Sumo Schplumo

My family has always been very creative with gifts. This year was no exception. I got an awesome deck of card - awesome because my picture is on every card. I also got a halogen-light head lamp which will blind me (or those around me) if I'm not careful. I think the most anticipated present (because of it's laugh-ability) is a sumo costume. Thank you Lisa and anyone else that provided input on this one.

The kids loved this.

A Fine Farewell

Simply put, we had a crowd of people over today for a goodbye (and kind of birthday party - there were lots of treats on hand). Thank you Hart family, Aunt Judy, Allerton family, Biel family, Dusek Family (missed you, Michelle), and Ross family. To make things simpler Candi decided on hot dogs and side dishes. To make things more complicated I decided to make "gourmet" hot dogs. We had tangy, Southwest, Seattle-style, the Works, and cheesy dogs.

How could I have forgotten to grill the onions!

We had a great time! Once again, I thank the Lord for our trampoline. I couldn't have asked for a better time of family and friends before I leave. Everything that was important to me was there today (except for those unable to come) - thank you all.

A Fine Idea part 3

Wyatt and I went out last Thursday. When asked what he wanted to do he said Walmart (to look at toys), Target (same pursuit), Walmart again (you guessed it) and Dunkin Doughnuts. Candi suggested the Children's Museum downtown and Wyatt liked it. We spent a couple hours there and then proceeded with a miniature version of his original plan.
That's Storm Shadow at Toys-R-Us. What are the chances?

A Fine Idea pt 2

Christian chose Rocks-n-Ropes and dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. I'm always amazed at Christian's athleticism (knowing his dad's physical prowess ;-) ) and rock climbing to him is pretty natural. We of course took the truck and went to eat meat at the Texas Roadhouse. Sweet day.

Quote of the Day

Who can say that they are master of the their, and not the other way around? I think everyone wishes they had more time available. I identify with fathers that want to do great work at their professions, spend time with their children, be a great husband and friend to their wives, and serve God where He directs.

I feel my anxiety level rise just writing that list. I started a book recently that has really helped me become a better user of "my" time called Redeeming the Time written by Steven Maxwell. This is one passage on what Steve has to say about our activities.

"The Lord could have built a boat for Noah prior to the flood as opposed to it taking Noah up to a hundred years to build it. When He sent the children of Israel into Canaan, He could have wiped out the nations ahead of them. He didn't. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He first asked some men to remove the stone, but He could have spoken a word and had it go flying off into the air. The Lord doesn't need our efforts. Nonetheless, He required them. As James 2:26 says, "... faith without works is dead..."

A Fine Idea

The kids came up with a great idea about a month ago. With my pending departure, they decided that I would spend one day with each of the kids doing whatever they wanted, one day with Candi, and then on the fifth day we would go to Mt. Lemmon and stay in a cabin for the night.

Today was day 1 with Nori. We went to the new pottery place called Color Me Mine at the Park Place Mall. We had a really great time picking out the right piece, deciding on colors, and discussing the ice cream that would be eaten afterward, for the greater good.

Here are the pre-kiln pics.

I'm not sure about the cabin thing...

More From the Past... This is Fun

Christian, if you ever read this please know that I mean this in the best way possible. You were fat.

By Popular Demand

Here's the rest... these are from Sep 2002.

And Happy Birthday, Dad! I didn't get you a card, but I did ask the Vikings to beat my Cowboys. Love you!

In Honor of Throwback

We've changed some, but Mom's photo concepts haven't apparently.

It's in the Blood

As most of you know, late last year, I was supposed to take a trip to Iraq - Baghdad International Airport to be exact. At first I was o.k. to be gone for six months because of the learning opportunity it would provide (well, I was looking for the good in it anyway). Candi took the prep time to relive the glory days...