Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Sleep

I have been thinking about my sleep habits recently. I tend to be a night owl and not a big fan of early mornings. I usually go to bed between midnight and 1AM. Last year I was going to bed around 11 or 11:30PM and getting up earlier so I could work out, but that faded as I began running again. I don't particularly like to run in the morning, so the need for being up earlier disappeared.

Then I began to look into some statistics. Check them out.

Sleep statistics.
* In a survey conducted in 2002, it was estimated that approximately ¾ of all Americans do not get adequate sleep.
* Approximately 500,000 automobile accidents are thought to be attributable to sleep apnea.
* One in every ten men suffers from sleep apnea; a condition in which an individual actually stops breathing while sleeping.
* Parents who have small children sleep on average one hour less per night than those with no children.
* Sleep deprivation is the cause of numerous health problems, including heart disease, depression, suppressed immune systems, obesity, fatigue, diabetes and high blood pressure.
* Losing four hours of sleep in one night is comparable to having a blood alcohol level of 0.1% in response times.
* Most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep every night.

  I have a great sleep app I will have to blog about some time.

As I read some of these things it makes me worry a little. I know that some people can function on less sleep just fine and I feel like that is me. The problem is that I don't want to take chances. I also want to be healthy and not cut my life short because I don't sleep well. I also know that when our babies come home from Ethiopia my normal sleep habits will have a new normal that will be totally out of whack.


So...what to do? Do I renew my commitment to an earlier bed time? I don't know. I know that I could use some quiet time in the mornings alone with God tat comes uninterrupted. Hmmmm...


How much sleep do you get?
What time do you usually go to bed/get up?

Monday, August 30, 2010

Fun, competitive, survival...want to be a part?

From the first episode I saw of Survivor I have wanted to be on the show. As I watched this amazing sociological experiment unveiling before my eyes, I was captivated.  I took a sociology class in college and we did several fun experiments as a class. Survivor took things to a whole new level. I had never really seen anything like it. It began a love affair I have had with reality television ever since. There is something to taking a group of complete strangers and throwing them in a secluded part of the country and having them work through relationships and extreme conditions and seeing what happens.

I have a theory. Until the last few seasons they have had 16 players on the show. If you have ever taken the Meyers-Briggs personality test you know that there are ultimately 16 different personality types. (Bex talks about this a little on her blog today. I am an ENFP) I think they find people who fit all 16 types in order to cause as much tension as possible. After all, tension equals ratings. Even though there are often people we "hate" on the shows we watch, it gets boring when they are no longer on there.

They have messed with the "rules" a bunch of times recently to keep things fresh and it continues to be intriguing to me. This season they are placing the old vs. the young. They even have former Dolphins and Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson on this season. I REALLY want to be on the show. Imagine what a life experience that would be. I know  a lot of people would say, "How can you be on a show where people stab each other in the back and say you are a Christian?" My response is usually something like, "Have you ever played the card game Bull? You know, the one where you are supposed to lie about how many cards you have and try to bluff your way to victory? I think it's kind of like that. Outwit, outlast, outplay are the rules." When I honestly think about it though, I realize I love people too much to stab them in the back. The show is all about relationships and I would build strong ones out there. I am also a hard worker and I think I could hold back on being the "leader" too soon. I also have wit and charm that I would use to win people over. I do realize that all these things play against me in the end when others want to go up against someone who is not liked by the rest of the tribe so they have a better chance of winning, but oh well. 

For the last several years I have lead a group of people in a Fantasy Survivor League. It is a total blast. Each week you answer 5 questions which include "Who will get reward?", "Who will get immunity?" , "Who will be safe?" and "Who will get voted off?" For each answer you get right you get points. Points are totaled at the end of the season and the top three get gift cards for different things. The top gift card is usually worth around $50. It could be more if more people played. It only takes $5 to get in. We are starting up the season on September 15th, so there is still time to get in.

Want to join us this season? It's worth a try. It's a lot of fun. Who knows, you may get to play this when I am on the show some day. I have tried out a few times you know? This time. That time. And some others. All you need to do is to give me your email address and I will send you an invitation. Don't put it here though, send me an email here.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Going Back to School

Two years ago I started working on my Master's degree. I am taking classes online through Crown which is one of our denominational schools. I love to learn. I am the kind of person who looks at life and wants to soak it all in. I took a class 2 years ago as a "trial" and found I really enjoyed it. All the classes are online and I never thought I could do it. If online classes had been available when I was in college I would never have had the discipline to do it. I proved that when I did an independent study during my senior year and did EVERYTHING during the last week it was due. Somehow, I have moved beyond hat to some level to actually be able to do this.

Since that first class I have also taken several classes at Western Seminary on coaching. (The life kind, not the sports kind) I am now taking my second class and I am super excited about it. It's called Spiritual Foundations Leadership. There are some great books to read and interact with that I am really pumped about. I am not the most academic person in the world, but I do consider myself I life long learner. Anything that will move me forward in who I am as a person and follower of Jesus is something that I am a fan of. If it makes me a better pastor, worker, husband, father, son, brother, Christ follower, etc. I am in!

I never really thought I would get my Masters. It seemed to academic for me. When I graduated from college all I wanted to do was to be a youth pastor. I had some friends that went straight to seminary to get their Masters and I thought they were crazy. I love actually DOING the work of God and not just reading about it. I had also been to school most all of my life at the time and I just needed to be done. Now that I have been "doing" for 16 years or so I am glad I am back to reading and learning in n "official" way.

So here we go. Back to school. The timing may not be the best, but then it probably never really is. Where can I get a cool new back pack and a neat trapper keeper?

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Wrap up of Hood to Coast (How I got through it)

If you have never gone and done something that stretches you beyond what you think you could do, I highly recommend taking a stab at it. Running 3 legs in a race in a 16 hour period is something just like that. It pushes you beyond what you feel like you can do. Maybe there is something else that fits you a little more, but you should go do it.

I want to tell you a few things that got me through Hood to Coast.

1) I was on a team with some great people. We laughed, we shared stories, we got to know each other, we laughed, we cheered each other on, did I mention we laughed?, we sang, we pushed each other. It was a wonderful team to be on. Steve was greatly missed from the team and I wished he was there, but the team helped me through that too.

2) Others on the course. I have found a true joy in running, but when you are running at 3:30AM it is not quite as joy filled. I must say though that the moon was near full and the stars shone brightly as  ran (we were waaaayyyy out in the middle of no where at that point so there were no street lights on that leg). It was my longest leg (6.82 miles). As I passed people I would ask them how they were feeling and encourage them that they were doing great and they would encourage me back.

The last three miles was spent with Colleen from the Apple Fritter team. I had been closing in on her for a while and finally was ready to pass her. I asked her how she was feeling and all that and it encouraged her to keep up with me. She ran the whole three miles with me. Well, except the last 100 yards. She kicked it in and there was no way I was going to catch this 24 year old cross country coach who had been running since she was 14. We did have a great conversation for 22 minutes or so...a complete stranger. Who I hugged at the end and prayed for her knee that had been hurting.

3) Kills. I learned about this little running term last year on this race and I hated it. When you pass someone you call it a kill. When someone passes you, you get killed. Vans would have their tallies on the window. I didn't like it because I knew last year that I was running against people who love to run. At that point I had not fully developed a love for it. Well, that changed this year. I have always loved competition and it does motivate me. This year I had 30 kills and got killed 10 times. Sidenote: Trent, who filled in for an injury, got 72 kills on 1 leg!

4) Finally, but not the least of the list, is as I ran I spent a lot of time talking to Jesus. If you read regularly here you have seen that I pray for people when I run. It's a regular list of family and some friends. And then I asked if there were any people who needed prayer when I was running this race, as I had more miles than usual. I got a ton of requests! The only way I could keep track of it was to take the print out of the requests and to write them on my arms.(below is the second round of writing)

We also handed out these magnets that said "You've been prayed for" and stuck them on vehicles of teams that we prayed for. It's a lot of fun to talk to people along the way and find out their stories. It's pretty easy to have conversations with people because you have one thing in common with them...you are all running the "the mother of all relays." It's amazing what happens when you tell someone you will be praying for them as you run. One lady from the "Cougars" all women team unloaded on me with all the rough things that has happened to her in the last 3-4 weeks. (Ruth, I prayed for you!)

Having conversations with the Creator of the Universe and the one who gives the ability to run is amazing. To "stand in the gap" and pray for someone is such a gift. I was grateful for the opportunity to do so and it truly pushed me as I ran. So thanx everyone who gave me the opportunity to pray for you!

So even though we had a van that either was blazing hot or ice cold and you had to climb in the front to open the back door and all the numerous other issues that drove me nuts about driving it; even though I am in massive pain and will take a little time to heal my muscles so I can run again; even though I got very little sleep...I am glad I got to be a part of this experience once again. See you next year www.hoodtocoast.com!

A few pics from our journey...

 The Super Heroes (on my prayer list) ran in their costumes.
 I love Mad Gab.

 Sleep area and exchange with the other team.

 My last leg.
 The finish line.
 We did it.
My medal of "honor."

Friday, August 27, 2010

Long day before a long night

I am in the middle of my hood to coast run. We have finished our first major portion. The other van is in their second leg. My first leg was really good. I'm ready for my sleep though.

After the long night of crying my eye hurt. I thought it was from the crying but I woke up and was hardly able to open my eye and it hurt.




I am in a van with a bunch of great people. We are laughing a lot and telling stories. This is my favorite part about this race. It's the people. Actually had a cool convo with a guy on my first leg of the race. He was around 70 years old and passed me after a few minutes. Only one other guy passed me right at the end. I passed 9 people. Felt good.

It's been fun to tell others the story behind why we are called Stumbo's Prayer Warriors. Check out www.johnstumbo.org/blog. He is a really good writer and has some deep stuff to say.

Ok. Time to sleep. Night. Hello 3 hours or less. Miss you Steve.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Giving Out of Your Pain

Tonight was Lorelei's funeral. What a funeral it was. 2 hours of celebration and stories and laughter and tears. Lorelei knew she was going to die so she took the liberty to set up what she wanted to happen in her funeral.

Can you imagine if you knew you were close to the end of your time on this earth? What would you want in your funeral? It made me think about the day that I go to meet Jesus in Heaven. I know I will not be at my funeral, but there are things I would love at my funeral. That is perhaps for another post.

It's hard to explain what happened at this funeral, so I won't jump into it. I do want to say that there was a piano in the middle of the stage (Lorelei was an amazing pianist) and the only time it was used was when Melissa Seidler (a former student of Lorelei's who is now teaching students of her own) played a piece that Lorelei had requested she do. What I want to share is what happened after at the reception part. This was particularly hard for Kynzi.

We waited to give a hug to the family. Ron saw us and came up and gave Kynzi a huge hug. He then whispered some words to her and seemed to talk to her for quite a while. As he finished he kissed her head and then hugged me. As we embraced he thanked me for being there and I said, "Thank you for that moment with Kynzi." He gave her and me a huge gift when he was in a huge place of loss. He told me that Lorelei would often say that Kynzi reminded her of herself when she was that age. Wow!

After, we talked to Justin and then to Sheena. Both of them told Kynzi how much their mom loved her and how she was often the topic of conversation at the dinner table. My heart is so heavy for them. I ache for their loss and yet here they give to me and to Kynzi. Wow. Ron, Justin and Sheena...I don't know if you will ever understand what a gift you gave to Kynzi with your words and as a result the gift you gave me. Thank you. I love you guys!
This is a picture Kynzi drew during the funeral.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Camping with my son

Tonight Karston and I are in a tent in Champoeg State Park. The plan was for no technology, but I got permission from Karston to quickly write my blog post. And he is helping me with what to write about.

There is a full moon out tonight. It's kind of like a natural nightlight from God. Although Karston just said it IS a natural nightlight. We just finished one of the latest dinners we have ever had together. We grilled steak at 11pm! It was yummy. In the morning we are going to have s'mores for breakfast because it was too late tonight.

We barely got in here. We were going to go somewhere else, but my police officer buddy recommended we didn't camp there. So we came here. It was fully booked but we found the ranger and he let us stay in "overflow" camping. Which is just a spot with some green on it by the parking lot. It's not really a site at all, but close to some other sites.

We had a queen air mattress (there is only some green under us but mostly rocks) but it had 2 holes in it. Luckily we brought the twin mattress too. We are squeezing on it together.

Tomorrow there will be fishing, golf and great conversation. Karston said this is the end of the blog. Time to go to bed. Good night.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

I am Praying when I run the Hood to Coast...Can I pray for you?

When I ran the Helvatia half marathon my buddy Steve suggested that I pick different people to pray for during each mile. I loved that idea. I was already praying as I was running, but this game me some tangible times to actually pray for different people. Of course my family members all get a mile (including my son and daughter in Ethiopia) and John Stumbo gets a mile as well. John was the inspiration for our Hood to Coast team we call Stumbo's Prayer Warriors, or as someone on another team last year said "St. Umbo's Prayer Warriors."

It has been truly inspirational and encouraging as I run (which until 2 years ago I hated, but have now found joy in it) to pray for people. It keeps my mind focused on loved ones and on running.

So here is the deal: On Friday and Saturday I am running 3 legs of the Hood to Coast "The Mother of All Relays" which, with 197 total miles, is the longest relay race in the nation. I will be running approximately 18 miles total. I would love to pray for you. I will give the usual people on my list a mile, but I want to commit a portion of the race to you in prayer. Depending on how many people reply I want to give you 1/2 mile or 1/4 mile to your prayer needs.

     * Do you have a major life change coming up?

     * Do you have a decision to make that could affect your future?

     * Do you have some issues you could use some wisdom from God on?

What do you need prayer for? Feel free to comment here (on the blog or facebook) or send me an email, or a message on facebook (if it is not for everyone else to know about). I will be carrying a list with me as I run so I don't forget who and what I am praying for.

So there you have it. Let me know. I would be honored to pray for you.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Vaca Day 2

Day 2 is pretty much wrapped up. Another great day, with a little more sunscreen than yesterday. Haha. Today we visited some friends who were staying at Thousand Trails in Sun River about 25 minutes away. It was hotter today too. I love the heat. I love the sun! Some days I think I should be living in a bit more tropical part of the world, but I really love Oregon.
 Rodney and I played 18 holes. I was doing great until the "back 9." I totally blew it on hole 11. 8 shots to get the dumb ball to go to its home. "Are you too good for your home?"
 Then we played some horseshoes. I love horseshoes!
 The kids spent some time at the pool during the putt putt game.

 They have a cool little "village" that is in the style of an old cowboy/gunslinger town including a jail.
 Karston makes a perfect "classic" jailer who falls asleep on the job.

 On the way back we passed a cool "lava pit" where you could see this amazing lava rock everywhere.
We then hit the town. Bend has all the typical stores that any town would have (grocery store, book stores, Target, etc.) but it also has these awesome old towne style stores all over. We parked right next to a Lotus and came back to a BMW M3 in it's place.
 Karston petted the animals...
 I found money in this poor guys wallet.
 Good thing, because they have an AMAZING candy store here. I think we may have spent a little too much at this place (not my fult...they had black licorice!)
We concluded our visit to old towne with some yummy pizza. I wish every store had a sign like this. It is so annoying to watch people completely not engage with the people who are serving them when they go to buy something at a store. That should have been on my rant blog. haha.
We headed back to the hotel for a dip in the pool and hot tub and then for evening games. Another great day of vacation. I could do this more often.

Where do you vacation?
What do you love to do while on vacation?
Do you have a dream place to go on vacation that you have never been to yet?

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Day 1 of Vaca


 We decided to make a trip out to Bend, Oregon for our vacation. I love getting away with my family. These are the times for memories. The kids wanted to go swimming when we got up this morning. I went out and read by the pool as they played for quite a long time. We enjoyed lunch poolside and then they wanted me to go into the pool. I didn't really want to go in. I was enjoying the sun and the rest. I remembered that I wanted this to be a time of memories, so I walked over by the edge and Karston "snuck" up behind me and pushed me in. The laughter was full and rich. I love laughing and we do a lot of it.

After a couple of hours in the pool and hot tub we grabbed our bikes and headed out for a ride. We found a fun little park by the Deschutes river and rode the path through it. We were in no hurry and that was clear from our pace. I like that. We came back and Jeanne-Ann fixed my favorite salmon dinner and then we settled in for some games. My kids love Skip-Bo, so we played that after the customary round of Go Fish.

As the end of the day neared I knew I still needed to go for a run (Hood to Coast is this Friday!!!). So as I was stretching, Chewie decided he wanted to stretch too. It was pretty funny. I ran just under 8 miles around this beautiful town and through Eastern Oregon University (I think).

When I came back, Jeanne-Ann and I snuggled in for some quiet time and watch Invention of Lying after a quick jump in the hot tub. I love my wife. Have I mentioned that before? ;) The movie was interesting by the way. No one in the world can lie, so they say what they are thinking all the time. Pretty funny concept. No one, except one person. He realizes he can lie and it changes his life, but it turns out it doesn't make him as happy as he thought it would. He got money and fame, but not the girl. Well, not exactly...but if you haven't seen it, I don't want to ruin it for you, so I won't tell you how it ends. It was pretty slow moving, but the concept was enough for me to enjoy it enough.

Oh, you can see by the picture below that I got pretty sunburn. Weird, because I already have a pretty decent tan going...or so I thought. Tomorrow? Well, that remains to be seen. We may see some friends. We may go hiking. We may go swimming. The day will let us know. I'm looking forward to it.

Night.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Leaders who learn are leaders who lead better

Today I spent the day with most of the volunteers from our middle school and high school ministries from our church. It was our annual summer training day and preparing for the fall.



We started the day with a game of get to know you baseball. Very funny things we learned about each other. Then Matt Boda (my boss) took us through some great leadership tips. Six Imperatives "breaking all the right rules." 1) Do something with what God gives you. 2) Recognize that you are in a battle. 3) Count on God's protection. 4) Ask God to open your eyes to the reality of life. 5) Become an eye opener for others. 6) Live out your message (what you believe). This is the power of blessing other people. It was based on 2 Kings 6:8-23 out of the Bible. Check it out.

Then Brian took us through some vision stuff for our youth ministry. We exist to reach, restore, raise up and release a generation of Christ followers devoted to making disciples of all nations.



Then Meesh took us through a Personal Journey Tool. This is a great tool that helps you pinpoint an area of your relationship with Jesus that you can be encouraged in and am area you can work on. It's an excellent tool. Want to check it out? www.mypersonaljourneytool.com

Then we had a catered lunch from Moe's! Yum! After that we came back and Paula talked about youth culture and how and why we should be "in the know" when it comes to cultural relevance. Students connect to a song because there is something in that story that resonates with their story.

Then we headed out to Players to go bowling. I don't care who you are but when you get together with a bunch of people you like and go bowling it is a ton of fun. I did ok. I threw the ball 23.3 mph one time! Yeah.



We came back and jumped into small groups to talk about expectations for the year. After that the middle school team went upstairs and the high school team stayed downstairs.

I am playing double duty this year. I have a small group of junior guys that I meet with weekly and most of them are going to be small group leaders for middle schoolers. So I will be working with them ad Kynzi will be there so I can be involved in her life there.

We headed to Fuddruckers for dinner and I enjoyed a Kobe beef burger!!! If you don't know about this amazing beef you should look it up. Basically it's a Japanese hand massaged cow. I'm not sure how I could have that job but I would like to thank the people who do.

We came back to the office to wrap up. Josh took us "home" with a great piece on how our worth is defined by God. It is not our works that affect our worth. Below is a sketch and outline of what he talked about.




I love these people. I love serving with them. I love to laugh with them. I am thankful I get to be a part of this team. What we did together and learned together today was significant.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday, August 20, 2010

Lost a Friend

Today I received word that my friend Lorelei had passed away. Lorelei is one of those people who brightens up any room she is in. She is loud and fun and full of energy. Her husband, Ron, was the worship pastor at Salem Alliance Church when I first came to be the middle school pastor there. Lorelei played piano for worship. She was good!

Then they did some church planting stuff and ended up in Paris, France. I got to visit them twice when they were out there. It was such a cool place that they had set up. It wasn't just a regular church, but it was a cultural center filled with music and art. The people there were very cool and it was very fitting to who the Friesens are.

Their son Justin and their daughter Sheena were part of the youth ministry at Salem Alliance. Great kids! Sheena is one of those girls that every youth pastor longs to have part of their youth ministry. I have been fortunate to have several of these students over the years. Sheena is a joy and, like her mother, lights up a room when she enters it. I was pretty bummed when they decided to move to Paris, because Sheena would no longer be part of the youth ministry here.

When they returned to the States we asked Lorelei if she would give Kynzi piano lessons. She told us she didn't really have any space for her, but would rearrange things so she could take her in. She did and that time became a place in Kynzi's week that was greatly looked forward to. She LOVED Lorelei. Lorelei was amazing at balancing fun in piano and keeping Kynzi's focus on practicing throughout the week.

She developed a brain tumor and when she lost all of her hair, she embraced it. She went into remission and things looked really good. Then in May she received news that the cancer was back and she wouldn't last long. Treatments would no longer help. I remember getting that news and losing it. As much as it hurt me to hear that news, I greatly struggled with how Kynzi would handle the news. Did I mention she LOVES Lorelei? When we told her it was one of the hardest things I have experienced in a long time. The other difficulty was knowing the pain Ron, Justin and Sheena were going through.

Since then it has been an up and down ride for the Friesens. Today Lorelei's battle with cancer is over. She is with Jesus. I can only imagine the piano playing she is doing for our Lord. The sweetness of that music I know is joy to Jesus' ears.

Lorelei...I miss you. Kynzi misses you. We all do. We can't wait for the day we get to stand before the King of all kings with you. I can't wait to introduce you to my other 2 kids you haven't had the chance to meet yet.

Ron, Justin and Sheena...we love you, we weep with you, we are here for you.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Random Thoughts

* Today I was a groomsman in a wedding for Jordan & Tobey and it was amazing. I have not been a groomsman in well over a decade. I have only been performing weddings in those years and have done a ton of them. I love both sides, but it was particularly fun to be a groomsman for this wedding.

* It's been good to have my friends the Daffrons here for the week. I like picking up where I left off with friends who are dear to me.

* I hope I never get too tired or old to dance.

* In one week from tomorrow I will be running in the Hood to Coast. I am super excited about it, but very sad/lacking in motivation since Steve got hurt and won't be running it with me.

* As a staff, we read True Spiritual Community by Larry Crabb and discussed the last part of it at a staff meeting today. It's a really good book!

* Sometimes life throws you curveballs.

* I love my wife!

* I have had headaches for the last 3 days.

* I don't like seeing people get drunk.

* I love when someone who has struggled in their high school years comes back to a place where Jesus is an important person in their life.

* We have been on the waiting list for 6 weeks.

* I'm tired.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Treasure Found in a Garage Sale

I am a slightly above average "eat and drink healthy" guy. I try very hard to stay healthy with my intake. I am not super at it, but I work at it. I don't eat a lot of candy and I rarely drink soda anymore. I stay away from most fast food, although Chipotle, In-n-Out and Chic-fil-A always get me. These are MAJOR changes in my life in the last several years.

This past weekend I went to help a friend pack up the leftovers from their adoption garage sale. As I was packing up Jessica asked me if I wanted to take anything. I saw the Juicer and I was sold. It was the only thing that I took, and that, if you know me, is a miracle. I like to get good deals on things. I am also a sucker for garage sale stuff. Anyhow, I have always wanted a juicer. You can make delicious drinks out of fruits and vegetables.

I have seen the infomercials on these things and have been sucked in for the entire half hour several times. I have also seen them at Costco when they do the demonstrations. They put together the grossest things and then you get to try them and they are amazing...and soooo good for you. I have never felt OK with spending the money for them though. So when the price was free or it's going to Goodwill, I took it.

I have not had the pleasure to try it out yet (that will have to be another posting) but as soon as I do, I will let you know.

What is that thing you have always wanted to get, but haven't for one reason or another?

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Bachelor Party

Several months ago my friend, Jordan, shared with me that he and Tobs had gone back and forth on whether they wanted me to preform the wedding or be a groomsman.  They landed on groomsman. Jordan's reason was that he wanted me to be more a part of the whole experience than just the up front part. I was/am very honored. I have not been a groomsman in something like 15 years or so. It is an absolute blast.

Today was Jordan's bachelor party. It started off early. We went over to Sean's house for crepes and bacon! Amazing! with hot raspberry sauce and cream. YUM. Then we headed out to the coast for some surfing. That is my absolute favorite free time activity, so I am super glad it is something Jordan enjoys as well. It was pretty cloudy in Pacific City, but we had great waves! I love surfing with great friends.

After we finished and got out of the water it was time to have Jordan do some fun stuff. He had to wear leopard print underwear and run up the giant sand dune screaming "I'm getting married" all the way up and down. We then hit the coffee shop where we had previously said, "Don't worry, you won't ever see any of these people again anyhow." Turns out there were some people we knew at the coffee shop. Pretty funny.

We headed back home pretty wiped out from the ocean, but had some fun conversation on the way back. We stopped in to get our tuxedos and then hit Five Guys burgers (one of Jordan's favs). After that we tried to do some bowling. We got our shoes, picked out our bowling balls and then decided not to stay. So we headed out to play some paintball...Jordan was the target and wen hunted him.  (FYI: he was a completely good sport about the whole day and would have been disappointed if we hadn't done anything like we did).

After that we went back to Sean's and had a fire, ate some pizza, played some bachelor party games (which included a mouth full of habeneros), s'mores and good stories. We shared advice and laughed a lot. Obviously when it comes to this kind of a party there is much that can't be shared, but overall it was a very fun and encouraging day. I love spending time with these guys and am thankful I still get to be a part of their lives.


What kinds of things do you like to do with your friends?

Monday, August 16, 2010

Top Things

I love the end of the year when they go through all the top 100 songs/videos/movies/etc. I am a total "Top Whatever" junkie. You could put "Top" in front of anything on TV and I would probably watch it. I love seeing what the top rated TV shows according to Nielsen is every week and looking at the top 10 grossing movies in the theaters every week. There is something about it. I guess I like to see when someone wins? I like it when someone does well in something.

Today I read an article about "top" things. I loved it.
 * Number one car color sold: white
* Number one most sold item at Wal-Mart: bananas
* Number one sold potato chip in the world: Lay's
* Number one sold cereal: Honey Nut Cheerios

Want to see the rest of the article? Check out these top things.

I have top things (although they fluctuate with my moods at times)
Favorite place to eat: Chipotle or Moe's
Favorite meal: Steak, crab legs and shrimp
Favorite Reality Shows: Amazing Race & Survivor
Favorite Gadget: iPhone
Favorite Band: Bon Jovi
Favorite TV shows: 24, Lost, The Mentalist, Community, The Office, Friday Night Lights
Favorite Books: Bible, Made to Stick , Just Walk Across the Room , Almost any Ted Dekker book, The Life You've Always Wanted
Favorite musical styles: Country, Pop, Hip-Hop, Old School rock,
Favorite free time activity: SURF
Favorite thing to do with friends: Horseshoes
Favorite thrill activity: Skydiving
Favorite  iPhone apps: Words with Friends, RunKeeper, HR Battle, Foursquare, Twitter, Angry Birds, Sportacular, 5-0 Radio, Flashlight, ohhhh, too many!
Favorite Family Activity: Board games and bike rides
Favorite Board Games: Moods, Quelf,
Favorite Card Games: 7 Down, Mao, Phase 10, Hand and Foot
 Favorite thing I don't have, but want: iPad

Do you have a list of favorites? Why don't you copy and paste this list and put your own answers in (feel free to add or subtract from the list)




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