The Eyes of Cristo Rey: Nicaragua Missions Finale.
Blisters on my hands, sand in my teeth, sweat on my brow, tears in my eyes, a lump in my throat, pain in my heart and a deep sense of appreciation to the creator of heaven and earth.
My troubles have shrunk, my fear has subsided, my love increased and my faith stretched. I am amazed that so many come to serve and amazed at how many in this tiny portion of this big world have need. I am also amazed that despite their situation, they praise, they worship and they believe. Their possessions are small and their faith is large. Each and every one we served shared a story of prayer and faith and belief that their needs would be met, and that we were their answer of prayer.
I have listened to many missionaries, I have seen countless slide presentations and videos, I have fought back the tears and I have given to the cause. But until I went, until I smelt the stink of the dump and the unwashed, until I have tasted the sandy grit between my teeth, until I walked into their “house” and saw the dirt covered, smashed thin foam single mattress for the whole family on the floor, until I had looked into the live ,glistening, often red eyes, of the dirt streaked faces on the kids, I could not fully understand the need. They became more than a story, more than a video, they are real people struggling every day to survive.
Now that I know, I pray that I can continue to go and to make a small tiny difference in the vast field of need. For I know of no humbler, awe inspiring feeling than when you are told that you are an answer to prayer.
Short slide show: The Eyes of Cristo Rey
Alaska; Costa Rica similarities? It’s a breeze.
Throughout the last 7 months I have been highlighting the differences between Costa Rica and Alaska, today however I am going to key on a similarity. In Alaska, we always mused that we only had two seasons, 9 months of winter and 3 months of summer. Some would say breakup was also considered a season. Our springs were mired in the much of breakup and our falls, well they seemed to last about a week. So we endured winter and lived for summer.
Here in Costa Rica they have two seasons as well, the green or rainy season and the dry season. I posted several blogs during the rainy season, and man it sure does rain. It rains like I have never seen, like Forest Gump Vietnam rain. Well were are now a couple of months or so into the dry season and much like breakup in Alaska we are experiencing a new intra-season, the windy season. The wind here, like all great winds has a name, the Papgayo (I think there are 50 different ways to spell it) winds. These winds are fierce. They start rattling the palm trees at about 5:30 in morning, a natural alarm clock, and often die down about 12 hours later, before repeating the cycle. They are strong, gusting and loud. I mean these are the kind of winds that take a toupee to Panama. They will dry a clothes line full of clothes in 10 minutes or less. They will hurl a coconut down the street faster than a Roger Clemens fastball, post steroid use. These are seriously impressive winds. Winds that would frighten me if I was patrolling the Bering Sea in January like the old days.
a little spray taken off the top of this small comber.
another small one showing the evidence of the winds
Personally I have been enjoying them for they make being outside quite bearable. However, yesterday while hanging at the beach and doing a little surfing, I saw a glimpse into the downside of the Papagayos. You see if you have ever tried to sit on the beach in a bathing suit, during a wind storm,it is akin to being shot at by dozens of kids with airsoft guns. Basically, you are being sandblasted, the same method we used to remove paint off of our old steel boats in Alaska. It is slightly unpleasant. So to escape you jump in the water with your surf board to catch some waves. The problem there is that the wind causes a wind chop that has you taking constant green water over your bow, making it very difficult to navigate. Furthermore it pushes wherever it wants you to go, which is not where you want to be. The good news, if the hurricane is blowing off shore, then you get the perfect barrel for surfing, if you know what you are doing, and I don’t. So I usually end up upside down, holding my breath on the bottom of the ocean waiting for the thundering of the ocean to quiet down so that I can emerge to get some air, pull my surfboard back to the water as it flutters in the wind like a kite, paddle back into the wind, and try again.
spray warning
more wind clouds
but it does lend itself to some nice sunsets and cloud formations
So there you have it, Costa Rica is just like Alaska, two seasons and each with their good and bad points. Alaska’s interim breakup is messy and makes it difficult to be outside, Costa Rica’s windy season is messy and makes it difficult to be on the beach. A couple big differences, although I do take a ton of water over the bow, I don’t have to worry about icing up, and during AK’s breakup your toupee is not only safe, but a good way to keep your noggin warm. Here in CR, unless you are using superglue, best put that thing in lock up for January and February and get a little sun on your dome, after you sandblast off all the dead skin of course.
Here is a short video, with the full sounds of the winds in our back yard.
Weekend at Arenal
Living in Anchorage, when we wanted to get away for the weekend we would load up the minivan, point her south and head down to the Kenai Peninsula. In two and a half hours we could be in Kenai, an hour further we would be in Homer. It didn’t matter much which one, just as long as we were out of town.
Traveling view of Lake Arenal.
Well the same thing applies here in Costa Rica. With mom and grandma visiting we figured it was a great time to head to Arenal, one of the local active volcanos in Costa Rica. We loaded up the 12 seater with 11 bodies, and a bundle of bags and took off in hopes of catching a glimpse of the molten red lava spewing into the night sky.
Now Costa Rica is know for its diversiveness, and we live in the dry region famous for great beaches. We were headed towards the rain forest and jungles. The drive is about 4 hours and I like to divide it into three sections. The first section I would call the highway, from here to Liberia and a little beyond. The roads are well traveled, pretty straight and blast through small town after small town. The second section takes you into the hills where the winds await. There are sparse trees, wind farms, and a giant lake littered with wind surfers and their neon colored kites speckling the white capped lake. From inside the car, it looks cold, very cold. It reminds me of a lonesome bay in Alaska on cold blustery summer day. In reality, it is about 80 degrees out, and the wind, 20-25 mph, is a welcomed coolant.
Watching fish.
Once pass the sparse hills we enter the jungle, clouds appear, fog is present and the edge of the road disappears into the vivd green dripping jungle. There are a myriad of one lane bridges, rivers and eroding, albeit paved, roads along the way. The temperature is significantly cooler and the air becomes heavy with moisture. It is af you are driving into Jurrassic Park.
Contrary to what you may think, we are not making that bridge sag.
Four hours into our expedition we arrived at our destination, Los Lagos, a hotel / resort known for its spa and hot springs. But it had much more than we anticipated, a small butterfly farm, a frog farm, a crocodile farm and it was nestled right on the shoulder of the active Arenal volcano. It was very lush, very green well kept and catered towards tourists:us. It was perfect for this party of 11. For the kids it had three fast water slides, for the adults 7 different hot springs, pools and a spa.
At least one of them found the camera lens.
Grandma kept getting in trouble for not paying attention. The best part, she never knew it.
Happy, sad, scared, nervous? Not sure, perhaps a mix.
During our two day tour we decided to take advantage of some of the must do activites. We decided on the Ecoglide canopy / zip line tour, horseback riding for some, and a hike to the La Fortuna waterfall. In between all this we would soak our weary bodies in the hot springs and sip virgin pina colados served out of pineapples, can’t get much touristier than that.
Our Tico coffee at our new favorite place to eat in La Fortuna, La Choza. If you visit, you must eat there.
The zip line was the highlight for most. It consisted of 15 different zip lines at varying lengths, heights and speeds. All fantastically fun and exhiliariting. But what really set it over the top was the Tarzan swing perilously awaiting you in the middle of of the tour. Of course I was offered up as the sacrificial Tarzan to go first. As I eased forward onto the shaky mesh metal platform hanging over what felt like the abyss, they strapped me in the never explaining what was about to occur. The guides hooked two thin, weary looking and frayed white lines into my harness. They tugged, tightened and pulled me right next to a gate overlooking a 1000 foot drop ( at least it looked that far) and told me to press up against the gate. At this point I thought they would explain what was going to happen, instead “click” the gate was open. “Wait what is going on” I stammered, “relax, just sit” and I as bent my knees to sit I began free falling to the earth below. My intestines just about flew out of my mouth as I began screaming “NO, NO, NO”. It felt as if the two puny ropes had failed and I was going to be a ball of mush on the side of a mountain. But then the lines gently grabbed hold and began rocketing me straight up to the sky, inches away from the canopy above, and I began swinging, like Tarzan, back and forth, inches away from tree trunks. It was scary, it was exhiliarting and it was fun. The best part was watching those who went after me, knowing what they were going through, but also knowing they had the advantage of knowing what was going to happen. I must acknowledge those who took the leap, Tracy, Dorian, Alli, Jeremy, Olivia, and Grandma. Yes my 83 year old grandma took the leap screaming ‘WHEEEEE!! You’re going to miss out” Much like the Geico pig. She loved it. Mom, well she got strapped in, stepped up to the gate, and then couldn’t go through with it. But she got close.
Can you see the toucan? I can.
After the two hour tour, we rushed a group to the horse riding tour while the rest of us elected to rest our weary bodies in the hot springs. I hear the horseback tour was awesome, but I did not go as I prefered not to have saddle sores for the remainder of our stay. Besides, the last time I did the tour it ended up being a little more adventurous than I bargained for. They however loved it, especially my wife who got to ride her favorite kind of horse.
Returning to the stables after a month long cow herd.
After an excellent, gigando dinner at La Choza in La Fortuna, the next morning, we headed out for our hike to the waterfall in La Fortuna. The hike was down the side of a mountian on steps made of perforated concrete which allowed the massive vegetation to grow through and around it, almost engulfing it as part of the earth. I am not sure how many steps there were, I stopped counting after one trillion, but at least they were of varying heights angles and depths to keep it interesting. The trip down was worth the view, the trip up was tenuous. Next time we are packing a lunch and our swimming trunks and enjoying the view for a while.
Is that Bear Gryls?
Although we did not get to see any lava, or even the very top of the the volcano, it was a weekend to be remembered, a great way to spend the last one before school starts up again. We got to see a lot of critters; the infamous coati begging on the side of the road,monkeys chilling and posing, toucans, iguanas, butterflies, crocodiles, frogs and even a sloth. I am extremely proud of grandma as she did each an every adventure set before her, living life to the fullest. But most of all I am proud of her for surviving three days and two nights without her facebook. That my friends was a real challenge!
This is about as much of the volcano as we ever saw.
Here is a short video compilation of our weekend for you to enjoy. Until our next adventure, I need some sleep.
200
Today I noticed that this post would be my 200th post. At first I thought 200 was not that much, but I have realized that it is actually quite a bit, especially considering that I am not writing about current events, news or anything like that, I am writing about life and our family. Our journey to a family of 10 in Alaska to a family of 9 in Costa Rica. The very first post was in September of 2008, which means it took me over 3 years to get 200 published posts. Lately I have resolved myself to adding a new post on an average of at least one a week, and I am proud to say that I am ahead of schedule this year. Perhaps relocating to Costa Rica has helped a little.
Most of the posts have been very light-hearted and fun, some however have been very dark, sad and therapeutic. Whatever the style, they all have their own pace and feel. Some have taken me days to write, others minutes, some are done in minutes but I hesitate to post them, others I have written and have never posted. But as I reflect back on the last 199 posts I have come to realize that this tiny little blog has help me connect more with God, myself, my family and friends. It has help me come to grips with some big happenings in my life, and in the live’s of those I love. It has been fun and it has been tedious at times. Sometimes I struggled to find something worthy of writing about, something anyone would even care about. And I always have to go back to why I am writing and who am I writing for. Originally it was so our family and friends could see into the lives of a big family, a special family, at least in my mind. Now we are way away from anywhere I thought we would be from my first post. It has evolved into a blog about a crazy big family that has moved from one corner of the world to another, on a whim, some would say. So for blog post 200, instead of sharing the most popular posts I thought I would share some of my personal favorite posts. The ones that affected me and others the most. They may not have been the most popular or most light-hearted, but they had something in them that just had that extra special meaning. I know everyone always enjoys new materials and new pictures, but these are all some re-posts of days gone by. As we all know, each and every post will be out there for all eternity, because as they say once you put it on the web, it will never go away. So if you are bored on a rainy/ snowy day, scroll the tags or topics on the right, or put in a keyword to see what you might find. There are over 200 to chose from!
Probably the overall most popular posts are the Christmas Letters. They are always at the top of the blog and you click there to read them. It is the year in review, and those usually take the longest for me to write, so I am glad at least someone is reading them.
The second most popular are the ones with lots of pictures. Now, as the writer of this blog this causes me a little concern. I have a feeling there are a few of you that are just looking for the latest greatest pic, and not reading a word I type. Darn the twitter generation! However, I think those are my wife’s favorite as well, so they can’t be all bad.
Without question, the posts that caused the most reaction are the ones with Jo, when we were going through our transition with her. It was one of the most difficult things we had ever dealt with as a family. I don’t know why I wrote about it like I did, but I really think it helped to put it into words and the response was very big. Not just a comment on the blog, but a full email, a phone call, a visit the reactions were amazing. These posts mostly wrote themselves in minutes and made me thankful I had this little blog to use for therapy.
These are a couple of miscellaneous ones that had pretty big hits. The real Costa Rica I could understand via google. It was from our first trip to Costa Rica and it was an eye opener for us. Awkward Conversations; I don’t know why but that one seemed to strike a note with people. Although I didn’t get a lot of comments on the blog, again I had a lot of personal reactions. The next one I did not anticipate at all. It was a simple blog on me grilling some ribs for my birthday, and I thought I would be cute with the title. Apparently, a lot of people google that song because it still gets a lot of hits to this very day. Who knew?
I have a BBQ stain on my white T-shirt
So there you have it, Post 200 is now in the books, or on the web for all eternity. If you have time you can click-through to some of the above listed posts to see the variety of activity that we have encountered throughout the last 3 years. However, I will warn you that the middle section can be a little heavy, and it still affects me to this very day. I like to think that I have another 200 posts in me, and with our recent relocation I hope that will give me interesting fodder for the next few years. Stay tuned, and thank you so much for reading, and I really thank you for the comments and kind words. Glenn
Here comes that rainy day feeling again
October is apparently the rainiest month of the year in Costa Rica, and this one has not disappointed, at least not in our eyes. If one has their eyes open the signs are readily apparent, huge drainage holes in the concrete walls surrounding yards, deep concrete ditches on the sides of the roads, and houses adorned with gargantuan gutters and spouts all for this season.
Talking to those who have resided here for a time, this has been a light rainy season. Thunderstorms in the morning, clear skies in the afternoon, clear skies in the morning thunderstorms in the afternoon. But something changed this last month. The thunderstorms have given way to rainy days, cloudy days and periods of downpours. You know it can get bad when your church has a contingency plan to meet in a nearby school if the rain causes the river to rise to an uncrossable level. Which it did last Sunday.
the river runneth through the road to church
Even though I was born on Kodiak Island ie. one of the rain-forests of Alaska, and we lived there for years, it is taking us time to get used to the pure intensity and size of the local rainfall. Often times it pounds down so hard on the roof of the house, you would think it collapse under the sheer weight and force. It is a thunderous sound against the ceramic tiles, that could be almost melodic, but it echos more the constant rolling thunder. Even a quick sprint to the car, 30 feet away will leave you drenched to the point of dripping. But then, when the rain stops in the afternoon and the sun peaks through, then the evaporation and humidity, wet sticky humidity take over the day, and it leaves you begging for the rain again. At least you know you are going to get wet in the rain, the humidity is like a sneak attack; melting you from the inside out.
managed to capture a shot of lightning in the pitch black of night with my iphone.
This being our first rainy season, much like people taking pictures of moose their first year in Alaska, we are shutterbugs, shooting video and pictures of the massive amount of agua that this country can endure. However, it has not come without a price, as there have been 18 road closures, massive mud slides, flooding and the likes.
This is what it looks like from our patio in between the hundreds of lightning strikes....
...same shot seconds later, still pitch black out. It is like a disco strobe at night.
So the following video is for your enjoyment, through the sacrifice of our dryness. Much like the pictures from my days patrolling the Pacific ocean, and waves on the beach, the pictures and video do not accurately display the veracity and intensity of the experience. But it represents a typical September evening and so far a typical late October day. The good news; if it continues we will be surfing down driveway! Hang Ten.
Costa Quirks – Driving Guanacaste
Every once in a while I am going to do a blog on a major difference that I notice from AK to CR. I will tag them as Costa Quirks.
You want to know something a little scary? Driving in Costa Rica. First of all the roads are smaller than home, and they have no shoulders. Secondly, there are a bunch of critters all over them, iguanas, dogs,herds of cows, frogs, crabs,possums, skunks, chickens and much more. Even though most of them won’t hurt your car, they can cause an evasive action reaction, which on a road with no shoulders can be dangerous. Even scarier than the critters are the evenings. The roads are very dark after 7 pm. Imagine driving 100 on a small windy road ( yes I know it is kilometers, it just sound s cool to say 100) street lights non-existent, weak headlights barely illumaniting the road ahead, and then like a flash a dark skinned person appears in dark clothes about 1 foot inside the white line, oblivious to you and trusting that you will not hit them. This can lead to perennial tension on the steering wheel, causing excessive stress throughout the shoulders and arms, and flat wearing the driver out.
Filadelfia traveler
bikers are everywhere
this bus tried to get off the road.
Traffic laws are things in fables and fairytales, speed limits ignored. Nobody drives the velocidad maximum, they either drive way below it or way above, never at it. Stop signs are treated like green lights and the double yellow line means you need to pass twice as fast. But you want to know is even scarier? The other people on the road, and when I mean on the road I mean on the road. The pedestrians, bike riders, scooter riders,horses, truck and bus drivers, all of them are extremely frightening, especially in the dark. Remember there are no shoulders, so where do the pedestrians walk? On the road, with black shirts and no reflective clothing, nearly impossible to see. Where do the bike riders ride? On the road with the same clothes.It’s like they want to be ninjas, never seen and never heard until they are right on you. This goes for all of the ones mentioned above, they all share the road with the car drivers.
But even scarier than that, are other drivers. Remember the traffic laws are rarely obeyed, so they drive however they feel like driving, pass whenever they want, and my favorite, stop in the middle of the road to chat with pedestrians other drivers or just to stretch a little. NO JOKE. Buses, Trucks cars all of them will stop right in the middle of the road, granted a couple of them actually turn on their hazards so there is that. Then while they sit in the road tour buses, trucks, motorcycles, bikes, all of them zoom by in the opposite lane of traffic. It is common place to see a fully loaded tour bus pass on a double yellow, up a hill on a blind corner.
Typical Tamarindo scene
It is a conundrum to me. We are in a country where the motto is Pura Vida, and the laid back life style is not only marketed but encouraged. Yet driving feels incredibly dangerous and rushed, it is an intense adventure rivaling whitewater rafting and zip lining, but more dangerous. But you want to know what the scariest of all is?………………….
this is my "forced smile I'm not stressed" look.
……… I kind of like it!
Here is a three minute video of a 45 minute drive back from Liberia.
Surfing USA
Alright, I know we aren’t in the USA, but it was Independence Day and we are still US citizens, so I figured I could take a little liberty there with the title. We were eager to see what the Fourth of July would be like in CR, whether anyone would care or even know. They know, but I am not sure they care, other than caring to party.
Playa Grande
Alli shell hunting
looking for more shells
action Jackson
For us we decided to make it a family day and do something we had never ever done on the Fourth; surf. Since we had never surfed on the fourth, and most of us had never surfed at all, what better place to go than the place known for its big waves, Playa Grande. At the surf board shop we rented the biggest fattest board they had, because we like to go old school, and because they are supposed to be easier to use for beginners.
grand rock at Grande
The rocks residents
Kassie and Jake taking a rare break from the water
Big board Benny
The beach is called grande because it is a huge beach. White sand, big waves and a little wind, pretty much all you need. The white sand seems to go on forever, the waves are never-ending, the people are few and the water as warm as a spa. So into the water we went, dad the instructor who does not know how to surf, a 9 foot surf board and eager students. I suppose like anything, when you watch the pros do it, it looks easy. Swim out, turn around, catch the wave, stand up, your surfing! Of course it never is. To my surprise the hardest part was the swimming out. Almost every kid who tried had a hard time getting the board out past the waves on their own. Conversely, only after a few spills, every kid who tried to stand up and ride a wave succeeded. Our technique was simple, practice jumping up on the beach, practice balancing on the board in the water, dad holds the board until he sees a good wave then sends them on their way. Their job, jump up when they feel comfortable. To my shock, it worked.
Tra and Kassie cheesing it
hmmmm, I don't like to get my face wet, but this looks pretty cool.
Tra catching a wave on the boogie board
I can't believe I just did that! Righteous!
Now surfing is not just about standing on a surf board, that I know. But that is all I know, so until we have some actual teachers we will call that success.
After three hours in the water shuffling kids through the board, I could feel my head start to get warm and my muscles start to get tired, so I had to take a break. In fact, if I could figure out a way to sell a DVD with a wave pool that generated 5-8 foot waves over and over in people’s living room, I would be the next millionaire in the exercise market. It is definitely a workout to just stand in the surf.
Jake praying at the Mar Bar
our new favorite hole in the wall for lunch
Starving, thirsty salty and soggy we asked around for a good quick local eat and were told about Mar Bar, somewhat hidden but the only place to get some good quick grub. The Mar Bar is exactly what I would picture as a surfers hangout. Located as part of small, low-budget hotel, with a pool; It was very small, just wide enough for a row of eight three person tables an chairs in the “dining area” about 5 feet away from the six person bar. The bar had a 1/2 wall to block the road, and the rest was open. The small kitchen plainly visible to the patrons, with a flat screen tv hanging from the wall playing surf videos from around the world. Locals were in and out, the owner knowing them all by name. It was as much as of a pass-thru as a hangout. Our food was prepared by two local Ticas, and it was fantastic. All the items were fresh and handmade, especially the fries. The fries were hand cut half moons, light crispy, not greasy at all and seasoned with salt and rosemary; amazing. The fish burrito, again light but filling, loaded with fresh ingredients, as were the BLT wraps with slices of perfectly ripened avocados and special sauce. It was all excellent, and we will be back.
We finished the day with a local fireworks celebration near the Happy Snapper, a local eatery located across the street from the beach. There was live music which could be heard blocks away. Oddly enough, for USA independence day, the music was mostly Latin flavor and in Spanish. We chose to sit by the beach, not knowing where the fireworks would be displayed. Then in the pitch dark, at 7:30 we noticed that we had parked right next to the lighting station. No fences, yellow tape, nothing to keep you at a safe distance. We move a little ways away and made camp under some palm trees about 50 feet away. Half an hour late and the lighter man began the show. Now it may not have been the most awesome display we have ever seen, but what was awesome was that we were sitting on a beach, under palm trees, 8:00 pm in shorts and T-shirts, as the residual from the exploding rockets fell all around us and sizzled into the edge of the ocean. That was new. It was subdued, not overdone, simple but exotic, late, slow and appreciated, just like everything in Costa Rica. It was a good way to spend our first Independence Day abroad.
Alli and Playa Grande
Godfrey’s Islands of Adventure
As I sit by the pool nearing 11 pm I am in awe of my kids stamina and at the same time acutely aware of my dwindling stamina. You see, right now we are still in vacation mode, so to me vacation means relaxing, to our family vacation means water and lots of it. We have been in our townhouse for two days, and day one they spent about 5 hours in the pool, in between shopping trips. That included a late night pool movie feature. Today we spent the whole day at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. We arrived at the park at 9:15 and left at 6:30. I wanted to stay until 9 pm, so that we could get our moneys worth, but I got out-voted by a bunch of endless energy munchkins that wanted to get a couple of hours in the pool before it closed at 11.
Now, my intent was to stay at the park from open to close, but to be honest, after about 6 hours I was spent. My feet hurt, my back hurt, my sunburns hurt and my wallet hurt. The park is not a good place to eat on the cheap. By about 3 pm I was ready to roll, but the cheap skate in me made me push on. The same one that makes me eat all the left overs from everyone’s plate in any restaurant. We paid for it, we are going to eat it! However, despite my agony and because of my inner miser, I suggested one last Spiderman before we boogied. Immediately after that, we left dragging our tails in tow.
Here a couple of things we learned this time around about Islands of Adventure. Last time it was our favorite, and it was still very good.
1. If you arrive at open, you will do so with a throng of other cheap skates wanting to get every second out of that park for their money’s worth. Misers, in general are a grouchy creature, be aware of them and avoid them if possible.
2. By about 6 the lines really start to shorten, especially for the popular rides. As we were walking out, the Hulk, which was perennially a 40 minute wait was down to 10 minutes. All other rides seem to follow suit.
3. Our favorite rides, Spiderman, Hulk,Champion Dragons, and Harry Potter. Overall our number one must ride is probably Harry Potter. Now it pains me to say this because I have never read a Harry Potter book nor seen any of the movies. All I know about Potter is that he is a 30-year-old wizard posing as a pre-teen boy, and that may be inaccurate. That being said, the ride is phenomenal. It is very similar to Spiderman, but modernized. One of the neatest things they have done to combat the non-stop long lines filled with wizards and interesting looking folk, is to make the Castle an interesting feature in and of itself. The castle captures your attention so well that once you get in it, which takes some time, time flies by. In fact, you will get snowed on in the castle. How cool is that? And that’s still 20 minutes away from the ride.
All in all we are still heavily in vacation mode combating reality with every waking moment. Our waistlines are growing with the plethora of cheap junk food; our skin burns red from the hot sun; and our eyes are bloodshot from either a lack of vacation sleep or chlorine, one cannot be sure. However so far, I wouldn’t change a thing. In fact, I think it is time for a midnight dip.
The following video is a compilation of our day at Islands of adventure. There are some actual real-time ride videos taken by Tra and I on our iphones on some of the most harrowing rides. This my friends is dedication ; risking our phones for you pleasure. We hope you enjoy. Oh, and if you hear any screams, they are purely for your benefit.
Fists of Fury
I have been known to watch the occasional mixed martial arts bout as I enjoy watching guys with an over abundance of tattoos getting pounded by a dude with only one tattoo. However, I don’t condone fighting, and we put the kiabash to it as soon as it occurs in this house, unless it is entertaining. Now some people train for years to build up the skill to become mixed martial artists. They spend 6-8 hours a day in the gym doing the same moves over and over until they are engrained in their muscles and their memory. To them it is as common as blinking. They box tirelessly for hours, sweat flying off their body with every punch, moving up and down, weaving and keeping light on their feet. They learn to punch when they have no strength left, when their legs are collapsing from underneath them, they can still throw a punch, and throw it hard. It takes years of concentration, practice, pain, sacrifice and injury to become a good MMA fighter, and it takes fortitude, guts and sheer will to become a great MMA fighter. Some people, well some people are just born with those skills. They just know how to fight, how to win, and how to never give up, no matter how hard they are kicked in the face. But mostly they know how to dodge a punch or a kick ( Vitor). The following video is just one of those people who have been born with the obvious skills. They took the time to come to our house and show us some moves, so that we could learn from their prowess and better our own skills. A selfless act to be sure. And thanks to Kinect, we got some great live action shots. So please enjoy the following video clip and pay special attention to some new moves and some real fancy footwork by the female fighter on the right. A natural to say the least.
Partridge Godfreys for Project Rescue
Ahhh the dessert auction, is there any other better way to raise money? I cannot think of any. Spend outrageous amounts of cash for awesome looking desserts that you would never think to make or buy. I have attended several and I have always walked away with something, usually a couple more pounds. The most recent one was for Project Rescue, an extremely worthy cause. If you have not heard of it, click on this LINK and learn more. The bad news, as much as I enjoy a dessert auction my mother and grandmother enjoy them 10 times more. In fact they treat it as a mission or even a battlefield zone. They have special stealth skills and bidding strategies which all but guarantee victory in the silent auction. They lurk around the auction zones, pen in hand, fake names pre-planned, and body checks ready to go. If they bid, they intend to win, and it is fruitless to bid directly against them.
This was the scene at our church’s last dessert auction, and they did well walking away with 6, yes 6 different desserts. But why were they there you ask? They don’t live here, they don’t often visit randomly, so why? Well you see this auction also had a talent show, and some of the talent were their grandkids, or as Pastor Nick refers to them ” Charity Bait”. I know what you’re thinking “what is their talent? Having the coolest dad in all of America?” Well they have other talents as well, and unfortunately they usually keep them hidden. For this show Olivia played the piano, Ben played a song on the guitar and sang, and Alli performed a dance. All this in front of impatient sugar starved bidders ready to attack the foray of desserts tantalizing them from the display section. They were all nervous, but not nearly as nervous as mom and dad. They all three did fantastic, and we couldn’t be prouder. To see them fight back their nerves and perform for a worthy cause was very proud moment. I was proud enough that I wanted to share it with those of you who could not be there. So the following video is a combination of all three performances. The sound may be a little quiet as I recorded it all from my phone, so I couldn’t adjust the sound or zoom in but you’ll get the point.The whole video is about 9 minutes, with some random facts to keep your interest, so please enjoy.
Primero semester de espanol Love Song (cancion de amor)
In honor of upcoming transfer of latitudes, and the fact that my two high schoolers are in Spanish II Or Espanol dos, as we prefer to call it, I present you the First Semester of Spanish Love Song.
I took three years of Spanish in High School / College so I can understand the language decently. However recalling it is quit another challenge. One technique that helped me was the songs.
In High School I absolutely abhorred the songs. I hated singing them, I hated learning them, but most of all I hated performing them. Yes we performed the songs. Every year at Christmas time our teacher, Ms. Heitkamp, would give us a list of songs to learn. We would then practice the songs for weeks culminating with our grand tour. The tour consisted of the Social Studies, Algebra, and History classes all in one morning. It was exhausting, even for a performer of my caliber. Further, performing so close to the audience adds another uncomfortable dimension to the show. I like distance between me and my fans, we were right on top of them and I could see my fellow basketball team mates snickers, my fellow “cool crowd” pimple faced buddies pointing, and everyone else holding it in the best we can as the chorus of “Rudolph el Benedito” rang throughout the halls. It was quite terrifying, and I am sure it was quite hideous to observe and hear. I am just ever so thankful phone cameras and YouTube had not yet been invented. However, as horrifying as it was, I can still recall most of the lyrics when needed. So if I ever meet someone with a bright nose and I need them to help me through a snowstorm on my sleigh, I can whip out “Jefe, con nariz de luz, quieres guirre me autobus?”
So in honor of all that and without further adieu, I give you an oldie but a goodie, the first semester of Spanish Love Song. Enjoy, sing along and you too will soon be speaking enough spanish to get you through Los Angeles.
It’s a safety dance
This post is in honor of my wife, as it is almost her birthday. To me, she is as perfect as a woman could be. She does, however, have one flaw that I am going to share with God and our blog followers. This flaw is not that big of deal, most of the time, but it can make me angry sometimes, and embarrass me other times. I don’t think she will ever get over it, and I love her in spite of it. It rears its ugly head at the most inopportune times, and yet I think it is pretty much uncontrollable. Have you guessed? Her flaw is that she loves to laugh at other peoples pain. Now I am not talking about kidney stone, root canal type pain. I am talking about people trying to be cool, or just minding their own business and falling, or getting hurt unexpectedly type of pain. When she sees it, she bursts out in laughter.
I get angry when it is me she is laughing at. I get embarrassed when it is others she is laughing at in my presence. Kids are not immune, in fact if they are our kids, it is somehow even just a little bit funnier. The best thing about this flaw, she uses it on herself. Now I won’t say that she is clumsy, but she gets to laugh at herself a lot. So these two videos, oldies but goodies, are for my giggling gal and I hope that any time she needs a laugh she can log on and look. Then maybe she won’t be following me around when I have a hammer in my hand.
So if you are a compassionate, kind, caring person, you may not want to watch the following videos. And if that is true, then you have probably been reading the wrong blog. For the rest of you, those of you that maybe chuckle just a little when someone experiences just a teensy weensy bit O’ pain, then click on, and just remember, we are all fair game.
Happy Valentine’s & The Don’t Song.
I just received this video from my beloved brother-in-law. They have nothing better to do in North Pole than to surf youtube looking for good videos. Anyway, I thought it was extremely appropriate for Valentine’s Day and I thought I should share it with all of you. It contains sage advice, advice that should be heeded and cherished. They put the advice to music so that you will be able to sing along and remember it, much like the alphabet, which every DUI I ever dealt with had to sing to complete. So for you entertainment, education, and enjoyment I present to you The Don’t Song.
Costa Rica Pura Vida le segunda parte ( part two)
I think I got the video issues worked out, finally. Now I must pre-worn you, if you don’t like monkey’s, you probably won’t like part two. For some reason, when I was making this, I went particularly heavy on the monkeys. I like monkeys. I call my kids monkeys. So I am not apologizing for the amount of monkeys, I am just warning that you will see quite a few monkeys. There are also some sunsets, sailboats, beaches and all that stuff. I was also able to upload the whole video in its entirety onto Dailymotion, so I have included that on here as well. So sit back relax and allow yourself to be swept away to the land of beaches, sun, rain forests and monkeys, lots of monkeys.
This is part two from the previous post
This is the whole video, both parts 1 and 2 combined.
PURA VIDA
Pura Vida
In honor of our upcoming trip back to the land of pura vida, I have finally uploaded a video montage of our last trip. Truthfully this project has been mostly done for months. My biggest issue is that Youtube always blocks the music content, so I am trying to find the right music, etc. etc. etc. In fact, I uploaded two videos, and this first one they found okay, the second one they tagged. So now I am going to try to get that fixed.
Anyway, this is the first video. There were thousands of photos I could have used. I could have probably made the video 40 minutes long from the photos we (Tracy) took. None of the animals were in zoos, but the crocs were in the Tempisque River, a park. I gotta say, these minus 10 days are making it very hard to wait for our trip.
The Government Can
I have a couple new posts waiting in the wings, but I am waiting for some pics. I am also working on the Christmas letter, but that takes time and approval from my editor for fact checking. So until then, I figured I would share one of my recent favorite videos with you. I really like the dancing in here, but if you listen closely to the lyrics, they are right on. I dare you to watch the whole thing, if you do,you will be humming or singing it all day.
Happy Birthday Nana
Nana, we wish you a fantastic, awesome, joy filled happy birthday. Now you need to forgive me, because I don’t have a lot of digital pictures of you, so for the following video I was scraping the depths of my computer’s hard drive, and this is what I could come up with. You know they used to use film and disposable flash back in your day. We love you and can’t wait to see you!
Need a laugh.
Update on Dorian, his second game he had four points, a rebound, an assist and a blocked shot!! So they called a foul on the block shot, but it was sweet, especially for the second smallest guy on the team. He swatted that shot right out of play, even his team mates were shouting about it. That has always been one of his favorite things to do, block shots. Well, it has been a while since I posted a video not about “the family” so I figure it was about time. This is Thor Ramsey and he is pretty funny. I can relate to a lot of what he says so that makes him all the more funnier to me. There are some great christian comedians out there and he is one of them. So if you are in the mood for a laugh click on the video below and enjoy. The video is just under 5 minutes long. Oh, btw, they won their game again and he plays again today!
Have you ever had days like this?
I was going to analyze this video and put it into a real life situation, but I don’t think it is required. This is obviously taken in Alaska ( for us Alaskans wink wink) so for those of you lower 48ers that are now reading this, you get a taste of what we see every day ( wink wink). I have been on both sides of this epic battle between fin and fowl. I have won many times, and lost many more. At the risk of sounding a little mushy ( and after posting some of my very masculine college pictures, this could confuse some) this video is cute. I usually hate cute videos, but for some odd reason, I liked this one. I guess it shouts out life lessons and morals, like never give up, never surrender, always try your hardest, you can’t teach on old dog new tricks, yada yada yada.
However, I like my moral: If you’re gonna have wings and not fly, you better have a plan B.
Please for you to enjoy.
