catching up

A. Moldova missions trip has been postponed due to a scheduling conflict.  I was bitterly dissapointed for a short time, but I know God has a reason.  I quickly made it through my explanation in Preacher's office, no tears.  Phew!  ....until.... he kindly and gently started asking questions.  Then the tears came unstoppable and my pinched lips started trembling. I think it was his kindness that opened the floodgates.  Argh.  Stinkin' girly-ness. I tried so hard not to cry.  Life goes on, and I am going to try again this summer, Lord willing.

B.  I can't get my hands warm.  Seriously.  Worse than usual.  I wear gloves, still cold.  I hold hot mugs of tea, still cold.  I try to hold them close to myself, but they're so cold I can't bear to touch any part of me with them.  Does anyone have an idea for warming my hands up?   Vitamins, special diet, roller skating backwards?  Anything?  Please?!  What is the secret of the warm people?

C. I am still looking for the right job.  I'm not worried, but it is difficult for me to not have my life all lined out.  God has me in a holding pattern for some reason. He's giving me lots of assorted work in the meantime. 

D. This Thanksgiving was the BEST ever!!!!!!!  We had a special guest this year with unusual circumstances.  She loved it.  My family is like therapy for people.  Maybe I'll post pictures later.

E. I've read a few really good books recently.  I'll tell you more soon.

F. I'm taking wedding photos next weekend.  Yikes.  That's scary stuff.  It's not like you can re-enact a "moment."  Oh!  You wanted a picture of your first kiss?  Humph! It woulda been nice if you had told me that in the first place.  Yeah, this is the stuff that my dreams are made of.

G. 2011.  Its gonna be a good year.  I don't know what it will hold, but I know it will be good.  Because God is good and He has a plan.  BRING IT ON.

:-)

Clayton's family

Some of Clayton's photos are up. Click HERE to view them.
I'm trying to pick just the top 10ish of these shoots so I have fewer to retouch and so you don't get bored.

I like them.

The greatest blessing of all

Four years ago today, November 25, 2006, I asked Jesus Christ to save me.
I can never be thankful enough for what He did for me on the cross of Calvary.

There's so much to be thankful for, especially this year, that my faucet has been leaky all week.
I can't begin to tell you what God has done in our lives in the last 12 months.
I am thankful for the storms of life, and the dissapointments, and the closed doors.
I am thankful for the growth God has given.
I am thankful for a faithful few friends that have boldy and courageously stood in the gap this year.
I am thankful for my Pastor and his dear family.
I am thankful for my family, immediate and extended.
I am thankful for what and whom lies ahead.

Thank you Lord for saving my soul.

Brrrrr!

It is currently -5 daytime with a RED FLASHING BLIZZARD WARNING.
When one's sphere gets this cold, it is good to have a check-list.

• Warm hat, bulky coat, gloves, 27 layers and 3 sets of socks.  Check. (this is not the time to dress hip)
• Car plugged in at night.  Check.
• Start your car every few hours.  Check.
• Flashlights.  Need to check.
• Write a last will & testament.  Check.
• Toilet paper.  Check.  (this should always be on the list)
• Lots of hot chocolate and soup stocked.  Check.
• Leave your kitchen & bathroom faucets trickling.  Check.
• Leave cupboard doors near pipes open.  Check.
• Make sure light is on in the well.  Check.
• Find someone warm and cling to them.  Check.  (Thank you Lord for Kristy, the Walking Furnace)
• Refrain from licking metal objects.  Bummer.
• Find a sledding hill and round up your buddies for a snow day!  Sounds crazy, but you know it would be awesome.

And last, but most importantly, thank the Lord for the cold.
The cold weather kills sickness for people and the cattle, elk, moose, etc.
The cold weather kills the bad bugs in the pine trees.
The cold weather makes us thankful for the warm weather.
The cold weather keeps us home more, which is definitely not a bad thing.

Led

As a young man who re­cent­ly had been grad­u­at­ed from Brown Un­i­ver­si­ty and New­ton The­o­lo­gic­al In­sti­tu­tion, I was sup­ply­ing for a cou­ple of Sun­days the pul­pit of the First Bap­tist Church in Phil­a­del­phia [Penn­syl­van­ia]. At the mid-week ser­vice, on the 26th of March, 1862, I set out to give the peo­ple an ex­po­si­tion of the Twen­ty-third Psalm, which I had giv­en be­fore on three or four oc­ca­sions, but this time I did not get fur­ther than the words “He Lead­eth Me.” Those words took hold of me as they had ne­ver done be­fore, and I saw them in a sig­ni­fi­cance and won­drous beau­ty of which I had ne­ver dreamed.


It was the dark­est hour of the Ci­vil War. I did not re­fer to that fact—that is, I don’t think I did—but it may sub­con­sciou­sly have led me to real­ize that God’s lead­er­ship is the one sig­nif­i­cant fact in hu­man ex­per­i­ence, that it makes no dif­fer­ence how we are led, or whi­ther we are led, so long as we are sure God is lead­ing us....
Joseph H. Gilmore, 1862
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He leadeth me, O blessèd thought!
O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be
Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me.

Refrain:
He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be,
For by His hand He leadeth me.

Sometimes mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,
By waters still, over troubled sea,
Still ’tis His hand that leadeth me.

Refrain

Lord, I would place my hand in Thine,
Nor ever murmur nor repine;
Content, whatever lot I see,
Since ’tis my God that leadeth me.
Refrain

And when my task on earth is done,
When by Thy grace the vict’ry’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since God through Jordan leadeth me.

Refrain

Steph & Jaron (& Timothy)

Yay! (its only a minute long, I promise)
I love my camera. And my friends / guinea pigs.
We had another very fun photo shoot. Steph has become a very good friend of mine this year, you would all like her. She is going to be the coolest Mom too.

I can't wait to retouch some of these pictures, but I just don't have the time these days. Here's a preview though, not bad straight out of the camera!



Did I mention I love my camera?
Did I mention I love taking pictures?
Did I mention I love everyday life?


Thanks Agent Q (Stephanie)!
You are inspiring. High five.

Foreign Film

Our little brothers Ryan and Brandon in their foreign film debut. (about 2 years ago)

These two. What can I say? When they get together they make us laugh so hard we cry sometimes. And... Ryan and his girl are coming home for Thanksgiving. Woohoo! Laughs ahead.

P.S. Sorry its so small! Bummer.
P.S. #2: Brandon, no more complaining about not being featured. This IS your moment.

Age Progression: 20 years

I finally got Mom's picture frames updated.

I found these old photos in the back of the frames she gave me.  WAY FUN.
Its so cool to see how our basic facial features haven't changed.

And those AWESOME freckles we all had.  {{{{{{{{{Sigh.}}}}}}}}  I do miss those.  Kristy still has most of hers.



Clayton: 8 to 28




Kristy: 7 to 27




Anna: 5 to 25



If only I could

Five Siblings + Classical Piano = Inspiring
I've started playing more piano again lately, and though I probably will never get even 1/8th this good, I think I get just as much enjoyment out of playing as they do. 

Kitty and I hope each of us will have a piano in Heaven, as well as the talent to go with it.

how to: not get the girl (in 12 easy steps)

Step 1.
You spot a girl you dig in the produce isle.

Step 2.
Make small talk. a.k.a. personal questions.

Step 3.
She deflects your personal questions by gushing about how sweet your mother is. She says "Do you know how terrific your mom is? I hope you tell her so once in a while. She is a gem." (the woman really is)

Step 4.
You say "All I know is she better have dinner on the table when I get home." (Teachable moment Bud. We girls know that how you treat your mom is how you'll treat us. Just FYI.)

Step 5.
Girl tries not to snort in disgust.

Step 6.
You press on blissfully unaware of the fire sparking in Girl's eyes. "That is... unless I could get your phone number and take YOU to dinner instead."

Step 7.
Girl thinks (Ohhhh please please please! Pick me to have dinner ready on your table for the rest of my thankless days.**) but says "Well, why don't you come to our youth group tonight? Lots and lots of food there."

Step 8.
You back peddle... "Couldn't do that. I'm pretty tired, you know a man works hard all day."

Step 9.
Girl: Ahuh. But you had lots of energy for dinner. K. "Gotta go."

Step 10.
Try again 4 days later. Stop at Girl's office and suggest you can take Girl to dinner and start some small town rumors if she will give you her number.

Step 11.
Girl's co-worker tries not to snort.

Step 12.
Girl says: "Oh wow, tempting. Let me think about that..... NO."

FAIL.
Rethink your approach before you seek out the next one. A girl wants a guy who A: treats his Mama well, and B: will get a black eye defending her honor, not offer to soil her reputation.

**On the flip side: It would be a delightful priviledge to set dinner on the table for a guy who would admit to someone in a store that "Terrific? Yes I think so too. I love going home to her dinners even though she occasionaly burns the toast."

territorial

1:00 in the afternoon.
My house.
Sofa chair in the living room.


I discovered it today, after all these years.
At 1:00, this really warm patch of sunshine comes through and lands on the super-comfy sofa chair.
This henceforth shall be MY patch.  I claim it.
Take it, and you shall suffer greatly.

Carpe diem

• Walking away from a 7-year career: not scary
• Blank Life Canvas: not scary
• Visiting the mission field in Moldova (Kelly & I descend upon them in December): not scary
• Attempting to make a business out of something I love: kind of terrifying

If you hear nothing more, just assume it quietly fizzled.

Pray for me guys.  :-)

"You miss 100% of the shots you never take."  Somebody Smart

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."  Proverb 3:5-6