That Little Place On Grey Street

From The Guys At Crainium

2009-03-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this post form the guys over at within the crainium.

Way To Go John Coleman!!

2009-03-12T13:50:00.001-07:00

For those who don't know who John Colman is, he was the founder of the Weather Channel. He is also the Chief Meteorologist at KUSI, an independently owned San Diego. He is coming forward and doing something that a lot of people wanted to do, I am sure of it, because I am one of them. Step out against Global Warming. I am getting sick and tired of Al Gore and is load of crap. Global Warming is the biggest money making, marketing ploy, scam in the worlds history and we're just sitting back and letting people like Mr. Gore walk all over us. Here is a video of John Colman in an interview discussing his view points on the subject.

Shamwow!!!!

2009-03-09T10:32:00.000-07:00

Of course you have heard the stupid commercial on TV. The one with the annoying guy, not Billy Maze, that other annoying guy, Vince with Shamwow. The commercial is bad enough, but look what these idiots did.

ShamWow Song (lyrics from Vince Offer) @ Yahoo! Video

Am I Doomed Or Not?

2009-03-07T09:48:00.000-08:00

Well, this all started about 5 weeks ago with a really bad case of back pain. I didn't really think much of it because I have had pain in my lower back for as long as I can remember. So, when it started, I just took it easy and laid back. It never got better, it was so bad that I couldn't stand up straight. I couldn't sit down, I couldn't stand up, the only position I could be in that felt good was laying down.

So, I went to the doctor. He wanted me to go get an MRI. A week later, I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in my lower back. Here is what the MRI doctor wrote in his findings:

"Mild central disc bulging at L3-L4 with mild impression on the thecal sac (the surrounding membrane of the spinal cord). Central disc herniation at L4-L5 causing a mild compression of the thecal sac and a mild central canal stenosis. Small central disc protrusion at L5-S1 with no mass-effect associated."

For some of the readers of this blog, this diagnosis is all too familiar. Instead of surgery, I am going to give the Disc Decompression treatment a shot. I just found out last night that I am perfect candidate for the procedure. The problem is the cost. This procedure isn't cheap. I am sure it will all work out and I am just counting my blessings that I have the opportunity to undergo this treatment.

Another blessing I have in all of this is the amount of sick time and short-term disability I have. I don't have to worry too much about money through this ordeal, all I have to focus on is getting my back in shape and back to work in the least amount of time.

The reason it took me so long to post the news is because I have been trying to figure out how to get the images of the MRI off the CD I have. I finally figured it out this morning. So here you go.

You May Have Seen This One

2009-02-26T14:30:00.000-08:00

I am sure you have all seen the talking E*Trade baby and all of his weird antics. And I'm sure you have seen the new golf episode. I have a blog I read every day called Prayers for Blowouts. The tag line Bryan (the creater) uses for the sight is as follows: "Examines the frequent collisions of sports, faith, and funny since David upset Goliath."

One of the contributors to the site is a guy named Chad Gibbs. Not really sure exactly what he does for a living. Anyway, he has a weekly golf post that he runs during the PGA season about the weeks tournament. He never had a name for it, all he would put is "Chad's Untitled Weekly Golf Post." That was of course until the video. Now the post is called "The Great Shankopotamus." If you don't get it, here is the video, you might get it then. Enjoy.

And Now For The Response...

2009-02-19T21:24:00.000-08:00

This is the response I wrote and submitted to Burnside Writers Collective (that they didn't post, or at least haven't yet). Anyway, I tried not to beat down anyone's viewpoint or anything (believe me, I have the information to), I just tried to be as informative as I could. So, here is the response, let me know what you think.

Let me start off by saying that I work for a large utility company here in the U.S. To add to that, I work at a coal fired power plant. After reading the letter from Mr. Berry and McKibben, I was a little concerned. The main reasons for my concern aren’t my job, the well being of Mr. Berry and McKibben, or the future of coal in the U.S.. My main concern is for the people reading the letter. This letter is nothing but a desperate attempt to round up followers and a scare tactic. Another thing I would like to mention before I get started is that I do believe we need to do a better job at energy conservation and controlling pollution. That said, here is my response.
There are interesting statements made in the letter. All of these statements however, have no credible sources (at least none posted with the letter). The first declaration made, “Coal-fired power is driving climate change. Our foremost climatologist, NASA’s James Hansen, has demonstrated that our only hope of getting our atmosphere back to a safe level—below 350 parts per million co2—lies in stopping the use of coal to generate electricity.” That’s really a bold statement considering it rules out everything else that “supposedly” contributes to “climate change.” In addition, CO2 isn’t the only gas that contributes to the issue. Mr. Hansen from NASA claims that we need to get below 350 parts per million in CO2. That’s fine, but instead of focusing on just one producer of CO2, why not all of them. Think about that for a moment; big list isn’t it. Bread production (rising yeast), cars, breathing, anything having to do with combustion, concrete production, and that’s just to name a few. To say coal fired power alone is driving climate change is just absurd.
I like their statement of, “Coal smoke makes children sick.” Coal smoke? Really, is that what you call it? Where exactly is this “coal smoke” they speak of? If they are talking about the emissions from the stack, the last time I checked that wasn’t smoke. While on the subject of “stack smoke”; just a little FYI for everyone in the world, the white plums the media show in video clips and pictures, that is not smoke, its steam. That’s right, the same thing that comes out of your tea pot when you boil a bit of water.
Let’s talk emissions for a moment. That is always on everyone’s mind when this sort of subject comes up. Now, at the facility I work at, we continually monitor our emissions. When I say continually I mean every minute, of every day 365 days a year. We omit nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Your run of the mill car on the road omits the same thing, but how often do you monitor that. Once every two years, or longer, depending on what state you live in. How do you know if your car is releasing over the allowed limit in between tests? You don’t do you. A power plant build in the U.S. has a much more stringent limit than your car.
Here’s something else to think about. What would happen if one day, all of the facilities burning coal to produce energy stopped? What do they expect to take its place? I would like to know what Mr. Berry and McKibben position is on nuclear power. The reason being, nuclear power is the most logical form to use in making up the difference from fossil fuel energy.
One other thing before I close; I would like to make a comment about the coal field encroaching on the small town. There’s something I want to know about that statement. Who is complaining about the field, and how many of those people living in that town work at that field? The reason I ask is this. I was born in Craig Colorado. That town has two coal mines and a three unit coal fired power plant just outside of town. No one in that town complains, they know those places are the main reason the town is there. If those facilities were to go away, that town would no longer exist.
I intended this response not to be an argument about the letter. I do feel we need to conserve the resources we have and find ways to be good stewards of this planet. The main focus I would like to stress is to think for you. Don’t take someone’s word for something. If you read something, do some research for yourself. The internet is one of the most amazing tools we have. Please use it, come up with your own conclusions on the different world issues. Just because someone says something is bad and we need to change it, doesn’t mean it should be followed nor does it mean it is fact.

Thanks, Erik Adams

The Carbon Emission Of The World!!!!

2009-02-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

I had never heard back from the Burnside Writers Collective on my response to a letter they posted on the site a month or so ago. I had mentioned earlier that I would let you all know when they posted the letter I wrote. Well, seeing as though it never happened, here is the letter they originally post. Tomorrow I will post my response to this letter. I will say that this just goes to show how ignorant people truly are. To think that some people out there will jump at the chance to "join the cause" by just taking some ones word for it, and not doing their own research and coming up with their own conclusions. Enjoy...

Dear Friends,
There are moments in a nation’s—and a planet’s—history when it may be necessary for some to break the law in order to bear witness to an evil, bring it to wider attention, and push for its correction. We think such a time has arrived, and we are writing to say that we hope some of you will join us in Washington D.C. on Monday March 2 in order to take part in a civil act of civil disobedience outside a coal-fired power plant near Capitol Hill.
We will be there to make several points:
- Coal-fired power is driving climate change. Our foremost climatologist, NASA’s James Hansen, has demonstrated that our only hope of getting our atmosphere back to a safe level—below 350 parts per million co2—lies in stopping the use of coal to generate electricity.
- Even if climate change were not the urgent crisis that it is, we would still be burning our fossil fuels too fast, wasting too much energy and releasing too much poison into the air and water. We would still need to slow down, and to restore thrift to its old place as an economic virtue.
- Coal is filthy at its source. Much of the coal used in this country comes from West Virginia and Kentucky, where companies engage in “mountaintop removal” to get at the stuff; they leave behind a leveled wasteland, and impoverished human communities. No technology better exemplifies the out-of-control relationship between humans and the rest of creation.
- Coal smoke makes children sick. Asthma rates in urban areas near coal-fired power plants are high. Air pollution from burning coal is harmful to the health of grown-ups too, and to the health of everything that breathes, including forests.
The industry claim that there is something called “clean coal” is, put simply, a lie. But it’s a lie told with tens of millions of dollars, which we do not have. We have our bodies, and we are willing to use them to make our point. We don’t come to such a step lightly. We have written and testified and organized politically to make this point for many years, and while in recent months there has been real progress against new coal-fired power plants, the daily business of providing half our electricity from coal continues unabated. It’s time to make clear that we can’t safely run this planet on coal at all. So we feel the time has come to do more—we hear President Barack Obama’s call for a movement for change that continues past election day, and we hear Nobel Laureate Al Gore’s call for creative non-violence outside coal plants. As part of the international negotiations now underway on global warming, our nation will be asking China, India, and others to limit their use of coal in the future to help save the planet’s atmosphere. This is a hard thing to ask, because it’s their cheapest fuel. Part of our witness in March will be to say that we’re willing to make some sacrifices ourselves, even if it’s only a trip to the jail.
With any luck, this will be the largest such protest yet, large enough that it may provide a real spark. If you want to participate with us, you need to go through a short course of non-violence training. This will be, to the extent it depends on us, an entirely peaceful demonstration, carried out in a spirit of hope and not rancor. We will be there in our dress clothes, and ask the same of you. There will be young people, people from faith communities, people from the coal fields of Appalachia, and from the neighborhoods in Washington that get to breathe the smoke from the plant.
We will cross the legal boundary of the power plant, and we expect to be arrested. After that we have no certainty what will happen, but lawyers and such will be on hand. Our goal is not to shut the plant down for the day—it is but one of many, and anyway its operation for a day is not the point. The worldwide daily reliance on coal is the danger; this is one small step to raise awareness of that ruinous habit and hence help to break it.
Needless to say, we’re not handling the logistics of this day. All the credit goes to a variety of groups, especially EnergyAction (which is bringing thousands of young people to Washington that weekend), Greenpeace, the Ruckus Society, and Rainforest Action Network. A website at that latter organization is serving as a temporary organizing hub. If you go there, you will find a place to leave your name so that we’ll know you want to join us.
Thank you,
Wendell Berry, Bill McKibben

Add Another Adams To The List

2009-01-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

It was official on Friday January 23, 2009. Michael John Bender became Michael John Adams. His middle name fits the Adams well with all of the Johns we had through our family history. He was a little nervous know he had to go in the courtroom and see a judge. It took some explaining from Christina for him to understand that it wasn't a bad thing.

It was a great day for everyone. Christina's mom, my mom and dad, Bradley, and Little Cody all got to come in the courtroom with us. The judge let us take as many pictures as we wanted and at the end, even came down, gave Mikey the pen he signed the order with, as well as stand in for a picture.

There is something about the final yes that changed things. He as always been a BIG part of the house. I love having him around, he makes me laugh a lot. But for some reason, it feels much different now that he has my last name.

We all went to have ice cream after the hearing. Becky meet up with us too. It was a great day for everyone, even the judge had a big smile on his face. I just wish everyone could have been there.

Soccer Anyone?

2009-01-18T12:06:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. I know that most people in this country don't care too much for the game of Soccer. That's okay, it just means more for me. The English Premier League is in full swing, training is starting for the MLS, and now the ladies have a professional league... sweet!

I have decided to start another blog. This one is for soccer only called From The Pitch. I just started it a few weeks ago. I am just posting news and my own opinions about happenings from around the soccer world. Nothing mind blowing or ground breaking. I just want to share my passion for the beautiful game with everyone. You don't have to go and read it if you don't want. Like I said before, there aren't too many people that like the game anyway.

Also, Becky, Christy, and myself, started playing in an adult league that AYSO started here in town. It sure was fun. We had our first game last night. Christy has never played before. She did great. We are all a bit out of shape so it was a hard night. We will keep you posted and maybe post a few pictures here soon. See ya later.

It's January!!!!!!

2009-01-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

Okay, when you think of January, what comes to mind? Cold, snow (in some places), ice; but not heat. This past week, it has been in the 70's every day. It's the middle of January for goodness sake. We should be bundled up in cozy hoodies, baggy warm-ups, and sippin hot coco. Not running around in short sleeve shirts, and shorts. I protest to who ever is in control or the weather. Turn the dial back to cold like it should be.

I know I live in Bakersfield, and I know I don't get all four seasons. But, I would like to still have the two that I have come to expect in the stupid town.

Need Some Peace

2009-01-13T18:58:00.000-08:00

I found this gentlemen named Dave Ramsey. I know that there are a lot of people out there that have heard of this guy. I have been listening to his Podcasts for some time now. I signed Christy and I up for his Financial Peace University course. It's a 13 week class at one of the churches here in town. So far it's amazing. The information we have received so far has been better than anything I have heard.

I know there are people out there that don't like Dave either. I just want to tell those people that they are crazy. You can keep your debt, I don't want it.

I recomend this information to anyone with debt. The beautiful thing about the course is that it doesn't matter how much debt you have 10 thousand or 200 thousand. The course works for everything. Giv it a look and a change you will agree too.

Where Did That Come From?

2009-01-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

It's something you don't expect. Well at least not in the beginning. It could have happened at any time, during any small Internet task. Imagine, your buying a cool new gadget on Amazon, posting a comment on a blog, or just sending an email. Now just as you click buy, post, or send... sirens sound, alarms blaze. You see a message that reads, "Please verify your submission." You look down at the little red highlight and see this word that you can't even read, above this little box that has a flashing cursor.

I'm sure everyone has come across this little gem a time or two. I understand why they are there, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Some of the words aren't even words (like the ones in the picture) and some make you think twice before typing. I have run across some really annoying ones and some that make me laugh. I had to enter one today that I thought was really funny and the main reason for this odd post. I was on one of the many blogs I like to read, about to make a small comment to one of the posts, when I looked down and notice what looked like a word that you shouldn't say out loud, if you know what I mean. I had to look at it twice before I realized that it wasn't what I thought it was, but very close. Okay fine, I will tell you what the word was, I know you want to know anyway... The word was shist. See, even you looked at it twice and you knew it was coming. Imagine how I felt, I wasn't expecting it at all.

I'm Tracking You

2009-01-04T08:42:00.001-08:00

I found a really cool service that Google (imagine that) offers for Free. It's called Analytics. What this service does is amazing. It will keep track of just about everything that happens to this here blog space of mine. I can track hits (how many times the site is viewed), how long the average time was spent on the site, and how many pages were looked at. Along with those, I also find out what Internet browsers people used, whether it was a PC or Mac user, where my hits come from (not only from what state but from around the world), what posts were read the most throughout the year, what day had the most hits, the traffic source (direct, search engine, community site -aka- myspace, facebook, etc.), even what Internet source the hit came through (broadband, dsl, dial-up).

Talk about an amazing service, that you don't even have to pay for. How many times have you heard how great Google is? A few times, hundreds, thousands? The amazing thing is, just about every service Google offers is free and they still have the money to pay all of those employees they have. GOOGLE ROCKS!!!

Lame Or Legendary... Your Choice!

2009-01-03T20:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I discovered a someone new yesturday, thank you Susan, by the name of Josh Shipp. Here is the bio from his blog site:

"Josh Shipp is dedicated to one thing: entertaining, inspiring, and empowering teens. He’s written books, shared the stage with Bill Cosby, appeared on MTV’s TRL, Comedy Central, NBC, FOX, TLC, and in the LA TIMES . And he’s already established an international reputation as an inspiring youth speaker with a simple and entertaining, yet challenging message.

Abandoned and abused as a child, Josh was able to triumph over the tragedy, and he continues to encourage everyone to overcome struggles and live life to the fullest. And he does so through the power of laughter. Josh is animated and hilarious, and his speaking style is challenging and thought-provoking. Josh has spoken to more than one million people about how his opportunities in life have made him who he is today. For over eight years, he has inspired, empowered, and entertained audiences all over the world. Josh’s ability to connect with the audience is a rare gift and is one you don’t want to miss.

Hey Josh is a website that provides advice, entertainment and community to teens through the web, films, live events and published books. Based on the old-school principles of Dear Abby, Hey Josh provides digital advice to a digital generation that is “in your face, but on your side”.

Josh is a spokesperson for National Foster Care Month, a marathon runner and a guitar hero."

Awesome guy if you ask me. Check out this video he put together, it's called Factory.

If only everyone thought like Josh. I think I am going to see if Jason, our Youth Pastor, will let me present this video to the Junior High and High School Kids. I think this is something they need to hear. I only with I would have heard this at a younger age. I feel that more kids need to here this a lot more often. Enjoy.

Amazing Story

2009-01-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post a story I read on Prayers for Blowouts last week. I thought it would be a great story to start off the new year. It's a story about offensive linemen Matt Lepsis. It tells how he went from a life of drugs to a life of God overnight. I will just post a link to the story for you to read. From the Colorado Springs Gazette, enjoy.

Back On The Board

2008-12-31T12:22:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-12-24T12:09:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-23T22:42:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-23T22:10:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-20T20:32:00.000-08:00

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!!!!

2008-12-19T14:25:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-13T21:42:00.000-08:00

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!

2008-12-13T10:27:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-06T22:13:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-06T22:02:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-06T21:46:00.000-08:00

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.!!!!

2008-12-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-01T08:57:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-30T22:17:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-27T13:34:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-11-27T09:46:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-24T21:41:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-17T21:55:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-16T06:15:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-15T15:14:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-15T15:00:00.000-08:00

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

2008-05-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

He Is Walking

2008-05-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

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

Finally

2008-05-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

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!!

2008-05-08T17:03:00.000-07:00

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.

Frustration

2008-05-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

I would like to apologize to everyone for the low amount of posts. I have been trying to post a couple of videos of Bradley and Mikey. For some reason I they won't go through when I try to upload them. I will keep trying.

Over the last few months, I have been doing a lot of studying on web design. I started a company a few weeks back. I am majoring in Marketing, so I thought I would start a marketing company. I am offering Web Design, Company Stationary, Logo Design, and Business Cards. I am working on three web pages now. I have under construction pages up for all three now. I am working on Cody's company web page, Corpse Skateboards, and two of my own, S4C Ministries, and GreyStreet Marketing. You can take a look at all three by clicking on the links. Let me know what you think.

YESSSS!!!!!!!

2008-04-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

I received great news yesterday from the Doctor. Everything looks really good, the bone is healing and progressing very well. I have been cleared for physical activities but still can not pick up anything too heavy. I don't have to see the Doctor again until June 3rd. Six weeks between visits. That has to show for something. Also, I got all of the range of motion back in my shoulder. Doc said since I was able to do that, I am not going to need any physical therapy either. I am still on schedule to be able to return to work by June 16th. It's all on the up and up.

A Bit of Payer

2008-04-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give a bit of an up date before this week starts. The reason being is that this week is going to be one of the busiest weeks I have had since I broke my collar bone.

Today, Monday, was a nice day. There wasn't a lot going on, mostly just hanging out with Bradley. Unfortunately, he was a bit cranky because I still am not aloud to pick him up. So he stayed in his pack-and-play for most of the day. I have been picking him up a bit, mainly because I could not take the guilt anymore of Christy having to do everything. Mom and Dad were out of town this past weekend so I had Bradley here.

Tuesday isn't going to be too bad either. I do have my doctors appointment to see how well I am healing. During the last visit, he said that I was to start working on my range of motion. However the bone was still broken. Let me just say, my shoulder hurt like crazy for six weeks. So I am hoping that he says that I can start physical therapy. I did get a great deal of my range back. The sooner I get physical therapy, the sooner I can get back to work.

Wednesday is a crazy day. We have an appointment to take Mikey to a children's advocate for the parental rights and adoption trial. Then Christy has a dentist appointment at 4:00. I have to be at church at 5:00 because I am teaching the junior high youth group. (more on this later) After that, I have soccer practice because the high school group is taking two teams down to Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego for a big district tournament.

Thursday isn't too bad. I do have meetings at church with the Pastor and Youth Pastor. We also have to take Mikey to a meeting with his Lawyer that afternoon.

Friday is going to be a day of nothing. Well, at least an attempt at nothing.

All in all, I know, it isn't the busiest week on the planet. But it is a crazy one for someone who hasn't been able to do much of anything for the past two and half months.

Ministry Forum

2008-04-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to drive up to Fresno Pacific University and spend the day listing to a lecture from Donald Miller. The lecture was amazing. He talked about all sorts of ways to let your life become a story that will inspire others to follow Christ. If you have not yet read any of his books, I encourage you to do so.

He has written four books so far, Blue Like Jazz, Searching For God Knows What, Through Painted Deserts, and To Own A Dragon. In addition, he will have a new book being released in September of 2009. For a first read, I recommend Through Painted Deserts. The story has a lot of good humor as well as a great dialogue between Don and his spirituality. Another reason this is a good first read is because it is a story that takes place in his early twenties. You are introduced to his spiritual growth as he is discovering it himself.

Another great thing about the trip to FPU was that I bought a new copy of Blue Like Jazz and was able to get Don to sign it. In doing so, I passed on the tradition of introducing the book to someone else by giving my old copy to a good friend. (Thank you Katy, love you and miss you)

Dancin' Bradley

2008-04-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

Almost 11 Months

2008-04-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

We had a bbq the other day at Becky and Cody's house. Cody's mom had come into town for a short visit. Good reason for some q if you ask me. Bradley has started to walk. He is doing really good. Before you start screaming for a video, I am working on one right now and should be able to post it shortly.

It Has Begun

2008-04-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, April 4th, was the first of many court proceedings to come. Christy is in the process of getting Mikey's real dads rights taken away. He has been in prison for almost two years and still has another year to go. To take it a bit further, the "great state of california" past a law that in order for a case of this nature to go through the court system, an adoption must be accompanied with the rights hearing. We go back to court on the 16th of May.

Busy Weeks

2008-04-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

Well, a lot has happened these past few weeks. The most has been at church. I had a meeting with the Youth Pastor to go over the details of a trip to Central Cal Extreme at the end of last month. I was one of the soccer coaches for the teams we had going. (One of our teams places second in the tournament.) During the meeting Jason asked me if I would be interested in stepping in as a sub for him when he can't speak on Wednesday night. To be honest, it came to me as a bit of a shock. Then a state of fear came over me, "what in the world am I going to do?" Then when I had the time to think about it, I am really exited. I had a chance to hang out with a lot of the Junior High kids during Cen Cal Ex. These kids are a hoot. I did discover one thing for sure, I haven't grown up as much as I thought I had.

Cody Jr.

2008-03-17T18:13:00.001-07:00

Friday March 14, 2008. Little Justin Cody Dove Jr. finally graced us with his presence. Everyone is doing well and Little C is healthy. Here are a few pictures of the little man.

Bradley 10 Months

2008-03-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

My mom took some picture of Bradley and most already get them through email. However, I do have some readers that don't get email from my mom so here is Bradley at 10 months. Yes you read that correctly, Brad is 10 months. My mom set him down in the back yard grass. Needless to say, he didn't like it too much. He didn't quite no what to make of it. He has also picked up what I used to do at his age. I likes to go around saying whhhooooooooo, as you can see in the first picture. Enjoy.

Algebra

2008-03-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

I started Algebra yesterday. Can I just say, for the record, I hate math. I have never been good at math. I am an artistic (abstract) type of person. I have never considered myself to be a numbers (logical) type. Can anyone tell me the, looking at the image to the left, when did x-y+6 ever equal zero.

To add to the equation (no pun intended) the darn math book cost me 135.00. The class I had before that, Biology, the book was 160.00. It seems to me that textbooks are getting more and more expensive as I go along.

The work I have to do in this class is astronomical. This week I have 622 practice math equations, 20 more equations for another assignment and a 20 equation test to complete as well as two discussion questions. I can't scan my work and turn it in, (being that the class is online) I have to enter everything into Word and work out all of the problems. It is going to take forever. I am sure glad I am not working for the next eight weeks. If I were, I would never have any time to get all of the work done.

I HATE MATH!!!!

Paul's Shipwreck

2008-02-29T17:45:00.000-08:00

I finished this book last night. A truly amazing story. The author Robert Cornuke is the founder of the BASE Institute. He is been on many expeditions in search of Bible based archeology. He prides himself on fallowing the Bible during his searches.

There is a chapter he put in the book that talked about his trip home from his first visit to Malta. He came home on a plan during a major ordeal known as September 11th 2001. He was over the Atlantic during the attacks.

This is a great book. I recommend it to anyone. Enjoy.

More Bradley

2008-02-26T16:07:00.000-08:00

I am sure that most of you received the e-mail from my mom with these pictures. But for those of you that don't my moms e-mails, here are some new pictures that she took of Bradley. She gave him one of those gram cracker type teething biscuits. Well, just let the pictures do the talking. What a mess.

Something To Pass The Time

2008-02-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

Well, it all started last months during the Winter X Games. I wrote a bit about it in this link here. Anyway, after enjoying a lot of great competition, I notice something about a lot of the athletes. They were thanking God before any of their sponsors. I decided to do a bit of research to find out about the questions I had. Here is an article that I found.

So, that day, January 26th or 27th, I decided to start a ministry geared toward helping to spread the Good News of Jesus. There is one or two groups that do the same thing. One is a group on Colorado, Snowboard For Christ Ministries.

The mission of Shred 4 Christ is for Christians with a specific specialized calling of taking the Message of Christ to the extreme sports community. The reason I am trying to create this ministry is to provide the teens and young adult an alternative to the local bar scene and party scene.

I guess we'll see how things turn out. I still have a lot to do. I have the start of a logo as you can see up top there. The little endeavor of mine will be keeping me busy while I am on the mend.

New from Rob Bell

2008-02-25T10:53:00.000-08:00

If you have been reading my blog as I go along, you may have read my past posts on Rob Bell. He is Pastor/Founder of Mars Hill in Grand Rapids Michigan. He is also the author of two amazing books, Velvet Elvis, and Sex God. No, Sex God is not what you think it is about.

Anyway, back to the reason for the post. Bell has something new. He just released a DVD from his Everything is Spiritual tour. The DVD is obviously entitled Everything is Spiritual. As far as the premise of the DVD, there is a small blurb on the back that goes like this:

In the Hebrew Scripture there is no word for "spiritual."

And Jesus never used the phrase "spiritual life."

Because for Jesus and his tradition, all of life is spiritual.

So what does that mean?

This DVD is truly a remarkable lesson in searching your ability to understand that every single task you preform, you should do it in the name of our Lord Jesus. Not only should explore the possibility in doing so, but to enjoy it. I recommend this DVD to anyone. If you want to know more, click on the link and watch a short video from the DVD to see for yourself. Enjoy.

9 Months

2008-02-24T12:04:00.000-08:00

I know it has been a while since I have posted any new pictures of Bradley. I am sure that most of you have already seen some of these because my mom is all over the emailing pictures thing. The first three she has sent out through email but the last three I took a few days ago. He is getting really big and more adventuress every day. He is also growing into a bit of an attitude. I'm not sure where he gets it from. Well enjoy the pictures.

A New Toy

2008-02-23T22:42:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally got what I have wanted to a long time. I just bought a new computer. I was going to buy a PC, but I hate Vista. The three or four times I used the program I had nothing but trouble. So I looked into a MacBook Pro. It was going to cost me 2700.00 for the one that I wanted. So I thought I would look into the iMac.

Here is what I bought. I found the 20 inch iMac with a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 2 GB memory and a 320 Gb hard drive. I got it for 1699.00. I got twice the computer in the iMac than I would have got from the Macbook Pro, for a lot let cash. This thing is sweet.

I mainly bought the computer because I have had a lot of school work lately and have been using my older Gateway. Problem is, Christy wants to use it. So I bought this bad boy to help control the computer traffic. Here are some pictures of my new toy.

A Lot Going On

2008-02-23T21:31:00.000-08:00

Here is a little story about what has been going on this past month.

It all started the morning of February 5th. I got up at 5:00 in the morning, drove to my buddy Gary's house, picked him up at about 5:30. Started a 2 and half hour drive out of town to a place known as Mountain High. We're on our way to a day of snowboarding fun. We arrived at 8:30, just as the lifts were opening. We suited up, bought our lift tickets, and headed to the lift. We had a small discussion on where to start. I had not been on a board in about 6 years and for Gary it had been longer. We made the choice to start on a green slope instead of heading to the summit. A smart idea if you ask me. Well, it is now 9:00, we are snapped in, standing at the top of the slope. 9:01, we're off. 9:02, I'm done.

I had been heading down the slope, I carved in to go around a guy and started to carve out. I ride goofy foot, so when I am carving out, it is on my back side. Anyway, as I am doing this, my tail edge hits a patch of hard pack and gives on me. I caught it just in time, but then it went again. This time, I lost it. I went down on my back side and jammed my left hand into the snow. As I did this my collar bone broke. The picture you see at the top left is my x ray. After my x rays, the doctor said that I shattered my collar bone. It broke in four places, two were main breaks and one was the split of the little piece in between the two mains.

Needless to say, they couldn't just set it and let it heal. I ended up having surgery to fix it. Now I have a large piece of titanium with screws holding everything together until it heals. The surgery went off without a hitch. It took about 50 stitches to close

me up.

After the surgery.

Incision.

A closer look, pretty isn't it.

Christians And Extreme Sports ?

2008-02-07T19:08:00.000-08:00

It’s now February, and that can only mean one thing. The Winter X Games have come and gone. I watched all the pros ridn’ their sticks and sleds, goin’ big and throwin’ it down. Sorry, sure is surprising how watching three straight days of extreme sports can change your lingo just a bit. Anyway, there was a lot of great competition, a few upsets, some up and coming no names, and some of the old names dominating their events.

I noticed a few things this year that I didn’t pay to much attention to the few years I watch the games. There is an overwhelming amount of camaraderie and sportsmanship between the competitors. No matter what happened or how it happened, you always saw the competitors giving their respect to big tricks and big scores. You don’t see that in many of the professional sports now days.

Something else I noticed this year, not seeing in past years, was the amount of competitors thanking God and or Jesus after their run. In most cases, they would thank one or the other, or both, even before their sponsors. I think that is amazing. I give those competitors more respect now than I ever did before.

Those were just a few things I noticed this year while my eyes were glued to the tube.

Sucks To Be Sick

2008-01-18T22:02:00.000-08:00

The better part of 96 hours. That is how long the fever I had lasted. And wouldn't you know it, on the way to the pay the doc a visit, it broke. I don't ever get sick like that. I am the guy that gets those little 24 hour colds and maybe a runny nose. I am doing better but recovery seems to be taking a little longer that I would it to. I started my Biology class week. So far so good. I have to make up a little work this weekend from being sick, but I think I will manage. Bradley and Mickey are doing great and Christy is cruising along at work. So, until next time.

Sorry Guys

2008-01-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

I know, I am a slacker. It sure has been a while. I posted three new videos, that should help give you your Bradley fix. He is sure growing up fast. Can you believe it, eight months old in just three more days. Mickey is going to be seven years old on the 14th this month.

I start Biology today. Yes, Biology and no I am not too happy about it. I don't like Biology, not in the least. I figured I would get it out of the way in the beginning. We will see how I do. I am hopping for the best.

I was asked to coach the church soccer team for a few tournaments coming up the first part of the year. I said yes, of course. You would be expecting a different answer from me, I don't think so. Because the last time I used my soccer cleats they gave me a huge blood blister on my foot, I opted to buy a new pair. These things are cool. Adidas Predators they call them. The most comfortable soccer cleat I have ever put on my foot.

Is Duck Tape Funny?

2008-01-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

Look! He's Crawling!

2008-01-07T10:24:00.000-08:00

Bradley & Applesauce

2008-01-01T16:55:00.000-08:00

Six Months Going On Seven

2007-11-19T20:23:00.000-08:00

I know I havn't posted in a few weeks. I can't say things have been crazy on my end because it hasn't been. Everything seems to be going really well right now. I ended up with a B in my New Testament class and I am working on my Old Testament class now. Christy is still working. She has had a bit of a run in with one of the girls she works with. She finally quit so Christy should have an easier time at the Pre-school.

I registered for next semesters classes this week. I start out with Biology and finish the semester with Algebra. I was going to take a total of four classes next semester but I am not good at biology or algebra so I think I should just focus on one class at a time.

Bradley Vs Sweet Potatoes

2007-11-05T20:05:00.000-08:00

Mickey's Basketball Game

2007-11-05T19:50:00.000-08:00

Here is Mickey playing basketball. I am sorry for the view in the film. Christy had a hard time getting good shots because of all the people helping out with the players. I tell you what, these kids really have fun out there. Enjoy everyone.

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

I just thought I would get one more post in before the new month.

Happy Halloween everyone. Hey, aren't those pumpkins cool? I thought so, that's why I posted the picture.

Anyway, I will have a post of Mickeys basketball game up shortly, I still need to find a good song to go with basketball and do a bit of editing. I will also be posting some pictures of Mickey and Bradley in their Halloween costumes later this week. Christy and I are going to take the boys to the Harvest Festival at the church tonight. They do a really neat Trunk or Treat thing for the kids, a BBQ and live music too. Sounds like fun.

Also, I finished my first class at Grand Canyon University Online last Sunday. As I sit now, I have a B+, but the professor still has not posted the final grade with week eights assignment yet. I am hoping I can pull an A out of somewhere dark, dusty, and damp. For the final paper, I had to write a two thousand word essay on the movie, Passion of the Christ. The length of the paper was not too hard because, the professor had seven questions for us to answer and each question has at least one more question added to the original. Sounds hard? Well, it was. It took me all day. I went to church that morning, went home and started the paper, didn't get to go to Mickeys basketball game or the small group Christy and I go to.

On Monday, I started my new class, Old Testament History. We will see how this one goes. The good thing is, I am off of those six work days a week. Now I may have a bit more time to study and get my homework done. We will see. Anyway, just wanted to post an update.

The Light Is Near

2007-10-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

The light at the end of the tunnel is near. The family has been a juggling act for three months. I could see Christy and I atop a ball, throwing our jobs, the kids, anything to do with church, and my school into the air and trying to catch everything and do it again. (Metaphorically speaking of course) Three months of this crazy circus, and now the light is near. So near in fact that this should be last week of six days a week.

To stick the fire a bit more, Christy, Mickey, and Bradley have been sick the past few weeks. I can add another log to the fire; Christy received a flue shot on Tuesday. Last night she came home from work with a fever. I told her, just go to bed; she did, and took care of the boys all night. Not a problem right?

Well, let me give you a run down of the night. Everything started Wednesday night. Christy wasn’t feeling good that night; Bradley couldn’t breathe so he was up five or six times that night. The next day, Christy came home and went to bed and I watched the boys. I watched the first game of the World Series; (very upset in the outcome of that one) put the boys to bed. (Bradley with a fight, of course) I was up until eleven o’clock writing a paper for school. Finally got to bed at midnight, then Bradley wakes me up three times.

I am not complaining about any of this, I just felt like I had to give you a bit of the back-story before I told you the real reason for this post. It all came down to this morning. Christy wakes up and feels horrible. She wants me to stay home; the problem is I can’t, so now she is even more miserable. Then, I try to help her out and get the boys ready so she wouldn’t have to. Now, here’s were it all turned from bad to worse. Instead of just going with the flow, (the smart path) I decide to be a bonehead.

She told me that she was going to take Mickey to school this morning. “OK, sounds good babe,” is what I should have said. However, nooooooo, I decide in my little head, to tell her she just needs to put him in the bus and go back to bed. Let’s just say that didn’t go well. Sorry Christy. I love you.

Mickey Plays T-Ball

2007-10-22T12:03:00.000-07:00

A local physical therapy group in town put together a League of Dreams. Giving local kids with disabilities a chance to play sports they normally would not be able to play. Mickey had the chance to play t-ball this past summer. The video I took of the game is not that great. I didn't think I was going to have this blog at the time. But I did get him going around the bases and crossing home plate. Right now Mickey is getting the chance to play basketball. I forgot the video camera for his first game, but I will take some video at next Sundays game and post it too.

Bradley And His Jibber Jabber

2007-10-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

A Quote

2007-10-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

I read a blog from a Pastor in Portland. His name is Rick Mckinley. I really enjoy his insight on religion and he posts great book reviews. He is the pastor at Imago Dei church. Rick posted a great write-up about his Thoughts on the Emerging Church. I found a paragraph he had written interesting.

"There is much for us to learn from the dead men who are still speaking while we seek to find the theological truths that will be good news to our culture and their questions."

This is a great statement. I just wanted to post this for everyone to read. What do you think about this statement?

It's About Time

2007-10-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

The unexpected has happened. My Rockies have finally won the National League Championship. They did it by winning their last twenty of twenty-one games.

I did a bit of researching on a few things. One of which was the payroll of a few of the teams in the majors. Take the Yankees (evil empire number one) with their 189.9 million dollar payroll and the Red Sox (evil empire number two) close behind with a 145.1 million dollar payroll. The Yankees were thrown out in the first round and the Sox are falling behind as of today. Then I looked at the Rockies and Indians purse. The Rockies are twenty-first in the league with 60.6 million dollars and the Tribe is sitting two spots atop the Rockies at number nineteen with 67.8 million. Now I am not saying that the Rockies or Indians will win the series, no one knows the future. However I will say this, it just goes to show that you can't buy the pennant. Just because you pay a player whatever they want doesn't mean you can go out and expect to win it all.

Something else I found to be interesting. Looking at the extended roster of the Rockies, they have forty-five players. Of course, they don't take all of them through to the post season. However, out of that pool of players, thirty-three of those players have five years or less experience in the majors. Of that thirty-three, nine of them are rookies. I took that a bit further and looked at the active roster for the playoffs. They take twenty-five players into the playoffs and out of those, nineteen have five years or less and of those nineteen, sixteen have three years or less in the majors.

All I am saying is this:
One, I am ecstatic that the Rockies made the World Series.
Two, they did it with a very young team.
Three, you don't have to have deep pockets to win the pennant.

And last but not least....

IT'S ROCKTOBER BABY!!!!!!

Five Months Now

2007-10-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

It has been five months. I can't believe how fast the time goes. It seems like just last week we were bringing Bradley home from the hospital. I hope that everyone has been following along with the pictures and videos of Bradley. If not, just click the links pictures, videos, or Bradley. Clicking on Bradley will bring up everything on one page.

Anyway, Christy has a friend at the pre-school she is teaching at that is a Photographer. They mainly take wedding pictures, but now they want to start getting into other photo genres. She asked Christy if she could take pictures of Mickey and Bradley. They posted the pictures on their web page. I will give you the link in a minute. The pictures look great and we will be getting a bunch. If you would like some, just let me know and Christy and I will get them for you. They want to use one of the pictures of Bradley they took for their new business card. If I remember correctly, Christy said something about us taking family pictures soon. We may use one for a family holiday card type thing too.

Here is the link to Digital Magic.

Bradley Takes A Bite

2007-10-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

Bradley takes his first bite from a spoon.

Pieces

2007-09-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to find some other songs to post the lyrics to. RED has one album out at the moment. I'm telling you, if good Christian rock music is what you like, buy this CD. If you buy this album, you will not be disappointed, I guarantee it. Anyway, there are some really good songs on the CD, one that stands out for me is number six, Pieces. Here are the lyrics.

I’m here again

A thousand miles away from you

A broken mess

Just scattered pieces of who I am

I tried so hard

Thought I could do this on my own

I’ve lost so much along the way

Then I see your face

I know I’m finally yours

I find everythingI thought I lost before

You call my name

I come to you in pieces

So you can make me whole

I’ve come undone

But you make sense of who I am

Like puzzle pieces in your hand

When I see your face

I know I’m finally yours

I find everything

I thought I lost before

You call my name

I come to you in pieces

So you can make me whole

I tried so hard

So hard

I tried so hard

Work, Work, Work

2007-09-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

Well, it hasn't slowed down around the house yet. Sometimes I feel like time is like the clocks in the picture. It's all going so fast that even the clocks are getting tired.

Last week our landlord had a new roof put on the house. That was three days of noise. I started my six days a week on Monday. I found out that I will be on this schedule until the beginning of November.

Somewhere in this new work schedule, I have to find some time to get all of my readings and homework done on time. The way it's set up with the online courses, I have a discussion question that I have to answer on Thursday, and another one on Saturday. Then I have a paper I have to write that is due by Sunday night. That's it, every week for eight weeks and then the class is over. Also, don't forget the two or three chapters in my textbook and the the readings in my Bible I have to finish before I can start to do the work each week. I know, it doesn't sound all that bad, really not much work involved... on my normal work schedule. I have three days off every week to get the work done. Now, I don't have that and it is going to be this way until the end of the class.

If someone has any idea how I can get two more hours out of those sad looking clocks in the picture, please let me know. I think I need it.

Bradley At 4 Months

2007-09-14T20:24:00.000-07:00

I thought instead of posting a bunch of pictures, I would post a short video. Here you go. Enjoy.

One of those weeks

2007-09-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

Well, it was one of those weeks. You know what I am talking about, the week that nothing seems to go right. The one where everything seems just fifteen degrees off. Yeah, we had one of those weeks. It started on Saturday night. I felt great, Christy and I had decided to go to the Saturday night service at church. The church had a guy speaking that was the MC for Promise Keepers in Fresno last month. I wanted to go here him speak so, Mikey was off with his grandparents and we dropped Bradley off the the infant care at the church.

We went to the sanctuary to listen to the speaker, Rick Rigsby. He spoke for a little over an hour. He is amazing, I hope that if anyone has a chance to see him speak they take it.

Then, Sunday comes around. I am changing the oil in the cars when I hear from Christy that Mickey has the Chicken Pocks. I finish with the cars and a little while to the evening, Mickey has an accident involving his potty seat. I am not going to go into detail here, but let me say that it involved a trip to the ER. Everything turns out okay there, but Tuesday has yet to rear its head. Tuesday and Wednesday, all in all, turns out to be okay. The only real problems I had on those two days was trying to take care of both kids, watch Mickeys band aid, and try to get my home work done. Thursday, I had to go to work, but I came home because I felt sick. Sure enough, head cold hits that nigh, but not before Mickey as to go back into the ER to get his bandage fixed up.

I am glad to report that today has been a good day. I feel better, chores are done, Mickey is doing better and I have been able to work on homework. Now the only thing I am facing is the fact that I am going back on six days a week at work until my boss finds someone to hire in the new position opposite me. Well, wish us all luck in the coming weeks.

Here It Is

2007-09-07T13:05:00.000-07:00

I had a hard time finding the elusive DV Cable needed to transfer video from my camera to my computer. I looked everywhere for this little jewel. I finally found it at Radio Shack. Let me tell you. If you are looking for any accessory for anything at all. You will find it at Radio Shack.

So now, without further delay, I give you my first video. I chose this video because I told our friend Katy that we had wished she could have been there. But, she lives is Texas of all places and missed the event. So, I told her that we would record Bradley's dedication so she could see it. Well here it is. Enjoy everyone.

Harry Potter

2007-09-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

I am not what you call a big reader. At least before the last two years. In school, I hated to read. I couldn't even get through a book that was required reading. It took along time before I really started to enjoy reading. A friend of mine gave me the first Harry Potter book, The Sorcerer's Stone. I have to admit, I didn't want to read it.

I started as soon as I got out of bed one morning. That way, if the book was bad, I wasn't wasting a day. Needless to say, I was done with the book that evening. I just couldn't put it down. You could really tell it was a children's book. It had a simple feel to it.

Lucky for me, when I started reading the books, the first six were already out in stores. So, I started reading the books. I was happy to see as I went on, that Rowling's started to write the books for a more adult audience. I read the first four books rather fast. I finished the fifth book as the movie came out this last July. I just got through the sixth book this last weekend. If you have not yet read these books, I recommend you do. They are well written with plenty of adventure. I just started the last book in the series yesterday. I will post about it when I am done. It may take me a bit longer to finish, seeing as though I have to balance school reading with reading of pleasure.

Bradley

2007-09-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

This last Sunday, Christy and I, had the honor of dedicating Bradley to our Lord Jesus Christ, in front of our family and congregation. I could not have asked for it to go any better. We had our friend and Worship Pastor Mark Kounter do the dedication. I think some of our family took pictures, and I had my Brother-In-Law shoot some video. I will post all of that when I get the chance. I need to get a DV Cable for my camcorder so that I can transfer the video to my computer. I just want to thank our friends and family that prayed for everything to go well, the amazing Mark Kounter for doing everything he has done not only for me, but for my family as well, and our Lord Jesus for taking Bradley into his heart as he does so well.

School!!!

2007-09-03T13:59:00.000-07:00

Well, it is official. I started school today. Although, it doesn't feel like I did, mainly because I don't go to "school" so to speak. Taking classes online is like getting exited about a package you are going to get in the mail, then waking up the next morning and remembering you got it yesterday and it is sitting on the table. No climactic anything. No, hustle and bustle, no new faces... nothing.

I can't complain. I don't have to worry about finding my class in time, fighting crowds, or trying to kick someone out of a chair that is mine because I am in the class and they are crashing the class. Man I hated those first couple days of school. All I have to do is sit down in my living room, turn on my laptop, connect to the Internet, and check my online student portal. Easy peasy, lemon squeazy.

One think however, that does tend to suck is the fact that you don't have a bookstore that you can run to after class when you realize you forgot to buy a book. Guess what, I did that. I found my books through the schools online book store. There were two books listed. One was the text book, the other was a Bible. (for those who do not know, I am taking a New Testament History class, hence the Bible) I thought to myself... "self, you already have a great study Bible, you don't need to buy this one." Guess what, I did need to buy that one. I downloaded my course syllabus this morning and sure enough, I needed it. I picked up my other book Saturday. But now, I will not get the Bible until Wednesday.

Man I hate that. Oh well, I guess that is what I get for thinking.

All Around Me

2007-08-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

Here is another song I really like. This one is from Flyleaf's self titled album. All Around Me is a great song that illustrates the feeling you get when you accomplish a personal relationship with god. Here are the lyrics:

My hands are searching for you

My arms are outstretched towards you

I feel you on my fingertips

My tongue dances behind my lips for you

This fire rising through my being

Burning I'm not used to seeing you

I'm alive, I'm alive

I can feel you all around me

Thickening the air I'm breathing

Holding on to what I'm feeling

Savoring this heart that's healing

My hands float up above me

And you whisper you love me

And I begin to fade

Into our secret place

The music makes me sway

The angels singing say we are alone with you

I am alone and they are too with you

And so I cry

The light is white

And I see you

Take my hand

I give it to you

Now you owe me

All I am

You said you would never leave me

I believe you

I believe

TOMS Shoes

2007-08-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

I ran across this amazing organization the other day. It is called TOMS Shoes. I wanted to tell everyone about it. Then I found a You Tube video. So here it is, check this out.

I want everyone to buy a pair...or four. I am going to buy a pair for everyone in my family. That is right, even Bradley. They make Mens, Womens, and even Tiny Toms. For 40$ you can have an new, comfortable pair of shoes, and give a new comfortable pair of shoes to a child in a third world country that has never had a shoes before.

Putting Church Into Perspective

2007-08-28T08:03:00.001-07:00

One of the blogs that I read is called brokenstainedglass.com. On August 20th, Briggs posted a blog that helps us understand just how much we may take our church life for granted. He posted a quote from a pastor in India talking about dedication:

"Because of the extreme cold we often get sick. When the weather is bad and we don't have warm clothing, it is difficult for us to go outdoors for ministry. We wrap ourselves with thick blankets, which we also use for sleeping. We don't have frequent bus transportation, so we have to walk 11 miles a day for outreach. Even the believers walk 7 miles to attend the worship service..."

Briggs goes on to ask one simple question, "If you had to walk seven miles to church every Sunday would you do it?"

Now, before you answer, read the quote again. Now, what would you do?

Plain White T's

2007-08-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

This bad has been around for a few years now. Now, if you listen to the radio, I am sure you have heard their song ''Hey There Delilah." A while back, Christy asked me if I had heard it. She tried to explain the song, but I had no idea what she was talking about. I don't listen to the radio, at all. I hate all the overkill and commercials. But, that is for another blog post some time. Anyway, I finally heard the song the other day, only because the guys at work listen to XM Satellite Radio. I didn't think the song was too bad. I looked up the lyrics.

I am going to start doing this a lot. I love music. I listen to wide range in genres. So I thought I would start posting the lyrics. Some of the songs have really good lyrics.

Here are the lyrics to Hey There Delilah:

Hey there Delilah

What's it like in New York City?

I'm a thousand miles away

But girl tonight you look so pretty

Yes you do

Time Square can't shine as bright as you

I swear it's true

Hey there Delilah

Don't you worry about the distance

I'm right there if you get lonely

Give this song another listen

Close your eyes

Listen to my voice it's my disguise

I'm by your side

Oh it's what you do to me

What you do to me

Hey there Delilah

I know times are getting hard

But just believe me girl

Someday I'll pay the bills with this guitar

We'll have it good

We'll have the life knew we would

My word is good

Hey there Delilah

I've got so much left to say

If every simple song I wrote to you

Would take your breath away

I'd write it all

Even more in love with me you'd fall

We'd have it all

A thousand miles seems pretty far

But they've got planes and trains and cars

I'd walk to you if I had no other way

Our friends would all make fun of use

and we'll just laugh along because we know

That none of them have felt this way

Delilah I can promise you

That by the time we get through

The world will never ever be the same

and you're to blame

Hey there Delilah

You be good and don't you miss me

Two years and you'll be done with school

And I'll be making history like I do

You'll know it's all because of you

We can do whatever we want to

Hey there Delilah here's to you

This ones for you

PK 07

2007-08-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend. I don't think I could have asked for anything better. Going up to Fresno is not what I would call a lot of fun. However, if you can go up there with a great think in mind. Fresno isn't really that bad. So, after only about hour and half in the car with some guys, we were parking in the Save Mart Center parking lot. The Friday night part of the show went from about 7:30 until 11:30. They had two speakers during that four hour block along with the host of the conference and the Worship band. One of the speakers was a guy named Bob Cornuke. This guy is the original "Indiana Jones". He found the four anchors from the Shipwreck of Paul. I bought a couple of his books and had him sign them. The other speaker was a comedian. His name was Brad Stine. All I can say about this man is phenomenal. He has a very in your face type of comedy. Not something you see normally in a Christian comedian.

Friday night the conference, instead of staying in a hotel, all of the guys from the church brought sleeping bags and we slept in one of the churches there in Fresno. I have to say, the older you get, the harder it is to sleep on the floor. I think I should have taken my dads advise and brought a pad to sleep on.

We got up Saturday morning, had some breakfast, and made our way to the second half of the conference. This half was more of the same. Speakers, and lots of Worship. Brad Stine did another set too. We all left about one o'clock. Everyone seemed to be on cloud nine. All in all the entire weekend was amazing. I when with some great guys and had a blast. I just want to say thank you to Mark and Richard for a great trip. I hope you had as much fun as I did.

Weekend Away!!

2007-08-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

I found this picture the other day. That is too funny. I thought I would use it with this post. I am leaving for the Promise Keepers tomorrow morning. I am going with a few guys from the church. I have to say thank you to Mike and Marilyn (Christy's mom dad) for buying my ticket. This should be a great weekend. It does help that I should be at work through the weekend. I will post after I get back with how it turns out.

I also want to add a couple other things. One, I still have not received the final word on school yet. I am getting a bit impatient. Class starts September 3rd and I need to get my books ordered. Have I ever mentioned that I hate to wait. Yeah, really hate to wait.

And the last thing. I have a friend of mine, Damon. He is writing a book, Dark Angel. he posts a new chapter every month. I have been reading along with the posts. I have to say, really good. I think he has something with this little endeavor. Follow that link and check it out. I think you will like it.

Velvet Elvis

2007-08-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

I just finished this one. Velvet Elvis is the first book Rob Bell wrote. It is a book about Repainting The Christian Faith. I would recommend it to anyone. If you are trying to find your faith, already have your faith, or just want to read something about faith. This is the book for you.

Rob uses an old painting of Elvis he has in his basement as the inspiration for this book. Here is snippet from the introduction.

I am learning that what seems brand new is often the discovery of something that's been there all along- it just got lost somewhere and it needs to be picked up, dusted off, and reclaimed. I am learning that I come from a tradition that has wrestled with the deepest questions of human existence for thousands of years. I am learning that my tradition includes the rabbis and reformers and revolutionaries and monks and nuns and pastors and writers and philosophers and artists and every person everywhere who has asked big questions of a big God. Welcome to my Velvet Elvis.

The whole book was great. It was a quick read, and that is saying something coming from me. I think a snail could slid its way through a marathon before I could... well, I think you get the point.

I See A Clearing

2007-08-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I know it has been a while sense my last post. Going into the last week, I had six days off coming to me. Lets just say, I didn't get six days off.

The all started on Friday. It was Christys birthday. That afternoon, we sent the kids off to their grandmas and grandpas and went to dinner. Christy wanted to go have a steak. We went to Tahoe Joes and spent more money on dinner than I have ever spent. Just shy of one hundred bucks... for two people. I can't complain, she had fifty of that covered with a gift from her mom and dad. Thanks guys. After dinner, we went to see I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. I have to say, everyone needs to go see that movie. It was one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time.

Saturday morning comes around, and I turn over and kiss my wife and wish her a happy anniversary. That's right, our one year was August 11th. See, I was smart, I made sure that the two most important dates I have to remember right next to each other. Now I can't forget them. For Christy's birthday I got her the movie Hot Fuzz. If you ever saw Shaun of the Dead, you will love this movie. We got up and and went to breakfast, then came home and watched Hot Fuzz. After that, Bradley came home.

Sunday morning, we went to church. Right after church I had to go build a fence. That's right, build a fence. The fence took the rest of Sunday and all day Monday. I didn't get home until ten o'clock Monday night. I does look amazing if I do say so myself. Then, Tuesday and Wednesday Christy had to work, so I stayed home with the kids. Just let me say, I love to be with boys, but after that week I just had, I was so tired I could barley stay awake.

Now that the week is coming to an end, I can see a bit of rest coming. I still have to work through the weekend, but I don't mind. I have Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off next week. I go back to work on Thursday, then I have Friday and Saturday off. I am going to Promise Keepers in Fresno with a group of guys from church. It should be a lot of fun. I will let you know when I get back.

The Bonds Home Run... Sorry, I Had To

2007-08-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

There it is, the asterisk. The one think standing in the way of anyone wanting to set a new record in sports. I know, I'm a little late to be jumping on this bandwagon. I am going into this post completely aware of that. I know everyone has been talking about this from the day McGuire hit his big home run.

The other day I was reading through one of my favorite blogs, Burnside Writers Blog. I found a post written by Aaron Donley called The Shrinking of Our Heroes. Here is a little something he wrote.

"frankly, I can’t tell you how incredibly disappointed I am with the whole situation. You see, as a youngster I’m thankful I had the opportunity to have positive role models. Legends you could watch and look up too with admiration, hoping someday to mimic if even a bit of their greatness in your own life. True greats you would watch over and over again in slow motion replays of their glory days with glossy eyed admiration for their personal determination and fortitude. Yet today, I’m afraid my own son will not have the same opportunity I had to view such untainted greatness."

It really got me thinking about this whole asterisk business. After reading Aarons blog, two phrases stand out to me; positive role models and untainted greatness. Let us take the first one for a minute and elaborate. Positive role model means just that, positive. Why would any parent, in there right mind, want to let their kids watch people like Bonds on TV. You are basically sending the message that you think it is okay for people to use steroids to enhance their personal performance. I go out of my way to change the channel when Bonds is on. I don't care if it is a highlight clip, a game, or a commercial. He doesn't get airtime in my house.

I don't care if Bonds said he didn't use enhancement drugs. He did or still does and that is all there is to it. I'm sorry, you don't go from hitting 49 home runs in one season to 72 in the next without a bit of help. Sure, he hasn't hit more that 46 in seasons following 2001. However, if you remember, promptly after his 72 home runs he went under investigation for enhancement drug use. I will just leave it at that.

Which leads me to the other point, untainted greatness. There will never be anyone greater in the history of sports than the Babe Ruths and Hank Aarons'. They achieved their records with what God gave them, not with performance enhancement vitamins, shakes and drugs. No matter how much effort is put into it, greatness will never follow tainted.

So I say, yes, hats off to you Barry Bonds. I am sure you worked very hard for your achievements. But, you will never be the heroic legend of the great Hank Aaron.

He's Three Months

2007-08-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

Sex God

2007-08-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, stop! No that is not what this book is about. Now, pick your mind up out of the gutter.

I just finished this book, written by Rob Bell. Exploring the endless connections between sexuality and spirituality is the concept of the book. I must say, this is a great book. I would recommend this book to anyone. With chapters like; God Wears Lipstick; Leather, Whips, and Fruit; and Whoopee Forever, you can see why your mind might run in the direction of the gutter.

And no, it is not that type of book. Here is a definition of the book from the introduction by the author:

"Because this is really about that. It's always about something else. Something deeper. Something behind it all. You can't talk about sexuality without talking about how we were made. And that will inevitably lead you to who made us. At some point you have to talk about God. Sex. God. They're connected. And they can't be separated. Where the one is, you will always find the other. This is a book about how sexuality is the 'this' and spirituality is the 'that'. To make sense of the one, we have to explore the other. And that is what this book is about."

All in all, this is a remarkable book and suggest everyone read it. It has a great deal of scripture that he breaks down rather well. Also, Rob teaches a good deal of Greek work definitions that are used in the bible.

Road Blocks Suck

2007-08-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

I tell you what, it never fails. Every time I try getting a bit closer to completing the enrollment process at Grand Canyon, something else comes up. I just want to go back to school. Everything was running along great until I hit a snag. I had been wanting the company to send the money they would send me for tuition reimbursement, directly to the school. Not a bad idea if you ask me, it would cut out the middle man. The company won't do that. All of the money has to come to me, then I have to send it to the school. Okay, that is fine. Not a big problem. Hold it, yes, that is a problem. Seeing that I don't have an extra $1125.00 every two months, I have to take out student loans to cover the tuition. Now, that money from the student loan gets sent to the school. Then after the class, I have to submit my tuition reimbursement so that the company will send the money to me. Then I have to send that money to Sallie Mae to pay off the loan I withdrew two months earlier.

Now I ask this small question. Does that sound logical in any way? I think not.

So, the saga continues in my quest to inch this little butt of mine back to school.

A Great Ethics Question

2007-08-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

There is a blog that I like to read written by a guy named Kevin. His blog page is the one that I found the blograte thing on. His post today, asked a very good ethics question. I wanted to share it with you. Here it is:

"One of your best friends has struggled with alcholism, but has been clean for 2 years. He is a Christian, and has just recently starting getting drunk again. Your desire is to once again walk closely with him and try to help him. The elders in your church are asking that you disassociate from him because he is defaming the name of Christ with his behavior (he has been warned of this step if he fell again). What are you going to do? Are you going to follow your heart, and walk with your friend? Doing so will result in willfully defying your spiritual authority under the covering of your leaders. Will you obey your leaders and disassociate from your friend? Doing so will result in breaking your conscious about what you should do for your friend. What do you do?"

So, I post this blog as a question to everyone. What would you do in this situation? Leave me comment and let me know. I will post my decision a bit later.