fryedays

an exercise in patience

2009-11-21T17:09:00.006-05:00

i should have seen this coming.

i have created a monster.

to think that it all started with a fisher-price plastic set on a lonely cul-de-sac in raleigh, nc.

then again, maybe he really will be the next tiger.

i'm talking about a good walk spoiled, as mark twain so eloquently proclaimed. mind you, i love a good golf outing, but then again, before today, i had never taken one with a 5 year old before! cameron has been begging to go golfing ever since he was whacking a plastic ball around in north carolina. now, mind you, he is pretty good for a 5 year old. someone even asked us where we took him for lessons....when he was two! those of you who know me know that my wallet is not that fat, or i am too cheap, or a good mix of both.

well, before we moved to indiana, we found a great little set for a 10-12 year old, and since then, he has really wanted to go and play on a "real" course. apparently, hitting a plastic ball into a golf net doesn't count. well, emily and i decided to make it a reward for good school behavior, and so after diligently collecting 15 good days of school (took about a month), we finally set out to conquer the links. there is a great little 9-hole course, shekinah on the brandywine, across the street from his soccer park. i say great, because for a first timer, it really is perfect. it is just a little 7-iron, wedge, putter course, and therefore great for me to work on my short game. of course they have winterized it now, and so we had to search for the holes as no flags were flying.

to say that cameron was excited would be an understatement. if you golf, though, you realize that there are only approximately 118 different things to keep in mind to hit the ball straight. i am only good at remember about 13 of these things, so i don't know why i thought that he would do well with all 118. i am pround of him, but the 5th hole, he was starting to show some great form, and even though he would swing 4 times for every 1 time that moved the ball, he had a great time. he even worked his way up to remembering about 4 different things (of the aforementioned 118) before every shot. i don't know everything, but i'm pretty sure that holding a golf club like a baseball bat is extremely low on the golf "to-do" list. i have to admit...i started losing my cool by hole 6, but cameron was determined to finish.

i'm not sure why, but even with an average of 4 times the number of shots for me each hole, he always asked if he won the hole. happily, i informed him, "not a chance!" of course my score was nothing to write home about as the course has been aerated, full of leaves, and ubiquitous gopher tunnels, but by any measure, i'll take the final score every time: 44-186.

somehow, from indianapolis, i can hear my own father laughing all the way from dover, de.

welcoming the new season!

2009-10-19T21:04:00.013-04:00

i figured that since it has been 5 months since my last post, i had better put something out there for the masses to look at and read...i just know you are all eagerly awaiting the latest update on our lives...well, enjoy!

this past weekend, cameron and i were invited to one of the coolest things that i have ever done with him. we have had a family visiting/attending our church for some time now and they just officially joined this past Sunday -- the shutt family! well, last year they started an annual tradition, and this year they invited us (also, hopefully an annual tradition?!) it happened to be a father/son campout-n-shootout!

here is how it lays out...on friday everyone arrives and pitches their tents on their lawn. for those of you who know our yard, don't worry...their's is 40 times bigger than our yard (at least!) and they live out in the country surrounded by soybeans in the back and corn on all other sides! i had to leave work a little early that day to run down there, pitch the tent and then skedaddle (that's a bonafide country word -- as is bonafide!) back to town to enjoy our own dinner party with another couple that we know. after our dinner of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and carrots was done, and the other family left, we ran down to the farm and joined in the festivities. we missed their hotdog cookout and baked bean feast, but ended up enjoying some extra cookies and sweets left out for us while listening to frank, dean, and the boys croon to us under the stars. cameron immediately made friends with the other 6 boys there and ran off into the cornfields with them. i wasn't too concerned until i heard the coyotes howling later that night in perfect sync with the searchlights waving in the sky from the casino in shelbyville, in. i wasn't too worried, maggie, the family dog, was guarding us all night!

well, the temps weren't all that bad...it was 40 on the way down to the farm, actually rose to 46 by the time i went to bed (around 12:30 in the morn), but then woke up to 33 degree temps! i should have figured it was getting colder when cameron woke up when i went to bed and asked if he could sleep with my hat on! i just pulled my hood over my head and drew the strings closed to breathe out of a 2-inch radius hole in the sweatshirt.

in the morning, we woke up at 5:15, drained the necessary veins, and promptly sat down on the fire still going from the evening before. we were quickly joined by our host and his oldest son, isaiah. not too long after that, nathan shutt (dad) decided it was time to gather milk for the day, and he allowed us to tag along to watch him milk bonnie, the family milk cow. we patiently watched the sun climb over the horizon and slowly warm us up. after a filling breakfast, the festivities began!

they started with a slingshot competition that comprised of shooting jellybeans and gumballs at a row of empty soda cans from about 15 feet away. since cameron has never done this, i helped him with a few practice rounds, and wouldn't you know it...he picked it up naturally...must be a boy thing! anyway, he ended up shooting down 6 cans with 5 shots (skillz) and ended up winning the slingshot competition by 1 can! of course he thinks he is all that, but so does his dad! he ended up winning a little camping tool that has a compass, magnifying glass, thermometer and whistle all in one.

after the slingshot tourney, the boys all lined up for the bb gun shootout! after some necessary gun safety instruction from nathan shutt, the competition was explained. there were going to be 3 rounds: prone, sitting/kneeling, and then standing with 5 shots in each position. official targets were nailed to a post, and the shooting commenced! since cameron has never done that either, i helped him find the safety, trigger, sights, etc. and then helped line him up for his shots. well, he didn't fare as well as in the slingshot competition, but he didn't end up in last place either -- just second to last! he had a great time, and the next time you come visit us, if you ask him real nice, he just might show you the targets that he shot at as he has them safely tucked away to show his kids someday.

many thanks to nathan and brandi shutt for hosting and putting up with all of us stinky men and letting us be a part of a great new tradition! we had a blast!!

that's my boy!

2009-05-13T20:24:00.002-04:00

of course, there is this unwritten rule that you don't keep score in little kids soccer, but don't try telling my son that! a little background...cameron is still playing in the lowest pele league as he did last year. last year, he was one of the smallest kids, and now this year he is one of the biggest kids and has no fear of running over any and everyone.

a few weeks ago, cameron ended up scoring 6 goals in his soccer game and of course being the proud parent that i am, i informed him that he scored 2 hat tricks! well, this past week, i found him getting ready for his game and he had a pad and green pencil in his hand. i asked him what it was for, and he told me that he was going to keep score with it. i told him that i would have to hold onto it as it wasn't safe for him to run around the field with that in his hands. he reluctantly agreed, and at the first whistle, he took the ball, dribbled three times, and scored. you know what he did? instead of high-fiving his teammates and coach, he promptly turned to me and yelled, "daddy! mark it down!"

it went like that for the next 3 scores until i made him stand in the goal and be keeper. after a teammate scored 4 more times, i let him come out and he scored 2 more times before the half, and then once more during the 2 minute second half. i'm not kidding! the second half was only 2 minutes...i guess the other team was tired of not scoring! 11-2 final score and cameron was well aware of the score the whole time!

that's my boy!

leg breaking!

2009-03-28T16:25:00.003-04:00

as i'm sure you can all tell, it's been way too long since this blog was updated, and truth be told, it's not for lack of wanting to update it. i actually enjoy updating it when i have pictures to put here, but with facebook, emily usually puts the photos there instead.

as always, we are very busy, but trying to stay sane at the same time. of particular note, i am engaging in my first "real" thespian activities since college (of course not including church plays). i have been wanting to get back into the swing of things, but for one reason or another (or 2 -- in the form of little boys!) there have been reasons why this has taken longer than desired. when we moved here, i noticed a little community theater (look at the bottom of the link) just down the block -- you know the old-fashioned kind with the lights all around it?! anyway, after moving here, there have been several plays put on there. about 2 weeks ago, emily noticed in the local paper a call for auditions for an upcoming play based on the life of dietrich bonhoeffer. i won't go into the nitty-gritty, but dietrich was a lutheran pastor/theologian living in the 30s-40s who played a role in the resistance against hitler during wwII.

with much fear and trepidation, i went to the auditions 2 mondays ago, and read cold from the script, and much of what the director wanted me to read were dietrich's lines. after a 2 hour audition (i wasn't the only one there -- whew!), i went home to wait. i had asked my Sunday school class to pray that there would be an opportunity to witness through this process considering the nature of the play. well, by thursday evening, i got a call from the director, and he asked if i would be interested in playing the role of dietrich bonhoeffer! yikes! next time i should ask people to pray a little more specifically and perhaps not get the lead role.

i went and picked up the script the next day, and quickly thumbed through it to get a feel for how big this part was going to be....that was the wrong move. i found out that there are 15 scenes and dietrich is in all of them except the last one! well, with basically having almost every other line, it became clear that i was going to have to learn almost the whole script (with cues and all). that worked out to 100 pages to learn in about 6 weeks! with much prayer and clarity of mind, the LORD has allowed me to learn the entire 1st act (over half the play) in just 1 week! i'm not sure how, but with rehearsals lasting monday through thursday, 6.30-~9.30 followed by an hour of memorizing each night, much has been accomplished!

all of the above to say that the show must go on -- more specifically, may 1-3 (3-5 shows depending on turnout), may 8,9 (at least 2 shows) and lastly may 17th. at least all of the work will be worth it. to top it off, i know that the LORD already is doing great things. my fiancee in the play is a Christian lady from here in town and knew all about bob jones university as her pastor is a bju grad. how nice to know that we were of the same mind when it came to approaching the director regarding the kissing scenes (eww--yuck! wait, wait, wait....you didn't say this was a kissing book).

i'm done for now, but if you don't see anything new here for the next 5 weeks, now you know why and can be praying for me. by the way...the director informed me that dietrich was blond and beardless...guess i'm in for some changes!

i know, i know....i'll break a leg!

we LOVE 4 seasons!

2008-12-21T16:05:00.005-05:00

well, it has finally happened! the seasons have changed, and even though it is officially not winter yet, it sure feels like it! we woke up this morning to 14 degree temps outside and it is currently 3 degrees (before wind chill -- reportedly at -15!).

i thought that i would take this time to reflect on the past autumnal period in our lives and post a few pictures. marshall, as the dutiful little bro, is constantly trying to do what cameron is doing, so of course we had to break out the baseball equipment for him to take a few whiffs. he seemed to enjoy himself regardless of his actual hitting abilities.

cameron, one day, fancied himself a budding musician, and decided to try his hand at my guitar. to tell you the honest truth -- i think he is better than me without the lessons! we have had a great time singing old-timey cowboy songs and look forward to doing so around a campfire sometime in the future! i have had a great time taking lessons from a church member who is incredibly patient with me. we will see how far i progress!

raking leaves has also been a new experience for marshall. one i am not sure he thoroughly relished. at least not as much as did his big brother.

lastly, we had the opportunity to dog-sit for a co-worker of mine. they have a little yorkie and even though i fancy myself a larger dog type of guy, this little girl was really cute to have around the house. just watching the boys was fun in and of itself as they completely enjoyed "lovin' " on dulce (the dog's name). cameron especially loved taking her on walks, and to be honest, i loved having her sit on my lap in the evenings while we watched tv. who knows...maybe we will get a dog of our own sometime...hmmmm.

that's all for now. stay tuned for actually winter (read: snow included!!) pictures in the future!

random thoughts

2008-10-26T15:33:00.003-04:00

it is currently a lazy Sunday afternoon, and i thought i would take a minute to record some random thoughts that are going through my head. this should by no means be taken as an exhaustive list, but maybe more of a start. for instance...

why do your children look at you as though they are listening, and then turn around and do the exact opposite of what you have asked and then wonder why they are being disciplined? why are people afraid of winter and snow? can't we just enjoy each season for what it has to offer? why can't i take a dose of nyquil and feel normal in the morning and not all loopy? why do channels like espn classic exist -- it's not like you don't already know the outcome of the game? why do i watch movies over and over that i have already seen -- it's not like i don't know the butler did it? why can't my employer have health care that costs $1 a year for employees like the city of greenfield does for theirs? why does my body consistently have to break down and be sick on Sundays and not during the week? doesn't it know that i crave godly fellowship? why do ultra-conservative Christians spend so much time nit-picking with more charismatic Christians? why are charismatic Christians trying to be so much like the world? why can't adults get summer vacation and fall/spring break? why do we work so hard and strive to impress so many people who don't really care? is it really too much to ask that if you take something you put it back when you're done? when did we become a country content with complacency? why don't we pray for one another rather than try to prove who is better or more suited or has more experience? why don't we give it to GOD?

i will now take any and all answers to my mental meanderings. :)

U-S-A!!!

2008-10-04T20:31:00.009-04:00

okay, okay...so i realize that this is a little late...all right -- a lot late -- but it still needed to be posted nonetheless. we had the opportunity to attend a private fourth of july celebration this year in our new home state, and we were sure in for a surprise!

steve and melissa, from burge terrace baptist, invited us to their fourth celebration. apparently it is a big deal for them. in fact, i was told that if i left hungry it would be my fault. well, i was not disappointed. ladies and gentleman, i, here and now, humbly affirm that steve (in red) is my new hero. he is the grill master. i mean, just take a look at the food on the grill! i kid you not, we had pork chops, tenderloin, lime infused turkey breast, salmon fillets, shrimp kabobs, chicken kabobs, chicken breast, portobello mushrooms, brats, pineapple/plumot kabobs, and scallops. i don't think i forgot anything, but if i did, it is only because i had a lack of blood to my brain as it all flowed to my stomach. i swear that steve insisted that i taste everything as well. i hate him for that. i think i grew about 2 extra stomachs that day.

after dinner, he shot off his own fireworks. now i have to give you some background. in n.j. and also in n.c. it is (or at least was) illegal to shoot off exploding fireworks into the air. apparantly not so in indiana! steve had an incredibly large pallet of pretty impressive fireworks that he shot off in his backyard. this took over an hour to shoot off, and i get the feeling that after you have attended this party for a minimum of 5-7 years, you get the privilege of helping to launch these projectiles. as you can see, cameron did not appreciate the loudness of the "big boomers," but we ended up finding a suitable way muffle the sounds. i guess it didn't matter that it was the middle of the summer and his ears were probably sweating...he still has eardrums, and that makes him happy!

to top it off, we also enjoyed sweet fellowship with church members that we were still getting to know at the time. of course, that all seemed to take a back seat to the mountain of food and fireworks to which we were treated.

you know what...after all that, steve asked me if i had had enough to eat, and i had the nerve to tell him that i was really disappointed that he didn't have any hamburgers.

true story.

he's growing up...sniff, sniff

2008-08-29T05:04:00.009-04:00

well, it's that time of year again...when the leaves start to change colors (at least they do in the north), the temperatures start to cool off at night, and kids everywhere groan at the end of their annual 3 month vacation. speaking of which, i think adults should have that same privilege even after they finish school. as you can see, cameron and marshall are playing nicely together (at least they were here) as marshall rides the cameron horsey!

anyway, cameron is quickly growing up, and with every day is a new change and new activity for him it seems. he is back playing soccer, started playing t-ball this week, and just this week began attending "helping build tomorrow" pre-school monday through wednesday mornings at hancock baptist here in greenfield. we went to his open house about 2 weeks ago, and he was having so much fun that he didn't even want to leave that evening. it is so cute to see him get excited telling me after i get home each day what he is learning at school for the day. as you can see, he took flowers the first day to get the early edge on his classmates! i took a brief break from work to run over for his first day and took some pictures. cameron quickly found his "locker" for his backpack and then ran in to school without looking back. it was so surreal. i can only hope that when he is 15 he will still want to go to school just as much. as for marshall, he is stuck just watching the cars go by now that he no longer has a playmate in the mornings.

2008-08-28T06:01:00.004-04:00

well, the hits just keep on coming! it seems like we have been busy every weekend now for a while (5k, lucas oil stadium) and so true to form, we decided to fill this past weekend as well.

about 4 months ago, we bought tickets to the indianapolis air show at the mt. comfort airport. i was pretty stoked as i haven't been to an airshow probably in over 20 years! i had heard that the blue angels were going to be there, and that brought back fond memories. well, i can't remember when, but it was at a later date that i found out that they wouldn't be present, but some new plane called the f-22 raptor would be flying. after mopping up my tears, i decided to make the most of it, and still attend. emily on the other hand decided against it (probably the thought of sitting in the extreme heat with a 1-year old for 5 hours didn't appeal to her -- can we blame her?), and so cameron and i bravely foraged on.

we arrived just in time to hear the national anthem, and see a sky jumper trailing smoke down through the air with the American flag. we no sooner had set up our little spot, then two f-16s went screaming by. this is when cameron lost it. i had to juggle covering his ears and snapping pictures of planes flying by at 200+ mph!

after the f-16s, the f-22 raptor showed up! boy did it ever! it was amazing, and i stood in humble awe at the sheer power of it. i was strcuk by how quiet it was as it flew toward us, but defeaning after it passed. it would fly by and flash its bomb bay doors at us, and then climb straight up and hover in the air while it pointed straight up in the sky! simply amazing.

after the raptor was a slew of bi-planes with wing walkers and other older planes that all performed the same (yawn) tricks. after a while it was all the same, but it was really neat to see the older planes as well as they simulated bomb drops. i was able to see a b-17 fortress (only 12 flying in the world now after about 19,000 made during the war!), b-24 liberator, and p-51 mustang among others.

somewhere in the mix that day were the golden knights jump team from the army which cameron thought was "really cool, dad!" they also had a number of planes on the ground which you could go into including a marine helicoptor (the ones with two overhead rotors) and the c-130 which happened to have a long line all day.

well, i knew the raptor was coming back to close the show and so i was trying to leave before that simply to help cameron's eardrums, but he wanted to go through the c-130, so we tried to hurry up. well, you know what happened. on the way back to the car, the raptor came back out and so we ended up running/dragging ourselves back to the car screaming for mommy and, "i want to go home!" of course once inside the car, everything was okay.

we were able to get out just fine and as we drove home, the show ended with the raptor chasing the p-51 mustang through the sky. i would have taken a picture of that, but didn't see it until just before it flew over the car and literally almost shook us off the road! i turned to tell cameron that everything would be all right, but true to form, he was fast asleep and just about falling out of his seat. i guess he was just a little tired.

cool!

the luke

2008-08-27T05:10:00.015-04:00

well, about 2 months ago, indianapolis offered up 80,000 tickets free to the public to tour their new football stadium - lucas oil stadium - for the colts. free! of course i jumped on that! and so on august 16th, emily, cameron, marshall, and i all ran downtown to stand in line with the masses to tour this new behemoth of a building. verdict? incredible! it truly is an amazing building.

i actually think it is more impressive from the outside than the inside, but perhaps that is only because i didn't feel like herded cattle on the outside and had room to breath while waiting outside to go in. you know how there is that "new car" smell? well, the stadium gives off that "hey - i'm new and improved" kind of vibe.

after being allowed to wander the concourse aimlessly (and get a great shot of the overall field), all invitees were guided through the east club and into the lower seats with the opportunity to rest one's backside or proceed directly to the playing field. from there we had to choose either to walk past the colt's locker room or walk into the visitor's locker room. we opted for the visitor's room even though it meant missing out on walking past these field level end-zone suites that they have on the other end of the stadium. on the whole, pretty unimpressive locker room, but i suppose you don't want your opponent to have any special treatment. as you can see, the boys loved standing in one of the lockers! another reason we chose the visitor's locker room was simply because the boys were melting down, and it was the shorter of the two lines offered. :)

and, yes, we even got to see the retractable roof and championship banners hanging from the ceiling! overall, a really cool trip to see a pretty cool building that is now an impressive part of the city's skyline.

as we walked back to the car, we took several more pictures of the outside and i hope i someday get the chance to go back and enjoy a game here. time will tell. we did, after all, decide to rear cameron a colt's fan!

by the way, this does not in any way affect my allegiance to the giants, but come to find out, that is not necessarily a bad thing around here what with the whole peyton/eli connection. :)

ooohh! cramp!

2008-08-10T13:59:00.007-04:00

well, it finally happened...emily got me to run my first race. now before i proceed, please -- for those of you who really run (you know who you are and you know what i mean) a 5k is not a real run. i mean, come on! 3.1 miles is like a hiccup, right? well, let me just say, that this hiccup turned into a nasty coughing fit for me, and my feet are so happy that it is over!

actually, the LORD was (and always is) good to grant us just absolutely perfect weather. i don't know for sure, but i believe the temperature was somewhere around 62 degrees for the start of the race. we actually took off from monument circle in downtown indy -- which is a fascinating sight in and of itself. we watched the 10k racers take off (the winner of that race finished in something like 36 minutes!) and then proceeded to wait for the beginning of the 5k. right before we took off, the wheelchair racers were finishing the 10k -- in 20 minutes!

well, i thought i would be slick and work my way up to the inside lanes and take off without having to wade through the sea of people for the 5k. i didn't consider that walkers would also try the same tactic, and it ended up that i had to cut to the outside and run past them before hitting the open pavement. i waved to emily and cameron and then didn't see them again for the next 26 minutes and 24 seconds of my life. of course at the end i thought that i would sprint to the finish line and at least make it look impressive, but i was beat out at the last second by another runner who flew past me (when your crawling across a line, anything that passes you is "flying").

now consider -- for those of you who don't run -- that that is a 8:31 pace per mile. i was pretty happy. i knew that they had awards for the top 3 finishers in each age group, and it wasn't until today that i found out that i finished 5th for my age group! just out of "medal contention" (in honor of the olympics). i was pretty psyched about that. i have to admit that i would do it again, and perhaps train a little harder next time. i know emily ran a marathon, but for me the 5k is my kind of race!

after i finished, they had a great junior jog for all kids in attendance, beginning with warm-ups followed by the "jog." cameron walked away with a medal and a trophy!

all i got was a lousy t-shirt!

mc-what?

2008-07-13T20:56:00.002-04:00

it is pretty common knowledge to many that chik-fil-a is cameron's favorite fast food place, and we have probably eaten at mcdonalds about as many times as i have fingers on one hand. the sad part about that, is that the closest chik-fil-a is probably 20 miles away from us. well, yesterday we decided that we would spend the afternoon introducing the family to one of the malls in this "area" (it's 35 miles away! -- strange after living for the last 4 years in a location that had 6 malls in a radius that was 25 miles or less). we further decided that since we were going to be out around dinner that we would use my chik-fil-a coupons from my calendar for dinner.

emily and i thought that we would alert cameron to the fact that we would be eating at chik-fil-a for dinner. when we confronted him with this knowledge, we teased him with questions about where we would be eating. we simply said that we would be eating at, "ch...ch...ch...chik...chik...chik." then, all of a sudden, he bursts out with, "mcdonalds!"

huh?

i believe in evolution

2008-07-13T20:43:00.002-04:00

now, before you all go off saying, "there goes another bju grad off the deep end," here me out. i truly believe that there is a legitimacy in evolution. take cameron for instance. he is the perfect example. when he first started praying, it was simply following spoken words from either me or emily. since then, he has evolved in his prayers (see...evolution) to include praying for his mother, father, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, etc.

now the other day, he prayed for his lunch by asking the LORD to help him not disobey, and for his old friends (in n.c.). just as i thought he was finished, i opened my eyes but was held off by emily with an outstretched hand, and true to form, cameron continued on with his prayer. he proceeded to pray for, "my brother marshall, and momma, and daddy, and cameron, and my brother marshall, and momma, and daddy, and cameron..." and on and on it went. finally, i thought he was finished, but THEN he segued into praying all the lyrics of "joshua (fat) the battle of jericho!"

emily and i just about fell over laughing, but it is really sweet to have him be independent in his praying now. please pray with us as we seek to see him accept CHRIST as his SAVIOUR soon.

where have i been?

2008-07-10T19:32:00.002-04:00

well, it has been entirely too long since last posting, so i will try to give you an idea of what we have been up to lately.

for those of you who do not know, emily's dad formally retired from the U.S. Navy June 12th at the annual FBFI conference -- held this year at bethel baptist in sellersville, pa. we as a family left on wednesday after i got off work and headed east on i-70 to pittsburgh where we spent the night at emily's aunt and uncle's new home (lovely!) just north of pitt. we figured it would be a tough drive (about 6.5 hours) but what we didn't figure were both boys staying awake the entire time and not getting to sleep until after we arrived -- around 2200 -- and then waking up shortly after 0600! needless to say, that made for a messy 5 hour drive to the philly area the next morning.

we arrived there around 1300 and were promptly met by ginger and dad outside the hotel and told that we were leaving for lunch right away. we had time to check in, drop bags and go. of course, now the boys are really tired, and marshall is in the middle of a meltdown when we arrived at applebees for lunch. we scarfed lunch (thanks dad!) and headed back to the hotel so the boys could rest a little before heading off to the church for the ceremony.

later that evening, we were rested, and dressed and very excited for the service which was just so honoring to the LORD to look back on a life that GOD has greatly blessed for HIS service to our armed forces around the world. on a personal note, emily and i were able to see so many friends from school and it was a nice chance for us to albeit briefly catch up with some dear people. for more news/pictures, i direct those of you on facebook to see emily's photo albums to see corresponding pics.

the following day, with the boys still not caught up on sleep, we trekked down to philly and walked around independence hall and other great historical attractions and had a good, hot, sweaty time.

well, the rest of the weekend found us back on the road to pitt on saturday -- with an indoor b-b-q with the tabors watching tiger limp his way into contention at the U.S. open, and then another long drive back to indy on Sunday! i don't like to drive anyway, but with 2 small children, word to the wise (or in my case -- co-workers)...4 days out of 5 in the car is not a vacation! that's all i have to say about that!

we seriously need a pet

2008-06-25T18:27:00.003-04:00

tonite at dinner, marshall started making a high-pitched squeaking noise that kind of sounded like a high bark of a dog. well, cameron said, "marshall sounds like a dog -- he can be my pet. i need a pluto pet so i can be like musketeer mickey!" not sure if i want to see one son leading another around with a leash.

ahoy matey!

2008-05-25T21:29:00.004-04:00

tonight cameron decided he needs to get married. you see, our senior pastor's daughter is getting married this coming saturday, and we have been talking about it quite a bit lately. as we walked out of church tonight, he outright said, "i need a girl to get married."

of course i promptly assured him that this was so, but also quickly reminded him that to get a girl to marry him he was going to have to be nice to them. he might even have to buy them special treats. his response...?

"you mean -- like girl pirate ships?"

i want to go home....NOW!

2008-05-19T19:46:00.008-04:00

well, the adventures just keep comin'. cameron and i had the opportunity to see a civil war re-enactment at fort benjamin harrison state park. i had read about it in the paper, but we had a number of other things to attend to that day, including, of course, our monthly home depot trek -- this time to make a mother's day gift! after his soccer game, we began running other odd errands, with the intent on getting to the park in time to see the "battle" re-enactment at 1500.
well, we arrived around 1415 and were promptly met at the gate by a kind park ranger who asked me for my $5 entrance fee. i was a little taken aback by that as i have become accustomed to not having to pay to enter state parks in n.c., and the paper never mentioned a fee to enter the park. i figured that since i had driven 28 miles to the park, i didn't want to simply turn around, but still, with gas the price that it is, i was a little miffed. we wound our way around the park, and eventually found the site. i was a little surprised to not see too many visitors there, and as we began going from tent to tent, one of the actors informed me that the people had all gone up to the field to watch the battle. now mind you...by this time it was 1430 -- that's right, a full 30 minutes before the scheduled time. her comment was, "they just decided to move it up since the people were here." what! are you kidding me? i threw cameron over my shoulder and we ran to the field.
i was fortunate enough to get one or two shots off with the camera before the battle began and cameron quickly plugged his ears up and shouted between tears, "i want to go home -- NOW!" well, that lightened the mood for everyone else there, but didn't seem to calm him down a bit. perhaps the fact that the cannons were only 40 feet away and shaking the ground didn't help any. sooooo -- we left the battle and took our time winding our way back to the main camps and tents and listening to the actors/actresses tell us all about life back in the day and watching firings of a civil war era gatling gun.

to be honest, from the time we arrived to the moment we left, cameron was way more interested in the horses the park has, asking repeatedly if he could take a ride on one. i had to haul him away and let me know that someday we will ride horses, but not that day. after vehemently affirming that he is big enough now, i packed him into the car, and by the time we hit the highway, he was out like a light (see photo from prior post for an idea of what this looks like!). this day was over, but our adventures continue on. stay posted!

mm-mmm

2008-04-29T20:08:00.013-04:00

i suppose there are privileges to now being close to farms. this past weekend we decided to take part in a tour of hancock county farms in a local marketing campaign billed as "buy local, buy fresh." after cameron finished his soccer game (which he lost around 32-3; 2 from cameron, 1 from the opposing team) we took off for the first farm which happened to be a local buffalo farm. cameron was in heaven! he clearly remembered the buffalo from yellowstone around 18 months ago, albeit these were behind an electric fence. we were also able to purchase some of the local buffalo meat from the farm.

from there, we traveled north and stopped off at a holstein beef farm where we had the chance to sample some holstein beef hamburgers, pot roast, cubed beef, and more. cameron seemed to enjoy watching 'megan,' the cow hostess who entertained him with sporadic licks of her own nose! we also had the chance to take a short carriage ride up to the 200-year-old original farm house.

we continued more northwesternly into the county, and checked in at the local Christmas tree farm. we learned that they have a straw maze (for kids) and a corn maze (for olders) as well as a pumpkin patch later in the year. needless to say, we will return for our tree later in the year. while we were there, we also enjoyed the penned alpacas, baby chicks, goats, and horses.

lastly, we trekked over to a popular orchard that was in full bloom. we drank a little of their cider and tasted some of their cheese and bread before leaving. as this was the last stop on our tour, and since the boys had missed their naps -- they were getting a little cranky -- we decided to head back home. before we left, we took advantage of the fully bloomed apple trees and took some pictures. the boys complied for the time being and we escaped with some great shots!

we continue to be grateful for the LORD's leading in bringing us to another beautiful area of the country and the chance we had to enjoy more of the indigenous flora and fauna. come visit any time. in fact, this coming saturday, greenfield is hosting their annual arts & crafts fair. can't wait to check it out!

whew!

2008-03-30T15:54:00.002-04:00

well, it certainly has been a long time since we last added to the blog, for which we apologize to all 2 (maybe?) of our readers. moving seems to have taken a lot out of us, and so i briefly take a respite from unpacking boxes, hanging pictures, paying bills, fixing faucets, stopping leaks, repairing roofs, servicing cars, etc (big breath)...the list goes on. i truly hope to have pictures up here within the week as well. i'm not yet sure what the pictures will be of, but at least it will give you an idea of what we are up to.

well, we have been in the new house about 3 weeks now, and it seems hard to believe that we moved in during a mini-blizzard during which time we had about 7 inches of snow land in about 10 hours. that certainly slowed us down a bit, but we finally (with the wonderful help of our new church family) had the truck unloaded and we were moved "in." what you don't know is that we ended up having to rent 2 trucks -- the second one at a cost almost 3 times that of the first! my father-in-law graciously offered to drive the second truck to indiana and back to north carolina the same weekend (we had to as the truck was the last truck in raleigh at the time and they needed it back by monday!). he unloaded it into the empty garage of the lady that i had been staying with (she was in oregon visiting her son -- hee, hee -- and so she had no idea i had taken over her garage) and after we unloaded the truck that i drove up, we drove to her house, loaded up that second load and then unloaded again at our new home! so, as the title of this post suggests, that day alone was a huge "whew!"

it has been non-stop ever since with getting the necessary household goods to help "finish" off the house (see: mousetraps, foam filler for gapping, new roof for leaking, etc). the fact that i am adding to this blog at this time must mean that i am either exhausted from the whole unpacking/moving in process or that we are nearing the end. in this case, i think it is a little of both. really the main floor of the house is ready for guests anytime, so in case you are thinking of coming, just drop us a line, and we would love to have you. if you come around the 4th of july, Christmas, or october when we have riley days (a local craft fair) you can sit with us on the front porch and watch the parades go by! we are looking forward to those times!

i feel as though there isn't enough space on this blog, nor time in my day, to adequately inform you as to all that we have done in the past month to get to this point, but suffice to say that GOD is still good, we are still alive, and we serve a glorious risen SAVIOUR! can life get any better than that? I suggest that it cannot! come on up, down, over or whatever and see us real soon!

the waiting game

2007-12-24T05:37:00.001-05:00

well, in answer to the last post, we are now stuck in a waiting game...i was offered and accepted a position in indiana -- greenfield, in (about 25 minutes east of indianapolis) -- and we believe we have found just the perfect house, but we await the sale of our home here in raleigh. we have tried to price the house here much lower than what we expected to get from it in order to sell quicker which would allow us to place an offer on our new dream home and let me begin work sooner. we shall have to see how that works out. we are actually praying that we receive an offer by the new year...we work with a GOD of miracles, right?! in the meantime, we are furiously packing and constantly trying to keep the house in a semi-state of readiness for showings. let me tell you -- not an easy job with 2 little boys! keep us in your prayers as we strive for sanity, and we'll keep you posted!

indiana

2007-12-12T09:27:00.000-05:00

well, blair is in indiana right now meeting with the Board of Physical Therapy Examiners to see if he can transfer his license. we are both praying that this would occur. we are so ready for winter -- as opposed to 78 degrees in december.

we have a few houses we have fallen in love with:

my absolute favorite (i.e. dream house)
high up on the list
love this one
this one will do (seriously love them all)
if we can't do an older home
greenfield #1
greenfield #2

monty python: the next generation?

2007-11-20T07:19:00.000-05:00

well, if it's winter (or close enough to it), then it must be time to get sick. this time around it is our boys who are feeling under the weather. all during the night last night, we could hear cameron coughing, and so this morning when we got out of bed about 30 minutes earlier than normal, i decided that i would just lay down in the bed with him and help him rest. after about 10 minutes of just laying there, i turned to him and said, "i'm sorry you're sick, bud." he promptly turned back to me and with a raspy, congested, smokers voice said, "i'm not sick -- i feel much better." mind you all the while he said this, there was a productive cough and copious amounts of fluid draining from his nose. kind of reminded me of "i'm not dead -- yes you are!"

wedding weekend

2007-10-23T13:21:00.000-04:00

well, this weekend, tori and frank got married. it was a beautiful day for them, and we are so thrilled to have frank join the family.

ahhh...the smells!

2007-10-16T14:31:00.000-04:00

today i allowed myself to indulge in a new favorite pasttime...enjoying the smells of fall. i know what you must be thinking -- you are so right, blair. the smell of fireplaces stoking, hot apple cider, pumpkin pies baking, and grease filling the air at the n.c. state fair. that's right, i'm talking honest to goodness, home-grown fat molecules floating by and gracing my nostrils with their presence. can anything smell better than a what looks like a 40-pound turkey leg, or grilled corn on the cob dipped in what i'm sure is pure lard? how about funnel cakes, candy apples, cotton candy and my new personal favorite...deep fried chocolate chip cookie dough. hey - don't knock it til you've tried it! it is pure melt-in-your-mouth heaven!!

i have to say, i was a bit disappointed with my lunch choice this year. i decided to go back to my roots, so to speak, and enjoy a philly cheesesteak. be forewarned - these are not the cheesesteaks they make and sell in philly. first, it looked and tasted like shredded pork. secondly, it was not grilled in front of me (very taboo -- not fresh), and last, but certainly not least, they used what looked like velveeta??!? what's up with that? of course i say all of that, to follow it up with saying -- it still tasted all right, just not like a real philly steak sandwich.

i hope you all get a chance to visit your state fair this year. i now have just 12 months left to work off the 20 pounds i just put on!

2007-09-20T05:51:00.000-04:00

"dying to self is not a thing we do once for all. after the initial dying, it must be a continual, constant dying. all day long the choices will be before us in a thousand ways. it means i will have no plans, no time, no money, no pleasure of my own. it will mean a constant yielding to those around us, for our yieldedness to GOD is measured by our yieldedness to man. every humiliation, everyone who tries and vexes us, is God's way of breaking us, so that there is yet a deeper channel in us for the life of CHRIST."

~The Calvary Road
~Roy Hession

famous

2007-09-16T20:42:00.003-04:00

not yet, but we hope we are helping some dear friends get started in the photography business. they are newly business licensed and up and running. your still life photography has some pictures of us in their portfolio. enjoy!!

hospitality

2007-09-16T20:42:00.001-04:00

"we are busy people. the assumption that our homes are private havens in which to retreat from the world has resulted in plenty of closed doors and closed lives. the home is a legitimate and necessary place for us to pull back from the public world . . . but if that's all it ever is, we'll miss the rich fullness of the life God intends for us."

~MomSense Magazine; Fall 2007

quote for the day

2007-09-12T13:57:00.000-04:00

"discipline is not something you pass down to your children. discipline is how you live your life."

~dr. kevin leman
~making children mind without losing yours

2007-08-22T12:37:00.001-04:00

we just got back from the beach and some r&r. we are just about out of vacation mode. i actually went grocery shopping yesterday and cameron is back to his old tricks (not eating) again. marshall, on the other hand is still sleeping away the days.

Happy Independence Day!!!!

2007-07-07T09:45:00.001-04:00

ready, aim . . . .

2007-07-07T09:44:00.001-04:00

. . . . fire!!!!!

2007-07-07T09:41:00.000-04:00

cameron's reaction

the boys' first bath together

2007-06-19T21:10:00.001-04:00

2007-06-19T21:03:00.001-04:00

happy father's day!!!

our first week home . . .

2007-06-05T14:49:00.000-04:00

has been such an adventure. thankfully, marshall is a wonderful sleeper and is pretty laid back. you will hear him cry only when he is hungry or his older brother is helping him do something. it has been a lot of fun to watch both boys get used to each other.

cameron went to his first home depot "daddy and me" workshop last saturday and "made" a biplane. he is very proud of it and his new work apron.

both boys enjoyed a bath and snuggling in cameron's bed for a little while.

and, with tropical depression barry, cameron has had ample time to try out his new umbrella from his bobbie and loves his rain boots.

and as you can see, our peaceful sleeper is all snuggled up in his boppy!

so that is what grass roots taste like?!

2007-05-26T20:25:00.001-04:00

so -- amidst the stress of leaving marshall at the hospital and emily in raleigh, i took the last 3 days to fly to d.c. to do some politicking of my own and attended an advocacy academy that culminated in a march on "the hill" by approximately 564 other PTs from around the country as we tried to push through some legislation that is important to us and our patients. this was actually in line with my new duties as the federal affairs liaison for n.c., and as such, some of my duties included organizing the actual visit to the hill and informing everyone of where they should be and when.

i have never done anything like this before, but after meeting with staffers (sounds political doesn't it?) of senators dole and burr, i actually met with representatives etheridge and miller (both pictured) and they were both very gracious with their time and attention. actually, both are pretty much already on board with the 3 bills we were there to talk about, but it was kind of neat to actually meet with the ones who you normally just read about and may or may not vote for. i look forward to being part of many more grassroots efforts at lawmaking! much thanks to the many offices for opening the doors up for discussion of legislation, and an enormous mountain of gratitude to my dear wife for allowing me to attend this and to leave her home with a 2 day old baby. those i was with in d.c. were overheard on more than one occasion to have said, "must be baby #2," when they heard about how old marshall was and realizing that i had left my wife behind.

update on Marshall

2007-05-23T12:12:00.001-04:00

so, marshall's bilirubin count is coming down, and starting to stabilize. because of this, w/in the next 24 hours, he will be taken off the iv fluids and will depend completely on phototheraphy and milk to flush the bilirubin out of his system. he has already had one successful immunoglobin transfusion and that was what got us out of the woods early. by the way, bilirubin issues are encountered when a mother and baby have opposite blood types (positive v. negative).

we are thankful for the doctors and nurses and their expertise and all they have done for us.

cameron is aching for baby marshall to come home, though i don't know if he knows how much his life will be changing once this baby comes home. right now, the estimated time of departure from the hospital looks like it will be this weekend.

until marshall is home, emily will be spending 8:30 pm to 9:30 am every day at the hospital in order to feed him. the remainder of the time, she will be home during the day to keep cameron occupied (or vice versa).

thank you for your prayers as we wait to see what the Lord has in store for us.

2007-05-23T12:06:00.000-04:00

cameron in his special jammies!!

bilirubin

2007-05-23T12:04:00.000-04:00

never knew what bilirubin was before the last couple days, but marshall has bilirubin issues. because of this, he is undergoing phototherapy, iv fluids, but is also feeding like a champ. cameron has enjoyed visiting his brother because he gets to wear special jammies and is a "doctor".

birth of Marshall Harris

2007-05-23T12:02:00.001-04:00

so, baby Marshall (as Cameron calls him) has made his grand entry into the world at 7 pounds, 11 ounces and a lengthy 20.5 inches. he was born sunday, may 20 at 1:12 am.

congrats to blair . . .

2007-04-25T21:13:00.000-04:00

this was in WakeMed's most recent employee newsletter, The Microscope

just a little jealous . . .

2007-04-25T17:03:00.000-04:00

i know i am not supposed to covet!! -- but is it really fair that four of my friends that are (were) due mid-may have already delivered. that's right, all of them 2-3 weeks early. maybe the trend will continue . . . . that's how i am praying anyway!!!

2007-04-05T14:43:00.000-04:00

blair (the apostle john) and his little shephered boy

2007-04-05T14:41:00.000-04:00

watering mama's flowers

2007-04-05T14:38:00.000-04:00

relaxing after a hard day's work

2007-04-05T14:31:00.000-04:00

spring training is in full swing

2007-04-05T14:28:00.000-04:00

hellebores and daffodils and azaleas, oh my!!

2007-04-05T14:24:00.000-04:00

cameron supervising blair as he set our stepping stones in concrete!! "good job daddy"

2007-03-24T07:19:00.000-04:00

outside the national museum of the marine corps and heritage center in quantico, virginia.

the spire that travels the length of the building was meant to symbolize the flagpole at the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima.

2007-03-24T07:17:00.000-04:00

visiting aunt ginger's classroom.

2007-03-24T07:16:00.000-04:00

it's cameron, or is it??? cameron was quite excited to see this picture of "him" in aunt ginger's classroom.

2007-03-24T07:14:00.000-04:00

ready to see my golf swing???

2007-03-24T07:13:00.000-04:00

. . . aim . . .

2007-03-24T07:07:00.000-04:00

. . . . follow through.

easiest way to make a 2-yr old boy's day . . .

2007-02-27T13:05:00.000-05:00

call the fire department and ask if they have time to show off their cool tools and trucks to your child. in others words . . . lock him in the car, along with your keys, and then panic and run into target to talk with security. call the fire department and have a fire truck come "fix the car", and you just might be named "my favorite mama" and get to talk about it for the rest of the day.

seriously, felt a little foolish doing that today, but don't we all need a little adventure in our lives. cameron seemed to get the biggest kick out of it all. he even asked the fire men if he could get in the truck, and climbed in like he was right at home. praise the Lord for books and toys that were in the car to keep him occupied while i was trying to get everything sorted out. and, we picked the best weather -- it was only about 60 degrees, so, we didn't have to worry about him overheating in the car.

2007-02-21T07:21:00.000-05:00

one of cameron's favorite books is dr. seuss' hop on pop. here is our family rendition of the book. cameron requests to hop on pop most nights after dinner.

2007-02-19T19:11:00.000-05:00

profile shot of baby boy frye . . . should be appearing by the end of may (fingers crossed)

2007-02-19T19:10:00.000-05:00

a two-month old ultrasound picture. sorry it took so long for me to get this into the scanner . . .

2007-02-19T19:09:00.000-05:00

our latest family portrait - novemberish . . .

2007-02-18T15:24:00.000-05:00

posing outside with a cheesy smile.

2007-02-18T15:23:00.000-05:00

a gust of cold air caught me -- that is the reason for the pained look.

2007-02-18T15:16:00.000-05:00

swinging on our front porch before church.

2007-02-18T15:12:00.000-05:00

cameron in "my church clothes"

2006-10-31T15:07:00.001-05:00

with emily by the motorcycles. cameron was overwhelmed by all the bikes that we saw that day.

2006-10-31T15:07:00.000-05:00

at the Rally in Raleigh (an annual bike rally). driving one of the CAT machines at their booth.

2006-10-31T15:06:00.001-05:00

2 years old!! pictures downtown at the capitol building -- a yearly tradition.

2006-10-31T15:06:00.000-05:00

riding with grandpa

2006-10-31T15:05:00.002-05:00

thanking aunt megan for his new bike.

2006-10-31T15:05:00.001-05:00

eating cake and ice cream

2006-10-31T15:05:00.000-05:00

the three amigoes: cameron, carter, ethan

2006-10-31T15:04:00.002-05:00

seeing his cake for the first time.

2006-10-31T15:04:00.001-05:00

home for his birthday -- playing with grandpa bley.

2006-10-31T15:04:00.000-05:00

a ragged cameron in the plane cockpit -- after 8 days of travelling, countless hours in the car, 6 plane flights, and miles of airport runs.

2006-10-31T15:03:00.000-05:00

taking in the scenery

2006-10-31T15:02:00.002-05:00

all the boys.

2006-10-31T15:02:00.001-05:00

in rocky mountain national park

2006-10-31T15:02:00.000-05:00

more wildlife -- it was rudding season for the elk.

2006-10-31T15:01:00.000-05:00

all the "cousins" and cameron

2006-10-31T15:00:00.000-05:00

jeff and melissa, emily and blair after a wonderful dinner of steaks, baked potatoes, bread and yummy caesar salad. we had so much fun visiting and meeting for the first time.

2006-10-31T14:59:00.002-05:00

ali and cameron in the little town of georgetown with his beloved new buffalo.

2006-10-31T14:59:00.001-05:00

the aspens . . .

2006-10-31T14:59:00.000-05:00

scenery.

2006-10-31T14:58:00.001-05:00

a female bighorn sheep we saw on the way down the mountain.

2006-10-31T14:58:00.000-05:00

sign says it all.

2006-10-31T14:57:00.000-05:00

cameron "loved" the cold up on mount evans. at the bottom of the mountain, it was 65 degrees. at summit lake (shown here) it was 27 degrees actually, but with the wind chill, 8 degrees.

2006-10-31T14:56:00.001-05:00

cameron's first real snow -- he could actually tell what it was this time.

2006-10-31T14:56:00.000-05:00

just a little perspective up on summit lake on mount evans.

2006-10-31T14:55:00.000-05:00

smelling the dahlias (ali's new favorite flower)

2006-10-31T14:54:00.000-05:00

exploring the depths of the flower garden.

2006-10-31T14:53:00.002-05:00

blazing a trail.

2006-10-31T14:53:00.001-05:00

hi uncle david

2006-10-31T14:53:00.000-05:00

"i jumping"

2006-10-31T14:52:00.001-05:00

at the denver botanical gardens singing ? with aunt ali??

2006-10-31T14:52:00.000-05:00

cameron looking for a prairie dog (prairie pig)

2006-10-31T14:51:00.000-05:00

prairie dog!!

2006-10-31T14:50:00.000-05:00

blair and david with hair nets and beard nets (look closely)

2006-10-31T14:49:00.000-05:00

at the celestial seasonings plant in boulder, co . . . with our fancy hair nets on.

2006-10-31T14:48:00.001-05:00

running the tractor with uncle david

2006-10-31T14:48:00.000-05:00

in colorado now . . . with aunt ali and uncle david and bear and winslow (pictured). we are really in trouble when cameron gets smart enough to ask for a dog.

2006-10-31T14:47:00.000-05:00

the mountains behind grandma bley's home. if you look closely, you will see three different mountain ranges.