Beach boy

We did a quick trip to the ocean this a.m. I think we'll be back :-) (After all we do all need tans.)

Thoughts While Cheryl's Away

Currently I'm experiencing life without my wife and son. Here are the top thoughts that I find going through my head...

5. Hope I don't forget to tell Cheryl that.
4. Hope Cheryl doesn't find out about that (don't worry, she will--this is usually in reference to housekeeping matters).
3. Sure would be nice to have that iPod back.
2. Wonder what Cullen's up to. Boy, he was a cute little ringbearer.

And, last but not least...

1. Man, it's going to take up my whole day to keep this place neat!

Come home!!

Cullen the Ringbearer

Yes, Cullen finally fulfilled his destiny to be a ringbearer! He was an integral part to the marriage of his cousin Kelly to her new husband Matt on June 14, 2009. Below is how it all played out...

Haunted University

Cheryl and I were in Michigan last week for a family wedding. We went to Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan. We enjoy visiting different university campuses when we travel, and Ann Arbor is one of the best. It is extensive, spacious, green (meaning the color), bookstoreful, and temperate. All of this assumes a summer visit, by the way.

Most pics turned out blurry (the camera was drowsy), but here's one of me and Cullen who was dancing near the diag.



I spent a lot of time in Ann Arbor in my teenage years. First, to buy used records and books. Then, to visit my sister and brother-in-law who taught me about the Christian life after I had been converted to Christ at age 17.75. Then, to visit my good friend Rob who was attending U of M.

Some old haunts:




And by the way, here's an updated photo of my mom and her five children:

Fifteen Books

Finally, a Facebook quiz I can believe in. Hat tip to Joel Pearce. The rules are:

This can be a quick one, don't take too long to think about it. Come up with fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Tag 15 friends, including me because I'm interested in seeing what books my friends choose.

I will not tag 15 friends, sorry, but I'd love to know your list. Here is the list I came up with quickly, without much thought, in order to maintain honesty. I'm sure I'll regret certain books not being on this list. As with my circle of friends, most (not all) of these tend to be books I read early on during a foundational time in my life--there are many excellent books that should be here but did not enter my system early enough.

1. The Bible – and in particular, the burgundy bonded leather one that my mom gave me as a gift after I became a reluctant but joyful convert to Jesus Christ in 1988

2. Knowing God – J.I. Packer

3. How Long, O Lord? – D.A. Carson

4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams

5. Desiring God – John Piper

6. A Quest for Godliness – J.I. Packer

7. He is There and Is Not Silent – Francis Schaeffer

8. The Church Before the Watching World – Francis Schaeffer

9. Hackers – Stephen Levy

10. Peanuts (all of them) – Charles Schultz

11. Far Side (the first ¾ of them) – Gary Larson

12. Calvin and Hobbs (all of them) – Bill Watterson

13. Doonesbury (all of them prior to Garry Trudeau’s sabbatical in the mid-80s, after which he lost his sense of humor completely)

14. No Compromise – biography of Keith Green by his wife Melodie

15. The Resurrection of the Son of God - N.T. Wright