What's on your bucket list?

From the time that I was in high school I've always had the idea that one day I would go skydiving. It's always been one of those things on my bucket list. For many it's the thrill factor that they seek. Not me. Don't get me wrong I LOVE adventure and finding new ways to overcome most of life's hurdles...but heights??? It's funny when I was telling my tandem partner about my fear of heights, he said, "It's not heights, it's altitude." Call it whatever you want, but apparently now I've got another fear...fear of altitude. Thanks buddy!

Anyway skydiving was my way of facing this fear. I never want anything in this world to hold me back from enjoying the fruits of life, so I jumped at the opportunity to go with some good friends. Let me just say, if you've never been, it's quite the experience! You may not be afraid of heights or "altitude," but I promise you, when that door opens at 13,000 ft and you watch those ahead of you get sucked out of the plane...it becomes REAL real fast! With all of that said, I need to say, "It was GREAT!" - Thanks Clint! - If you get a chance to go then take it. Never let anything hold you back from witnessing the undiscovered parts of life!

So now many ask, "Would you do it again?" My answer is, "With another group of friends, yes. But just to do it because I'm hooked now...nope." Anyway here are a few pics to show that I jumped and survived. -Although, the last picture could pass for another blog entry about coming back from a trip to the moon.

Paper & Heart

Every week, sometimes every day, Cole asks to go to work with me. It's something that I can usually count on when I wake up each morning. Fun Fact: He told Holly that when he grows up he's going to have his office right beside mine so we can work together! As his daddy there's a part of me that wishes age 5 stayed a little longer. Because I know that over time, age 5 will become a small dot in his rear view mirror and comments like this will become less frequent. But for now I record it in my memory bank and enjoy it while it's here!

As you can see in the picture below, Cole made it to work with me this day. He decided that he would write his first book. I'm not going to tell you about it as to hinder his sales on Amazon... Anyway it was a very cool moment when he came to me to show me his book of Adventure on a day with dad! Thought it was worth sharing!

(Yeah I'm not sure what the yarn was supposed to be either?)

My Hero!

Many of you have probably already seen this, but in my adventures of being a dad I couldn't help but be motivated by this story again!



My goal, as a dad, is to impress upon my boys
that the word "can't" doesn't exist in our family!

Months into parenthood...

Many of you have seen our friend's website and have shared in this journey with Sean, Sheyenne and their daughter Whitney. I haven't posted any follow-ups about them lately, so I decided that it was time. Rather than me trying to explain things and catch you up in my own words, I'll let them share.

Thanks for praying for them and for your encouraging comments that I'm sure are helpful through this season of life.

http://www.churchonmission.typepad.com/seanandshey/

You get a line and I'll get a pole...

I'm not sure what you do for fun and relaxation, but for my family, one of the ways we kick back is to head down to the OH river. No matter the course that life takes us, we have always seemed to find a way to flank a bad day. That may not make sense to you, but that's been our approach to this adventure that we call, "Life!"

Well this past weekend Holly, Cole, Owen and myself went down to the river. A dozen night crawlers, a fishing pole in hand and some snacks to munch on, we were set! Although Cole and Owen decided throwing mud up in the air and letting it land in their hair was more adventurous, we still somehow managed to catch some fish. Here's a few pictures from our day of adventure!

Striper #1 for Cole

Striper #2 for Cole

Striper #3 for Cole

Striper #4 for Cole (Nice fish!)

Catfish #1

Catfish #2

Cole Striper #5
(Owen had to be in the shot too)

Finally Owen's first fish!
(2 1/2 yrs old)
_________________________________

Get out with your family today!
Too often we wait for the weekend to do anything "FUN."
Why is that?
Get the fam together and make Monday an adventure,
don't sit around waiting for one to happen!!!

* Go on a walk together!

* Ride bikes as a family!
* Go to the park!
* Make a fort out of couch cushions and have a family movie night!
* Make supper together!
* Heck, go fishing!
* If you've got a better idea, do that!

Let me know how it turns out!

Duke

I'm not necessarily a Duke fan, in fact, I don't have a favorite college basketball team that I root for period. However for this years March Madness bracket, I had them winning it. And as most of you already know, Duke pulled it off which catapulted me to the top in order to win this years office bracket. So now that I walk away with $10,000 dollars....I mean a pat on the back, I can honestly say...yeah, I still know nothing about college basketball teams."

Are your days like that? I mean do you ever walk through a day wondering, "Do I really know what I'm doing, or am I just getting by?" Are you intentional with your approach to life or do you waiver with whatever comes your way and hope that works out for you? (Kind of like my bracket) What I'm getting at is, "Do you have specific goals in mind, things you'd like to accomplish?" Like personal goals /family goals / financial goals / spiritual goals /long term / short term goals?
Second part is, "Then what steps are you taking to achieve them?"

It seems to me that most people have a checklist with life.
And once those boxes are checked off, boredom sets in.
Looks something like this:

1) Find that special someone (check) -- Ask out on a date
2) Start dating = (check) --Looking forward to engagement

3) Get engaged (check) --Looking forward to wedding day
4) Get married (check) --Looking forward to first home
5) Buy or move into first house (check) --Looking forward to kids
6) Have first child (check) --Maybe another one
7) Have second child (check) --Boy and a girl. Now we're done
8) Oops, have 3rd child (check)

............Now what?????

Veg out until retirement,
then wish you could have those years back????
.............Seriously???

I don't want to be "that guy" so a while ago I've been making and creating NEW goals on many different levels that I hope to accomplish over time! And even if I come short of accomplishing these goals after giving full effort, I still leave with some pretty cool stories from my attempts at these adventures.

That's my approach and I'm sticking to it.

The Big Apple

Gosh, it feels like it's been FOREVER since I've posted anything! I guess that's because this past week I was on vacation. What started out as a vacation to simply relax at home with the family, ended up with me flying to Albany, New York.

Let me explain:

See Holly and I have been looking for a car for a while now. We had a 1994 Honda Civic Coupe that Holly had been driving since she was 16 years old! It's been a great car, but it was time for us to start looking for a replacement. We looked around at different cars and I even test drove a couple, many of which were out of our price range. This led us to Ebay, which is how we purchased our van back in 05. Anyway we came across a 2007 Toyota Prius from Albany, New York. Holly and I were shocked at the price and tried to figure out why it was so low. I called (Vinny), the dealer in NY, and he assured me that everything was good. What's funny is when I called the dealer and asked for Vinny, the girl said, "Which one?" Holly said, "It's NY, what did you expect?" Anyway after talking with Vinny, we agreed on a price and I bought a one-way plane ticket to Albany, NY.

--You know even though I've done this before, it's never easy to buy something that you've never seen first hand. I say that but that's how we bought our van, our house, and now our car. (Yes, we bought our house without ever having seen it in person.) Anyway long story short, our Ebay adventure led us to a 4:30am morning, 1 flight to Albany, NY to meet "Vinny," and a 718 mile ride back to Cincy in in the 07 Toyota Prius! I have to say, We LOVE it!!! A very cool adventure!!! Here's a few pictures of the quick trip.

Getting ready to leave

Somewhere above NY

Back home with the fam!

Where has your adventure led you?

They're here...

Tonight the African Children's Choir will be performing here at Parkside at 7:00pm!

These 23 children are from Uganda, Africa and we get the privilege of hosting a couple of the boys tonight at our house. If I have any good stories worth sharing I'll have to post them tomorrow.

Anyway if your close to the Cinci area, come on...
it's FREE and concert begins at 7:00pm.

NCAA Tournament Bracket

At the office we've put together our brackets like I'm sure most of you have done. And like most of you...KANSAS...messed my bracket up quite a bit! However even with that, I am currently leading the 22 brackets that are on our wall here in the office (one in the middle is a chart of current stats). It's funny that someone who doesn't watch basketball leads the pack. I realize this could be very temporary, so I'm posting while I'm on top! (Fist pump)

Let me know how you're doing!
Or...let me know if you have no idea of what I'm talking about!

What is the value of "one day"...

...I guess it really depends on who you ask.

Some would say a single day is expendable,

while others would describe the value of a day as irreplaceable!

Yesterday I sat down with a lady who has a close friend going through a very difficult time. Her friend is a Latino Pastor whose son is in a coma, so I agreed to go to Children’s Hospital and spend some time with this family that I have never met before. The family didn’t speak English very well so our conversations were being interpreted. Let me say this, “Regardless of a language barrier, there is a mysterious level of comfort, empathy and bond when Jesus is the common denominator! And that was definitely the case here!” Some of you know exactly what I mean.

Well without going into a lot of detail, we all circled up, held hands and prayed for this 15 year old boy to regain consciousness. As I was closing out my visit with this family the boy's father said this, “I believe that God is capable of raising my son out of this coma! I believe that with all my heart! (he paused, then went on)...But I also believe that God’s ways are so much higher than my own. And because of this, I humbly accept His answer, regardless if that answer is settling to me or not. From my human perspective I am pained to see my boy this way, and wish for nothing more than for him to come home with me. But if he does not wake here, I know that he will awake to a scene I can only imagine! And because of this I am at peace.”

What else can I say, except he nailed it! Now the difficult part will be for him to live this out, as I received a phone call earlier that his son has moved on.

'What is the value of "one day" day for you?'

Eeewwwhhh

This past weekend my brother, his wife and 2 kids came down for a visit which was very nice! Well one night the boys were playing together on the floor and Owen (2 1/2) was "doing the dance." You know the kind of dance that little boys do when they "have to go," but can't seem to pull themselves away from playing? Yeah, that's the one! Well after asking him if he had to go potty, he ran to the restroom and grabbed the little potty seat off of the toilet and literally threw it up against the wall, because THIS WAS HIS EMERGENCY!!! All of this was so much of a priority that he didn't even care to close the door, which is how we witnessed this next part.

Now before I go on let me say, "We could have probably won $10,000 dollars on America's Funniest Videos!" See when he got off the big potty, he did what he was supposed to do. He got his own toilet paper "like a big boy," then he wiped his bottom "like a big boy." Now I wish I could say that it all ended here, but it didn't. Because after wiping his bottom, he directly pulled it up and wiped his nose without any hesitation!!!....
Yeah...that's how we all reacted too! "NOOOOOO!!!" is the only answer any of us had for this horrific scene!!! I instantly jumped to my feet and ran to rescue him! Thankfully there wasn't anything to clean off, but believe me...I scrubbed his face anyway!

TMI...maybe, but it cracked us up. I am honestly at a loss for why he even did this in the first place. Whatever the reason, I'm still a little scarred by that night.

I guess the moral of this story is this:

"Toilet paper is used to clean things,
but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE...
clean these things one at a time!!!"

Our New Floor

This past week Holly and I decided to redo our kitchen / dining room floors. It's not a very big area, but after taking out tile, grout, concrete backer board, and additional backer board, it became a much bigger job than we originally thought.
(Isn't that how it usually goes though?)

Anyway, I decided to show you the fruits of our "blood, sweat and tears." And I am being serious when I say, "blood, sweat and tears."

Blood--Because I had to super glue Holly's hand shut after being sliced on a tile.

Sweat--Because that's what bodies do when you're working hard.

Tears--At 1:00am one night Holly cried when we couldn't figure something out (Wasn't funny then, but it is now)

Anyway, here are some pictures:

Ohio River Adventure

As many of you know, I like to go fishing! Well this past weekend I took Cole out fishing to the Ohio River. Since January he has been begging me to go fishing, so when the sun came out this past weekend we didn't pass it up. And let me tell you, it REALLY IS an adventure when you take a 5 year old fishing! I think I did more untangling line, setting the line and coaching him HOW TO CAST, than I did anything else! (Even though it was getting old, I realized these days will pass soon enough so I was proud to do it!)

Well in between doing all of this I saw my pole moving, however it wasn't moving too much so I didn't reel it in. Anyway after I was getting ready to call it quits, I caught this "thing" below. Let me say, over the many years of going fishing I can honestly say I've never caught one of these. Call it strange, ugly, weird...but Cole and I call it another adventure!

Here's a quick quiz for you:

What do you think this creature is called?
Any thoughts?

Brain Test

I want to let you know that I WAS able to do this, however there were a few times that my foot wasn't listening. I drew the number 6 very well each time with my hand, but it was my foot that seemed not to follow. In fact I began smiling a little bit, not because it was fun, but because it was sort of frustrating that I was losing this stupid, silly brain test. Then when I nailed it and did it right a few times in a row, I stopped as if I was walking away with the upper hand.

Let me know how it went for you!

When a child moves on...

For those of you keeping up with our freinds' story, here is a picture of them while at the hosptial! Even going through one of life's most difficult hurdles, I believe this picture captured a marriage at its best in my opinion!!! Love you guys!

If you'd like to read more about their story:

http://www.churchonmission.typepad.com/seanandshey

Super Glue

Super Glue is such a wonderful thing!

I mean seriously, I'm sure each of you have used it at some point in time on SOMETHING! I mean what else can you use to re-glue toys, pottery, your rear view mirror...and my all time favorite...SKIN!!! Which is where I'll pick up my story from this weekend.


Holly and I have been working on our kitchen floor by breaking out the tile that's currently in there. Well on Saturday, just as everything had been going smoothly with breaking up the tile, I hear a hammer hit the floor and hear Holly say, "Uhh! Oh no Clayton, I just cut myself and it's bad!" Nonchalantly I say, "Let me see." After seeing about a half inch gash in her hand, I told her to pinch it shut and that it wasn't too bad. Reality, yeah she could have used stitches. But what's funny is, we were too cheap to go to the ER. So instead I went and got some Super Glue that we had so I could glue it shut! (Now before you think I'm the worst husband in the world, realize that super glue is like Dermabond which hospitals sometimes use instead of using stitches.) Anyway the funniest part, looking back on it now, was right before I glued it I asked her, "Do you want to go to the hospital because it's going to scar."
Her response, "I don't care as long as you don't care."

...Now...I wish I could say that, right then and there we gazed into each others eyes and got mushy with phrases like:

"Honey, I'd love you with or without scars."
"Heck honey, I'd love you with or without hands."
"Honey, I'd still love you even if you were a vegetable."
And then realizing how deep our love goes for each other, we passionately started kissing...

...Instead it was more of us looking at each other,
as if to read the others mind
Holly: "You're really going to glue my hand aren't you."
Me: "...Yep!"

May seem silly to others, but I love our marriage!

The Tooth Fairy

I thought this was worth sharing!
(Her mother sent this to me and I had to share it!)

A little 6 year old girl wrote this letter today right before school. But before she put it under her pillow, she gave it to her mother and included some instructions. She said, "Scan it and send it to my friend and make sure she knows what the Tooth Fairy is up to!"


So "Tooth Fairy," if you're reading this...
you might want to rethink the whole tooth steeling bit!
Apparently money isn't enough these days.

A Love Story

If you have not read any of my previous blogs about an amazing little girl named, "Whitney" then you have missed out on an incredible story! Sean and Sheyenne are not only friends of ours, they are an encouragement to everyone who has read or heard about their personal journey into parenthood!

Let me step out of the way and open the door to their story...

http://www.churchonmission.typepad.com/seanandshey

Love you guys!

Charlie Bit Me

If you haven't seen this clip before, then you've probably been living under a rock somewhere. That or you don't do YouTube very often. Either way, this is probably THE most watched video clip ever posted on that site. So whether your seeing this for the very first time, or laughing at this clip again for the 100th time...here you go!

Laughter can be contagious

Things have gotten away from me today so instead of not posting anything, I'll leave you with a short video clip. And if you haven't had much to laugh about today, this may be just what you needed.



Who knows, maybe your smile today is just what he/she needed

Not Just A Receipt

Recently we went to Taco Bell for some lunch. Cole was still hungry and so we gave him some money to buy another soft taco. He went and paid for it ALL BY HIMSELF, which apparently to him was a BIG deal! As you can see in the picture, he was so proud of his receipt! It was kind of like his verification or certification that HE did it ALL BY HIMSELF!!! It was his trophy! His confidence has now grown to a level that he now feels ready to carry the tray to the table, drinks and all. (Although I've let him, that's not an easy one to sit back and watch!) But I guess that's all part of the whole learning process.

When I see these moments of him not needing dad or mom anymore, it quickly makes me realize that he's growing up right before our eyes! And it's in those vulnerable moments, as a daddy, that I want to be sad. But I soon realize that these are the signs of what I have hoped to instill within him as his daddy. I hope to raise my boys as independent, confident young men who will see possibilities in life rather than limitations in life! And although I haven't done this perfectly, I am beginning to see signs of these accomplishments!

So as I look at this picture, I begin to see that what he's holding is more than just a receipt for food...

Whose life/lives are you intentionally investing in?

Whitney's Story Continued

For those of who you read my blog entitled "Whitney's Day," you know that our good friends have been moving through some difficult days here lately after being separated from their daughter. Rather than pretending I know what to say in situations like this, I'm just going to post their follow-up story of Whitney.

http://www.churchonmission.typepad.com/seanandshey

TODAY'S WINNER...

If you're just tuning in, yesterday there was a MAJOR...HUGE...GIGANTIC...TITANIC-LIKE competition, (yeah, that big), as to who could guess how many pieces of Lucky Charms that were in the bowl below. Anyway I'm pleased to say that as cut throat as this competition was, nobody was hurt.


Okay, okay now getting to the winner!
As I painfully counted these out piece by piece, I came to this number...(which I will tell you right after this commercial.) Hey that's what they do on American Idol. Can't stand that.

The highest number submitted was: 615
The lowest number submitted was: 155
The closest number submitted was: 262

Actual pieces of Lucky Charms = 387
So the WINNER to this competition is...............

KRISTAN!!!

For all of you who submitted numbers, thanks for playing and I hope you had a little bit of fun with this! Special thanks goes to the makers of Lucky Charms for providing the tools for this strange, but fun competition. And for coming up with the phrase, "They're Magically Delicious" which is just fun to say!

Let's play..."Are You Lucky?"

Are you Lucky?
(How many pieces of Lucky Charms are in the bowl?)

Okay so yesterday I sat down to eat a bowl of "Lucky Charms!" You know...the cereal that says, "They're Magically _________!" (Please tell me you didn't just sing that out loud) Anyway if you managed to finish the phrase correctly, then you either love the irresistible taste of this marshmallowy cereal, or you just watch WAY too much TV! ....L..i...k..e ME...HIGH FIVE!!!

Well my son Cole is big in to numbers and said, "WOW, that's like a thousand pieces of cereal Daddy!" And I said, "Eh, it's probably more like 3oo." Then while we were both just staring at each other in a trance-like-sort-of-way, I looked away and thought, "I wonder how many there really are?" So I began counting. Stupid you say...Why? There wasn't any milk in there yet. Anyway I wasn't about to lose this guessing competition to a 5 year old!

So now here's your chance! You need to guess how many pieces of Lucky Charms were in this bowl in the picture above! The closest person to the actual number gets a BRAND...NEW...CAR!!! (I even said it like they do on the game shows!) Okay you don't get a car, but I will mention you as the winner in tomorrow's blog. Hey if you're going to whine about the trophy then don't play. Alright, clock is ticking...I will only take 1 guess per person and will stop accepting guesses by 3:00pm / Wednesday / February 17th / 2010!
(That's my fine print, legal stuff)

Email guess to: chershner@visitparkside.com
"They're magically delicious!"...GO!!!

Whitney's Day

Some real good friends of ours have been pregnant with their first child, whom they have named Whitney. Just as any first time parents would be, Sean and Sheyenne have been excited to meet this little girl of theirs! Today they got the opportunity to meet their little girl, however it was not under the circumstances they had hoped for. Yesterday doctors could not find Whitney's heartbeat and so Sheyenne was scheduled to give birth to Whitney today, as still born.

I don't write this so you can feel sorry for them. In fact I write this to celebrate the fact that, although Whitney's time on earth was limited, she has impacted MANY LIVES...including mine! How is it that a little girl, who has not seen this side of the womb, impact so many lives? I don't have that answer. I just know she has! Sean and Sheyenne, although wading through this painful situation, have managed to carry an amazing story of hope throughout their whole pregnancy! I couldn't possibly say things better than them, so here's the link to their AMAZING journey with their little girl Whitney!

www.churchonmission.typepad.com/seanandshey

Love you guys!


A similar story of the complications that Whitney had

Just a Snowman...or something more?

Yesterday I posted some things to do in the snow with friends or family. It isn’t just advice that I gave for others, because when I got home Holly, the boys and I went out and built a snowman together. The best part was when we got him finished, Cole looked up at the snowman and asked, “Is he alive?”

You know building this snowman wasn’t just about rolling up 3 sections of snow and piecing them together in order to create a snowy sculpture. It was more about intentionally creating some fun and memorable moments with my family! Weeks from now, “Frosty” will have melted away, but those memories of building him will last much longer.

It’s funny how many opportunities we find
when we intentionally look for them!

SNOW DAY!!!

Here’s a picture from my office window that I took this morning. I personally like this weather A LOT!!! Granted I don’t like it for the people who have to drive on the roads, but for me there’s nothing like a good snowy day! I know this excitement isn’t shared by everyone, so I’ve posted some things that might help you enjoy it a little better.

Things to do on a day like today:

* Be grumpy and complain about things the entire day...or...
* Get out and make a snow angel (Seriously, when's the last time you did that?)
* Have a snowball fight! (If you don't have someone to pick a fight with, call me! It's on!)
* Go out and make a snowman! (This was our 7 1/2 ft tall snowman! Good memories!!!)

* Get some hot chocolate and make tonight a movie night with family or friends! (This past Thursday night I set up a full 6 man tent in our basement for Holly, the boys and I so we could watch a movie right from the tent! I recommend it! It definitely gives a fun feel to a movie night!)
* Or get out and shovel a neighbor's driveway!

Either route you take, there are some opportunities that come with this new day! Enjoy it, regardless if you like the white stuff or not! Who knows...maybe by creating a fun memory in the snow it will change the way you view it in the future.

For what it's worth, enjoy it! I know I will!

Drew Brees

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints, winners of this years Super Bowl! In case you don't know who Drew Brees is, he's the starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. That's not the title that he's most proud of though. Here's a semi short video of Drew in an interview talking about something that matters more to him than a Super Bowl win!

Brotherly Love

This is a video of my boys back in the summer of '08.
A fun clip that I thought was worth sharing!

"Trip to the Dentist"

Video #2: "Trip to the Dentist"
Leave it to a dad to video tape his son's trip to the dentist!
And being a dad myself...I laughed!

Video #1 "Flip...the News Reporter"

Each day this week I'm going to post a video.
Feel free to write your thoughts about the video or you keep them to yourself...your call.
Either way, hope you enjoy this one!

Star Spangled Banner

You may have seen this before, but even if you have,

it's worth watching again.
(I believe the oldest girl is 8 and the youngest is 5)

Random

Phrase of the day: "Sounds good"

Song of the day: "Heartless" by Kanye West

Thought of the day: "If I eat a happy meal, will it really make me happy?"

Funny of the day: "Calling 1-800-295-0051 to the Nestle Hotline / wait for the operator to ask English or Spanish / do nothing / the number options will begin...press 4 and listen."

Best part of the day: "Going home to see my family!"

Advice for the day: "Don't do the breath check where people can see you. Seriously everyone knows what you're doing.

"Tying my shoes"

Have you ever been so frustrated that you just wanted to give up?

Cole, my 5 year old, is just learning how to tie his shoes. Talk about a frustrated little 5 year old. He starts out pretty good as he’s putting the shoe on, then after about a minute of making the loop and wrapping the other shoe lace around it…things begin to fall apart. At times it can be kind of funny. I try not to laugh, but I don’t always do well at that.

Here’s how the process goes:

* He happily goes and gets his shoes
* Sits down, unties the laces and puts the first shoe on
* He then begins making the loop or loops to move forward
* Starts making the loop or loops over...again
* (Hhhhhhh)...(mad growl)…then starts again
* With a shaky, whiny voice says, “I can’t get it!”
* He starts back over…again…(I try not to let him see me smiling)
* Slams his foot on the ground and fusses
* Gets back to it and FINALLY get’s it tied!!!!
* Only to find out it’s on the wrong foot. (Now he sees me smiling)

Do you ever get that way? You try something over and over again and still can’t seem to win, till you finally just want to give up? Then other times you push through the frustration to get the job done, only to find out you didn’t do it the “right” way.

Why is that? Why do we have those days? It’s almost as if going back to bed is the best solution to that type of day. Regardless of what the “right” answer is, these days happen to all of us at some point or another. It may not be with tying our shoes, but it’s on a level that’s real to us in that very moment. I guess when these days find us, consider this…

Maybe it’s not that you’re doing it wrong after all. Maybe that’s just your way of doing it. Because when the shoe is finally tied and someone looks down and says, “They’re on the wrong feet,” remember this…“If they were on the wrong feet, then they wouldn’t be on your feet.”

That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!

A good man has moved on

7 days ago would have been my Papaw’s 78^th birthday, but back in April he stopped celebrating his birthday’s here on earth after moving on to bigger and better things! And although I know he’s moved on to a better life, I tend to still miss him from time to time. So I’m going to dedicate this blog to a man who has helped inspire me and others to live life a little fuller because of his example.

Here are some things that, when I remember him, make me proud to be his grandson:

• He left school at a very early age so he could work in the mines of KY to help support his family
• Became a Corporal Medic in the US Army
• Married his sweetheart Patsy! My mom later asked him, “Why did you marry Mother?” His response (no joke) was, “I don’t know. We started going together and just kept it up.” (For 54 years I might add) Too funny!
• His contagious laugh (The man seemed to always laugh)
• His jokes (After telling a joke he would just laugh, even if it really wasn’t all that funny) – Makes me laugh now though. Go figure.
• His love for the Lord and his family!
• One thing I remember him telling me right before he moved on was this: “We shouldn’t just love some people! We need to love ALL people!” In that same conversation over the phone, I mentioned that I wished I could be there with him. His answer to me, “Don’t chew you worry, we’ll be together again!” That was my last conversation with him…at least for now…

Who do you miss that has impacted your life?

"one of those days"

So yesterday I didn’t blog. Here's why. Have you ever had "one of those days?” I mean, I think we all pretty much know what someone means when they say this. Well for me it really was “one of those days.” I honestly cannot say exactly what triggered it either. It was much more subtle than that. It was as if, over the course of the day, I began doubting the things that I’m capable of. Like thinking thoughts of, “I’m not good enough for this” or “I’m not good enough at that,” and I slowly began to agree and believe that. And it wasn't as if I could even trace it back to anything that would have caused it. For instance:

* Things good with the wife? (check)
* Boys doing good? (check)
* Watching the new season of 24 where Jack Bauer can get tazzed / get beat up/ foil an assassination attempt / and hook up with an old girlfriend from the past, all in one episode? (check)

Maybe that’s the key, change my name to Jack Bower and I’ll believe I can do anything. As you can probably tell, today is a much different day. I guess the main reason I wanted to be transparent about yesterday was so that if anyone reading this blog is having, “one of those days,” you can be encouraged. We all go through these up and down moments in life and it’s okay to go through them…but we can’t stay there. For me it takes getting away and talking with God. For you it might be something different. Whatever it is, my advice to you is to not let yourself stay there. It’s okay to have a bad day, but tomorrow it’s time to move on.

May not be real polished, but there's my 2 cents.

0 - 5 in the blink of an eye

I've always heard from folks who are a generation ahead of myself say, "Time goes by so fast with your kids!" So I have taken their advice, which has moved me to daily soak up my time with both of my boys! Well yesterday was Cole's 5th birthday, which is just crazy to me! As you can see from this first picture, things have changed quite a bit from how they started.

I remember when:

* He would sleep after every meal

* He would let me hold him until he fell asleep on me

* He would never talk back

* He always needed my help

* He threw up all the time (well I guess I don't miss that)

But as you can see, that has now become a thing of the past. See for some this can be a sad reflection of how time really does goes by too fast, but from my perspective I am glad to see his life move forward. Sure I enjoyed those earlier days and would never take ANYTHING for those amazing memories!!! However I am certainly enjoying these new seasons of watching a boy learn what it's like to be 5 for the very first time!

* To hear him count to 40

* To watch him take a scrape on the knee and consider it "cool"

* To hear him pray well beyond his years

* To wrestle with him (letting him win) then literally watch his confidence grow

* To hear him talk back (that will go away when he hits his teen right?)

All in all, I have enjoyed these 5 years with my son...no doubt! But I certainly don't want to keep looking back as to miss who he is now and who he is daily becoming!

Happy Birthday Cole
From Daddy

Eye love my wife!

Okay, so if you have a weak stomach or don’t do well when looking at graphic photos, then this blog probably isn’t for you. For those of you who say, “Bring it on,” well stick around and carry on.

2009 wasn’t the easiest year for my wife, so when the idea came up for her to renew contact lenses and get new glasses, I suggested Lasik eye surgery. I was hoping that this would be a positive step forward for her and I wasn’t going to let money hold us back. Plus it helps that I hit the Power Ball lottery in NC this past year. (True story! I actually won 4 dollars!)

Anyway I was given the option to watch the surgery today and I said, “Yes.” I took some photos and thought I would post them and let you see exactly what I saw. I’ve put them in order from “not so bad…to ewwwwhhh.”

(Pic 1) Close up of the eye while closed
(Pic 2) The outer layer of the eye has been peeled away and is getting ready for solution to be put in.
(Pic 3) Yeah…that’s the layer being pulled back. (Told you it was graphic!)

I might as well just stop here, because most likely everyone has already left.
“See” you later!

Haiti

Of anything that I could have posted today, it would have simply paled in comparison to what the people of Haiti are going through today.

Whether you pray or not, please remember these people!
For those of you that pray, please do that at this time!

50 today!!!

Today is sort of a mile marker for me. I’ve officially hit 50 blogs that I’ve written to date! (Wait for the applause…umm that’s your cue) I know that probably doesn’t mean anything to anyone else, but for me it’s been a small accomplishment. Basically the whole reason that I started writing these blogs was that I felt it would be one way for folks to see other sides of me besides a minister. Although I am a “Children’s minister” at Parkside Christian Church, there are many other titles that I would say define me as a person.

For instance I am a “husband” to a beautiful woman that I have had the privilege of calling, “my wife” for the past 9 years! A “daddy” to 2 special boys that I intentionally pour my love into, in the hopes that they will one day become great men! A “brother” to 3 great siblings! (One of which I used to beat up, but is now stronger than me.) A “son” to two incredible people who have loved me and whom have set many examples for me within the 33 years of my life! “Grandson” to my Mamaw whom I love very much! “Uncle” to seven little guys and gals who think I’m the coolest thing ever! (Okay I might have made up that last part, but seriously, it’s not like they’re going to read this) “Nephew,” “Cousin,” Neighbor,” “Friend”…etc.

These are GREAT titles that define some amazing relationships, but I have to say, the one that I’m most proud of is…“child of God!” The first part of James 3:1 says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” As imperfect as I am and as many times as I mess up, I will always be proud that the Creator of the universe chooses to attach me with this title!!!

At the end of a day, what title are you most proud of?

The "man test!"

Let me just say, there are no apologies with this blog that you’re about to read. In fact this is about my friends and I living up to the idea of never getting too old to have a little fun. Like it or not, this is us.

Let me set it up for you. Every year for the past 7 years, during New Years Eve, we guys do a “man test.” Now if you’re already rolling your eyes, then it’s probably best if you just stop here. But you and I both know that this sort of stuff doesn’t happen in most people’s lives, so curiosity will keep you here. So…a “man test” in our definition is something difficult that you have to endure for a short period of time or accomplish within a short period of time. Well we debated several options, but since it had snowed several inches and the temperature was in the teens, we landed on this one.

1) Run from the front porch down to the pond. Continue around the pond and then back to the porch. (Totaling 1/4 mile)
2) Cannot wear shoes, socks or a shirt.
3) Cannot turn back!

As you’ll notice from the pictures:
(pic 1) realizing and talking about how dumb this idea was.
(pic 2) ignoring sound advice from our wives and going anyway.
(pic 3) returning with numb feet. (Notice I’m not in this picture.) I was ahead of the pack hoping…the faster I go, the faster it’s over!
(pic 4) Trying to hide the pain for the picture.

You know as silly as this was, it will always be a fun story that we will talk about when we remember and smile about New Years Eve 2009! Who knows where 2010 will go!

What did you do New Years Eve?

Love my family

I know that I already posted a Christmas picture of my family, but this one was taken at my parent’s house over our vacation last week. I thought it represented exactly who we are. Plus I ran out of time today with all that I had to do, so posting this picture was plan B.

Make sure you tell your family that you love them today!

Christmas and Long Johns

Alright…where was I? It’s been like what…a year since I’ve written something? Well after taking some vacation time, visiting family, getting sick and recovering, I am now back on track. I really don’t even know where to start because so much has happened. I mean I’ve got some fun stories and some not so fun stories from the adventures that I’ve been on these past couple of weeks. But since everyone likes a fun story, let’s go that route for today.

Christmas day was GREAT!!! I mean when you’ve got a 4 ½ and 2 ½ year old, Christmas is just a fun filled day of adventure! This year instead of buying the boys a particular gift, Holly and I decided to MAKE it for them! So the weeks prior to Christmas we would put the boys to bed and then make our way to the shed and construct this gift from scratch. Well after a few arguments, dodging hammers that were being thrown and a couple of 2x4 wars, it was completed. (Totally kidding! Actually this line really might get me in trouble.) Anyway Christmas day, the boys came downstairs, saw the table and began playing with it right away. We moved it to their room afterwards, and as you can see from the pictures, it was a hit! (A great start to the morning!)

(Still Christmas day) Next we all got packed up in the van and headed north to visit the grandparents. Well on the way we needed some gas, so we stopped at a place that was actually open. That’s when I saw him. I wasn’t sure at first what he had on, because from a distance it looked like “long johns.” You know…like that full body underwear that my grandpa used to wear when I was a kid. Yeah the adult pajama where it has 2 buttons holding a flap up in the back for…well…some purpose. Well sure enough, that’s exactly what he had on! “Oh man, I have got to go take his picture,” is what I told Holly. (It must be a guy thing because she just rolled her eyes at the idea) Anyway as you can see from the photo he didn’t mind me taking his picture. In fact it ended with both of us laughing, shaking hands and wishing each other a Merry Christmas.
Not sure if you call long johns "Christmas spirit," but it sure worked for 2 guys at a gas station who had never met.

If you get a chance, let me know how your Christmas went!