Back On The Board

Some my thing I'm crazy, but I don't think I am. I got back on my board last weekend. Cody and I took a short day trip up to Alta Sierra and found some back country stuff to mess around with. It was a blast. It really felt good. It didn't take us long to build a small jump. The good thing is we didn't get hurt. Here is a short video of our stupidity for your enjoyment. It's not much.


1st Snowboarding Trip of 08.09 Season from Erik Adams on Vimeo.

Coal is Bad... Apparently.

I guess there is a group out there charging after the coal industry. Imagine that. I read an open letter posted on Burnside Writers last week that got me thinking. Basically, they want to protest a coal-fired power plant in D.C.. There are some statements in that letter that just piss me off. The letter is only a scare tactic. The main trouble with the letter, they don't supply any credible evidence. They throw out statements and try to single out the coal industry, when it is a statement that includes much more.

I decided to write a response to the letter and submit it to the magazine. I tried to be as nice and open as I could without being a complete jerk. I thought I did rather well to be honest. I haven't heard if they are going to post the response yet. It is going to be really cool if they do. I will let you know what happens with it. If you click on the link above, it will take you to the letter. After that, if you would like to read my response before I find out if they will publish it or not let me know and I can email it to you.

The Beach

A few months back, we took Brad to Pismo Beach for his first trip to the coast. Mom and Dad were over there for the weekend trying to rack up the usage on the motor home. Mikey was off with his Grammy and Papa (Christy's ex's parents). So we thought heck why not. Let's just say, beach baby. He loved it, he already loves the water, and now add sand and sea shells to that. Things don't get much better than that. We had bought a new camera and it shoots some video. We thought we would try it out. It did great, the problem is, I could figure out how to get the clips off the camera and onto my Mac. It would load into iMovie. Then tonight, I figured it out, so here is a short little clip of Brad in the sand and water at the beach. I had to hold him otherwise he would have been off in the water fast than an F-18 in a dog fight. Enjoy.


Bradley's 1st Trip to Pismo Beach from Erik Adams on Vimeo.

Bradley's 1st Haircut

We thought it was a good time to get Brad's hair cut. It was getting long and curly, he was starting to get mistaken for a girl. Now, I wanted to take him to my barber. Dad and I have been going to this guy for many years. Mikey goes to get his hair cut there now too. But, we took him to a stylist. I know, dudes get their hair cut by barbers, not stylists. It was okay though, the lady that did Brad hair also gave Mikey his first cut. Sort of a tradition thing you know. Anyway, Tammy is her name, amazing lady if you ask me. She is Christy's biggest fan at church. She never charges Christy when she gets her hair done, didn't charge for Mikey's first cut and didn't charge us for Brads either. So, Tammy, thank you so much and God bless. Here are some pictures of the event. Everything started out okay, but when Brad figured out that he couldn't get his hands out from under the cover... well lets just say he didn't like that much. Enjoy.

Snow Is Fun

We took the boys to play in the snow. It was Brads first time sitting in the stuff. He really didn't know what to make of it. We didn't stay too long but had a lot of fun. Here is a video of the day.


Trip to the Snow from Erik Adams on Vimeo.

Can You Say AWESOME!!!!

We have had a lot of snow in the mountains around Bakersfield. So much in fact that a lot the ski resorts are calling it an epic opening weekend. I have started to get the itch to run out and hit the slopes, yes even after what happened last year. I have also been watching a lot of snowboard dvds as well. Check these guys out!!

Bradley In His First Christmas Program

I think I may have found a way to get some videos posted on the page. If this doesn't work, I think I am going to build my own blog page. I hope I don't have to do that, it takes too long. Anyway, here we go.

This was Bradley's first Christmas Program. He did better than we thought he would do. He just sat there for the most part. But it was cool to see anyway. Here is the video.


Christmas Program 08 from Erik Adams on Vimeo.

The Hot New Word... Bailout!

I've seen this picture on a few blogs that I enjoy. One is Crainium (yes it's spelled wrong, but that's how they have it). The other is Grey Matter. This is Susan Isaacs' site, she's a Christian author living in Southern Cali (and she's really funny).

There is a small paragraph at the end that may be a bit hard to read so here's what it says,

You probably thought it was smart to by a foreign import of superior quality, with better mileage and resale value. Maybe you even thought that years of market share loss might prod us into rethinking our process and redesigning our products with better quality in mind. But you forgot one thing: we spend a shitload of money on lobbyists. So now you're out $25 billion, plus the cost of your Subaru. Maybe next time you'll buy American like a real man. Either way, we're cool.

It sure feels like that doesn't it? It seems everyone is crying for the government to "bail" them out. What ever happened to using your head and figuring out creative ways to solve problems?

Susan also mentions a quote from Alexis DeToqueville, "America is great because it is good. Once she ceases to be good, she will cease to be great." After that Susan asked a question that got me thinking, here is what she asked, "when did you first have that rude awakening that America was no longer good?"

Sort of a slap in the face kind of question isn't it. I think it is a good one to ask. The only way this country is going to be great again is if the people who live in it start acknowledging the fact that this country isn't great anymore. I though about it for some time and my conclusion is this. For me, this country hasn't been great since September 12, 2001. I feel this country has never recovered for the attack. I know there are people out there that don't what to hear that, but that is the problem, you can't fix something by not acknowledging it first. We can't go around putting band aids on things and covering up the problems just because we don't want to deal with them. FRANKLY I THINK IT'S A LOAD OF CRAP!

Here is the biggest problem with this country (in my opinion). This country doesn't have a budget problem. The budgets are there, and have been for a long time. This country can put together a budget faster than a humming bird flaps its wings. The problem is, this country has a spending addiction. The country wants to spend more money so they make a budget to accommodate. The root of this problem is that there is no money to back that budget because it was spent on something else, which is why the country has to create and spend this new budget to begin with. But their fix to the problem is to go print more money. Which is why the money in my wallet isn't worth the pile of crap the government is feeding us.

This is why I think this country will never be like it was before 9/11. I'm not saying it was fantastic before, I'm just saying it went into the crapper after the attacks and will never be any better (unless they fix the spending problems and that will probably never happen).

Sorry for the depressing post but I thought it needed to be said. I don't care if it makes anybody made it's just the truth. So, to quote The Guy From Boston, "I got the ball to say what your thinking!"

Enjoy the holidays every body Marry Christmas and Happy New Year... oops, sorry, best wishes for the Winter Solstice Holiday and a new calender year.

Mikey Update

I think it has been a long time since the last time I gave anyone an up date on the adoption process with Mikey. Sorry guys, from my uncalled for long absence and now trying to post all the catch-up stuff, I just plum forgot.

Well, as you know, it has been a very long unending road (hence the picture). Well, after some very long and drawn out court hearings we finally got his real dad to just sign over parental rights. That was the biggest obstacle we had to face. We got to see first hand how screwed up the justice system truly is in this fine state of California.

After all of that, there was a brake for all the tension, stress, and anything else that came with. There was a huge amount of weight lifted after all of that, and now it was smooth sailing. Just last month I had my final meeting Mikey’s advocate. Everything when well there too. This week, we got our final paperwork in the mail and now all we have to do is set the appointment to go in and I can adopt Mikey. So, if all goes right and hopes and prayer for Mikey to be an Adams by Christmas.

We have sat down with Mikey through all of this and now that he is a bit older, he understand what a lot of it means. He is still a bit confused, but he’s seven, that was too be expected. I still want to use Bender at school for a while, all of my friends know me by that, he says. That is fine with me; I want all of this to be as comfortable for him as possible. If that is what it takes, so be it.

I will post the date and any further news when I know.

A Tooth Is Missing

Mikey lost his first tooth this week. We had been wondering when it was going to be loose enough to pull because the new tooth was starting to crowd it a lot. But, Wednesday he came from school and said it was really loose. I was still really sick and was in bed so Christy pulled it out. Here are some pictures.

Christmas Tree Is Up

We set up the tree this weekend (finally). I got everything down out of the garage last weekend, but of course, this means that I needed to clean up the whole garage. I was able to get the lights on the house last Monday. But, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I ended up getting sick with some stupid virus that Christy and Bradley ended up with. I had to miss one day of work because of it too. Anyway, I came home from work today and got everyone together and put up the tree. As you will see from the pictures, Bradley is a big help.

Oh No... It's T.O.!!!!

I am sure you have heard me talk about Burnside Writers Collective in the past. It's a great weekly online magazine that has a wide range in topics about Christianity and sports too. One of the main contributers in the sports catagory is a man named Jonathan Adams. This guy is a Canadian, so big hockey fan. On top of that, he is a sports writer and has great insight on a lot of different sports. He posted an artical this past week, "An Open Letter To Terrell Owens". I just wanted to let everyone that is intrested read this letter. I don't think I could have put it any better myself. Click here to read the letter and enjoy.

Our Idea of Black Friday

Who needs all the crazy people, sweet sales, early morning rushes; oh yeah and did I mention crazy people. Anyway, instead of the expected doings on Black Friday, we decided to have our own fun. Cody and I along with both of our Dads went out to a shooting range about 30 minutes north of Bako. Yeah, pretty sad you have to go far out of town just to plink around with a firearm. Well, we traveled, and fun was had all around. We shot through a whole box of clays, about 100 rounds of 9mm, and 4 slugs from Cody’s shotgun. Just it some time and we just might take the commercialism out of Thanksgiving…. yeah right, whom am I kidding. Well it was fun anyway; here are some pictures of the day. (Yes I did shoot, I just ended up taking all the pictures, and no one thought to take some of me)

First Day of School

I had mentioned earlier, that Bradley started at the church daycare. We were thinking it was going to be tragic and world ending, yet it ended up working out very well. The good thing is, he was getting use to the place before he started attending. The reason is it's the same room he goes to for daycare when Christy and I are running around like crazy wild people at church all day Sunday. He seems to like it and get along with the other kids so far. The best thing about it is that it gives Mom some relief through the week and it doesn't cost us anything since Chirsty is a teacher at the school. Here are some more pictures of Bradley's first day of daycare. (We gave the camera to one of the girls in the class and she took pictures for us)

Sunrise

I was surfin' the web and ran across this video. The video was taken with a time-lapse technique of San Francisco. This video just goes to show you how beautiful God's creation truely is. Enjoy.

Complaining Anyone?

If there is one thing I hate, it's listening to people complain. I'm not saying I don't do my fair share. I'm sure if you ask my mom, dad, sister, or Christy, they will tell you I complain. The thing that makes me made is when the same person complains about the same thing, in the same setting, day after day.

This type of person complains about how they keep getting screwed over and over, from the company they has been employed with for twenty years. Here are a few things I have to say to a person of this sort...

First of all, if you have such a problem with that company, why in the world have you been working for them for twenty years. Second, whether they screw your not, there is nothing you can do about it, we all know you have a problem with it, so please do us all a favor and shut up already. Third, if I were you, I would be thankful that you are even getting a paycheck. I don't care if you feel you are getting paid less than other people in the industry. If you feel this way, please do us all a favor and go work for another company. And last but not least, consider yourself lucky that you even have a job right now.

So do yourself and everyone else around you a favor and keep your wining to your self. If you feel you can't do this, expect to get a large amount of flack your back at you because I am sure the people around you are fed up!

Oh yeah, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Set It Straight

I have a list of blogs I read on a regular basis. One of them is from a lady in L.A. named Susan Isaac. She is an amazing writer and the stuff she posts on Grey Matter is great. She has a book coming out in March of next year. I should be getting a signed copy from Burnside Writers Collective. Anyway, I took a visit of Susan's site this evening and she had posted a YouTube video that I thought was right on. (It will be posted at the end)

Have you ever sat back and thought about how far the world has come with technology? It is remarkable. To add to that, have you noticed how everything is expected to be not just fast but instant. We want instant access on our cell phones, on the web, in the store, at the local Starbucks, and even in our daily commute to work. Think about it for a second. We as a nation and as a world, can't stand it when we have to wait for something.

This talk of instant everything reminded me about a DVD that Donald Miller released a while back. It's called Free Market Jesus. (You can watch a short clip in this link) The DVD talks about how commercialism tells us everyday, buy this and everything will be perfect. With that in mind, how do we try to introduce the Gospel to someone who lives in the commercialism world that doesn't know the Bible or Jesus. Not that we as Christians are selling the Bible, but in all respects, commercialism makes it hard to sell. Anyway, this is a great DVD and I recommend anyone to talk a look at it, enjoy.

Just A Few Thoughts

I have never written anything on my blog that had to do with politics. I'm not much for politics to be honest. I never have been, and frankly, I can't say that I wish I had a more informed political head on my shoulders. There are some out there, even people I know, that would argue and say that it's my duty as a US citizen to be more involved in politics. Well, to that statement I would have to say, "Eat my shorts"!

I don't like to pick sides much. Don't take that the wrong way, because there are a few issues that I firmly believe in and stick with. I feel that to be very important. However, I feel by keeping my view points open, I give myself the ability to see both sides of the story.

Now I'm not going to sit here and type out my list of things I voted for this year. I will say that I was against Obama more than I was for Him. But, that's not why I decided to post this blog. I did however, want to talk about a few things I have been getting in emails and hearing through the grapevine.

To start off, I spent some time and watched the 60 Minutes special with Obama. Frankly, all but 10 minutes of it was a waste of time in my opinion. I wanted to hear more about his plans for fixing this place I call home, and less on the home life, that rundown apartment he lived in, and that stupid dog. That's the problem with this country, too many people are worried about what kind of dog the president-elect is going to get and less time on the important matters; like the American Greenback I have in my wallet that's worth squat, or the 401ks in this country that are now worth the Kleenex Americans blow their noses in!!!!

Something else he mentioned in the show that I'm a bit confused about. Someone explain to me how we are supposed to hunt down and rid ourselves of the people we need to in the middle east, yet evacuate our solders from the same country that individual is in? If anyone can explain that to me, please do, because it makes no sense to me.

Also, I am tired of hearing that Obama is the sign of the end of the world, that he is the anti-Christ, and all the black man references. They are getting old to say the least. I believe, in this time of great need, on many different levels, in order to be true Americans, and upstanding Christians, we need to take a step back and evaluate what needs to be done, what has been done, and what still needs to be done in order to make this country great again; and stop throwing around all of the childish propaganda. Its a waste of time and precious energy.

There is not a person in this country that knows what is going to happen. The guy hasn't even made it into office yet. No one is perfect, and no one claims to have all the answers. There may be many things that Obama does that people disagree on. I didn't agree with a lot of things Obama said during his campaign. Heck, there were a lot things I didn't agree with that McCain said too. And I'll bet that goes for a lot of other people in this country as well. Now I'm not saying to give up, bend over and take what he gives us. All I'm saying is try to go into this with an open mind. Who knows what's going to happen.

Now, I understand that this post may offend some people and there may be some people that agree with me. For the people that disagree with me, I am sorry, this is just how I feel. For those of you that agree, sweet, at least I'm not the only one.

Abraham Lincoln said it best, "Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."

A Look Back

I was reading through some of the old posts and noticed in I Forgot, I had mentioned I was asked to teach again at church. Well, I did take the offer. I had fun with this one too. I used some snippets from Rob Bell DVD, Everything is Spiritual, as the backbone. It seemed to go over really well.


I started working with the high school group on Wednesday nights. I lead the junior boys small group. The experience is amazing, most of these kids have phenomenal relationships with God, and are passionate about Jesus. These kids teach me something new every week. The strength they have is crazy.

Bradley 18 Months

Yes you read the title right, Bradley is 18 months. Man time flies. Well, I thought I would post some picture of Bradley up to 18 months, just to try and get everyone up to date. The following are pictures of his first trip to Pismo Beach (with his very own Moondoggies hoodie), his first day of daycare from last Thursday (we are trying to give Grandma a brake), and some other random pictures we have taken in the past few months.

We couldn't keep him from running off to the water, he loves its.

That's my boy, who needs the toys when you have a soccer ball.

The car in behind Brad is the new one I bought Christy. I will post some pictures soon.

Lets Get Started... Again

For anyone that followed my blog at the beginning of the year, I'm sorry for the long hiatus. Things have been outragiously busy in the Adams' household these past few months. I received an email from Grandma Mo last week, asking why I hadn't posted anything. So, I am going to try and keep up again through the crazy life. Grandma, I told you I would get going again, I kept my promise.

Well, like I said, busy, busy, busy. Lots to talk about. Lets see... payraise at work, bought Christy a new car, Becky and Cody's baby boy, Becky and Cody bought a house, Mikey is in second grade and had to get glasses, Bradley is 18 months and started daycare at the church, very busy church life, and we are moving into mom and dads rental.

See, I told you. Anyway, I only have time to post this message right now, but I will get into more detail on all of that stuff in the next few days... I promise. For now, sorry I took so long, I won't let it happen again, and there are lots and lots of pictures to come.

P.S. Shauna & Shaun, congrats on the baby girl, God bless you both, we love you.

A Great Rob Bell Quote

This is something Rob Bell said in his Everything is Spiritual DVD that has stuck with me for quit a while now... enjoy.

“I have learned that what you look for, you will find. If you want to be a cynic, there is plenty to be cynical about. If you want to be a skeptic, there is plenty to be skeptical about. If you want to be a pessimist, there is plenty to be a pessimist about. What you look for, you will find, …”

Just Some Pictures

He Is Walking

I wish I was able to post this earlier.  But here it is anyway.

Finally

For some strange reason, blogger would not upload the videos I would create in iMove.  However, I did discover that iMove can upload your videos straight to U Tube.  I didn't really like the idea until I noticed that you can check a box before the upload that lets you keep your videos private.  So, you wont be able to view any of the videos I create through U Tube, only on my blog.

His First Cake

Mom make Bradley's first birthday cake.  I wouldn't even know where to start in describing it for you so here are the pictures.

Bradley's 1st Birthday

Well, Bradley dug into his cake.  Not as much as we would have liked, he sure did like the frosting.  This video is only a few minutes long.  If I would have posted the entire cake eating experience, you would be watching about 30 minutes of him looking at the cake.  He did discover Oreo cookies.  Enjoy everyone.

I Forgot

I am not sure if I posted an outcome as to how the teaching I did for the youth group went.  I spoke on the 23rd last month, I didn't think it went too bad.  I was able to get through it without going over or coming up too short.  Something else everyone said after I was done is that I had the Junior High kids attention for the entire 45 minutes.  I guess that is saying something.

I did my teaching from a DVD that Donald Miller released a while back called Free Market Jesus.  If you haven't yet seen the DVD, I highly recommend it to everyone.  You can watch a trailer of the DVD if you click on the free market link. 

Anyway, the reason for this post was for that as well as to say I was asked to teach again on the 21st this month.  I haven't said yes yet.  I think I will do it, I have a meeting with Jason, the youth pastor, tomorrow.  So, we will see.

 

Can You Believe It!!

Well, it has been a year.  Bradley will be 1 year old on Saturday.  He is growing up way too fast.  We are going to throw a little party at Christy's mom and dads house Saturday afternoon.  My mom is making a little train cake for him.  I will make sure to get at many pictures and as much video as I can.  I will post everything next week.