Ballooning

So I am traveling and on the road, which means fundraising is involved. This is fine by me as I have not really had a problem in the past when needing to do my share to help out. Ballooning is one of those things I have picked up over the years. Although I am not the greatest ballooner out there, I am just average, it has always gone really good for me...well, for the most part!

This past Friday I was given a spot to use by one of the local homes! Thanks so much Marie! And although it didn't go well, I was super thankful and was praising the Lord all day that it was not the worst ballooning day I have had.
Imagine Toronto Canada, February 14th, yes that’s Valentines Day! I arrived at the Wal-Mart to do ballooning that we had set up earlier in that week. I was trilled to be doing a Wal-Mart because at that time in (about 10 yrs ago) they would let us be inside the store. So after letting a member of management know that we were there we started to set up inside. About 10 minutes later a frantic and very distraught manager (the head lady....no and I don't mean she had a funny head...the lady in charge) came and informed my partner and I that we had to be outside.
I was like, "What???? You do know that it is sleeting and snowing right now outside?" To which she said that if we wanted to set up to take it outside.
Well we had been dropped off and we didn't have a phone, and since we were visiting the home there neither of us knew the phone number. So being the diehards (and dumb nuts) that we were we decided to set up outside.
Try being painted and dressed like a clown and making balloons in the snow and sleet. IT really makes you thankful for a whole lot of things. Anyways I think we made about $12 Canadian dollars which at the time was about $7 USD
So I am so thankful that the other night I actually made enough to fill up the tank on the van. Which given the current gas prices, I guess it didn't go so bad after all!

SafeHaven

Today Haven, along with others from her home and band, SafeHaven, are traveling to begin practicing for EurRock. from there she has plans of other trips and missions for the Lords Work! This means that I will be with the kids for the next 2 months. We are all very excited about this even though we know Haven will miss us and we will miss her.

I want to take a moment to let Haven know how much she is admired and appreciated.
Haven, I know we have been through a lot together, and it is for your never ending desire to put the Lord and His calling and leading in your life above all else that I deeply admire and respect you. You have so much to give to the young people in the Family with your gifts and participation in the area of music and your work in the JT Board. Just seeing your sample and dedication is convicting. Please know that our prayers are with you and we are hoping that even though these trips will be a lot of work that you will also have a great time enjoying yourself and the company of those your with. You truly are one of the greatest people I know. My life has been blessed to have a friend like you in it!

The pic is from karaoke last night. The whole home went out to eat, a total blast!

Cute Kids

Just wanted to post a couple of the cute things my kids have said recently.

Adrian posed two questions to me tonight:
"What do you get if you drop a piano in a military camp?"
(Answer) "A Flat Major"


And, "What do you get when you drop a piano in a mine?"
(Answer) "A flat minor"


When asking Jade if she knows where something is her usual answer is,
"I can't know!"

Adrian, after receiving his Wordstock 3 t-shirt came to me proudly and said,
"Dad when I am 12 I will be able to attend Wordstock 9."
"Just think Adrian," I said " thats only six years away and time flies!"
To which he replied, "Yes dad, but for me that is a whole lifetime away!"

A post from the kids!

Jade says: "Playing in sand is so much fun!"











Adrian says: "Ahoy Matey, me a Pirate?"









"Dad, we're so happy your here! See?"

Napoleon Dynamite

This is a pic of me taken 8 years ago. I had never seen it and a friend of mine sent it to me recently to which all I could say was, "Thank God for change!" I guess everyone goes through their "Napoleon Dynamite" stage.

Jeremy and Mila

You guys are so cool! Folks these are good people. I had the privilege of spending a day in there home while I was in Houston, one of the best and most enjoyable experiences I have had in awhile. From the moment I walked in the door to the moment I left there was love friendship and affection as well as funny happenings and great conversations. You guys made my trip to Houston one which gives me the desire to want to return. I don't even mind that I was having so much fun I was not able to sleep at all while there. I mean why waste time on sleep, right?

Thank You Tom and Donna

We arrived last night at the border in good time. Thanks so much for your prayers for dry weather. We only had rain for the first 4 hours of our trip. Then it was blue skies and dry roads all the way. I was quite surprised at how good the roads in Mexico are getting. Five years ago when making this same trip there was one part of the road that reminded me of bowling with guide rails, no matter how many times the bowling ball goes back and forth down the lane it always hits something. So no matter how you would go back and forth in the lane to miss the potholes you always hit something. So I am glad to see that they are repairing the roads faster and better. Makes for easier driving.

I want to say a big thanks to Tom and Donna, at the border home for so sweetly and graciously receiving us. They are a small team with huge hearts. With our team and others that arrived yesterday (also passing through) they went from a house of 10 to 24. I was talking to Tom last night as he seemed so familiar and we were trying to place if and where we may have met. It turns out that last night was our first time meeting. But it came up in our discussion that no matter where you go in Family be it half way around the world to someplace you never heard of or stay with people you never met the Spirit of the Family is in each of us so it always feels like your staying at home. Home truly is where the heart is....and as long as your heart is in the Family you will always be at Home!

Travels

Tomorrow marks the beginning of a month of travels for me. I will try to stay faithful with this blog depending on internet access.

I prefer when traveling on long trips of 12 hours or more to start early in the morning as opposed to traveling late into the night. This helps me by getting my driving during non daylight hours in after I have just woken up and am still fresh.
So tomorrow at 3:30 am I will be heading up from Veracruz Mexico to Brownsville TX. This is a 16 hour drive. Not too bad I am used to those. Being its rainy season though I hope and pray the roads are not washed out as that would make the trip quite a bit longer. Please pray that its not raining as we travel.

Then on Monday I will be driving to Houston to drop off Vanessa (pictured here) one of our home members at the airport as she will be visiting her parents in a different country.

The most original excuse for not doing JJT.

PRO.22:13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.

Jade and I

Yes Cel you are right, I do have a crush....on Jade. Jade will always be the love of my life. Others may come and go, but the love I have for her will never deminish. It grows stronger every day.

Friend or Foe...You're Welcome Here!

I have been toying with the idea for awhile now to start a blog. So here it is. I don't know what it will become; I don't really have any high hopes for it. I was talking to a blogger friend of mine and they made a comment to the effect that it's a bloggers world. I don't really know what they meant, but if your able to find something here that brightens your day or makes you smile then it's worth it.

So I want to welcome anyone who comes across these pages. Life is Sweet!