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Nov 24 2011
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faith, family, HEART, LIFE

The F’s and not the Black

Thanxgiving is my favorite holiday!  I like to spell it Thanx because it puts the Christ back in Thanksgiving! Christ’s name begins with an X in Greek. Therefore, I give Thanx for the many blessings He has provided me. Here are a few reasons that I love Thanxgiving:

  • Faith & My Father’s Gifts: My God in heaven has given me such great blessings and gifts through life in Him… and He makes all the rest possible too.
  • Family: I have the greatest kiddos, the most wonderful wife, and even a pretty great dog!
  • Food: I just love the Thanxgiving Carbs, pumpkin pie, and the turkey comma that follows!
  • Football: You can’t beat The Lions & The Packers on Turkey Day… not to mention a triple dose of the NFL!
  • Film: I love a good movie and Thanxgiving usually provides Charlie Brown, Elf, and It’s a Wonderful Life!

One thing I don’t fully enjoy is the whole Black Friday mess… especially now that they are bleeding over into my Hallowed Thursday. Michelle and Kaitlyn are braving the crowds and the chaos while Eli and I sleep off the comma!

I pray you enjoy this blessed holiday with the “F’s” and hopefully not the Black!

Aug 31 2011
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family, HEART, LIFE

stay-cation is over

Well, my mini 2-day vacation is over. I didn’t go anywhere, and didn’t do much but it was great down time. I read a little, watched a movie, road my bike, chilled with the family, played with the dog, french pressed some decaf coffee, and caught up on some sleep. It was just the simple two days. Sometimes I think the phrases of Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, and 12:13-14 are more true than we believe. Maybe we think too much about too many of life’s little places and don’t live simply, and humbly enough.

I don’t know the secrets to life, but I do know that slowing down it’s pace and slimming down it’s focus never hurts.

Jan 07 2011
family, goals, HEART

FAMILY GOALS revisited/renewed

Last year we sat down as a family at the IHOP for some hot flapjacks and talked about goals that the kids had for 2010.  That was a humorous experience.  Well this year we exchanged the IHOP for our kitchen table and pancakes for homemade potato soup (so good!).  And we were once encouraged and surprised at what the kiddos had hopes to do and become in 2011.

But before we break down the new goals, let’s review how those of 2010 worked out.

THE GOALS OF 2010:

  • “Let’s go to San Diego for Vacation.”  & “I’d like to go to Disney, Six Flags, or Sea World… well, at least the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.” – HAPPENED.
  • “I hope to take a cooking class.” – Kaitlyn’s request, and it hasn’t quite happened … yet
  • “I want to be able to play 2 worship songs on the guitar before next year.” – Eli – HAPPENED
  • “I need to stop biting my fingernails…” – Kaitlyn and getting close thanks to braces
  • “I want to stop popping my knuckles” - Eli and not so close.  A couple days success though, ha.
  • “I want to get straight A’s this next year.” – They both accomplished this one

THE GOALS OF 2011:

ELI:

  • To take piano lessons … while still taking guitar lesson from Dad
  • To not complain and demonstrate gratefulness more (like when feeding the dog, ha)
  • To spend more time reading and scriptures (a good goal for Dad to encourage more as a whole family too)
  • To do his best at everything he does

KAITLYN:

  • She liked Eli’s idea of gratefulness and echoed that
  • She also wanted to get her splits down and keep practicing for ballet so that she might receive an invite to a special summer ballet boot-camp. She got a chance to do one last year, but this one is more prestige and more costly (yay) — so I was told
  • Actually taking the cooking class with her dad this year (seemed like getting the budget and the calendar happy in the same month just didn’t happen)
  • And finally she desires to not let her schedule overwhelm or stress her out.  Kaitlyn is so great about her devotion time and responsibilities, but can lose her peace when time gets crunched.  That’s her goal, peace in the midst of stress — ballet, homework, chores, and more homework.

As a mother and father, these goals sure make us proud of our kiddos.  And helping them reach these goals is sure fun!



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