4th of July

Today as I was driving I spotted my first hot air balloon sighting of the holiday weekend. I am not really sure what it is about the 4th but there is something that I love about the hot air balloon launches that they do in Lisle. Ever since I remember, we would make it a tradition that during the weekend of the 4th we would journey out to see the sunrise balloon launch. It's a really weird thing to get so excited about but there is something so beautiful about seeing so many balloons set sail as the sun is coming up. I love it! Between fireworks and hot air balloons, this holiday has to rank up there as one of my favorite!

Washington DC co-rec vs Naperville Co-rec

Tonight we played softball downtown DC with my brother and sister-in-law's co-rec softball team. Softball is one of the big social networks out here and there are leagues that run fairly often. A couple years ago I started the tradition of flying out to visit during a game weekend so that I could join the team for a game. I decided tonight that Co-Rec in DC just doesn't compare to Co-rec in Naperville. I would like to call tonights game "beer league" softball. In the first inning, with me and third and my brother at short, I witnessed my brother dive for a ball, not to field it cleanly but instead to save his cup of beer that he decided to bring out on the field with him. I may be going out on a limb here but in Naperville, our league is a little different. (or maybe we are a little different) We are pretty extreme when it comes to game day. The championship is like the world series, we keep stats throughout the season, we recruit players to play on the team, and we talk about softball 24/7 when we are in season. We don't have time to carry beer out on the field. It is serious stuff and we HAVE to win each game we play!

Although TWAN (team without a name) pulled out a victory this evening, the game ended pretty brutal. My brother hit a inside the park home run (he is a lot faster than me) and as he was rounding third and coming home, he blew out his knee once again. He had two surgeries on it before and wore a pretty heavy duty brace to prevent it from happening again but tonight it wasn't enough. The brace didn't work tonight. It looks like this is his last game of the season but it was a good thing he had a few beers in him to keep the pain under control.

Taking a little trip

I am in Washington DC for a couple days to visit my brother and his family. My nephew will be 3 in September and it is amazing how much he has changed since I last saw him. There is something about not being close to him as he grows up that is sad for me. With my other brothers kids (who live 30 min from me), when Aunt Debbie arrives they get super excited and and won't leave my side. Kyle isn't quite sure about that. He is still a little hesitant as to whether or not he is a big fan. We hung out at the pool today, played a lot of Thomas and cars, and enjoyed some time watching Sprout. Hopefully I will be here long enough to get him to buy into hanging out with me rather than running to Mom or Dad for everything. Then once I leave and return in another 4-6 months, the game will probably start all over again. Maybe by the time he is 4 or 5 it will be a little easier to remember who I am.... I hope....

Tomorrow night we have the big softball game. My brother plays in a softball league and every summer when I schedule my trip we have to make sure that it falls on a softball night. The team is pretty nice in allowing me to be a part of gang for a night. This will be the first time I put the glove back on since I broke my thumb in October. Let's hope tomorrow's game ends a little different than the last.

Why I love Honda

I have realized that I have formed a crazy sorta love for the Honda automobile. Although I am sure there are other cars that are a little cheaper on the budget, there is something about the customer service that Honda has to offer. Today I am sitting in the service center lobby of the Honda dealership waiting for my car to get an oil change. While I wait, I have the cubs playing on the Plasma screen TV in front of me, my computer picking up the free wireless Internet access, drinking a Starbucks freshly brewed coffee, and sitting with my feet up in a recliner chair. It used to be that we always got the same service guy when I went to the dealership in Lisle. I used to drive 45 minutes to visit Laird (an older gentleman that would know you by name as you walked in the door). Now that Honda switched to making you talk to the service guy that was up next, I moved my business from the Honda in Lisle to the Honda dealership down the street. Although I am sad to not see Laird every oil change, I am pleasantly impressed with the service men I have dealt with. Never once have I am encouraged to get something fixed that I did not need, nor have I gotten any run around with what was wrong with the car. I don't know when I will have to be in the market for a new car but something tells me Honda will win my service.

A Great Week!

Student Community just spent the week in Anderson, IN and it was an incredible week. I am always so amazed at how great the students are. The conference was incredible. It was one of those weeks where I honestly believe God moved in so many ways. I had so many great conversations with students who have made some pretty big steps in their own personal journey. I heard from students who are ready to be baptized, others who are going to be a part of raising awareness of issues around the world, others who are changing some behaviors they have been involved with and other students who have made the decision that they are surrendering their life to following the plan God has for them. On the last night we spent time praying for specific students who shared and I have never heard our students pray quite like they did that night. It was a heart felt prayer of student after student lifting up one another. The things that came out of students mouths was beautiful. I am truly blessed to be given the opportunity to serve in this way. There were times this past year that balancing a full time job and a part time job left me wanting to tear my hair out but this made every sacrifice worth it.

On a personal level, I was reminded of the importance of listening to how God is calling me to move. There are areas of my life that I need to give up and be more willing to trust God and take risks for God. There are areas of my life that I need to stop focusing on my "inabilities" and trust that God will continue to stand in the gap for me and work through me even in the areas that I don't feel qualified. I was reminded of the incredible opportunity that we are blessed with when it comes to being apart of the Jesus Mission.

CIY 2008

I leave tomorrow to take about 85 high school students to CIY (Christ in Youth) - a conference in Indiana. In working through the small group curriculum, I am pretty excited about the theme of this years conference. I can't wait to share more about it.