Merry Christmas from the Williams Family

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?

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.

Be Blessed.

The Williams Family

Champ or Chump

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.

Stop me if you've heard this before, 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.

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.

Run so as to win, my friends.

Bonus Lesson from my Spirit Man:

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.

What's On the Menchu?

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."

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.

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.)

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.

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!"

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."

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.

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!"

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.

"How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?" --Pink Floyd

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! 

"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

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..."

"I want you to 'want' to do the dishes" --My wife

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.
 
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."

Spring 2010 Cub Scout Family Campout

Last 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!

Kim torches a marshmallow in preparation for S'Mores

Kim and Gran discuss the finer points of camp cuisine

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.)

The camp crew

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 nifty one that I could buy online or at Target.

The Menu:
Friday
Dinner - Fried Shrimp, Catfish and French Fries.  Yes, the entire camp full of boys once again came by to partake of the fries.

Saturday
Breakfast - Bacon and Eggs
Lunch - Hot Dogs w/ Chili and cheese
Dinner - Aunt Bessie's famous Chicken Jambalaya (ooooh this is so good.)

Sunday
Breakfast - Bacon and Eggs

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."

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.

When we got home, we were so wiped out.  Drew fell asleep on the futon upstairs, and I napped on the couch.

Friends

Friends

ooooh.....snaaaaaake.....

Such sweet brothers

Me and my Cub Scouts

Drew is a "Cub Scout Helper"

Where's that confounded bridge?

We made a tiny fire so we could do S'Mores by our site

Upon Further Review...

Earlier this month I blogged 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.

As you can clearly see, the numbers are quite impressive.  Over that three day period in November of 1985 we caught 65 fish!

And with this new information, we have a:

New Top 10:
1. Pop - 53+
2. Mike - 33+
3. Chad - 22+
4. Gina - 20
5. Ernest - 16+
6. Uncle Jerry - 15
7. Tina - 7
8. Glenn - 4
9. Grandma Denton - 1
10. Mike Stelly - 1

Again, I'm sure this list will generate lots of debate, but let this bed a lesson in proper Log Book recording!

This was perfect timing!  We all go to the Camp for Easter this weekend, and I may just catch every fish in the lake!

Ten Years Gone

Evan 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.

Evan has truly been a blessing, he's a great son, and he is an awesome big brother.

Happy Birthday, Evan!!

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!"

We love you son!

John Mark McMillan

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.

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.

Me and John Mark's guitarist, James Duke.

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.

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.

What a long, strange trip it's been.

A Few Stragglers

Is "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.

First, the shirt.  Here's the one Evan made:

Front

Back

And as for Elliot's guitar...

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....

That's my grandpa "tuning" my first guitar...

....still tuning.....

"Come on, grandpa, I wanna play my guitar!!"

FINALLY!!

I'll close with a few more pics that we took this past Sunday.

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?

Oddly enough, I really like this picture.

Snapshots

I really love our new camera.

So Sweet!

So Beautiful!

So Happy!

You 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.

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.

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.

After that, everyone was ready for some cake and ice cream and to open gifts.

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.

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!

Enjoy the photos!

The table was set.

Kim did a great job on the cake!

Dylan gets a little drum action

Preparing for the party.  Elliot wanted a Paul Stanley face.

Rock Band!

Drew and Jared decide to go for the real thing.

Rocking out with Evan...a great moment for me!

All the rockers get together for a picture.

A future rock star.

Time for presents!

Pop wearing my old Led Zeppelin shirt...and a full head of hair!!

Up to this point, Elliot had recieved a guitar stand and a guitar amp.  Hmmm.  I wonder what this one could be??!!

Elliot finally joins the electric age!

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.)

Pop and Evan on Guitar Hero

Drew and Dylan under the table and dreaming.

Trying out Evan's new Guitar Hero

Sing me a song

Kim and Drew kick out some jams