At Home With Dad

You’d think being a homeschooling family there would be days when nothing happens, but it just isn’t so. For the past several years there is always somewhere to go and/or something to do. Even last week when we were stuck at home waiting for plumbers, electricians, and pool repairmen, I was just watching the clock and complaining about what I  COULD be doing.

Then there was yesterday… We did nothing. That’s right, nothing!

I’ve just been worn out the last couple of weeks and wanted to just turn on the TV and hang out. And, that is precisely what we did.

We watched some great shows by the way as well. First, we watched I.O.U.S.A. a documentary about the national debt and the importance of personal fiscal responsibility. Really a great movie. I asked Tony when it was over what it was about and he replied we need to save more money instead of spend it. Check… He got it.

Next up was A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash, a documentary about the use of oil around the world. Faith was out on this one, but Tony stuck with it. He was interested in it, but I’m not sure he got this one. Pretty interesting stuff though.

We broke the couch-fest for a little lunch at this point and I almost gave up on the whole idea of being lazy. But, we pressed on. Raising Cain was up next about the psychology of boys. Another interesting movie about the emotional needs of boys – even teenage boys.

Last, but not least, was New York: Episode 1 about how New York City was started and developed over the years. As someone who loves that city, I was thoroughly impressed with the movie. NYC just has so much to offer.  If we could afford to live in anything larger than a small closet there we’d probably move there in a heartbeat. Although the small closet would probably be more than enough room for the six of us…

Yep… A whole day of nothing but couch time with a gentle mix of napping by all parties involved. A day of nothing. While I’m not looking to make a habit of it or anything, it sure was nice to just hang out for a change. I can get so caught up in the planning of our days and constant running around attending the needs of the house and the plethora of kid activities. From early in the morning until the evening, I feel like each day is filled with something to do. When there isn’t something specific to do, I find myself feeling like I should be doing – which isn’t very relaxing either.

But, yesterday I found it… Nothing. And it was wonderful.

I was just so proud my daughter today. As I vaccuumed her room she picked up some trash in my way and smiled just as proud as she could be at helping me. I smiled and thought we must be doing something right.

Then…

As I was putting the vacuum away, I looked back at the clean room and my sweet helper had put all the trash right back where it was… I guess she just followed directions by put everything right back where she found it just like we ask her to do.

I can almost see the light at the end of our chaotic household tunnel…

Almost…

This week the kids and I have spent everyday waiting for some type of repair man to come to the house. Monday it was the plumber – who wasn’t able to make it out. Tuesday it was the plumber again (who, again, couldn’t make it out) and a buddy to help with the lack of power getting to the pool. Wednesday it was an electrician for further help with the pool – who didn’t make it out due to the weather. And, Thursday it was the electrician again – who was finally able to get the pool back up and running.

Yes… We’ve been waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

The plumber was coming to fix a couple leaky faucets and slow drains. No big deal, but we thought we should get them take care of. Then, the pool decides to blow a wire (arc is the technical term I told). So, the pool sat for seven days without any circulating water. Nice.

Of course, when a buddy and I tried to fix the pool ourselves, we weren’t able to pull a wire out of a conduit and in the process cut off the power to our dishwasher, garbage disposal and a wall of outlets in the kitchen. The hits just kept on coming…

Now… the faucets, which of course started the whole process, seem rather minor and definitely not worth waiting another day around house for the plumber to show – or not show. Instead, we’ll try to get out and do some shopping and have some outdoor fun. After, of course, we get the mountain of dishes that laugh at me from the kitchen in the dishwasher.

As a family, we like to put fun treats just a tad in front of us to keep things interesting and to keep us looking forward. Our next treat is Camping On The Gulf.

Camping On The Gulf RV Park sits right on the water in Destin, Florida. Our camper’s wheels will sit in white sand with nothing but the ocean between the back of our camper and the Gulf of Mexico. Crystal blue water. Pristine white sand. Ahhhh….

We’re planning on going near the end of October and it really just can’t get here soon enough. The campground looks amazing. Miles of beach lie right out our back door! The kids can play in the sand while I make dinner just feet away.

We loved going to Galveston and renting a beach house, but after the hurricane’s damage I’m not sure when it will be the same. Destin has always been on the wish list so we decided to give a whirl. Everyone who has visited the area swears that it is just amazing!!

The kids love to play in the sand and Rachel and I just love the ocean. We’re almost there! Anyone else been there? I’d love to hear your suggestions and thoughts on the area.

Rachel and I attended the Chelsea v. Club America game this weekend and I’ll blog more about the game later. But, first, I thought I would share some pictures of the new Cowboys Stadium. It really is awe inspiring. It is beyond massive. The incredible TV screens are over 150 feet long and 60 feet tall!

As much as I denied it…

It crept ever closer.

The day not only came, but has since passed and now it is official. I can lie to myself no more.

I am 40.

The day was great though. The kids each wished me a happy birthday and my dear wife did everything to insure a nice peaceful day filled with a few pleasant suprises.

The birthday festivities really evolved into a weekend of birthday fun. We ate out more than we had in at least three or four days. And, we just threw the word ‘vegan’ out the window for a few days and simply indulged ourselves at our favorite local Italian restaurants.

As for presents, I did get quite a few. First, and most importantly, Rachel picked up tickets for the Chelsea/Club America soccer game at the new Cowboys Stadium this weekend. Very cool. The tickets even came with a Chelsea jersey to boot. She even worked and worked to find the new jersey for this coming season.

Next up on the present front was a new IPOD. I’ve maxed out my 8 gig IPOD and now have a 160 gig one. I can even load a movie or two on this bad boy and keep those kids entertained at the doctor’s office. Bonus!

Since I am getting so very old, I also picked up a new electric trailer jack for the Jayco trailer. This allows me to flip a switch and watch the trailer lower or raise off the Yukon. No more cranking for this cranky old man. It’s a new era ’round here.

Lastly, and I’m not really sure this was truly for me, was a Wii. We’ve been kicking around the idea of trading in the GameCube and PS2 to consolidate  into one system, i.e. THE WII. The kids love it, which is the real point of the game. And, yes, Rachel and I also took part in some bowling and tennis. I actually was a little sore the next day.

Overall, turning 40 wasn’t that bad. Just another day in the life, I guess. My wife and kids sure made the experience pretty fun though.

At Cornerstone, we learned more about Project AK-47, which strives to rescue and aid child soldiers. To learn more, watch this sobering video.

The trip up to Cornerstone was interesting to say the least. We decided to drive mostly during the day, which proved to be much more difficult than driving at night while the kids rest so quietly in the back of the car.

Around the middle of Oklahoma, we saw our battery on the trailer start to smoke. We quickly pulled over and tried to discern what was going on. Turns out the trailer’s emergency brake wire had shorted itself out by getting pinched. While driving without our emergency brakes wasn’t ideal, it was a much better scenario than we originally had in our heads. Visions of not having any power in the trailer for the duration of the festival had some of us ready to turn back around for home.

The rest of the journey went fairly well with everyone getting pretty excited about getting there. After 18 hours, we arrived near the festival around 1am and slept the night away in a Walmart parking lot. Up early in the morning, we picked up some last minute supplies and we were in the festival grounds by 10am.

We found our RV spot quickly and started setting up camp.

Our camping site before everyone else arrives

The first day had some bands playing including one JPUSA band. JPUSA – or, the Jesus People USA – put on the festival and Christians hippies living in community. Their bands are always interest.

This particular band, Illogical Spoon, was playing a bone at one point in the set. Yep, a bone. Now that’s reusing (from the reduce, reuse, recycle concept) put to good use.

Overall, the bands were great and we all enjoyed our time seeing countless shows during the week. The kid’s program including a VBS type thing and an art tent with countless kid crafts available. The kids loved their time here. They sang… They danced… They had a blast.

Mr Nicky leading the kids - Nicole is stage right

The girls working on bracelets for Alex

Dylan putting the touches on his work of art

Tony making his necklace

Our camping neighbors were a great bunch of folks. One of them became our kiddos favorite person ever. Alex played and talked with them for hours at a time. All our kids talked non-stop about Alex and the wonders are her. The kids made necklaces and bracelets for her before leaving.

The rest of our camping neighbors were a band on a three-week tour. We caught a couple of their shows and loved watching our kids watch our neighbors rocking out. Rachel and I loved talking with a couple of their fathers during the week. Turns out one of them was an electrician, he fixed our emergency trailer brake. Funny how things work out sometimes. Super uys. One of the dads had been on tour with the band for three weeks helping these guys live out their dream.

The weather during the festival was out of this world. Generally, Cornerstone is a bake-fest with the sun beating down on your for the entire week. Not this year! Most days saw highs in the mid-seventies. It was amazing. We were cold watching several evening shows and had to bring blankets along for the ride. The last day was filled with rain, which made getting around the campgrounds pretty perilous to say the least. The last big shows were moved to smaller venues making for a crazy last night at Cornerstone.

Boots were needed for all the mud the last day

Some of the highlights of Cornerstone for me included:

• Meeting a service manager from Michigan who knew Carl Sewell
• Meeting and speaking with a Mennonite Peace Keeper. His stories of using civil disobedience were pretty incredible.
• Learning more about Project AK-47, which helps young boys from becoming child soldiers.
• Learning more about To Write Love on Her Arms, which helps bring awareness about depression and suicide.
• Seeing Stavesacre, MeWithOutYou, Derek Webb, Brian “Head” Welch, Deas Vail, Zach Williams, Underoath, The Fold, Fundamental Elements, La Dispute, Men As Trees Walking, Owl City, Project 86,  The Rocketboys, Secret and Whisper, and Shiny Toy Guns. That is a big list, but is just the short list of the number of bands I saw. Several others were very good, but these were my favorite.
• Our camping neighbors

Our trip home was uneventful. We had learned a lot more about traveling with the trailer on the way up and were able to shave a couple of hours off our time on the way back. We arrived back at our house around 2am after 15 hours on the road.

Interestingly enough, we passed the band Men As Trees Walking on the way back home. They were pulled up on the side of the road and we later read that their bus broke down. We looked at going back to check on them, but were on a tollway with no obvious turn around points for miles. Oh well… Looks like they made it home ok though, just  day later than they had hoped.

Now the question looms… What about next year?

I think so. While most of the music is hardcore or metal, there was just so much more out there. Some bands we’d never heard of were great. Some bands we thought would be great live, well… weren’t. But, meeting folks from all over the country and hanging out with the Jesus People presents such a unique experience. I think the answer is yes. Yes, we’ll probable go again next year. Now, we just need to figure out how to order that weather again.

After months of procrastination, the sailboat is finally waxed and officially named. “Serenity Now” is ready to proclaim her name to all who wish to hail her from near and far.

The name comes from a popular episode of Sienfeld where George Costanza’s father has found the secret to happiness and stress relief. When he encounters situations that are frustrating he simply yells, “Serenity Now!” at the top of his lungs. While this process might not provide him with the desired relief, it sure is funny.

Our beloved sailboat seeks to provide similar stress relief for us. As we head out for a beautiful sail away from all the troubles of our life, we now boldly declare “Serenity Now!” as we leave the docks. Think it will work?

For the last few years I’ve yearned for HD to come to the Tour de France. That day has finally arrived.

Just think about it… Some of the most beautiful parts of the world whirling by the world’s greatest cyclists all in high definition. Perfect.

After watching the Confederation Cup in HD, I love that high def is finally hitting some of the “smaller” sports like cycling and soccer.