tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-158656422024-03-13T09:08:06.069-05:00Tiny EThe Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.comBlogger379125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-21279474380844617732011-09-17T17:34:00.000-05:002011-09-17T17:34:40.363-05:00T2 UpdateInstead of breaking the year into Quarters like the business world, and since <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVfe6rdHRKI">Three is the Magic Number</a>, we here at the Williams Family Blog are going to break our year into Thirds. You've already gotten<a href="http://tinyeblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/winter-vacation.html"> the</a> <a href="http://tinyeblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/march.html">T1 Update</a> of January through April, so lookie lookie, it all works out!<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">May</span></strong><br />
May was very busy and fun. It began with Kim having a girl's getaway in Las Vegas. While she was there I was the Homeschool teacher, and I think we all <a href="http://tinyeblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/homeschooling.html">remember how that turned out</a>. Upon her return, we celebrated Drew's 6th Birthday with a Lord of the Rings theme, and, once again, Kim created a masterpiece of a cake.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>May also saw Elliot celebrate his First Holy Communion! He was so excited and we are so proud of him. Gran and Pop Williams and Grandma and Grandpa Harvey came in to celebrate the special day with Elliot.<br />
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We closed out May with our first ever trip to Schlitterbahn Galveston. We had so much fun and look forward to going back!<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">June</span></strong><br />
In June we tried to stay as cool as possible! Evan recieved his rank of Scout in Boy Scouts and we spent many a day on the "dirt trails" playing and fishing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><strong><span style="font-size: large;">July</span></strong><br />
We started July by volunteering for a flag route on the Fourth of July. Evan, Elliot and Drew all woke up bright and early to put out 60+ flags around Mills Branch in Kingwood. We picked them up that evening. What a great day.<br />
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August was a very fun month for us, packed with many activities including Dylan's 3rd birthday and our first vacation in Texas Hill Country. <br />
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For Dylan's birthday, we all gathered at Gran and Pop's and celebrated with a(nother) Dinosaur-themed party! I can't recall how many dinosaur birthdays we've had throughout the years, but it has been quite a few.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the end of August, I played music at a <a href="http://www.fullnessoftruth.org/home.htm">Fullness of Truth</a> Conference in San Antonio. We spent the weekend at the beautiful <a href="http://hillcountry.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?src=agn_smg_hr_ppc_google_ss_propertyspecific_sanhc_hyatthillcountryresort&k_clickid=14676552-1e79-6888-a233-00002e13b279">Hyatt Hill Country Resort</a>, enjoying the grounds and taking in some solid Catholic teachings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When it was over, we spent a day in San Antonio visiting the Alamo and the Riverwalk, and then a week in a farmhouse on over 60 acres in Johnson City, TX. It was wonderful! Oh, the views of that landscape and the quaint little towns. Our farmhouse was right out of a picture book. The look, feel and smell of that farmhouse brought me back to our old family Camp in Bundick Lake and it also reminded me of my Grandmother's house in Bull Shoals Arkansas. There was a playhouse in the backyard that served as the boys' "home base" for their daily battles, and a bunk house that had a pool table.</div><br />
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Vacationing in Hill County is a big change for us, and we filled it with excursions to nearby attractions and just plain old decompressing under the large oak tree watching the boys play. We spent one day walking around <a href="http://www.fredericksburg-texas.com/">Fredericksburg</a> and on the way back we took detour to pass through <a href="http://www.luckenbachtexas.com/">Luckenbach, Texas</a>, and I was officially converted to the side who yearn to get <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dXR5Dk8YNw">back to the basics</a> of life. <a href="http://www.jimmyleejones.com/">Jimmy Lee Jones</a> was the leader of the picker's circle that day, and even though it was a bit early, he brought his guitar inside to get out of the heat and he played a few songs for us. After he was done he looked at Evan and said, "Ok, now it's your turn," and when Evan said "OK", I think it took him by surprise! He asked Evan if he played and if he needed a pick, but Evan had his own in his pocket. Evan sat down and picked out the opening notes of Sweet Home Alabama, but not knowing the full song, he quickly switched gears to play a song that he knew all the way through. So that day, in Luckenbach Texas, Evan played.....God of Thunder by KISS. (I'm not sure, but I would think that is the first time that has ever been played in Luckenbach...) It was a great experience, one I hope he never forgets. I'd love to go back on the weekend, since that is the time the food vendors are there as well as the music. It would have been great to eat lunch or dinner under the oaks while listening to some good tunes.<br />
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We also spent a day visiting <a href="http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/pedernales_falls/">Pedernales Falls State Park</a>. The water was low and hiking down to it wasn't a "walk in the park" (yuk, yuk) but once we got down to the river it was incredible. The boys enjoyed trying to catch all the fish that would swim up and nibble on your toes.<br />
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On the way home we stopped in Austin and spent a few hours swimming in <a href="http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/bartonsprings.htm">Barton Springs</a>, and we also stopped in Brenham and walked the antique shops in downtown and sat down to some Blue Bell at an <a href="http://www.mustbeheaven.com/">ice cream parlor</a>. Breaking up the return trip made it much easier for the boys (and us!) and it also gave the trip a nice "Tour of Texas" feel.<br />
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With Labor Day wrapping up our Summer, came the beginning of the 2011-2012 School of Rock, and this year we have 3 students (Drew 1st, Elliot 3rd and Evan is a big time 6th grade middle schooler this year!!!)<br />
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So, that was our summer in a nutshell. We are ready for this heat to go away and bring on the cool Fall weather and, Please God, some much needed rain. Our prayers go out to all who are fighting the wild fires around the nation, and especially here in Texas.<br />
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God Bless You All!!<br />
Love, the Williams Family<br />
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oh, and p.s. - one more photo I'd like to share with ya'll:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijS54yAXtebELKJ2jLxeC9uhC-3ahtw4D_kecKEdiapHwgmov7hfUeI2YXeS9SUuvzqXCC2Y9PuwYNE2c4naUAgHgjvADMoL4ELgVcNfdwIi00YqJD2sKnplBbRJIistPgp1LQ7g/s1600/positive-pregnancy-test-427x320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijS54yAXtebELKJ2jLxeC9uhC-3ahtw4D_kecKEdiapHwgmov7hfUeI2YXeS9SUuvzqXCC2Y9PuwYNE2c4naUAgHgjvADMoL4ELgVcNfdwIi00YqJD2sKnplBbRJIistPgp1LQ7g/s320/positive-pregnancy-test-427x320.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"We're gonna need a bigger boat..."</td></tr>
</tbody></table><blockquote><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"></div></blockquote>The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-29775598946668223732011-05-02T13:54:00.000-05:002011-05-02T13:54:30.961-05:00HomeschoolingI feel I owe it to the few who follow our blog to show both sides of the homeschooling coin.<br />
<br />
And while it is true that homeschooling enables us to explore new ways to present material to <a href="http://tinyeblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/school-of-rock.html">help make learning "fun"</a>, the fact of the matter is that it is still school.<br />
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So, today, when Evan had written a snide comment regarding school at the top of his paper, I made him diagram it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6v-e7MxTYXW3qIaNXZDIxwWnS0MG6-JPrwJzRDdVaky-vQLqFXkXrw44iUYrjliqpyiwBjobaFDjxLEV5xsQfjCsAVoQ9ETiszdEu2W0w5nE1dlx-Zoh8bF5olegVWEZ3brtzJg/s1600/Diagramming.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="124" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6v-e7MxTYXW3qIaNXZDIxwWnS0MG6-JPrwJzRDdVaky-vQLqFXkXrw44iUYrjliqpyiwBjobaFDjxLEV5xsQfjCsAVoQ9ETiszdEu2W0w5nE1dlx-Zoh8bF5olegVWEZ3brtzJg/s320/Diagramming.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just trying to keep it real.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">God Bless</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Chad</div>The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-16212141123327591992011-04-01T00:52:00.000-05:002011-04-01T00:52:32.264-05:00March<blockquote>"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."<br />
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- Charles Dickens </blockquote>It has taken 39 years, but Spring has finally taken over Fall as my favorite season of the year. And it's no wonder - just look at all the great memories that our family makes each Spring. From my childhood memories of the <a href="http://tinyeblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/upon-further-review.html">Camp at Bundick's Lake</a>, the most memorable times were at Easter; the March weather is so nice in Houston, our family spends many of hours outside; and with half of the Williams Family celebrating birthdays in the month of March, and Drew's Birthday in May (technically still Spring, but by then Houston's Summer has begun) I think it was only a matter of time. I daresay that March is perfectly poised to take the crown of "The Most Glorious Month of the Year" away from November in my book.<br />
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Here is what has been going on in our family this month:<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Cub No More</strong></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31B_EIxwUdDZSeI4xP5i7go3UjVGWPzrMVvFK8cTcZsY8BdemAMga75d_f1Cgy0VeytU4onpG3DViI91VbrlEakGKEImWZnF4hWQm-QAEZY0ABhmK7lU2HR6PyEpCo1ODB-hy-A/s1600/March+2011+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31B_EIxwUdDZSeI4xP5i7go3UjVGWPzrMVvFK8cTcZsY8BdemAMga75d_f1Cgy0VeytU4onpG3DViI91VbrlEakGKEImWZnF4hWQm-QAEZY0ABhmK7lU2HR6PyEpCo1ODB-hy-A/s320/March+2011+027.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>(Don't look, Evan, but there's an Indian staring at you!!)</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After participating in the Arrow of Light ceremony, Evan officially became a Boy Scout! What an incredible ceremony. Gran and Pop came over to witness it which was very special for Evan. Dad is an Eagle Scout and also a member of the Order of the Arrow, and he and Evan spent a lot of time talking about his days as a young Boy Scout and all the fun that they had at Camp Edgewood. Evan loved it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"></span></strong></div><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">St. Joseph, Pray for Us!!</span></strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5w_YEHT0Y5oNix3DPzZAwS3otesAApDvRkjXeQ1KpVxUnNUdLg4ArYCBLikF_XsSf-11SCIz9VlClU7IfPtzuSh2odJEWZgcJ7QrbOYnhQ5x2NRypBc2c9DUkykzJW9O2a-XdvQ/s1600/March+2011+051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5w_YEHT0Y5oNix3DPzZAwS3otesAApDvRkjXeQ1KpVxUnNUdLg4ArYCBLikF_XsSf-11SCIz9VlClU7IfPtzuSh2odJEWZgcJ7QrbOYnhQ5x2NRypBc2c9DUkykzJW9O2a-XdvQ/s320/March+2011+051.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>After many years of wanting to make a St. Joseph Altar, we finally did it this year. My maternal grandmother's family immigrated from Sicily, Italy to New Orleans, LA in the late 1800's, and they brought with them this rich tradition of making St. Joseph's Altars on March 19th - the Feast Day of St. Joseph.<br />
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For many years, I've wanted to make one of my own and I've even discussed the idea several times with my grandmother asking her what all was on the altar and she'd tell me lots of stories from her childhood.<br />
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Ours was pretty humble, and it may not have had all the "official" items on it, but we decided to go kid friendly for this year and as the kids grow up and we actually plan well enough in advance we'll try for more traditional fare.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoITCbicbHMkPHfuKm0nh4oq-flgtYFUBETJTNUPYiELW4ZtMt7wZnwyGnmT1FWNXzueHBpk2LA-C_ve57gy4Ep4QesI65EQSuV-guXp9GphtqmR8GIrauiwIMkKVjWrx6cP3sQ/s1600/March+2011+043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoITCbicbHMkPHfuKm0nh4oq-flgtYFUBETJTNUPYiELW4ZtMt7wZnwyGnmT1FWNXzueHBpk2LA-C_ve57gy4Ep4QesI65EQSuV-guXp9GphtqmR8GIrauiwIMkKVjWrx6cP3sQ/s320/March+2011+043.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>At the "heart" of our St. Joseph Altar was the brick that inspired me to build an altar in the first place. While visiting Kim's grandmother in Baton Rouge, LA, I found this brick in her yard and I thought it would be a fantastic "cornerstone" for a St. Joseph Altar. So, finally, here it is! Also on the altar were fig newtons in place of the fig filled pastries, Goldfish in place of actual baked fish (I said "kid friendly" didn't I?!) and a can of fava beans instead of the dried ones (Kroger didn't have the dry, so we had to make due!) Grandma told me about a man who would always take a lemon from their altar, so I made sure to have lemons as well. Bruchetta, tomato salad, bread and wine rounded out the food, and we had a cookie cake with "Happy St. Joseph's Day" for dessert (God Bless the lady at the Kroger Bakery for helping me out in a pinch. Actually the entire Kroger staff was wonderful that day helping me find the fava beans as well.)<br />
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Statues of Jesus and Mary and a vase of lillies completed the altar.<br />
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We ordered veggie pizza in keeping with the no meat nature of the altar and we said a prayer to St. Joseph asking for his powerful intercessions. What a wonderful day that was!<br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: large;">"You say it's your birthday? It's my birthday too!"</span></strong><br />
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<div align="left">Again, with half of the Williams household celebrating birthdays in March, we were having some serious party time this month. Patrice came over to visit and watch the boys so Kim and I could go have dinner with our friends the weekend of her birthday. It was so wonderful. Thank you so much Patrice!! </div><div align="left"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGuCpcDaR5fgKzLrPF7cgxmmEZKphqS44NWgWAXPNccDrw7ll3sILiFPicYoedUzZhfseM-XSsPSjPcwufHwiqF-aVGeRmdYkdBu6YY5uWLX_-u4BKv7nfS5v4lrelOETXEfjJbg/s1600/March+2011+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGuCpcDaR5fgKzLrPF7cgxmmEZKphqS44NWgWAXPNccDrw7ll3sILiFPicYoedUzZhfseM-XSsPSjPcwufHwiqF-aVGeRmdYkdBu6YY5uWLX_-u4BKv7nfS5v4lrelOETXEfjJbg/s320/March+2011+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>That Sunday before Patrice left we had a birthday party for Kim. It was a kitchen birthday this year. She got a ceramic egg holder, a Kitchen Aid Ice Cream attachement and ice cream mix and topping to get us along on the first batch. Hey...speaking of....where is that first batch of homemade vanilla?!<br />
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Next up was Elliot. Oh my, I can't believe he is EIGHT YEARS OLD!!!! Wow how time flies! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOVCCDHylHUaHTCqNLacIsyNVmhSBwi9h7emfyXwNqp728Tgl1VWIc7Nz02asFCVEK9d3t-2TJOgcB3TqC1ED6sE2v9vniebWeG04R2cUAJhNysJKB6u1TLvK-9Vgc4N16XS9PA/s1600/March+2011+100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOVCCDHylHUaHTCqNLacIsyNVmhSBwi9h7emfyXwNqp728Tgl1VWIc7Nz02asFCVEK9d3t-2TJOgcB3TqC1ED6sE2v9vniebWeG04R2cUAJhNysJKB6u1TLvK-9Vgc4N16XS9PA/s320/March+2011+100.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The morning of his birthday he awoke to a table of balloons and streamers, a silly card picked out by Evan and a gift card to Toys R Us! That afternoon, we all met for lunch at the Potatoe Patch near my work and later that evening, with the gift card, he bought a game for the Wii and we all had ice cream at Cold Stone.<br />
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Putting an exclamation point on March we had Evan turning 11!! It seems like yesterday I was blogging about <a href="http://tinyeblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/ten-years-gone.html">Ten Years Gone</a>. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dvFRBETa9jjvJUJUkrjuGNqdr5N3oleaJzevhjyZKFQZ_og_szwe3tZ_45ONnnaCdeFJInGtGsyHbwZvcDqCV07mckloz9Mp4zLPNmVb1O3_8nI93uhg-0MQUfEaFyuoua0crQ/s1600/March+2011+121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dvFRBETa9jjvJUJUkrjuGNqdr5N3oleaJzevhjyZKFQZ_og_szwe3tZ_45ONnnaCdeFJInGtGsyHbwZvcDqCV07mckloz9Mp4zLPNmVb1O3_8nI93uhg-0MQUfEaFyuoua0crQ/s320/March+2011+121.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="left">Again, the traditional birthday breakfast of powdered donuts with candles greeted Evan as he awoke this morning. He got a Pokemon game for his DSi and he loves it. For lunch I met them at Chuy's Mexican Restaurant and afterwards, Kim took all the boys to an indoor bounce house place where they jumped to their hearts content. Later in the evening after a wonderful homecooked meal we enjoyed cupcakes from a nearby bakery. YUM!! </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">God is Good indeed! </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">p.s. As you will notice from the boys' birthday pictures, they are both wearing KISS t-shirts. I took Evan, Elliot and Drew to the KISS concert at the Rodeo earlier this month and it was fabulous. It took Drew a few songs to fully get into it, but eventually he had a blast as much as Evan and Elliot did. They all have t-shirts to commemorate the event. </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">p.s.s. The buzzkill of the month goes to our two year old AC that went out unexpectedly last week. Luckily it is still under warranty. Unluckily is that warranty work apparantly is on the back burner for repair priority. We've been without AC for a week. Luckily, the weather has been absolutely perfect....did I mention that Spring is my new favorite?! </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">Love Y'all!!</div>The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-71112941432121513682011-02-05T19:09:00.000-06:002011-02-05T19:09:49.364-06:00The Lord of the Quiddich Rings (or my comparison of Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter)<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlI-G5U7N5CtOgnyJRcKEeOAnmLghS8palpi2HSkx86PqE8QDFtu8y7AvoXJnJg2Y5-8XzDNGs-OT9omrmBLvBjRzfJeT3JHabJslGufBWRuBQA1Z1i45mKsETUW4zUmx9Dt6cQ/s1600/lord+of+the+quiddich+ring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlI-G5U7N5CtOgnyJRcKEeOAnmLghS8palpi2HSkx86PqE8QDFtu8y7AvoXJnJg2Y5-8XzDNGs-OT9omrmBLvBjRzfJeT3JHabJslGufBWRuBQA1Z1i45mKsETUW4zUmx9Dt6cQ/s320/lord+of+the+quiddich+ring.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="background-color: red; color: yellow;">***</span><span style="background-color: red; color: yellow;">Spoiler Alert. If you haven't seen or read the Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings books, and you do not wish for plots to be revealed, stop now, go pick up those books and read them instead. Tolkien and Rowling are much better writers than I***</span></div><br />
I have a confession to make: I was one of "those people" who made a judgement call about Harry Potter before reading the book. Years ago, a co-worker of mine had commented in amazement that I had let Evan watch all three Lord of the Rings movies, but not Harry Potter. The details are fuzzy to me now, but from what I recall I had "heard" that the premise was that the adults were made out to be the bad guys and the students were sassy. I know I saw the Sorcerer's Stone on DVD when it came out, and I don't recall my exact feelings towards it, but it must not have shaken the notion mentioned above, because for 7 more years I had no desire to watch any of the movies, let alone read the books - especially beginning with Goblet of Fire, as it seems they got exponentially larger!<br />
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Well, at the constant nagging of yet another co-worker, I finally gave the series another chance and I rented all of the movies through Netflix over the course of this past Summer. I guess it was after Prisoner of Azkaban that I got really hooked and I started going to Blockbuster because I couldn't wait for the mail in movies to arrive. At the conclusion of Half Blood Prince, I was dumbfounded and I absolutely could not wait until November to see the movie, so I bought the Deathly Hallows book and read it. I'll admit I'm not an avid reader like Kim is, so it took me a while to get through it, but eventually I did, and once I was done, I decided to read all of the books starting at the beginning.<br />
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It was then that I really began to appreciate the writing of JK Rowling, and the overall theme and message of the books. I especially liked how each book ended with Dumbledore imparting a deep truth to Harry, and how those messages are not only good, but downright Christian.<br />
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One day Kim emailed me<a href="http://amywelborn.typepad.com/openbook/2005/07/okay_one_more.html"> a wonderful article</a> that listed the common "sticking points" that Catholics in general have (or should have) with the Harry Potter series and countered each with a comparison of how the same sticking points existed in Lord of the Rings. Shortly after reading that article I received a dramatized version of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy on CD to listen to on the way to work. As I listened day after day, I couldn't believe how alike the Harry Potter series is to Lord of the Rings. Furthermore, it blew me away that, given how much I loved Lord of the Rings, it took me so long to come around to Harry Potter.<br />
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Which brings me to the main reason for this post. Many Catholics will sing the praises of Lord of the Rings, going out of our way to tell people that "JRR Tolkien was Catholic, you know," and in the next breath throw JK Rowling under the bus for writing a book about a school where boys and girls learn about witchcraft (gasp!) Rather than compare the philosophical points of both series, I'd like to just begin with pointing out the similarities in characters, plots and such.<br />
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<strong><u>The Hero's Quest:</u></strong><br />
<em>As with most good adventure stories, the Hero's Quest involves mortal peril...to quote Ron in Chamber of Secrets: "Follow the spiders?? Why couldn't it be follow the butterflies??"</em><br />
HP - Ultimately to destroy Voldemort.<br />
LOTR - To destroy the Ring of Power.<br />
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<strong><u>The Hero's Mentor:</u></strong><br />
HP - Albus Dumbledore. A wise wizard who mostly guides Harry along his journey, but will join the fight when he needs to. Is killed in Half Blood Prince, but "comes back" in Deathly Hallows to help Harry finish his quest.<br />
LOTR - Gandalf. A wise wizard who mostly guides Frodo along his journey, but will join the fight when he needs to. Is killed in Fellowship of the Ring, but comes back in Two Towers to help the Frodo finish his quest.<br />
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<strong><u>The Hero's Company:</u></strong><br />
<em>Both series illustrate the necessity for the Hero to have help from not only close friends, but an extended support cast as well.</em><br />
HP - Besides close friends Ron and Hermione, we gradually realize that most of Harry's adult allies are members of the Order of the Phoenix.<br />
LOTR - Besides close friends Samwise, Merry and Pippin, Frodo is joined at the outset of his adventure by the Fellowship of the Ring.<br />
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<strong><u>The Villain:</u></strong><br />
HP - Voldemort aka The Dark Lord. Was "killed" after his killing curse meant for Harry backfired on himself. Somehow returns to power to command dark wizards and witches against the rest of the wizarding world.<br />
LOTR - Sauron aka The Dark Lord. Was "killed" in battle by Isildur, yet somehow returned to power to command dark forces against Middle Earth.<br />
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<strong><u>How the Villan Survives:</u></strong><br />
HP - Voldemort made 7 Horcruxes: special objects that held a piece of his own soul. He will not be truly defeated until all Horcruxes are destroyed.<br />
LOTR - Sauron survives because the ring he forged has yet to be destroyed. In a way, the Ring of Power is a Horcrux for Sauron.<br />
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<strong><u>The Bad Guys:</u></strong><br />
HP - Dementors and Death Eaters. Let's face it, from the first time you are introduced to a Dementor, you know they are not good, even if they are under "ministry control." Feeding on despair, they seek out happiness and suck it out of people. They are creepy and, of course, cloaked in black. Completely hidden by their cloaks, but Harry spots the hand of one and describes it as "glistening, grayish, slimy-looking, and scabbed, like soemthnig dead that had decayed in water." The Death Eaters are a group of dark wizards who have allegiance to Voldemort and do his bidding.<br />
LOTR - Ringwraiths and Saruman. The nine Ringwraiths used to be men, but they fell under the influence of the rings that were controled by the One Ring. Now they do Sauron's bidding, constantly searching for the Ring. They are creepy and, of course, cloaked in black. They are actually invisible to mortals, but Frodo can see them when he puts the ring on and describes them as having "haggard hands". Saruman is a dark wizard who have allegiance to Sauron and does his bidding.<br />
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<strong><u>Fear of a Name:</u></strong><br />
HP - Wizards are afraid to speak the name "Voldemort"and instead refer to him as "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" or "you-know-who."<br />
LOTR - Everyone gets spooked at the name of "Mordor".<br />
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<strong><u>"Bad Guy" shown mercy in beginning...plays part in the end:</u></strong><br />
HP - Peter Pettigrew. Harry stops Sirius and Lupin from killing Pettigrew in Prisoner of Azkaban. This act of mercy plays a part in Harry's escape from Malfoy Manor in the Deathly Hallows. Immediately afterward, Pettigrew dies.<br />
LOTR - Gollum. Frodo wishes that Bilbo would have killed Gollum when he had the chance. Gandalf reminds him that pity and mercy spared Gollum's life and that, perhaps, Gollum will play a part in the end, which he does. Immediately afterward, Gollum dies.<br />
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<strong><u>Hero's Inner Connection with the Villain:</u></strong><br />
HP - Harry can read Voldemort's mind (and vice versa). This is good and bad as sometimes it is used for Harry to know what Voldemort is up to (like the attack on Mr. Weasley), whereas other times Voldemort uses it to trick Harry (implanting the image of Sirius in the Department of Mysteries to lure Harry there.)<br />
LOTR - When Frodo puts on the ring he can see the Eye of Sauron and hear Saruon speaking to him. The Palantir was used by Aragorn to show himself to Sauron.<br />
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<strong><u>Looking into the Past/Future:</u></strong><br />
HP - Dumbledore's Pensieve is a bowl full of liquid that you look into to view memories. It can put you into a memory so you can re-live it in case you missed something the first time.<br />
LOTR - The Mirror of Galadriel is a bowl full of water that you look into to view things that are, that were and that may yet come to pass.<br />
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<strong><u>Giant, Talking Spiders:</u></strong><br />
HP - Aragog<br />
LOTR - Shelob. <em>(Shelob doesn't speak</em> per se <em>in the books however, it is implied that, somehow, she communicated with Gollum regarding the Hobbits. We also know that Shelob's kin are none other than the spiders of Mirkwood in the Hobbit, and they actually do speak.)</em><br />
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That's all I can recall right now. If you know of any other similarities in characters, plots, etc. between the two series, comment below.The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-69864080176586447492011-01-10T07:19:00.000-06:002011-01-11T10:39:24.293-06:00The FieldAcross the street from my in-law's house is a large field in which the boys love to play when the grass is not too high or too wet. When we went in to celebrate Christmas, the field was relatively dry and it had been mowed fairly recently, so the boys took the opportunity to run and play and I took the opportunity to take some priceless pictures.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFAH5BywpXqfAxlLNEAJ0m3TzhRVJGg8bEcHN3wNS3mU4beM2YwwLmzuH1E_k6Pe5HvpBDY6Sa7KWtMm3Y_Q78GX0Q4V7BwXaRYIHDEO8pFzdilun7bV0pD8k0RNioEVFNSjz_A/s1600/January+2011+086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEFAH5BywpXqfAxlLNEAJ0m3TzhRVJGg8bEcHN3wNS3mU4beM2YwwLmzuH1E_k6Pe5HvpBDY6Sa7KWtMm3Y_Q78GX0Q4V7BwXaRYIHDEO8pFzdilun7bV0pD8k0RNioEVFNSjz_A/s320/January+2011+086.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisntjAUSgXYkOFxR29TQzPkJFb7nKr__XgHSiZ0hqa65wB9cKGCDlGgFkUCu1HKYOge9XUA9X2RLgD_B6xHnRES6Rby1bunNlDbgQLq3q46ElkGk8-7kyaIFVjICEFoQyj8PJz3g/s1600/January+2011+108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisntjAUSgXYkOFxR29TQzPkJFb7nKr__XgHSiZ0hqa65wB9cKGCDlGgFkUCu1HKYOge9XUA9X2RLgD_B6xHnRES6Rby1bunNlDbgQLq3q46ElkGk8-7kyaIFVjICEFoQyj8PJz3g/s320/January+2011+108.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-6638484092047224052011-01-09T16:43:00.000-06:002011-01-11T10:35:16.518-06:00Winter VacationWhat with the change in employment and all, we were unable to take a proper vacation in 2010, so we decided, rather spur of the moment, to take off the first week of January 2011 and travel to Orlando, Florida to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure.<br />
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Here are a few pics with some of the Hogwarts Express Conductors...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ccRB88i2vXvN8fKwSLOSa9jPTZpKSCXph5QnimwbPIfDidfyYbfDJzk0XPRk5zyBWv-j68uH944WoR8-52B_ycNUKdWZ9WdYTP_M1HchfLteSHUYsm3oJfWzXtzyuATHFD93Fw/s1600/January+2011+1013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ccRB88i2vXvN8fKwSLOSa9jPTZpKSCXph5QnimwbPIfDidfyYbfDJzk0XPRk5zyBWv-j68uH944WoR8-52B_ycNUKdWZ9WdYTP_M1HchfLteSHUYsm3oJfWzXtzyuATHFD93Fw/s320/January+2011+1013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WpsX6xZ4IyccUYNLrk2Df05dcedUucJRs6jt5t-xV_KhT7RyKH4zVjGlBUgQLaQCXPWSlS3yY4tvwaSB9iFKQXO38liWamhRdaKJqFzTwK2IhOWo8ru8N2j5EHCVwSwnehLafg/s1600/January+2011+1038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WpsX6xZ4IyccUYNLrk2Df05dcedUucJRs6jt5t-xV_KhT7RyKH4zVjGlBUgQLaQCXPWSlS3yY4tvwaSB9iFKQXO38liWamhRdaKJqFzTwK2IhOWo8ru8N2j5EHCVwSwnehLafg/s320/January+2011+1038.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Of the whole experience, I'd say one of my favourite (sic) parts was eating at the Three Broomsticks. It was an identical recreation of the movie set that had really good food for breakfast and lunch and, of course, ice cold Butterbeers to boot. Here we are enjoying the famous beverage.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8E1zJgUcmgsXrZmKEmw7wZ-ka2e0EzU5hFGdmE4b2mfmFlSpRMudxKVtV5_l1NbzJ_sT4y-rAC9mU3VM_3_lCi5Q-Zzc28yTXPj3XlQSGBWZQFjx3gTveXofKYxeiyydupMNlRg/s1600/January+2011+344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8E1zJgUcmgsXrZmKEmw7wZ-ka2e0EzU5hFGdmE4b2mfmFlSpRMudxKVtV5_l1NbzJ_sT4y-rAC9mU3VM_3_lCi5Q-Zzc28yTXPj3XlQSGBWZQFjx3gTveXofKYxeiyydupMNlRg/s320/January+2011+344.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cheers!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqSOUV83RCjxAOtLrTX6bHMYhRmIaPX8F-scInhlXB4irijedFO4s1xAbUqQoFFCylQVSlIOo2W3DtSAwMEUg65iL74Cv8lJMRDoOikWWJqKilbajGrfU1n3dyWazeDZDjN5FkQ/s1600/January+2011+345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqSOUV83RCjxAOtLrTX6bHMYhRmIaPX8F-scInhlXB4irijedFO4s1xAbUqQoFFCylQVSlIOo2W3DtSAwMEUg65iL74Cv8lJMRDoOikWWJqKilbajGrfU1n3dyWazeDZDjN5FkQ/s320/January+2011+345.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Got Butterbeer?</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8cK07ZZFj46LlugK657ffpxwyYM6MkXwWkYsdBp9zaP8MjO76GQokjruZUaenfo0dSj0A4SzwgZT1u5OMnzmP9ZVemJQYlbJSV8XVnzK8pcX9eAYBwta3AHO4veuo1FfUYsG1w/s1600/January+2011+951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8cK07ZZFj46LlugK657ffpxwyYM6MkXwWkYsdBp9zaP8MjO76GQokjruZUaenfo0dSj0A4SzwgZT1u5OMnzmP9ZVemJQYlbJSV8XVnzK8pcX9eAYBwta3AHO4veuo1FfUYsG1w/s320/January+2011+951.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kim and I toast to good health in the Hog's Head which was adjacent to the Three Broomsticks. (The hog head in the background actually moved and snorted at you!)</div>The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-34506834949168569912010-12-29T13:52:00.000-06:002010-12-29T13:52:29.598-06:00Merry Christmas from the Williams Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmcGBWx15Z4blSOhE0Rd-1vmlJRIYD8Em1d6LkykMvx09PyUiyYX9924OJURkCYSQX0BXLlQdkR8sY1E3Fha4eQWKEhwSn5nR89aym1eywvGJYUeWX6IZB21a0gEBpJdGyecm7g/s1600/Christmas+Eve+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmcGBWx15Z4blSOhE0Rd-1vmlJRIYD8Em1d6LkykMvx09PyUiyYX9924OJURkCYSQX0BXLlQdkR8sY1E3Fha4eQWKEhwSn5nR89aym1eywvGJYUeWX6IZB21a0gEBpJdGyecm7g/s320/Christmas+Eve+2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>We have been very busy here in the Williams Household. It's hard to believe that Christmas has already come and gone...wasn't it just yesterday that we were inviting a ridiculous amount of people to our house for PumpkinFest the Saturday before Halloween?<br />
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I hope to post more and include many more pictures of our Fall/Winter activities, but for now, this photo caputres the peace and beauty of Christmas Eve night.<br />
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Be Blessed.<br />
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The Williams FamilyThe Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-46580538061072677272010-06-02T20:37:00.002-05:002010-06-02T22:04:26.468-05:00Champ or Chump<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In my world, running is prayer and equivalent in all aspects. It is impossible for me to separate the two. When I am in a strong running groove, likewise, I'm in a strong prayer groove. Running rut = Prayer rut. It's time I get my groove back.<br />
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Stop me if you've heard <a href="http://tinyeblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/physical-and-spiritual-fitness.html">this before</a>, but during the last few lunch runs I've felt a theme running through my mind. My "Spirit-Man" is a Champ, but my flesh is a Chump. Sometimes the Champ doesn't feel like coming out, so the Chump claims victory. I hate that. Sometimes the Champ takes a dive. I hate that even more.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
Let's face it, life is just one big race. We have no choice but to run it. We all will cross the finish line one day. When we do, the Judge will not ask us if we placed in our age group. He'll look inside our hearts and be able to tell instantly if we threw the race.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Run so as to win, my friends.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0W-XBacGh_g0xlN30q6Tne5zbunac7o9UJTVSg7L-bwcxeKujBpCIxlfQQxG9tdFMPbBqDVaXRkY9f7pkegwlnkhl5tlesMntlELsM26ME3ddtO0YLlw8Z8xtu3oqM8WcZXehw/s1600/finishline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt0W-XBacGh_g0xlN30q6Tne5zbunac7o9UJTVSg7L-bwcxeKujBpCIxlfQQxG9tdFMPbBqDVaXRkY9f7pkegwlnkhl5tlesMntlELsM26ME3ddtO0YLlw8Z8xtu3oqM8WcZXehw/s320/finishline.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Bonus Lesson from my Spirit Man:</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Run with your head up, looking forward towards the finish line. Keep it in your sights. If you're always looking down, you won't see what hazard is coming at you. While swimming in a triathlon you have to sight where you are going after every couple of strokes, otherwise you'll go way off course in the water.</div>The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-5287603684134180422010-04-22T23:45:00.000-05:002010-04-22T23:45:33.827-05:00What's On the Menchu?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35ZG4sr85GuFyXGw2Ot5vQ7LZZPv7LkV7KEu53XBIac3C6lLw52H3pFp5zaXyiWwajrB4cvm9GFOfkhMQVGwnM8OtYE4jNr4CEbvBbiVS_zPwMaoN2BkfKpR-alt9zzfIgk7Obg/s1600/April+2010+075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35ZG4sr85GuFyXGw2Ot5vQ7LZZPv7LkV7KEu53XBIac3C6lLw52H3pFp5zaXyiWwajrB4cvm9GFOfkhMQVGwnM8OtYE4jNr4CEbvBbiVS_zPwMaoN2BkfKpR-alt9zzfIgk7Obg/s320/April+2010+075.JPG" tt="true" /></a></div><br />
For years growing up, that was my Dad's way of asking what was for dinner, and it drove my Mom bananas. Upon finishing the meal, the typical response was an imitation of my Pappy's deep drawl, "pretty fair chow bay-bee."<br />
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My cooking skills are limited to breakfast. I can scramble eggs and I make a pretty faithful version of my Grandma Denton's homemade biscuits. That's about where it ends.<br />
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My wife, on the other hand, is a wizard in the kitchen. She takes pride in cooking anything and everything and she loves to experiment with new ideas, especially when it comes to our little Dylan who apparently has a food allergy. (What exactly he is allergic to we have yet to uncover, but currently Kim has taken him off of dairy and gluten and the rash that has been bothering him is clearing up nicely.)<br />
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Back to my main point though, a meal in the Williams household is rarely a quick or easy feat. She puts out dishes that deserve to be shown on the Food Network, and we've actually joked that she should send in an idea for a show called "One Armed Chef," since many times, she's cooking while holding a baby.<br />
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I love to come home to the aroma of dinner cooking. To me, that's home. I really need to fix the weatherstripping on our front door because I can smell dinner before I walk in! I go to the kitchen to see what is cooking and usually don't have to wait long for dinner to begin. We'll call the boys to the table and as they all run up and go to their chairs, sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes, one of them will look at the plate and say, "YUCK!" <br />
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Our boys are not really that picky, but sometimes, they do not agree with what it is we are having for dinner and they will complain about it to no end. Sometimes it is something little, like butter on mashed potatoes. Other times it's the whole meal, and they haven't learned that you don't tell someone who just spent hours cooking your dinner that it is "gross."<br />
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The other day, my good friend Clay and I met for a prayer breakfast at McDonald's. After discussing who is our favorite Beatle John or Paul, the writing skills of Robert Plant vs. Pete Townshend and the merits of quitting our real jobs to pursue our true calling of becoming rock stars, we settled in on the real task at hand which was, after all, to pray.<br />
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My prayer was to obtain the Graces necessary to accept God's Will in all things, and we turned to the analogy a picky eater. Heaven is often described as a wedding feast. A banquet. There will be food and when the LORD serves us our dinner, we better not say "YUCK!"<br />
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But sometimes I feel like that's exactly what I'm doing when I don't agree with God's Will for me. He has plans for us all. He has a plan for me. That plan requires my cooperation. He puts things in motion, and if it bucks my system I'm like the boy crying because there's butter on my mashed potatoes.<br />
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<blockquote>"How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?" --Pink Floyd</blockquote>Of course, all kids (myself included) will gladly clean their plates if it is full of dessert! Yet, your belly doesn't stay full for long afterwards, and you are left wanting more. Desserts are not filling, not nourishing and do not sustain our bodies. We need the long lasting food of the banquet. We need meat! <br />
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<blockquote>"I gave you milk to drink, not meat; for you were not able as yet. But neither indeed are you now able; for you are yet carnal." --1 Corinthians 3:2</blockquote>It's after dinner now at the Williams household. The boys are upstairs playing, Dylan is watching Go Diego GO and Kim looks at me and says "If you do the dishes I'll be your best friend..."<br />
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<blockquote>"I want you to 'want' to do the dishes" --My wife</blockquote><br />
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Remember how I said that Kim is a wizard in the kitchen? Well, it takes a lot of pots and pans and measuring cups and baking pans and spoons and forks and knives and just about every item in our pantry to prepare that meal! And I totally agree with the "I cook, you clean" philosopy of duties. But, WOW, the kitchen looks like a tornado just ripped through Sur la Table! Now, this is where God is molding me. He knows that I need this. I need to understand that to get the good - the feast, the prize, the eternal reward; I have to deal with the things that help get me there. In short, God's plan has dishes! Illness. Job uncertainty. Monetary struggles. Temptations. Africa. These are all just part of the deal. You have to take the bad with the good. There could be no Resurrection on Easter Sunday until Christ had suffered and died on Good Friday. <br />
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I want to do God's dishes. I want to be at the Heavenly banquet, and I want to clean my plate. And when I'm done, I want to look up at God and say, "Pretty fair chow bay-bee."The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-51848192656433825092010-04-01T00:46:00.000-05:002010-04-01T00:46:07.231-05:00Spring 2010 Cub Scout Family CampoutLast weekend we were blessed with some BEAUTIFUL weather with which to enjoy the Spring Family Campout for Pack 1727. As last Spring, the campout was held at Peach Creek just up the road from us. Having it so close is really nice because it enabled Kim, Dylan and Gran to come visit us both Friday and Saturday evenings and have dinner with us!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_R0Xaip1SHes4OwKOvENY6v8Qu_KaPLkiAar5j1nYA2BOeqZPr7xPcq9GeQfy2EUxkNUsMXyK7WeJxIXxDaWO7wUk3ho3a83YklCW2iQop-gcOk4kFpYP5GhvtU4e8Ufz74KXQ/s1600/March+2010+458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_R0Xaip1SHes4OwKOvENY6v8Qu_KaPLkiAar5j1nYA2BOeqZPr7xPcq9GeQfy2EUxkNUsMXyK7WeJxIXxDaWO7wUk3ho3a83YklCW2iQop-gcOk4kFpYP5GhvtU4e8Ufz74KXQ/s320/March+2010+458.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kim torches a marshmallow in preparation for S'Mores</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0lABSrMvNcCr6uZFjqrI2Hallen9sVQBVo2AinwUhK73PC3s4qbuY6EsEbrOFU5QScI-cYqVq9uwVaBHBWxp3q05QdHK1Cg8IOxK0SqH5dT5knNPAhGk07Hd8ficYYM3zkPZhQ/s1600/March+2010+462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0lABSrMvNcCr6uZFjqrI2Hallen9sVQBVo2AinwUhK73PC3s4qbuY6EsEbrOFU5QScI-cYqVq9uwVaBHBWxp3q05QdHK1Cg8IOxK0SqH5dT5knNPAhGk07Hd8ficYYM3zkPZhQ/s320/March+2010+462.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kim and Gran discuss the finer points of camp cuisine</div><br />
Pop continues to step up his game, this year bringing a 30,000 BTU 2 burner propane stove to cook all the meals. He also brought a TV that he powered with the inverter! I was amazed at how good of a picture that little thing got. Finally, he brought a small generator; however, I don't think he used it. (This time around, the inverters worked and provided ample lighting for our campsite.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlrkO2gMH4m1ETxxy0X4-BUYIwafbOjM-Yn87E6K9MyRMYuAJdfKLItVdcrNBBB5gJ_t6ExNe3avS8juK0lWKBLoUMc2UgwOCAo6nmBwtzUQyX5IYbA9UGeqIYlhttJT6fEuLfw/s1600/March+2010+437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlrkO2gMH4m1ETxxy0X4-BUYIwafbOjM-Yn87E6K9MyRMYuAJdfKLItVdcrNBBB5gJ_t6ExNe3avS8juK0lWKBLoUMc2UgwOCAo6nmBwtzUQyX5IYbA9UGeqIYlhttJT6fEuLfw/s320/March+2010+437.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The camp crew</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>While we were packing up to go home (we've always been the last ones to leave), Pop mentioned that maybe we shouldn't bring so much stuff. To that I replied that it's easy to say that when packing up to leave, but it's easy to forget how nice it is to have all that stuff throughout the weekend. The canopy, the stoves, the inverters, batteries, lights, air mattresses, etc, etc, all make it that much easier to go camping. I've never said that we were "Roughing It"! Plus, have you ever stepped out of a tent on a very cold Spring morning and smelled bacon and eggs cooking? It's Heaven! When we first moved to Houston before we had children, some Fraternity brothers and I went on several hiking trips where we packed everything we needed on our backs. The "meals" eaten on those trips and those nights of "sleep" that were had on those trips don't compare to what we've been having on these Scout camping trips. There is something to be said for roughing it, but right now, I'm enjoying this type of camping experience with my boys and my dad. And next time *I* may kick it up a notch by bringing a full out coffee maker! I'm tired of trying to perfect the art of making instant coffee. It just aint right! I'm sure the inverter will handle it, and if not, I saw <a href="http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_Id=2000000719">a nifty one</a> that I could buy online or at Target.<br />
<br />
The Menu:<br />
Friday<br />
Dinner - Fried Shrimp, Catfish and French Fries. Yes, the entire camp full of boys once again came by to partake of the fries.<br />
<br />
Saturday<br />
Breakfast - Bacon and Eggs<br />
Lunch - Hot Dogs w/ Chili and cheese<br />
Dinner - Aunt Bessie's famous Chicken Jambalaya (ooooh this is so good.)<br />
<br />
Sunday<br />
Breakfast - Bacon and Eggs<br />
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After Dinner on Saturday night we had a huge bonfire and the boys told jokes, we sang songs and generally had a blast. Next time I will be fully prepared to play a lot of "campfire songs."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Xn3FVWTDkZnQMKNQYyf9HkwEvBoXvnVW8uG65qejOJLZfGAJWe-fOyqcw1QfcRiHCANSwAKdrSGPMFcuPEpxnvQbjg6u9pQAPBpn3Y4tVqJmerLy2roS73FKc2iqGM-xdGwesg/s1600/March+2010+473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Xn3FVWTDkZnQMKNQYyf9HkwEvBoXvnVW8uG65qejOJLZfGAJWe-fOyqcw1QfcRiHCANSwAKdrSGPMFcuPEpxnvQbjg6u9pQAPBpn3Y4tVqJmerLy2roS73FKc2iqGM-xdGwesg/s320/March+2010+473.JPG" /></a></div><br />
All throughout the weekend the boys played "War." They divided themselves into two groups: Indians and Warriors and played a generic version of Capture the Flag. It reminded me of my only two camping trips that I went on when I joined Boy Scouts as a teenager. Both trips we played capture the flag and me and Scott dominated everyone else. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, I dropped out of Scouts.<br />
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When we got home, we were so wiped out. Drew fell asleep on the futon upstairs, and I napped on the couch.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOktZek-6_cdYMo2QGO1jKcPBU5PR9b6Y6GesCV-4F2BSL2cvePAClFCtUFd9adhRwBg6QBDCKcWtFwJfZ6Q54n85R_Og9954WWdPWzhYrQguz-pQodu9Rv9u1n2HNWqllJFzC5g/s1600/March+2010+308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOktZek-6_cdYMo2QGO1jKcPBU5PR9b6Y6GesCV-4F2BSL2cvePAClFCtUFd9adhRwBg6QBDCKcWtFwJfZ6Q54n85R_Og9954WWdPWzhYrQguz-pQodu9Rv9u1n2HNWqllJFzC5g/s320/March+2010+308.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Friends</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTQj2MotwsjumlGp30YzPyrvhHHn3ckIKkW-x5wwDg7_GgRnTWJ6B9XGXp-exvxIiV42X1XNhgfsaBA1ocYEBrvnHj9_72SbpA9T5l1inIHmR_7QspxGlQy7wpTkFVewlzc4UQw/s1600/March+2010+309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTQj2MotwsjumlGp30YzPyrvhHHn3ckIKkW-x5wwDg7_GgRnTWJ6B9XGXp-exvxIiV42X1XNhgfsaBA1ocYEBrvnHj9_72SbpA9T5l1inIHmR_7QspxGlQy7wpTkFVewlzc4UQw/s320/March+2010+309.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Friends</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUJs86vlzAziehnhmGG7sQ7EYDdy4hvM-iUr_ebDfxJN51gzBUnfBGV_WKNQMXzmoBYL6Tky1OtgY0v-IBaPjnP5EEa0Hd6a7kA4hUmQBZli_wP6iRnaIcbzaXnCsUifreIccyw/s1600/March+2010+401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUJs86vlzAziehnhmGG7sQ7EYDdy4hvM-iUr_ebDfxJN51gzBUnfBGV_WKNQMXzmoBYL6Tky1OtgY0v-IBaPjnP5EEa0Hd6a7kA4hUmQBZli_wP6iRnaIcbzaXnCsUifreIccyw/s320/March+2010+401.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">ooooh.....snaaaaaake.....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbETYJdoyrWKNLt4_MEpvwQ8iC07AoReWWUCwOG3VVQSVkKrYFgAGtSJ5KRp-UM4Gp6gSDJ2swan24nl-QnB6MQl3w9AI3QOSgBkjZieXwsJWwCSofw1a4ShLNu2kmgFIGSrYohg/s1600/March+2010+427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbETYJdoyrWKNLt4_MEpvwQ8iC07AoReWWUCwOG3VVQSVkKrYFgAGtSJ5KRp-UM4Gp6gSDJ2swan24nl-QnB6MQl3w9AI3QOSgBkjZieXwsJWwCSofw1a4ShLNu2kmgFIGSrYohg/s320/March+2010+427.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Such sweet brothers</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAogL9qPy2pBLIi7sfxnGyEzOMTzdDsRQAL62ZRsVSDclLs945gnfWMzFOB9ucrt0fK8MUnVtuyfn9nkGzMgzImEt3dCZN8viC4gq9zhjZVCMLr7IZBJ79MwFMNZ-0C6P-PJJIQ/s1600/March+2010+430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKAogL9qPy2pBLIi7sfxnGyEzOMTzdDsRQAL62ZRsVSDclLs945gnfWMzFOB9ucrt0fK8MUnVtuyfn9nkGzMgzImEt3dCZN8viC4gq9zhjZVCMLr7IZBJ79MwFMNZ-0C6P-PJJIQ/s320/March+2010+430.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Me and my Cub Scouts</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3i4Kodi6eCy_aytO3DOAkhAd7tdy28OHZAqiLfYUNiYZLvCwAtXkMzv6beKLD6HDWDd11SQyx9cdUOkT1u7D58n29usp5vEbAnGFQv_gzWQBo1IzfNKueqUDWNHw2tqh5FjM21A/s1600/March+2010+431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3i4Kodi6eCy_aytO3DOAkhAd7tdy28OHZAqiLfYUNiYZLvCwAtXkMzv6beKLD6HDWDd11SQyx9cdUOkT1u7D58n29usp5vEbAnGFQv_gzWQBo1IzfNKueqUDWNHw2tqh5FjM21A/s320/March+2010+431.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Drew is a "Cub Scout Helper"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoU6nvjy0XckKaqhnxwkZzSMJs9cYynRRce4hhkmFrkj7oSn-GgvYYjvzACGq1HVyGpoVEzwgU-Mj1vv2vr3554DQOI-nvow9rFHza_fiMWCxzn2Ph9kop94UMr3PwN3kq_BCvQ/s1600/March+2010+446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoU6nvjy0XckKaqhnxwkZzSMJs9cYynRRce4hhkmFrkj7oSn-GgvYYjvzACGq1HVyGpoVEzwgU-Mj1vv2vr3554DQOI-nvow9rFHza_fiMWCxzn2Ph9kop94UMr3PwN3kq_BCvQ/s320/March+2010+446.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Where's that confounded bridge?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eptbV51G9HHH2GyER8oN0pDOJ5Mc74e5NNXsVcEZC0TK7FS8vOi34wyk6lwjVm9ZvTEeOHCj7umFdvYCS57PUC3FHU_Jo-mYsjRBRXtbTK-f0gL8jUGJMizxyLKAOSnSJOwilw/s1600/March+2010+452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eptbV51G9HHH2GyER8oN0pDOJ5Mc74e5NNXsVcEZC0TK7FS8vOi34wyk6lwjVm9ZvTEeOHCj7umFdvYCS57PUC3FHU_Jo-mYsjRBRXtbTK-f0gL8jUGJMizxyLKAOSnSJOwilw/s320/March+2010+452.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We made a tiny fire so we could do S'Mores by our site</div>The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-29719008667523498992010-03-31T21:54:00.003-05:002010-04-01T09:59:36.003-05:00Upon Further Review...Earlier this month I <a href="http://tinyeblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/you-should-have-been-here-yesterday.html">blogged</a> about our old camp at Bundick's Lake and I tallied all the fish that were recorded as caught and by whom in the camp log book to create a top 10 list of Camp Fishermen. You may recall I hinted at a "Lost Page" of the log that told of mass numbers of fish caught by Dad, Uncle Jerry and Myself. Well...wonder no longer. The page has been found, and, yes, the rankings have changed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUc5T3mQWUspZ_X-WPRui_SFazLvuQujZEFMfqDt_4Gd3VrJ8NQRBdo9UqnfSOg6b3LD4y6RwdUCqU0UfukA8SV873hN8nqhFuPJCcpJtAAS7ypphTOPV4XQLHybJWAu0po34cVw/s1600/lost+page.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUc5T3mQWUspZ_X-WPRui_SFazLvuQujZEFMfqDt_4Gd3VrJ8NQRBdo9UqnfSOg6b3LD4y6RwdUCqU0UfukA8SV873hN8nqhFuPJCcpJtAAS7ypphTOPV4XQLHybJWAu0po34cVw/s320/lost+page.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>As you can clearly see, the numbers are quite impressive. Over that three day period in November of 1985 we caught 65 fish!<br />
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And with this new information, we have a:<br />
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<strong>New Top 10:</strong><br />
1. Pop - 53+<br />
2. Mike - 33+<br />
3. Chad - 22+<br />
4. Gina - 20<br />
5. Ernest - 16+<br />
6. Uncle Jerry - 15<br />
7. Tina - 7<br />
8. Glenn - 4<br />
9. Grandma Denton - 1<br />
10. Mike Stelly - 1<br />
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Again, I'm sure this list will generate lots of debate, but let this bed a lesson in proper Log Book recording!<br />
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This was perfect timing! We all go to the Camp for Easter this weekend, and I may just catch every fish in the lake!The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-32993160059650729952010-03-31T07:50:00.000-05:002010-04-01T09:46:45.046-05:00Ten Years GoneEvan turns 10 today and I can't believe how fast the time has gone. He was a scheduled C-Section, so we knew the exact day and time that he'd be born. I remember the night before he was born. Kim had gone to bed and I stayed up folding baby towels and clothes. Once I was done I looked around and took it all in. Took in the silence of the house. Our lives would never be the same.<br />
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Evan has truly been a blessing, he's a great son, and he is an awesome big brother.<br />
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Happy Birthday, Evan!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlLa0MBC-5fKkfIXw7AjPN4VmKmIyXRV_-0fj2iPIomG-nqrto5Q2uC4O7znV2BCz36nV2Woc_p8Unj7R8GaeJdps6McVmXQoRBTCZghgoqusCOfkjm2Ke2FLiw43Tl346KmKaA/s1600/March+2010+684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXlLa0MBC-5fKkfIXw7AjPN4VmKmIyXRV_-0fj2iPIomG-nqrto5Q2uC4O7znV2BCz36nV2Woc_p8Unj7R8GaeJdps6McVmXQoRBTCZghgoqusCOfkjm2Ke2FLiw43Tl346KmKaA/s320/March+2010+684.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We didn't have any single candles, but we did have a 6 and a 4. When Evan came down and saw that, he bent over and imitated an old man and in his best old man voice, he said, "Well, I didn't realize I turned 64 today!" I said, "Yeah, you slept a long time, Rip Van Winkle!"<br />
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We love you son!The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-31565159983026179782010-03-24T23:49:00.002-05:002010-03-30T16:50:37.097-05:00John Mark McMillan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiORMxDGdmkJmVgDas1GwqWsGbyCBbkTb9iFPQUG9qzD9Sf661_p2KhP1FnkzY6K_9mZ4jJmCo3VRIt5_nTlp5cpcHrKIXk0oB4pM2YlKwrzOiDXrz1BwitGme5sn94GsJ4zy2uQ/s1600/jmm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiORMxDGdmkJmVgDas1GwqWsGbyCBbkTb9iFPQUG9qzD9Sf661_p2KhP1FnkzY6K_9mZ4jJmCo3VRIt5_nTlp5cpcHrKIXk0oB4pM2YlKwrzOiDXrz1BwitGme5sn94GsJ4zy2uQ/s320/jmm.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Tonight my good friend Bill Phillips and I went to Magnolia, TX to see John Mark McMillan and his band play as the opening act to the Robbie Seay Band, and boy were we blown away! As an opening act, their set was short, but very powerful. They opened up with Breaking Down and followed that with Out of the Ground. Next was the wonderful How He Loves. I'm a huge fan of this song, but seeing it live was more powerful than I ever imagined. They closed the night with Skeleton Bones. Another wonderful song. After the set, they went to their merchandise table and mingled with fans. Bill and I talked to him and the band for a good 20 minutes or so. We supported the cause by buying their album - yes, on vinyl - and they gratefully signed them for us.<br />
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One of the things that really suprised me was how approachable the whole band was. Really down to earth and very nice and obliging to the fans. I noticed John Mark praying with two girls about a situation that the girls were clearly concerned about.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvs322qFW_kzPpzOLXXVgxyhcfTh-_qOKqCcBq8TAW6YOM1EZX31WRPfeM4NZoGtyfy0HlJMgnblpErCm2Kt-9YBwKdCX-XA4pXMMRIlzcc6P5rKcUCUqI3xFu0Ryxao-2aSuLw/s1600/jmm+guitarist+james.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvs322qFW_kzPpzOLXXVgxyhcfTh-_qOKqCcBq8TAW6YOM1EZX31WRPfeM4NZoGtyfy0HlJMgnblpErCm2Kt-9YBwKdCX-XA4pXMMRIlzcc6P5rKcUCUqI3xFu0Ryxao-2aSuLw/s320/jmm+guitarist+james.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Me and John Mark's guitarist, James Duke.</div><br />
Getting back to the vinyl albums, he made a comment that there is an art to making music and an art of listening to music. When you have an album on vinyl, there are sounds there that don't exist in digital media. You have to engage yourself to the music because you have to put the needle on the record, flip the album over, etc. to listen to it. Well, when I got home, I broke out Kim's old record player and prayed that the years had been good to it. After a few crackles from the needle, the sweet sounds of Death in His Grave came out of the tiny, dusty speaker as though it was travelling through 20 years of time and space. I was in Heaven. It has been over 20 years since I've put a record onto a turntable, and it was no doubt, Pink Floyd's The Wall.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSgwFWCjB9SQBdAcKVFYSjG-scQTyFoSNlrBcXCEwsY2sesR0w6BXDMfv_gG82zpAJjCNkUU4wqYiad5MkyjLvntiuj38mHqxVtOFxxaYsFkutxZ50Ap1DC9Mi7oTNvx2XYkBaA/s1600/March+2010+275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSgwFWCjB9SQBdAcKVFYSjG-scQTyFoSNlrBcXCEwsY2sesR0w6BXDMfv_gG82zpAJjCNkUU4wqYiad5MkyjLvntiuj38mHqxVtOFxxaYsFkutxZ50Ap1DC9Mi7oTNvx2XYkBaA/s320/March+2010+275.JPG" /></a></div><br />
The album is heavier and thicker than what I remember albums feeling like. Thank you, John Mark, for reminding me of what music is supposed to do to us.<br />
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What a long, strange trip it's been.The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-42622715169723903642010-03-23T00:04:00.001-05:002010-03-23T00:06:24.389-05:00A Few StragglersIs "straggler" even a word? It dawned on me that we did not take a picture of the t-shirts from the party, plus, I felt obligated to not leave all two of you hanging, waiting with baited breath on whether or not we returned Elliot's guitar.<br />
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First, the shirt. Here's the one Evan made:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9f-fEu8uakLPrkVJDkbbUBk548cugtdSPwe7XPiv9KoWm7UxzusivTCn82Pidg_-mUgZnUKQye66EBERUxJ8wcKdjUzh1H3v0kMWg0p1LuzkW7PZwWe2TGcZIopa1B1I8A39Bzw/s1600-h/March+2010+245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9f-fEu8uakLPrkVJDkbbUBk548cugtdSPwe7XPiv9KoWm7UxzusivTCn82Pidg_-mUgZnUKQye66EBERUxJ8wcKdjUzh1H3v0kMWg0p1LuzkW7PZwWe2TGcZIopa1B1I8A39Bzw/s320/March+2010+245.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Front</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqMYuFKoDh_qjH9v4jCiwnYc-XLJJxBjINk0ZRTsJ6mgfo7vopgP_7Vo4B7b5daSyxsudPkih4HQAP02xpC8AEd5kncDZFzXXOwqOqinXp6m1abjfmQb_USxm3pLpqhyphenhyphen7-_B-Ow/s1600-h/March+2010+246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqMYuFKoDh_qjH9v4jCiwnYc-XLJJxBjINk0ZRTsJ6mgfo7vopgP_7Vo4B7b5daSyxsudPkih4HQAP02xpC8AEd5kncDZFzXXOwqOqinXp6m1abjfmQb_USxm3pLpqhyphenhyphen7-_B-Ow/s320/March+2010+246.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Back</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And as for Elliot's guitar...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLU18KKx6YyyRYaUFD_rMrRZ72br-14ikoJxGmy5H7GWl8LuSnVEqk2TM2fgdn5vzUae-aE6vuVD9_YxNFLOPQZaZdASxJ3ycKtzb5T_caxAyAAydHzn8c0-O_Jmwau4v8GjliJw/s1600-h/Elliot+Squire+Mini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLU18KKx6YyyRYaUFD_rMrRZ72br-14ikoJxGmy5H7GWl8LuSnVEqk2TM2fgdn5vzUae-aE6vuVD9_YxNFLOPQZaZdASxJ3ycKtzb5T_caxAyAAydHzn8c0-O_Jmwau4v8GjliJw/s320/Elliot+Squire+Mini.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We returned the blue guitar, went to Guitar Center and bought this one. It is a sweet Squier Mini by Fender. For $30 more we really upgraded and I'm glad we did. This little baby really plays well, and I admit I hold on to it a bit too long after I'm done tuning it if you catch my drift! Hmm...reminds me of....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmH11_qWD2Y8ut39ZLtXpKjFDCeNP8fv0_bslaHL4BQa-M5L11zJJXyq-wNokOYcD3gC7F-nA7x8to33HbmtvYXXYDmOBcBx6aVqqtpuMH4BaAd58aCPSYBmDrNXxykLvbMVZaow/s1600-h/grandpa+guitar+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmH11_qWD2Y8ut39ZLtXpKjFDCeNP8fv0_bslaHL4BQa-M5L11zJJXyq-wNokOYcD3gC7F-nA7x8to33HbmtvYXXYDmOBcBx6aVqqtpuMH4BaAd58aCPSYBmDrNXxykLvbMVZaow/s320/grandpa+guitar+1.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That's my grandpa "tuning" my first guitar...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1OF56UOGu7N_VL8Ihq1BM2p8yM6j4FxhgLySNv-cvWnTE78Eb7VVIq2I3JLNXI38_ZSKQyYkOfm6HN-rNrj6mmFJj0CNgL7OwqTSb6-IG2Yb7OnWttO9NW0GQpZxrIlFde-jboA/s1600-h/grandpa+guitar+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1OF56UOGu7N_VL8Ihq1BM2p8yM6j4FxhgLySNv-cvWnTE78Eb7VVIq2I3JLNXI38_ZSKQyYkOfm6HN-rNrj6mmFJj0CNgL7OwqTSb6-IG2Yb7OnWttO9NW0GQpZxrIlFde-jboA/s320/grandpa+guitar+2.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">....still tuning.....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpn4bKm5x9_nnE48BkT8sIH2dhPLMKc6q64jLo_oL0rwSkaiEgOotT2jPmLGkDA5LfqDPnk4BMlsw-xdbyIBkrDSF8iRdaC7o0iDb8BQVXkoIQmvbPHL95_1K_6aI2ZjlsqG_hg/s1600-h/grandpa+guitar+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpn4bKm5x9_nnE48BkT8sIH2dhPLMKc6q64jLo_oL0rwSkaiEgOotT2jPmLGkDA5LfqDPnk4BMlsw-xdbyIBkrDSF8iRdaC7o0iDb8BQVXkoIQmvbPHL95_1K_6aI2ZjlsqG_hg/s320/grandpa+guitar+3.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"Come on, grandpa, I wanna play my guitar!!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWbFPbbNoOD5KfmEE4p0uAjly9rqFKJ8EDznnF2hDInBkr9n3YpXMHIZTLY-0wSYijyHlV1xUa9oKUO7wrpWncH3GDkiJiBaWXCoezrqgOD9bZyrM-Ie6XozRGMvEqsi3KjTO8Q/s1600-h/my+first+guitar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWbFPbbNoOD5KfmEE4p0uAjly9rqFKJ8EDznnF2hDInBkr9n3YpXMHIZTLY-0wSYijyHlV1xUa9oKUO7wrpWncH3GDkiJiBaWXCoezrqgOD9bZyrM-Ie6XozRGMvEqsi3KjTO8Q/s320/my+first+guitar.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">FINALLY!!</div><br />
I'll close with a few more pics that we took this past Sunday.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CYEmGOOq5E6KhBUt0HzaSHAquBhrujJRJMk9ncgJwfQiVB-YufVjqLFT3uCMeYNZ50_O-uJdNqOKk6SlHRgAzMwUPYd3sybpR8DYItlq9H3RBtraP6z64-9_9Ov7YKdskX2c-g/s1600-h/March+2010+225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CYEmGOOq5E6KhBUt0HzaSHAquBhrujJRJMk9ncgJwfQiVB-YufVjqLFT3uCMeYNZ50_O-uJdNqOKk6SlHRgAzMwUPYd3sybpR8DYItlq9H3RBtraP6z64-9_9Ov7YKdskX2c-g/s320/March+2010+225.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Drew is really itching to get an electric of his own. For now, we bought him a strap from Guitar Center because he really has been a trooper this weekend watching Evan and Elliot rack up with presents. His birthday is in May, so who knows...maybe a Vee Wee is in the cards?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DZNyFpk0fF1wQB5RfqC9Ebbi2ZdfATcUj0C-NkZa9OSg3fWVIDABrQ5950KWcitP8IPBDswVzG_r76JNKrL8rcTHizCd3Uo-KZGA4AfjrTdpz7UtBM_TPsAalhHuKYO_Xe6HyA/s1600-h/March+2010+243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5DZNyFpk0fF1wQB5RfqC9Ebbi2ZdfATcUj0C-NkZa9OSg3fWVIDABrQ5950KWcitP8IPBDswVzG_r76JNKrL8rcTHizCd3Uo-KZGA4AfjrTdpz7UtBM_TPsAalhHuKYO_Xe6HyA/s320/March+2010+243.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik51ViegT0o3heNTsdkCtw69fFUDh5VnHPLMeUpp0zbCUKXIwMErZem5xLU4azbcfDJRBg55iWeox_xYeJjWzDkYMPNUNcFLW5t0VWz-_cU3sZ40UR0LWgOY3c2pxPehhzNxgtKA/s1600-h/March+2010+254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik51ViegT0o3heNTsdkCtw69fFUDh5VnHPLMeUpp0zbCUKXIwMErZem5xLU4azbcfDJRBg55iWeox_xYeJjWzDkYMPNUNcFLW5t0VWz-_cU3sZ40UR0LWgOY3c2pxPehhzNxgtKA/s320/March+2010+254.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oddly enough, I really like this picture.</div>The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-29145426836776022562010-03-21T21:06:00.000-05:002010-03-21T21:06:15.114-05:00SnapshotsI really love our new camera.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7HNmSQ4i7APiHrRYEsx5LaqnMsbiBm_0Gr7EWaNsob2FndPRIBvYHm2A7Ds0Z2X1XsLIbUB5AftDhyRZ0igWI7xJgdn1lSFZK0fzWFhqclCln2ric3pOVZr-K28dDSWiRo1XLQ/s1600-h/March+20,10+188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7HNmSQ4i7APiHrRYEsx5LaqnMsbiBm_0Gr7EWaNsob2FndPRIBvYHm2A7Ds0Z2X1XsLIbUB5AftDhyRZ0igWI7xJgdn1lSFZK0fzWFhqclCln2ric3pOVZr-K28dDSWiRo1XLQ/s320/March+20,10+188.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So Sweet!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWJefzs6tSblHpxGyo39n7F7HOfewckE3cAGkb-oguTADqwm4lJGFASPTR60zzWFYmTOEaFBQAsC6YUnQStt-hyQ92B9HryWxFEIfPZrqLBAH0NVkOP1ATilutfO89f749mxhmA/s1600-h/March+20,10+193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWJefzs6tSblHpxGyo39n7F7HOfewckE3cAGkb-oguTADqwm4lJGFASPTR60zzWFYmTOEaFBQAsC6YUnQStt-hyQ92B9HryWxFEIfPZrqLBAH0NVkOP1ATilutfO89f749mxhmA/s320/March+20,10+193.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So Beautiful!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIVRRzw6gciuQN9ISQ1a10f810zVMZ5w4sSQKop8sMNlzlUNRd_Jqhr-F5lOeGxxOLYDEMlPIZ0Tqu5JFF-B4hlV3Xvh3su1aN_2mSY0wVon72xlrpQqVXKPsgb7pPIb1puhc6A/s1600-h/March+20,10+194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIVRRzw6gciuQN9ISQ1a10f810zVMZ5w4sSQKop8sMNlzlUNRd_Jqhr-F5lOeGxxOLYDEMlPIZ0Tqu5JFF-B4hlV3Xvh3su1aN_2mSY0wVon72xlrpQqVXKPsgb7pPIb1puhc6A/s320/March+20,10+194.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So Happy!</div>The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-6242287608737326202010-03-21T09:04:00.001-05:002010-04-01T09:47:08.999-05:00You Say It's Your Birthday...The boys' long awaited "Rock and Roll" birthday party has finally come! Kim made an awesome cake that was topped with KISS figures, we decorated the house with posters, set up Rock Band/Guitar Hero on the downstairs TV, and set up Evan's guitar and my bass in the back room so we could "play our gig" for the guests.<br />
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As each party goer arrived, their hands were stamped with a skull and crossbones stamp for admittance, then it was off to either play Rock Band or to make their own custom Rock and Roll t-shirt. We cut out stencils for The Beatles, AC/DC and a Flying V guitar. We also bought some pre-made stencils to add extra flair if they so desired.<br />
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After the t-shirts were made, the live music began. I give Evan huge props for how much he has advanced on the guitar. When he received his electric guitar for Christmas, he said he wanted to play a concert for his birthday party, and we practiced for months getting three good songs down to play. We opened up with I Love Rock and Roll by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, followed by The Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin. The closer was Iron Man by Black Sabbath.<br />
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After that, everyone was ready for some cake and ice cream and to open gifts.<br />
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Everyone had a blast and after a bit more Guitar Hero (Evan got a new one as a gift) the party drew to a close.<br />
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It will be hard to top this one. I think I had just as much fun as the boys did, and for sure this was the coolest birthday party I've ever been to!<br />
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Enjoy the photos!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqD_OTBNhDLG7Bgaen2b9z5F2BUkyLpXH_9pqKnnLBcmqMYoselUnUm61IVzkDw1zqB6J_aCtGvaf62AWAuB2sl5chb289bnuC4oyzEjgNOR7-pcDqmAO0CXpwYILZ0C6YCxSfg/s1600-h/March+20,10+027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmqD_OTBNhDLG7Bgaen2b9z5F2BUkyLpXH_9pqKnnLBcmqMYoselUnUm61IVzkDw1zqB6J_aCtGvaf62AWAuB2sl5chb289bnuC4oyzEjgNOR7-pcDqmAO0CXpwYILZ0C6YCxSfg/s320/March+20,10+027.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The table was set.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VNBTzRcosylR6ppme8MmJRqrDlimeB5zqZ0wvNcHNXolWI4KMxGp65LOTByLfY6qEeI5xQK7Jlwl5vv4ff2ZlqT9KloiGhs1RC6usv36u_nrMl6UMcyVA_t6OkM8Bk2oxp5uqg/s1600-h/March+20,10+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5VNBTzRcosylR6ppme8MmJRqrDlimeB5zqZ0wvNcHNXolWI4KMxGp65LOTByLfY6qEeI5xQK7Jlwl5vv4ff2ZlqT9KloiGhs1RC6usv36u_nrMl6UMcyVA_t6OkM8Bk2oxp5uqg/s320/March+20,10+018.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kim did a great job on the cake!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqK6jLt12E9oMzcPiY6Zo8wemdHPCmQw4oehrHYli5Dbyh31kffJNSySCIVbzrz6prN5Y21pRTg5L3sf-EeCJXMmosAzYQJ0BMrlenV4sIrRNIHa1wr0lnS0XH2ZzCu-wiwjDhQ/s1600-h/March+20,10+041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWqK6jLt12E9oMzcPiY6Zo8wemdHPCmQw4oehrHYli5Dbyh31kffJNSySCIVbzrz6prN5Y21pRTg5L3sf-EeCJXMmosAzYQJ0BMrlenV4sIrRNIHa1wr0lnS0XH2ZzCu-wiwjDhQ/s320/March+20,10+041.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dylan gets a little drum action</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kJnBJsp0gOdEIvGvyAYEJ83aj5N6qycZWn2flhc3bbmnXRUaabdbEtBht5gGqhuy680FAEYwb8pTPpQ-XzNbzu4PYa7HbCsc9h8sO4NpQWecy13qtwK5Js4PF2zqJJ-u2jBKrQ/s1600-h/March+20,10+044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kJnBJsp0gOdEIvGvyAYEJ83aj5N6qycZWn2flhc3bbmnXRUaabdbEtBht5gGqhuy680FAEYwb8pTPpQ-XzNbzu4PYa7HbCsc9h8sO4NpQWecy13qtwK5Js4PF2zqJJ-u2jBKrQ/s320/March+20,10+044.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Preparing for the party. Elliot wanted a Paul Stanley face.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSvItcmpUeajon1S6f7lXSUPOLo_MJqH1FFwjMXLwiZi58ICW0tMZ-ZLpGNN3onaF1iawEl0Nrn9jbW47_xYsphIVbCfXxk3cFg-oA8KJ6v4Nu2LjsDwlKwLgGQ6SxxxFcnNauA/s1600-h/March+20,10+053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicSvItcmpUeajon1S6f7lXSUPOLo_MJqH1FFwjMXLwiZi58ICW0tMZ-ZLpGNN3onaF1iawEl0Nrn9jbW47_xYsphIVbCfXxk3cFg-oA8KJ6v4Nu2LjsDwlKwLgGQ6SxxxFcnNauA/s320/March+20,10+053.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Rock Band!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-VHcFPO9zgOPyHBmIm9zXSsEHlT4xChzE_s2dAFJj-Y_5m_LlOF1ukK00hYbuoxtVn6BEalXBHzzdaNBX4iKu7GZ6emw9YTGUp0VM0OF35ErEEYzzOs58zJ3SA7-HUt7cc8Fkg/s1600-h/March+20,10+066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-VHcFPO9zgOPyHBmIm9zXSsEHlT4xChzE_s2dAFJj-Y_5m_LlOF1ukK00hYbuoxtVn6BEalXBHzzdaNBX4iKu7GZ6emw9YTGUp0VM0OF35ErEEYzzOs58zJ3SA7-HUt7cc8Fkg/s320/March+20,10+066.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Drew and Jared decide to go for the real thing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_57ye6I-9DDfJXb7IQYcArhaTNqIind2695QWVh89vujIjRLFZPexDRjx1ncUlEROqpDbMnbnXQjwqNAlzXRjDBht4T8iWC-gRDGGCD8l2LembL9uOXudhsf7RXs29p8A8hc4mw/s1600-h/March+20,10+081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_57ye6I-9DDfJXb7IQYcArhaTNqIind2695QWVh89vujIjRLFZPexDRjx1ncUlEROqpDbMnbnXQjwqNAlzXRjDBht4T8iWC-gRDGGCD8l2LembL9uOXudhsf7RXs29p8A8hc4mw/s320/March+20,10+081.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Rocking out with Evan...a great moment for me!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJE0S-AOEyafrZ6ebm9VI_cNiV1QqPvBciCfFIN5DrI9qPy7NDDZnK94ktsNDtUoaF_trHr55OumhRmFEEiiU2EBxpMvQrXPyyoNyziNQkew8RCDSd2C-yyvqQgfZKEnJg5125qg/s1600-h/March+20,10+092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJE0S-AOEyafrZ6ebm9VI_cNiV1QqPvBciCfFIN5DrI9qPy7NDDZnK94ktsNDtUoaF_trHr55OumhRmFEEiiU2EBxpMvQrXPyyoNyziNQkew8RCDSd2C-yyvqQgfZKEnJg5125qg/s320/March+20,10+092.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">All the rockers get together for a picture.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmoez6BCNOSShHVadY9XQLPYepGa29G0YYlgL1q3t_szr35ROw6L_l0NzF7QpoluU5mM6wH6NGzSqwTsdzcS2DjtIkATle8-wnigkzJtQB7eHbP5N4u9h17yTqt1VcIN3OZ0nf0w/s1600-h/March+20,10+060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmoez6BCNOSShHVadY9XQLPYepGa29G0YYlgL1q3t_szr35ROw6L_l0NzF7QpoluU5mM6wH6NGzSqwTsdzcS2DjtIkATle8-wnigkzJtQB7eHbP5N4u9h17yTqt1VcIN3OZ0nf0w/s320/March+20,10+060.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A future rock star.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ollJ27b0_qR0PFNKkldKr_QNO_idAno26J_0oe2XIi_coYoJrhUWuQP_JG2FWMIwSCFHnDFYpaiDHaXgnw691PwvDT_bup0IBQ6iXccwxppo99Q6ub-n_T-5mRbGzys5wfa59g/s1600-h/March+20,10+093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ollJ27b0_qR0PFNKkldKr_QNO_idAno26J_0oe2XIi_coYoJrhUWuQP_JG2FWMIwSCFHnDFYpaiDHaXgnw691PwvDT_bup0IBQ6iXccwxppo99Q6ub-n_T-5mRbGzys5wfa59g/s320/March+20,10+093.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Time for presents!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YXvbR-unHVo9GWWbIG0kwrLj1Kcqgjo6V7hlXcNbCkeHS7Xm3zv-3EIhmrybhfCJdYenfCEtDd25Y1iAg9tWqdh5mPTf873_4mnGhaY5u4fHYh_3usdJ-9OuvEGb9H2bLwjsOA/s1600-h/March+20,10+113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YXvbR-unHVo9GWWbIG0kwrLj1Kcqgjo6V7hlXcNbCkeHS7Xm3zv-3EIhmrybhfCJdYenfCEtDd25Y1iAg9tWqdh5mPTf873_4mnGhaY5u4fHYh_3usdJ-9OuvEGb9H2bLwjsOA/s320/March+20,10+113.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pop wearing my old Led Zeppelin shirt...and a full head of hair!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ92alIgtz3o9dKfJZ-MKTAhkgTOo9jiomBP1I1tgXQ8IdHX5lnxrojA1v7Yz9qGExAKhXPAGGNbPgFB-gPM7rtkfUgso-qrQy42gtJwMs7ks2bk2JV24n_9Uo-5lsIj3UkrirCQ/s1600-h/March+20,10+134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ92alIgtz3o9dKfJZ-MKTAhkgTOo9jiomBP1I1tgXQ8IdHX5lnxrojA1v7Yz9qGExAKhXPAGGNbPgFB-gPM7rtkfUgso-qrQy42gtJwMs7ks2bk2JV24n_9Uo-5lsIj3UkrirCQ/s320/March+20,10+134.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Up to this point, Elliot had recieved a guitar stand and a guitar amp. Hmmm. I wonder what this one could be??!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5tR8BGciI8kUitbaBo1QCsKXg8M2cBfmH5_QnJHx8QHgTBlGdFDNw_O8QUIaAFCNRuZEFsH12J2p34n9XsMJPGb3ufHygK9Mnm2y9Vl1Pu2nIF3F_H9q_gpxRJAVa22R0598Yg/s1600-h/March+20,10+140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5tR8BGciI8kUitbaBo1QCsKXg8M2cBfmH5_QnJHx8QHgTBlGdFDNw_O8QUIaAFCNRuZEFsH12J2p34n9XsMJPGb3ufHygK9Mnm2y9Vl1Pu2nIF3F_H9q_gpxRJAVa22R0598Yg/s320/March+20,10+140.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Elliot finally joins the electric age!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISV58F-AWuyKlU9sD4EBbann9UbLu4sr5XsnFbhJCpvuD-N7jacj1zjYhhwI9cFDoovMZdnNG_a8kttBxwWFfKcHkZwC8wM2D6LUh38Dz4GJVkPW3H3OvV1oE9McRhaMPGuo_rg/s1600-h/March+20,10+145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISV58F-AWuyKlU9sD4EBbann9UbLu4sr5XsnFbhJCpvuD-N7jacj1zjYhhwI9cFDoovMZdnNG_a8kttBxwWFfKcHkZwC8wM2D6LUh38Dz4GJVkPW3H3OvV1oE9McRhaMPGuo_rg/s320/March+20,10+145.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Elliot tests out his new axe. (Unfortunately I think it's too big for him. We may have to find a smaller one for him.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHDuftOOFMa_PRSkFeEYohfkdGU0lDaSi212FgS_XwXW7y0IQC-VvnhjSPMonaUtRZwwspD-ERcAK0WFZV8f8E7u5-pcSSaz2ROeu79Cn8FdFRa_d1qTf_Jm-1w2aXYxMl_OhKNw/s1600-h/March+20,10+157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHDuftOOFMa_PRSkFeEYohfkdGU0lDaSi212FgS_XwXW7y0IQC-VvnhjSPMonaUtRZwwspD-ERcAK0WFZV8f8E7u5-pcSSaz2ROeu79Cn8FdFRa_d1qTf_Jm-1w2aXYxMl_OhKNw/s320/March+20,10+157.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pop and Evan on Guitar Hero</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSHjvgb4t7meFoqm1QSg7wG-zE4QKRneY770B22MGs-81nXyTKbOrM7NL1uIiq55lui4YKD_NzGJjlKTdzOwmVY43QNaGt2pSvY1QRJkA5yOSW2P-tMeT4mfeGipd2CuUBllrwg/s1600-h/March+20,10+160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSHjvgb4t7meFoqm1QSg7wG-zE4QKRneY770B22MGs-81nXyTKbOrM7NL1uIiq55lui4YKD_NzGJjlKTdzOwmVY43QNaGt2pSvY1QRJkA5yOSW2P-tMeT4mfeGipd2CuUBllrwg/s320/March+20,10+160.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Drew and Dylan under the table and dreaming.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEw0fo6kiPAzj6uqlKTWSgtquXMDswCmSeOaikZK4L8eR0VqBjj-T9LYSIRBJtogsuJz9zNCTNV3vBvJUKiF_R4D3IziTDEcEardM0LnAgPL_ZrGyzg3bfvah9HTEi0G03F6HXMg/s1600-h/March+20,10+163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEw0fo6kiPAzj6uqlKTWSgtquXMDswCmSeOaikZK4L8eR0VqBjj-T9LYSIRBJtogsuJz9zNCTNV3vBvJUKiF_R4D3IziTDEcEardM0LnAgPL_ZrGyzg3bfvah9HTEi0G03F6HXMg/s320/March+20,10+163.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Trying out Evan's new Guitar Hero</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LZpDII1XS0L9WmdHRMXo0mJ1y6AGSfk3usT4g4MhzpWtX6M8JQw-Rot7YGU4ucgE_qmAT3uE14k6EddsZ-n7hzJkd14H5JIbji9_99-iLpkvhYfhdOF8bHjveEUvS8j-kjnyAQ/s1600-h/March+20,10+169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LZpDII1XS0L9WmdHRMXo0mJ1y6AGSfk3usT4g4MhzpWtX6M8JQw-Rot7YGU4ucgE_qmAT3uE14k6EddsZ-n7hzJkd14H5JIbji9_99-iLpkvhYfhdOF8bHjveEUvS8j-kjnyAQ/s320/March+20,10+169.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sing me a song</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdE568Z_hLDShLkSCMHMjVOtldmZMdZrwE7xbKP2v9coR3YY2k8hCvSSDf05RQeR1xiR6sDVcNznR6tA7lRHFTh5Tx9xGs6QWSB16mx1HOEKOodXaU2m_jR8HuON1NH_vIQDg68A/s1600-h/March+20,10+178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdE568Z_hLDShLkSCMHMjVOtldmZMdZrwE7xbKP2v9coR3YY2k8hCvSSDf05RQeR1xiR6sDVcNznR6tA7lRHFTh5Tx9xGs6QWSB16mx1HOEKOodXaU2m_jR8HuON1NH_vIQDg68A/s320/March+20,10+178.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kim and Drew kick out some jams</div>The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-33345347622373256832010-03-19T07:51:00.000-05:002010-04-01T09:48:34.264-05:00I'm in the Band!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH8U5lhlYvSZHe5nxG2PimTsAw2DynmeXy3fhPti6OT8Jcwwiiz8ACZZGn1bJYxrwWeQKpOsAmPuy4yTbiItc42sfWnZ0KxnX-2NeSyEEyYvBei6ueGmnCn5y9esJ-YyUoBiFrrA/s1600-h/March+2010+206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH8U5lhlYvSZHe5nxG2PimTsAw2DynmeXy3fhPti6OT8Jcwwiiz8ACZZGn1bJYxrwWeQKpOsAmPuy4yTbiItc42sfWnZ0KxnX-2NeSyEEyYvBei6ueGmnCn5y9esJ-YyUoBiFrrA/s320/March+2010+206.JPG" vt="true" /></a></div>We need a bigger "music room..."The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-21355887999187868732010-03-12T16:34:00.000-06:002010-03-12T16:34:59.738-06:00Root-Cause Analysis and Lessons Learnt (sic)In my line of work when something goes wrong, what follows is a root-cause analysis and in the final report there is a section for “Lessons Learned,” which, more often than not, is misspelled as “Lessons Learnt.”<br />
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The few of you that read my blog know that I have been gone away from my family for quite a while. I departed on February 22nd and I returned on March 12th to participate in a job for my company in Chad, Africa. The job did not go as planned, but after the initial root-cause analysis we have some lessons learned that can be applied to hopefully garner success in the future. Well, in those 18 days, I learned quite a few things about myself.<br />
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First and foremost I learned, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God is no puppet master. He doesn’t have each human dangling on a string to control their every movement and decision. He has given us all free will, and in so giving, that means that while you may be diligent, sincere and persistent in your prayers for something to go your way, if it depends on the actions of others, it still may not be answered to your liking.<br />
<br />
Further to this, I realized that nine times out of ten, I pray for my will to be done. When I prayed to be home on the 3rd, that was my will. When I prayed to be home on the 9th, that was my will. I was basically saying, “Father, not Thy will, but my will be done.” I don’t think God likes that too much. Once the job kept getting delayed and I’d have to change my tickets AGAIN, I finally reached a point where I just threw my hands up and basically yelled, “WHATEVER!!!!” to the LORD. I’m sure He had quite a laugh at my expense Tuesday night as I walked the long walk back to my room after learning that “yes you can go home on Wednesday, but there is no room for you on the flight out of the base to the city, so you’ll have to wait till Thursday.” That was my breaking point. I’ve never been so frustrated, so angry, so confused in all my life. I wanted to cry. I did cry. When I went to bed that night, I laid there still as a board. Reluctantly I made the Sign of the Cross and I just could not say one prayer. Finally, I vocally whispered, “God, I can’t pray tonight because I am so mad,” and at that I wept. <br />
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<blockquote>“When you go to the Tavern, which is to God, and ask for His Love, He’s the bartender. And He gives you a drink, and what you have to give Him is an empty glass. There’s no point in giving Him your heart if it’s full already. There’s no point in going to God if your heart is full of Doris.” – Pete Townshend.</blockquote><br />
Up to that point, my heart was full. It was full of good things: family, home, playing with the kids, evenings with my wife, relaxation, etc. All of these things were what I had planned for myself. And while these things are inherently good, they had no regard for God’s plan for me.<br />
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And what about God’s plan? Did He have a reason to send me to Africa? Did I convert any Chadians to Christianity? Did I feed any starving children? Did I serve some other grand purpose that was made known to me once I arrived? No. But slowly I started to realize something very important: Many times during the days, and especially at the rig site, I’d use language that would make my mother blush. Each day that my stay was prolonged I grumbled, and the longer my stay got, the less and less friendly I became. The native people are quite nice and eager to smile at ex-pats and welcome them to their country. But I didn’t feel like smiling. I was mad. Yet, each day, at breakfast, lunch and dinner, I’d cross myself and bless my food! <br />
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<blockquote>“You sure do cuss a lot for a Christian.” – Don Horner</blockquote><br />
It was at that point that I realized that I was being a hypocrite, and I realized how hard it is to be a Christian and to be Christ to others when things are not going your way. It was a very humbling moment.<br />
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I learned to appreciate, more than ever, being Catholic, primarily for two reasons. One reason is the oft-criticized “rote memory” prayers. I’ve heard comments suggesting that prayers don’t really mean anything unless you say them on the fly or basically making them up as you go. Well, I was so mad at God, I could not do that. But I did manage an Our Father, a Glory Be and the trusty old Blessing Before Meals with no problem. If not for these prayers, I don’t think I could have prayed at all, and I’m very thankful.<br />
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But greater than that is the love and respect that the Church has for the Blessed Mother and oh, what a sense of peace I had whenever I prayed to Mary. The Tuesday night that I spoke of earlier, after whispering to God that I couldn’t pray because I was too mad, I asked Mary to help me, and I felt a strange sense of peace. I then pictured a little boy being mad at his father’s decision, so he goes crying to his mother. The mother consoles the child, but does not reverse the father’s decision. This is what Mary does for us, and what little peace I felt on this trip, I attribute to Mary’s intercession.<br />
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Finally, I learned that I take a lot of things for granted. When you are in Central Africa, there are not a lot of luxuries. The company base where we stayed was very nice, the rooms were very nice, air conditioned rooms with showers. But it was the little things that count. Real salt and pepper and Tony Chachere’s. Good old American Made Coca Cola. A cell phone signal. An internet connection that actually works all the time at a fast speed. Mosquitoes that won’t kill you. But the biggest thing that I realized that I take for granted is freedom. I don’t want to go all melodramatic on you, but being over there was kind of like being in a type of minimum security prison. Sure, I was free to roam the campus, go to the gym (which I did!), go to the cafeteria, surf the net, etc. But I couldn’t leave the base. Although I had tickets to leave on Wednesday I could not get a flight out, and there was no way to get to the city otherwise. I felt trapped.<br />
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So, yes, the life of the Williams family experienced a sort of diversion. But at least I take with me some lessons learned. And as long as we learn something, nothing is “for nothing.”<br />
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Peace.The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-86995247020961758152010-03-05T14:16:00.000-06:002010-03-05T14:16:15.862-06:00Psalm 22 (21 DR) 1 Unto the end, for the morning protection, a psalm for David. 2 O God my God, look upon me: why hast thou forsaken me? Far from my salvation are the words of my sins. 3 O my God, I shall cry by day, and thou wilt not hear: and by night, and it shall not be reputed as folly in me. 4 But thou dwellest in the holy place, the praise of Israel. 5 In thee have our fathers hoped: they have hoped, and thou hast delivered them.<br />
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6 They cried to thee, and they were saved: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. 7 But I am a worm, and no man: the reproach of men, and the outcast of the people. 8 All they that saw me have laughed me to scorn: they have spoken with the lips, and wagged the head. 9 He hoped in the Lord, let him deliver him: let him save him, seeing he delighteth in him. 10 For thou art he that hast drawn me out of the womb: my hope from the breasts of my mother. <br />
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11 I was cast upon thee from the womb. From my mother's womb thou art my God, 12 Depart not from me. For tribulation is very near: for there is none to help me. 13 Many calves have surrounded me: fat bulls have besieged me. 14 They have opened their mouths against me, as a lion ravening and roaring. 15 I am poured out like water; and all my bones are scattered. My heart is become like wax melting in the midst of my bowels. <br />
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16 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue hath cleaved to my jaws: and thou hast brought me down into the dust of death. 17 For many dogs have encompassed me: the council of the malignant hath besieged me. They have dug my hands and feet. 18 They have numbered all my bones. And they have looked and stared upon me. 19 They parted my garments amongst them; and upon my vesture they cast lots. 20 But thou, O Lord, remove not thy help to a distance from me; look towards my defence. <br />
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21 Deliver, O God, my soul from the sword: my only one from the hand of the dog. 22 Save me from the lion's mouth; and my lowness from the horns of the unicorns. 23 I will declare thy name to my brethren: in the midst of the church will I praise thee. 24 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him: all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him. 25 Let all the seed of Israel fear him: because he hath not slighted nor despised the supplication of the poor man. Neither hath he turned away his face from me: and when I cried to him he heard me. <br />
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26 With thee is my praise in a great church: I will pay my vows in the sight of them that fear him. 27 The poor shall eat and shall be filled: and they shall praise the Lord that seek him: their hearts shall live for ever and ever. 28 All the ends of the earth shall remember, and shall be converted to the Lord: And all the kindreds of the Gentiles shall adore in his sight. 29 For the kingdom is the Lord's; and he shall have dominion over the nations. 30 All the fat ones of the earth have eaten and have adored: all they that go down to the earth shall fall before him. <br />
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31 And to him my soul shall live: and my seed shall serve him. 32 There shall be declared to the Lord a generation to come: and the heavens shall shew forth his justice to a people that shall be born, which the Lord hath made.The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-57241719350826767472010-03-04T07:14:00.000-06:002010-03-04T07:14:50.560-06:00You Should Have Been Here Yesterday<blockquote>“Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day.” --Pink Floyd, Time</blockquote><br />
As I sit here waiting on the job to start, I’ve had a lot of time on my hands. Luckily I brought the copy of the old Camp Log book with me to read in the down time. It has really helped me keep my sanity these days away from my family. I just open the book and I’m transported in time to the Camp and all the good times we had there.<br />
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The Camp Log Book spans a time period from April 1984 to July 1994. In those 10 years we fished, threw washers and played many games of Moon, Yahtzee, Bourre, Gin, Crazy 8’s and just about any other card game you could think of; and nearly everyone bragged of being the Camp Champ at this or that. We even inaugurated the “Camp Olympics” one year to decide once and for all who the true camp champ was! Apparently the system was too complex, as it only was recorded one year.<br />
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This actually began as an exercise to count exactly how many times we went fishing with “No Luck” because it sure seemed like that was a majority of the time! In spite of countless reports of people tearing up the fish here and there, on this or that bait, it always seemed that we were skunked on the water. Also, I noticed how many times we set out trout lines and caught nothing on them. It seemed like the catch phrase for Bundick’s was, “you should have been here yesterday.”<br />
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So, with all of this time on my hands, I thought I’d sit down and count how many fish were caught, and by whom, so we’d see once and for all who the real Camp Champ was.<br />
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Now, before I get to all the details, I must make a few caveats:<br />
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1) Regarding trout lines: Sometimes a specific number of lines set out was given, but other times, the entry would read, “set out trout lines.” Rather than assume the full three lines were set, if it didn’t say three, I put it down as only two. Also, sometimes in an entry they would run the lines but not report how many fish were on it due to other circumstances (such as the wind blowing the boat into the line and tangling up all the poles, etc.) In this case, I counted that as not catching anything, because surely it would have been mentioned if they did!<br />
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2) Regarding individual fishing tallies: Many times, a log entry will imply many fish were caught and kept, but no number was given. Once an entry says that, “Mike and Ernest caught 11 bream.” Not being able to know how many each caught, I split the fish between them and gave Mike the extra. (You’re welcome!) Finally there is a missing entry, mysteriously enough, that chronicles when Dad, Uncle Jerry and myself absolutely tore the white perch up at the locks. Hmmm… Anyway, those numbers are not included in the tally (…can you see where I’m going with this??)<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">10 Years of Fishing on Bundick Lake:</span></strong><br />
Number of trout lines set: 41<br />
Number of fish caught on trout lines: 41<br />
Number of times trout lines had no fish: 9<br />
Number of times we went fishing with “no luck”: 12<br />
Total number of recorded fish caught on rod and reel: 111<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Will the Real Camp Champ please stand up?!</span></strong><br />
Now for the interesting part! The following list will no doubt generate great debate and braggery alike for years to come. If a number of fish were attributed to a person in the log book, they made the list. Sometimes no numbers were given, but implied such as “they caught a mess of fish,” or, “Chad was Camp Champ in fishing…” In that case, no number was given, hence the plus sign….<br />
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<strong>The List:</strong><br />
#10 - Mike Stelly: 1<br />
#9 - Grandma Denton: 1<br />
#8 - Glenn: 4<br />
#7 - Uncle Jerry: 4<br />
#6 - Chad: 5+<br />
#5 - Tina: 7<br />
#4 - Ernest Tabor: 16+<br />
#3 - Pop: 16+<br />
#2 - Gina (are you ready for this?): 20<br />
#1 - Mike: 33+<br />
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So, there you have it, Michael was the True Camp Champ in fishing from 1984 - 1994. Maybe we’ll make up a trophy!!<br />
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I think I’ll compile the Moon numbers next. We'll see...<br />
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Stay tuned…..The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-83275633740751796762010-03-03T08:09:00.000-06:002011-01-11T10:40:16.327-06:00Back to the Future<blockquote>“The present is the point at which time touches eternity.” --C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, No. 15.</blockquote>Once again, I’m blown away at C.S. Lewis’ descriptions of time and eternity. I didn’t realize exactly how much Lewis’ work inspired Sheldon Vanauken until now. I <a href="http://tinyeblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/home-sweet-homeits-about-time.html">commented</a> about reading A Severe Mercy and how Vanauken and his wife were in that constant search for those timeless moments, and how that really struck a chord with me. Now I’m reading The Screwtape Letters, and C.S. Lewis just knocks it out of the park with the quote above.<br />
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The theme of Letter No. 15 is that, “humans live in time, but (God) destines (us) to eternity.” So, in order to divert our attention from what God wants us to think about – namely, eternity and the present. – the demons need to distract us somehow. It isn’t much value to have us dwell in the past because we have a real knowledge of the past. No, it is better if they have us living in the future, as the thought of the future “inflames hope and fear.”<br />
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Again, this really strikes a chord with me. Recently, I’ve been living in the future: Dreaming about the good – or fretting over the bad – that the future may or may not hold. I find it very difficult to not worry about the future. After all, I have a family to provide for. However, God does not want me to worry. Over and over, we are reminded, “Do not be afraid…” (John 6:20 among others)<br />
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But Lewis’ take on living in the future “inflaming hopes,” really made me do a double take. Up until now, I’ve been primarily focused on the fear and uncertainty that the future holds. I never even considered my hopes and dreams to be an issue, but Lewis does have a point. If we constantly look past the present into the future, we may overlook what God has put right in our laps here and now.<br />
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I’m going to have to chew on this one for a while.<br />
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<blockquote>“Hence nearly all vices are rooted in the future. Gratitude looks to the past and love to the present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead.” --C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, No. 15.</blockquote>The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-26415109296490242402010-02-23T05:26:00.000-06:002011-01-11T10:39:59.135-06:00Screwtape LettersI received a collection of C.S. Lewis Classics for this past Christmas, and I started with the Screwtape Letters. Today I read one that really struck home.<br />
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In Letter #13, Screwtape is lamenting that Wormwood has let his "patient" slip through his fingers. But not to worry - the demons never give up...they fight for the patient's soul till the bitter end - because there is hope still for them to steal him away, as long as the patient does not <strong><em>act</em></strong> on these new feelings of grace that he has. Screwtape end the letter thus:<br />
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<blockquote>"As one of the humans have said, active habits are strengthened by repetition but passive ones are weakened. The more often he feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel."</blockquote><br />
I can't count how many times I've been guilty of this!<br />
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Lord, help me to ACT upon the Graces you bestow upon me!The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-87254215997385715342010-01-15T07:45:00.000-06:002010-01-15T07:45:30.042-06:00School of Rock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Did I mention that one of the reasons why I love homeschooling is that we can make the subjects <a href="http://tinyeblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/viking-quest.html">very fun</a> for the boys?? <br />
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Here's the latest School of Rock Moment: Handwriting.<br />
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You all have heard the stories about boys and handwriting. Well, if they would just have something fun to write down, maybe they would be more enthusiastic.<br />
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Well...you're right!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Evan's Handwriting Assignment:</span></strong><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRxhNadgRnQaA5gNLjS4RkOLnjGZ0Zjy4ewpmeFCobwky-_dcTQkEUco-d8aX2ZbHJ170D-K7QTmeMrEjx8sk6BqsEpYjp_qei5h98u04B5wkolVqnFozhCpUmkwxoOnR7ZMYNg/s1600-h/evan+school+of+rock+handwriting+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRxhNadgRnQaA5gNLjS4RkOLnjGZ0Zjy4ewpmeFCobwky-_dcTQkEUco-d8aX2ZbHJ170D-K7QTmeMrEjx8sk6BqsEpYjp_qei5h98u04B5wkolVqnFozhCpUmkwxoOnR7ZMYNg/s1600-h/evan+school+of+rock+handwriting+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRxhNadgRnQaA5gNLjS4RkOLnjGZ0Zjy4ewpmeFCobwky-_dcTQkEUco-d8aX2ZbHJ170D-K7QTmeMrEjx8sk6BqsEpYjp_qei5h98u04B5wkolVqnFozhCpUmkwxoOnR7ZMYNg/s320/evan+school+of+rock+handwriting+001.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Elliot's Handwriting Assignment:</span></strong><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRDO_RoIECbs1AHnzRGZSwXMFGjhsMLoA7t1bX_YVQK3W4Pm_il1zmisnwQh7O648OXUpHXylppiCxiUQyChKIEvvch5sec43CyBWs1INhPbedZpCp-29TY-NbZlD8D4Y544z-A/s1600-h/elliot+school+of+rock+handwriting+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRDO_RoIECbs1AHnzRGZSwXMFGjhsMLoA7t1bX_YVQK3W4Pm_il1zmisnwQh7O648OXUpHXylppiCxiUQyChKIEvvch5sec43CyBWs1INhPbedZpCp-29TY-NbZlD8D4Y544z-A/s320/elliot+school+of+rock+handwriting+001.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Now, seriously, don't you wish your school was this cool??The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-17348579159374633292009-12-13T14:29:00.000-06:002009-12-13T14:29:42.619-06:00Home Sweet Home...it's about TIME!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaeu2jgg8tJ9duKh6u16V5wADruETFpNn1qDHmxQG7l1GEqylc80GK8p126b0_cnqycGrQf2b0XLP23fxH_hvKkIS6zbFlsXpUo6YT8Tzlko6UDoMPmNf6r-mr2-dr5h8tANwvg/s1600-h/homecoming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ps="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaeu2jgg8tJ9duKh6u16V5wADruETFpNn1qDHmxQG7l1GEqylc80GK8p126b0_cnqycGrQf2b0XLP23fxH_hvKkIS6zbFlsXpUo6YT8Tzlko6UDoMPmNf6r-mr2-dr5h8tANwvg/s320/homecoming.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The picture may be blurry, but I just had to post it. I was so happy to be home. Walking through the door was like coming home to Heaven. The boys had made crafts for me, one of which was the American Flag hanging on the door with "Sweet Home USA" written underneath.<br />
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When people ask me how long I was gone, I'd say "a week and a half." But that doesn't do the absence justice! It's funny how my perception of time has always been. I've always looked at time in two ways: the overall and the in the moment. This trip for example, I look back now on the trip and it seems like it was just yesterday that I was getting on the plane to travel to Africa, yet here I am happily at home in the "blink of an eye." However, living each of those days that I was gone, it really makes me want to stress to everyone how long "a week and a half" is. (If you're wondering, it was 9.125 days, or 219 hours or 13,140 minutes.) In a way, I think this is a glimpse of what God sees in our lives. We see the moment that we are in, and we can reflect on the moment that just passed, or postulate about the moments to come. God, however, sees the entire trip from start to finish.<br />
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It was no mistake that I read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Severe-Mercy-Sheldon-Vanauken/dp/0060688246/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260728427&sr=8-1">A Severe Mercy</a> while on this trip. One of Vanauken's themes throughout the book is time, or rather, the quest for the Timeless moments. Those moments that last forever, when you are unmolested by what's next or what appointment is pending, etc. Of course, this doesn't exist here on earth, but only in Eternity. It was interesting that he, and C.S. Lewis, used this yearning as a proof of an Eternal Afterlife. Our souls are not meant for this world, and as such, they long for Eternity.<br />
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Another interesting point of view I gained from this trip is how uncertainty, which is basically fear, can rob us of what God truly wants us to have. The ultimate gift that God wants us to have is Eternal Life with Him in Heaven. In order to possess that ultimate gift we have to pay the "ultimate price" of our lives. I love life, and to be quite honest, the thought of death is uneasy for me to say the least. There are lots of uncertainties with death and the afterlife. We have some promises that we can fall back on, but there is no "eye witness proof."<br />
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So, my trip to Africa represents my present take on death/dying. I did not want to do it. I dreaded leaving my family (death) and the long lines at the airport/long flights (Purgatory, no doubt). But once I arrived at my final destination (ok, I cannot, in truth, call Africa "Heaven"...sorry) It was OK. I was OK. I was pleasently surprised at how "normal" it was.<br />
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Conversely, my return trip home from Africa represents what I'm striving for as a Christian. I looked forward to it. I was leaving a place that I knew was not my home (death.) Yes, the lines and flights (Purgatory) would be long and taxing, but I knew what was waiting for me when I arrived at my final destination of home (Heaven.) Again, walking through the door that day was like entering the Pearly Gates of Heaven. I was greeted by my children and loving wife. The house was so warm and cozy. So welcoming. Candles flickered on the table and many more on the mantle. It was nothing short of heavenly. It was one of those "timeless" moments that I just wanted to freeze and remain there...after a shower, of course.The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15865642.post-23343861627381872132009-12-04T12:59:00.002-06:002009-12-04T13:09:30.903-06:00"It's a Black Mamba!!" (And some other African Scenery)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Today, my office mate, John Paterson, took me out in the field just to get out of the office. While out on a back road, we spotted a few hawks eating a black mamba! It was really cool. Then he took me down another road that had village on it. I'm impressed with the things that these people have done with so little. They make their own bricks and build their houses with them. They farm the land and use every last bit of the crop. Nothing is wasted. The women here do all the hard work (I guess just like a pride of lions!) They do the work in the field, carry the crops back on their heads, cook, clean, everything....all with babies strapped on thier backs! It is unreal. Just like National Geographic.<br />
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One of my fellow coworkers today was, again, taken aback that I was named after his country. He had been to the States and he said that he was surprised to see other people named Chad. And that some women's names was the name of his tribe. What is the name of his tribe, you ask? Guess! <strong><span style="font-size: large;">KIM!!!</span></strong> I laughed and said, "That's my wife's name!" We all got a big kick out of the fact that me and my wife were named after his Country and his tribe.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgLLPmUcEc0jgJmTxCtfku5dJiZP-tQEIAiU2jkRAdUZr2ZYS5Z8vtoBxMRsz5AuAhE9iLnPDFXY_8eZ1NxN3MQO3M-VNBZfEns-3rk6bGmGlzLAYDmJbFn82az6wr4SpNSGhnA/s1600-h/Chad+Africa+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgLLPmUcEc0jgJmTxCtfku5dJiZP-tQEIAiU2jkRAdUZr2ZYS5Z8vtoBxMRsz5AuAhE9iLnPDFXY_8eZ1NxN3MQO3M-VNBZfEns-3rk6bGmGlzLAYDmJbFn82az6wr4SpNSGhnA/s320/Chad+Africa+020.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lunch time!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIHrd2TOs2JKSU3h9jVNWTQN1rvbXuOk-2K2DV7suYsKQUKGbtAgZnx8A1id9v7X4oTI6KygqxF21_zuqnkuw_mHiLeze0jaS1dVZq_a3WaMSj6HLt1GyEhv4TLyTNF0Dq8Z_EQ/s1600-h/Chad+Africa+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIHrd2TOs2JKSU3h9jVNWTQN1rvbXuOk-2K2DV7suYsKQUKGbtAgZnx8A1id9v7X4oTI6KygqxF21_zuqnkuw_mHiLeze0jaS1dVZq_a3WaMSj6HLt1GyEhv4TLyTNF0Dq8Z_EQ/s320/Chad+Africa+021.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">He's guarding the snake from us!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7JTVgxMQ3bgnBAsP9VyQ4H1dB_msiFIF-fmiUxdyku1tyvippXNHn__cbmNivO8aBtU0aafwA3-3F0RNKXZ4SxiU-e1RuVU2wsn553nXH8j3K2nqVN8Vtc5bmf6mb0cE1Iz47w/s1600-h/Chad+Africa+022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7JTVgxMQ3bgnBAsP9VyQ4H1dB_msiFIF-fmiUxdyku1tyvippXNHn__cbmNivO8aBtU0aafwA3-3F0RNKXZ4SxiU-e1RuVU2wsn553nXH8j3K2nqVN8Vtc5bmf6mb0cE1Iz47w/s320/Chad+Africa+022.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"It's a Black Mamba!" (Go watch Duma)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwQAbUKIRX2JkznfA-lmrHzPtV0EVCzx1_4q4ap59mU-l40pL-iFkFAzgdb6doO3Z_6wzQaimVSOUtFzgPQJK8RmxmwdYWCoMxHp6Zhq2scEFXHUbASzlfzMX31_6E_0iqookvg/s1600-h/Chad+Africa+027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOwQAbUKIRX2JkznfA-lmrHzPtV0EVCzx1_4q4ap59mU-l40pL-iFkFAzgdb6doO3Z_6wzQaimVSOUtFzgPQJK8RmxmwdYWCoMxHp6Zhq2scEFXHUbASzlfzMX31_6E_0iqookvg/s320/Chad+Africa+027.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm not a bird watcher, but this appears to be a Blue Heron. It was great! (pun)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueI7jAvNxEFZeePpmmt8NYtM4ONKoDXK22WhhtOCEYWsW0yZsBEmePreyBWtAE6PqhLvCbc9WJcWLIDLQl4oKSjXPMjbDKyLHMzBdcHp2d-WOxA7VdgCxuzqHB2LoonaS_8Tn_A/s1600-h/Chad+Africa+033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhueI7jAvNxEFZeePpmmt8NYtM4ONKoDXK22WhhtOCEYWsW0yZsBEmePreyBWtAE6PqhLvCbc9WJcWLIDLQl4oKSjXPMjbDKyLHMzBdcHp2d-WOxA7VdgCxuzqHB2LoonaS_8Tn_A/s320/Chad+Africa+033.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The village<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1PWV1k4NCFm5G1oOSPIHVdChSpx4ym1dV4swp0ijmwwCViZ6QWBxcWf0oqn41ib70FuHGS0T-UZQT48bMirLunZyNaDik52BIq6IU-CP1WN9vfKxD9weCltXfXCMZgKh22U3KQ/s1600-h/Chad+Africa+036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1PWV1k4NCFm5G1oOSPIHVdChSpx4ym1dV4swp0ijmwwCViZ6QWBxcWf0oqn41ib70FuHGS0T-UZQT48bMirLunZyNaDik52BIq6IU-CP1WN9vfKxD9weCltXfXCMZgKh22U3KQ/s320/Chad+Africa+036.jpg" /></a><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi452v-1EDtUn8mC-11zGFCEEO1-2h2iNXDeMYkZOfCRL-ON3xWf5yFaOmB606K-SQyEKlk6OY_exQ8Xov6Qq9W4-G-z9ZT-ic0zppuOgKJah2Ttf5lf_gJu9VjX9u13DIXFlMiEQ/s1600-h/Chad+Africa+037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" er="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi452v-1EDtUn8mC-11zGFCEEO1-2h2iNXDeMYkZOfCRL-ON3xWf5yFaOmB606K-SQyEKlk6OY_exQ8Xov6Qq9W4-G-z9ZT-ic0zppuOgKJah2Ttf5lf_gJu9VjX9u13DIXFlMiEQ/s320/Chad+Africa+037.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>The Williams Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00517598374296129664noreply@blogger.com0