Family update

Marcy just spent the weekend in St. Paul, MN at a women's conference. (I'd call it a men bashing seminar, but seeing as how it's a faith based gathering, maybe it wasn't so bad) She seemed to have a good time and it was a good break for her. I try to do as much with/for the boys as I can, but most still comes down to mom. She is a fantastic mother and keeps the boys schedules, which would be very difficult for me. We missed her while she was gone, but all three boys are still alive and without physical scars, so we should be good. Hopefully my parenting style isn't causing any emotional scars that I will pay for in years to come:)
The boys are all loving school. I watched Makiah show Max how to stop, drop and roll, which he learned at school for fire prevention week. It was pretty cute, although I'm not sure Max grasped why he was being asked to roll on the ground. I heard Makiah explain it, but it seemed to confuse Max a bit. We were wrestling the other night and Makiah did a running knee drop onto my ribs, which are brittle since I'm so old. (Thought I'd beat you all to the punch) Needless to say, I was in a bit of pain, but considering where I normally get a knee, I wasn't complaining. Health wise, we are all doing well, which means somebody will be sick tomorrow. In fact, I can't remember when the last time one of the kids was sick. Of course, I hear there is stuff going around, so it's probably just a matter of time. Mason and Makiah are both in a computer class after school and just finished a science class. They like that kind of stuff and we encourage them to get involved as much as they want in it. Makiah has decided he wants to play soccer again in the spring, so we'll see if that lasts until sign up.
As for me, pretty much the same. I just finished reading my third book by J. Maarten Troost and it was another good one. I think I wrote about his other two, when he lived on small islands in the South Pacific. This book was about China, called "Lost on Planet China." It was really good, he makes me laugh and his books are very informative. If your looking for a fun read, check out his stuff.
The weather in Iowa is up and down, as usual, but the trees are beginning to change, so they are beautiful. We are expecting a lot of rain today and tonight, so I'm sure my lawn mowing days aren't over for the year. I'd love to put that thing away for the year, because it sounds a bit sick and I don't want to mess with it this year. It sounds like how my step father use to drive, like a wave. It's like you hit the gas for a second or two, then let off for a second or two, then hit the gas again and so on. It works, but it's annoying as hell and I'm sure that isn't a good sign about its health. The weed wacker died early in the summer, so I have to borrow a friends all of the time. Again, didn't want to deal with it this year, so I'm probably going to buy an electric one next year and a really long cord and give up on the gas powered ones all together, I've had bad luck with them.
Halloween is just around the corner, and thankfully, Mason has decided to skip the ever so tight Flash costume for a new, much less tight SpongeBob costume. That makes dad happy. I think Makiah can get one more year out of Spiderman, but this HAS to be it. I don't know why they don't want new costumes, but they seem to want to wear the same one until the pants become capri pants or they completely bust out. Lets hope the weather is as good as it was last year and they should bring in a good haul for dad, I mean them.

Who have you met

Marcy and I went to see a show the other night. I don't know if you watch NBC's Last Comic Standing or not, but it's a show I love. After the season is over, the top 5 finishers go out on tour together. They stop in Des Moines every year, but this is the first time I've actually gone to see them, thanks to Marcy who bought us the tickets for my birthday. The show was at Hoyt Sherman Place, which for you out of towners, is a really old house in downtown Des Moines. I don't know what the history of the house is, but it has a nice little theater for shows like this. The comedians were good, especially Louis Ramey and Marcus. There was an intermission where you could go out and meet them and buy their stuff, so Marcy and I walked around to check out this really old house and saw them in the room that had a huge line, to buy beer. Seeing them there, making them accessible to the fans, got me to thinking about the famous people I've met. Some of them are famous in a lot of places, some are famous in small circles and one is WORLD famous. In fact, there was a poll taken some years ago to find the most popular people, ever. The number one, I've never met and hope to put it off a few more years, that is Jesus. The number two person, was Muhammad Ali, who I've met. I see a flash back coming. I was in Washington, DC with a group of high schoolers, I had just graduated, from my church here in Urbandale, Iowa. We happen to be in a mall that was attached to the Marriott, just off of the Mall. A friend had been in the hotel lobby going to the bathroom, when she came back with a slightly perplexed look on her face. She said, and I quote, "There is some famous guy signing autographs in the lobby." I asked who it was, BUT SHE DIDN'T KNOW. She must have been living under a rock, how in the hell do you not know who Ali is in 1986, not that far off of his prime, or at least the peak of his fame? I wasn't in the mood to run all the way to the lobby to find out it was Richard Simmons, who she probably didn't know either, so I asked a few more questions. I asked what he looked like and what people were saying. She said she thought he was a boxer because he was signing a boxing glove. I immediately said "Muhammad Ali?" She said, "Yea, that's it." If a person's eyes can bug out of their skull, mine did. I don't remember the level of my voice, but by the looks of her face, it was quite loud, as I yelled "Give me some paper!" This was worthy of a RUN to the lobby, where who did I see standing there, but Ali himself. I swear I could have soiled myself. My heart was pounding like a jack hammer, Ali for pete's sake. I joined the crowed and stuck my meager piece of notebook paper and pen as close to him as I could. Then, the champ looked at me and asked, "What's your name." THAT"S IT, SHIT MYSELF! I now know what all those girls that were screaming for the Beatles felt like. I'm surprised I even knew my name at that point. I managed to squeak it out and he sign my paper and handed it back to me. I then protected that paper like a mother hippo. (If you know anything about Africa, you know that the hippo is responsible for more deaths and injuries than any other major animal on the continent, do mainly to their over protectiveness of their babies) He then proceeded to show us a magic trick, that this same girl who didn't know who he was, screamed out how he did it. I wanted to smack her. He was gracious enough to sign ALL of our stuff, then show us a magic trick, and she ruins it with the secret. I saw how he did it too, but I'm not going to tell, I'm mean, who wins here? Then I started to think about the other famous people I've met and was wondering who others have met. So here is my list, at least what I decided to put down, now you guys post who you've met.

Muhummad Ali (Boxer, of course)

Evander Holyfield (Boxer)

Michael Moorer (Boxer)

Jacques Cousteau (Oceanographer)

Mr. T (A-Team:)

George Stephenapoulos (now a political analist)

Peaches and Herb (Motown)

Many Washington Redskins from the 2006 team ( a bunch, including Clinton Portis, Rock Cartwright, Joe Gibbs, James Thrash and even owner Daniel Snyder)

A bunch of Christian artists, like Mark Hall from Casting Crowns, MercyMe, Jeremy Camp, The Afters, John Reuben (OK, that one is just significant to me and Makiah)

Who have you met? You didn't have to have dinner with them or even like them, but who have you spoken to or shook hands with?

Send people over

I've updated my South Africa blog with donation information. Please send anyone you think might be interested to that site. I'm praying I can raise the needed money quickly so I don't have to crunch at the end, but I'll take it any way I can.

Thanks, in advance, for all your help. I hope that together, we can make a difference in some peoples lives!

IT'S A GO!!!!!

My trip to South Africa is a go. Keep an eye on the other blog for updates, ways to donate, or how you can help me get there. Thanks to everyone for their concern for my safety, their support on my decision and their willingness to help. I will continue to try and update everyone on family stuff and hopefully a funny thing or two on this site, but you can guess that I'm going to be a little preoccupied trying to get together the money for the trip. I still have Juarez in Feb. and a trip to CA in January, so maybe I'll do something stupid on one of those to keep you entertained:) You can almost count on it!

So my 40th birthday has come and gone, but the 40 year old jokes continue. I'm not offended though, or even upset, just happy to still be here and hope to be here another 40, God willing. Marcy had a surprise party for me, which was a pleasant surprise. I spent the afternoon watching my Redskins win another road game (on the computer since they don't show good games here in Iowa), then went to a bar with my friend Joe to watch a few more games. Of course, this was so Marcy could clean, decorate and let our friends in before I got home. Thanks baby, it was great. Thanks also to Michelle and Mindy for helping clean and decorate:)
Marcy and I went to see Fireproof, a movie currently out starring Kirk Cameron, if you remember him from Growing Pains. He has since changed his life and is a follower of Christ and made this movie about marriage. If you can get past the bad acting, some cheesy lines and the predictability of the plot, it really is a good movie. Not going to win any awards, but the message is very powerful and the advice is relevant. I would especially recommend it for newly weds, engaged couples or those struggling in their marriage. I'm none of those, but you can always use a refresher course.
Marcy and the boys are all doing well. Makiah's reading has improved a ton, so we are really proud of him. We read with him every night and I can tell you that there are several books that I wouldn't care if I ever saw again. I may have my own book burning in the back yard if I see some of these same books come back. I now know that I don't give a damn if baby bear likes blackberries. Good for him, doesn't need a book written about it for crying out loud.
I promise not to put too much on this site about my possible South Africa trip, I'll leave that to the sister site listed to the right. When I went to watch football with Joe the other day, he did say that he is really interested in going as well, so I'm hopeful he will. We've talked about doing a mission together for a few years now, but his schedule hasn't permitted it. I hoping my friend Chad will go as well (hint, hint Chad). We go to Juarez together every year and I think because we know each other well and have worked together before, we could really be an asset to the building team in Africa. Plus, Chad is into photography, and what better place to take a few pictures than on a photo safari. That is part of the trip, which sounds really cool. The boys want to know if I will get to see a lion? I'm not sure if they want me to see it or try to feed it, and see where the cards fall. I know Chad's heart is to serve, and even though both of our lives have changed due to Juarez, this would probably set a whole new level of humble, for me for sure. Juarez puts my life in the USA in perspective, I'm guessing Africa would only increase that.

New blog

I'm starting a second blog, I've included the link to the right in my "places I go" list. It will hopefully be my next mission, but I have a lot to do to get there.



Check it out:

http://sendmetosouthafrica.blogspot.com/

Be on the look out!

MEXICO CITY - Missing in Mexico: One truck carrying 5,000 condoms, 800 HIV tests and a 23-foot (7 meter) inflatable prophylactic.

See full story:



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081001/ap_on_fe_st/lt_odd_mexico_missing_condom_mobile;_ylt=Aoris9ZKdhsYQfyeVcSM8SMuQE4F

Don't let this go unsolved, keep your eyes open.