Josie and the 14 Hours Waiting. She is here and all she does is sleep.

I am just fine with that. Sleeping Beauty

Greetings From the Hospital

I am sitting in a nice comfortable recliner, so don't worry about me. Jen is doing all the work and feeling all the pain. We are here in anticipation of our second daughter.

All this hospital talk has made me really think about the future. You see a few months ago I started on a........ lets call it a quest. This quest, not to be confused with the amazingly awesome Sunday children's ministry at HBC (www.hillcrestbiblechurch.org), is about my personal goals.

A different type of quest. A quest for healthy living. I took a look in the mirror one day and realized that I had officially lost my chiseled youthful look.

What? How can this be? Well let me tell you it didn't happen over night. It kind of crept up on me while I was generally taking my health for granted.

As you can see from this picture its not that I need to look better because in my case big is beautiful. I just needed to feel better and stave off any possible health risks after all I will soon be the father of two little girls, and will need all the energy I can get.

So back to the quest. I started on a quest to get back to that "healthy" look. Is has been an up hill battle but as of today I am 25 pounds leaner for the year (pictured below).
As you can see I have engaged in a more active lifestyle and also lowered my calorie intake. I am hoping to lose another 25 pounds by my birthday in a few months. Impossible you say? Well I don't need your negativity!!!!!! So get out you negative ninny.

I will be healthy and will live to play exciting games with my daughters and scare their boyfriends! This quest will not be stopped by the fast food lobbyists or the lure of Monopoly game pieces. That's right Ronald I know your tricks! You and the King can just back off, scram, skedaddle or meander away. Yes go, but leave the chihuahua. He reminds me of times that make me not want to eat. Awe the memories.

Well I have been gone for a long time. I'm planning to get back into blogging now that the summer has passed. Here's something I am pretty excited about. On e of my favorite bands has a new album coming out tomorrow .Here is the cover art to the new Thousand foot krutch album.
The album is due in stores on Sept 18, 2007
myspace.com/thousandfootkrutch

Well this last month was very busy.

The church is full of life and growing in Oregon, Wisconsin.
June saw us involved in Oregon's Summerfest where Hillcrest Bible Church runs the Children's Activity Tent Thursday through Saturday. The some week we also had two floats in the parade. The first was celebrating our Vacation Bible School, which is happening next week. The theme this year is "Special Agents" which works well with it being the 007 year. The second parade entry celebrated our "MOPS" or mothers of preschoolers ministry, which Jenn takes advantage of with little Zoe. I am still trying to get "POPS" started, but papas of preschoolers just doesn't draw the same crowd.

On June 24th we also said goodbye to our lead and founding Pastor. Scott Ziegler served faithfully in the area for almost 20 years and we are sad to see him go, but we are excited to see what God will do at his new church in the Chicago area. "Da Bears!" Sadly he has no window in his new office so the staff gave him a special gift to bring some sunshine into the room.

So change has been in the air and we moved right along with it. Literally we moved in the middle of it. A short move in a short time from one side of our duplex to the large side. The added space is already being enjoyed, and the room will help us adjust to the new baby due inn October.

Now that Zoey is going to be a big sister we have asked her to step up and help around thehouse. We did have to answer some questions for her, but I gave her a book to help her understand. So she jumped in with a great attitude and help us move. Here she is hooking up the gas line on the dryer.









She also takes care of her pet sock monkey, moves her chair around, opens windows and ups the cuteness around the house! Don't worry though all the hard work has not changed Zoe. She still thinks she is a princess and when she wants daddy to hold her, she gets her way

Public Service Announcement

It's summer, summer, summer time and you may have your lazy days all planned out, but I have a few things you should consider while you're maxin' and relaxin' outside in the pool. If I could give you one piece of advice it would be wear sunscreen. This is very important especially for all my fair skinned friends. The second bit of advice is to always remember that................

For them summer is just nuts, nuts, nuts and they don't care who gets in the way. Just look at the crazed look of sheer determination on that smug little mug. That's not healthy! That's not even remotely normal. It's like they're just cute and happy and then they snap. Pray that you don't find yourself caught between a squirrel and a nut.

I can tell you're not taking this serious so let me explain it this way. Have you ever seen that one guy? You know the one in the little brown suit, with the over grown bowl hair cut.

No? Nothing? Doesn't ring a bell? The page boy! The one the dances and sings, "Berries and cream, berries and cream. I'm a little lad who loves berries and cream!" This guy.....

He's the kind of guy you'd never let date your daughter because even though he has a steady job and is really polite, you just never know if he's just going to nap at any second. Yes, we all know someone like that. We may even find it funny. See that's the thing. Lots of stuff is funny when you see it coming or at a distance, or when it's happening to someone else. That's life!

Just like squirrels. They are cute when you see them coming and when you're at a distance, but when one comes flying out of a tree going for your nut bowl that is just wicked scary!!! I don't even want to get into the fact that squirrels have been waging gorilla warfare on cars for almost a hundred years. I mean to be fair they think that the cars are predators that are consuming the people that feed squirrels nuts at parks. It is totally understandable that they would try to save us if only to continue the nut feeding cycle. Possums on the other hand are just ornery.

So take a look at this face and ask yourself one question.
ARE YOU PREPARED?!!?!?!

No, you're not! That's what I thought. I would expect nothing less from a generation the grew up believing that Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers were really here to saves lives. Well don't believe the lie! Those little guys have more in common with this rabbit then they do with Mother Teresa, and that rabbit's dynamite.

So be prepared because you have been forewarned. Also keep an eye on that garden gnome. He always made me a little nervous.