Good-Bye 2007

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I'd love to hear some resolutions if anybody is doing that this year...I haven't really given any thought to it and probably won't.

Great Christmas Present

I got an iPhone for Christmas!!! Officially the coolest thing I've ever had. I'm actually posting this from my iPhone. I'm pretty excited! :)

A Growing Epidemic

Watch this video and educate yourself on what kids are facing today.



Props to my friend, Kyle, for making me aware of this!

Great Wedding First Dance

This should happen more often...

Thanksgiving Travels

We loaded up the car Thursday morning to go down to Bryan for our family's Thanksgiving Day meals and get-together but didn't realize what we were really embarking on.

This is a trip I've made most of my life. I know how to get to Bryan/College Station. However, on this day, I forgot. We took off for this short hour and a half trip, and three hours later ended up at our destination. :)

I had a few memory lapses that were aided by some poorly marked roads and we ended up in Austin (not really a part of our trip). The good news is that our girls got a nap in during the last half of the drive and it made the drive back home go by pretty quickly.

At least we made it...and at least we got to watch the Cowboys win! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Wasting Time for a Good Cause

For those of you who enjoy playing games, there is a great word-game online that will donate rice through the UN for every word you get right.

Play it here.

Have fun, increase your vocabulary, and help hungry people...sounds like a great combo to me!

Props to my little bro, Logan, for making me aware of this.

Welcome to the Neighborhood

My in-laws have left and we're back to getting unpacked on our own. Dani's parents did SO much. It's incredible how fast and hard they work. I'm pretty sure we would still be staring at boxes up to our ceilings for the next few months had they not come. Now we actually have a few rooms completely organized and set-up as well as a garage that has everything put away and space for our car!

Before I left for Arkansas, we were outside in our driveway and, within a matter of 10 minutes, there were 8 little kids all playing together in the cul-de-sac. It's fun having so many kids around for our girls to play with (it's also a bit tiring). :)

There have been two new families that have just moved in since we did and they have what seems to be 10 kids, all older elementary-aged. They play a little louder and little rougher than the 8 little kids who were out a few weeks ago. :) It appears that our street will not lack in life and entertainment!

We have enjoyed going to a church called "The Vista Community". It's a new church and very relaxed. Fun stuff...

We've Moved

And I'm tired! I hope we don't have to move again for a LONG time. I'm definitely glad to be in our new place though.

We're Moving

After 6 months, we're finally moving! We are excited, nervous, and a bit scared to jump into this new path on our journey.

I'm painting the next few days so I'll be offline. I'll try to blog later this week though. I can't believe it's actually here.

On a related note, we're learning more about dependence and trust on Christ than we've ever been stretched to know before. It's thrilling to be on this adventure with Dani.

No matter what has happened, Christ has been with us and taken care of us and proven faithful, trustworthy, and our provider. We are learning in a very real way that He is all we need. He IS enough! It's a hard truth at times because we have loved so many other things for most of our lives. It's hard but good at the same time.

Have a good week and I'll post again soon.

Grace&Peace.

Education in California

Here's another article, this one is about a bill just passed by Gov. Arnold Swarchenegger, who is a republican.

So, what would you do if you lived in California and had children in the school system?

Talkin' About a Bad Day

I saw this title, "Woman Overheard Yelling Obscenities at Toilet Could Face Jail Time", and thought that this person must be in the middle of a really bad day.

You can read the rest of the article here.

Crazy Days

This weekend was a lot of fun for Dani and me. We had our first parenting conference and learned a lot, had a blast, and are looking forward to more. Then I got to preach on Sunday at Brazos Meadows (which is a great place for us because we went there during college and Billy is still a very close friend to me).

Sunday night, we packed up and went to sleep for a few hours to wake up at 5:20 am Monday morning to drive all the way to Longview for one stop, then back over to Dallas for another stop and to stay with our good friends, the Summers.

Tomorrow (Tuesday), we're heading around a few places in Dallas and then getting back home. It's a lot of driving but it's a lot of fun being with family and friends so much.

2 in a Row

I really don't usually listen to country music...I'm serious. However, I was searching YouTube for a clip to use in an upcoming Bible study I'm teaching and I found this song that was performed on Jay Leno last December (I think).

I hope you enjoy it as well.



Hopefully next time I'll have something to post besides country music.

Cool Song

I'm not really a country music fan but this song is pretty cool. The video shows several clips from the "The Passion of The Christ" movie. The singers are Sara Evans and Brad Paisley.

REMEDY is here!

DC*B rocks it again and brings a cd packed full of powerful songs and incredible lyrics. This is definitely worth buying. I am so glad I was able to go to the cd Release Party last night and hear it all live. It was awesome!

It is also so cool getting to go to UBC every Sunday. It's a great place and getting involved in their Sunday school time has been wonderful for Dani and me. One of the things that is talked about a lot around UBC is how the songs that the band writes are written from the community experience at UBC. Last night, as I was listening to Remedy, I really understood this. Here are the lyrics:

Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
The love in this place
Can you feel it?

Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
The grace in this place
Can you feel it?

Everytime I walk into UBC or hang out with other UBC-ers, I feel it. I think that rocks!

Anyway, get the cd!

Following ALL the Rules

Newsweek has this article posted on it's website this morning. It's about an author who set out a year ago to follow every rule in the Bible. He's written a book about his experiences and shares with Newsweek what it was like for him and his family as he tried to take the rules as he understood them as literally as possible (even attempting to stone an adulterer).

It's a interesting article with several discussion points. The first thing I found intriguing was in his first answer to the interviewer. A.J. Jacobs (the author) responded to the question about returning to a "life of sin" by saying:

"I miss my sin-free life, but I guess I was never sin free. I was able to cut down on my coveting maybe 40 percent, but I was still a coveter. Flat-screen TVs, the front yard of my friend in the suburbs, a better cell phone, higher Amazon rankings. And that's not to mention coveting my neighbor's wife. I live in New York, I work in publishing, so there’s a lot of coveting, lying and gossiping."

What do you think of his venture?

From China to the Rest of the World

After posting the article about China's population control policy, I thought this was an interesting article on the flip side.

I hope it was a good sermon

In odd news, apparently some thieves really liked the way this lady preaches.

The article ends with:

"Damage repair including cleaning and a new alarm service totaled about $1,000.

As for the sermon?

The minister thinks it ended up in the trash somewhere."

I wonder if she was talking about the "stolen" sermon notes or the one she had to "wing".

News from China on Families

I saw the headline when I opened my web browser: "China cracks down on families that violate one-child policy" and my interest was peaked. It's amazing how different life is depending on the culture in which you live.

You can read the full article here.

So, what would you do if you lived in China and were legally restricted to only having one child?

Interesting Article on Political Poll

I wonder what the statistics would have been during the last few presidential elections. It seems like priorities have shifted a bit (which may not be that bad of a thing). You can read about the current poll here.

What do you think this says about the mindset of most voters? Who do you think will win (whether you want them to or not)? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Fun Times

This past weekend was a lot of fun. The Bears beat Rice, the Cowboys beat the Giants, and we had a lot of family time. We've really enjoyed getting to go to University Baptist Church and just started going to Sunday School there. The class for our age group is called "The Other Side" because we're on the other side of college (since most of the other people who go to this church are college students).

It's so fun being in a class with a group of people who like to discuss things about God and life and how it all fits together. The first week we talked about worship and living as a sarcrifice and this past week we talked about being free in Christ and how that relates to living as a sacrifice. Pretty cool stuff.

It's also a lot of fun because it seems like half the group is from the Pacific Northwest so we have a lot to chat about (even though i'm not from there). i'm a Pacific Northwest want-a-be. i think the bumper sticker that you can see around Texas that reads, "I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could" would resonate with me if it read something like, "I was born in Texas and have been trying to go to the Pacific Northwest at every turn" or something like that. :)

Don't get me wrong, i love Texas and have enjoyed living here but there is something really cool and different about the Pacific Northwest area.

Anyway, i'm still running and working toward the half marathon next spring, i just got bored of writing my progress everyday.

Hard to Believe

i was just checking out snopes and found this.

i can't even imagine!

Funny Girls

This past weekend my family came with me to Tyler and we had a blast. i was speaking at an event and they swam and played while i did that. However, when i wasn't speaking, i was able to hang out with them some and we had a lot of fun.

The funniest thing that happened during the weekend was on Saturday. i was getting things set up before the last large group session in the youth room and it was just my family, a few youth workers, and myself in the room. Nate, the youth pastor, gave my girls the microphones so they could sing on stage for us.

They were more than willing to jump up there and start sharing with everyone their musical talents, as well as some orders to sit and stand and to stop talking from my oldest daughter.

After a few songs, their song bank began to dry up and they turn to their trusty song-up-their-sleeve...ABCD.

As they passionately, loudly, and energetically belt out the letters of the alphabet, i see something out of the corner of my eye (i was in the back on a computer and looked up at the perfect time). My youngest daughter (at least for a few more months...baby #3 is due in December) was holding her free hand in the air as she sang out this song to Jesus. :)

It was awesome.

More Narcissism

A report was released several months ago detailing the rise of narcissism among college students. There has been several articles since that have either concurred (always concur) or refuted these findings.

i just found another article that is very brief and includes a powerful quote from a college student. You can read the whole article here. If you don't have time to check the whole article, read the quote from the student below. i'd love to hear your thoughts...

"DUH! And it's only gonna get worse. People have to be self-centered in this world. Appearance is everything and taking care of yourself should always be your first priority. You are judged everyday by the way you look. No one cares to get to know anyone now. It's pointless to get to know people.

Whose fault is it that we are narcissists? Our parents, for telling us that we are the best and the most beautiful things on the planet. Our teachers for telling us that we could do whatever we wanted if we applied ourselves. Anyone who has ever helped boost our ego is to blame.

Oh well, what can we do about it now? I along with many others will continue to be self-centered. I will continue to judge people by appearance just like you will judge me."

Addison Road

There is a great band travelling around and i hope you'll take some time to check them out. i used to be roommates with one of the guys and had classes with some of the others. Two of the guys played guitars in my wedding...etc. i like them. :)

Click on the banner below to go to their website and hear their music. Go Bears!!!

Blogoholic

i knew that i enjoyed blogging and finding out what's going on in others' worlds but i didn't realize i was this addicted to blogs.

72%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

-

Especially considering that ysmarko.com is 75% addicted (and he's a serious blogger). Anyway, maybe confession will be my first step to recovery. The thing is, though, i can quit anytime i want to...i just don't want to right now. :)

Treadmill

Thursday: Ran 5.5 miles, walked .5 and did some weights for my arms. i'm starting to see a little progress! My legs are tired too. :)

Running Update

i've been running and trying to stay on pace with my goal of a half-marathon next spring. Things are going well and we've been pretty busy. My sister-in-law is in town and i'm getting ready for our next retreat.

Last night, i ran 4 miles and walked .5 as well as lifting weights. I ran over 5 miles two nights ago and i think my legs were a bit frazzled after that which is why i shortened the run last night.

i was a little saddened that i actually had to listen to my body and slow down (a sign that i'm getting older). :) i didn't want to get hurt so i just cut my run short. That's quite the contrast to when i was in high school and college (although i never ran as far as i'm running now). It's kinda fun being in shape again though. :)

Also, our good friend just had her baby!!! Dani and i can't wait to visit and meet the new addition to the R and K family.

Nice Dance

Ok, i guess i'll own up to a secret: i watch "So You Think You Can Dance." Not only do i watch it, i look forward to it every week. This past week i was not able to catch it on Tuesday but i found a cool dance online that Sabra and Kameron performed. i hope you enjoy.

Kameron and Sabra Week 6
Uploaded by mickeymcc

Back Home

i'm finally home from San Antonio! i had a great time. It was fun getting to know the students from Faith Bible Church and spending time with Bill Loveless. My trips to S.A. are always great times of refreshing and encouragement. My entire outlook is usually totally different and my faith strengthened everytime i get to spend time down there.

WHile at the retreat, i went mountain biking (which i've never really done before). i realized that i'm not very good at it. i ended up going on s trail all by myself, which we were warned not to do because of the mountain lions, and spent half the time either flying over the front handle bars or walking next to the bike up a steep hill. The palms of my hands are still healing. :)

i will say, it's a tough work-out and pretty enjoyable once it's over. i'm glad to be back though and glad to have the Y in my sights again.

Baby News and More

We had an ultrasound today to find out if we needed to get ready for a boy or girl and it was pretty clear. We're going to have another GIRL! Everything looked normal and healthy and she was moving quite a bit. It is so amazing to watch this little girl growing and stretching in the womb. We could see her little heart pumping quickly and her little fingers and toes.

The doctor said her brain looked great and guessed that she would be smart (not that he can tell that from an ultrasound) and asked which one of us she was going to take after if this were the case. Dani and i looked at each other in a moment of silence and then i said, "probably our parents."

We are so excited that we got see our little girl moving around today and for the great report. It's also kind of nice because we already have girl stuff from our first two girls. :)

On another note, i ran 5 miles and walked .25 along with a few weights for my arms and back. i forgot my iPod so i was a little bored because baseball was on the tv in front of me and CNN was on (without subtitles) on the tv next to it.

Interesting Article

i just ran across this article this morning. It makes so much sense to me and it makes me think this better explains why there is so much division in the American churches.

It's a beautiful day today and we hope to find out if we're having a boy or girl!!!

Back at the Y

Monday: Ran 5 miles, walked .5 followed by some weights for arms and back.

My Dog is Out of Shape

Sunday: i ran around the neighborhood for 35 minutes and walked for almost 10. Gracie (my dog) was so tired she started foaming at the mouth (not like rabbis foam). It took her a LONG time to stop panting heavily. It was kind of humorous to me because she had been REALLY hyper all day and getting a little too rambunctious in the house so i decided to take her on my run.

Nice

Friday: i got to run for 7.0 miles today and walked for .45 followed by a few weights for my arms and back. It took me just under an hour to run the 7 miles and felt so good! It's also good to know i can do it at this point. :)

Fun With My Fam

Wednesday: i ran 5.5 miles and walked .5, followed by some weights for my arms and back, followed by playing with my fam in the pool. i changed up my routine a little and decided to run while daughter 1 was in swimming lessons so i could then hang out with daughter 1, 2, and Dani afterwards. Usually i run pretty late at night.

i'm trying it out this way so i can play with my girls and then work in the afternoon and evening instead. When i go to run at night, it takes a large chunk of time and makes for an extra trip into town (since we live in the sticks).

i liked it! Now it's time for me to get back to work.

Running in Place for a long time

Monday: i ran for 5.25 miles and walked for .5 followed by some weights for my arms and back.

Running in My Neighborhood

Saturday and Sunday i ran around my neighborhood because the Y closes earlier than it does Monday-Thursday. i'm not sure how far i ran but i ran for 30 minutes on Saturday and 25 on Sunday.

i would have run longer on Sunday but there was thunder and lightening so i quit early.

It's been kinda fun changing it up a little and running with my dog, Gracie. She's a German Shephard and a great dog. It's been a while since i took her for a jog with me and she is a bit out of shape (we let her run around a lot closeby but i guess it doesn't keep her in shape as well). By the time i stopped running and started walking, she has been panting heavily with her tongue out several inches. She's so tired she starts dragging her back claws on the ground! It's kinda funny.

i think she likes it though because she gets excited when she sees me putting my running stuff on.

Getting Started

In May, we moved to Waco with every intention of living in Waco for several years. This is the place we felt Y∙LIFe would base from and we would begin a ministry to Baylor students in the fall.

We searched for 6 months for a home for us in Waco and ended up signing a contract to rent a duplex at the end of April for 6 months to give us more time to find the right place for our family. We had found some homes but none that really fit our needs right now and long-term and that were also in our price range.

The week that we moved to Waco, we also learned that we were expecting our third child! This was a full week of excitement, anxiousness, and boxes (most of which are still in our garage or kitchen).

During this first week, Dani and i looked at each other after a long day and both realized (almost simultaneously) that this was not the area we were going to end up. i can't really explain why other than we both really felt this was not the right move for our family or for the ministry.

So, we started to look again in other areas. When our old house was for sale, we looked in San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Austin, McKinney, and a few places in Oregon. We figured at this stage we would still be in Texas but were open to wherever we felt was right for our family (which is where we believe the Lord would lead us by making it clear to both of us at the same time).

Shortly after our little conversation about the move and what to do next, Dani found a new development in the area we just moved from that CenTex Homes were building. We decided to look in that neighborhood and after a few weeks of praying and discussing everything, we decided to sign a contract with CenTex Homes and begin the process of building a home in the central Texas. We were shocked to see that building was the cheapest option for us that also provided us with the space our growing family needs as well as a base for the ministry offices. We will also be close to another college (University of Mary-Hardin Baylor) where we can begin reaching out to college students.

To shorten the story a bit, we met yesterday (Friday) with the construction manager to go over the "Pre-Pour Orientation". We are excited for this and can't wait to settle in to our new home before our third baby comes (hopefully).

It's crazy how difficult things were for us trying to find a place to live until we realized the futility of our abilities and efforts and surrendered to Christ for this decision. It's amazing how easy it became and how we have been reminded constantly to walk in trust and faith in Him.

If we don't have too much rain the rest of July, we should be able to move in by the beginning of November!!!

Another Update

Wednesday: Took off for July 4th festivities (and the Y was closed anyway).

Thursday: Ran 5 miles, walked .75 and did a few weights for my arms.

i think i'm going to change by layout on this site again. i have probably given tribute long enough to the Orange Frozen Latte at Starbucks.

Back on Track

Tuesday: Ran 4 miles, walked .75 and did some weights for my arms.

i REALLY didn't want to run but i forced it and loved the feeling afterwards! i finally got new shoes and they are GREAT!!! i went to a running store in Oregon where they watch you run and tell you what shoes would work best for the way my feet land and with my back, etc. i ended up getting a pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire 3 shoes. They have great cushion and full support. It's amazing how much difference shoes can make.

They also said that my shin splints were most likely a result of the poor shoes i had before. They were not all that hip on Nike Shocks. These guys felt that the Shocks were great shoes for marketing because they looked cool but they were not even decent running shoes.

After wearing these new shoes, i would have to agree.

Running Update and Nerd Test

Last week: i ran around the resort in San Diego (someone said it was 42 acres). I just ran for 30 minutes, not sure about distance.

Sunday: Ran 3.3 miles.

Monday: Ran 3 miles, walked .5 and did some weights for my arms.


Also, check out how nerdy you are! You can just click on the box below that has my score on it. Let me know what you score!!!

here's my score:

Unexpected Vacation

We are back from an adventure that we didn't plan on taking! Our time in Oregon was fantastic. We had a lot of fun with Dani's parents and family. We celebrated our second daughter's second birthday and Dani and i celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary.

The camp i spoke at was incredible and really encouraging as well. You can read more about that at the Y∙LIFe blog here, if you want to.

We were scheduled to return to Texas on June 27th and we loaded the plane at PDX in Oregon. Our flight had a lay-over in San Diego where we were supposed to switch planes quickly (we had less than an hour originally)and then finish the jaunt to DFW in Texas. Our flight was delayed an hour leaving PDX so we thought we were really in a pinch to make our connection. We found out that there were 18 other people on this flight that were also trying to get to DFW, and we were all sitting in the back of this plane. The flight attendants made an announcement for the other passengers who had more time to make their connection to stay seated so the 18 people trying to get to DFW could make their flight.

Then, as we landed and had permission to turn our cell phones back on, i received a call from Orbitz.com. On a side note, if you are planning a trip soon, Orbitz.com is a GREAT site to book your reservations. Not only do they offer great fares but they also call you the day you are set to leave and update you on your flight status (i.e. on time, delayed, cancelled). Back to the story: As soon as i turned my phone on, i received this call from Orbitz.com. It said that our flight to DFW had been cancelled! i told the fight attendants and they hadn't heard yet.

So, we were no longer in a mad dash to get off the plane to make our connection. Instead, we had to go to the American Airlines counter and see what was going on and when we could get out. As you can probably imagine, the line was LONG! Our flight was supposed to leave at 5:15 but every flight to DFW from San Diego had been cancelled starting at 3:40. So, we were all now in line trying to get out on another plane.

Since there were four of us flying (Dani, our two girls, and me), they had a hard time finding a flight that we could get on so we ended up having to wait until Saturday before they had another open flight. On top of that, the airline would not help us out to cover the expenses because the cancellation was due to the weather. i asked if all the rain in Texas was a publicity stunt from "Evan Almighty" but the humor was lost in the chaos.

Dani started calling hotels in San Diego to see if we could get a room for the next three nights. She found us a room at Sommerset Suites for a great price, but they didn't have any openings for Thursday night. We discussed renting a car and trying to drive home but it was going to cost at least $600 just to rent the car since we were going to leave it in Texas. After weighing all our options, we decided to head over to Sommerset Suites and hope for an opening on Thursday.

Unfortunately, no rooms opened up so we had to move. Thursday (during nap time) we had to check out and get a cab to take us to Town and Country Resort. This was a nice place that had a GREAT deal on rooms as long as we didn't cancel our reservation with them. Apparently, they just wanted to fill up their open rooms so instead of $400 a night it was $119 a night.

We skipped naps and checked in (we had 4 huge bags of luggage and a trash bag with our oldest daughter's carseat in it) and decided to go swimming. The weather was beautiful in San Diego! Cool nights and warm days with a nice breeze and dry heat! Of all the places to get stuck, this was probably the best (even though everything was really pricey there).

Friday, we decided to catch the trolley and head over to the San Diego Zoo. This was a blast and the girls had a lot of fun. The polar bears were playing together, the hippo was sleeping with his noce up to the glass underwater, the pandas were within 10 feet of us, and the gorillas were sitting right in front of the glass. This was a really fun day! Then, we found out that you can use the ticket you buy for the trolley for the bus ride as well (we had to take both to get to the zoo). The only problem is that we found out after we already bought four tickets for the bus. :)

The room we had for Thursday, Friday, and half of Saturday was decent but all the beds were in one room (not a suite). That meant nap time was off and bed time would be a little challenge. We were so thankful for the room and to have a place to stay though.

Saturday, we swam a bit in the morning and then loaded all our luggage up to check out and hop back in a cab to take us to the airport. We decided we should get to airport early since there had been so many cancellations. When we arrived at the airport, our flight had already been delayed 45 minutes. We were a little nervous and hit our breaking point as we tried to get through security. i wish we could have it on tape, imagine the four of us taking our shoes off, unloading the girls and our stuff out of the strollers, getting our laptop out of it's bag, taking our belts off, emptying our pockets, etc. Now imagine this in double speed with a line of people behind us!

We finally got through and realized that i left the girls water cups in the stroller and it spilled on the scanning machine as it went through! So, now we have a wet stroller, no water for the girls, and the security people wanting to know what liquid i was trying to smuggle in. As all this is going on, our youngest grabs the tickets and starts playing with them. It was all a bit chaotic.

Finally, our plane is ready for us to board and we venture on. Mommy carrying a big pink backpack in front, daughter #2 right behind pulling her little Dora backpack on wheels, daughter #1 pulling her little Dora backpack on wheels behind daughter #2, and me carrying the carseat and laptop following both daughters and Dani. I'm sure that we are those passengers that other people just hope aren't on the same plane.

Our plane was delayed another hour but we finally took off and landed at DFW just before midnight on Saturday! My brother picked us up and we headed for home. We finally made it home around 2:30 am on Sunday morning at went straight to bed.

This unexpected vacation ended up being a pretty fun trip (until the bills come in). :) God was definitely teaching us all flexibility and patience throughout this trip.

Needless to say, this is the most excited we've been to be back home and in our own beds! Right now, our girls are napping!!! Obviously that didn't happen much on our trip and they still really need that rest time (as do we).

Ouch

Monday: i went to 24hour with my father-in-law and he kicked my butt. He took me through a bunch of different weight training exercises after a 5 minute warm-up on the elliptical machine. After i thought my arms were going to fall off, we went over to the treadmills. i ran 4.25 miles and walked .75.

i'm pretty sure i'm going to be sore tomorrow! :)

Oregon River Trail

Sunday: Ran at least 4 miles along a river by my in-laws' house with Rob, my father-in-law. It was a great run and some great scenery. After the run, we walked for 10 minutes (not sure how long though).

Today has been a lot of fun with my girls playing really well together and an amazing church service/message, as well as coca-cola cake frosting (i don't eat the actual cake part, just the icing). :)

Saturday Night Live-at one point

Saturday: Ran 3.5 miles, walked 1. Worked on shoulders, chest, and arms today. This was a lot of fun because i was able to run further without a flare up with my back!!!

Tomorrow: i get coca-cola cake for Father's Day!!!!!!!! This cake rocks some major taste buds. i have a great wife. :)

24hr Fitness-Lance Armstrong Style

Friday: Ran 3 miles, walked .5 miles. Did more weights for my arms and upper body as well.

While i'm in Oregon, i get to run at the 24hr Fitness that my in-laws go to and it's pretty sweet. The one my father-in-law goes to the most is one that Lance Armstrong designed or something like that. It looks really cool and has some great features, but there are a bunch of larger than life pictures of Lance on the walls. :)

The weather is AMAZING. It's June and i'm comfortable in jeans and could use long sleeves most of the time. YEAH!!! i'm not really missing Texas right now. :)

Wednesday Run, if that's what you'd call it

Wednesday: Ran 1.5 miles, walked .75. My back was causing significant discomfort so i cut it short. i did a few weights for my arms and left.

Chiropractor

Thursday: Took off.

After my lunch meeting today, i headed over to Back In Motion to get an adjustment because my back is causing quite a bit of pain and feels like it's on the verge of getting worse.

These guys were great and it was so easy to work with Armstrong Chiropractic in Temple and Back In Motion in Beaverton, OR. Both of these places have been so kind and helpful! i'm very thankful for Armstrong Chiropractic for the past three years of quality service and i'm thankful for BIM for working me on short notice and really trying to get me better while i'm here.

i have another appointment soon (either Friday or Monday) where they will show me how to tape my feet to help my back and all this other stuff to improve my running techniques. Pretty pumped about that!

Hopefully i'll be able to get back to the gym tomorrow and at least walk a little and lift some weights.

Monday, Tuesday, a little bit of Wednesday

Monday: Ran 2 miles, biked 2.5 miles, walked 1 mile. i was more aggressive on my arms this time around. My back was starting to give me quite a bit of feedback while i was running so i had to adjust my distance and time.

Tuesday: Travelled all day to Oregon. We started in Waco, drove to DFW, flew to LAX, rode two different buses to get to our terminal for the connection to PDX.

i don't like LAX. We had two strollers with our two girls and all our carry-on stuff loaded up on them and we had to get on and off of two different buses and wait for someone to help us to an elevator because all passengers were supposed to use the stairs to get into the terminal! This wouldn't have been a big deal except we had 10 minutes before our flight took off.

Thankfully, we made it and made it safely. The girls did INCREDIBLE considering we were on two flights that were over 2 hours long with just a short break in between. Oregon is great! It's cool and sunny!!! This is definitely the place to come during the summer months (especially if you live in Texas). :)

Today (Wednesday), i'm finishing up stuff for the camp next week. i'm going to try to go to the 24hour fitness with my father-in-law to keep up my work-out routine. i'll try to keep the posts coming while i'm here!

Church Sign of the Week

i've been driving around noticing some of the church signs around town. i'm a little disturbed by some of the sayings they put on them. i know that people are trying to be insightful, funny, touching, and helpful. The problem is that i feel like they are misleading and delivering a message that isn't biblical. Here's one example:



The message this gives off is that we can do all of these things we can do on our own, in our own abilities, and then after we have done all we can, leave the rest to God. After reading the list, i can't think of what God is left to do. i mean, we covered how to live, care, love, and speak.

The message of the Gospel is that we can't do anything apart from Christ, but all the glory goes to Him because He will live through us, care through us, love through us, and speak through us when we surrender to Him. We will NOT experience the abundant life of Christ if we try to do it all on our own and "leave the rest to God."

Don't get me wrong, i've never been to this church so i'm not trying to make a comment on them as a congregation or what they teach every week or even whether or not someone should go there. i am an observer that drove by their sign one day, that's it. My concern is the unintended messages churches are sending by the things they put on their signs.

This is not the only church doing this. There are even books printed with nothing but church sign messages in them, most of which are intended to be funny. i have a few more pictures that i've taken recently that i'll post later.

Running...out of Title Ideas

Friday: Took off.
Saturday: Ran 2.5 miles, walked .25. A little weights for my arms and then some swim time with my family! The Y in Waco is a bunch of fun and they a great pool.

Still Training

Thursday: Ran 4.5 miles, walked 1. Finished with weights for my upper body.

Back in Touch, and Running

Wednesday: Ran 4 miles, walked 1. Finished with some weights for upper body.

Side note: i just received my replacement phone for the replacement phone that i received b/c i broke my original phone (see this post for details on that).

The first replacement would only work at Starbucks, and NOWHERE else. Doesn't make much sense to me but that's the way it worked.

Now, i have a phone that is working again!!! i feel so great to have reliable means of communication with the outside world. i am needing to catch up with so many of you guys so i'll try to get started on that today. :)

Now that i have my a working phone, may the calls resume! Also, if you left a message for me in the past week and a half, i probably did not get it b/c my sim card was deleted as well. i think i only lost a few numbers in all of this so that is wonderful news to me (b/c i have no idea how i would go about getting all the numbers back that i lost).

Almost done with the curriculum for the camp in Oregon. i'm so stoked about it and can't wait to spend some time with the students and adults at camp!

Be Creative

Here is a great site that helps you explore the inner artist. Check it out when you have some time to let loose!

All Treadmill Baby

Tuesday: Ran 4 miles, walked 1. Did some arm stuff again.

i think i need some new shoes.

i think i can

Monday: i really did NOT want to run today. After a few days off, i was kinda liking not spending almost two hours working out (including the commute to the Y). However, i knew that if i didn't make myself go, i wouldn't continue on my journey to run a half-marathon. So, amidst tiredness and laziness, i got suited up to run and headed to the Y!

i ran 4 miles on the treadmill and walked .8 miles to cool down. i then lifted some weights and headed home. i'm glad i did. There is nothing like that feeling after a run!

A little break

Saturday and Sunday: i did not run! i did not walk much either. :) i took the weekend off and tried to catch up on some rest/write a bunch for the camp coming up soon. i was planning on running Sunday night but we had a little trouble with bedtime tonight so i didn't get a chance until the Y was already closed. Not to bummed though. :)

Now, i'm at Starbucks...which closes at 11:00 pm! i need to get a little more done on my sessions for camp so i better end this post and start writing other stuff.

grace&peace.

Thursday and Friday

Thursday: Took off due to a cold coming on. i thought sleep might do me more good at this point than running. So, i went to be earlier than i have been in the past couple of weeks...but daughter #2 woke up REALLY early because she has the same cold! :)

Friday: Ran 3.5, walked .8, worked out my arms a bit and swam with my fam in the outdoor pool! The water was really cold which felt WONDERFUL because i was hot and the sun was out.

Starbucks-closed

There is NOT a single Starbucks in the Waco area that stays open past 11:00 pm!!! i am SAD!!! i walked up to the one i thought would at least stay open until 1:00 am and they said they closed at 11:00 pm. i asked if there was another one that stayed open later and they said, "not in Waco. Temple has a 24 hour one." Thanks for the tip. :)

Then they suggested i go to the Baylor library. Why start now, right? :)

A day to forget...and the dreaded cell phone plunge

Wednesday: 4.1 on Elliptical, 2.5 on treadmill, 2.1 on bike. Once again, i pumped some iron for my arms.

i decided that i would go for a soak in the whirlpool after this workout b/c i thought it would be good for my shins. The hot tub was nice but i had to share it with some naked guy! Not sure what the fascination is with old guys going nude in the whirlpool. So, i didn't stay long. :)

On another note: Yesterday i dropped my phone into a whirlpool of sorts (a porcelain whirlpool)! Apparently the SLVR by Motorola isn't water-proof. If you really want to know the more details, you can ask. :)

Anyway, Dani put it in the dryer to see if that would work because we've heard of people having success with that. Now, if that works, i'll have to get over the mental block of putting the phone up to my ear that has taken the dreaded plunge into the porcelain tank of death. (It's a long story)

So, if you need to get a hold of me, the best way for now is my e-mail.

Listening to...?

i'm not sure if i've actually written about my blog title or not (and since i'm not willing to take the time to look back through my blog archive) so i will take a little space to write out what i mean by "Learning to Listen."

i feel like this describes my life right now (and for the past several months). It describes my life because i'm learning to listen to God's "voice" over the "voice" of my flesh. He has given me life, His life, for Him to live in and through me in this world. His life is easy, light, peaceful, restful, abundant and complete.

i usually don't experience this life because i choose to listen to my flesh and surrender to that instead of to Him and His life in me. i have found, and continue to find, that the more i choose to surrender to Him in the day-to-day stuff, the more i "hear" His voice and experience His life.

My job is to believe in Him and trust Him to do what He has said He will do. He says in Scripture that He makes us a "new creature" at salvation and gives us His life. If He's given us His life, it makes sense that it's Him living through us, not us trying to live for Him.

This all ties into the actual address for this blogpage (he is trustworthy). Regardless of what my circumstances and surrounding environment tells me or looks like, i know that He is trustworthy. Because He is trustworthy, i can rest in choosing Him over my flesh, knowing that He will turn everything to good and work in and through me in every situation.

On a separate note, Dani and i went to a hip-hop exercise class this morning. We arrived late (big surprise there) but were able to jump in mid-way through. The class we took in Oregon was MUCH better but this was still fun. This class was more of a jazz-type dance than hip-hop...in my opinion. Hopefully, it will turn more towards the hip-hop style in the next few weeks.

More running

Monday: The Y was closed and we were out of town until late so i did not run.
Tuesday: Ran for 4.75 miles, walked for 1.5 miles. i also did some weights for my arms again.

i ran into a good friend from Brazos Meadows (Len) at the Y tonight. i had a lot of catching up with him and chatting while he lifted more weights than me. :) He's really a nice guy. Hopefully we'll get to catch up more throughout the summer while i'm still in town.

Weekend Results

Friday and Saturday: Took day off from working out. My shins are feeling a little better.
Sunday: Ran for 4.25 miles, walked for .5 miles. Worked out my arms a little on some weights.

Friday and Saturday we were back in Temple during the day so daughter #1 could go to her dance rehearsal and recital. This was a blast. Ok, the 3 hours and 20 minutes wesn't a blast really but the 8 minutes of watching my daughter up on stage, smiling from ear to ear and do her little tap and ballet dance was an incredible feeling. She did almost every dance move and made sure that she stayed on her spot...once she found it. :)

i loved watching her do her little thing up there. i am not ready for her to do some of the dances that some of the older girls did. :)

i did enjoy watching Amber, one of the girls in the youth group in Temple. She did a great job too and she was so sweet when we saw her backstage.

Since the recital was so late, both of our girls staying with Nana and Grandy and Dani and i went home. We didn't wake up until 11:15 Sunday morning, so we missed church. We were a little bummed but also grateful for the sleep. This was the first morning in a LONG time that i wasn't up by 7:00 am trying to get breakfast ready for the girls. Needless to say, we welcomed the sleep. :)

More updates to come, as they come.

grace&peace.

Run Matt Run

Tuesday: Ran 3.5 miles, walked for 1 mile
Wednesday: Ran for 4 miles, walked for .75 miles
Thursday: Ran for 3.2 miles, biked for 2.2 miles

i've started to feel a little bit of pain in my shines. i've never really experienced shin-splints before but i think they are developing. It started Tuesday with a very minor pain immediately after running. Then, Wednesday i felt it after i ran again, but it was also VERY sensitive to the slightest touch on the front and front-outside of my shines. Tonight, i felt a little pain during my run so i decided to bike a while to hopefully alleviate some of the stress i've been putting on my shins.

Daughter #1 has her first dance recital this weekend so we'll be back in Temple. That means we'll have a lot of fun watching her do her thang and i'll get a little break from the treadmill...plus we'll get to hang out with family.

Starbucks

So, my branch office has moved from the Temple Starbucks to the Waco Starbucks. i love the smell and the atmosphere that Starbucks tries so hard to create. i am working on my SECOND grande cup of coffee. i have a mug so i can get refills for 50 cents. i think i'm officially a junkie. :)

i wonder if Starbucks will ever come out with a cologne line so you can have that brewed coffee smell on you all day, every day. :)

i'm also contemplating a quote to submit for the "The Way I See It" quotes they put on the side of their cups.

i now have the after coffee shakes. Yeah for large quantities of coffee in a short period of time!!!

Also, to honor their new line of summer drinks, i've changed my lay-out to orange colors because they are pushing new orange flavored drinks. The Orange Creme Latte Frap tastes a lot like an Orange Julius drink. It's good, and they often have free samples!!!

The Third Peanut

Yesterday i went with Dani to the doctor because it was "THE DAY". This was the appointment where you get to hear the heartbeat and see the little peanut growing in her tummy. It is so amazing to watch the baby moving and stretching...and to see just one. :)

It is also comforting to see a normal, healthy picture and to hear a fast-beating, healthy heartbeat. The doctor said everything is going smooth and looks normal. YEAH!!!

The ultrasound said that Dani is 10 weeks, 4 days pregnant. So, that puts the due date right around December 12, which was what they told us previously. Good news for us because we'll be moving again at the end of October/beginning of November.

i've also started running again. i took about three years off of exercising this way because my back was in bad shape but is finally to the point where i'm not in pain much at all now. So, the past two months i've been running. i have set a goal to try to run a half-marathon in a year. So, i'm working up to 13.1 miles. Currently, i run between 3 and 4 miles at a time. i'm going to start a regular blog here to keep me accountable and anyone who's interested up-to-date on my progress.

Last night, i only ran 2.5 miles and walked just over 2 miles. i took the weekend off due to travel and tiredness from last week. Hopefully, i'll get back up to 3.5 miles tonight. i'm so thankful for the ability to run again. i thank Jesus everytime i get on the treadmill because i don't have the pain that i've felt the past 3 years.

Quote for the day

On my google page, there is a spot where i receive quotes for the day. Today, there was one that grabbed my attention and made me laugh a little so i thought i'd share it here. So, here it is:

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."
- Unknown

It's Official

We're going to have a baby! Baby #3 is actively draining my wife of all of her energy and health. She is in the first trimester so she is tired, sick, weak, and sick. Our first two girls are running all over the place with me trying to stay afloat. It's actually rather humurous for me to think about trying to do all the stuff that my wife usually does on her own.

i'm not NEARLY as good at it as she is. Much props to me wife! i've also realized how much i revert back to how i was raised in dealing with my children when i get so exhuasted and frazzled.

The other day when we were in the car by ourselves, i just started driving without really knowing how i was going to get to our destination. After a while, my wife said that she thought i took the long way (which i did). To that i replied, "i feel like my brain is frozen. i can't picture where i'm going or how to get there (which i usually do as soon as we decide where we need to go)."

i'm definitely thankful for my family and my wife. She does an incredible job with our girls! i'm not at that level yet. :)

life is fun!

No More Special K

YEAH!!!! Thanks to the help of Amy Jo, i no longer have a problem with k. i found a can of "Enviro-Duster" in our garage and blew it into the keyboard. It turns out, i just needed to clean out the keyboard a little.

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

My keyboard for my laptop works great, especially the letter "k". It's actually driving me crazy because there is something wrong with this one letter. You don't have to press it down and it will type! So, i'll be typing something really important (or not so important) and look up to see kkkkkkkkkkk all over the page.

On a good note, i found a spot in our duplex that kkkkkk clearwire picks up! It's at the top of my desk which is about k6 feet in the air. So, as long as i don't move it or my computer or myself (i guess), i have internet. This will have to do for the next 6 months! :)

We just signed a contract yesterday to build in a new division in the Temple/Belton area...i know, it's the area we just moved from! It's crazy how God shows us what we need to do sometimes. i don't think we would have k listened or realized that He wanted us back in this area if we hadn't moved away. i'm thankful for His grace that we only got into a 6 month lease up here.

There is a lot going on, i will post more after we've called some of you guys!

much love, grace, and peace...and kkkkk's :)!

Most Unique Story of the Week

Check out this article.

Can youk imagine what the holidays will be like for these guys?

OOPPSS

We closed on our house this past Wednesday at 1:00. Last night, we finally sat down and listened to some messages we've received this week and there was this message from the people who bought our house:

"We just started moving some things into the house and wanted to let you know that you left some dishes in the dish washer and we thought you might want them. Feel free to come by anytime to pick them up. Thanks."

i guess that's what happens when it's up to me to see all the details. :)

The sad part is that i forgot other things as well (a hose, cage for our dog, hose in the back, shelf for washer/dryer stuff).

So, we're spending our first weekend back in Temple gathering up loose ends and doing laundry (our dryer connection doesn't work in our new place).

T.G.F.I.P. (Thank God For Ice Packs)

After a few days of moving all of our stuff from our old home to our new place, i'm so thankful for ice packs for my back. i'm also REALLY thankful for friends and family that are probably just as sore and tired because they helped us move! It has been an exhausting few days and now we have boxes from floor to ceiling in every room.

It is nice to not feel like i'm in limbo between places any more though. The girls are adjusting and Dani is sick...really sick. Hopefully it won't last long!

This whole process has really been an incredible experience. It is amazing to have friends and family that are willing to help in any way they can and are willing to sacrifice time, energy, money, strength, and whatever is needed in order to help us. THANK YOU to all who have offered help throughout this whole process.

Found it...for now!

Well, we finally found a place to live (at least for the next 6 months). This adventure has been exciting, stressful, and quite the learning process. The main thing i've learned through moving is that God really cares and has created us to live in complete dependence on Him and in Him. That means that in this moment when we needed to figure out what to do with buying vs. renting and where that we didn't have to stress about it and make a decision based on which place had the most positives and fewest negatives or even what place we wanted the most. Living in Him meant that we could really rest in the moment and believe that He was moving, acting, and deciding in us and through us exactly what He wanted to do in and through us.

i'm excited to move and just to feel a little more settled (i.e. able to work at home and not Starbucks as well as able to start the college ministry aspect of Y•LIFe). One of the realizations i had when i was on a jog the other night was that the Christian life is much more than i usually experience because i usually choose my flesh instead of His life in me. Once i surrender to Him, i get to experience the full life He has given and promises! It really is great (kinda like Frosted Flakes...but better). :)

Great Service

This morning, the fam woke up a little late. We were planning on making it to the early service at Antioch in Waco at 9:30 but we all woke up around 9:15. So, we got dressed and made sure the girls had breakfast and headed up to Waco. We decided to go to UBC instead of waiting until 11:00 for the second service at Antioch.

It's pretty cool how God works everything out because this service at UBC was really good for me to hear. The preacher talked about suffering, or how we respond when we feel like an injustice has been done to us or someone we care about. It was just a refreshing sermon as we looked at Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and when Judas came to betray Him.

It was incredible the way he unpacked the story and helped me picture how Jesus responded to such unjust and miserable circumstances. He pointed out that Jesus actually lived the way He taught...pretty convicting for me. :)

i'm having a little bit of a hard time fully expressing all that Gideon spoke on but it was incredible and i'm thankful that we slept in so we could go to church at UBC. :)

Update on daughter #1: She has roseola (sp?). She had a high fever for three days followed by a rash all over. She's finally feeling better!!! Hopefully nobody else will get it because the next two weeks are going to be incredibly busy.

We're packing to move, trying to buy another house in Waco, preparing for a dnow this upcoming weekend, and figuring out when and how we are going to move all this stuff out of our house to the new one. :) Fun times for our fam!

It is good to get our move on though because things have felt so chaotic with trying to set up in two locations all the time.

One more thing that Gideon said that has made me think. He said that we love hearing about how Jesus has forgiven us and loves us so much but the power of that forgiveness and love is that we must give it away to those in our world.

The David Crowder Band was there this Sunday and it was really great to worship with them. They sang a song called "Remedy" (which is the name of the album they are working on now). It is incredible!!!

Hot body

Two things:

On Easter Sunday, we went to visit some family members in Oregon (aunts, uncles, cousins) and the girls did an Easter Egg Hunt. This was a collassal hunt! They had at least 100 eggs filled with candy (only two girls searched) :).

Not only were there eggs, there were toothbrushes, Mr. Potato Head, little wind mills, play-dough, animal crackers, etc. It was crazy! Before we headed outside, some of our cousins asked daughter #1 if she needed a jacket, to which she replied:

"No thanks. i don't need one because i'm a hot body." :)

Fast forward two days:

Daughter #1 wakes up from her nap with a 103.5 temp! We travelled all day yesterday with her with an elevated temp (peaked at 104.7). So, i guess she really is a hot body!

Hopefully, her temp will lower soon!!!

Funny Date

A few weeks ago (maybe a month or so) i took my oldest daughter on a date. She'll be four in August.

Anyway, we went to eat at El Chico (big surprise) and i ate while she "hid" under the table. After convincing her that it was okay to sit at the table and eat like a "3 year old" she joined me for dinner above the table. We laughed and had some fun talking about princesses, the food, and a variety of other hot topics that are going on in a 3 year old's mind.

Once we finished, we headed for the car. i picked her up to put her in her car seat and i asked, "did you have a good time on our date?"

Her reply: "You can spank your bottom!"

Apparently, i've been using the phrase, "you can bet your bottom dollar," quite often lately and she got the words mixed up. i laughed hysterically for a few minutes while she looked at me like i must have misunderstood what she said. :)

Things are so fun when you enter into the world of 3 year old genius! :)

Another Video

Not sure what to say about this one. i guess there are worse things these guys could do with their time... :)

My Favorite Show

i LOVE The Office! It has to be one of the funniest shows i've ever seen and this clip is great.



You can never be too careful when a mission gets compromised! :)

Dance!!!

i can't get enough of this one. it doesn't ever get old...at least not to me. So, i thought it was time for it to resurface.



You know you want to dance like that. :)

WeeMee from WeeWorld

i was checking out some of my favorite blogs (see right) and found this fun site from this blogger. Let me know what you think of my look?

Funny Lady

You guys have to check out a post at my friend's blog.

It is the clip from the Ellen Show and is probably the funniest video i've seen! So, check it out!

State of the Union Address

i thought it was funny that everyone was online (at least on myspace) during Bush's speech. Regardless of political views, this clip is funny...and who knew that Cheney would know how to text message! :)



So, do you think it's real?

Time flies

i was just looking over a few pics of my little girls and i can't believe how fast they are growing up. It's crazy how much they change and mature in such a little period of time. Here are some pics that brought on the flood of emotion...


-daughter 2


-daughter 1

Week 1

Today felt like a vacation. i think it's because the only time i've been able to choose with my family where we will go to church and actually go together has been when we were on vacation. It was REALLY nice!

We got up this morning, had breakfast, and i read a few books with the girls while Dani got ready. Then i got dressed and Dani got the girls dressed and we headed for Waco. We had a great little drive and ended up at University Baptist Church. We showed up at 9:30 (b/c Logan told us that is when Sunday School started) but there was nothing going on until 10:30. That was fine with us because we could drive around and look at some houses for sale and grab a little snack for the girls.

It was so fun getting to be together as a family and going through all the emotions and thoughts of visiting a new place and not really knowing what all was going on. It was also fun because we got to sit with Scott, Logan, and Kendra.

The music was great. The lyrics to the songs we were singing were so powerful. The only problem is that i think my ears rang for the rest of the day. :)

This one song was incredible. It talked about how Jesus rescues us and gives us life so we can live "for the glory of it all, oh the glory of it all." How cool!!!

i gotta say, today was a good day (thank you Ice Cube, early 90's for that). :)

grace&peace,
matt

Funny Guy

Dani and i saw this comedian (Thor Ramsey) at the NYWC in Austin back in October. He was pretty funny and told this joke. We were just laughing about it the other day and then i found it on Youtube! :)

"You're going to be sorry."

Those were the words of an elderly lady at the church i just left. In the welcome time of the late service i was walking around saying hi to people when i walked up the pew where this lady was sitting. i don't know her nor do i really remember what she looked like but i definitely remember our interaction. :)

Here is how our little uplifting conversation went:

Me: Good morning.
Her: I hear you are leaving us.
Me: Yes ma'am. This Sunday is my last day here.
Her: Well, you're going to be sorry. We're a good church.
Me: (a little stunned)Well, i hope not.

i smile and walk off. i'm still not very sure what i think about that interaction.