A Perfect Day

Since today has not gone so good, I thought I would take a moment and write about what we did on Memorial Day.

So what did we do Well, it began very early in the mornging when my friend Aaron came over to start the Memorial Day BBQ. Amy had recently purchased a used smoker from a rummage sale, and that was the day to put it to the test. Aaron brought over a 7 pound pork butt and we placed it on the smoker. Just the smell of the hickory wood combined with the juice from the rub made our mouths water! After Aaron left, I began the task of preparing the rest of the course. I made hamburger patties, got out both the gas and charcoal grills, and thawed out the fish. Before I knew it, it was time for lunch. Aaron came back with Rachel and their daughter Grace, and we put the rest of the meal on the grills. We grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, and bluegill. Along with the pork butt, it was quite a feast, and everything was amazingly delicious! Afterwards, the kids played on the swing and in the water sprinkler, and Aaron and I went for a drive in the jeep.

Later that evening, our good friends Craig and Monte Jo stopped by. There are so many memories we share with them from the band days. Craig reminded me that it has been six years since we played our last concert. Oh, how I miss the fellowship of that group. There are several things that are on my mind as I write this part about our good friends. Craig made mention of the fact that everything happens for a reason. Recently Amy and I have spent a lot of our conversation time talking about what it is that we should be doing with our life. Craig mentioned specifically that sometimes God can bring just the right person into your path. That was part of the message I listened to this morning with Joel Osteen. Maybe God is going to bring the right person into the path of Amy and me. Who knows, it can happen, right?

After a wonderful day like that, I sit here and think about life. Am I doing everything I should be doing with my life? I don’t want to live with any regrets. I can say with certainty that I feel that both Amy and I have a lot of talents that are going unused. But at the same time, I can say that we simply don’t know what to do sometimes. Raising kids is a task not to be taken lightly. It keeps us busy. But, I’m sure there is a little more we could be doing with our life. Back during the band days, I felt like we had real purpose. We were part of a team that really meant something!! That is the kind of life I want to live. I want to live as part of something… part of a team. Once you have experienced the fellowship of living that sort of a lifestyle, nothing else compares. At least, for us it doesn’t.

We were tying to think of a song. This is all I could remember, but it feels fitting.

I am an alien

I am a superhero

I’m on a mission

To stop the devil’s evil

I am an alien

I am a superhero

I am an alien

And like Steve Austin he’s replaced all my worn out parts

And he’s formed in me a hero’s heart

Bridge

And if I ever, get into a jam

I don’t need a ???? Cause I know just who I am

Remembering

Formally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day was originally a day set aside to honor fallen members of the armed service. Across the nation, people would place flowers at the graves of the soldiers. The first Memorial Day dates back to 1866. I had the privilege of speaking briefly to a WWII veteran today. I think he said he was 85. Here are some quick facts I thought I would post in memory of both those who served our country, and those who paid the ultimate price in their service.

American Revolutionary War claimed the lives of 25,324. The American Civil War killed over 600,000 American soliders (including union and confederate). That is more than all of the other wars COMBINED!!

World War II took the lives of 405,399 American soldiers. The Korean War--54,246, and the Vietnam War 56,244. To date over 3000 soldiers have died in Iraq.

I thought the following facts were worthy to mention because by dad is a veteran. I got these from the Vietnam Wall page:

Names on the Wall

The first American soldier killed in the Vietnam War was Air Force T-Sgt. Richard B. Fitzgibbon Jr. He is listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as having a casualty date of June 8, 1956. His name was added to the Wall on Memorial Day 1999.

“The last American soldier killed in the Vietnam War was Kelton Rena Turner, an 18-year old Marine. He was killed in action on May 15, 1975, two weeks after the evacuation of Saigon, in what became known as the Mayaguez incident.”

The youngest Vietnam KIA is believed to be Dan Bullock USMC, at 15 years old.
At least 5 men killed in Vietnam were 16 years old.
At least 12 men killed in Vietnam were 17 years old.

To all those who served…THANK YOU!!

A Recap of Past Summers

Today marks the second day of my summer vacation. A lot of people ask me, “So what are you going to do with all your time off?” The tone of the question is generally such that for a moment before I answer I wonder about the question. Are they really trying to make conversation, being truly interested in my summer plans? Or was there at least a hint of sarcasm there. A subtle statement conveying the message, “Teachers just overpaid babysitters, why do you need all that time off?” This was surely the hidden message from one of my neighbors yesterday when I returned the question to him (being very polite as usual). His response was a gruff, “I have to work.”

This being my tenth year of teaching, and thus my tenth summer, I am about over the snide remarks from those who are not as blessed as I am. Anyone who can deal with 100 teenagers everyday deserves something, right? So what am I going to do this year? Well, before I answer that let me recap the past years.

Summer of ‘98

My first year I spent remodeling a house down in Steeleville. I spent endless days digging concrete out of the yard, dug out and installed window wells in the basement windows, and planned for the next year of teaching. It payed off, as we made about 10-15 thousand dollars when we sold that house. Not bad for a summer.

Summer of ‘99

My second Summer was spend building our first house here. Those of you who have built a house, enough said! That literally consumes your life!! Again, spread it out over a few years, and still not a bad investment—a lot more than I could have made working part time. That being said, if it wasn’t for the free labor that my dad and Amy’s parents gave us, we would have never got that job done!

Summer of ‘00

My third summer was the first summer that I felt like I really had off. Well, sort of. We finished the house by building a nice porch and poring concrete. I think that was the summer that I also purchased a riding lawn mower and trailer in hopes of making money during the summer by mowing lawns. I mowed some, but I really didn’t make much money at it.

Summer of ’01 and ‘02

We had two more summers at that house. I think it was 2001 that I taught down at Rend Lake. In 2002 I remember we went to current river while Amy was pregnant with Cassidy. Wow, I remember one of our friends got burnt to a crisp! (hi Nena). For some reason those summers somewhat run together.

Summer of ‘03

In 2003 we sold our house, went on vacation to Florida, and began the major finishing and building of the next house. This too turned out to be a good investment, and was well worth taking the time to do.

Summer of ‘04

Again taught summer school at Rend Lake. I don’t want to EVER do that again. You just don’t make that much money for your time, and you have almost no vacation.

Summer of ‘05

Okay, I must have loafed this Summer. I remember we went to Florida on Vacation. Other than that, I can’t think of anything I did.

Summer of ‘06

Last year I seriously considered changing jobs. Amy and I interviewed in West Virginia for a ministry position, and I interviewed in Florida for an administrative position. I also planted a garden. Towards the end of the summer we began the process of looking for a new house and selling our house.

NOW 2007. So far, yesterday I spent most of the day working on the room we are about to remodel. I mowed the grass, fixed the dryer (heating element), cooked supper, and worked on the jeep. Today, I worked on the room some more, fixed Cassidy’s swing, and am planning to spend sometime with my family tonight. It is starting off to be a full summer! The time is already flying by. I think I'm going to slow down a little bit! Thanks for reading!!

Our Last Play Group for the Year

This year Callie and I have been attending a play group at Franklin School. Callie has really started to enjoy being there. We officially finished up the year at play group on Wednesday. Cassidy was able to join us for the final play group since she graduated from pre-school last week. We were suppose to go to the park, but since it rained on Tuesday, it was to wet. We met at Franklin School and had a regular play group. The girls had a great time playing and then we all went to McDonald's for lunch.

Funny Hair

I just thought I would share a couple of pictures of Cassidy and me with our hair fixed in a rather odd way. Ryan's niece was here on Sunday and she was telling us how you could fix your hair by putting an empty water bottle on your head and pulling your hair up over it. Cassidy and I just couldn't resist. We had to try it.

Cassidy Graduates Preschool

Cassidy is growing up so fast. Last week she graduated from preschool. She is not going to be old enough to go to kindergarten next year, but we have decided to send her to another preschool. She has made many friends at school and we think that she will do well where ever she goes.

Great Concert!

Tonight we went to a free concert at the mall. Rush of Fools was great! They are a really talented band. I was amazed at how good the sound was in that building! They definitely have a promising career. What we liked most was their witness. Having been involved in music, more than once we have run into bands that are all show. We felt like these guys were the real deal!

Besides listening to great music, we had the added pleasure of visiting with my cousins Chris and Trish and our old friends Shawn and Alicia. It was great getting to catch up!

Oddly enough, however, both Cassidy and Callie went to sleep during the concert. They slept through their first concert! Wow! So that is what we need to do to get them to go to sleep. Who would have thought!

A Great Day

Today was just a great day. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. In fact, it was very ordinary. However, I'm doing my best to appreciate the ordinary. I began the day by watching yesterday's episode of Joel Osteen. He is a preacher from Texas who focuses on a lot of positive aspects of living a good life. School went well today. I didn't have any major problems. Usually this time of the year is very stressful, but it wasn't too bad today. After school I went to tutor for about an hour. After that I came home and had supper. Amy and the kids went to the gym, and I mowed the grass and read some of a book. When they got back, we walked around the block and I pushed them in the swing. Then it was time to begin putting them to bed. Amy usually does that. I went to the bedroom and watched The Orielly Factor. After they went to sleep Amy and I watched 24.

What could I have changed? Well, in the future I would like to watch less television and play more with the kids. I would also like to read a little more.

Okay, if any of you are still reading my blog, you have noticed that it is lacking considerably these days. I think it is just this time of the year. I hope you don't leave. Stay with me, I'm sure things will get better. :)