Saturday was a looooooooooooong day! We left early in the morning to drive up to Rockville so we could attend a memorial service for an old friend who passed away during the winter. Traffic heading up was light and no issue at all. I had picked up several new DVD's for the girls the day prior so they enjoyed them - they watched Astro Boy for the first part of the trip then the little one watched Chestnut - it looked like an innocent enough movie about a dog but half way through I had to give her a tissue to wipe her tears - it seems the landlord told the family they couldn't have a dog in the apartment anymore so the little girl took the dog to Central Park to let it go. It all worked out in the end as the dog saved the landlord and he changed his policy about animals in the building - our little one can certainly put herself in these positions and takes full ownership of a movie!
We arrived in Rockville and the teenager met some friends at Rockville Center - they had about 2 hours together so they went to the library, walked around and had lunch. I took the litte one and the dog (yes, we took the dog with us - ugh) to see her elementary school and our former house. The area around our former home is really nice - they had been working on upgrading the pond by the elementary school for a year or so - it was finished and looks so nice. They actually relocated the original pond, moving it up the hill a little bit, adding a boardwalk and basketball courts. The play area there has always been terrific but the upgrade to the pond area really enhances the whole area. With all of that said, while I greatly appreciate the opportunity we had to live in the Rockville area, today just reminded me that our quality of life is just so much better now.
We stopped at Jerry's for lunch then it was time to meet the teens at the library. We arrived at the church about 30 minutes early and had a chance to spend with so many of our friends that still live there. I also had the chance to see the new sign that took nearly 2 years for the county to approve - it really does enhance the church and it looks so much nicer.
The memorial service was so nice and so well done. I did feel so badly though - there was so much about this gentleman that I did not know; I'll have to certainly work harder on that aspect of life.
After the service we stayed for the fellowship. The banana pudding was cleaned out quickly - there was plenty of food and desserts! I had a chance to spend some time with the pastor as well as some of my closer friends. We made a quick run to the bookstore and then met the 'surrogate grandparents' for supper at their new apartment. These are the folks that basically adopted us during our time there - they came to my wife's graduation and they call me at least once a week to check on us. They are adjusting to apartment life after over 40 years in their last home. They appear to be happy in the senior's housing which is honestly very upscale. They fed us in the formal dining room downstairs then took us up to their apartment to show us around. They have a private balcony, huge bathrooms, big closets, a very nice kitchen and living/sleeping quarters.
The drive home was pretty good - the area where the beltway merges with I95 is always a mess and tough to navigate - a true chokepoint - but other than that, the traffic flowed pretty well. We got home just before 11pm exhausted and fell into bed - unloading the car can wait until tomorrow.
Day Forty Seven comes to an end, here's looking forward to Day Forty Eight.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Day Forty Six - March 19, 2010
Friday's are always an exciting day around here - mainly because the girls really don't mind going to school on Fridays for some reason!! If the teachers could find out what they are doing differently that day to make it exciting for the kids and use that daily, that would certainly be nice!!
It has been a long week with all that has gone on. When you already have a busy schedule and then you add a major event like the Revival to it, you really are challenged. But we've survived. Today was absolutely gorgeous weatherwise. I took the laptop out on the backdeck and did some work. Had three loads of laundry and dusted downstairs plus ran the vacuum. I also finished my topic and PowerPoint for tonight's Teen Program.
Had a chance to spend an hour talking with my wife via Skype and that was just so wonderful! Of course the dog had to come over and check it out to see what I was doing that was preventing me from paying attention to her all that time! Come to find out she's a little camera shy!! We'll see how much longer we are able to use Skype as the Internet option where my wife works could be going away which would be a shame.
I spent the afternoon ironing clothes, made a quick run to WalMart and made banana pudding for Saturday's memorial service in Rockville. I'm getting better at making it and dirtied up less bowls this time!
Both girls had good days at school but they were excited to be home. The little one came home, dropped her backpack and jacket in the living room floor and headed straight for the family room couch!! Said she was just tired!! 10 minutes later and she was passed out!! I let her sleep for about 40 minutes - figured she needed it!
The oldest daughter made it home a little later and was in a good mood. Once she got settled, we loaded up the car and left for the teen program. Tonight's topic was "Trusted with a household" and endurance was our theme. We had a decent group there tonight with 5 first time teens in addition to our regular group. We also had a "guest cook" who had worked in an Italian Restaurant in New York City. After trying his sauce I can now see why he is working in a grocery store instead of a restaurant! The missionary sat through the last portion of my lesson tonight and he was a good addition to the class. He's been a missionary for almost 40 years and really knows his Bible - even more important, he's not afraid to listen to others and learn something new.
The last night of Revival!! I'm not a big fan of the revival process but I support what our church is trying to do. I just think they reach the wrong audience - the ones that come to all the sessions are not really the intended group. The missionary saw this and didn't go for the salvation message, instead he was able to broaden our knowledge base and I really appreciate that. Several folks from other local churches were there tonight so we had a positive group there. We got home around 9:30 and everyone went straight to bed.
The girls devotion was "Never too busy" referencing Philippians 2:3-5. My devotion was "The way of Abraham in faith" referencing Hebrews 11:8.
One more busy day in this week and then we can throttle back a little. I am certainly looking forward to a different pace for next week! Day Forty Six comes to a close, here's looking forward to Day Forty Seven.
It has been a long week with all that has gone on. When you already have a busy schedule and then you add a major event like the Revival to it, you really are challenged. But we've survived. Today was absolutely gorgeous weatherwise. I took the laptop out on the backdeck and did some work. Had three loads of laundry and dusted downstairs plus ran the vacuum. I also finished my topic and PowerPoint for tonight's Teen Program.
Had a chance to spend an hour talking with my wife via Skype and that was just so wonderful! Of course the dog had to come over and check it out to see what I was doing that was preventing me from paying attention to her all that time! Come to find out she's a little camera shy!! We'll see how much longer we are able to use Skype as the Internet option where my wife works could be going away which would be a shame.
I spent the afternoon ironing clothes, made a quick run to WalMart and made banana pudding for Saturday's memorial service in Rockville. I'm getting better at making it and dirtied up less bowls this time!
Both girls had good days at school but they were excited to be home. The little one came home, dropped her backpack and jacket in the living room floor and headed straight for the family room couch!! Said she was just tired!! 10 minutes later and she was passed out!! I let her sleep for about 40 minutes - figured she needed it!
The oldest daughter made it home a little later and was in a good mood. Once she got settled, we loaded up the car and left for the teen program. Tonight's topic was "Trusted with a household" and endurance was our theme. We had a decent group there tonight with 5 first time teens in addition to our regular group. We also had a "guest cook" who had worked in an Italian Restaurant in New York City. After trying his sauce I can now see why he is working in a grocery store instead of a restaurant! The missionary sat through the last portion of my lesson tonight and he was a good addition to the class. He's been a missionary for almost 40 years and really knows his Bible - even more important, he's not afraid to listen to others and learn something new.
The last night of Revival!! I'm not a big fan of the revival process but I support what our church is trying to do. I just think they reach the wrong audience - the ones that come to all the sessions are not really the intended group. The missionary saw this and didn't go for the salvation message, instead he was able to broaden our knowledge base and I really appreciate that. Several folks from other local churches were there tonight so we had a positive group there. We got home around 9:30 and everyone went straight to bed.
The girls devotion was "Never too busy" referencing Philippians 2:3-5. My devotion was "The way of Abraham in faith" referencing Hebrews 11:8.
One more busy day in this week and then we can throttle back a little. I am certainly looking forward to a different pace for next week! Day Forty Six comes to a close, here's looking forward to Day Forty Seven.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Day Forty Five - March 18, 2010
Okay, first and foremost just let me brag here - on my ESPN Tournament Challenge Pool, I picked ODU to beat Notre Dame, Northern Iowa over UNLV, Murray State over Vandy, St Mary's over Richmond AND OHIO UNIVERSITY OVER GEORGETOWN!!!! If you are a doubting Thomas, let me know and I'l be happy to send you a copy of my bracket directly from ESPN. The only two games I missed so far from Day One were the Florida/BYU & Marquette/Washington games - I picked Florida and Marquette. There are still two games playing but I'm not going to pretend to be silly enough to stay up to find out who wins - SportsCenter tomorrow will let me know all I need to know. Still with all of those upset winners, I am #597 in the national contest and only 10 points behind the overall leaders (which is one game)!! Not too bad. By the way, I have Kentucky winning the national championship game over Ohio State.
Okay, back to reality. Today was a very good day. Both girls got up without issue, had their breakfast, did their chores, didn't wake the missionaries and got on the bus. After the little one got on the bus, I made a trip to Goodwill to get rid of the last load of "stuff" we no longer appreciated enough to give a home.
My morning routine was changed with a trip to college this morning to sit in Dr. Yoho's class and meet the Dean at his school. Just let me say that Dr. Yoho is perhaps the single smartest person I have ever met when it comes to the Bible. For two straight hours this man talked with great authority about the Bible, quoted so many scriptures and displayed just an intense knowledge and love of the Bible. His passion was just radiating through that room. I will admit his knowledge is so expansive and he knows so much about each portion of the Bible that he can really lose you if you are not paying careful attention. For example, he said "Paragraph E" then he started talking about whatever paragraph E was - 20 minutes and four pages of notes later he says "Paragraph F" - his notes were simple one liners, he supplied all the rest of the information. From one chapter of Mark, he quoted 36 verses while walking around the room - oh my goodness!! Before today I was very happy I could remember John 1:1 and that was about it - what a humbling yet wonderful experience.
I did have the pleasure of talking with my wife just before the class started. It appears she has broken the greatest of sins during deployment - she has started counting days until she gets to come home. I'm not sure if she is counting them down because she misses me that much or if she just dislikes being over there that much!? Something to ponder isn't it?
I got home just before the little one's bus and we worked on her homework. Thursday night is also parent's homework night - we have to look over their work from the previous week, sign the folder and send it back the next morning. Most of the stuff I've already looked at each evening - what I'm looking for is things like spelling tests, AR tests, notes from the teacher and those type items. Tonight I was most concerned about a yellow block she had in her nightly signature page - that means she did something during the day to warrant a warning from the teacher - when I asked her about it, she said she couldn't remember. Now if you don't speak "8 year old daughter talking to her dad" this clearly means "dad, you're not going to like what I have to tell you so I'd rather not talk about it right now, I'd prefer to take my punishment later." Of course she got done with an in-classroom assignment before everyone else so she felt like talking to a neighbor. This is about a once a week or every other week at the most happening with her. Intellectually, she should be higher than the 2nd grade. Maturity wise, she's in the right grade. Even if the school did bring up the subject of pushing her ahead an additional grade, I will not let it happen - she can progress normally with this bunch. It is okay to be one of the smarter kids in your group, it is something completely different to be less mature than the group though.
The oldest daughter made it home without issue but with plenty of homework. She has also broken her cell phone and cannot get it to turn on so this is causing her some concern. I think her texting finger is going through DT's!
We grabbed chicken sandwiches on our way to dance/singing class at Hurrah tonight. The oldest daughter studied on the trip up - we got caught by the Great Bridge draw being open so that really plugged up traffic - I don't think the harbor master realizes how much trouble he (or she) causes when they raise the drawbridge at 5pm but it was a good sized mess. We arrived just before the class started and was able to watch part of a practice session for the Grease broadway play being performed next month - they were pretty good.
The practice went well and we rushed back to Chesapeake to make it to the revival. I had let the pastor know we'd be there around 7:50 - based on the past two nights, the sermon should just be starting. We were on schedule when we had to stop for the drawbridge opening on the steel bridge on US17 - just no luck tonight with drawbridges!! We made it to church at 7:56 so that was good, slipped in the back pew and caught almost all the sermon. It was about prayer and very good - I didn't learn anything new but it was a good refresher.
A lady at church had baked a cake for the girls so they had cake when we got home with ice cream. The missionary's wife had some as well. We all watched the end of the Ohio University/Georgetown basketball game - and OU won as I so clearly prognosticated with ESPN!!! Since I'm not working, I have to rub it in somewhere so there it was!! I'm sure my wife would just smile and roll her eyes at me. Just in case you didn't know, I fully believe in the power of the otter - whatever hat the big otter at the front door wears, no one is allowed to touch his hat but me on the day of a game. If someone even accidently bumps or touches the hat, that team will lose. I'm telling you, the power of the big otter is great indeed!! Ohio State is the football recipient of the power of the big otter. The Reds get the baseball power. Today my Ohio University hat was on the big otter and they came through!! Now, if I could get the lottery to make a hat I'd be in there! On Saturday evening when the folks from church were over visiting, my youngest daughter was showing some of the women through the house and when they noticed the two otters, she told them not to touch the big otter's hat - got her trained anyway!! Laugh if you want, but never doubt the power of the big otter!
The girls devotion tonight was "Missing" referencing Matthew 18:10-14. My devotion was "Shall I rouse myself up to this?" referencing 2 Corinthians 7:1 - it talked about putting God first.
Day Forty Five comes to a close; here's looking forward to Day Forty Six!
Okay, back to reality. Today was a very good day. Both girls got up without issue, had their breakfast, did their chores, didn't wake the missionaries and got on the bus. After the little one got on the bus, I made a trip to Goodwill to get rid of the last load of "stuff" we no longer appreciated enough to give a home.
My morning routine was changed with a trip to college this morning to sit in Dr. Yoho's class and meet the Dean at his school. Just let me say that Dr. Yoho is perhaps the single smartest person I have ever met when it comes to the Bible. For two straight hours this man talked with great authority about the Bible, quoted so many scriptures and displayed just an intense knowledge and love of the Bible. His passion was just radiating through that room. I will admit his knowledge is so expansive and he knows so much about each portion of the Bible that he can really lose you if you are not paying careful attention. For example, he said "Paragraph E" then he started talking about whatever paragraph E was - 20 minutes and four pages of notes later he says "Paragraph F" - his notes were simple one liners, he supplied all the rest of the information. From one chapter of Mark, he quoted 36 verses while walking around the room - oh my goodness!! Before today I was very happy I could remember John 1:1 and that was about it - what a humbling yet wonderful experience.
I did have the pleasure of talking with my wife just before the class started. It appears she has broken the greatest of sins during deployment - she has started counting days until she gets to come home. I'm not sure if she is counting them down because she misses me that much or if she just dislikes being over there that much!? Something to ponder isn't it?
I got home just before the little one's bus and we worked on her homework. Thursday night is also parent's homework night - we have to look over their work from the previous week, sign the folder and send it back the next morning. Most of the stuff I've already looked at each evening - what I'm looking for is things like spelling tests, AR tests, notes from the teacher and those type items. Tonight I was most concerned about a yellow block she had in her nightly signature page - that means she did something during the day to warrant a warning from the teacher - when I asked her about it, she said she couldn't remember. Now if you don't speak "8 year old daughter talking to her dad" this clearly means "dad, you're not going to like what I have to tell you so I'd rather not talk about it right now, I'd prefer to take my punishment later." Of course she got done with an in-classroom assignment before everyone else so she felt like talking to a neighbor. This is about a once a week or every other week at the most happening with her. Intellectually, she should be higher than the 2nd grade. Maturity wise, she's in the right grade. Even if the school did bring up the subject of pushing her ahead an additional grade, I will not let it happen - she can progress normally with this bunch. It is okay to be one of the smarter kids in your group, it is something completely different to be less mature than the group though.
The oldest daughter made it home without issue but with plenty of homework. She has also broken her cell phone and cannot get it to turn on so this is causing her some concern. I think her texting finger is going through DT's!
We grabbed chicken sandwiches on our way to dance/singing class at Hurrah tonight. The oldest daughter studied on the trip up - we got caught by the Great Bridge draw being open so that really plugged up traffic - I don't think the harbor master realizes how much trouble he (or she) causes when they raise the drawbridge at 5pm but it was a good sized mess. We arrived just before the class started and was able to watch part of a practice session for the Grease broadway play being performed next month - they were pretty good.
The practice went well and we rushed back to Chesapeake to make it to the revival. I had let the pastor know we'd be there around 7:50 - based on the past two nights, the sermon should just be starting. We were on schedule when we had to stop for the drawbridge opening on the steel bridge on US17 - just no luck tonight with drawbridges!! We made it to church at 7:56 so that was good, slipped in the back pew and caught almost all the sermon. It was about prayer and very good - I didn't learn anything new but it was a good refresher.
A lady at church had baked a cake for the girls so they had cake when we got home with ice cream. The missionary's wife had some as well. We all watched the end of the Ohio University/Georgetown basketball game - and OU won as I so clearly prognosticated with ESPN!!! Since I'm not working, I have to rub it in somewhere so there it was!! I'm sure my wife would just smile and roll her eyes at me. Just in case you didn't know, I fully believe in the power of the otter - whatever hat the big otter at the front door wears, no one is allowed to touch his hat but me on the day of a game. If someone even accidently bumps or touches the hat, that team will lose. I'm telling you, the power of the big otter is great indeed!! Ohio State is the football recipient of the power of the big otter. The Reds get the baseball power. Today my Ohio University hat was on the big otter and they came through!! Now, if I could get the lottery to make a hat I'd be in there! On Saturday evening when the folks from church were over visiting, my youngest daughter was showing some of the women through the house and when they noticed the two otters, she told them not to touch the big otter's hat - got her trained anyway!! Laugh if you want, but never doubt the power of the big otter!
The girls devotion tonight was "Missing" referencing Matthew 18:10-14. My devotion was "Shall I rouse myself up to this?" referencing 2 Corinthians 7:1 - it talked about putting God first.
Day Forty Five comes to a close; here's looking forward to Day Forty Six!
Day Forty Four - March 17, 2010
Evidently a lot of the world celebrates St. Patrick's Day - it received a lot of coverage on the news, you could buy green t-shirts, hats, beads, buttons, socks and anything else you wanted - most with a leprecaun or four leaf clover on it. Both girls were to wear green to school today - the oldest found a green Christian t-shirt and the little one found a green shirt with a rainbow on it. We also had the all important stickers for her - I found some Trader Joe St. Patrick Day stickers in a book - must have been a couple of years old. She gave one to her bus driver and wore one on her shirt - the others went to school with her to give to friends who forgot to wear something green.
So the morning routine went well, the girls both wore green and the day started normally. Today was landscaping day out front - I wasn't really looking forward to it but I am happy with the way it turned out. After breakfast, I got two boxes together to ship to my wife and also two rather large clinical manuals she needed. I wound up double-wrapping them to make sure they stayed as safe as possible.
Had a good workout this morning - having the garage back to normal was very nice plus I now have an 80" screen to watch while I run!! Very nice indeed. It had been a few days since I ran on the treadmill and boy, did I ever feel it! But I survived. Fortunately I caught my breath and didn't sound like I was dying when my wife called. Her day was good but exceptionally hot.
Right after talking with her, I spoke with our pastor from the church in Maryland. We are driving up there Saturday to attend a memorial service for a friend who passed away several weeks ago - he was such a nice person and so enjoyable to be around - he would never allow me to walk to him, he would always insist he should walk to my pew and speak to the entire family. You have to remember he was in his mid 90's - I do so appreciate his character. And yes, we are bringing banana pudding.
From there it was off to the post office and then Lowe's to get the mulch. I spent the extra twenty cents per bag and got the reddish mulch that is guaranteed to stay red for one year - we'll see because last year that stuff turned brown shortly after the first rain - which around here is nearly every day! It takes 12 bags of mulch to properly fill in our landscaping beds. I also took care of that mess next to our front step by the water faucet - the builder put in these two nasty looking low shrubs and I've not enjoyed that area the entire time we've been here. I transplanted these two guys to the bigger bed next to my twisty tree at the end of the porch and I put in two rose bushes - one pink and one red. I'm hoping they bush up nicely and fill the area in - you really have to use your imagination because right now they look like hacked up stumps sticking out of the ground. I also attached the downspout extensions to the gutters. I will say all the work was definitely worth it - the front of the house looks terrific! I do have some work to the front yard left to do - in a couple of weeks I'm going to build up the bed around the two weeping cherry trees out front.
The little one got home just as I was putting the last of the downspout extensions on the gutters and she did the last one - I guess she has the right to claim the whole day's worth of projects! She had a good day at school and was in a good mood. From there, I moved into the garage and built a shelf to hold the projector and then loaded up the car for a run to Goodwill Thursday morning. The pastor and his wife stopped by to pick up the missionaries for supper and we chatted for a few minutes then they were off. They hung around long enough so the pastor's wife could welcome the oldest daughter off the bus from school and that was neat for her! Of course our dog has to be the center of attention and she just wants everyone to only pet her - what a mess she is!
Supper was good again!! I made thin sliced sirloin steaks, fried potatoes, alfredo noodles and green beans. Dinner conversation was good, got all caught up on the goings on at high school - not much has changed since I was in high school a few years ago!!
The evening service went well and the message was good. The missionary started out by showing slides and updating us on his work throughout the world. He has projects in Romania, Vietnam, the Philippines and Honduras - quite a wide spread operation. Then he moved into his message about Joseph from Genesis - mirrored my current series on Friday nights.
During the service, Dr. Yoho slipped in to hear the missionary speak. After service we had a chance to talk and he invited me to sit in on his class for a couple of hours Thursday morning which I will do.
We got home around 9pm and the girls were worn out. Their devotion was "Happily ever after" referencing Revelation 21:1-5 - it talked about how many story books end with "and they lived happily ever after" - nice to know we are aware of our happily ever afters as well. My devotion was from 2 Corintians 5:9 and titled the "worker's ruling passion." It was quite deep and talked about keeping your private life in order so your public life will reflect it.
Day Forty Four is in the books, here's looking forward to day Forty Five!
So the morning routine went well, the girls both wore green and the day started normally. Today was landscaping day out front - I wasn't really looking forward to it but I am happy with the way it turned out. After breakfast, I got two boxes together to ship to my wife and also two rather large clinical manuals she needed. I wound up double-wrapping them to make sure they stayed as safe as possible.
Had a good workout this morning - having the garage back to normal was very nice plus I now have an 80" screen to watch while I run!! Very nice indeed. It had been a few days since I ran on the treadmill and boy, did I ever feel it! But I survived. Fortunately I caught my breath and didn't sound like I was dying when my wife called. Her day was good but exceptionally hot.
Right after talking with her, I spoke with our pastor from the church in Maryland. We are driving up there Saturday to attend a memorial service for a friend who passed away several weeks ago - he was such a nice person and so enjoyable to be around - he would never allow me to walk to him, he would always insist he should walk to my pew and speak to the entire family. You have to remember he was in his mid 90's - I do so appreciate his character. And yes, we are bringing banana pudding.
From there it was off to the post office and then Lowe's to get the mulch. I spent the extra twenty cents per bag and got the reddish mulch that is guaranteed to stay red for one year - we'll see because last year that stuff turned brown shortly after the first rain - which around here is nearly every day! It takes 12 bags of mulch to properly fill in our landscaping beds. I also took care of that mess next to our front step by the water faucet - the builder put in these two nasty looking low shrubs and I've not enjoyed that area the entire time we've been here. I transplanted these two guys to the bigger bed next to my twisty tree at the end of the porch and I put in two rose bushes - one pink and one red. I'm hoping they bush up nicely and fill the area in - you really have to use your imagination because right now they look like hacked up stumps sticking out of the ground. I also attached the downspout extensions to the gutters. I will say all the work was definitely worth it - the front of the house looks terrific! I do have some work to the front yard left to do - in a couple of weeks I'm going to build up the bed around the two weeping cherry trees out front.
The little one got home just as I was putting the last of the downspout extensions on the gutters and she did the last one - I guess she has the right to claim the whole day's worth of projects! She had a good day at school and was in a good mood. From there, I moved into the garage and built a shelf to hold the projector and then loaded up the car for a run to Goodwill Thursday morning. The pastor and his wife stopped by to pick up the missionaries for supper and we chatted for a few minutes then they were off. They hung around long enough so the pastor's wife could welcome the oldest daughter off the bus from school and that was neat for her! Of course our dog has to be the center of attention and she just wants everyone to only pet her - what a mess she is!
Supper was good again!! I made thin sliced sirloin steaks, fried potatoes, alfredo noodles and green beans. Dinner conversation was good, got all caught up on the goings on at high school - not much has changed since I was in high school a few years ago!!
The evening service went well and the message was good. The missionary started out by showing slides and updating us on his work throughout the world. He has projects in Romania, Vietnam, the Philippines and Honduras - quite a wide spread operation. Then he moved into his message about Joseph from Genesis - mirrored my current series on Friday nights.
During the service, Dr. Yoho slipped in to hear the missionary speak. After service we had a chance to talk and he invited me to sit in on his class for a couple of hours Thursday morning which I will do.
We got home around 9pm and the girls were worn out. Their devotion was "Happily ever after" referencing Revelation 21:1-5 - it talked about how many story books end with "and they lived happily ever after" - nice to know we are aware of our happily ever afters as well. My devotion was from 2 Corintians 5:9 and titled the "worker's ruling passion." It was quite deep and talked about keeping your private life in order so your public life will reflect it.
Day Forty Four is in the books, here's looking forward to day Forty Five!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Day Forty Four - March 16, 2010
If we are going to struggle with our daily routine, Tuesday's and Thursday's are the most like candidates to do so. I have no idea why Tuesday is such a struggle - Thursday is the day after Wednesday evening service so that might explain that day. But both girls were a little groggy this morning when they got out of bed. The little one perked up well after her shower but the teenager drug around the house all morning long - maybe she should take up drinking coffee or something!!
Speaking of coffee, our house is normally coffee free - I don't drink anything warmer than a room temperature bottle of Mountain Dew from time-to-time and my wife drinks hot tea but neither of us drink coffee. But with the missionaries in the house, the whole place smells like coffee!! They don't eat breakfast at all, lunch consists of a bowl of cereal for each and then someone from church takes them out to eat supper but they really put away the coffee!
I don't see much of the missionaries, in fact today I didn't see them at all until we went to church in the evening. They are working on a summer youth program in the Philippines and stuff for other countries so that is keeping them busy.
When we went out to meet the bus, we were getting some of that rain from the storm in New England. It was that little, itty bitty rain that feels like needles, coming sideways at an unusual angle and my goodness was it ever cold when it hit your skin!! The missionaries have their Excursion and their trailer parked in our driveway and our cars are across the street on the dead end road - the trailer is pretty tall so it is hard to see the bus coming down the street - so we put on our caps and braved the elements. Today was "wear a hat for kids with cancer day" at the elementary school. Each school kid was able to pay a dollar and they wore a hat to help the kids with cancer. They also got the most important prize imaginable to a second grader - a sticker to wear on their shirt all day!!! If you don't know of the power of a sticker to a second grader then you are really missing out on one of the most powerful motivational devices known to elementary schools! Our daughter absolutely loves them and will wear it like she had just won the congressional medal of honor! As a parent and head laundry person, I have to be ever vigilant for the stickers on dirty clothes - normally she takes the sticker off when she gets home, places it on the railing of the upper bunk and keeps it there - should she forget and if I was to wash that sticker, let's just say the wrath of an 8 year old who just lost a sticker to the washer is a much greater wrath than any adult female can spew forward! Fortunately I'm rather thorough when I check the laundry before it goes into the wash - girls don't shove mud or rocks down their pants pockets as much as boys do but you find all kinds of stuff that will ruin laundry - magic markers, nail polish, lip balm and most importantly, wayward stickers on shirts!
The teenager finally found the energy to get out the door as the bus was coming. I cleaned up the kitchen, swept the floors, watched a few minutes of SportsCenter, read the paper and had breakfast. Then it was off to the garage!
I made terrific progress out there today - I figured I would once I got the shelving arranged. The garage looks a little naked right now but I have everything where I want it. I do need to put up some type of curtain over the back door going outside from the garage and I want to put up a curtain around the mezzanine level. I still need to make a run to Goodwill to get rid of the last little bit of stuff we are going to donate - I'll do that Thursday morning.
I had a chance to talk with my wife again today and that is so nice. I remember many deployments of my own where we had to go several months without talking with loved ones or getting mail. But now we can call and e-mail as well as regular mail. At least by talking daily she can remain caught up on the day-to-day things around here and nothing should come as a total shock to her when she returns. Well, except how much the children have grown and matured while she was gone. More importantly, we can know daily that she is okay. Still, all of that doesn't make it any easier to be apart.
The final item for phase one of the garage project was installing the pull down screen for the projector. I mounted it into the facing board of the mezzanine and it looks really good. The nice thing is it is white and will blend right in once I paint the facing board - I plan on doing that next week when the missionaries are gone and it warms up outside.
The mailman delivered a package from my wife today - it was a video she had made a week ago. The USO has a program where the servicemember can read a book to the kids while they are being videotaped. The DVD is sent along with the book and the kids can read along. Very appropriate timing and once the little one got home she was able to watch and read along with her mom on the big screen in the garage. I was able to get photos of it and share them with my wife and family members. When the teenager got home, she enjoyed it as well. I see great potential from the new garage - it will be our own personal drive-in movie theatre once I get through a couple more phases. But before I go there, I have to work on the landscaping out front (ugh).
Supper tonight was outstanding and everyone enjoyed it. We had fried ham slices, pineapples, stuffing, mac&cheese and corn. I didn't figure the girls would enjoy the stuffing but that was their loss! I cheated and got that Bob Evans stuffing in a microwave container - you have to microwave it for a couple of minutes, stir and microwave for a couple more minutes - then dump it in a pan and put it under the broiler - outstanding!! I love that semi-crunchy top and moist interior combination! My wife makes great stuffing - Bob Evans isn't as good as hers but for now, it'll do!
After cleaning up the kitchen yet again, we got dressed and headed over to Oscar Smith High School. The second grader won a writing contest and was getting an award. It was for all the students in the Chesapeake Public Schools and she was so excited! Oscar Smith isn't too far away, just over the Great Bridge - after we parked the car and were walking in, we met up with her principal and talked with him. He was very gracious and nice - my daughter about died when I asked if he minded taking a picture with her - he obliged and it was a very nice photo. After he left, she asked me how could I do that, after all he was her principal!! So grown up for such a little person. But no matter how embarrassed she was then, she'll cherish that picture for a long time. I must admit her book was very, very well done and I was very proud of her. She has a friend from Maryland and they have been writing back and forth since we moved down here - her book was titled "Pen Pals" and it showed a lot of heart, emotion and was well written. Even better, she illustrated it as well! She received a blue ribbon last night and they will be sending her award and book to her school so she can bring it home later. A very nice ceremony.
The little one called her grandparents in Kentucky after we left the ceremony to share her news! And when we got to church, the folks there were very appreciative of her accomplishment! The evening revival service was good and we had a few visitors so that was nice. The thing about revivals is they tend to run long so we didn't get home until close to 9pm!
The girls devotion tonight was "Stubborn Love" referencing Luke 6:27-36. It talked about loving others even when it hurts. My devotion was "The Master Assizes" referencing 2 Corinthians 5:10. I know I am in trouble with a reading when I have to look up the exact meaning of a word in the title. Oswald Chambers was writing in a different era of the english language and sometimes is hard to follow - fortunately the story he is talking about is timeless so it is easy to get. In tonight's devotion he talked about the deadliest Pharisaism is not hypocrisy, it is unconscious unreality - pretty deep for 10pm at night!
Day Forty Four comes to a close as we look forward to day Forty Five!
Speaking of coffee, our house is normally coffee free - I don't drink anything warmer than a room temperature bottle of Mountain Dew from time-to-time and my wife drinks hot tea but neither of us drink coffee. But with the missionaries in the house, the whole place smells like coffee!! They don't eat breakfast at all, lunch consists of a bowl of cereal for each and then someone from church takes them out to eat supper but they really put away the coffee!
I don't see much of the missionaries, in fact today I didn't see them at all until we went to church in the evening. They are working on a summer youth program in the Philippines and stuff for other countries so that is keeping them busy.
When we went out to meet the bus, we were getting some of that rain from the storm in New England. It was that little, itty bitty rain that feels like needles, coming sideways at an unusual angle and my goodness was it ever cold when it hit your skin!! The missionaries have their Excursion and their trailer parked in our driveway and our cars are across the street on the dead end road - the trailer is pretty tall so it is hard to see the bus coming down the street - so we put on our caps and braved the elements. Today was "wear a hat for kids with cancer day" at the elementary school. Each school kid was able to pay a dollar and they wore a hat to help the kids with cancer. They also got the most important prize imaginable to a second grader - a sticker to wear on their shirt all day!!! If you don't know of the power of a sticker to a second grader then you are really missing out on one of the most powerful motivational devices known to elementary schools! Our daughter absolutely loves them and will wear it like she had just won the congressional medal of honor! As a parent and head laundry person, I have to be ever vigilant for the stickers on dirty clothes - normally she takes the sticker off when she gets home, places it on the railing of the upper bunk and keeps it there - should she forget and if I was to wash that sticker, let's just say the wrath of an 8 year old who just lost a sticker to the washer is a much greater wrath than any adult female can spew forward! Fortunately I'm rather thorough when I check the laundry before it goes into the wash - girls don't shove mud or rocks down their pants pockets as much as boys do but you find all kinds of stuff that will ruin laundry - magic markers, nail polish, lip balm and most importantly, wayward stickers on shirts!
The teenager finally found the energy to get out the door as the bus was coming. I cleaned up the kitchen, swept the floors, watched a few minutes of SportsCenter, read the paper and had breakfast. Then it was off to the garage!
I made terrific progress out there today - I figured I would once I got the shelving arranged. The garage looks a little naked right now but I have everything where I want it. I do need to put up some type of curtain over the back door going outside from the garage and I want to put up a curtain around the mezzanine level. I still need to make a run to Goodwill to get rid of the last little bit of stuff we are going to donate - I'll do that Thursday morning.
I had a chance to talk with my wife again today and that is so nice. I remember many deployments of my own where we had to go several months without talking with loved ones or getting mail. But now we can call and e-mail as well as regular mail. At least by talking daily she can remain caught up on the day-to-day things around here and nothing should come as a total shock to her when she returns. Well, except how much the children have grown and matured while she was gone. More importantly, we can know daily that she is okay. Still, all of that doesn't make it any easier to be apart.
The final item for phase one of the garage project was installing the pull down screen for the projector. I mounted it into the facing board of the mezzanine and it looks really good. The nice thing is it is white and will blend right in once I paint the facing board - I plan on doing that next week when the missionaries are gone and it warms up outside.
The mailman delivered a package from my wife today - it was a video she had made a week ago. The USO has a program where the servicemember can read a book to the kids while they are being videotaped. The DVD is sent along with the book and the kids can read along. Very appropriate timing and once the little one got home she was able to watch and read along with her mom on the big screen in the garage. I was able to get photos of it and share them with my wife and family members. When the teenager got home, she enjoyed it as well. I see great potential from the new garage - it will be our own personal drive-in movie theatre once I get through a couple more phases. But before I go there, I have to work on the landscaping out front (ugh).
Supper tonight was outstanding and everyone enjoyed it. We had fried ham slices, pineapples, stuffing, mac&cheese and corn. I didn't figure the girls would enjoy the stuffing but that was their loss! I cheated and got that Bob Evans stuffing in a microwave container - you have to microwave it for a couple of minutes, stir and microwave for a couple more minutes - then dump it in a pan and put it under the broiler - outstanding!! I love that semi-crunchy top and moist interior combination! My wife makes great stuffing - Bob Evans isn't as good as hers but for now, it'll do!
After cleaning up the kitchen yet again, we got dressed and headed over to Oscar Smith High School. The second grader won a writing contest and was getting an award. It was for all the students in the Chesapeake Public Schools and she was so excited! Oscar Smith isn't too far away, just over the Great Bridge - after we parked the car and were walking in, we met up with her principal and talked with him. He was very gracious and nice - my daughter about died when I asked if he minded taking a picture with her - he obliged and it was a very nice photo. After he left, she asked me how could I do that, after all he was her principal!! So grown up for such a little person. But no matter how embarrassed she was then, she'll cherish that picture for a long time. I must admit her book was very, very well done and I was very proud of her. She has a friend from Maryland and they have been writing back and forth since we moved down here - her book was titled "Pen Pals" and it showed a lot of heart, emotion and was well written. Even better, she illustrated it as well! She received a blue ribbon last night and they will be sending her award and book to her school so she can bring it home later. A very nice ceremony.
The little one called her grandparents in Kentucky after we left the ceremony to share her news! And when we got to church, the folks there were very appreciative of her accomplishment! The evening revival service was good and we had a few visitors so that was nice. The thing about revivals is they tend to run long so we didn't get home until close to 9pm!
The girls devotion tonight was "Stubborn Love" referencing Luke 6:27-36. It talked about loving others even when it hurts. My devotion was "The Master Assizes" referencing 2 Corinthians 5:10. I know I am in trouble with a reading when I have to look up the exact meaning of a word in the title. Oswald Chambers was writing in a different era of the english language and sometimes is hard to follow - fortunately the story he is talking about is timeless so it is easy to get. In tonight's devotion he talked about the deadliest Pharisaism is not hypocrisy, it is unconscious unreality - pretty deep for 10pm at night!
Day Forty Four comes to a close as we look forward to day Forty Five!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Day Forty Three - March 15, 2010
This is going to be one boring post but it was a very productive day! Guess it is nice to have a day where nothing major happens from time-to-time.
With today being Monday, we started out the day early. The missionaries will be with us all week and they have the master bedroom suite - we tested our "stealth" abilities to do what we needed to do without waking them. It appears we were successful as I didn't see or hear either one of them until later in the morning.
Both girls did very well this morning getting ready. We've moved the hair drying evolution to the downstairs bathroom to minimize noise upstairs. Breakfast went well and without drama and we were off to the bus. Was a nip to the air all day long as we have a storm system just to our north dragging cooler air in from New England - I was hoping for nothing but t-shirt weather from here on out but I guess I can live with a coat for a couple more days.
Just as the first bus was about to arrive, the pastor texted me asking if I could change the sign to reflect the revival going on all week. That was simple enough so I put the little one on the bus and drove over to the church. It took about 40 minutes total to change the old letters and put the new ones in place. I'll probably do that more often trying to keep the sign fresh - you never know when the right message will catch someone's attention!
From 8:15am until about 2:30pm I worked in the garage. The shelving was the real issue, taking it apart and putting it back together. It appears I have two different kinds of wooden shelves and they don't play well together - once I figured that out, I was able to get it going. The rain outside limited my ability to put things outside and the garage still looks messy. I figure a few hours on Tuesday and I'll be done with phase one (I hope).
I did get a chance to talk with my wife today for about 15 minutes. She sounded good and had been productive. Those first few days in a new place are a learning experience. She had a list of things she needs sent over to her - so far she hasn't received anything I've sent up to this point - it would be nice to know that the mail is getting through to her before sending off more stuff.
Once the little one got home, we went over her homework and she had a snack. They went to the library today and that is always a good day for her! She showed me each of her books and why she picked each of them up. My day quickly changes from only having the dog to talk to, to having the little one talk constantly at me!! She didn't come equipped with a mute button but I probably wouldn't use it if she had one.
While we waited on the teenager to get home, one of the missionaries came downstairs and he watched some of the baseball game with us - we were watching a spring training game between Detroit and Toronto. The missionary has had a lifetime of experiences and is interesting to talk with. They had been in the master bedroom all day working on projects all around the world. Sounds as if they are really making a difference. The nice thing about supporting missionaries is getting to share in what they are doing.
Once the teenager got home, we got her ready for work and went over what she did all day. About 30 minutes later, we took her to work and then returned home for supper. Someone from the church is taking the missionaries out to eat supper each night so they were leaving about the same time we were. Our head deacon was taking them tonight and he is quite the character - he loves messing with our youngest daughter and I think she takes great pleasure in messing with him!
Supper was quiet and laid back since it was just the two of us. We had grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches, salad and fried potatoes. After that, we got dressed and went to church for the evening service which was very good.
After service, we picked the teenager up and came home. We all had a chance to talk with the missionaries for a few minutes before they went to bed. The girls devotion tonight was "Seed sowing" referencing Matthew 13:3-8. My devotion was "The discipline of dismay" referencing Mark 10:32 - it talked about self-doubt when following Jesus and His example.
Day Forty Three comes to a close - here's looking forward to Day Forty Four!!
With today being Monday, we started out the day early. The missionaries will be with us all week and they have the master bedroom suite - we tested our "stealth" abilities to do what we needed to do without waking them. It appears we were successful as I didn't see or hear either one of them until later in the morning.
Both girls did very well this morning getting ready. We've moved the hair drying evolution to the downstairs bathroom to minimize noise upstairs. Breakfast went well and without drama and we were off to the bus. Was a nip to the air all day long as we have a storm system just to our north dragging cooler air in from New England - I was hoping for nothing but t-shirt weather from here on out but I guess I can live with a coat for a couple more days.
Just as the first bus was about to arrive, the pastor texted me asking if I could change the sign to reflect the revival going on all week. That was simple enough so I put the little one on the bus and drove over to the church. It took about 40 minutes total to change the old letters and put the new ones in place. I'll probably do that more often trying to keep the sign fresh - you never know when the right message will catch someone's attention!
From 8:15am until about 2:30pm I worked in the garage. The shelving was the real issue, taking it apart and putting it back together. It appears I have two different kinds of wooden shelves and they don't play well together - once I figured that out, I was able to get it going. The rain outside limited my ability to put things outside and the garage still looks messy. I figure a few hours on Tuesday and I'll be done with phase one (I hope).
I did get a chance to talk with my wife today for about 15 minutes. She sounded good and had been productive. Those first few days in a new place are a learning experience. She had a list of things she needs sent over to her - so far she hasn't received anything I've sent up to this point - it would be nice to know that the mail is getting through to her before sending off more stuff.
Once the little one got home, we went over her homework and she had a snack. They went to the library today and that is always a good day for her! She showed me each of her books and why she picked each of them up. My day quickly changes from only having the dog to talk to, to having the little one talk constantly at me!! She didn't come equipped with a mute button but I probably wouldn't use it if she had one.
While we waited on the teenager to get home, one of the missionaries came downstairs and he watched some of the baseball game with us - we were watching a spring training game between Detroit and Toronto. The missionary has had a lifetime of experiences and is interesting to talk with. They had been in the master bedroom all day working on projects all around the world. Sounds as if they are really making a difference. The nice thing about supporting missionaries is getting to share in what they are doing.
Once the teenager got home, we got her ready for work and went over what she did all day. About 30 minutes later, we took her to work and then returned home for supper. Someone from the church is taking the missionaries out to eat supper each night so they were leaving about the same time we were. Our head deacon was taking them tonight and he is quite the character - he loves messing with our youngest daughter and I think she takes great pleasure in messing with him!
Supper was quiet and laid back since it was just the two of us. We had grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches, salad and fried potatoes. After that, we got dressed and went to church for the evening service which was very good.
After service, we picked the teenager up and came home. We all had a chance to talk with the missionaries for a few minutes before they went to bed. The girls devotion tonight was "Seed sowing" referencing Matthew 13:3-8. My devotion was "The discipline of dismay" referencing Mark 10:32 - it talked about self-doubt when following Jesus and His example.
Day Forty Three comes to a close - here's looking forward to Day Forty Four!!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Day Forty Two - March 14, 2010
One less hour of sleep but everyone cooperated - not a bad way to start a busy Sunday morning! Having company in the house changes the dynamics of the household, but I think we did pretty well today. The missionaries staying with us for the week have taken over the master bedroom and the master bath - fortunately I planned ahead and moved most of my necessary clothes and stuff to the spare bedroom. We didn't even see them until about 20 minutes before time to leave for church.
The morning was good - all of us were able to talk with my wife for a little bit - the Veteran's of Foreign Wars had arranged for a free phone call day for the troops overseas so that was nice. My wife is settling in nicely and doing her usual wonderful job. She was also able to find a church service there so she felt good about that. Was nice to hear her sound rested and productive.
Had a chance to speak with the mother-in-law for about 10 minutes today and she was good. I think having a daughter in a war zone is a tough thing to go through and probably moreso when you are somewhat removed from the military as they are back in Kentucky. Things move at a different pace there - it is a very comfortable pace in a very small community, but they are still insulated from many things. While I think many folks in the country think they understand the military and what goes on, they really don't - it is something you have to experience first hand.
Sunday School went well this morning. It is always a little intimidating when you have a seasoned missionary and his wife in your class but the curriculum we are using will stand up to the most intense scrutinization. I just included them in the class as a regular person and I think they appreciated that.
Some good news at church this morning, we are going to buy the bus and start a bus ministry so that is a wonderful outreach. We have a few more hurdles to jump but this is quite the positive. I was able to tour the bus with the pastor and was pleasantly surprised how nice it was. The upholstery needs some updating and attention but we can absolulely live with it in its current condition.
The missionary gave a wonderful sermon this morning and like most missionaries, he talked about why we have missions in the first place. He is a very polished speaker and he was very good at laying out his points in a classical manner. He made four major points that all started with the letter C. Then the sub points under each major heading all started with the same letter - for example the first major heading was "command from above" then he went with authority, accountability, activity, area, assignment and audience. This was all from Mark 16:15 if you want to read along.
After the morning service we had fellowship in the modular and the food was good. Since we are hosting the missionaries, we were told we didn't need to bring anything and that was good - I doubt I had time to really prepare something!
The afternoon was quiet. The missionaries took a nap and stayed in the master bedroom. The teenager studied for her upcoming AP tests in May and then took a nap - I don't really know how much studying she was able to do. The little one stayed downstairs with me, terrorized the dog, played on the trampoline outside and then asked about a zillion questions while I tried to watch the UK/Mississippi State basketball game - Kentucky finally pulled it out in overtime to with the SEC Championship.
The evening service was very good. The missionary's sermon was excellent and was something I had never thought about - the title was "where's the beef?" He started in Deuteronomy 11:22-32 and talked about God's covenant with the people. Then he went to Numbers 32:1-4 and talked about how the 2.5 tribes wanted the land east of the Jordan because of their cows. Then he went to Mark 5:1-15 and showed how these same people no longer were raising cows, they were farming swine - where's the beef? It was very good.
After service we came home and had a light supper. The missionaries came home a little later and we had a nice conversation - they appear to be quite nice people. I helped them get onto my network so they could use the Internet to do their necessary business. The girls devotion tonight was "Locked out" referencing Psalm 119:57-64. My devotion was "Obedience" referencing Romans 6:16.
Day Forty Two comes to a close, here's looking to Day Forty Three!
The morning was good - all of us were able to talk with my wife for a little bit - the Veteran's of Foreign Wars had arranged for a free phone call day for the troops overseas so that was nice. My wife is settling in nicely and doing her usual wonderful job. She was also able to find a church service there so she felt good about that. Was nice to hear her sound rested and productive.
Had a chance to speak with the mother-in-law for about 10 minutes today and she was good. I think having a daughter in a war zone is a tough thing to go through and probably moreso when you are somewhat removed from the military as they are back in Kentucky. Things move at a different pace there - it is a very comfortable pace in a very small community, but they are still insulated from many things. While I think many folks in the country think they understand the military and what goes on, they really don't - it is something you have to experience first hand.
Sunday School went well this morning. It is always a little intimidating when you have a seasoned missionary and his wife in your class but the curriculum we are using will stand up to the most intense scrutinization. I just included them in the class as a regular person and I think they appreciated that.
Some good news at church this morning, we are going to buy the bus and start a bus ministry so that is a wonderful outreach. We have a few more hurdles to jump but this is quite the positive. I was able to tour the bus with the pastor and was pleasantly surprised how nice it was. The upholstery needs some updating and attention but we can absolulely live with it in its current condition.
The missionary gave a wonderful sermon this morning and like most missionaries, he talked about why we have missions in the first place. He is a very polished speaker and he was very good at laying out his points in a classical manner. He made four major points that all started with the letter C. Then the sub points under each major heading all started with the same letter - for example the first major heading was "command from above" then he went with authority, accountability, activity, area, assignment and audience. This was all from Mark 16:15 if you want to read along.
After the morning service we had fellowship in the modular and the food was good. Since we are hosting the missionaries, we were told we didn't need to bring anything and that was good - I doubt I had time to really prepare something!
The afternoon was quiet. The missionaries took a nap and stayed in the master bedroom. The teenager studied for her upcoming AP tests in May and then took a nap - I don't really know how much studying she was able to do. The little one stayed downstairs with me, terrorized the dog, played on the trampoline outside and then asked about a zillion questions while I tried to watch the UK/Mississippi State basketball game - Kentucky finally pulled it out in overtime to with the SEC Championship.
The evening service was very good. The missionary's sermon was excellent and was something I had never thought about - the title was "where's the beef?" He started in Deuteronomy 11:22-32 and talked about God's covenant with the people. Then he went to Numbers 32:1-4 and talked about how the 2.5 tribes wanted the land east of the Jordan because of their cows. Then he went to Mark 5:1-15 and showed how these same people no longer were raising cows, they were farming swine - where's the beef? It was very good.
After service we came home and had a light supper. The missionaries came home a little later and we had a nice conversation - they appear to be quite nice people. I helped them get onto my network so they could use the Internet to do their necessary business. The girls devotion tonight was "Locked out" referencing Psalm 119:57-64. My devotion was "Obedience" referencing Romans 6:16.
Day Forty Two comes to a close, here's looking to Day Forty Three!
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