It's just like riding a bicycle

...actually, it was exactly riding a bicycle. Lacey and I were able to participate in an activity with the teens at Morning Star Baptist Church. This activity involved riding our bikes from Midway Village to Rock Cut State Park. Here's a map of the path. This map only shows the path to the park, not the circuitous route that we had to take to get to our site after arriving at the park. We had a great time and no serious injuries (one minor spill, no skin broken or bones displaced). After that we had a spirited game of Capture the Flag. I no longer have to remind myself that I'm 41 years old. My body does that for me. I really felt old when I realized that my bike was older than most of the participants of the bike hike. Still, we had a great time with a great group of young people.

Here's a shot of me on the bike. I told Lacey that I was wearing the yellow jersey to be sure I would be seen. She told me that if someone couldn't see me on the road they shouldn't be allowed to drive. Wives...they can be so supportive sometimes.

Koinonia

I've been so busy that I haven't been able to post on this blog (and don't even ask when I'll be able to write a post for my other blog...I've been hindered by a lack of time and writer's block). Anyhow, this past weekend Lacey and I had the privilege of hosting Dr. Joel Tetreau and his wife, Toni. Dr. Tetreau, pastor of Southeast Valley Baptist Church in Gilbert, Arizona (near Phoenix) was in town to attend the board meeting for Global Grace and to discuss how his church might be able to partner with Morning Star Baptist Church with respect to the Global Grace ministry.

Dr. Tetreau seems to be on the same page as our pastor both theologically and philosophically. It is encouraging to see this opportunity to be able to combine our resources for a common goal (if the Lord chooses to lead his church in that direction). I appreciated the conversations that I was able to have with Dr. Tetreau and enjoyed his vast knowledge of contemporary church history as it relates to fundamentalism (look at this for an interesting read).

Sunday, after church, we were able to gather with a group of people from the church (and the Tetreaus) for some fellowship. Sundays are so good, we don't want them to end. Of course, our schedules usually dictate otherwise. Around 11:30 we were gathering in a circle to pray and say goodbye as we prepared for the upcoming week. It was a great start to what has been a very busy week for me.

More Windy City Photos

I thought I had a video clip of this, but all I have is this shot of Peyton eating a hush pup at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. That was monumental because she doesn't ordinarily eat anything other than a few very simple food items (cheeseburger, hot dogs, chicken fingers, maybe some lasagna, grilled cheese, and of course, PB & J sandwiches). Even Lacey liked the hush pups, but I wish I could have had a camera on her when she found out they had shrimp in them. She couldn't believe it, and had she known beforehand she never would have eaten them (I think that's where Peyton gets her finicky appetite from). I didn't have the heart to tell her about the mahi-mahi in them...she'll have to read it here (and verify it here). Now why would Peyton decide to try something like this? You guessed it...a bribe. She's quite a shrewd negotiator.

I was glad that the girls were able to come into the city with Lacey to meet with me, Mike and Ed. Mike will be coming in later with his family, so this was more of a scouting trip to assess how much damage will be wrought when they visit American Girl. In the process, Mike found two great tastes that taste great together (does anybody remember that commercial?)

Meet me in Chicago

God in His providence worked things out perfectly this weekend for three old friends to reunite. In high school, Eddie (now it's just Ed), Mike (my twin brother) and me were almost inseparable. In just a few years we created a lifetime of memories. Most high school friendships fade, but this one has stayed strong over twenty five years and thousands of miles. While Mike and I have indivdually had opportunities to meet up with Ed, this one one of only three or four times since Ed moved out west that all three of us have been together.

As it turned out, Mike was coming to visit us for the weekend, Ed had an overnight layover in Chicago, and I was able to arrange some meetings in the city so that I could meet them downtown for dinner. We were so into the meeting that we forgot to take a lot of pictures. But the fellowship was great as we talked about the things we've done and the things God is doing for us now. Ed got to meet my daughters (the last time he saw Peyton she wasn't even a year old, and Reagan wasn't even born).

It was a good time, and I thank God for true friendships.

Freedom to fellowship

We had a great weekend. Despite the fact that we had to have a new well pump put in on Monday, frustrating our plans to travel into Chicago. Still, it was a very full weekend. Friday night we had the Metras family over for dinner. Once again, we were having so much fun I forgot to get the camera out. On Sunday, the Fosters had us over to their house for dinner. We had a great time there as well. Tuesday we spent most of the day with our new friends, the Walsh family. It's amazing how in Christ you can meet someone and almost instantly develop a bond with them.

I have more pictures and videos to post, and I will as soon as I have some time.

Just experimenting to see if this works

I just joined a neat site that lets you host videos. This might be a good way to let the girls say hi to their family. I've dropped in a couple to see how it works.


Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video Sharing


Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video Sharing


Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video Sharing




Video Hosting - Upload Video - Video Sharing

What we've been up to

It's been a while since I've posted on this site and my family is asking for more pictures. There was one week where we had nothing to post because Lacey, Peyton, and Reagan were all in Michigan visiting their family. I took the Amtrak train in on Saturday so that I could see my dad for Father's Day and we all drove back on Sunday.

Last weekend we visited the Children's Discovery Center. Reagan spent most of her time playing in the Tot Spot pretending to go camping and kayaking. Of course that was after splashing around outside in the Rock River Discovery Park.

Peyton was a bit more adventurous, trying her hand at a number of the exhibits. One that she thought was fun was the bubble tube (I'm not sure what the exact name is for it.) Both of the girls seem to like the circular staircase that has a separate habitrail like route for the younger kids to take. They also like to press their bodies against the pin wall to see their shape on the other side. I'm not sure which child this is.

Just before Lacey left for Michigan we hosted the board meeting for Global Grace. In order to accommodate all of the people we converted our garage into a Mexican Cantina. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo when it was completely set up, so I can only show you a partial picture of it.

Last night we had friends over for dinner. They admired Lacey's patriotic decorations. We have plans for two of the four days this weekend, and we may visit Chicago on one of our "off days". In the mean time, I'll try to be better about getting pictures up in a timely manner.