Merry Christmas!!!

From the Hershner family!!!

Jump!

So last night Holly, the boys and I went to the mall and did a little Chic-Fil-A together and then dropped Holly off to get her hair done. Yeah let me just say, I think EVERYONE in Cincinnati was there! There should have been traffic lights in the mall just to move people along. Gotta love that last minute Christmas shopping!

Anyway while Holly was getting her hair done, the boys and I headed to the play area in the middle of the mall. And just like most boys do, (or at least like MINE do) they played until playing just wasn’t enough anymore. Apparently if danger isn’t involved, it’s just not as fun! So Owen (2 ½) saw Cole (4 ½) jumping off of the bridge and thought…that looks like fun and thought he’d try that. (You know that whole thing, “If your brother jumped off of a bridge, would you do it too? Well I’m pretty sure Owen’s answer is, “Yep!”) Well after Owen would jump, he would hit so hard that he bounced! So as I’m taking his picture, the woman beside me says, “He’s hitting the ground pretty hard” (hint, hint). And as I’m holding my phone to take his picture, I say, “Uh huh.” (Check out the guy in the orange shirt in the background. It caught his attention too!)

Why is that? Why do little boys like danger? One explanation that I’ve read about in the book “Wild at Heart,” goes back to the very beginning of man when God created Adam. John Eldredge shares that in Genesis 2:7, God creates Adam. Then in verse 8 God places him in the Garden of Eden. Therefore although Eve was created in the Garden, Adam was not. Eldredge uses this to indicate that this might be why men and little boys desire adventure and the wild, because that’s where it all began.

Regardless of the reason, unlike the woman beside me,
I was pretty proud of my little guy’s jump!

Reality of Christmas!

This video basically says it all, so I'm going to let it!

"The Shack"...I mean..."The Cabin"

I'm headed to where my heart longs to be most every day...the woods!!! Let me introduce you to "The Cabin!" This is kind of like my home away from home! If you are a friend of Trevor or myself then there's a pretty good chance you've visited the cabin! It's kind of like it's not official until you've met the cabin...well sort of.

I know it may not look like much, but this picture stirs up many good memories for me and the many friends that have visited! And...if you look closely you may see the next generation of stories that are soon to come!

What place stirs up good memories for you?

Santa Clause Is Coming to Town

I know there is a lot of debate out there as to whether Santa Clause really exists or not. Now granted I don’t know exactly where you stand on this or what your experience is with this, but I felt that there was a definite need to post this. So for those of you who struggle with the idea of the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny or Santa Clause being real…I am posting this proof that Santa does exist!

Now I know exactly what you’re thinking and no…there are NO altercations to this photo! I just happened to get lucky and get this 1 in a million shot of the big man himself!

I am so setting cookies out this year!

Proud Daddy

Have you ever spoke or sang in front of people before? For some folks it is a scary thing to get in front of people to speak or sing. (My wife being one of these folks!) For me it all began when I was just a little guy. I can remember days and nights where dad would have all of his buddies over to play music and they would jam in our living room. Multiple guitars, both acoustic and electric would fill the house with sounds of vocals, violins and harmonicas. It basically depended on the night and the buddies that showed up. Although I didn’t play music at that time, me and Trevor (my brother) would run around in our underwear and dance to the music. Not the audience they were looking for…but it was fun for us!

Now that I’ve grown up some I don’t run around in my underwear “much” anymore. But one thing that I still enjoy is music! Well today I got the chance to appreciate some Christmas music sang by a bunch of pre-schoolers. My oldest son Cole sang at his Christmas concert / pageant and got to be on the “big stage!” Although he didn’t have a solo or special part, it was pretty special for “daddy” who got to watch and wave from a distance. While I was sitting there feeling proud of my little guy, it reminded me of how my dad said he felt when I was on stage. Neat how things come full circle sometimes! Here is a picture during the concert and one after.

Who are you proud of?

Have you let them know today?

The Only Thing

Several of you might have wondered, “I wonder why he has never mentioned God in any of his blogs…then again maybe you haven’t. But if you have, it’s because I have intentionally done this. However please don’t be mistaken. Because as the books “Esther” and “Song of Solomon” have never mentioned “God,” it in no way defines a lack of God’s presence! As good as my relationship is with the Author of life, I certainly have a LONG way to go! And if I can be transparent with you right now, I’d like to share a song with you that really identifies the heart of the one who authors this blog! (Listen)

Ronnie Freeman “The Only Thing”
http://www.myspace.com/ronniefreemanmusic

What song do you identify with?

Family Night!

Here is a small glimpse into a night at the Hershner household as the boys are INTENTLY watching Ice Age 3 "Dawn of the Dinosaurs!" I think Owen was a little scared, so he jumped up on mom's lap. Gotta love a movie night!

Don't forget to spend some good quality time

with your friends or family this weekend!

P.S.--This is random, but if you have an iphone

check out this website and you get to upload a free game each day.

http://appventcalendar.com/

The adventure continues...

Here is a picture to bring back a few memories for me. At first glance it resembles my two boys, Cole and Owen. However when you look at the picture a little closer you should notice the cut off jeans and the old green station wagon in the background. Yep, early 80's! Good times!

In this picture Trevor and I had just got done doing some Pete Rose dives through mud puddles left behind by a storm that passed through the night before. Not sure when mom took this picture, but it has accurately captured the hearts of both Trevor and me…“Go for the adventure!” So much so that I think we forgot to eat!

Although a lot of things have changed since the 80’s…I still have the desire for adventure! And if given the chance, I would join these little boys and take another Pete Rose dive with them!

Not sure where I wanted to go with this post,
except to recognize that this little boy’s adventure still continues!
I hope yours does too!

It's Skyline Time Tonight!

Every year about this time, things have a tendency to spin out of control. Gifts to buy, house to clean, decorations to put up, parties to attend, dinners to make, MORE gifts to buy…and all of this with a smile to hide the stress of it all. Well here is a story about a family that has decided to do things a little different this year. Instead of falling into the same routine year after year, these children have decided to think beyond themselves and get to the heart of what Christmas is really all about!

Erika(14), Emily(14), Sami(9) and Josh(6) (all siblings) have decided to try and raise $1,000 dollars to buy presents for terminally ill children at Children’s Hospital! They are calling this effort, “Creating Smiles for Kids!” This is not a school activity or an idea their parents pushed on them. This idea came from when one of them was a patient at Children's Hospital and when leaving, she left with a deep sense of need to do something for those children who couldn't leave! Currently they have already teamed with Chic-Fil-A and are now teaming with Skyline (At Beechmont and Salem) TONIGHT between 5 - 8pm!!!

Here are the details for those of you in the

Cinci area that would like to help:

Who: Erika, Emily, Sami, Josh
What: Fund raiser for terminally ill children
Where: Skyline (Beechmont and Salem)
When: (TONIGHT) Monday, December 7th between 5 - 8pm
How to help: Simple! Enjoy some Skyline tonight at this location and be sure to write “Creating Smiles for Kids” on your bill and Skyline will donate 20% to their cause!

Thank you Erika, Emily, Sami and Josh for helping me

see a greater side of the Christmas season!

Christmas Decorations

I didn't have time today to write what I wanted to say, so instead I'm sending a little humor your way. Here's a story from someone named Kerry:

"Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas decorations. The bad news is that I had to take him down after 2 days. I had more people come screaming up to my house than ever. Great stories. But two things made me take it down. First, the cops advised me that it would cause traffic accidents as they almost wrecked when they drove by.

Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed
herself putting it against my house and didn't realize it was fake until she climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way, she was one of many people who attempted to do that. My yard couldn't take it either. I have more than a few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard. Kind of feel like I gave in to the man by taking him down but my neighbor did confirm to near miss accidents on the busy street next to my house. I think I made him too real this time, so it was fun while it lasted."

--Kerry--

Ahh...Christmas memories

Alright, I have to be honest with you. Yesterday’s post about “O Holy Night” was not actually by me. But for as bad as it was, it almost has 200,000 views which isn't too shabby! I found it on youtube and thought it would be a fun hello for Dec. 1st to kick off the Christmas season!

Hey, let me ask you this. Since Christmas is what…23 days away, what are some of your favorite memories or traditions that you and your family used to do? Do you have any good stories worth sharing?

Well for me I remember we had a 50’ foot Christmas tree in our living room one year. (Well it seemed like 50’ when I was little) Anyway I remember we had it set up and all I could think about was finding this “Big Bird Sesame Street Jacket” underneath of it for Christmas!!! This jacket was the hottest item in my opinion that year! (And no it wasn’t my senior year) Anyway on Christmas day as we were opening presents there was a box sitting on the floor that had my name on it. It was all wrapped up and was exactly the right size to possibly be hiding this 1 in a million jacket! When my mom handed it to me I tore it open, hoping this was the jacket that was going to make me the coolest kid at my school! I opened it up and sure enough it was a Sesame Street jacket!!! However…as I turned it over it was...Oscar the Grouch! WHAT!!! Now I was going to be known as “The Grouch” of the school??? I wish I could say that I eventually came to my senses and realized that it cost my parents a lot of money and they tried their best…buttttttt…yeeaahhh……not so much.

Right behind me was a fireplace that my dad had started earlier to keep us warm on that early morning. (Yeah, you’re already ahead of me) Well as soon as mom and dad left the room I opened the door and threw it in and closed the door. My mom came into the room and saw the fire blazing and asked, “Where’s your jacket?” Let me just stop things there. Needless to say…funnier now!

Anyway if you get a chance,
send me good Christmas story that you have!

American Idol...here I come!

Well...it's officially December! For some of you you're dreading the fact that it’s December and are still trying to wake up from the Triptephan over Thanksgiving. For others, you are excited and listening to Christmas music, putting up Christmas lights, Christmas trees, making hot chocolate, burning wood in your fireplaces, watching Christmas movies, burning Yankee candles to remind you of Christmas, making some hot chocolate and possibly…already making cookies!

I may not be doing all of those things, but one thing that I have been doing is singing some Christmas songs. As most of you know…I love to sing. So I’ve recorded and posted on youtube…me singing, “O Holy Night.” Pitchy in a few places, but overall not too bad.

Let me know what you think!