It is the beginning of the end. I have started the last class of my MBA. It is the hardest class because it involves the combined knowledge of all my previous classes applied to a group based simulation. So it is theory meets practical application. In about 8 weeks this class will be finished and my degree will be complete. Technically speaking this will be my 4th post-secondary degree. I have earned an associates degree, a bachelor's degree, and this will mark my second master's degree.

Someday, I will put all of this education to good use. For now, I will be continuing my work in the private sector. With the economy in a slump, now is not the time for churches to hire new associates.

We have also moved back to our house. After a year away, it was the right time to move back. This will free up some time but not much. School will be intense through December. Plus I teach at church every other week.

We will be coming to Orlando this year for Christmas. Unless flight prices come down dramatically - the whole family will be driving. Me, Shantell, and our dog Hoss. We decided to bring the dog to save money, plus Mom has graciously agreed to allow the big pup to stay at her house. Yes, we will officially become one of those people who travel with their dog.

So the countdown begins ... first for school to end, then for our trip to Orlando for Christmas. 2008 will end soon, but it will have been an awesome ride!

P.S.

I have also joined Facebook. (Facebook Explained)

Well folks, this is it. These are the last classes I will take for this degree. And then I think I am going to take a break from school for awhile. I have taken small breaks here and there, but for the most part I have been in school since I was 5. Which means at 32 years old, I have been in school about 27 years.

I've spent 13 years in primary and secondary schools. I started my college career at FSU but finished at UCF while visiting 3 other colleges along the way. After 8 short years (yikes!), I got my B.A. in Political Science/Pre-Law. I then set my course to Fort Worth for a stint at seminary. I've spent 4 years at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and earned my Master of Arts in Christian Education. Now I've spent the past 1.5 year getting my MBA at Liberty University.

This semester I will be taking Non-Profit Management and Leading Organizational Change in session B, then I will take the capstone course in session D called Policy and Strategy in Global Competition. Then I am done.

But wait, there's more!

If school was not enough, Shantell and I are still very active in our Apartment Life gig. We typically host 4-5 community events per month for a total of 70+ hours combined.

I will also be starting a new Sunday morning Bible Study class where I will co-teach every other week. Also I will teach a class on prayer on Wednesday nights.

And we will be "maintaining" two residences. Since the house did not sell, we are moving some stuff back in the house. Our house insurance company was going to drop us if we continued to have it vacant.

We may come home to Orlando for Christmas. As it stands now, we will probably have to drive to save money - but that is still uncertain.

So ... if you thought we were busy before ... good grief ... you ain't seen nothin' yet. (Yes I sound like I have college degrees).

After six months of letting our house sit on market, we have decided to pull it off and keep it. A number of factors led us to this decision. Cheif among these reasons is the very slow real estate market. Also when we are done with Apartment Life we will need somewhere to live. With mortgages being somewhat more difficult to get these days, we figured sticking with what we have is a good idea. So someday we will move back in.

I also have another update. I have been dieting since Monday, April 21, 2008. Its about 2+ months later and I am down 33 lbs. I have lost an average of about 0.5 lb a day or 3.5 lbs per week. I hope to lose another 67 lbs. I'll give another update in August!

It has been a long, long time since I have updated the old blog. So it is time to dust off the keyboard and give you guys a peer into the current happenings of the Benore household.

First, I am starting my last summer class tomorrow. I have registered for my last semester at Liberty University. So ... the countdown begins. So far I have been able to maintain a solid 3.5 GPA. And let me tell you: finance, accounting, economics, are not among my favorite classes. Truth be told I really enjoy classes like Organizational Behavior, Executive Leadership and Management, and Servant Leadership. I even had a technology class - but for some in technology - it was nothing new.

The Apartment gig is going terrifically. Can't blog about details, but still love it.

Our house is still for sale. The market is kind of slow, but it is among the strongest in the nation. So we have high hopes for a summer sale.

This fall we are starting a new class at church. Our old Sunday school class is "planting" a new class geared toward the younger couples without kiddos. I taught once a month in the old class, but will teach every other week in the new class.

Shantell has accepted a job at a small private Christian school called ACI. More details as they come later.

Our budget right now is extremely tight, with the economy in a slump, us paying for a house we do not live in, and Shantell's lack of income for the past few months. We are getting the bills paid, but I am not sure we will be doing any traveling home this year. I have 3 days of vacation to use, but I can't imagine gas prices or airline tickets will be cheap enough to fly out. If we do make it home it will be for a very short period - but don't hold your breath.

That's the latest for now. Must get up for work tomorrow. Goodnight!

(That's "Hello from Rome") News and stories from our Roman trip will come later, but for now ... go to our Picasa Photo page to see all the pictures we have taken through Saturday. And since it is 1:07 am Monday here in Rome, it is way past my bedtime. Chow!

Edit: I forgot to include a link to the Picasa page ... http://picasaweb.google.com/kevinbenore.

I have added a new link to our blog called "Our Photo Gallery". This will take you to our Picasa Web Photo Album. I am not posting the link here, because the link is on the blog menu.

For those who do not know, Picasa is a software program that allows you to manage digital photos, organize them, touch them up, and even upload them to the web. Picasa is free and is owned by Google. I use it because it is very easy to use and put pictures up fast. We have lots of pictures up there, so enjoy them all. If you do not have an easy way to manage your photos or if you want to put your photos out on the web to share with others ... try Picasa.