New Car

Well, crap. We did it. We've got a new car that better last us about FOREVER. We post about 40k/year on car per year; so, we got something we thought would last the next bunch of years, a Honda Civic. I'll stick some photos up later.

In the end ...

Is our goal to come to the end and arrive at death intact, well-groomed, at peace, content and happy? No. We are called to arrive tattered, torn, weary, and yet joyfully satisfied saying, "I have carried my cross, and I have known the suffering, and I have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."

And then we truly begin ...

Prayer for the Road

What follows are the lyrics to the song that is played at the close to every service at our church. Without any further remarks, I would really like to hear some of your reactions to the lyrics alone. (If you attend the service and see it as part of the tradition, then please refrain from comment. I'm really interested in what fresh eyes see.)

May we be blessed as we go our way
May we be found in safety and love
May grace and compassion find their way to every soul
May this be our blessing Amen.
(repeat Amen ...)

What does this song say to you? How would it send you out week after week?

I plan on leaving this up for a bit. I don't know how often this blog gets read, but I'm really curious about your thoughts. So, I wait.

Halloween Cookies

So, we made some cookies (read: Krista made some cookies). Anyway, while the base-coat of icing was being applied Krista asked me to go to the store to grab a few things. She needed a tip to do the faces, some garlic, and some vanilla pudding. So, I hopped on the skateboard and went to the store.

I came back with an icing tip, some garlic, and a pack of vanilla pudding. The only problem was that I brought the kind of vanilla pudding that was already mixed, not the powder. (read: crap). As a result Krista then headed to the store (read: luckily we were short some tin foil that she also needed) and I was left to make the faces.

Hence, among other things, a pirate cookie.

(Note: we have since managed to successfully procure both the foil and pudding mix.)

Moving on ...

We've recently decided that it's time to let one of our aging cars go. We're sad to see it go, but it's time.

(If you have a free, working, car let us know!)

:)

Why not throw in some laptops?

On the way back from Mexico I snapped these photos. They were taken in the entry way to a Von's grocery store.
What ever happened to gumballs and sticky-hands? Remember when you thought you were dropping some serious coin when you were buying the $.25 gob-stopper? I'm pretty sure when I made regular use of the grocery store vending machines I didn't even know what a credit card was.

Dead Bird

Whelp.
Here's the cat surveying some of the carnage. Like I said, the pictures don't really do it justice. So, I just picked one. The bird's feathers went around the entire table and back out the door.

Pets, rodents, birds, and kids?

People say that owning a pet is a preamble to having kids. If so, I'm not sure that we'll be leaving the doors open for our children to go outside. Why you ask? Well, yesterday Krista left the screen door open for a few hours and our cat, Zep, took full advantage of the situation.

Zep is known to do battle with mice and even the occasional rat. He's also been known to leave the carcass of said animals just outside the screen door. He's also been known, at least on one occasion, to bring the not-quite-dead rodents inside just to get a rise out of us (it works). So, again I say, Zep took full advantage of the screen door being open.

The thing is, mice and rats are generally pretty "clean" animals to kill. What I mean is that there's not a lot of fur that gets spread around, nor is there much blood at all (sorry if this make some queasy). So, where's the fun in killing that sort of rodent inside when Krista and Jeff aren't around to freak out? Answer. There isn't any.

Knowing that, Zep got creative. He found himself a bird. Based upon the physical evidence (a trail of feather throughout a decent percentage of the apartment), Zep captured the bird and immediately brought it inside to "do battle." Most of the bird's feathers were strewn throughout the entryway, dining area, and into the kitchen it what proved to be a definite line. You really could tell, and picture don't do it justice, where the bird was brought in, where it was put down, and where the various stages of battle took place. (I'll post some pictures of the event later, but they really don't do the fullness of the scene justice).

Anyhow, true to form, Zep deposited the bloody and mostly bald bird back outside on the patio. Thanks a lot for that cat.

Did I mention that all this comes directly on the heals of a huge flee infestation (I hate flees)? We've spent the last two weeks evicting and eviscerating flees thanks to the very same cat being outside.

So, I say to you, if pets are a preamble to kids, our kids WILL NOT be going outside. Ever.

Hmm ...

- How do you kill Harold Crick?

- Further support that hampsters should make a come back as popular pets.

- It cost HUNDREDS of dollars to replace an airbag, which is why you should always be patient with people crossing the street.

- Finally, for those of you still looking for a costume for halloween, I suggest a ninja. Once you get your costume, work on mastering this trick.

Did you know ...

That Paul's letter to the Thessalonians was actually written before the first Gospel? I didn't, but I do now.

Weird to think that Paul's foundational teachings were floating around before Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

It's also weird that the story that Paul tells about his own life is often different from the story of his life that Luke writes in Acts. Why do you think that is?

Remember

We are called to love louder than this. If we cannot, we should not be surprised that the church in this country is shrinking.

... there is more to be said here, but not right now.