Christmas Wrap (Up)

Joanne got the song lyric, it was Paul McCartney and Wings "Wonderful Christmastime." Which happens to be one of my favorite modern Christmas songs.

So I survived Christmas for another year. We even got the tree up and decorated this year. I really enjoyed the day this year. We slept in and got up when we were all ready and opened presents. My favorite part was watching Shasta open the KitchenAid mixer I got her and watching mom open the books and other things we got her. I got a the coffeemaker I wanted. The Hamilton Beach Brewstation Plus and I LOVE IT, do y'all hear me??? I am a coffee snob and this is the perfect coffee maker for me. It doesn't have a coffee pot. It brews the coffee and keeps it warm in the top part of the maker and when you want a cup you just push your cup against the button and it fills it up! She also got me a really awesome coffee grinder that kicks major tail. Both of these were perfect presents for me and will get much use. The really nice thing was just spending time at home. We never left the house, which is very unusual for us. We stayed home, napped, played on the computer, XBox, ate, read and just enjoyed family time, which was the best present I think any of us got.

Had a really good class with my youth tonight. I had a bad headache and was pretty cranky in the hours leading up to leaving but once I got there I had a peace and the lesson (which in all honestly I threw together at pretty much the last minute) went surprisingly well.

Song Lyric Sunday

Ok, the Movie Line Monday didn't generate much of a response. But the movie I picked was not exactly one that a lot of you would know. The quote is from La Vita è bella (Life Is Beautiful) and was said by the character Eliseo. If you haven't seen this movie, you really need to. It was originally released in Italian with subtitles and I highly recommend watching it that way. If not you can get the DVD with English dubbed in, but it's just not the same.

I can actually say that we are ready for Christmas, and I'm looking forward to it. We got out for a bit today, exchanged some presents with a few friends and family and it started me realizing what an awesome time of year this is and in the mindset to try and enjoy it. Shasta and I made some goodie packs for a lot of folks that consisted of our favorite snacks. We did haystacks, cashew brittle, peppermint bark and banana bread. Haystacks are one of my all time favorites, especially the butterscotch ones. So do you have a fave candy, snack or food for Christmas? If so what is it?

Here's the lyric for this week:

The party's on
The spirits up
We're here tonight
And that's enough

Huh??!!!

So I'm sitting here in my office and mom is watching some Christmas from Ford's Theater special out in our living room. Which was all well and good up to the point where they introduced Olivia Newton-John and she comes and sings (drum roll, palpable suspense here) White Christmas, no, (tension builds) Jingle Bells, uh uh, (can you freakin stand it??) Grandma Got Run Over..., nope! She's singing Xanadu!!!! Why in the world would you sing that song on a Christmas special??? Why would you sing it at all, it's a mediocre song from a lousy movie.

Speaking of mom, it's great that she's able to sit and watch anything tonight. She took a fall last night and dislocated her shoulder. From about 6:45 to 10:30 she was in excruciating pain, and the process at the emergency room just really seemed to drag. They finally sedated her, popped it back in and she has been much better ever since. Muffin has a more detailed posting on her blog. I for one am extremely thankful that it was something that was easily fixed and that nothing was broken or torn. It is extremely difficult to watch her go through something like that and not be able to ease any of her pain. I'm thankful that last night, Muffin and the Sunday Obsession entourage were all there and that gave mom comfort and me the peace of mind so I didn't feel like I had to do it all on my own. Thank you all for helping. To Mark for rubbing her back, to Faithy for the song, Tina, Tina and Denise for the blanket, Richie and Homer for just talking and sitting with her while we waited on the ambulance. Justin for moving my car and meeting the ambulance at the entrance to the development. And to everyone else for praying and helping out. If I missed something specific you did, charge it to my head and not my heart cause everything was very much appreciated and am extremely grateful to you all.

I snapped this picture as they were loading her into the ambulance. I wonder if this counts as a "Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes?"

Movie Quote Monday

First of all Congrats to Kathie for getting the song lyric last week (with a little help from that ringer JC.) She has apparently also inherited the rights to his prize. So she can head on over to yourmusic.com and pick any 6.99 CD or blackdogcoffee.net and pick any 5.50 1/2 lb bag of coffee.

Since I missed Song Lyric Sunday, I'm gonna switch up and do Movie Quote Monday this week. Same principle as Song Lyric Sunday, just name the movie and actor(s)/character(s) that are quoted and you win. Here goes.

Serving is a supreme art.
God is the first servant.
God serves men, but he's not a servant to men.

'Tis the season

Oh Sweet, Marshmallowey Goodness!!!

They're not just for Easter anymore!!!

Well it's getting close to Christmas and I tend to turn into a Scrooge at Christmas. It just seems that it's so easy to get caught up and disheartened by the need to buy presents, decorate, etc. that I sometimes let myself completely miss out what the reason for the whole deal. I was with my youth group the other night and a question was asked about adoption and what the bible says about it. The bible is full of stories of adoption, from Moses being adopted by Pharaoh's daughter to Jesus being adopted by Joseph to God adopting us into his family. I realized that night, that for all the reasons I don't like Christmas, the reason I REALLY like Christmas is because God chose to adopt me and Christmas was the first part of that process. My friends are going through the process of adopting from overseas right now and I've watched as they've had up, downs, delays, etc with getting the process completed. But everyday they are 24 hours closer to bringing Eli home. And with all the hubbub, etc that Christmas brings, the hope that Christmas brings is that for the believer, each Christmas we are 1 year closer to God bringing us home and that will be better than any decoration, present, dinner, etc. Even better than PEEPS!!

Song Lyric Sunday

I get home 7:30 the house is dirty, but it can wait
Yeah, 'cause right now I need some downtime
To drink some red wine and celebrate
Armageddon could be knocking at my door
But I ain't gonna answer that's for sure.

The Winner Is....

Congrats to JC for winning the Song Lyric Sunday Contest, and no he isn't a ringer. JC email me and let me know which prize you want and I'll get it to you.

Song Lyric Sunday - Final Week

Ok, so the standings are as follows:

JC - 2
Kathie - 1
Kate - 1
In spite of my attempts to avoid a tie, it's possible for Kathie or Kate to get this and force some type of playoff. Here's this weeks lyric:

You're a three decker saurkraut and toadstool
sandwich
With arsenic sauce.

Major Cuteness

The Night

The Night was this past Saturday and it went really, really well. I was concerned that with it being Thanksgiving weekend, our attendance would be way. But we actually ended up have a large crowd and if it wasn't our largest, it was certainly close to it. Our City Sleeps traveled up from Liberty University and lead worship and played some original material. I really liked them a lot and everyone else seem to like them as well. Having managed bands and booked shows periodically over the years, you never know who you'll be dealing with. It's always refreshing to see an immensely talented group come in and be humble and play great without a list of demands or thinking more highly of themselves than they should. I've dealt with really good bands that didn't know how good they are and I've dealt with really bad bands that weren't nearly as good as they thought they were. I'm happy to say that Our City Sleeps is a lot closer to the former than they are the latter. They also led worship at our regular worship service on Sunday morning and did an excellent job there as well. If you get a chance to see them you definitely should.

Song Lyric Sunday Contest Week 4

I'm everything you've wanted
I am the one who's haunting you
I am the eyes inside of you
Stare back at you

Thankful

Oh there are so many things I could list. My savior, wife, family, friends, and so many more. But right now I'm just very thankful to have a day at home to relax with Shasta, Mom, Chad and the pups. I hope your day is one of rest and gratitude.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Ok, I'm gonna give Kathie credit for the win this week since she got the title and artist for I Shoulda Been A Cowboy by Toby Keith. I threw in the Redskins fight song just to needle the Skins fans out there. And actually it's not an 80's song. It was Toby Keith's debut single and was released in 1993.

A bit of trivia on the Redskins fight song, when Dallas was looking to start an expansion team in the early 60's, Redskins owner George Preston Marshall was vehemently opposed because at the time the Skins had the whole southern market as their fan base and he didn't wanna give any of that up. Anyway, apparently the Redskins didn't actually own the rights to their own fight song. So the Cowboys owners group bought the rights and basically held them hostage until Mr. Marshall agreed to vote to allow an expansion team in Dallas that would become the Cowboys.

Song Lyric Sunday Contest Week 3

I shoulda learned to rope and ride
Wearing my six-shooter, riding my pony, on a cattle drive
Stealing young girl's hearts
Just like Gene and Roy
Singing those campfire songs

And for extra credit:
Braves on the Warpath!
Fight for old D.C.!
Run or pass and score -- we want a lot more! (at least 6! - added by D)

Giving Teenagers a Good Name

First of all, Congrats to JC (again!) for getting the correct title and artist for this weeks Song Lyric Sunday Contest. And no he isn't a ringer, but he is a fairly talented musician which probably gives him a bit of an advantage.

As some of you know my mom has been having some health problems lately and has fallen several times. The problem with her falling is that she has such advanced arthritis she can't get back up on her own. So leaving her alone for any extended amount of time is not really an option. In October we had made plans to travel to Charlotte with some friends for the NASCAR race. Well mom had a fall just a few days before and I really didn't want to leave her alone for the 30 or so hours we would be gone. So I called my friend Tayva and asked her if she'd would mind house sitting with mom while we were gone. She said sure and I paid her and left her some extra cash for pizza, etc. while she was here. I was able to go to the race with my muffin and our friends and actually relax knowing that if something happened Tayva was there and would be able to help out. So last week when I showed up for church Tayva runs up to me with $15 in her hand and says 'I forgot to give this back to you.' I looked at her like I had no clue, cuz I didn't. And she said 'it's left over from when I stayed with your mom.' I said thank you and was just really amazed. It's hard for me to imagine a lot of people giving that back several weeks after the fact, let alone a 17 year old :D But I should have known better, Tayva is one of the most responsible, with it teenagers I know and I am blessed to have her as a friend. Thank you Tayva for giving teenagers a good name!!!

Song Lyric Sunday Contest - Week 2

One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resist
One man washed on an empty beach.
One man betrayed with a kiss

We have a winner

Congrats to JC for getting the correct answer to this weeks Song Lyric Sunday contest. The song was I Can't Do This by Plumb. If you've never heard of or listened to Plumb you should check her out. I've been a big fan since the first album and she always puts out quality stuff.

Button, button, I'VE got a button

My friend Julie came up with this kewl button for my contest. Feel free to put it on your blog and send your friends over this way to join in the oodles of fun :D

Song Lyric Sunday Contest - Week 1

Ok, so here we go with the contest. Here are the rules again (please read the note I added to rule 4):

1. Song choices will be made by me
2. Contest will start on Sunday November 4 and run for 5 weeks (just cause there's less chance of a tie that way)
3. Lyrics will be posted sometime between 4 pm - Midnight (ET) each Sunday
4. The first person to post Song Title and Artist will be that weeks winner.*
* - in most cases I want the original artist but will take anyone who had some modicum of success with the song and that I can verify recorded it. But just because the garage band up the street plays it doesn't mean it qualifies. Disputed cases will be covered by rule 6.
5. No googling (or otherwise searching the internet) for the answers. You folks will have to be on your honor for this one, but I trust ya.
6. In the case of disputed lyrics, the blogmaster (ME) will be make the final decision.
7. The winner will get their choice of any 6.99 CD from Yourmusic.com or any 1/2 lb. bag of coffee from Black Dog Coffee

Good luck to everyone and here's the first lyric.

I woke up late
Guess I'm never really early
I hesitate
Only to fail
I get so tired
Of procrastinating
I need a change

Song Lyric Sunday

Congrats to Alex (the girl with the flower tattoo) she had the right artist and the right album for last weeks. The lyric was actually from the song Breathing. Here's this weeks.

It's Close To Midnight And Something Evil's Lurking In The Dark
Under The Moonlight You See A Sight That Almost Stops Your Heart
You Try To Scream But Terror Takes The Sound Before You Make It
You Start To Freeze As Horror Looks You Right Between The Eyes,
You're Paralyzed

Song Lyric Sunday

'Cause I am hanging on every word you say
And even if you don't want to speak tonight
That's alright, alright with me
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit
Outside Heaven's door and listen to you breathing
Is where I want to be

Update - Girl With The Flower Tattoo is very, very close....

Song Lyric Sunday Contest II - Sponsored by Black Dog Coffee

So the last contest got such a good response we're gonna do another one. The rules have changed slightly so make sure you re-read them before you start posting your answers.

1. Song choices will be made by me
2. Contest will start on Sunday, February 1 (today) and run for 5 weeks (just cause there's less chance of a tie that way)
3. Lyrics will be posted sometime between 4 pm - Midnight (ET) each Sunday
4. The first person to post Song Title and Artist will be that weeks winner. Unless I specify otherwise any artist who recorded the song is acceptable, but I have to be able to verify it. Just because your friends garage band plays it live or recorded it on their demo in 1983 doesn't me I'll accept it.
5. No googling (or otherwise searching the internet) for the answers. You folks will have to be on your honor for this one, but I trust ya.
6. I will turn on comment moderation and if I suspect you have googled the lyrics I may disallow your answer.
7. In the case of disputed lyrics, the blogmaster (ME) will be make the final decision.
8. The winner will receive a prize package from Black Dog Coffee that will include some coffee, a custom mug and a cafe au lait candle.
9. I do import my posts onto my facebook page. For your answer to count it most be posted as a comment on THIS BLOG and not on my facebook. If you post it as a comment on my facebook and somebody sneaks your answer all I can say is too bad.

Now that the technicalities are down with here's the first lyric:

I need a sign to let me know you're here
'Cause my TV set just keeps it all from being clear
I want a reason for the way things have to be
I need a hand to help build up some kind of hope inside of me

Friends

I've been rolling this post around my noggin for a while now and I couldn't think of a good way to start so, here goes. Up until the time I was in 9th grade I never really felt like I had any friends, through elementary and junior high I always felt like I never had friends. The summer after my eighth grade year we moved and it was like a whole new start for me. I actually meet some kids my age that I didn't know and built some relationships. One of which developed into a friendship with my boy Pete that is still going strong today. Anyway I've always felt this need to have friends and be liked and God has blessed me with an abundance of people I can call true friends. I try to be the friend that I want to have, does that make sense? And at times I know I fail miserably. But the old saying goes, a true friend is one that knows all your faults and loves you anyway. All I can say is that my friends truly know how to love.

Please keep my sister-in-law Angela, her husband Matt and my nephews Johnathan and Justin in your prayers. Matts mom passed away yesterday and I'm sure they are all missing her dearly. It was extremely difficult to take the call from my mother-in-law last night and not be able to run down the street to provide comfort. And as difficult as it was for me, I know it was even more difficult for Muffin.

Song Lyric Sunday

I apologize for missing last week, and as a consolation, here's 2 for this week. I also apologize for the lack of postings but I promise there will be more this week, including one with Song Lyric Sunday contest info.


1.
In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream
At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines
Sprung from cages out on highway 9,
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected
and steppin' out over the line
Baby this town rips the bones from your back
It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young

2.
Oh how her heart it would bleed
If she only knew those abusive roots
And how the children would weep
If they only saw what those eyes have seen
It always keeps us longer than we wanted to stay
It always takes us further than we wanted to go
But you don't seem to mind at the time

Song Lyric Sunday

I needed you today
So where did you go?
You told me to call
Said you'd be there
And though I haven't seen you
Are you still there?

My friend Julie suggested a Song Lyric Sunday contest and I think we're gonna do it. I'm still mulling over all the rules and details on how to make sure it's as fair as possible and everyone has a chance. The biggest question is should I post the lyrics at the same time every week? Or should I just post them on Sunday and if you happen to be the first to see them and post the correct answer you're the winner? Let me know what y'all finks!!!

Random Stuph 09/30

Well The BIG Night was last night and what a night it was. All the bands and speakers were awesome and other than a couple of power glitches, everything went very smoothly. We had an awesome time and there were 191 youth there that weren't part of our youth group. With adults, staff, etc. there were probably 300 ppl there easily. The important thing was we had at least 20 ppl accept Jesus. So the planning for next year's has begun and I know, just like this one, it'll be more than we ever could have imagined.

A while back I posted a listing of my favorite coffee places, well I have one to add and that would be Higher Ground in Hagerstown, MD. The coffee is nothing extraordinary, but the staff is very friendly and it feels very much like home when I visit. Mom's foot doctor moved his office away from the location near Port City Java and I had to find someplace else to work from when taking her to her appointments. So I did some digging and ended up at Higher Ground. If you're ever on the dual highway swing by and pick up a cup.

Speaking of coffee, I have really been enjoying the Ethiopian Harrar Horse from Black Dog lately. It is an incredibly smooth, bold coffee and I honestly don't know if I just got a really good bag or if it's always this good. I do know that I'll definitely be trying another bag to find out :D

My Cowboys are off to a 4-0 start and it's looking more and more like they may be the real deal. The detractors say they haven't really played anyone, but I'm thinking if the teams you're playing aren't that great you should be putting a whuppin' on them. And for a team that struggled scoring points last season they sure are scoring in bunches this year. I would like to see them get things on track a little earlier in games but I can't complain.

Song Lyric Sun...errrr Saturday

We're headed to Dover for the race tomorrow, so I'm posting early...

Got a ticket coming home,
Wish the officer had known
What a day today has been.
Then I stumbled through the door,
Dropping junk mail on the floor.
When will this day end?

Song Lyric Sunday

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbade to shine
But God, Who called me here below
Will be forever mine

Don't Forget

6 years ago this morning I was nearing the end of my commute to work when the radio announcer interrupted and said a plane had hit one of the world trade center. My first thought was some private plane had somehow hit one of the towers. A few more miles down the road and the announcer said that another plane had hit the other tower. "That's Bin Laden" were some of the first words out of my mouth. The rest of the day was spent praying, watching, finding out if friends at the pentagon were ok and realizing that this was probably a defining moment for my generation. A lot has happened in the 6 years since and whether you agree with the politics or not, please don't forget all those people that perished in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and on Flight 93.

Song Lyric Sunday

Tonight I'm gonna meet her at the Hungry House Cafe
And I'm gonna give her all the love I can
She's gonna jump and holler 'cause I saved up my last two dollars
We're gonna search and find that preacher man

Random Stuph 09/08

*Update 9/9 4:44 pm: links should be fixed*

Congrats to Tayva and J.C. for getting the song lyric right. The most popular version of In The Light was probably recorded by dc Talk, but it was originally written and recorded by Charlie Peacock. J.C.'s an old friend and has a great blog you should check out when you have a minute.

Well my youth group is gearing up for The Big Night. Late last year several of my youth came to me and said they'd like to do their own worship service and fellowship time. So once a month on the last Saturday they put together and lead what is basically a church service for their age group and it really has gone well. It's called The Night and about 6 months they started bouncing around the idea of doing a bigger version of it called, well The Big Night. Y'all get it, right??? LOL. Well we've had some bumps and had to make a few changes, but God is working and I think it's gonna be an awesome event and there are some details here. If you're in the area on Sept. 29, come on by. You might even get to see my head painted :D

The pups are growing and I don't know if it's possible or not but they seem to be getting cuter. Take a look at these pics and you'll see what I mean.

Song Lyric Sunday

I am the king of excuses
I've got one for every selfish thing I do

Happy Anniversary

Yesterday was the 4th anniversary of my first date with muffin and it's incredible how the time has flown. It seems like only yesterday that I was picking her up and unable to believe that divine providence had hooked me up with this gorgeous redhead. Well I know I love her more today than I did then and it seems to grow everyday. I LOVE YOU MUFFIN!!!

Song Lyric Sunday

"I see the doorway to a thousand churches."

Random Stuph 08/21

Congrats to jewlsntexas for getting the song lyric right.

Ok, I was watching the Gospel Music Channel today and they were doing this Hot List thing where they counted down the top 12 christian rock groups that are no longer together. And I was fine and ok with the countdown until they got to the #2 video which was Sweet Jesus by All Star United. Lisa Kimmey introduced it and said it was the band where Ian Eskelin "got his start." Well somebody didn't do their research, because 1. All Star United just released an album this year and 2. Ian was with Code of Ethics, Zero and few other bands before he formed All Star United. And any list of christian bands that are no longer together that doesn't include The Prayer Chain and Burlap to Cashmere is lacking, to say the least.

Pictures! I have posted pictures from Purple Door and of the pups on my Picasa Web.

So Purple Door was awesome and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There was a point where Pete looked at me and says 'feels like home' and we both chuckled because we have done more festivals, concerts, road trips together than we can remember and it was nice to be able to reminisce and also to share some of that with my wife and the rest of our group.

Faves definitely had to be Disciple, Leeland and Relient K. I was a bit disappointed with the sets by Anberlin and Spoken but it had more to do with the really bad sound mix that both bands got rather than them having bad performances. I was also disappointed to find out that One Truth will be shutting down in early 2008. And they claim it's for no other reason than "it's time." They seem to be good folks and to have their hearts in the right place and I pray the best for them. I was also blown away by the art work of Eric Paul Timm and the folks at nooneunderground. It's thought provoking art that will bring you to a place of worship if you let it. It was also nice to see the different band members out mingling with the crowd. We even saw Aaron from mewithoutYou with a circle of festival goers around and he was just sharing Jesus with them, which is what it should always be about.

Just Don't Want Coffee

I had an interesting, short discussion this evening regarding Starbucks and some of the things they printed on their cups because of the 'The Way I See It' Campaign from earlier this year. The discussion was short because I'm going on about 10 hours sleep since 7 am Friday morning and wasn't able to think clearly enough to engage in any type of real discourse. When I got home I did a bit of research on the internet and here's what I found out and what I think. The campaign involved taking selections submitted by some of Starbucks customers and printing them on the cups used for customer drinks. Well apparently at least two of these involved statements that were anti-God and the call to boycott Starbucks went up. This article goes into more detail and is worth a read. I can honestly see why what's printed on the cups troubled some folks. But did we really want to throw up our hands and say that's it and give up what was an awesome opportunity to discuss and share the truth we know. Honestly, I go to Starbucks because I like the coffee, I'm not going there for a sermon or spiritual growth. If you don't like what's printed on your cup politely explain to the barista why and ask for another cup. One last thing, a lot of the "let's boycott" folks overlooked, didn't know, failed to notice or flat out ignored that at least two of the cups included statements that were pro-God, one of which was written by Dr. Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life.

Song Lyric Sunday

Purple Door got me to thinking about some of my favorite song lyrics and I thought it would be kinda cool to post a line or two from some of my favorite songs every Sunday. I know, I know, that would actually involve me having to post at least once a week. We will just see how it works out. Here's the lyric, leave me a comment if you know the artist and song title.

'But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair.'

Random Stuph 08/17

Went to the coffee shop yesterday and the barista wrote "Cafe Olay" on my cup instead of Cafe Au Lait. No worries though, it tasted great and my tongue doesn't have any more wrinkles LOL.

We're off with the youth to Purple Door this weekend, which I'm really looking forward to. My boy Pete and I have done Purple Door several times going back to the very first one in the mid 90's and it's always a great time. It's a Christian festival but it definitely has a more eclectic and alternative bent to it. It's definitely a chance to see that the body of Christ doesn't always look like the people you go to church with every Sunday.

Aslan and Lilybet are here and they have made themselves right at home. Aslan is all boy and he loves to play. He's also seems to think everything in the house is a chew toy. Lilybet is definitely a cuddler, she loves to play but is just as happy snuggled up with one of us.

Muffin started her own blog http://eccentricramblingz.blogspot.com. Check it out if you have a minute.

Build It Anyway...

So the mission trip was a really awesome, humbling experience. For years I had questioned why my church seemed to do some much for missions around the country and the world and didn't do more locally. I mean the needs there couldn't be that much greater than the needs here right? Well going to McDowell County last week was an incredibly eye opening experience. The need there is far greater than anything you can really put into words. I worked on houses that, quite honestly, if they were in my home town or county would have been condemned and bull dozed long ago. On the drive into the area I was amazed at the number of what appeared to abandoned houses. After working on three houses I'm fairly sure that a lot of them weren't abandoned and we're actually homes to some people. We were able to work on three homes and I questioned if it was actually worth it? Because even with the work we did, the houses might not be habitable in a year or two. So why bother? Then when my pastor did the slide show for our church this morning, the song he chose was Martina McBride's Anyway. And it hit me that anything we do in faith and out of service to our Lord is not in vain. Not that the week was a bummer at all, I actually had one of the best weeks of my life and got to spend time with 21 of the greatest people in the world. There are pictures here if you're interested. If you would like more information on the McDowell Mission you can click on the words and find out more and how you can help if you feel so led.


Anyway Lyrics

Lotsa Stuph

Well here come a bunch of updates in no particular order....

I took my mother-in-law to nearby truck stop this afternoon so she could meet up with her husband. As I've stated in my last post they are over the road truckers and she stayed with us for 2 weeks. It really was a blessing to have her here and to have the peace of mind knowing that my mom had some companionship while Muffin and I dog and house sat last week for her old boss. I know it was very hard for her to be separated from her husband for that long and words can't express how grateful we are that she did. They have an opportunity that could get them off the road and settled into a permanent residence, so if y'all could pray about that when you get a chance it would be much appreciated.

Speaking of house sitting, it went well and was even a bit relaxing. But having to care for that many dogs was not an easy task. Let me clarify, these dogs are purebreds Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Papillons that are very well taken care of. Some are bred to be shown, but all are bred to be pets. Just want to clear that up before PETA starts picketing my house. The really good news is that we are going to be getting 2 of the spaniels for our own. They are basically the runts of their litters and according the breeder, they probably shouldn't have survived birth. She actually had to bottle feed one of them because it wasn't able to nurse. Their names for now are Sammy and Suzi, but we are probably gonna change them to Aslan and Lilybet and their pictures are right here. That's Lilybet on the left and Aslan on the right.



I'm finishing up a book called "When Bad Christians Happen To Good People." by Dave Burchett. It really is an incredibly insightful book and at times it's been a punch in the gut that's helped me realize how incredibly condescending and stupid the image we christians project to those outside of our faith really is. I would highly recommend to anyone who's read anything by Donald Miller, Rob Bell, Frankie Schaeffer, etc.

Next week Muffin and I are headed to southern West Virginia for our first ever missions trip. I'll post pictures and updates from there if I can, if not I'll do it when I get back.

DISCLAIMER: This next paragraph is a sports rant and I saved it for last. Cause I know some of you just don't care.

What is the world are Brian Cashman and the Yankee front office thinking??!!! The best deal you could do at the trade deadline was Wilson Betemit for Scott Proctor??? Mariano Rivera basically pleaded for bullpen help on the radio last night and you trade away the guy who has more innings out of the bullpen (note I didn't say good innings) than anybody else??? I can only think that you didn't wanna give up what Texas was asking for Gagne and have basically said this season will be what it will be with the team we have.

Random Stuph 07/17

Let's catch up shall we...

This Saturday the youth group I teach sponsored a work day to help out a local single mom who owns a farm. Now, farming and computer geek are not two words that exactly go together. And I always joke that these are days when I'm reminded why I'm in the field I'm in. We had between 20-30 ppl show up and we actually accomplished quite a lot. It was nice to hear the owner on her cell with a friend saying things like "you won't believe how good it looks." And that was when we were only about 3/4 of the way through. I know teens get disparaged for a lot of things (some of which is justified) but I gotta give props to my youth group for the work they did Saturday.

Muffins mom and step dad are over the road truckers who make runs nationwide and literally never know where they are gonna be from one week to the next. This can make spending time with them very difficult. Typically we'll get a call informing us that they'll be somewhere relatively close by and then we'll make plans to get together with them for a couple of hours to just have a meal, catch up and spend some time together. Well Friday Muffin got word that they would be about 45 mins from us. So we meet them at a truck stop today and spent most of the day with them. Well as we were talking Muffin ask her mom if she liked to spend some time with us. After some gentle prodding Flo agreed and she's going to be with us for the next 2 weeks. This is an awesome blessing because Muffin and I are scheduled to house sit for some friends next week and we were wondering how we were going to work things out with my mom. My mom is 72 and while her mind is sharp, she does have some health problems and leaving her alone for that long of a stretch is not something we like to do. I have to say that I am blessed to have married into an awesome family, I get along well with all my in-laws and they have never made me feel like anything less than part of the family. Well there was the first time we meet, but that was Muffin's fault!!!

Yum Yum

So after church last night Muffin and I went to Glory Days Grill. Which is quickly moving up the list of my favorite places to eat. Cause y'all know I like to eat and the more places available for me to eat at, well the better life is! They have great food, like the Vermonter sandwich which is an open face sandwich with raisin bread, apple butter, Vermont ham, sliced apples and melted cheddar cheese that you have to try to realize just how good it is. They also have the Warm Cookie Sundae (they will have this in heaven, oh yes they will). You can can also watch any number of events while you eat. Why is this a big deal you ask? Well because they have this really neat sports selector thingymabobber that allows you to also listen to whatever you happen to be watching. Last night it happen to be the Yankees - Devil Rays game on this humangous screen. So we had really good food, got to watch a Yankees win and spend some time together. All in all that makes for a really good evening.

Random Stuph 07/12

So we went to see Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Saturday night and it was a very good show. The only thing that got under my skin was Faith mentioning that she and Tim were supposed to play "Live Earth" that day but didn't, but she wanted to remind all of us to turn off our lights, drive less, etc. At which point I rolled my eyes. the irony is the lights for one night of this tour probably equal a years worth of lights for a small town. Not too mention the multiple buses, trailers, etc. that are required for a tour this size. I'll guarantee Tim and Faith's carbon footprint is a tad bit bigger than mine. It's amazing how the whole global warming phenom has turned into a cause celebre' and is being taken as fact by people who have no clue whether it's real or not.

If you get a chance to check out the band Between The Trees, you should. I've caught the video for "The Way She Feels" on TVU and it's a great song with a great message. I'm planning on picking up the album this weekend and I'll let you know how it is.

I was watching SportsCenter this morning and they're reporting that the Yankees will probably offer Alex Rodriguez a new contract worth somewhere between 30-32 million a year. All that to play a game!!! There are so many things wrong with that, that I can't even begin to list. I'm a sports fan and I get a lot of enjoyment out of watching but there is no way to justify paying someone that much money to play a game. How about we pass some of that money on to the people who protect us, save our lives and teach our children?

Road Trip

So my nephew Kyle says he really likes my blog and that it's funny but I don't update enough and I should start posting more. He' right, I have family and friends that are kinda spread all over the place and at least 3 or 4 check this regularly to see what's going on. Today's post is not real funny, so if you're looking for humor you should probably stop reading now.

Yesterday was an interesting day, Muffin and I traveled to Pennsylvania for a friends brothers funeral, which is never a happy occasion, but this one was made worse by the fact that the deceased was 36 and had passed away after battling cancer for 5 years. It's easy to say well it was for the best and he's better off now. Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe that he's completely healed now. But seeing the family and the obvious grief they were going through was definitely not easy, and I can't even begin to imagine how much hurt, pain and confusion they are dealing with right now. People have asked me why does God allows cancer, or rape, or murder or any of the innumerable bad things that go on in this world. It's easy to try and sound spiritual and ramble on about a lot of things here but the only excuse God offers is Easter, that's it. A risen savior that took all the sin and will one day return to set everything right and complete.

Not that yesterday was a total downer, we rode up with our friends Randy and Mara and had the chance to talk and catch up and just spend some quality time together. It was just one of those trips that I think we'll look back on in the years to come and smile and be thankful for the time we spent.

Coffee

Last weekend we met Pete, Bec and Paul and walked up to the local farmers market. It's in the parking lot of a local bank, and while it's certainly not huge, it's really a nice place and you can get some good quality stuff at very reasonable prices. We went back this week and picked up some really nice tomatoes, zucchini, bacon, sausage, homemade tamales, guacamole, and coffee from Black Dog. If you know me, you know I love my coffee. The really cool thing about Black Dog, is it's roasted right here locally and if you order online and live nearby they'll deliver to you. They also have a really awesome recipe for iced coffee. For those of you that are interested I'm gonna list my fave coffee shops. Feel free to weigh in with any comments or recommendations you have. I've listed them by local ones that I can get to on a regular basis, and the better ones that I have been to on vacations, etc.

Locals
1. Daily Grind (Charles Town)
Really great coffee, atmosphere and service. I honestly can't recall having a bad cup of coffee from there. They also have free wireless, so if I get cabin fever I'll head down there and work for the afternoon. If they have it I recommend the Iced C drip (over ice of course) and they also make a great au lait.
2. Port City Java (Hagerstown) Very nice atmosphere and really good coffees. They make a really good cinnamon hazelnut latte and if you're looking for a good lunch try the butternut squash soup with one of their wraps or panini. They also make all their espresso drinks with 3 shots, for that extra kick!! And It's down the road from Mom's foot doctor, and since they offer wireless I can take her and still get a full days work in.
3. Panera (anywhere). The House Latte is one of the best drinks anywhere. They also have free wireless, which is a plus.
4. Lost Dog (Shepherdstown). Very much a throwback coffee shop. Owners are very independent and don't mind expressing their opinions. A bit of warning, be wary when taking kids, some of the posted signs are definitely for adults only. I recommend the vanilla wet dog (seltzer, espresso, cream, vanilla and an orange slice). An excellent drink.
5. Starbucks. I know, "the evil empire," "they burn their coffee," "they're putting the independents out of business." Whatever. I like the fact that I go to any Starbucks and get the same thing consistently. I recommend the upside down Cafe Con Leche. I don't like having to pay for internet access though.

Non-Locals
1. Victrola Coffee (Seattle, WA)This was right up the street from the apartment Muffin and I rented for our honeymoon. So it brings back memories of a morning stroll to get coffee and maple bars with the most beautiful woman in the world.
2. A Moment To Remember (Luray, VA) We went to Luray for our anniversary in April and this is a really quaint coffee shop with a great dinner and breakfast menu. Muffin recommends the iced white chocolate mocha and I recommend just a straight au lait.
3. Seattle's Best
This is actually getting closer, I know they're in Borders now, but the closest ones are still 30 mins from me. I really like their 6th Avenue Bistro Blend, it's probably my fave coffee to brew at home.
4. Top Pot Doughnuts (Seattle) This is actually a doughnut shop so don't go looking for a huge variety of espresso drinks, etc. I recommend a maple bar and large coffee. The breakfast of champions!!!

Enjoy!

Mr. Grease and Wrenches

There's a reason God gave me the ability to work with computers and steered me away from the automotive field. Hehehe, well this morning I went out to start my car and nothing, no lights, nada. Even with my limited automobile knowledge I was able to narrow it down to two things, the battery or the alternator. So after 2 calls to the autoclub to have them jumpstart it, (The first one worked fine, but some dummy (me) turned the car off before going to AutoZone to have the battery tested.) I headed off to AutoZone to see if this was a little problem (the battery) or a big one (the alternator). So I get to AutoZone and Sarah helps me. Sarah is very knowledgeable and knows her way around cars. The problem is she about as big as a twig and I'm 6'2" and have been told I resemble a biker. So picture if you will this tiny woman (with gold painted fingernails) under the hood of my car, testing the battery and telling 6'2" biker looking me what's wrong. I justed nodded and pretended I knew what she was talking about. Well it was just a dead battery. Apparently they do that after, ohhh say, 5 years :D. So I bought a new one and set to changing it in the parking lot. And oh yes, I did it, all by myself. I even have a finger that is missing some skin because I couldn't get the stupid bracket that holds the the battery in place to turn without pushing really, really, REALLY hard. So when you combine this with my alternator changing experience from last summer, I think I'm ready to open my own shop. We'll just do batteries and alternators, and I'm sure I'll make millions :D

Only Me

Ok, I'll be the first to admit I'm not the most co-ordinated person in the world. I am constantly bumping my head on cabinet doors, etc. But my bump early this week took the cake. I had gone to the bathroom and was bending over to pull my pants up and didn't realize how close to the toilet I was and scraped/bumped the ole noggin good. The below picture should satisfy your curiosity.

It is high, It Is far....

Here's one for all the A-Rod haters out there. A walk-off grand slam to beat the O's today. Neenerneener :P

No Way!!!

There is no way it's been that long since I posted!!!! Ok, well maybe, yeah it has :-/ Well it's been a whirlwind month and crazy but in a really good way.

Shasta and I got to judge a homeschool debate and speech competition and were absolutely blown away by the level of talent and intelligence those kids displayed and it was way fun as well.

We also got to go to youth leaders conference with the other youth leaders from our church, which is a big deal because everyone's schedules worked out so that we could all go together and it was a blessing to go and spend time with some good friends and to also get some training that we really needed.

And we got to go to the NASCAR race at Martinsville with our friends Tommy and Laura and we had a blast. The only drawbacks were the fact that Mark didn't run this one (are you ever gonna really retire???? hehehe) and Jimmie Johnson won. Uggghhh, I told Shasta we gotta seriously think about going to races together, cause we've gone to 2 of them and The Unibrow has won them both.

The coolest thing was renting the next FanView device which just may be the neatest thing since sliced bread.



This little gizmo lets you watch Nextel Vision coverage of the race, or you can watch from your choice of several different in car cameras. You can also listen to any drivers radio communication with his pit crew. Listen to the radio coverage of the race. Replay the last minute or so of a drivers radio communications. A note on this, be careful when doing this after a driver spins out. They are not real happy when this happens and the potty mouth can come out. It also gives you real time info on race position, points standings, etc. And at a track like Martinsville where the noise is a constant the headphones are a must, just to save your ears.

Hits And Misses

Ok, first things first. The final 8 guys on American Idol were less than spectacular. Chris Sligh was the best of the bunch and Sanjaya and Phil were dang near horrible. If there's any justice they'll both go home. Watching the women right now and here's a run down. Jordin opened with a great Pat Benatar. Sabrina, Stephanie, and Haley were alright but not spectacular. Antonella was better than her past performances but that's not saying much. Lekisha sang "I Have Nothing" and just tore it up. Gina Glackson did a good job on "Call Me When Your Sober" and is shaping up to be the female Chris Daughtry. And Melinda Dolittle just sang her butt off on "I'm A Woman." So this is looking like a two woman race for the title. The amazing thing about the two of them is neither seems to realize how good she is.

The Handy Geek

If you know me, you know that I most definitely not a handy man. To the point where even little household projects scare me to death. My wife has more confidence in my handyman abilities than I do. If you go back to last years blogs, you'll see the one about my putting together a gas grill and how she encouraged me to do it. Well the toilet seat in our bathroom has been broken for a loooong time. And my mom also got a new toilet seat for her bathroom and when you factor in Sunday's snow, I couldn't avoid the toilet seats any longer. So figured what the heck, and after unscrewing a total of 4 bolts and screwing them back in I had installed moms toilet seat and fixed the one in our bathroom. When you add that my shoveling a whole gang of snow Sunday afternoon I think I qualify for some kind of handy geek award :D

Snow Again

Ok, well we woke up to more snow this morning. Actually we woke up to my Pastor Porky calling to have me send out an email that church was canceled because it was snowing. I sent out the email and promptly went right back to sleep and didn't wake up til 11:30 or so. That was soooo nice, I can't remember the last time I slept that late and it was such a blessing to be able to do it. Not a whole lot else going on. I'm watching the end of this weeks race, and yes I've been awake the whole thing :D. Mark is 9th and I'm hoping he'll make a move toward the front soon.

More ramblings

In her comment to my previous post Kirsten made a couple of good points. First the comment about NASCAR being a good sport to snooze during is valid. I have been known to catch the first 20 or so laps, nap and then wake up for the last 25-30 laps and I know I'm not the only fan who does. Hehehe.

And I apologize to all of you for not keeping up with this blog. I started one over on battlecry.com and have been faithful with maintaining that one and unfortunately this one got ignored. You can click here or on the My Battlecry link over on the right and you can catch up on some of my previous posts. I promise I will try to more frequent with the posts here. Please feel free to leave any comments you'd like.

So I watched the 12 guys on American Idol last night and what a forgetful night of performances it was. I don't think anybody was fantastic. I thought Phil Stacey and Chris Sligh were the best of the bunch but that's not saying much. Nobody really wowed me last night and it'll be interesting to see how the ladies do tonight.

AAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!

Those of you who know me well know that I am a sports nut, and that I root for the Yankees, Cowboys and for Mark Martin with a passion. Well today's Daytona 500 broke my heart. I thought Mark had won the race that had eluded for sooo long and I was sure when cars started crashing again on the last lap NASCAR would do the right thing, throw the yellow and Mark would get the win. Well once again, NASCAR left me baffled with their inconsistency. No disrespect to Kevin Harvick either, I'm certainly not a fan of his but he made an awesome run to get up there and my hat is off to him. As with my previous post though, it seems as though NASCAR will continue to interpret the rules however they want to and fairness and safety will get rolled over. Oh I do hope this is Marks last season so I won't have to endure their inconsistency any longer.

He's AAALLLIIIVVVEEE!!!!

OK, I know it's been a really long time but I started another blog on Battlecry.com and have been posting there regularly. I'm gonna fire this one back up and see how it goes. First of all I'm glad to see NASCAR is finally getting serious about cheating, well at least they were until Wonderboy Gordon got caught and then all points deductions and tough talk went out the window and become a "mechanical malfunction." So his penalty is he has to start 42nd in the Daytona 500 and he gets to keep the win from the qualifying. Excuse me, but cheating is cheating and NASCAR had the perfect chance to say it doesn't matter who does it. I don't think it should have been on the level of the Waltrip, Kenseth or Kahne penalties, but 25 points deducted would have been enough to send a message that they aren't going to put with anything. But then Jeffy is the face of NASCAR and we've got to keep the egg of his face as much as possible.