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Extreme Poverty

On the return trip back to Port-au-Prince, we traveled through the other side of town. We thought we had seen poverty the day before, but we were wrong. These pictures don't do justice to the scope of the homelessness and the vast shanty-town dwellings that spread as far as the eye could see, nor to the scope of dire helplessness and hopelessness that you could see on the faces of people as we drove down the street. We were told that Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere and that it rivals that of many African countries.

The image of people washing clothes and collecting water from the murky, dirty and undoubtedly unsanitary water in the canal and gutters in the streets was absolutely heartbreaking.

For those that may wonder, the average annual income in Haiti is $350 us dollars per year. To put that in perspective, most americans spend more than that on their car payment each month, or on cable or internet in 1 year.

You can click on the pictures for a closer view.

More from Haiti trip

Well, we did make it back home safely on Tuesday after a prolonged stay courtesy of American Airlines :) They were nice enough to put us up in a hotel in Miami for about 5 hours since we had a 6 hour delay due to mechanical issues in Haiti and then missed our connecting flight out and had to reroute on Tuesday. I couldn't help but think of the people we had left in Haiti, and how grateful I was to be returning to so much, so how could I complain! We kept a positive attitude and enjoyed some down time in the airports.

But, on to the important things - our visit to Value Baptist Church on Sunday to spend time with our new extended church family and see the building that our church family was able help them build was the highlight of our trip. The people were such a joy to be around -



Try to picture people who are so poor they live with no running water or electricity, with no transportation climbing a steep mountain 5000 meters (several miles uphill) on foot - I thought it was a rough journey in the back seat of a 4x4 truck - one guy with only 1 leg comes up with a crutch & a stick - Oh what I would pay for video of that! They all dress up in their finest clothes and gather together for the highlight of their week.

Watching them for 3.5 hours, truly and passionately worshipping God together was amazing - and nobody got up early to leave or walk out during the last song! Wow. they could teach us all a few things.



They were so hungry to learn and so grateful for a meal that they could share together - I couldn't help but think of the early church in Acts 2:

42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.




For all who gave to Palm Valley Church as part of the vision of the Seize the Moment campaign, which helped to also build Value Baptist church in Haiti, thank you for your gift to God and your love for others - I hope as you view some of the pictures you will reflect on the joy of giving as truly "it is more blessed to give than to receive" Acts 20:35

Haiti Pictures, take 2

Some new friends from Haiti


Part of the daily grind for women (all ages)


New definition of a "Buyers" market

Daniel speaking to 1st year theological students at the Port-Au-Prince Christian Ministry Center


U.N. "Peace"-keepers giving the intl peace sign. Interesting to note that this vehicle was "manned" by young females for other nations, probably in early 20s.

Hello from Haiti

For those that don't know, I am in Haiti for a few days with Daniel Conner, one of the pastors at Palm Valley Church. We are visiting Value Baptist Church in Value, Haiti where Palm Valley Church has helped them to build their church building, to visit and encourage them and to see what is happening in the community and surrounding areas. Yesterday we visited the Christian Ministries Center in Port Au Prince after arriving and got to meet some of the theological students and pastors/leaders, as well as tour the facility to learn about the other vocational training classes they have there.

Today we spent the day in downtown Port Au Prince and the surrounding communities. I was reminded time and again of the many things that we take for granted living in America, from our freedom and security, to basic sanitation, electricity (which went out several times in the 1 hour visit to the ministry center as well as last night at our hotel), to the convenience of clean & running water that we don't have to go and purchase and carry uphill several miles on foot to our home, to paved roads, not to mention luxuries like"High-speed" internet, cell phones that work (Verizon could make a great commercial over here - Can you hear me NOW?)etc. Daniel thinks the worst thing is that ESPN over here covers only Cricket, Rugby and soccer - they had a 20 second byte on 1 NBA game and it was a hoot listening to French & British broadcasters trying to report on it - That was Jolly-good 'ol chap.

Well, too much to share in a short time - we are so blessed with all that we have.
Here's a couple pics - hopefully they will load before the power goes out... 5 minutes and counting, don't hold your breath. Seems Haiti is a little cleaner and safer than even 6-9 months ago - not many U.N. left around, but we did see a few - including an armored vehicle full of soldiers driving by the Haiti Palace (where the President it) taking pictures.

Love you all at home - you all need to get skype as any other type of communication just isn't feasible and/or cost effective. Daniel got a prepaid cell phone when we arrived at the airport - we (he) had to ask the waitress to interpret the instructions (French) for us this morning at breakfast and she explained that the reason our call wasn't going through is that we had about 2 gouldes of talk time left (1 dollar = 36 gouldes... you do the math) (not sure where all our minutes went, obviously lost in translation but I'm sure the salesperson had a good laugh at us tourists)??

Return of the Ice Cream Man

Grandparents are great. They love to spend time with the kids and do fun things that grandparents do. You have to love them for all they do and for how much they love their grandkids, but.....
Sometimes grandparents can swoop in and do something that becomes an expected standard for parents to carry on (aren't kids great!).
My dad loves the Ice Cream man - he always has, and he has passed that love on to his grandkids. Buy them ice cream once, and they think you're awesome - do it twice and it becomes an expected ritual. They can hear that annoying music from miles away and they sprint to the door every time (this is several times each week mind you), and of course you know that the Ice Cream Man knows a sucker when he finds one, and drives really slow going down our street, just hoping that maybe grandpa is here today.
The worst part of it for me is that I just can't bring myself to pay $3 for an ice cream sandwich when you can get a whole box of them at Walmart for that price - If you know me, then you know that would be excruciating punishment. I'll bet that guy drives a really nice car though :)
Maybe I should try that out... 100 ice creams per day at $2 profit each= 73k per year???

Job possibility...

I have really enjoyed spending some extra time with the kids the last week or so. I have played many board games (including pretty princesses - luckily Julie didn't have the camera handy to snap a shot with the earrings, necklace and crown) and being there when they get home from school etc is fun.
So the thought popped into my head - I wonder what it would be like to become a stay at home dad?
Today sealed the deal. I was cleaning up around the house (yes, mom, now pick yourself up off the floor) and as I joyfully went about the duties that many men never know about around the house, I was picking up the wayward dishes that somehow found themselves into the weirdest places around the house. My naive and unsuspecting nature went to pour out a sippy cup that certainly had some juice in it - but upon opening it and dumping (or lumping I guess) the clumps of curdled milk, I realized there are just some things that women can endure (like childbirth, cleaning up after a sick child - you know, the "puke" parent) that men were obviously never meant to do.
And thus, I am back to the drawing board on seeking what is next.

Day 3 - My 1st Job Lead

We were eating dinner tonight and Noah asked if I had a new job yet (after all its been 3 days now, right!?). I told him that I was still "looking" and that right now we were being patient and waiting on God, but reassured him that everything would be fine, and God would bring the right job at the right time.
To which Natalie replied in her very excited and animated voice, "Dad, I know, you could get a job at Petsmart! Then you could get us a free pet, maybe a new dog or a hampster!"

I assured her that I would keep that in mind, and who knows??? Of course if they ever found out about my blind 13 year old Bassett hound with no tail and our adopted 12 year old, deaf Cocker spaniel (what a dynamic duo they make!), I 'm not sure that I would pass their screening and reference process.

The only thing funnier than this was when Noah informed us that his arm was going numb from eating his broccoli. Now that was a new one for me.

My verse for today:

Isaiah 40:30-32 (New American Standard Bible)

30Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

New Beginnings

For those that may have missed the announcement yesterday, I have stepped down from my job as Executive Pastor at Palm Valley. This was a rough weekend with lots of tears (many more inside than I let show - I didn't know if I was going to be able to hold it together on stage for 4 services, but somehow God got me through) - so many memories of the people and experiences that God has let me be a part of over the last 6 years. So many close friends/co-workers that I will not be doing life with everyday (guys I will certainly miss lunch at Barros every week :)
The thought of not greeting every person that walks onto campus each weekend, which I have come to love. The hugs and thanks and emails I received from people who God has let me serve and help in some way. I treasure all of this and truly give thanks to God for allowing me to serve Him these past 6 years, as He has grown me and changed me along the way, drawing me closer to Him.
But at the same time, I know it was a close to one chapter in my life and a fresh start to what I believe God is tugging on my heart and calling me to - not exactly sure what that is yet, but I truly believe that God has something new prepared for me to help meet people's needs and build the kingdom of God.
So, today is a day of new beginnings. Please pray for peace, patience to wait upon God (I need it), and provision, for me and for Julie and the kids. And for God to direct my path and open the doors that He desires.

Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

Gumm Family Update

I have been meaning to post our latest family pics taken before Christmas. So finally, here they are. We can't post name or pictures of our 2 newest family members until the adoption is finalized, but you can keep updated on our adoption blog www.fourplusmore.com and we will post pics as soon as possible.

The Will of God

Have you ever asked yourself or someone else or asked God what His will was for you? I think sometimes I/we have this idea that the will of God is this thing we can never comprehend or know. But I think that God is clear that he wants us to know and do his will (Psalm 143:10, Ephesians 5:17, Colossians 1:9)

All of God's word (the Bible) contains God's will for us - both what he wants us to do and not do. As we read and study the Bible, it guides us in the moral attributes and heart of God, and the love he has for us and the abundant/good/eternal life that he desires for us (John 10:9-10) that we can experience if we will put our trust in him and follow his plan.
God's will is always good, acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2)

Let us know and follow God's will in our every decision.

I came across this "Quote" a while back, and hope to go through and quantify some of these thoughts from God's word.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the grace of God cannot keep you,
Where the arms of God cannot support you
Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs,
Where the power of God cannot endow you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you,
Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you,
Where the army of God cannot protect you,
Where the hands of God cannot mold you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the love of God cannot enfold you,
Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you,
Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears,
Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.

The will of God will never take you,
Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears,
Where the Word of God cannot feed you,
Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you,
Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN

What is Faith??

I've been thinking/studying about faith recently. What is it and how can I wrap my mind around it and tangibly explain it to others? Well, the answer is I can't.
But I have come across several things recently that have been an encouragement to me in my faith journey, so I thought I would share just a couple.

From A.W. Tozer
"Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the one who is leading."
"Faith in God is to be demonstrated, not defined."
"True faith commits us to obedience."

Hebrews 11 is a who's who of great stories of faith. Below are a few select thoughts, but I encourage you to read through it all.

Hebrews 11:1-3, 6
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
6And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Family Worship Time

We try to be very diligent about setting aside time for our family to spend time together reading God's word and praying together after dinner. Admittedly there are times when we do better/worse than others. Honestly, often it can be one of the most exhausting things I do all day, and make me just want to give up trying ever again.
So, I had a thought last week in reflecting on a week of really "difficult/goofy/crazy/distracted" times - maybe family worship time is more for the parents than it is for the kids?? Maybe its just part of God's training ground for parents to teach them patience and perseverance :)
So, I hope I learn patience soon!
Seriously though, in the meantime, I am encouraged to keep on doing what I know really is making an impact on my life and my family's lives. I hope that if you don't already, you will make it a priority of your family to spend time together with each other and with God. This is one of my resolutions for improving this year and seeing how God grows us together.

Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

The Energy Nazi

This is one of the nicknames Julie has for me - I have always been "frugal". The last couple months I went all out to get our electric bills back under control as they went through the roof this summer (which I found out was partly due to the increase in the APS rate hike). But still, it was just insane - Almost $400 in July!.
So I did some googling and looking at ways to decrease our electric consumption without having my wife kick me out of the house. So I installed programmable thermostats on both the upstairs and downstairs A/C units (which also control our electric heat pump as we don't have gas) and then last month installed an electronic water heater timer. Got them all on ebay - Motorola thermostats are $99 each at Home Depot but got them for $50 each including shipping and the water heater timer retails for $149 but got it for $60 - you can also get a mechanical timer instead of the digital one for about $25-30. (Just be sure you disconnect the power before doing these as its 240v :)
So we reduced our Nov bill by $60 over last year same month, and December (with addition of WH timer) reduced our bill $100 (53%) over last December - our $94 December bill is our lowest electric bill in 3 1/2 years (which is probably still a little high, but no gas heating costs, so I guess that will have to do). So these basically paid for themselves in 2 months time. Will be interested to see what type of savings we get from these in the summer months. I won't hold my breath on cutting those 50%, but anything we save will be a welcome change after this last summer's bills.

Oh and yes, we instituted a total laundry ban during peak hours which I am sure helped some too - the only catch is that now I have to do the laundry on Saturday mornings - a little compromise on my part :)

Our Big News

For those that haven't heard yet, we have decided to reach out and adopt - 2 kids, hopefully a brother and sister from Ethiopia around Noah and Natalie's ages. Julie and I have both been thinking and praying about this for a while and God has really made it clear to us. We, and the kids are so excited. Of course there are a lot of unknowns at this point in time, but we believe that God is in control and trust in Him completely to see us through the process and bring us 2 of His special children in His perfect timing.
Julie started a separate blog to post updates along the way and if you know my blogging habits, that's a good thing. www.fourplusmore.com

James 1:27 (NIV) Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Cabo

Cabo was the prettiest stop along the way - probably the most touristy too. We enjoyed it other than those pesky beach vendors trying to sell you something every 30 seconds.


Sea Lions at Land's End


Julie on Land's End Boat Tour


Cabo had warm, beautiful blue water!

No Place Like Home!

We really enjoyed our vacation together. I love to travel with Julie - we have so much fun together. But, as with anything, all good things come to end sooner or later. And, getting sick on the last day of the cruise really helped me be ready to come home. I love my house and my bed and my kids (although Julie and I were eating breakfast today cracking up at how loud our kids are.

We got to see a lot of really cool sites that just reinforce to me what an awesome and creative God we have. For some reason I really wanted to see a whale on this trip - just thought that would really be cool. Kept looking for them throughout the week and mentioned to Julie (who kept telling me that whale season doesn't start til December sometime. So Thursday morning I went to one of the deserted lounges where I had my quiet time while peering out over the ocean and was reading through several passages in Psalms. After re-reading Psalm 37, I prayed my hearts desires to God and spent time thanking him for all He has done for me and my family, and just praising him for all of his beautiful creation.

Later that day, God gave me one of those small hearts desires...
I saw what seemed like an endless line of whales spouts in a long line like a train. Ran up to the room to grab my camera, and Julie... Here's a couple shots - click for close-up.



Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Just Cruisin

Julie and I have been cruising. A big thanks to her mom and dad for watching the kids for 8 days! We will have to post some more pics and highlights when we have some time, but for now here’s a short update:

Saw the cliff-divers in Acapulco. Went to a cool, small fishing village (won’t even try to spell it).
Today we were in Puerto Vallarta – we did a jungle canopy tour “zip-lines”. Had a blast. Got to hold and feed some Mexican monkeys and a Boa snake (Julie took a rain-check on the snake, and I’m sure she will have nightmares for some time to come.)

Norwegian Cruise Lines is great with their “freestyle” dining – whenever you want, wherever you want. Cagney’s steakhouse is our favorite – going back again tonight. So much food, so little time!

Beautiful sunrise this morning – got some pics that just don’t do justice. There was only one other person up and out this morning at 5 am – but he was laying on a lounge chair on the deck and may have been left over from last night?? 

Meeting one of my Heros - Catalyst Part 2

Ok, so it took a little while to get to this 2nd post. I know some of you passed out while holding your breath.
Catalyst was awesome - 1 of the highlights for me was meeting Dave Ramsey

Dave is a real American hero to me - he has a nationally syndicated talkshow on getting out of debt and handling money wisely - also was just named as a host for the new Fox Business channel.

While I give God all the credit and honor for where we are in our financial life and the blessings of almost being totally debt free (check back for an update on this), I know that a lot of the inspiration and practical steps we took to get where we are today came from Dave Ramsey and Financial Peace University. If you're struggling with debt or want to do better with what you have, you absolutely need to take Financial Peace - it will absolutely change your life.

Highlights from Dave's session:
- Main point = What could the People of God do for the Kingdom of God if they were debt free?
- Quote from Bill gass "Prosperity is having the money to do God's will in your life"
- Its not your money - You are just a manager for God. Start using it as if it belonged to Him, not you.

Dave showed a video testimony from a couple that received $10,000 from another couple in their church (who had been through through financial peace and were debt free) to pay off their debts so that they could afford to adopt a child. It was one of the coolest things I've ever seen or heard - I was crying like a baby.

I left that session with the verse ringing in my head, "remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' Acts 20:35

Catalyst Rocked my world

This week, I attended the Catalyst Leadership Conference in Atlanta. I was pretty excited about this conference and the line-up of speakers, but I had no idea how this conference would challenge me.

Some highlights from the conference:

The worship was absolutely awesome. Worshiping God with 11,000 people was amazing - I know we can worship with 1 or 11,000, and its not the size that matters - but it just made me think - I can't imagine what it will be like to worship God in heaven someday with ALL of his family singing and shouting praise to the God who created us all!

Andy Stanley is perhaps one of the greatest speakers and communicator I have ever heard. I love his down-to-earth style and practical & wise instruction.
He said spoke of how to use your power, position, influence etc to honor God as a leader - whether you're a teacher, a pastor, a parent, coach, etc. As true leader, always use your position/influence to leverage power for the benefit of others, never for yourself.

Patrick Lencioni, author of The 5 dysfunctions of a team, had a ton of great points on management. MANAGEMENT IS MINISTRY. As someone who manages people, a major part of our job should be to care for and coach the people under us.

Francis Chan was one of my favorite speakers at the conference. This guy challenged me to the core - If I love my neighbor as myself, does this mean I should be willing to spend as much on my neighbor as I do on myself?
Wow, that was profound and something along the lines of what I have been tossing around the last several months - what if everytime I was going to make a purchase for myself of something I don't really NEED (vacation, new clothes/shoes, new toy etc), I gave away the same amount to someone else in need, or chose not to buy the item seeing that I probably don't really need it anyway? I think this would help me to evaluate the cost of that thing and whether I really needed it and would also help me to become less self-centered and a person who had an even greater heart for those in need.
Francis also shared the story of accepting Christ as a teenager and how he had this burden to share Christ with those he knew - as a Junior & senior in High School he made it a point to go through his yearbook at the end of those years and talk with each of the people he knew to tell them about Christ and how he loved them and didn't want them to go to hell. That was powerful.

Well that's all the time I have for now - Check back for my other thoughts on CATALYST.

Rockin out with the gang

I love the guys & gals I work with. Without sounding too proud or boastful, they work hard all week long and especially on the weekend, behind the scenes to prepare for what God does at Palm Valley Church every weekend. Its so worth it, as we are blessed to see 1st hand what God is doing in people's lives as he changes them and grows them (and us) along the way. It's awesome to be part of a team that loves and supports each other and works toward a common goal that is so much bigger than ourselves.

We have a great time together whether in staff meetings, creative meetings or at lunch together. We also have a great time having fun together outside of the office from time to time. Last week we rolled back the clock and I got to re-live my glory days from Jr High & High school vicariously through music on Playstation2. I've never played a guitar in my life but this Guitar Hero game rocked! Derrick (our worship director) and some of the other guys can actually play, but I am just a poser who loved the music. All of us singing American Idol style was pretty hilarious too! Wish we had this night on video.

Friday Funny

This post by my wife is one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time! You have to check it out. Wish I had been a part of the conversation - if you know Julie you know that she tells this story much better in person.

Nothing but the real thing

Yesterday morning as I was carrying a cup of coffee in one hand and a bowl of cereal balanced on 3 fingers with the grip pressure of my thumb and middle finger, I had a couple thoughts -
1. This is stupid, I'm going to drop this bowl and break it and have milk all over the kitchen floor.
2. I think I can, I think I can...
3. Whew, I made it to the kitchen table without spilling - I have mad skills!
4. How did I pull that off?
Ok, so maybe you're thinking that's a lot of excitement over nothing, but as I sat there eating my breakfast I started looking at my thumb and realized that joint that goes in multiple directions and the strength of my hand is pretty unique (How could that evolve?). God has made so much and it can't be duplicated.
I thought of a young girl I know who has lost her sight - even with the great technological advances of science, we can't create anything to replace the intricate design of the eyes that God gave her and the way they were wired to the brain. And another girl who recently went through a waiting period for heart transplant, and an older man I have been praying for who is on a waiting list and suffering from many other ailments - thinking of the artificial hearts that have been tried in so many - why can't we perfect them and give life to all who are suffering in the waiting time? And even the real hearts that come from others that are rejected when transplanted from others because they are not a perfect fit.

As I was sharing this with some guys yesterday, Darius brought up his own experience as a major in Biomedical Engineering. He described a class discussion they had about artificial limbs, organs etc where the professor stated emphatically - If you ever have the choice between something artificial that has been developed or the real thing (whether artificial limb, heart, etc), ALWAYS choose the real thing. As good as technology gets, it will never be as good as the original.

God has the patent on the real thing - and we can never come up with a substitute that is better than what God created. Praise God today for the way he has created every living thing - especially YOU!

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Psalm 139:13-14 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Revelation 4:11
"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

You know its hot when...

Mom & dad let us keep have the dogs for a few days. The kids have love playing on the waterslide with the dogs out there. Yesterday Noah made a mess when he was filling up the dogs water bowls (its always dangerous to give a 7 year old boy a hose). So I looked out the window during dinner last night to see that Winston found a new sleeping spot.

Happy Independence Day...

This post is in tribute to my brother-in-law Rob & my sister Jen - I'm sure you guys are working today in the UK - they don't celebrate thanksgiving, and certainly not 4th of July (You guys do have Boxing Day though) - One of these days I hope you chaps can appreciate the whole "The British Are Coming!!" thing - I know it still gets you guys that we through out all that perfectly good tea in Boston. But, seriously, I have to give you props - you guys did have "football" before we did.

Too hot to BBQ today - We took the kids to see "Night at the Museum" - had ice cream cones at McD's for "pudding" - Julie was going to make homemade ice cream in honor of the 4th, but I reminded her of her 1st and only attempt at that right after we were married - the recipe called for egg, but it wasn't supposed to taste like egg.

Besides the memories of fireworks on the 4th and hanging out with family - including when we almost watched all of South Mountain go up in flames one year due to some drunk people with sparklers, I also have memories of the Air Shows in San Antonio and marching in Parades in 112 degrees with 99% humidity, and of course the great downtown Phx 4th fiasco to go see the Dixie Chicks (what were we thinking??) when Julie was like 7 months pregnant and we had to park and walk like 2 miles in 122 degrees only to realize that we are waiting in line for 30 minutes for porta-jons that 100,000 people have already used.

Guess that's why I now choose to spend my 4th indoors and watch firework's from my backyard when at all possible so that I can walk back inside and use my own bathroom and get a drink of water without paying $5 and sit in the A/C until the fireworks actually start.

Don't get me wrong - I love America - REAL football, hotdogs, baseball, ice cream, apple pie, and ESPN.

Father's Day

Father's Day is usually a special day for me. Aside from getting extra-special hugs and gifts from the world's greatest kids and wife, it always falls on the weekend surrounding my birthday (actually on my birthday like every 4 years), so we end up killing 2 birds with one stone, having all the parents/grandparents over for father's day and birthday celebration. And, if I plan it right, I get to fit in the final round of the US Open - perfect timing this year as it ended right as everyone arrived.

Also, I am truly blessed to have one of the Greatest dad's on the planet. Anyone who knows my dad knows that he genuinely cares for people. Thanks dad for being the man who left his career that he loved so that you could be around more and spend more time with your family. Thanks for working extra jobs and long hours to provide for our family and give us so many of the little extra things, whether sending us to church camp, or new shoes for wrestling, a new baseball glove, money for gas & a date in high school, or tuition money, or buying us a car. I know it wasn't easy for you, but you always had a smile on your face and a song in your heart - (Guess 2 out of 3 isn't bad :)

You always had time for anyone who asked of you, and always willing to give $20 to anyone who looked like they needed it. Thanks for teaching me about that heart of giving in your own way. You're a great role model for so many kids who truly look up to you. Keep drawing near to God and he will draw near to you and continue to use you to impact the lives of others. Thanks for being a wonderful father and an awesome Pa to your grandkids.

Sorry dad, guess I don't have any pictures of you - maybe Julie can send me one so I can post it - in the meantime, here's my fam instead. Sorry, they're the best we could do for self portraits.

Friday Funny

Here's some pics from dinner the other night. Noah got up to get a spoon for his ice cream and then it all went down hill after that. Enjoy a glimspe into my everyday world.