Back from the Dead

Ok kids, Ryno has returned with lots of great stories from the East Coast vacation, some of them are even true. There have been rumors floating around that Ryno is now permanently referring to himself in the third person, let me assure you, those rumors are fabrications of the ugliest stripe.

The no alarms crack staff is currently compiling material from my copious notes, diagrams, and various police reports from places like New Haven and Martha's Vineyard into what will eventually be must-read blog fare. There will come a day my friends, when those posts are made public for your enjoyment. Alas, that day is not today.

That's not to say I don't have something useful for you, so pay attention--I'll only say this once. There is a new artist named Phil Wickham who just released his major label debut, simply titled "Phil Wickham". I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this album since I heard an early preview of the single "Grace" about two months ago. The album lives up to the hype.

For those of you who haven't heard of Phil Wickham, his music reminds me of some of my favorite artists; Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Coldplay. This guy has large talent and at 21 years old, Dr. Jack Ramsay would say the kid has "tremendous upside potential". Check out this link at grassroots music to sample the album.

So far I'm really digging track #2 (Messiah) the most, but the entire album is a moving reflection of deeply personal worship and crying for God's will and forgiveness. You can get it on iTunes today. You heard it here first!

I'll be back with a series of posts and pics from vacation and the marathon. Until then, let the soothing tones of Phil Wickham tide you over.

Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated

Well, what can I say, it's great to be loved and wanted--at least by two very classy readers. I must be honest, my recent hiatus from blogging has been a result of a combination of out of town business trips, laziness, and lack of time (not necessarily in that order). Don't worry though, I'm not the Joel Bain type if you can smell what I'm stepping in (wink wink).

Tomorrow morning my superstar hot athlete wife and I are flying up to the unholy land of the Northeast USA. New York and Boston to be precise. We are looking forward to some good ole' fashion Howell-spitality this weekend and then its on to Beantown for the marathon on Monday. Just to be clear, my wife will be the one running and I'll be the one cheering. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel and also pray that Kathy has a great run and enjoys her dream of running in Boston. She has worked very hard to qualify for this race and persevered through many nagging injuries to get to this point. Yes, its true--I definitely married up.

We are also looking forward to seeing our favorite Lubbock-ite (now you can't say I never threw you a shout out!) as she will be joining us for the Boston Marathon Experience too. It should be a fantabulous weekend. I have never been to the Big Apple or to Boston and I'm very much looking forward to visiting ground zero and other such destinations (perhaps The Grand canyon or Mt. Rushmore, aren't they in NY?), but more importantly it will be good to hang out with long lost friends.

I'll more than likely be out of pocket most of next week while we are on vacation, but I'll be thinking about my darling readers while I'm gone and I promise to comeback strong with pictures and stories from the trip.

Hasta--Ryno