Snow Day!!

Wow! This snow sure took us by surprise! Sure, they'd been calling for it all day and the previous day, but how many times have we actually had the snow that's expected?

As the snow began to fall Friday night, we invited our community group over for some pizza, snacks and games. We all watched in amazement as the snow kept coming, and coming... Two of the couples left together and called us about 20 minutes later - they only made it halfway down the street and were stuck! They started walking back with plans to crash with us for the night, but some friendly stranger with 4-wheel drive stopped and took them home. It's nice to hear good samaritans like that still exist today.

Jesse and I stayed up until the wee hours of the night, enjoying the fire and watching the snow fall....

Saturday morning arrived and it was STILL SNOWING!! Jesse measured and estimates we got about 15 inches. Unbelievable!! I haven't seen that much snow in a really long time.

It really is a Winter Wonderland. Madi loves the snow and jumped right in, whereas Rummy stood on the porch shivering. I didn't want to embarrass him by posting a picture, he tries to come across as a manly dog.

So, what do you do when you're snowed in?? Jesse and Scott played Xbox 360 pretty much all day long and then went to the neighbor's and played pool for awhile. I, on the hand, painted part of our living room. It took me pretty much all day long. The color is Smoky Blue and it covers 3 walls. I'll be finishing the rest over New Year vacation (hopefully). The other color is called Prelude and is a lighter shade of blue. I'll post more pictures when everything is complete and the house is put back together!

Our Yard

In a recent post, you saw Jesse cutting down the 2 dying cherry trees our yard. I was sad to see them go. Jesse had more plans for our yard though, and for this, I am excited! We have a retaining wall in our yard that was made out of cinder block (side 1) and railroad ties (side 2). Side 1 was slowly starting to fall over because whoever put it in didn't do it right. It looked terrible. So we tore out the wall and are having a new stone wall and paver patio put in, complete with a walkway to our back shed. Here are some pictures of the progress so far:

Side 1 wall removed and land prepared for pavers

Side 2 wall removed

The area directly behind our deck has always been uneven and hole-filled. As Jesse was clearing the area for the walkway, he came across what turned into a HUGE project: The retaining wall behind the deck was one 6x6 that was rotting away and some more crumbling cinderblock. Dirt was slowly sliding past it underneath our deck, thus the reason for the holes. Jesse spent all evening fixing this, working well into the night. Our neighbor's friend helped him place the new 6x6's. I helped carry them from the truck though (She-Ra!).

Measuring depth to make sure new wall will fit

Working into the night...

New wall in place

A job well done!

Next up was digging out the path for the walkway. We all pitched in and worked this time

digging the line

dig, dig, dig!

I told you, I'm She-Ra!

new pathway

Finally, I have some pictures of the progress made so far on the new retaining walls and patio. It's gonna look good!!

Side 1 new wall and pavers

Side 1

Stairs on Side 2 and part of new wall

We'll post more soon!

Cozy Bear Cabin

For our 5 year anniversary, Jesse and I wanted to get away. Jesse looked online and somehow stumbled upon this cabin nestled in the woods of Williamsville, VA. This place really was in the middle of nowhere and it was just what we were looking for. We spent countless hours just sitting on the front porch listening to the wind and birds and saw a few deer walk by, a family of turkeys, a few bats... we never did see any bear and that was ok with me. We took a trip into Monterey, VA on Saturday. This was such a small town. We ate at one of 2 restaurants (that we saw) and had a good hamburger and homemade potato skins. Then headed back to the cabin with intentions to go to the swimming hole or for a hike, instead we spent the rest of the time hiding from the rain! It rained all through the night and into the morning. It offered Jesse and I a good time to talk about the next 5 years and what we hope to accomplish. We headed back to "the real world" this afternoon. A world of internet, cell phones, multiple radio stations (they only had one that played Grand Ole Opry style music)... Hopefully we will go back next year!

Disclaimer: If you get motion sickness, watch the below videos at your own risk! Jesse moves the camera pretty quickly...

Outside of cabin

I will have to post the other video later... it is taking too long to upload. Stay tuned!

What a great find - and a great husband!

Jesse found this watch for me at the Estate Specialist for only $3 because it was "broken". He actually ended up having to pay $5 because they have a minimum for credit card payments, but even at that price it is an amazing find! Jesse then shipped it to this watch repair kid (I say kid because he's only 15) that he met on TimeZone.com and he was able to fix it for us. He said it's in great condition too. I like it a lot.
Thanks Jesse!! I love you...

Feeling unfulfilled? A discussion I recently had...

Recently, I had an opportunity to spend time with a good friend over a cup of coffee. We talked about normal things such as jobs, family, his kid, hiking, camping... He began expressing that he has had some feelings not being fulfilled in his life. Mind you that in the last two years his salary has increased a ton and he welcomed a child and he has a great wife. We talked about how he felt for a while and tried rather unsuccessfully to hit the nail on the head in terms of a reason. He goes to work daily, he provides for his family, his wife is able to stay at home with their child, and he attends a thriving, growing church. What is the problem?? A few days later I was still thinking about my friend and looking at my own life and seeing similar experiences and feelings like he described... then it dawned on... I believe that even if we have a great job, healthy family, and great friends, we are still going to have feelings of not being fulfilled if those are the only things we put our time into. We were created to serve God and when we stop seeking opportunities to serve there is a void that cannot be filled with anything but serving God. Sure I have aspirations of greatness but I have come to realize greatness is relative. I previously felt like whatever God was going to use me for was going to be something full-time, as in a job, kind of like killing two birds with one stone. Consider the Apostle Paul in Acts 18:3, "Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was." I doubt very much that Paul found all of his fulfillment in making tents... he found fulfillment in serving God. I believe Paul had such an impact because he had his issues in context. He knew he had to work to live and he was thankful for his trade and the money he earned allowed him to find real fulfillment in serving God.

Jesse is 30!

Jesse turned 30 this May 15th. Buying gifts for Jesse is always difficult because, even if he tells you what he wants, he usually ends up exchanging it for something else. I've learned to just let him pick out his own gifts, but this year I couldn't do that. Not for his 30th birthday! It had to be special... So, I decided on a gift that couldn't be exchanged or returned - a surprise. Planned a couple months in advance, I decided to take Jesse to Falls Church, VA to see Mason Jennings in concert. I didn't tell him what we were doing, only that we were heading towards DC because he drove part of the time. : )

"Where are we going?"

We made a stop at this really neat antique shop on our way there where Jesse got a cool oil painting.

Jesse and his 1968 oil painting of sailboats.

Jesse finally 'figured out' where we were going when we pulled up to the venue. His only prior guess was that I was taking him to a Capitals game, but he wasn't disappointed.

Jesse in front of The State Theatre

The concert was great and Jesse told me it was his best birthday ever.... success!

Notice the couple posing for our picture behind us

Jesse is 30! Continued....

But the birthday festivities didn't end there!  No!  We had to do something special on his actual birthday too.  This time I let Jesse pick....  Friday it was gourmet hamburgers on the grill, for which I made a modified version of this recipe.  They were amazing!

Followed by dessert of mint chip ice-cream and Sprite floats (yum!) and watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I cried... a lot. 

And that still wasn't it!  We carried this celebration on over to Sunday and we had some friends over for fish tacos and birthday cake.  I'm proud to say the food turned out really good and everyone left full and happy.  Thanks to Paul, Deb, and Heika for their assistance in the kitchen and Jordan for his help at the grill.

Zion and Isaiah watching Shrek before lunch

Getting the fish ready!

Heika and Isaiah enjoying the fish tacos 

The man of the hour with his German Chocolate Cake 

(I forgot to get candles)

Developing leaders in my FSA small group...

On Sunday morning's Carrie and I go to Brentwood Church (http://www.brentwoodchurch.org) and volunteer to help with students. I am a 3rd to 5th grade boys small group leader. It is really incredible to see how each of these kids has their own distinct personality. Even at 10 years old the leaders are leading and the other boys fall in line. Each kid I have is unique and a blessing to spend time with. I can remember when I was in 5th grade at church and how wide open I was... I can only imagine the teacher, Mr. Bishop, was irritated with the class. Though he may have been iritated he never neglected or lost sight of his reason for working with 5th grade boys. He is the person that initiated my accepting Christ and choosing to get baptized as an outward expressions of my faith. When I get irritated with my guys I remember my 5th grade teacher and relax. My group consists of Colin, Austin, Kyle, Cole, Devon, and others that don't attend as regularly as these guys.

ADD, ADHD, or whatever it is called now.

When I was roughly 18, I went for Attention Deficit Disorder testing at a very well respected research facility in Michigan. I put puzzles together while men with gray beards watched and made guttural sounds. I talked to psychiatrists and psychologists. It was a very interested process and in the end I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. My first recollection of having trouble in school was third grade. Then in fourth grade it was really apparent in hindsight that something was wrong. I nearly failed 5th grade and then DID fail 6th grade. Fast-forward 15 years or so... school is still difficult for me. But I want to finish and even go onto advanced degrees. I have this worry that due to ADD it will be nearly impossible for me to finish without medication. Most of the medication for ADD that is effective are stimulants aka amphetamines. The more I think about it the more I am resolute to the fact that I will NOT take a stimulant everyday to help me deal with my so-called disorder. Sometimes it is tuff doing things and staying on track... in fact most of the time it is. One of the things that helps me deal with ADD is exercise... I exercise a lot! Another thing that can be effective is time management. I say can because it is difficult to be disciplined in this area. It helps if I keep a calender or something similar. I will succeed in my desire to complete my undergrad and beyond. I like my disorder and frankly wouldn't have my mind any other way.

1987 Harley Sportster 1200cc

I like it a lot!

Our planet and the things that happen...

Carrie and I watched The Constant Gardner last night. As I was browsing the Netflix list of movies that you can watch instantly my interest was not drawn to the movie by the title... I thought it was a love story. Carrie picked it out. Having now watched the movie it was a gripping image of the plight of so many people in our world. People that don't have anything. While the story told in the movie may be fiction it is, in my opinion, an accurate representation of 3rd world living and the trials people face. I certainly look within myself and wonder if I am doing anything to effect change and help people. We sponsor a child... let me think... ok... so in an effort to help people that don't have anything my wife and I sponsor a child. For the longest time that seemed like enough. Naturally, "enough" is relative. For me it is not enough to sponsor 1,000 kids because when it is enough that means that I have made up in my mind that I have done my part and I can stop trying or try enough to sustain the kids that I sponsor. There will never be enough for me. By the grace of God I am going to find sustainable ways to provide food, clean water, and a place to live for many people. Each generation there are people that step forward and do something outstanding. I will be one of those people stepping forward in faith asking God to use me and those that partner with me to effect change in our environment and the people that inhabit it. If not me than who? If not now then when? If not you... why not? I can't sit idle and hope that someone takes up the cause of those that have no voice.


Our little girl Alma Patricia.

Sponsor a child. Take up a cause. Effect change in our world.

I choose to fight AIDS and the destruction of our natural environment.

Merry Christmas!

Exclamation points.

I am typically a pretty reserved person. You won't see me too excited or too down. I rarely scream out phrases like, "Thanks!!", "you bethcha!!!", or "freakin' a right essay!!"... however when I type emails I am always using exclamation points. I don't speak with such emotion. In fact, sometimes I feel like this guy:


Swingline stapler

Dinner... left overs compiled.

Last night Carrie and I had a hodge podge of left overs. They were in the refrigerator and we got to have them all at once. It was certainly a motley looking dinner. Carrie was visibly angry... see photos below.
Spaghetti, corn & peas, salad, and ovaltine.




Dinner was good.

Hiking/Camping at St. Mary's Wilderness

This past Saturday and Sunday Branden, Josh, and I went camping and hiking at St. Mary's Wilderness. None of us really knew how difficult the hike would be. I would estimate that over two days we hiked 16 or 17 miles. It was a great time and the weather was perfect. I did get a little cold at night as my sleeping bags loft is not what it used to be. Overall, this was an excellent trip. I look forward to doing it again.

Yours truly. That is a waterfall behind me.

Water running about 3 feet under the rock wall. It must have been running for a very long time.

Branden telling his famous ghost stories...

The Priest wilderness where I went hiking and camping a couple months back with my dad, uncle and two cousins.

Crawfish for dinner. We searched for these in the stream that ran about 10 feet from our campsite. I will be honest and say Josh caught all but about 3 of them. He is a hunter!