You Say It's Your Birthday?!

Happy birthday to the most wonderful, handsome, loving man who is my best friend. I hope your day is wonderful and filled with fun and surprises. We love you!

So, What'd You Have?

Tonight I'm posing a question to a reader and a friend (you know who you are)...what did you have to eat tonight between the hours of 8-10 PM? I opted for the graham crackers. I was very sad to see Jerry go home.

It's Time for Some Recognition

It seems, at least in the last several years, that the OAC (Ohio Athletic Conference) needs a little bit of recognition when it comes to Division III football. Out of ten conference teams, four of them are in the national division III top 25...with number one Mount Union, in our conference.

For some of these other schools it's easier to be ranked higher when you don't have to play a Mt. Union or a Capital, etc.

Northern won again today against the Blue Streaks of John Carroll 23 - 13. Way to go, guys!!

Let's hope Michigan fares as well against Penn State.

For a Time as This

This week one of our youth talked about this song by a guy named Tay Zonday. At first I wasn't really sure what I was going to find. Then as I went online and found it I saw that it was compared to the likes of William Hung so I expected something really bad. But this song not only has a guy singing who can sing pretty well, he has an unusual voice and looks a little like Steve Urkel, but don't let his appearance fool you.

In recent weeks, we have heard sad stories of hate and racism in our midst. This song is pertinent for such a time as this.

I have put the video that someone made to it which is also pretty well done in spite of the little cartoon like picture of Tay on the bottom corner, but his video is found on youtube if you'd like to see it. Here is Chocolate Rain...

Now That's Football!

OK this week was more like it. My Polar Bears won their game against Muskingum 27 - 9 while the Wolverines finally had a victory over the Fighting Irish 38 - 0. I was a little nervous about the Bears because it was a little ify looking early on. I wasn't sure what was going to happen when Notre Dame came to Ann Arbor, but the game was good. It was good to see a little bit of the old Wolverines show back up. AND, Mallett looks really good. Sorry Chad Henne, but your job description may change.

Hopefully this losing streak, they hadn't lost 4 in a row since like '69, is over.

Yea Teams!!

A Night Away

Last night our oldest stayed over night at a friend's house for the very first time. This event was planned about a week ago and he was so excited that he came home from church and began to get his stuff out that he wanted to pack. Every day we had the countdown to slumber party until finally Friday came. I got him from school, we packed his bags and then took him over to his friend's house. He was so excited. I helped him carry his stuff up to the house and then he brushed me off as he ran off with his friend.

Our youngest didn't know what to do without his brother. I think he went back and forth thinking he was at school and would be home soon. It wasn't until bath time that it really became evident that big brother was gone. He kept looking at the door of the bathroom like, "Where is he? Why isn't he taking a bath with me?"

He seemed to forget until this morning when our oldest got home and a little while after I asked our youngest if he wanted to go see J....his eyes lit up and he was ready to welcome big brother back home.

J had an AWESOME time.

Getting Ready for Some Football

Well, it's Friday night and tomorrow is a big football game. What will the future hold for my favorite teams tomorrow? Go Bears! Go Blue! Go Herd! I'll be nervously watching/listening.

Remembering

Our world stood still....we all sucked in our breath and waited to wake up from this nightmare. A friend came over to watch our boy and told us to turn on the TV. It looked like a scene from a bad movie as we tuned in to see the second plane hit. What was happening?! This was no longer an accident, a miscalculation...it was done with deliberation...it was done with hate.

I looked at my little baby...he was just about 8 months old...what kind of world would he know? What was happening around us? Would we ever really know? I hugged him tighter trying to protect him from the evil that was outside. Trying to shelter him somehow, some way from the "real world" where bad things happen for no reason to good people.

I called a good friend who was scheduled to leave that day for London. Where was she? Was she in the air? Was she safe? The lines are busy...please try again...Everyone was trying to call the ones they loved. Finally I heard from her...she was safe...she was in the states....she was at home....she wasn't leaving.

So many people lost their lives that day and the days to come. For what? I guess just so someone could make a point about how much they hated us.

Six years later and it seems like just yesterday that we all walked around a little stunned and kinda in a daze. We saw the people on the news...holding up pictures...searching for loved ones...searching for hope. We came together. We joined together in ways that only tragedy bring. We gathered in the church to offer prayers...prayers in different faiths. We were one if only for a while...if only to help each of us begin to heal.

Six years later and things are pretty much back to "normal." We go through our lives so eager to get quickly from here to there. We don't really pay attention, real attention, to those around us unless they're in our way, we want something, they are close to us.

As we pause to remember, let us pray for love. Love for each other...love that can conquer evil. Let us pray for continued healing. May the rain that fell today remind us of the tears we shed that day six years ago. And may we seek to reach out to one another...in the name of love.

What?!

The day started out relatively well....Marshall showed up in force against WVU and did a pretty good job even though they didn't come out with the win.

Ohio Northern beating Millikin at the half with a score of 14 - 0 but then I lost my internet connection and couldn't listen to them on the Bear any more. Now that I'm back online I can't find out what happened as they still have the half-time score up. Update: Just heard the score on the Bear...the score was a big 42 - 0. Way to go Bears!!

But the big disappointment today hands down has to be Michigan WHAT ARE THEY DOING?! Last week was bad enough, but I chalked it up to the fact that they usually don't do that well in their first games. But today it's like they're on vacation. Come on guys, let's go. Hoping the second half will be better.

It's That Season Again!

I'm so excited...it's football season again! Although last week's game for the Wolverines looked more like a high school team playing a college team, I am hopeful that they will redeem themselves against the Ducks tomorrow. Hopefully more folks will show up tomorrow than just Mike Hart.

Ohio Northern begins its season at home against Millikin, Illinois. The cool thing about tomorrow's game (other than the fact the Polar Bears are playing, of course) is that 100% of the money from ticket sales will go to help the areas impacted by the recent flooding in northwest Ohio. It was quite disturbing to see Findlay look like a river ran down Main Street. So it'll be fun and a great way to raise money for a good cause.

Finally, the "big game", WVU at Marshall. Now I have to admit growing up in northwest Ohio I had never heard of Marshall until I came down here...and I really didn't get the whole fan thing until I started looking deeper into the history of the football program especially in the 70s. But now with the knowledge that I have gained I must say I'm a Marshall fan. 'Course two of the guys in this house I think will be rooting the other way. Hopefully my youngest will be on "my side" he's at least going to dress like it.

May the best teams win tomorrow (the ones I'm rooting for!)

Great Weekend

Sunday afternoon I was given a great opportunity. Several months ago (I can't remember how long ago it was) I was contacted by one of my former youth group "kids". She told me she was getting married and wanted me to come back to Ohio and participate in her service. I was humbled and touched by this request to have a significant part in this new chapter of her life. It had been a while since I had seen her (I think it may have been at my own wedding 10 years ago). She had gone to college, received a PhD at Berkley and now lives in California.

The wedding would be outside something that always makes me a little nervous with the weird weather we've been having. But Sunday the weather was gorgeous. Tina made a beautiful bride and the day was really neat.

It was good to connect with Tina, her sisters and her family again. The interesting thing was...years ago, when I was 2 or 3, I was the flower girl in her aunt's wedding. It's kinda a neat little circle of events there.

Congratulations Tina and Brian. Best wishes for your new life together.

Getting in Shape

I found this statistic on Dan Kimball's blog, Vintage Faith: In 2004, a survey of 2,500 ministers found that 76 percent of Christian clergy were overweight, compared with 61 percent of the general population.

Also it was recently released that West Virginia is 2nd in the nation for obesity at 29.8% just after Mississippi at 30.6%.

Both of these statistics are cause for action. The focus for our Annual Conference over this next quadrennium is stewardship. We're not only looking at financial stewardship but also environmental and physical stewardship. I'm hoping to do a better job of all of these myself...but wonder if it's because we so often try to care for others before ourselves that self-care is put aside.

As a society, we're a fast food nation wanting things really quick and eating on the run. I'm hoping to just slow down and take time to be more physically fit. It's hard to care for others when your not in good health yourself.

OK, so now my plan is to really start watching what I eat, to exercise more frequently and to try to live a healthier life.

Oh Man, Not the Jets!

I didn't think I'd ever say this, but it looks like I may be rooting for the Jets this year. While I was looking at the Northern website to get the email address of one of my former math professors who lives in Findlay I checked out the ONU athletics page.

From time to time we have had players from Northern who have made it to the pros. Stacey Hairston was the first one I knew...he was 2 years older than I was and when he graduated, he got an offer to play for the Browns. He played almost every week until he got hurt. Jamal Robertson is now playing for the Atlanta Falcons after playing for the 49ers and the Carolina Panthers.

This year, Jason Trusnik has signed as a free agent with the Jets. He'll be playing as a linebacker and will wear the number 48. Throughout his career as a Polar Bear, Jason racked up 43 sacks, and 85 tackles for a loss. He got to play in the Aztec Bowl last December leading Team USA to a victory...in that game alone he had 8 tackles, 2 sacks and was named one of the co-captains.

So, even though I'm not a big Jets fan (which could be a risky thing to say here in Herd country) I'm going to start watching those games. Congratulations, Jason. Have a great season!

Cleaning up the mud

In the news over the past week have been stories about the flooding in Ohio. The floods occurred about an hour from where I grew up. I was watching the news the other night when they showed Findlay and remembered how I frequently visited Findlay when I was in college at Ohio Northern. The street that I remember driving down to get to the mall looked like a river.

When I spoke to my parents they said they were OK but that Ottawa was really hit hard. I have several friends from college who lived in the Ottawa area.

Most of the time flooding problems wouldn't even really cross your mind living in northwest Ohio. But it can really be a mess with the terrain of that area of the state. It is EXTREMELY flat so there's no place for the water to go. As if the drought wasn't bad enough for those who farm the land in that area now they have received the antithesis...way to much rain.

Please keep these folks in your prayers as they clean out the mud and guck.

The Lead is Out

We received a note from our boys' doctor in the mail today. Our little chewer/biter is free from lead and anemia (which I guess they checked too). YEA!

Ten Years Ago

Twelve years ago July 12th I met Jim online in a chat room. We talked for a while online then continued our conversation on the phone. From that day on we talked every day. Soon it came time to exchange pictures...what would he look like I wondered...I knew I liked him, but how shallow was I, really? Would he like how I looked? Which picture should I send?

When the mail came that day, I could hardly hold my breath. I opened the envelope and was so happy to see the picture inside. He didn't have two noggins...he looked great.

By the end of the month we had arranged a face to face meeting. He would drive from Charleston to Wapakoneta where I had lived at the time. Wapak is on I-75 so I was a little concerned about meeting him because I didn't want to be some casualty somewhere. When he got into town he called me from his hotel and I got ready to meet him. Everything went wonderfully...we met and it was wild...I felt like I had known him for years. For our first date we went to a local restaurant (along with a friend of mine) and had dinner. The next night we went to see the movie The Net.

The weekend went well and way too fast. We made some plans for when we'd see each other again.

On Groundhog's Day Eve 1 1/2 later, Jim proposed. The room was wonderfully decorated...with a yellow brick road, ruby slippers, a Cowardly Lion and a little box at the end. Need I say I LOVE the Wizard of Oz? In the box there was a glass plaque that was etched with this poem:

Carol, you are wonderful.
You are funny, beautiful, smart and kind.
The love we share, I thought I'd never find.
You fill my life with a special joy,
In a way I've not felt since I was a boy.
As I've grown, and become a man,
I realize just how lucky I really am.
Each day, my love for you grows stronger.
I hope we'll be together for eternity or longer.
I have been blessed by God To have you in my life.
Now I am asking you Carol, "Will you be my wife?"

I remember reading these words and wondering why all of a sudden Jim was down on the ground. Then I got to the last line. WOW. You just can't say no to that.

So, we set the date for August 23 at 1:30. The day before when we got into town we went into the church and our good friend, Jim who was pastor of my church, asked one of my best friends, "Do you want to tell her or do you want me to?" I'm thinking what in the world is going on?! Lisa was supposed to sing for the wedding so I thought maybe she wouldn't be able to...but it turned out our organist had to work the next day and wouldn't be able to play for the wedding. I was a little upset but not nearly as mad as I was when I found out he had known he had to work for 8 weeks before, had not asked off for it, and hadn't let me know. Jim (the pastor) called my former piano teacher who had previously been our organist and had asked her to come...she agreed. Whew! That hurdle was over.

The rest of the wedding weekend went really well and very fast. The music was WONDERFUL (Lisa this means you, too) and to think our organist/pianist only had less than 24 hours to get the music ready. The cake was cool (Duff-esk before Duff was doing cakes) it was shaped like a church.

That was the day I said yes to spending the rest of my life with my best friend. Now it's been 10 years. Where did that time go?! We have two beautiful boys and have had a bunch of adventures.

Happy Anniversary, My Honey, I love you!

Getting the Lead Out

Yesterday I took our 1 year old to the doctor for his 12 month appointment. He's growing to be a healthy, happy toddler. While there he got two shots and then the doctor wrote up an order for a blood draw to check for lead. She said they were checking all of the children that came in just to be sure.

We went to the floor where the lab is and began to wait. The guy who checked us in asked if we had an insurance company we'd like to bill it to...I thought about saying, "How 'bout we bill it to Fisher Price since that's why we're having this done."

After the lady behind the counter at the lab check in asked if my "little girl" had ever been there before to have blood taken, we went and sat and waited for the inevitable.

I'd already had to hold him down for his shots, but nothing had really prepared me for this. When we had to take him to have his newborn screening redone I stood and cried as he cried. This time I had to hold his arm as they tied a tourniquet on his little arm...one woman held his arm while the other swabbed and got the butterfly syringe ready. I was trying to focus on calming him down when something caught my eye. I almost came unglued when the woman with the syringe proceeded to move the needle around until she found a vein. I don't like it when someone does that to me let alone when they do it to one of my little ones.

I appreciate the doctors being vigilant in their attempt to nip any lead problems in the bud. However, I think the phlebotomists could have been just a little nicer. The one lady just wasn't very nice.

It took me back to my childhood with the two Nancys that were nurses for our doctor. One was nice and when she gave you shots they didn't hurt. The other was really mean and when she gave you a shot it was like a bull in a China shop.

Thanks, Fisher Price, for outsourcing your labor.

Happy Birthday to My Youngest!

Today was my little one's birthday. It's hard to believe how fast this past year went. It seems like just yesterday that I was holding him for the very first time. We had a GREAT party with friends and he had a great time. A BIG thanks to those who came over and spent time with us on this special day.

Our little birthday boy had his very own mini cake that he proceeded to mold, shape and devour.

Our oldest wore one of the shirts he wore when his little brother was born. He is so fond of his little brother even though he sometimes tries not to act like it. I think this picture taken a year ago speaks volumes. The smile on our then 5 year old's face says nothing but "I'm a proud big brother. Our boys have a special bond each are the other's favorite people.

It's hard to believe how fast the time has gone...Happy Birthday, little one!!

364 Days Ago

I remember like it was yesterday. I was HUGE, HOT, and ready to see this little one that we'd been waiting for for a long while. Family members were in town ready to see this new addition to our family.

The house was pretty much prepared, our bags were packed and we were anxious. Our friend Betsy came over to stay with our oldest and would be meeting us at the hospital the next morning.

We woke up before the sun the next day and made our way to the hospital in the dark. I remember I was a little concerned because my chart had not arrived at the hospital (my doctor had put it in her bag and accidentally taken it home with her). So, as they hooked me up to the monitors they kept saying well we're still waiting on your chart.

Finally the doctor came in, Jim got dressed and ready to go. We headed off to the OR. Jim had to wait outside while they got me prepped.

There were many awesome aspects to this day. I went into the OR about 8 am or so...and they have prayer each morning at 8 am. The "crew" that was in there with me paused and one of them said, "That's exactly how I like to start surgery...with prayer." The next thing I know we're picking out what music to listen to during the birth. We picked out someone's (I can't remember their name) mix CD. It included the song Girl, Your Really Got Me Now by Van Halen. And away we go. After a little bit of puking due to the anesthetic I heard, "Are you ready? Here he comes."

My littlest boy was born. He came out screaming, peeing and perfect!

Wow what a day. I can't believe it's been 364 days since that early Friday morning.

Happy almost birthday!

Wet Pants - A Story of Grace

I received this story from a friend and want to share it as a story of grace seen through the eyes of children.

WET PANTS

Come with me to a third grade classroom..... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks
his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, "Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat."

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered. As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is
carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!"

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.

She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. "You've done enough, you klutz!"

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Susie whispers back, "I wet my pants once too."

May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good..