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.