Egypt

It's not every day that you can hug the Sphinx in your arms.

Needless to say, my tour guide had done this before. He knew all the right places to get shots like these.

When I took this picture, I was just standing there saying over and over again to myself, "That is the Sphinx. Those are the Pyramids. You are in Egypt." Wow. What an incredible experience.

Egypt

Yep, that's a pyramid.

Inside the burial chamber of the King's Mother.

An alternate mode of transportation.

The great pyramid at Giza.

Christmas at Texas Children's Hospital (TCH)

Each year volunteers from Baker Hughes visit TCH to spread a little bit of Christmas cheer to the children and families down there. I was honored to be invited to go play Christmas carols while Santa and his helpers passed out presents to the boys and girls.

Here are some pictures of the day.



Santa (Joel), Jamie (TCH events coordinator), Santa’s little elf (Darryle) and Rudolph (Brooke)

Santa and his helpers giving gifts to one of the precious children in an examination room.

Me entertaining with Christmas carols in the main waiting room.

Santa with more of the kids. The little boy in the lower right corner was so cute. He was transfixed on my guitar and had a smile that would light the world.

. . .and Santa receiving their gifts of love.

Evan Lost His First Tooth!

Evan finally lost his first tooth! To celebrate the evening we went to eat at Texas Roadhouse and Nanou and Paran met us. We had been singing "All I want for Christmas is to lose my two front teeth..." for about two weeks now. The one next to it is loose too, so hopefully by Christmas, he'll have his wish.

The Lego Star Wars Nativity Scene

Yes, nothing says Christmas like Lego Star Wars. Elliot came up with this great idea of making a Nativity Scene out of our Lego Star Wars men, so here it is in all its glory. An overview of the Scene: Mary (Palpatine...hey, the hood is on, so you can't tell) and Joseph (Han Solo) adore Baby Jesus (Luke Skywalker) while the Three Wise Men (Obi Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader (sans Helmet and scarred face) and battle warrior guy) present their gifts.

Ice Skating at the Galleria

We took our annual Christmas trip to the Galleria this past weekend. After buying our new Fontanini Nativity piece (Gloria Angel) we went Ice Skating!! You should have seen us crossing the "freeway" to get from the wall to the Christmas Tree!

Fall Fun

Elliot, Drew, Tyler and Garrett have fun playing in piles of leaves.

Halloween 2008

This Halloween we went Trick or Treating. Evan was Jango Fett, Elliot was an Indian and Drew was Batman.

Houston Half Marathon - Run for a Reason

I am running in the Houston Half Marathon on January 13, 2008, and I am representing a local charity called Bo's Place. Bo's Place exists to give support to children who have lost a parent or sibling, and it is Houston's only free of charge grief center for children.

With Christmas fast approaching, I know many of you will be asking what's on my Wish List. Well, I'll tell you: in lieu of gifts at Christmas, I would rather you make a donation to Bo's Place.
To donate, visit my Half Marathon Bo's Place Fundraising Page by clicking here.

Below is some art that was made by the children at Bo's Place. Art plays a major role in the grief process at Bo’s Place. The physical act of drawing and creating can be an emotional release as is the art created. These activities give the child a way to externalize overwhelming emotions in a safe way.

Worry Cloud

The purpose of this activity is to help group members identify worries or concerns they have and connect as a group. The members each have an opportunity to write or draw their worries on the cloud. This allows them to get the concerns out of their head and onto the paper, facilitating conversation with other group members.

Memory Rocks

Children decorate rocks in memory of their lost loved ones.

Broken Pot

Families are given pieces of a broken clay pot. They are asked to write and draw things that are difficult on the inside of the pieces such as holidays, school, scary emotions, or sadness. On the outside, they express what has supported them through these trying times, such as family, friends, etc. As a family, they glue the pieces back together. The broken pot looks like their new life - scarred, rough but held together with strength and support from each other.

Quilt Squares

Quilts line the walls of Bo’s Place that speak of each child’s journey through grief. Children and their parents have the opportunity to make a quilt square memorializing their loved one. The squares are then made into a quilt representing each support group. The commemorative quilts are a lasting reminder of their loved one.

Again, in lieu of gifts at Christmas, I would rather you make a donation to Bo's Place. To donate, visit my Half Marathon Bo's Place Fundraising Page by clicking here. It's simple and secure, and it is for a great cause.

Thanks and God Bless!

Chad

My Son the Rock Star

Kim took this picture of Evan at the Children's Museum in Lake Charles. For the record, The Beatles' Hey Jude was playing while he was doing this.

My First Triathlon - Try Andy's Tri, Sugarland TX Oct. 14, 2007

This weekend, Scott and I ran the Try Andy's Triathlon in Sugarland. Kim and the boys and Mr. and Mrs. Dougherty and Scott's boys came out to cheer us on. This was my first triathlon and my goals were to: 1) Finish 2) Not finish last 3) Finish in 1hr 40 min.

All goals were accomplished. We finished with our time being 1:22 and we were 58 and 59 out of 62 in our age group, so we didn't finish last! Not too shabby for a first timer riding a mountain bike!

Here are some pics of the big day.



It's hard to look cool in a swim cap.

Getting ready to swim, hopefully not drown, and avoid any brain eating microbes.

Can you see me?

Whoa Nellie...I gotta get my land legs back!

Triathlon Continued

Scott leaving the water behind (did I mention the brain eating microbes?)

Wheeling the bikes out of T1

Leaving T2 to start the run leg.

1 Cor. 9:24

More from the Triathlon

Photo Finish!

Evan enjoys some post-race refreshments.

Elliot with his white non-planet thingy.

Not to be outdone, Drew has a beverage of his own.

Elliot's Short-Lived Soccer Career

Elliot really wanted to do YMCA Soccer, so we signed him up. He lasted exactly two games. Actually two practices. Below are some pictures of the young Pele before he hung up his cleats!

Hmmmm.....did I leave the iron on this morning?

Elliot stands ready for action.

He goes in for the score...

I think I'm supposed to kick this thing.