|
| NEW FAMILY MEMBER
I know, I know - 2 new entries in the same 3-month period - let alone 1 week - it's a miracle!
This is "Prada". She is a puggle (pug/beagle). We picked her up on Friday night and she's been lots of fun! You'll have to come meet her in person.
  | | |
| CAVE TIME
A couple weekends ago, my good friend Mark and I met at my dad's cabin in Bedford, PA. Every man needs what I call "cave time" from time to time, and we were both in need. (If you're unsure of what I mean by this term, read "Wild at Heart" by John Eldridge). Anyhow, we spent a few days hanging out, shooting hundreds of clay pigeons with a shot gun, riding a four-wheeler, going on Grace Brethren Church explorations in Martinsburg, NOT showering, discussing the world of youth ministry and the oddities of the Grace Brethren Fellowship, placing bets as to who will be asked to speak first at Momentum (or whatever the name will be by the time it happens), brainstorming ideas for the book we are going to write, and discovering all that there is to discover in Altoona, PA (which took about 10 minutes).
It was a much needed get-away...and it was so fun, that I think I'll be spending a lot more time at the cabin.
Sidenote: I got a cowboy hat.
 | | |
| INFLUENZA
In honor of my bout with the flu this week, I would like to reflect on two times in my life when I was feeling MUCH WORSE than I have this week. For some, this will bring back memories. I wouldn't advise reading if you have a weak stomach...
Both incidents happened in college. The first was a typical Indiana week - snow, wind, snow, rain, etc. I had the flu (I should really start getting flu shots...I am just too cheap). Anyhow, I finally got up the energy to go do something, and I was starting by going to the campus nurse. I left my dorm to walk to my car. Now you had to go through a grass field to get to the parking lot where my car was parked. They have since put in a sidewalk. Genius! The field had been covered in snow for much of the previous week, so there was a path packed down where people had been walking to the parking lot. This particular day, it had rained and all the snow was gone, only to bring another issue - mud. The only thing that was not mud, was this packed down path of snow, which, thanks to the rain, had become ice. So my choices were mud or ice. I chose ice in an effort to keep my totally rad shoes as clean as possible. Bad choice. As I slid carefully along the path, in typical cartoon style, my legs slid right out of under me and all 200 lbs. of me came crashing down on my posterior. Someone across campus totally saw it and started laughing REALLY loudly, but I was to ashamed to turn and see if I recognized them. SO, not only was I embarrassed, but I was wet, muddy, and had a big black and blue mark on my rump. If you know who laughed, let me know...I'd like to hear him/her recount the story. Paula, was it you?
The second incident was much more humiliating. After a youth group trip to the mall, I returned to campus with food poisoning. I couldn't even keep my Pepto down. The initial problem was that I couldn't figure out which end the dying-to-exit-my-body-rotten-chik-fil-a-chicken was trying to exit. So, as you probably don't want to imagine, I was on the pot with a pot in my lap too. You guessed it! Both ends at the same time! And let me tell you what (Mark, are you laughing)? it gets worse. As I was sitting there relieving myself, with a bucket of Pepto in my lap, the fire alarm went off! Yep, no joke. And it is bad news if you are still in the building after a fire alarm...if your ears could stand it anyhow. So I hurried myself and exited the building in my bare feet, in the freezing cold weather, with my bucket full of puked up Pepto in my hands. I couldn't stay out in the cold, so I went over to an appartment of a friend and asked if I could come in for a while - with my bucket of puked up Pepto...I don't think they ever noticed what was in it...
Good memories. I don't feel so sick anymore.
| | |
| So it's been a LONG time since I've been by here...so I'll just update on a few highlights. I got my car back 3 weeks after the previous post. I was super-pleased with the repairs. I missed it, but did enjoy my 3 week bonding with a Chevy Malibu. Thanksgiving weekend was probably the most memorable Thanksgiving of my life. Franklin & Natalie flew up for a long weekend and we had a blast. We left our house at 3AM on Thanksgiving morning and drove to New Jersey to catch a train to NYC for the day. The Macy's Parade was lame-o, and it rained all day, but it was really fun to be in the Big Apple with people who had never been there. Other highlights from the day included Starbucks (3 times), Trump Tower and Central Park. NYC is sort of weird on Thanksgiving - a lot of places are open because of all the holiday tourists, and a lot of others are closed...it was fun to experience once. Now I can check it off of my list of "things to do before I die". I actually don't have a list, but should make one, and NYC on Thanksgiving would be on it...or off it...whatever... Anyhow, we spent Friday at my parents' cabin, where these pictures are from. Saturday we hit up our good ole' Lancaster County outlets for Christmas shopping. The whole weekend was a blast. 
Transitions at the church have been going well. I've been working part-time there and part time at the insurance agency since August. God's been gracious and the transition has been smooth. Sometimes it's frustrating trying to balance it all, as I end up working more than prescribed at BOTH places, but I can't complain...I know I'm where God wants me. We're all geared up for Christmas. I suppose I should mention that now, since I probably won't update again until well into 2007!!! Leave me some love via comments! | | |
| I KILLED MY FIRST DEER! This is what happens when a Volvo and a deer meet - at 45 mph! You should see the deer... 
Glad I have good insurance! | | |
|
