Sunday, June 29, 2008

"Firsts" For Kayley...

Over the past few weeks, Kayley has had some "firsts" that I wanted to record and share. First, Kayley has been scooting/rolling for awhile now, but she has slowly begun to get on her knees, support herself with her arms, and sway back and forth. In a few weeks, she should be making us buy security gates. She is also, more so than before, putting anything and everything in her mouth. I'd like to think that she is just checking to make sure everything is "lead free" for Lincoln. See, just in case the cat ever has to wear a bib.
Yea, she's smart like that.




Kayley also had her first boating experience with some friends of ours this past Wednesday. I was unable to make it due to a meeting and some mowing obligations, but from what I hear, she has the slalom down pat. Another first happened last night while we were eating dinner with my parents at a little Mexican joint in town.

No, her first word was not Hola.

She did, however, wave at the waiter when he waved at her. We tried to duplicate it, but she was too interested in her binky. And last, but not least, Kayley went swinging in the baby swing I installed on the maple tree out back this weekend. She just screamed and giggled the whole time we were pushing her. Kayley could have done it for hours!

And, as with any growing baby, there will be more to come...

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Iraq: Christian Injustice

This evening I came across a post over at ThinkChristian that wrecked my heart. No matter what our political differences may be, there are many real, concrete, and relevant reasons for our involvement in the Iraq War.

As American Christians, we sometimes take for granted the freedoms that are rightly given to us to express our faith. However, there are hundreds of thousands of Christians around the world that have nowhere near those same freedoms. The article For Iraqi Christians, Money Bought Survival sheds light on issues that I cannot even begin to comprehend.

Some highlights from the article:

* Insurgents have demanded a tax -called jizya- from Jews and Christians for centuries. Recently, this "tax" has come in the form of extortion and ransom.

(Correction: "Since the time of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, Muslims in the Middle East permitted that diversity in part through a special tax on Jews and Christians. The tax was called a jizya — and that is the name with which the insurgents chose to cloak extortion, Mafia-style, from Christians.")

* Christian congregations have paid as much as $150,000 for ransoms linked to kidnapped priests.

* Hundreds of dollars a month taken from Christian male home owners for "security" provided by the insurgents.

* Over 700,000 Christian Iraqis have been directly effected. In most cases, the Iraqi Christians knew this "tax" would be used to buy weapons that would be used to kill their own.

* "Leave or die" notes on the doors of those Iraqi Christians who sided with U.S. forces as insurgency filled their region.

* The U.S. could do little to protect the Christians for the fear of terrorist propaganda relating to the defense of a minority group. This led the Kurds to be in charge of protecting the Christian population. However, the Kurds had their own agenda of advancing their border and thus manipulated thousands and murdered hundreds of Iraqi Christians.


So, what can we do? The most simplistic, but most powerful tool we have.

Pray.

Pray for the Iraqis. Pray for our Christian friends in the Middle East. Pray for Jesus to be seen and heard in the hearts of all involved. Pray for the practice of faith. Pray for freedom. Pray for the Iraqi congregations, families, and priests.

Pray for Iraq

Monday, June 23, 2008

Obama: The Next JFK?


That is what I call, in literary terms, an attention grabber! Unfortunately, I do not mean John Fitzgerald Kennedy. John Kennedy was a visionary that truly motivated the American population without an empty promise of "change," but by delivering results to affirm his convictions. JFK, in the case of presidential hopeful Barack Obama, relates to John Forbes Kerry. The reason? Ever since Senator Clinton's long awaited dismissal, Barack Obama has done more flip flopping than a commercial fishing boat with a fresh catch.

Four years ago, I was caught up in the nostalgic idea of fundamental policy changes that I believed John Kerry would bring to the presidency. I, like so many others, disagreed with the Bush Administration on many ideas and policies that were forming his policies nationally and abroad. The situation reminds me of a quote by Winston Churchill. It states, ""If you are not a liberal at 20, you have no heart. If you are not Conservative by 40, you have no brain." At 20 years of age, I ran with the mindset of change and "anybody but Bush." Four years later, I've collected my emotions, decided what I value, and affiliated myself with common sense.

During this presidential election season, we have seen a candidate that will do anything to get elected. However, to Barack Obama and the hard left liberals, being the flavor of the day, week, month is the right road to the White House. There are those who flip flop on issues because they realize a faulty mistake in judgement, but then there are those who flip flop because of outcomes of the latest polls. Barack Obama falls into the latter.

Over the past weeks, Obama has flip flopped on four interesting foreign policy issues. And for being the "diplomat" he promotes, that isn't the most encouraging thought for the electorate. First, in his remarks to the Annual AIPAC Policy Conference, Obama Said that Jerusalem should be the undivided capital of Israel, however, the very next day (because of Palestinian distress over the remarks) Obama declared that the future of Jerusalem would have to be negotiated by Israel and the Palestinians. Second, Obama now claims that he will only meet with foreign leaders at a time of his choosing if it will advance U.S. interests, but previously said he would meet with rogue leaders his first year in office without preconditions. Kind of a big switch? That was then: "Question: "[W]ould you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea, in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries?"...Obama: "I would. And the reason is this, that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them - which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration - is ridiculous." (CNN/YouTube Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Charleston, SC, 7/23/07" This is now: "Obama: "Contrary to the claims of some, I have no interest in sitting down with our adversaries just for the sake of talking. But as President of the United States, I would be willing to lead tough and principled diplomacy with the appropriate Iranian leaders at a time and place of my choosing - if, and only if - it can advance the interests of the United States." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At The Annual AIPAC Policy Conference, Arlington, VA, 6/4/08)" What a difference 11 months makes huh? Third, obama has pivoted in his opposition to legislation labeling Iran's Revolutionary Guard a Terrorist Organization. However, in a pro-Israel crowd, he told them what they wanted to hears. "Obama's campaign suddenly discovered that their man -despite having spent the last nine months campaigning on his opposition to Kyl-Lieberman - 'has consistently urged that Iran's Revolutionary Guard be labeled what it is: a terrorist organization.' Well, not that consistently. Senator Obama has been scrupulously careful not to call explicitly for designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization. Now, however, with the Democratic nomination almost in hand, Obama feels comfortable telling a pro-Israel audience what it wants to hear."(Danielle Pletka, "Obama's Pander Pivot," Weekly Standard, 6/4/08)." Four, Obama now claims that he opposed Palestinian elections in 2006, but he supported them at that time. With Obama, it is never about the positions, it is about the crowd.

Along with foreign policy, Obama has flip flopped on his "blueprint" for the Iraq War. Once a staunch opposition, Obama now talks a different game that has American troops in Iraq for AT LEAST 16 months and his agenda could change with increased violence and insurgency to the area. He has also blatantly lied to the American public on his goals for public financing. Barack has flip flopped his positions on NAFTA, the debacle of the Reverend Wright issue, the energy bill being proposed by the Bush Administration, abortion, Iran, Israel/Palestine, gun control, corporate taxes, and (I'm sure) more to come over the remaining 4+ months.

The primaries are the Democrats playing field. They can talk all the smack, push the most left agenda, and provide this empty hope of change. It never really changes. The interesting spectacle is when the nomination has been decided. That nominee ALWAYS, no matter how far left they dove, comes crawling back to the ideas and values of mainstream America. Case in point, Barack Obama.

If there was ever a case of putting your agenda first and the countries second, this is the guy. Now, I know John McCain has flip flopped on issues as well. Neither are a perfect candidate for their respective parties. However, one thing is dramatically different between these two men. John McCain does put his country first. In fact, what was once kept silenced by our left leaning media, John McCain has proven (on many important topics) to be far different than this Bush Administration. He continually puts the American people first when it comes to making the right decisions. He did as a military man, he did as a Senator for over 25 years, and he is as a presidential candidate for the 2008 election.

Barack Obama isn't the "Political Messiah" that our liberal media has portrayed him as. In fact, Obama most likely resembles a wolf in sheep's clothing that will do anything to swoon the flock. It is my hope that this great country will dance around the political machine that is missing a few important parts, and elect a man that will continue to uphold the values that this nation established almost 250 years ago.

God bless <><

Friday, June 20, 2008

An Evening In The Park

Tonight, Meg, Kayley, and I went to the park for the first time. We picked the Jackson Parks which happened to be having their summer celebration festival. But besides the traffic, the park was good to go. Kayley LOVES the outdoors, so she enjoyed swinging, going down the slide with Mom and Dad, and watching the water wheel. Here are some pictures from our evening...




Wordle


I found a neat little website while I was browsing around the web this morning. You can take any text and create something like I have above. If you want to create your own, go checkout Wordle!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Centerfield



Every single week I long for Wednesday nights to roll around. I have become like a child on Christmas morning. Wednesday night is my double header men's softball league. Getting back into something competitive has been a great release from all the other "stuff" that happens throughout the week.

I play right-center field. I have always managed the outfield. There is something nostalgic about being in the outfield on a summer night. My family and friends enjoying the game. The coolness of the day as the sunsets. The "tink" of the ball coming off the bat. The dirty knees. The fresh cut grass. The sportsmanship. The great plays. Baseball/softball reminds us of everything that summer is supposed to be. I love it.

Here's to summer, family, friends, and a little sport to lighten our load...

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Blogroll

Hey fellow bloggers and readers! If you are a reader of this blog and I do not have you added to my blogroll, please let me know via the comment area! I would love to check in on your writings as often as possible and expand the arena of communication. If you're already added, thank you for reading and drop me a line <><

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Statistic

I found this extremely interesting from a recent report on abortions that are done in the United States on a yearly basis (which has risen to 1.4 million/year). Many people that are Pro-Choice continue to use distorted data to back up their personal agenda. These statistics tell a different story:

According to the Johnson Center Research Report, 0.33% of abortions are done because of rape or incest. 1.2% are due to maternal health problems. 98% are done because of personal choice.

Pretty hard to swallow...

Saturday, June 14, 2008

My New Favorite Restaurant


And the winner goes to...drum roll please....RED ROBIN! After many meals, at many different restaurants, I have decided that Red Robin is one of the best restaurants out there for hamburgers/sandwiches. For one, I love burgers and this is the place to go if you want something that won't leave you disappointed. Plus, did I mention bottomless steak fries?!


I've only had three of their gourmet burgers (Bleu Ribbon, Sicilian, A1 Peppercorn), but one DEFINITELY stands out from the rest in my mind. I almost feel like I'm cheating on it if I don't order the Bleu Ribbon Burger. So next time your out, stop by Red Robin for a great burger. Yumm!

New York Trip

This past week, Meg, Kayley, and I took a trip with my parents to watch my brother play in the Monroe Invitational Championship in Pittsford, New York (See My Brother, The Golfer)It was Kayley's first road trip and we had a lot of fun hanging out, eating, and watching some golf. It was a challenge and exhausting for us to make sure Kayley had everything she needed. Out of all the things we packed, Kayley's "stuff" took up about 3/4 of it.

Here we are at the Erie Canal in Pittsford before we ate at Aladdin's. The town was small, beautiful, and had plenty of things to see and do.

Here is a picture of the peanut gallery.

Cory trying to lay his second shot on the green. He did too!

Kayley was REALLY into the whole golf scene.

The leader board outside the clubhouse. Here are the results Final Scores

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Sippy Cup

Another day, another growing milestone! Kayley was given her first sippy cup with apple juice today. She REALLY enjoyed it too! Her eyes would get big everytime she tasted the apple juice and she wanted to keep bringing the sippy cup up to her mouth. I think she got more of the juice on her shirt than in her mouth. But, that's OK! Here are some pictures:







Update: Kayley had her 6 month check-up yesterday. Everything checked out well. She is 18 lbs and 26 inches long :-)

A Real Ironman

The following video shows an incredible feat by a man and his handicapped son who competed in one of the most grueling races in the entire world. Grab a Kleenex! An amazing video for an amazing story.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Laminin? Science Helps To Prove Jesus

This blew me away!! A snippet from a great message entitled "How great is our God!" by Louie Giglio, this section talks about Laminin, an amazing molecule in the human body. A must see!

Weekend Inspiration Vol. 12

Excerpt from I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-shirt by Vince Antonucci.

"Little Emily looks cute in her souvenir shirt that proclaims, "My parents went to Florida and all I got was this lousy t-shirt." But there's something sad about it too. She missed the journey. She didn't get to take part in the adventure. While others broke out of their dull routine, Emily missed the excitement of doing something different. She didn't get to play in the waves or hug Mickey. She didn't get to experience the joy. Even the horrifying incident when the tire blew out and Stan, the self-proclaimed 'Good Samaritan Redneck,' rescued the family in his Sanford and Son pickup truck has quickly become a fond memory for everybody. Everyone except Emily. She missed the journey.

As I've gone to church and met Christians and lived as one myself, I've realized something.

We are Emily.

When I read about the lives of early Christians in the pages of the New Testament I see people who actually went "on vacation to Florida," who truly experienced the ups and downs of the trip. But when I look around at Christians today, I see people who just wear a t-shirt for an adventure they've missed out on. We're missing the journey. We're stuck in the same dull routine. We're missing out on the joy and fear and laughter and doubt and mystery and confusion of following Jesus, of taking great risks for God, of praying dangerous prayers, even of being spiritually attacked.

We wander around with lifeless shark eyes.

The more honest among us find ourselves asking questions like: Is this all there is? Is this really what Jesus meant when he said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."? Is this the life Jesus died for me to have? Didn't Jesus pay too high a price to bu me this life? Am I just supposed to be miserable until I get to heaven?

I think the word that best describes how many feel about their Christian lives is not abundant, joyful, or purpose-driven, but disappointing.

And when I met Christians for the first time as a sophomore in college, I was disappointed. I was disappointed at their disappointment. And I swore I would never be like that.

So maybe God is the problem. Perhaps he's just a master salesman. After all, he's good at everything else.

But I don't think so.

Actually, I think we're the problem.

And I think I have the solution.
I think we need to go on a vacation."

Friday, June 6, 2008

Hot, Hot, Hot

Well, we are not off to the best start this summer. Yesterday was brutally hot, so I thought that we would turn the air on for the first time this year.

What followed did not make me the happiest.

Our A/C is down. Fun huh? Last night it was 85 degrees while we were sleeping. Right now it is 89 degrees outside and 86 inside. We are all miserable. Hopefully this is an easy fix because A/C units can cost a few grand. Where will that money magically appear from?

Anyways, here is how Kayley is beating the heat...






Update: So, we gave in. We spent the night at my parents last night because the heat was really getting to us. Thanks for giving us a break from the heat Mom and Dad. It was nice not sweating for once!

P.S. It was fixed the next day :)

Thursday, June 5, 2008

School's Out For Summer :-)



Whew!

Tomorrow officially starts my summer break. I will definitely miss a lot of the kids we had this year. That is always the toughest part. However, it will be nice to see them around the halls next year and to have some of them in the sports that I coach.

BUT...I need these 75 days to recuperate from 9 months of babysitting...I mean teaching... 40+ hours/week. Seriously though, it still makes me laugh when there are people out there who believe this to be a cake profession with all the bells and whistles.

If they only knew...

I'll give any takers one week in my shoes next school year.

I'm sure that you'd find these 75 days to be NOT long enough :)

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

The Gratitude Campaign

Thought this was a pretty cool expression of thanks and it stands for a great cause. Enjoy and spread the word!

The Gratitude Campaign

Monday, June 2, 2008

Poolside

Kayley went on her first trip to the swimming pool today with Mommy, "Aunt" Kristen, and Linda. She LOVES the outdoors, so this was an extra special adventure. Since I work for the City of North Canton, we get a great deal on a family swimming package at Dogwood. Looks like it will be a "wet" summer for the little squirt!

...a blog about life and faith...