More From Grayton Beach, Florida

After staying the weekend with Gran and Pop, we have finally made it back home to Kingwood. We spend the day decompressing and unpacking a bit, but there is so much more to do. I wish we could snap our fingers and be done with it. Here's a few more pics from the beach.

Grayton Beach, Florida (blogging by the beach)

(And, yes, as I type this, I am in fact on the porch of our beach house, soaking in the moonlight and sea breeze and listening to the waves roll in.)

It is hard to believe it's been two years since we've visited the beautiful Emerald Coast of Florida. This year we met Kim's cousin Dawn and her Husband Michael and their 3 children Alex, Jaden and Sean to stay in a beach house in Grayton Beach. This beach is about 20 minutes East of Destin on the scenic 30-A highway, just outside of Watercolor and Sea Side, Florida.

So far we've done lots of relaxing and eating! We arrived on Friday and visited the Red Bar which apparently is very popular. We had every bit of a one hour wait to be seated and we ended up sitting outside-confiscating a table once the patrons were done! The food was really good though. To pass the time waiting on the table, Michael and I took the boys down to the beach for a little stroll. Of course, that stroll ended up with all the kids soaking wet and full of sand! Lucky for us, the restaurant was kid... (and water... and sand... ) friendly!

Saturday, the kids woke me up bright and early to go search for sea shells on the beach. We went and were foiled. No good shells. Maybe next time. The day was wonderful. To quote what I posted on my facebook page, I " built sand castles, rode some waves, collected sea shells, got burnt to a crisp, chilled by the pool, drank some beers and stayed barefoot the whole day. I love vacation!" That's pretty much it in a nutshell.

Sunday we visited Sea Side. What a great place. It's about 5 miles from Grayton Beach. We went there just after breakfast and walked around some of the shops and ate lunch at the Shrimp Shack. It was very nice. Once back at the beach house, we basically swam in the pool for the rest of the day. One note for all my Catholic readers: Destin-area Churches do not have a Sunday Mass any later than 10:30 am. BOOO!

Monday we took a trip into Destin and Kim did a bit of shopping at the Outlet Mall. We visited a few souviner shops so Elliot and Drew could pick out a little something to commemorate the trip. Evan didn't get anyting, saying the only thing he wants is a KISS t-shirt. (For all of you who are really gasping at that thought, just know this: the only KISS song any of my kids have listened to is Rock and Roll All Night.) We also stopped by the Destin Commons and spent some money there. We're here to stimulate the economy! I wanted to eat at Floyd's in Ft. Walton, so we made our way over there and had a nice dinner. When we got back that evening, we took a stroll on the beach.

Today, Tuesday, we had food on the brain. I wanted to go to this little breakfast place called Another Broken Egg and it was magnificent. Even the boys raved about how good it was. Very small and quaint, but very good. We swam in the pool pretty much all day and then for dinner went to another local place called House of Klaus. Again, the family raved about how good the food was. We got back a little earlier and went crabbing on the beach. I found some nets in the underside storage closet and flashlights in the kitchen, so we were all set. I caught one large blue crab the boys called "Sasquatch Crab" and one fish, and Evan also caught a fish. But the big story was the sand crabs. I'd shine my flashlight across the sand and you'd see all these little crabs just scurrying to and fro. Evan, Elliot and Drew all caught a whole bucket full of the little guys. After showing them to Kim, we let them go.


I seem to have misplaced the camera, so I am unable to share the pictures we took this evening on the "Great Crabbing Adventure," but once I find it, I'll post them. Until then, here are a few pictures from the pool.

Dylan's First Haircut!

Ok, as cute as this is, it was just time for Dylan to lose the Mullet he stole from my high school year book picture! We had a great day on Saturday. Kim and I took turns running and then we went to La Madeline for Brunch. The boys had Burger King to go and we sat outside with a nice little breeze keeping us semi-cool for 11am in late July. We were just down the way from TGF Haircutters and we were sizing up the situation: None had gotten a haircut since getting the crew cuts at the beginning of summer. Evan's wings (sideburns) had gotten so long he could have flown to Florida, and Elliot and Drew really needed haircuts too. But the time really had come for Dylan.

Here he is sitting so still. He never fussed! I was amazed. He sat there patiently while the Mullet bit the dust. I don't know how it's possible, but he is even more adorable now with his big boy haircut than ever before! I could just eat him up!

And here he is admiring his new 'do. You can almost hear him saying, "look the Mullet is gone. I can feel the breeze on my neck. Goodbye 1989, hello 2009!"

The Journey

Every once in a while, I get stuck in a rut. This post is from some email correspondence about one of those ruts that my good, good friends Clay Parker and David Nixon helped me get out of a while back. Friends like this don't come along too often, and I cherish them and thank God for putting them in my life. Add Chris Doyle to the mix and I have a "trifecta" of Christian Husbands and Fathers upon which I can lean on in any time of need. It's no mistake that I met all of these men through my wife, Kim! (Reason #2,452,701 to thank God for Kim!)

I discerned whether or not to post this due to the personal nature, but in the end I thought that if these words could encourage just one person who happens upon this little old "tiny E" blog, then it is worth posting.

I guess what it all boils down to for me is that I want to know the root of why I yo-yo between being in Grace and falling from Grace. I know I’m not supposed to look at others and gauge myself by appearances, but I see people who just beam with the Joy of the LORD, and quite frankly, I think I’m jealous or envious of that. To me, before I returned to the LORD around the year 2000, I was happy as a pig wallowing in the mud. Then God came to me and slapped me across the face and said, “Look, Chad, you’re in the mud. This is not my plan for you. Get up, let me wash you off and clean you up.” That made me very happy, and I remained in that happiness for a time, but then I started to remember how much fun it was to wallow in the mud. So, I go and jump back in it. Willfully. What is it about the mud? That’s what I’m searching for. If I could pinpoint the reason why I keep going back to the mud, I think I could really advance in my relationship with the LORD.

Yesterday I had a strange run. I listened to Gregorian Chant the whole time and just contemplated where I am. Then a thought came to me as I was taking note of the wind as I ran. There was a slight breeze blowing yesterday. When you run in a slight breeze, depending on what direction you’re going in, you either feel it or you don’t. In 93 degree heat, ANY breeze is welcome! Running with the wind, you don’t feel it and you get no relief from the heat. Running across it, you get a taste of the breeze and it feels good and makes you want more. Running against it you feel the fullness of the breeze. And I started to think that the breeze is like God. When I am doing His will, doing what I’m supposed to be doing, many times I don’t feel His presence. As much as I hate to admit it, sometimes I feel closer to God when I have fallen from Grace because that’s when I feel Him the most. That is when I know for a fact that there is nothing I can do to save my soul, only God’s Grace will save me, and I cry out to Him to have mercy and pity on this miserable sinner that I am. I’m like a kid who gets in trouble just so his dad will give him the attention that he needs. I know that none of this is right. I’m not trying to justify my sin by saying “but that’s how I feel God, so it’s ok.” I’m not saying that.

At the end of the run I sat down and was cooling off and I felt the breeze. Then two passages came to mind:

Be still and know that I am God. –Psalm 45:11

and 3 Kings 19:11-12 where God told Elisha to go on the mountain because He was going to pass by, so he goes and there was a strong wind breaking rocks, but that was not God, then an earthquake, but that was not God, then a fire, but that was not God. Then a quiet whispering breeze and THAT was God.

God is telling me to be still. To stop trying to figure it out.

I'm trying.

Starting Dylan Off Early!

Wanting to take full advantage of Dylan's uncanny learning ability at such an early age, Kim put Dylan in Summer School this past week. Here's a picture of him at his desk ready to do his work like a good little boy! Such a cutie pie!

God Bless America (Happy 4th AND July...)

For the Fourth of July we grilled ribs, chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers and kabobs with our good friends Clay and Allison Parker and their boys Xander and Zachary. We had a great time hanging out with them. After dinner it was time for the slip and slide, only this time I had to improvise with a bit of "Cajun Engineering." As I turned on the water to the slip and slide, the vinyl split open so there was no way to get the sprinkles down the length of the slide. So, I turned on a water hose and poured a dab of dish soap on it an viola!

Once the sun went down we pulled out the sparklers and we even got brave this year and bought some Roman Candles and some 3-shot artillery shells. Drew did not approve, but Evan, Elliot and Dylan didn't seem to mind at all.

Elliot really wanted to decorate, so we brought out the sidewalk chalk and he drew this beautiful flag. I had gone in for a minute and when I returned he showed me that he added the words to it , "Happy 4th and July." Then he asked me who we "beat" on our first Independance Day and I said, "Britan." So the next thing I know he wrote "Britan" and then drew the red circle with the line going through a la Ghostbusters! I said, "well, Elliot, that was a long time ago and now America and Britan are great friends." Without missing a beat he says, "Oh, ok," and goes to his "no Britan" drawing and turns it into a Red White and Blue Heart. It was so sweet.

Dylan Really LOVES Oatmeal!

We have discovered that Dylan really REALLY loves oatmeal. The other day Kim sent me a picture of him using a spoon and all, and I'm just beaming about my big boy!! So, this morning, I get the feeling he wants a little brekky just like his older brothers are having, so I naturally fix him a bowl of oatmeal. I put him in the seat and hand him the spoon which he promptly ignores, instead choosing to dive in with both hands. Yes, he loves oatmeal. I would even say that he may be actually eating some of it!! He'll scoop up two grubby fist fulls of Quaker and bring them to the vicinity of his mouth. Some goes in, some goes in the hair, some on the cheeks...

So I ask Kim what gives with the picture of the spoon?! She just laughed and basically told me that he held the spoon for the picture, but that was about it!

Do I have something in my teeth?

I Wish I Had a Pencil-Thin Moustache...

...and I could be in pictures too --Jimmy Buffett

Endless fun, and it only cost 75 cents!

Backyard Biology

Yesterday we spent all afternoon exploring the wonders of our backyard. After realizing we had a wasp nest right above our back porch swing, we had to get out the wasp spray. Not wanting their deaths to be in vain, I thought it'd be fun to show the boys the different stages of a wasps development as a larvae. We also realized that we still had a bird nest in one of our hanging plants, so I was able to show the boys the babies. Later in the day, they all flew out and we watched them as they "stretched their wings"! It was wonderful. We did lots of yardwork and we discovered the strangest bugs in one of our trees. It looked like a creature the boys have from their King Kong toys. Finally, Drew spotted the world's largest stink bug! We had a wonderful time.

The wasp nest that was right above the swing. I couldn't take the chance at getting stung, so we sprayed it.

I explained to the boys how the wasps begin as a tiny little speck and then grow to a full grown wasp, then I challenged them to line up the larvae in order of youngest to oldest. This was the final result.

Here is the mystery bug. The antennae are longer than the bug itself! It looks like a type of "clicker bug" but much bigger and clickers don't usually have antannea like this. Maybe it's a female? We're going to research the bug to see what it is.

Here's one of the baby birds in the hanging basket.

Here's the stink bug that Drew found. It's camouflaged with the tree!

Boys of Summer

It all started the last weekend of Evan's baseball playoffs. One of his teammates got a crew cut. Since then, I've been hinting that Evan should also get a crew cut. He vehemently refused.

At the end of the season party, we saw two more of his teammates (one of them, his best friend Josh) and found out also that Josh's little brother Jared also received a buzz cut. Again, I hinted that he'd look good and feel great in the summer time heat with a crew cut. "NO WAY!" was the reply.

Today at Adoration, Evan made a comment that he needed a haircut because it was too long, so when I got home I told him I'd give him 10 bucks if he'd get a crew cut! Well, now he wasn't so opposed, but he wasn't exactly for it either. Elliot, however, was sold! He wanted a crew cut and he wanted it now! Drew was also on the crew cut bandwagon.

So we went to Sport Clips and Evan was the reluctant Marine, going in first. The girl had him put his head down and she went to town with the old #2 guard on the clippers. I called Elliot and Drew over. Elliot immediately says, "I want my crew cut NOW." Drew, on the other hand, had a complete change of heart as he saw lock after lock of Evan's hair hit the deck. He looked up at me and I could see the look in his eyes. I was in danger of not even getting him in the barber's chair. I said, "Don't it look great?!" "NO! I don't want a crew cut..." Evan shared Drew's sentiment. He is not a fan of his new 'do.

The next barber called Elliot's name and got busy. Elliot was so excited and smiled all the while the clippers lopped off his mane. He LOVES having a crew cut.

When it was Drew's turn, he feared I was going to make him get one too, but I assured him he could get his "faux-hawk", and he did.

We got home and tried out the new ball player cuts in the front yard and confirmed that the crew cuts help them run faster, jump higher and hit the ball farther!

We're ready for Summer!!

The Spiritual Side of Running

"Please stop to smell the flowers." -God

"Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified." 1 Corinthians 9:26-27

"The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." Mark 14:38

I have always felt a strong correlation between my physical health and my spiritual health, so the passages above are more like rallying cries. Spiritually and physically, I really feel the effects of Original Sin. When it comes down to anything that is healthy, for me at least, it is an uphill battle.

My Spirit wants to exercise at lunch, but my flesh wants to go eat Thai.

My Spirit wants to juice for breakfast, but my flesh wants a donut.

My Spirit wants to avoid bad habits, but my flesh cries out for them.

Praise God for His Mercy and Forgiveness and for Our Savior Jesus Christ to rescue us from our sins!!

Yesterday my Spirit scored a victory over my flesh whenever I finally got back out on the road for a run. I really love to run because it provides me with some of the best one-on-one time with the LORD that I've ever had. But yesterday was a bit different. Before I went out, I left a comment on my facebook account:

"Chad is: going for a run."

My reasoning is that if I put it on facebook, I can't back out! Virtual accountability as it were. So I get out there and start the run and immediately my flesh is staging a revolt! Knee pain, foot pain, leg pain, shortness of breath...and this is all in the first, no kidding, 50 yards of starting! As a matter of fact, in my head I was already composing my facebook comment for when I returned:

"Chad is: out of shape"
"Chad is: too fat to run"
"Chad is: not what I used to be"

But this is the one that really got me:

"Chad is: frustrated that my running efforts this year look more like 2008 than 2007"

2007 was a good year, and my goal this year was to match that. But LIFE happened in '08 and so far in '09 as well, and I didn't, and haven't, matched my goals I set for myself. So I was really ready to throw myself a great, big pity party right there on my run, but God just wouldn't let me. All I had to do was just stop feeling sorry for myself, and focus on the run and He took over. I began to remember how nice it was to pray while I ran. To think of things like the Sacrifice that Christ made for us all and how this little run is nothing compared to His walk to Calvary...uphill...with the Cross on His shoulders and thorns on His head, all so He could die for you and me. It really is profound, and again, it snaps one out of feeling sorry for oneself really quickly.

When I had to stop to walk for a little ways, I noticed a nice little flower in the grass and a thought occurred to me that God let me walk right now, just so I could see this pretty flower. He wanted me to see it, but why? The answer: to let me know that He is present with me right here and now. He literally wanted me to STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS!! So I plucked it up and tucked it in my watch band and there it remained for the duration of the run to serve as a reminder of His presence. The rest of the run just got better and better. My aches and pains went away as my body remembered that, "oh yeah, I remember this!" I focused less on myself and my thoughts turned heavenward and to those in need of prayer.

And once the run was over, I felt so good and was so happy that I ran at lunch instead of going out to eat. No food could provide the satisfaction that I was experiencing from that run. But like all things, tomorrow is a new day and the battle will begin anew, but:

"with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

So, in the end, God turned my frustration into encouragement. He turned a bad run into great run, and He gave my physical AND spiritual health a nice little boost!

And I'll close with one of the many ponderances (is that a word?) from my runs. I've really had some profound thoughts occur to me on runs, only to forget them before I can write them down. But some stick with me...

God doesn't want my first mile when my legs are fresh and my breathing is easy. That first mile is completed with little reliance on Him. If you can give at little to no cost to yourself, have you given anything? No, He wants my last mile, when I am totally spent and have nothing left to give but my breath, my sweat, my pain. In that last mile, it is only because of Him that I keep going.

Wall of Fame

I love bringing the boys' artwork up to the office and putting it on my "wall of fame." Here is what it looks like currently:
Starting from the top left hand corner we have Drew's picture of Heaven, below that is my bib collection, and below that is Elliot's Easter Egg picture. To the right is a picture of Dylan and I that we took at Fuddrucker's. (They have a really neat new photo booth in the game room - $2 for a priceless memory. I'm a sucker for these. I have taken these with some of the kiddos when they were babes, but I don't think I've gotten all 4. These will be priceless gifts to them when they are grown.) To the right of the photo is Elliot's drawing of St. Michael (his Patron Saint) and below that is Evan's Blue Jay drawing. Next column to the right is Evan's White Wolf drawing and below that is his "Sunrise Savannah." Finally is Drew's depiction of a Sith battling a fierce creature. Not only does the Sith have his red lightsaber, but he is also giving the creature a heavy jolt of Force lightning!

Elliot through the years

Elliot has always been more of a Daddy's Boy than any of the others. Here's a snapshot of his last 4 years.

2006 (3 years old)

2007 (4 years old)

2008 (5 years old)

2009 (6 years old)

...ooh, babe, you'll always be baby to me...

All due respect to Pink Floyd, but I feel a strong connection with the song 'Mother' and can easily substitute 'Daddy' as the title. The fact is that no matter how much my children grow, they'll always be my babies. I'm at that awkward intersection of life when I can vividly recall being Evan's age, yet here I am on the other side of the dynamic. Strange and wonderful at the same time. I can remember my mom telling me that I'll always be her baby (me being the youngest of the family) and now I see what she means. Watching Evan, Elliot and Drew maturing and doing more and more each day is amazing. Especially when it comes to watching Evan play ball. I'm having to let go a little bit at a time and it's hard. I want to be the supportive parent, but don't want him to feel pressure to impress me. There's a fine balance to be made.

With that being said, we are fast approaching Drew's 4th birthday and I just marvel at his growth every day. He is such a 'big boy' and I am blessed to have as strong a connection with him as I have with all my other boys. Like Evan before him, there was a time when I wondered if Drew would ever want to have anything to do with ol' dad. We stressed a bit because he was still sleeping in our bed when Kim was pregnant with Dylan, but we eventually succeeded in moving him to Evan and Elliot's room and now it seems like he's always been there. He certainly growing fast and I don't want to miss a moment.

Here's a glimpse of the years gone by:

Drew celebrates 1 year at Gran and Pop's house, 2006.

Taking in an Astros game in 2007.

Playing in the sprinklers, 2008.

Exploring the Peach Creek Bridge during the Cub Scout Camp Trip, 2009.

HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY DREW!!!!

Yesterday

This is a re-post of a note I wrote on my facebook account, but it is still very much fitting of how incredible yesterday was. So, instead of yardwork and grilling, it was baseball and Mass...now, that is a fantastic combination!

Wow, what a gorgeous and fantastic day yesterday was. Perfect weather! Why, yesterday was such a good day, I'm compelled to write a note about it!First of all I got to sleep in! After waking up, I was able to exercise and the boys even joined me at the end. It was so sweet...Elliot saw me huffing and puffing, so he left the room and came back with some Chocolate Milk for me and he said, "Here dad, I fixed you some chocolate milk in case you run out of water." My sweet baby!

After exercise it was homemade banana pancakes and coffee from my beautiful bride, Kim. I'd like to pause here and say that I've never been a coffee drinker until recently, and even now, I only like coffee when it is made at home. I find that the only way I can enjoy it is with Kim. She makes the perfect cup, but it's not just the taste. It is being HOME. I've tried drinking coffee at work and do not like it at all, and even getting a coffee at Starbucks just isn't the same as the experience I have at home.

Next on the agenda was to get some landscaping things and party supplies for the boys' birthday party next weekend. We bought 10 bags of mulch and it covered our front flowerbed only (I'll have to get some more to finish the job.) Evan and Elliot gladly helped with this "dirty job." We then moved to cleaning up the back yard which was not completed but it stlill looks a lot better now. Kim went to the store and bought some ribeye steaks to grill and Dos Equis Special Lager (green bottle.) My oh my it just does not get much better than that!

After the wonderful dinner and bathtime, me and the boys had a "slumber party" where we went up to the guest room and watched Inspector Gadget 2 while drawing Star Wars comics. Before the slumber party began, we said prayers and my boys all had some very profound prayers to say. Evan had so much to say that once we had gone around he asked if he could say "prayers part 2" because he thought of some more things to thank God for! So wonderful.

So, in a nutshell, yesterday was a lot like what I envision Heaven to be. Not only the perfect weather, but I was surrounded and enveloped in love and PEACE. Oh my, the Peace that I felt yesterday was unlike I've ever experienced. And we did so much, it was like the day was going to go on forever, and that was fine by me! So it was kind of like a little taste of Heaven and being in the "Eternal Now".

Yesterday, God answered a prayer I never actually prayed. Just the night before I pondered many things and I came to the conclusion that deep down, I felt like my best days were behind me. And that was the main reason why I want to do triathlons and 1/2 marathons and just try to get into good shape in general: I'm trying to prove to myself that while there are many, many good days behind me, the best is yet to come. Well, on Saturday, God showed me that He can take me AS I AM, and give me one of the best days of my life.Yesterday was awesome....I can't wait to see what God does TODAY!

Evan and Elliot's Birthday

Move over Martha Stewart! This is the famous Clone Trooper Cake! I'm amazed at Kim's skills in the kitchen! She is awesome!

The Wampa Water was a big hit.

Solo's Snacks kept the kiddos happy until it was time for cake/ice cream

Darth Vader....he didn't stand a chance!

Where's the Pause button??

With my new position at Baker in full swing, Dylan's rapid progress in crawling and now pulling up on everything (the kid will be walking by the time this is posted), and Evan's baseball games, time is just flying by. I've often joked that I wish I had a pause button. I'd use it sparingly...mainly as an alternative to the snooze button on my alarm! However if you'd happen to press pause at any other time, this is likely the image you'd see:

Evan's Orioles

Evan is loving his baseball team, the Orioles. While it is a busy schedule, they are very well organized and he is learning a lot about baseball, teamwork and work ethic. This is a sequence from his first hit of the season.

On base getting the signal from Coach B.

Now on Third, watching the pitcher for any sneaky moves!

...and he SCORES!!!

I have an autographed copy of this baseball card...do you?? Evan wanted me to make him a baseball card, and after 2 days of searching online for a freeware baseball card maker, I figured I could do a better job myself. So, I did this up in PowerPoint. By the way, that is the swing that got him on base in the other pictures!

Cub Scout Camp Trip: March 2009

Pop's famous catfish and french fries. Once we started cooking, a crowd gathered around us. We were the hit of the camp that night, and consequently, it was Evan's favorite part of the whole weekend.

"What'cha cookin?" We couldn't make the fries fast enough to keep up with the feeding frenzy!

There was a really neat bridge crossing the creek.

We went on a looooooooooooooooong hike Saturday afternoon. Drew and Elliot both decided that I had to carry them about half way through the trip, so that was interesting. I told the group to go on ahead of me and we'd catch up. That was the longest 1.5 miles of my life. I didn't recognize any landmarks and I was beginning to think I was lost! I kept going though keeping the image of Clark Griswold in my head and we made it back to the camp. Not long after that, Drew crashed in the chair.