … which feels really weird to be teaching after what felt like a massive failure on that project, but enough wallowing.

I’ll blog properly very soon. I promise.

Waiting on a crazy huge upload to complete, figured now is as good a time as any to throw down a little blogging, quick update style.

I’ve been trying to make progress on a couple different web projects, mostly so I can get them invoiced so I can stop the avalanche of utility disconnections that are soon to come my way. It’s a finely orchestrated dance, the freelance gig. Sometimes I love it… times like now, I really don’t love it so much. But, progress is being made and work is being completed.

I’m working on a sermon for next weekend about the church… that’s it – just, “The Church”. It’s part of a series that is covering some doctrinal basics. I’m really excited about this one, and I think the main thrust of it is going to be – “Does your heart beat for the church?”. See, because, the thing is… mine does. Not turning blindly from the errors and miscues and lapses in judgment and excesses in judgment and vile atrocities done in the name of the church, but in spite of them. Knowing that the church is filled with disgusting, messy people that have created a disgusting, messy history. Still, I can’t get past – none of us who are a part of the church should be able to get past – the reality that the church is the Bride of Christ, presented to him blameless and holy.

I’ve had a few friends in the past who have said that after growing up in the church, they remain spiritual and still seek God, but no longer find the church relevant. Apparently, they think it is so messed up that not even God is interested anymore. This saddens me, because if God so easily gave up on the church, then who’s to say He won’t give up on me? It just doesn’t jive to me that someone could so coldly turn away from that which God so clearly loves, and yet still try to sneak in the back door and claim a deep love for God. It’s as if someone walks up to me and says, “You know, I like you. I enjoy your company. I want to get to know you better. But I really don’t see the relevance of your wife. She doesn’t belong, doesn’t really reflect the same values you do, and to be frank, she’s pissed me off one too many times. But enough of that, shall we go grab some dinner, maybe a movie?” How fast does Jason call BS on that? Really. Freaking. Fast. Because it’s not just a ridiculous thing to say, it’s downright offensive. And hurtful. Imagine the hurt God feels when we disparage the church so brazenly. Critique? Yes. Call to the carpet when something is obviously wrong? Heck yes. But turn our backs and reject her so callously? No way. Not a chance.

So I’m looking forward to the talk. It will be fun to take a look at how the church began, and explore why God would create an institution that seems so riddled with problems. And to explore what we can do to make things better.

Well, I thought a little blogging would use up the time, but this upload is taking way too long. I guess I’ll go to bed and clean up the mess in the morning. Peace out.

Yeah, it was still dark when we crept into downtown with 60K+ other people Sunday so Priscilla could run the Race for the Cure. She ran, we parked the car then walked to the finish line (a much shorter route than the race) and waited. Then we all got coffee, enjoyed downtown for a bit, then headed home for some football-watchin’. It was a good morning to be out. The weather was nice, and it’s always fun to be in downtown when it’s crawling with people. This time, the pink level was a little off the charts for my personal tastes, but it was fun nonetheless.

Work stuff feels really scattered this week. Part of it is that I get in these crappy little de-motivation cycles, and I’ve been in the worst one yet the last couple weeks. I’m powering through to get some stuff done though. I have one major project in progress, plus all the church stuff. Then the little things hang around, and it’s too easy to focus on those. I just lost a proposal that I thought I had in the bag… I was really thinking that would make a good November for me. So now I’m back to marketing like crazy for November work. Running a business is it’s own kind of stress. I guess it beats working for someone else, but along with the freedom comes all the risk. And by risk I mean poverty.

That’s all for today. I’m at Forza and my cup is empty, so more coffee for me, less blogging for you!

I feel like I’m slipping into some old habits… namely, seeing a long list of projects to progress on as a reason to let all motivation slip away and just sit around doing nothing. Last week, I was sick, and honestly didn’t feel like doing anything, and I don’t really feel bad about that. There’s something nice about the forced relaxation of being sick. But now that I really have no excuse, I’m having a hard time diving into anything and getting it done, and I’m not really sure what the deal is. I’m not even sure if there’s a trigger for it, it just happens every now and then. Thinking back, I used to get this way every 5 or 6 weeks. I haven’t really dealt with it much lately though.

So to put some reality on it, I have one huge project that just needs some progress made this week. I have another smallish project that needs to be wrapped up today, and another large project that needs some major progress by first of next week. And on top of that, I don’t feel anywhere close to being ready to speak on Saturday. That’s why I’m at Forza blogging. Actually, I’m just hoping a change of scenery from the home office will shake things up a bit.

That’s all for now. With any luck by lunchtime I’ll at least be organized.

Today is a day of progress. I’m completing some updates on my blog redesign, it should be ready to go in a few days. Once complete, I’ll upgrade wordpress, reactivate some plugins, and should have a shiney new blog.

I made progress on the new design for the church website. Should be ready to go by month’s end.

Some long needed and now finally necessary repairs have been made to our car. Not only that, but I can write the check without worrying about it tanking our ability to provide the basics for our family. That’s progress in 2 areas.

Getting ready to dive into a new project – this will be easily the largest and most complex project I’ve done yet. Very excited about it. Therefore, my business efforts have made progress.

My office is clean. Well, to be fair, cleaner than it was this morning. I still need to reorganize, and probably reset the whole thing. It gets too messy too quickly, and I think it’s a result of poor workspace management. Besides, reorganizing my workspace is the kind of mindless work you can do to take up time when you’re self-employed.

And I blogged, rather than just Twittered/Pownced/etc. That’s progress as well. I’ll be back in a day or two when the blog theme is complete.

I started a LiveJournal on August 22, 2001… a day before my 25th birthday. Today, I turn 32… which makes this the 8th birthday blog. This also means I’ve been blogging longer than I’ve had 2 of my children. I used to do a rundown of what happened on my recent birthdays, but that takes way too long now.

Today, I’m taking the day off. I haven’t really taken a full day off in a while. I’ve had some long hard days, but I’ve also had some relaxed easy days, so I don’t feel burnt out or anything… but it’s nice to just take a day off and not think about work projects. What’s also nice, is that I don’t feel like I need to think work just to make ends meet. Ends will meet just fine, whether I work today or not. Even thought it sounds suspiciously like work, I might toy around with a new site design for this blog today. It’s not work, I promise. We’ll head downtown tonight, check out some of the pre-party festivities for the DNC… maybe we’ll see a movie star! Barack won’t be in town today, so we won’t see him. Although it is funny that there are these little roadside stands with $10 knock-off Obama t-shirts ALL OVER the place.

After checking out the town and trying not to get caught up in some silly protest, we will then head down and try to get Rockpile tickets for the Rockies game tonight. There’s a lot of people in town looking for something to do before the convention starts, so tickets may be hard to come by. If we can’t get tickets, we’ll just go get a table at ESPN Zone and hang out there. That’s a fine birthday for me.

I leave you with this, one of the most brilliant Savage Chickens cartoons ever: