Its been a couple weeks since I've posted, mainly due to the fact that my life has been somewhat boring because I hurt my back playing basketball two Saturdays ago. So, I spent most of last week trying to keep my feet up. On the bright side, it gave me an opportunity to get Imovie lessons from Vanessa, so keep your eyes out for some new videos. By far the most exciting thing that I did last week was watching my Redwings intense game 7 victory over the Ducks (sorry Brody). Speaking of my brother-in-laws, I was looking at some old pictures tonight and was reminded how some things never change. The story starts back in 2002 shortly after David died. I had just met Vanessa's family, was 21 and was left home with the boys as the responsible adult. Well, long story short we ended up having a rolled up newspaper fight and totally destroyed the entire house. Not really the best "First Impression." That started our eternal bond of horseplay and wrestling. Take these two picture below for example. The first was taken in Mexico shortly before Vanessa and I moved to China and the second was taken two months ago. The boys may have grown up some, but I'm still the top dog, in wrestling and in facial hair ;p
This past weekend Vanessa and I made the hard decision to let go of our apartment in China. It had sustained some damage in the earthquake last year and as a result was becoming difficult to sublet, and the landlord is wanting to raise the rent. We both feel a lot more peace about this than I would have expected. We feel that when Father opens the door for us to return He'll have the perfect place for us.
Today would have been Casey's 22nd birthday. I miss ya bud, and it's still hard to believe you're gone. As I've wrestled with this over and over again, "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North has really impacted me, reminding me the truth I so quickly forget.
This past week or so has been quite crazy and very enjoyable. Last week Tuesday I had the opportunity to go see Ray Lamontagne and it was an awesome show. I highly recommend seeing him if you have the opportunity. Then on Thursday our friends Eric and Katrina, who work with Alaska Village Missions, came into Jax for the night en route to NC. It's been close to five years since Eric and I were able to spend time together and it was really good to catch up and enjoy the Bulls triple overtime win over Boston. The pictures below are of Lyla with their son Jude. Also on Thursday Vanessa saw her birthday wish to see the musical Wicked come true. You can read about it here. If that wasn't enough excitement for one week, Saturday morning I headed out early with about 25 guys from Grace to spend the day canoeing down the Santa Fe River. We enjoyed 15 miles of the river along with numerous springs and Naked Ed. Ed is the caretaker of one of the springs along the river and yes, he prefers to go sans clothing. The Scenery was beautiful, excluding Ed, and the weather was great. The only downside was the extreme soreness the following day. I could barely crawl out of bed. Vanessa and Lyla spent Saturday at the Shrimp Festival in Fernandina Beach. I've been quite busy at the office this past week as well preparing for a big SOFM recruiting push. Thanks again to everyone for their prayers. We appreciate it more than words can express.
This past weekend Vanessa and I made the hard decision to let go of our apartment in China. It had sustained some damage in the earthquake last year and as a result was becoming difficult to sublet, and the landlord is wanting to raise the rent. We both feel a lot more peace about this than I would have expected. We feel that when Father opens the door for us to return He'll have the perfect place for us.
