Our Story: Addendum 2: STELLA!

For great big bundles of ooey gooey lovey dovey-ness, you can go over to my wife’s website and read Chapter Tres and how her she officially started liking me. Here you will read a more practical and mature account of what happened that fateful night at Stella’s.

SQUEEEEEE!!!

But first, let me give another background to this story. Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony. The day I started dating the other girl was a fairly happy and confusing day for me. That evening, I saw Erin in the library on campus, and we chatted about the happy events of the day. Anyway, she confessed to me feeling really paranoid. Apparently, there was this guy from her freshman year who seemed to like her, and she really couldn’t stand him, or at least, didn’t really care for him that way. But she was really REALLY kind of freaked out and wondered if God wanted them to hook up and get married. She was afraid that God was going to make her marry a guy she really didn’t care for. (Cut her some slack, she was only 19. Plus, all of her friends were starting to hook up, and when that happens, paranoia tends to set in, especially if you are not the one hooking up.) I gave her some advice, and I really wish I could remember exactly what I said. I remember saying to her something like “I don’t think God would be that mean, to force you into a marriage with a guy that you don’t like. You are a great person, and I just know that God has someone out there who is just perfect for you, and He will bring him to you.” Now that’s what you call ironic. I do, however, remember exactly what I was thinking. I remember sitting with her there at the table in the library thinking, “What an amazing, delightful girl. I wish I could date her….” and then immediately being overcome with a wave of guilt (I had, if you remember, just began dating someone else). Anyway, just so you all don’t think I’m some sort of two-timing cad, I was able to focus on my girlfriend for a while, and we did enjoy our time together and one day we realized (on the same day even) that things weren’t going to happen between us. And we were both relieved! We were amazed at God’s clear communication. I was happy to be a wild and free bachelor once again. I may or may not have skipped back to my dorm, but that is my little secret.

But even while I was dating someone else, Erin and I were good friends. Because I had pretended to get engaged with her a few weeks before that, we referred to each other as our “pretend” fiancée. (I actually had a friend who thought that we really were engaged, and then got confused when I was with another girl. Hilarious.) It was like we were always meant to be, from the very moment we met. God had brought us together, and there was nothing in the world that would ever drive us apart.

Flash forward (fear not, it is a good kind of flashforwad, not the creepy scary kind like on “Lost”) to THE night at Stella’s. It was an Epic night. It was a fateful night for both Erin and I. She tells of the story of what happened there on her blog. From my perspective, I was delighted to be sitting near her. I really tried hard to not like her as more than a friend. I couldn’t help it though, and I whipped out my monkey impersonation, in subtle attempts to woo her. I’m glad to see that it worked! I must say that I had no idea if she liked me our not. I remember her that night. I remember I thought she looked absolutely beautiful. Seriously, she took my breathe away.

She mentions a friend that was also riding in the truck had twisted her ankle. What if she hadn’t? What if I was in the front seat? Would our lives have taken different roads because of that, and we would never have hooked up? Have I been watching too many episodes of “Lost”? Anyway, I remember having so much fun that night, and then going around looking at Christmas lights, and then the mad dash back to the dorms to be in time for curfew. I was a few minutes late, and we ALL had to go bathroom in extreme measures. I remember flying into the dorm and my RA was there to great me at the door. As he began to say “So why are you late-” I rushed past him yelling “I’LL TELL YOU IN A MINUTE I REALLY HAVE TO GO!!!!” Then it was the 30 yard dash for the toilet.

That was one of the happiest nights of my life. And I didn’t even fully realize why. I just remember in those following days, that I wanted nothing more than to be with Erin, to be next to her, to walk with her, to spend time with her. And my stomach hurt, and I had some sort of dizziness all day so OF COURSE I must be in love, right? It was all very confusing. If only my sister had been there, she would have pointed out the extreme obvious.

However, it was much more fun to do this on my own. The weeks ahead will plunge you all into the depths of SCHMOOZEY WOOZEYNESS. I promise.

Oh goodie.

Our Story, Chapter 1: My perspective.

The most beautiful thing in the world is a match well made.

My wife has started blogging about our love story over on her way cool website, so I thought it would be kind of fun to add my perspective to things. This will give you a different perspective to what she is saying. Because as we all know, I remember things way better than she does.

First of all, I absolutely and completely remember the first day I met her. My mind and emotions were in turmoil, due to the life changing events of leaving my family behind and coming out to a place I’ve never been before. It was the first morning that I was at the college, and I was having breakfast with the other dining service people who would become my close friends that year. My stomach hurt (it was nerves). My head was dizzy (Iowa had a shortage of good coffee in those days. Never fear, in the past few years Starbucks and other coffee shops have sprouted up all over the place). And yes I was wearing flannel in Iowa, in August, for several reasons: 1. It reminded me of home, therefore, it was my security blanket. 2. I didn’t really have anything else to wear. 3. It was chilly in the morning, and the AC inside the buildings were always cranked really high. Anyway, there I was in the depths of misery, most of the group had already arrived for breakfast.

Then, She Walked In.

I remember the double doors of the Multi being flung open with wild abandon. Erin walked in, with the morning sunrise spectacularly at her back, beaming in shafts of light while she entered, in slow motion, the wind (not sure why it was windy inside a building) blowing her hair, music soaring in the background…there might have even been a butterfly or two fluttering around her head, and my heart skipped a beat. My soul leapt for joy. My brain took off to somewhere just beyond the meadows of joy and the valley of contentment. Erin says I remember the first words that she spoke, and I do (You will have to read her blog to find out what it was). Now, you might be thinking, did it really happen that way? Slow motion, music, etc? Well, maybe not quite that way, but as I think back to that moment, that’s how I remember it in my mind’s eye. I do remember my heart skipping a beat. I remember the few days following that moment watching her while we all worked together. I remember her getting fussy with some of the freshman working because they didn’t know what to do, and were quite happy not to do anything. She, however, was a good worker, and didn’t have tolerance for such stupidity. I remember watching her get really fussy or sarcastic with a few of the young baby freshman, and I remember thinking Wow…she’s breathtaking! And then I felt slightly giggly and also I felt a bit like Quark when he realized he was in love with the Klingon lady Grilka on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. (However, to be fair, I felt that way around a lot of the girls on campus, just without the Ferengi/Klingon metaphor. I mean, come on, I went from being around 2-3 good Christian girls once or twice a week to being around 300 girls on a daily basis. It was very overwhelming.) Anyway, after a few days as things began to settle down, we became friends. All feelings of love and schmoozeyness and happily ever after disappeared (or so I thought) as we became friends. And I mean that, we were friends. I didn’t become her friend in hopes that she would date me. I became her friend because I wanted to be her friend. She was smart, funny, and I liked her. She was a bit crazy, but I liked her. I think that is one reason our marriage has worked: I like her. I enjoyed being with her (and still do!) and doing crazy stuff. We never did get to go cow-tipping, but my hopes are some day to be able to do that with her. You gotta have goals in marriage, you know what I mean?

I remember the day that I realized I liked her, and if you allow me to act like a teenager for a moment, I mean liked her not just in a way that was a friend like, but a like-like, in a special way. It was a very confusing time for me, and my sister wasn’t there to help me sort out all of these feelings. It was over Thanksgiving break, and I was alone on campus with my thoughts. It was freezing cold. Her birthday was coming up and I wanted to get her a birthday card. I had no car, so I would have to walk in wintery weather. But if Mr. Knightley could ride through the rain just to hear Emma’s voice telling him that he might, at least, have some chance to win her, then surely I could make the trek to Walmart. So I walked the couple of miles to Walmart, the land of wonder, just to get her a card. I was almost hit by 3 different vehicles (it was dark and icy) but I got there, and I got her a card. I wrote something stupid on the inside of it, and I even signed it with my last name. (Just in case she didn’t know who I was, I guess, but at the time I was also struggling with some identity issues so it might have been more for my sake then for hers). Fortunately, a friend of mine saw me walking back and picked me up and gave me a ride.

I didn’t know what would happen next. This might be a cliche, but I really didn’t want to risk dating her. Because if it didn’t work out between us, it could ruin a most excellent friendship. And I valued our friendship dearly. However, by those early weeks in December 1998, I knew I was horribly, miserably, and absolutely head over heals and completely captivated by her. Every part of me vibrated with joy when she was near, and I felt like I was incomplete whenever she was gone.

Flash forward 12 years, and I am still captivated by her. I love her, dearly, and I look back now at how I felt then, and I think it was nothing compared to how I feel about her today. The trials of the last few years have helped me understand love on a deeper level. And it excites me to think what our life and our love will be like in another 12 years.

2022, here we come.

Snowman Fun

Dad sent me these comics in an email forward, and I thought they were hilarious. I don’t know who the author is of this strip, but they are a genius! Just click on one of the little ones and it should take you to a gallery, if I did it right.

Anyway, these make me miss Calvin and Hobbes…

The Gospel According to Scrooge.

It snowed a few inches yesterday, so I decided it would be a great day to begin my annual Christmas time reading of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”. During the kids’ afternoon nap, I put in my favorite relaxing Christmas CD, made hot apple cider, dimmed the lights, flopped on the couch, and read myself into happy oblivion. I love this book. I think I’ve read it every year for about 15 years now. It’s great stuff.

After my oldest son got back from school, the three kids and I took a drive through the country to see all the beautiful snowy sights. We stopped for a few minutes by the Visitors Center of Saylorville Lake to take a quick stroll to check out the snow-covered woods. Gracie was absolutely amazed at the snow: she even tasted some, and seemed to like it. Of course, I forgot to bring the camera. Sam stuck his face in a snow bank and came up with a huge mustache of snow that would have rivaled Col. Chamberlain’s! And it was amazing, because he looked really good with a big bushy mustache. Seriously. Of course, Ryan tried to do the same thing, and couldn’t pull it off.

When we got home, I decided to start reading the Christmas Carol to the boys. We plopped on the couch with some eggnog, covered up in a blanket, and commenced reading. I had to do some editing and explaining, and it made me start to wish I had found a children’s version of the story, but they seemed to be understanding it for the most part. I read them the first stave, and they really thought the ghost of Marley was awesome. Sam was really getting into the story of the book. When Scrooge was walking up to his house, (right before he saw the knocker), Sam was curled up in a ball, pressed right next to me, with only his eyes peeping out over the blanket. He said, “Daddy, this book is scary!” so I asked him if he wanted me to stop, but I could see excitement in his eyes, and he said, “No! Read on read on!” So on I read.

We finished up the first chapter, and then got ready to go pick up mom from work. On the way there, I talked with the boys about the book and how it was just a pretend story. I didn’t want them to think if they grew up to be a greedy miser that meant they would wander around as a ghost with heavy chains. Ryan, of course, said he knew all that already, and explained to me what really happens if someone dies. (“You either go to heaven or hell. You don’t get to be a ghost” he said matter-of-factly”). I started talking to them about some of the parallels in the story with what the Bible says about sinners, salvation, and greed. So I said, “let’s look at the story and see if we can figure out what it would be like if it were real.” With a little help from me, Ryan realized that Scrooge would be someone who was a sinner, and hasn’t accepted Christ as his Savior yet. I said he was right, and then asked what they thought Marley would be like in the story. It was quiet for a few moments, and then Sam popped up and said, “Marley is like a missionary!!!” I laughed, because I knew what he meant. I thought it was very clever. I said, “That’s right, because Marley comes to Scrooge to tell him if he doesn’t change, then he will be punished forever, right? Just like in real life, a missionary would go to someone and tell them about Jesus, and if they don’t change (if they don’t believe on Him) then they will be punished forever.”

I don’t think I’ve ever thought about A Christmas Carol in that way before, but it has really opened the story up for me. And, I thought Sam’s comments were just brilliant. I mean, it wasn’t a perfect comparison, but it came pretty close.

My kids are going to be literary geniuses. Geniusii? Genii? Geniuseseses……eses?

Just like me!

The Wise Guys

This morning in church I heard an outstanding message on the story of the wise men in Matthew 2. One of the problems of having gone to church for most of my life is hearing those stories in the Bible that you have probably heard a million times, especially at Christmas time. Our pastor brought an interesting perspective to this story, and I thought it was incredible. I’d like to share with you a summary of his message.

I’ve had several questions about the wise men that I’ve never really tried to answer: Who were they? What country did they come from? How did they know when they saw the star that it meant a kind was born in Israel? Pastor gave some fairly good answers to these question, and I think he might be right. It was really cool to see the Bible come together like this.

First of all, he stated that the wise men were most likely from either Persia (modern-day Iran) or Babylon (modern-day Iraq). It was his belief that they were most like from Babylon. I suppose the case can be argued for either one, but Babylonians were renown for their studies in astronomy and astrology, so it makes sense to me. He continued on to say that one of the most famous Babylonian “wise man” was Daniel, the OT prophet who wrote one of the books of the OT. He walked us through the book of Daniel to show how he was also called a “wise man” and how he eventually became leader over all the wise men and magicians, etc of Babylon. So it would make sense that several centuries later, the wise men of Babylon would still have his writings. Pastor focused on prophesies in Daniel 7 and 9. If these early 1st century magi were studying these texts of Daniel, they would know several things. First of all, a power king/god would be coming to have dominion over the whole earth, and Secondly, Daniel 9:24-26 even gives a time frame for it! So by the time the first century comes around, and assuming they did their math right, they might have thought, “You know, there’s only about 30-40 years left of this 384 year time period. If there is going to be a mighty king coming, we might want to start keeping an eye out!”

So possibly this was on their mind, maybe not. Anyway, when they saw the sign of the star in the east (what ever that was, I don’t know if it was a literal star though) it must have been so spectacular, that they might have started searching their texts for an answer. Maybe they already were looking for signs. Anyway, they arrived in Judea knowing exactly who they were looking for: the one who was born the King of the Jews. I wonder: did they know fully this was God? Or were they just seeking to find out another powerful god to worship, only to discover that this was the One True God?

All of that seems to point to the fact that they also might have had other portions of Scripture to help them in their understanding. For instance, look at the gifts they brought Jesus: gold, frankincense and myrrh. These were not just random gifts. These were things that were necessary to worship God in the proper way, according to Exodus 37 (gold for The Temple) and Exodus 30:22-34 (use of myrrh and frankincense). That really sent shivers down my spine. This showed that the wise men spent a lot of time in preparation. When they arrived, they were ready to worship the king. So, could they have had access to the Pentateuch? Possibly.

Another interesting point that pastor spoke about was the fact that there were likely more than 3 wise men. This is something every good Bible college freshman is quick to point out to people to prove that they are Really Smart. Pastor did some historical research and showed how there were probably a lot more than that. Then, if you add into that their aides, servants/slaves, supply teams, and maybe even a small group of guards (they were crossing into the Roman Empire, maybe they were enemies at the time?) it could have come to be quite the entourage.

I know, much of this is speculation and a lot of jumping around in scriptures and depending heavily on a “sanctified imagination”. Also, I would like to do more study on the history of Babylon around the time of the early years A.D. (I think at the time they were just a mere province of the Persians). But I think it makes sense. The point to this message though, is that God’ s Revelation demands a response. The wise men responded in the right way: when they saw that God had come, they went to find Him, and worshipped Him.

I also see in this story a message of hope: God keeps His promises. The wise men studied the prophecies, saw what God had promised, went to check it out, and found it true.

God’s Word is true. When He has decreed something to happen, NOTHING can prevent it. Not time. Not people. Not historical events. God’s Will will happen. As one of the 2nd graders in my sunday school class said after we completed our studies on the character of God: God is AWESOME!

He is indeed!

Valley Junction: Plunging into Christmas

My wife had insomnia last night, so she already blogged about Valley Junction, the big jerk. And she already posted some pics from our trip last night, all nicely edited in photoshop so you can actually see what the picture was. So I don’t even know why you are here reading this.

But since you are here, I will post two of my favorite pictures that I stole from her website:

I love this picture of Gracie. She was so excited by all the lights, the music, and the horses running around Valley Junction. She is definitely in the Christmas spirit. She loves looking at Christmas Trees. She loves bopping to Christmas music. The highlight for Sam was finding a large pile of horse poop in the middle of the street. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve heard him laugh that loudly all day. I think Ryan enjoyed talking to Santa and getting cookies. He is bound and determined that this year Santa/Mom and Dad/Grandpa and Grandma/SOMEONE is going to get him a “Remote Control Train” aka an electric train. Sorry, bubs, it won’t come from us no matter how many times you ask Santa, because those trains cost money, and we have none. But at least we have these happy Christmas memories.

I enjoyed walking around in the Christmas decorations, looking at shops, etc. But my favorite part was hanging out in the coffee shop (called “The Living Room”) listening to the guy play his guitar. His name was Bill Melton, and I thought he was quite good. He only played one Christmas song while we were there, though. But he played some nice songs. I think he plays folk/old country music type songs. And Gracie LOVED his music, so that made me happy. Then Erin took this picture, which I like even though it is a little blurry:

Wow, I just realized I kind of need a shave. Oh well. Anyway, we had fun! And we spent next to nothing for it. It seems like every where you look, people, media, and stores want you to spend spend spend or Christmas is RUINED. Now I admit, a big part of the Christmas excitement for my kids is knowing that they are going to get lots of presents on Christmas. It is possible, that is also a big excitement for me! But, since money is tight this year in new and amazing ways, we have to look for these cheap/free fun ways to celebrate.

And you know what, it is possible to enjoy Christmas without spending a penny. Would you believe it?

More Christmas fun to come…stay tuned!

Look Ma! I Blogged!

And now for my next trick…

Ok, so it has been a long time since I blogged. I admit, I have been lazy. And facebook is ruining blogging for me. I mean, why should I spend an hour trying to think of a funny blog, when I can just write a short sentence on facebook and still make people laugh? To which all of you out there say: we never laugh at you anyway!

I came to the decision I needed to blog for several reasons:

1. My wife recently blogged everyday in November. It was awesome, as she is awesome too. So, I decided I wanted to be awesome, and I would blog everyday in December. Of course, I missed the first 2 days, and probably after a couple days of blogging nonsense entertaining only myself, I will miss another couple of weeks, and then post Christmas pictures in March, the yuckiest month in the year. I hate March.

2. It’s Christmas time (surprise!) and we have a bunch of fun Christmasy things starting up (including a trip to historic Valley Junction tonight!) and I know all my family and relatives will want to keep up with what we are doing to celebrate. Well, at least my sister and my parents will. For some reason, Dad and Ma like to know what I’m doing with my life.

3. I have a 5 page paper due tomorrow, and I don’t want to write it, so by blogging it gives me opportunity to procrastinate!

4. Finally, I have several questions that I need answers to. These are deep, difficult, and most likely snarky and sarcastic questions I need to have answered. Such as:

Why are the Obama’s putting up a Christmas Tree? Shouldn’t they be celebrating Kwanza? Are they celebrating Kwanza? What in the world is Kwanza anyway? Am I even spelling it right?

Why were scientists hiding and deleting data concerning global warming? Were they trying to hide something? LIke the fact that it doesn’t exist? Or did the melting polar caps reveal (via government satellite) that Santa really does exist at the North Pole? And for that matter, are the elves that work for him really happy little helpers, or are they slave laborers?

How many toes does a fish have?

Why can’t I decorate my house to look like Chevy Chase’s house in the movie “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”?

Anyway, I had better get going and start some homework. I don’t think my wife will like it if I spend all of Christmas break working furiously on the 234,213,521,345 page paper I have to write due at the end of the month. But I will try to keep up on the blog this month, I promise.  I may even change it to a more Christmasy themed blog. But to do that I might have to put of doing some of my homework.

Oh, well. It’s the sacrifice I am willing to make to bring Christmas joy to all.

It’s my gift to you. (But for some reason, I can feel my wife glaring at me. Merry Christmas, everybody!)

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It is fall. I love this time of year! It is getting colder, my wife is making soup, and now people don’t make fun of me for drinking hot beverages when it’s 90 degrees outside.

I even like Iowa this time of year, because it has some nice trees that turn colors other than brown or light green. Today, Ryan and I took a walk all around the woods at Saylorville Lake to take some pictures. I think next weekend will be the peak time for leaf colorage, but here are a few pictures of our trip. But first, some snow:

That’s right, yesterday, October 9th, we got some snow. Not the 6 inches that Omaha got, but we did get some. I was happy, but I think I would like more of fall first. Instead of coming early, winter can go late, so maybe next year we can go from winter into spring and then into fall, skipping summer all together. Here is a picture of Rosie “enjoying” the snow (not):

OK, now for fall:

Some more of the woods:

I really like these next two pictures for some reason:

These were taken near the outdoor butterfly garden at Saylorville Lake. No butterflies out this time of year, or flowers, but nice leaves!

Ryan brought our other, less expensive digital camera along and took some pictures with me. It was fun to do one of my favorite hobbies with him! I think Erin might be posting some of them sometime, if not I will soon. Happy Fall everyone!

Sam is 5

Today Sam is turning five, which makes us all feel really old and miserable. But what a blessing he is!

I love Sam’s zest, I love his big smile. When he laughs, he laughs with his entire self, body and soul.

So it came time to make the photo montage set to music of this past year of Sam’s adventures and fun. I was really stuck on finding a good song for him, and then Laura suggested one that I really like, and I think it mostly fits Sam and his excitement for living.

Click here. Watching this video makes me weepy to see how much he’s grown, and exhausted imagining trying to keep up with him.

Tolkien and Chamberlain: a tale of two legends

Howdy all. Check it out, I do blog after all! I’ve been reading some great books, so I thought I would take a few minutes to share some quotes from them. I am mostly doing this in response to a grump I had with my wife concerning how Facebook and The Reader’s Digest Condensed version of Facebook (AKA Twitter) is making us all into morons. (This, coming from the guy who frequently leaves facebook statuses like “I just picked my nose”).

1. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, by JRR Tolkien.

This books is wonderful. I am really starting to like epic poetry. This year I also read Tolkien’s translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Dante’s Inferno, Beowulf, maybe one other one. Anyway, this story is Tolkien’s version of some Scandinavian myths. Reading it, I could see a lot of influence that these legends had on Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Here are some wonderful quotes:

“If in day of Doom

one deathless stands,

who death hath tasted

and dies no more,

the serpent-slayer,

seed of Odin,

then all shall not end,

nor Earth perish.

“On his head shall be helm,

in his hand lightening,

afire his spirit,

in his face splendour.

The Serpent shall shiver

and Surt waver,    (Note: Surt is the demon of fire)

the Wolf be vanquished

and the world rescued.”

That’s some good stuff right there. And the big epic battle at the end was amazing.

2. Bayonet! Forward: My Civil War Remembrances by Col. Joshua L. Chamberlain.

I got this book off of paperbackswap.com (for free!). It is a collection of writings by Chamberlain, one of my favorite historical figures, about his adventures and battles during the Civil War. He was a fantastic writer. This one I am reading more slowly, as I do have a lot of reading to do for school. But there are some great lines in his book, especially as he is contemplating death or the manly sacrifice the soldiers around him were giving. He came very close to going to seminary to study to be a priest or pastor or whatever they called them back then, and I would be interested in reading what kind of theology he had. Anyway, here is a passage from his chapter on Gettysburg, called “Through Blood and Fire at Gettysburg”. He is describing the pile of dead soldiers and the graves they were buried in. I only wish I could write with this much poetry:

“I sat there alone, on the storied crest, till the sun went down as it did before over the misty hills and the darkness crept up the slopes, till from all earthly sight I was buried as with those before. But oh, what radiant companionship rose around, what steadfast ranks of power, what bearing of heroic souls. Oh, the glory that beamed through those nights and days. Nobody will ever know it here! — I am sorry most of all for that. The proud young valor that rose above the mortal, and then at last was mortal after all; the chivalry of hand and heart that in other days and other lands would have sent their names ringing down in song and story!”

There are critics of Chamberlain who say that the stand he made on Little Round Top during the battle of Gettysburg was not as significant as some historians would make it. But I think those debunkers just try to destroy things that tend to be classified as “legends”. What he did was very brave, and it won him the Congressional Medal of Honor. They don’t just hand those things out,  you know.

So just a few good quotes to whet your literary appetites. Now, turn of facebook, run out to your nearest book store, and get a book. And read it. You might even enjoy it. It will be ok, trust me.