Hey All,

Hope you don't mind a guy crashing your "ladies" blog. I've lost contact with most everyone but Michelle, Shad and Brady, so it's really cool to be able to hear what you are all up to.

Here's a recap of my life over the last few years. I got a masters degree in architecture a few years ago from the University of Idaho. While there I fell in love with a beautiful woman named Jenny, who was studying Art education. She loved art, loved the Beatles, and when she told me she thought Bill Gates was cute, I realized I actually had a chance! We got married a year or so later.

While in college I joined the Navy as a civil engineer corps officer. That was pre-911, so what I thought I would be doing and what I have actually wound up doing are pretty different. I was deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year and thankfully I leave in about a month. My job is extremely satisfying, as I work with the reconstruction engineers who are in the field, trying to rebuild this country...a task I don't know will ever be complete, but it's not for lack of trying. I act as a go-between for those engineers and the headquarters. I've travelled all over the country, and other than the occassional stray rocket or suicide bomber, have stayed out of harms way, thus far.

Jenny and I just celebrated our 6th anniversary this week. I have two children, Lucille (aka Lucy) who's 4, and Oscar (aka, Ossie, Oz, or The OZ-MAN). My children are just amazing to me. They've both already developed a good sense of humor and are just fun to be around. I miss them a lot. Jenny and the children spent about a month and a half in Olympia with my parents earlier this year.

My active duty time will be up in about a year and a half, at which time we're moving back to Olympia. I've been offered a job at an architect firm (www.msgsarch.com) in downtown Oly where I worked briefly before shipping off to the Navy. The firm handles most of the work for the Church in Washington state, and their plan is to have me take that over from the guy who's doing it now so he can retire. So my lifelong dream (well, at least since my senior year) of becoming a citizen of Olympia will be fulfilled.

The main loves of my life are my family and my band. One of Jenny's many talents is that she plays the drums. I picked up guitar a few years ago, and we were about 75% complete with an album that we and our other bandmates were working on before I deployed. Our band is called microMEGAS. Jake is involved as well, and we've convinced him to join full time when we move back to Olympia...it didn't take much to convince him. If any of you want a free copy of the album from my last band, send me your addresses (sterfryiv@yahoo.com). I've got plenty of copies to spare.

Otherwise things are good. I haven't given up my goals of illustrating books one day, but life has taken us a different direction for now. But it's okay...life is truly amazing to me. I worry so much about what the future will bring for my family and I, only to find each passing year that the Lord is taking care of it all, and that I am a passenger on a very beautiful, inspiring ride.

I hope to see many if not all of you once we're back in Olympia! Take care,

Sterling Ingram IV (aka, sterfry)

ps...I haven't quite figured out how to post photos but once I do I'll put up pictures of my family.