Archive for December, 2004
The Alabama Offensive Juggernaut
It’s 17-14 at half and how the heck did the officials miss the Minnesota fumble?? Then, Alabama’s incredible creative offensive attack. Off tackle right, 2 yards. Off tackle left, -3 yards. Alabama has -10 yards of rushing offense. Hey, we can still use the forward pass, right?
Agghhh. Why do we have bowl games for 6-5 teams, anyway?
Getting Reflective
A new year is always a great quandry of emotions for me. Do you look back at what was great and not so great in 2004? Do you loook ahead at what could be and lofty expectations?
Regret and hope. Pride and fear. Excitement and Anxiousness.
Here are my hopes for 2005.
1. I hope Mark Edwards keeps stretching me to thin places.
2. I hope Grace takes a couple of bold moves to reach a post-modern/post Gen X culture.
3. I hope every life group gets to witness a new life in Christ birthed in their midst.
4. I hope Cooper beats me in chess.
5. I hope I become a better communicator of Jesus’ story.
6. I hope Star Wars III is good enough to redeem the other 2.
7. I hope U2 comes to Little Rock or Memphis.
8. I hope technology becomes a larger tool for us in reaching the lost.
9. I hope my brother-in-law’s family thrives in Budapest, seeing nationals come to know Jesus.
10. I hope the Tibetan church explodes with new life in Christ.
Happy New Year, gang.
Kill Da Gophers
My cool Alabama shirt…Go Tide, drown the Gophers.
Happy Anniversary
Amy and I have been married 12 wonderful years today. We got married in 1991.
On a lighter note – we (the wiff and I) have developed a couple of quirky traditions. One is we will wake the other one up after midnight, say ‘happy anniversary’, roll over and go back to sleep. Up until this year, I had a massive winning streak on being the first to say it. I lost this year.
Our second tradition is a movie-thon. We love to get a baby sitter and see as many movies as we can in one day. This year, it looks like we have some pretty cool movies to see. I want to see The Aquatic Life…, she wants to see Ocean’s 12. Of course there is Meet the Fockers and National Treasure, Spanglish, or Flight of the Phoenix. So we have some major decisions in front of us.
Went to www.happy-anniversary.com and decided I better check what the 13th year gift should be…here is what I found.
Traditional:
Lace – in the form of lingerie, table coverings, hankerchiefs. clothing.
(I’m thinkin’ I know which one of those gets bought.)
Modern:
Lace – in the form of teddy, bras and panties,Belgian lace, lace mantel, scarf, placemats
(What the heck is Belgian lace? Like Belgian waffles? And a lace placemat?! Who gives that as an anniversay gift?)
Alternate Modern:
Furclothing, teddy bears, fake fur, outerware, fur lined gloves, trip to Alaska
So, overall I am really ahead of the game. We have a new vehicle, a trip to Europe, Christmas in Florida, and me. What more could a girl need?
Ivan Damage
Ivan didn’t like this boat…or a lot of other things in Destin. The city isn’t completely recovered and it is even money that they will be ready for summer. Lots of sand, lots of blue tarps on roof.
Sparklers
Sparklers for Cooper’s Birthday. Amazing what a slow shutter speed can do! And yes, Camber is capable of moving that fast.
Destin in December
Beautiful Destin. Despite the hurricane, the water was clear, the sky blue.
The girls with Grandad at the Grove Hill Fire Department. What is it with kids and fire trucks? They love ‘em!
Christmas Eve Service
Experienced the coolest Christmas Eve idea/service. The idea is awesome, the execution was less than perfect…but that was more my family’s fault than any other.
The Methodist Church has an “open house” from 5.30 to 6.30 for families to come in, pray together and take communion together. That’s it. No service, no songs, no crying babies in the background. You show up, you pray, you take communion at the altar, you go home and be a gluttonist, materialistic pig.
Great idea. Then we showed up. I didn’t want my kids taking communion – for obvious reasons – but try explaining that to the Methodist minister, up front at the altar, in the middle of communion, and he just keeps looking at my kids with the plates in front of them. He looked like the roll lady at Lamberts. “Come on. Take it.” On top of that, my extended family in Grove Hill was looking at us like – “what the heck is going on?”
Since Cooper and Camber were out of arm reach, they got communion. Then they spilled it. If it wasn’t so frustrating, it would’ve been hilarious.
More later…
No Pictures, Just Frost
I have about a jillion pictures from Destin to Grove Hill and the USB plug that Fuji specifically designed for my camera is safe and snug on my computer desk in Little Rock. So that kinda puts a cramp in my bloggin’ style – if you know what I mean.
We are in Grove Hill, Alabama with my dad and his wife. The whole town knows each other for the most part – around 2,000 people. And, keeping with small town tradition, there is the Christmas hunt. Actually it’s done on Christmas Eve but it’s called the Christmas hunt.
Suddenly at 6:15 AM on December 24th, I remembered why I don’t deer hunt anymore. It was 22 degrees, wind flying at 15 mph from Iceland. It’s been a long time since I’ve been that cold. Frost was on the barrel of the .270.
I text messaged Amy around 8:45 AM. I’m freezin’ my bum off and all I got in front of me are does. “Doe a deer, a female deer.” (Sound of Music is actually one of the few musicals that is okay for guys to watch. It’s got Nazi’s in it.)
I love my dad but I am concerned for him. Living this way can’t be healthy.
More pics and blogs later.
We drive home tomorrow!! In a Sequoia that looks like a U-Haul.
Dance Dance, Baby
It is pouring down rain, tornado warnings in Destin tonight. We go to Best Buy. Why? We are addicts. We are crazed, foaming at the mouth addicts to this insanely fun game called Dance, Dance, Revolution.
By the way, anybody got any theories as to what the criteria is to get hired at Best Buy? Pulse necessary, brain waves optional.
Ohhhhh, don’t laugh in judgment of me. Don’t judge an Indian until you’ve danced a standard jig on the DDR Pad as the saying goes.
This game is nuts – just like the arcade version if you are familiar with it. AND IT’S LIVE COMPATIBLE!!!
God answered my prayer this Christmas – get Amy more addicted to Xbox and Xbox Live. I just wasn’t specific enough.
Unplugged
I don’t think I realized how wound up I’ve been this semester. The summer was brutal, the fall offered no real break either but in the last 2 months I will have had close to 20 days to unplug. I feel like a new man!!!
I realize most folks don’t have that luxury – this is the first time I’ve ever had enough vacation to do it. Gosh, it feels great.
Evidence?
Exhibit A: I’m not stressed out that I lost my number 1 receiver on my fantasy football team with 2 games left and I’m only one game behind the leader. Normally – that would fry my week. But I’m gellin’ now.
Exhibit B: The Great Bronco Letdown of 2004 does bother me a little but that is understandable – I’ve been a Bronco fan since I was 7 years old – that is in my bloodstream. But I’m not crushed nor do I wish they would decapitate Mike Shanahan. Jake Plummer is another story.
Exhibit C: My kids – not biting their heads off when they climb over seats, forget to say thank you, giggle until 10 at night, or ask for Krispy Kremes every single day for breakfast.
We have one more day here at the beach, then we travel to my Dad’s house in Grove Hill, Al. Try finding that on a map. Here’s a hint – north of Mobile, 90 miles.
Wind Chill and Sucking Broncos
Comment heard this week:
“Yeah, but it feels like 49 because of the wind chill.”
What’s happened to the Broncos? 4 weeks ago, they are 7-3 sitting alone on the AFC West. They are in choke mode central right now. Someone’s head is gonna roll!!
Actually Shannon Sharpe got blasted a couple of weeks because he ripped Shannahan for giving the reigns to Jake Plummer. Everyone got torqued at Sharpe but I thought he was right when he said it and it looks like he is being proven right.
That’s okay, I’m on the Charger’s bandwagon. Pittsburgh is a fun team to root for as well.
Restaurant Update
Tonight – the Crab Trap. Pretty good place, doesn’t crack the top ten. A little too expensive for what you get. Although their blackened amberjack was excellent and their hushpuppies have a sweet aftertaste to them. Very good.
I missed a couple of restaurants on my list.
Corky’s, Little Rock.
Dry rub ribs, one downer – no sweet tea.
Whole Hog Cafe, Little Rock
Pulled Pork plus 6 different sauces, sweet tea is awesome. Ribs are good.
B.B. Kings, Memphis
Amy says they have the best ribs in the world. She was also hit on in the place so I have mixed feelings. I did eat lunch here – soul food buffet. All you can eat – greens, black eye peas, fried chicken, fried catfish, cornbread, green beans, corn on cob, fries, and sweet tea that will make you pucker.
Rules For Car Buying
Rule #1. Never buy a vehicle from a man whose wife does not want to sell the vehicle. It will result in having to wait until the last possible minute for possession of the vehicle and you taking possession of the vehicle with it completely void of fuel. (I am still in wonder at how low the gas gauge will drop below E.)
Rule #2. Never try to buy a vehicle and leave town on the same day.
Rule #2B. If you do try to leave town, allow for a 4 hour delay. It will save you much stress.
Rule #3. Accept the fact that the minute you put car seats in a new vehicle, it quits being new.
Rule #4. Eating in new car is acceptable for people over the age of 27. I don’t think I have to go any further.
Rule #5. While driving on the interstate, keep checking the speedometer. Even if it doesn’t feel like 85 mph, it’s still 85 mph.
Rule #6. You can never have too much room between you and your kids in the middle of the night.
Rule #7. In your planning for tax, title, and license – double the amount of time you think it will take.
If you follow these simple rules – your car buying pleasure will be greatly increased….
Stumin’s new wheels
Stumin gets new wheels.
Weather Is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful
Remember a couple of weeks ago I said buying a car sucks. It does.
I will post pics of my new pimp daddy ride tomorrow and the ridiculous story of how we got it – nothing is ever easy for us.
But for now – I’m praying for my dad and his colonoscopy. Is that how you spell it? Hope things come out all right.
Ate at the Back Porch in Destin tonight. Italian Fried Grouper. Key Lime Pie. I am going to eat at this restaurant every single day I am here. It is the best place to eat in the US. This has been a great month for my eatery list. I’ve had 4 entries in the top 8. That’s incredible. Think about it – four world records broken in one month. Just unheard of.
While we are here – here is my list.
Pappadeux’s, Dallas, Texas
Cajun seafood, best blackened fish outside New Orleans but what makes this place noteworthy are two things. Service and Crepe’s stuffed with ice cream for dessert.
Adler, Budapest, Hungary NEW ENTRY
Great goulash – oh however you spell it. Desert was wonderful.
The Coffee Shop Across the Street from Charles Bridge Residence, Prague, Czech Rep. NEW ENTRY
A hole in the wall breakfast place. Coffee was great. Made these little thin waffle things with eggs. Oh my gosh.
Bella Dona, Prague, Czech Rep. NEW ENTRY
Italian joint around corner from Municipal House. Get the Tortillini and desert.
Czechy ???, Prague, Czech Rep. NEW ENTRY
Some incredible eatery my bro-in-law hooked me up with in Prague. A literal hole in the wall you walk in, go downstairs to the basement then eat the Bohemian Plate.
Word of Life Camp, Porte Allegre, Brazil.
I hesitate to put this on the list because if people found out how well we eat on the mission trip – they would either all come with us or quit classifying it as a mission trip. These older ladies who don’t speak a lick of English throw out some of the most incredible meals I’ve ever experienced.
The Back Porch, Destin, Florida.
Amberjack, Grouper, it just doesn’t matter. If it swims, order it. They will cook it to perfection.
Movie Review: National Treasure
Saw this movie with my best friend, Steve. Steve says he loves movies but ask him his favorite 10 movies of all time. He can’t come up with 10. Not because he has a bad memory, but because he is the finickiest person in the world when it comes to movies…
Having said that – here is my review. It didn’t suck. It wasn’t awesome. How vague is that? Well, it’s keeps with the theme of the movie.
Steve’s grid for movies consists of the question “Is it worth skipping work to go see?” Which to me is a horrible question to ask because on that basis, Alien vs. Predator was a good movie….which it wasn’t.
I prefer a more scientific approach.
Did I yawn in the movie? A correlating question to this is – did I think about the national debt, the new winter colors, or accessorizing my SUV during the movie?
No. That is a good thing. A one yawner movie is bearable if you are on a date. A two-yawner is bearable if you’re married and it’s the only quiet two hours you’ve had all week. A three-yawner should have never been released – see Thomas the Tank Engine. On second thought, don’t see it. No deductions.
Did I get up to go to the bathroom?
No. Again, another positive score for National Treasure. This category by the way is what kills the Lord of Rings movies in my world. I mean, what the heck is a 4 hour movie about? Make 2 2-hour movies. Again, no deductions.
How many quotes from the movies did I repeat in the next 5 hours after seeing the movie?
Ohhhh, tough hit here for National Treasure. There was a couple of lines in the middle that I could tell you what they mean but they weren’t crisp, sharp, or memorable. There was some fun bantering between the three main characters, so a little help there. But Cage – dude, lighten up. Find your Raising Arizona days again. Half star here.
Did it lead me to a “thin place?” (If you don’t know what a thin place is – email me.)
Ummmm, another bad score for the film. Only one thin place, near the end but it wasn’t a spiritual oasis. It didn’t lead me to a worship or wonder. A half a star.
Story vs. Content meter.
In other words, was there questionable content in the film that didn’t advance the story. Like a sex scene, nudity, ect. Now, I’m NOT saying that movies that have those things are bad. I am asking the question – did it advance the story.
In this movie – there really wasn’t anything bad in it. No language, no graphic violence, no sex or nudity. A safe film for the entire family. Of course, there is a difference between safe films and GOOD films.
There wasn’t exactly anything great in it either. It was fun, clean, 2 hour vacation. Someone told me before the movie that everything in the movie that is said about the Freemasons is true. Great.
They really didn’t say ANYTHING about the Freemasons. I know just as much about them now as I did BEFORE I saw the movie. Another great exhibit in the “all fluff, little substance” category.
One star.
Eye Candy Meter
Seeing historic places was fun. Getting to see DC, Philadelphia was a blast. Couple of shots made you think – how did they get that look. But an average eye candy film.
Half a star.
Final Score:
2 1/2 stars. Which is appropriate. It didn’t suck. It wasn’t awesome.
Keep looking for more movies rated by the patented StuMinMeter.
Humiliated
Played chess today in Cooper’s elementary school chess club. Bunch of snotty-nosed punk intellectuals. So we all break up and sit down. One kid is left standing. No one wants to play chess with him. No ONE!
I thought kickball and dodgeball were ego killers – being the last picked! This is CHESS CLUB!!! I had no idea there was a hierarchy to brainiacs.
So, I am in there and they all think I am cool because I am 6 foot 2, wear an earring, and don’t act like a stressed out adult. So I say – “hey, dude. Come on, let’s play.”
He is beaming. I have made this kid feel like a celebrity. Then we play. He checkmates me in 4 moves.
4 FRIGGIN’ MOVES!!!! Not IN 4 moves, like sets me up. Like, 4 TOTAL MOVES. The entire game lasted 30 seconds.
“You see what you did wrong there?” He asked me.
“Yeah, I should’ve let you stayed on the wall by yourself.”
The Zoo
The courtyard looked no longer like a museum; it looked more like a zoo.
You know what I am going to start praying for us at Grace Student Ministry? That we start looking like a zoo. Let me finish the scene out and I think you’ll get what I mean…
The quote is from C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. The White Witch had turned many of the inhabitants of Narnia into stone. She had managed for years to hold Narnia a state of “always winter, never Christmas.” Then Aslan shows up. The great Lion, the Christ figure in C.S. Lewis’ epic stories.
He (Aslan) breathes on the stone statues and something absolutely ridiculous happens.
Creatures were running after Aslan and dancing round him till he was almost hidden in the crowd. Instead of all that deadly white the courtyard was now a blaze of colors; glossy chestnut sides of centaurs, indigo horns of unicorns, dazzling plumage of birds, reddy brown of foxes…
And instead of deadly silence the whole place rang with the sound of happy roarings, brayings, yelpings, barkings, squealings, cooings, neighings, stampings, shouts, hurrahs, songs and laughter.
This is the best description of what SHOULD happen when someone meets Jesus. They should explode into the true them – with richer colors and deeper sounds than before they met Jesus. Isn’t that what spiritual transformation is about? Allowing Jesus to change us – from the inside out – into the TRUE US He wants us to be?
So then the Church should be the Zoo that we all play and worship in together?
As leaders – let’s not make anymore statutes. Let’s let Jesus loose and see what kind of zoo he builds.
MLB, Part Deux
For those of you following along at home – need to read my bro-in-law’s response to the ‘Roids post. Great stuff….So, here is my list of Commissioner’s I could live with – in no particular order.
1. Tom Seely, III. It would be cool to have a relative in the business – however, I don’t know if he would leave Budapest.
2. Chris Purdy. Buddy of mine in KC, he has 2, count them, 2 Bachelor’s Degrees and 1 Masters. The Master’s is in Sports Admin, the bachelor’s are in biology.
3. Howard Schultz, Starbucks Chief Global Strategist. Do I really need to explain this pick?
4. Colin Powell, straight shooter, no-nonsense and he’s got a ton of time on his hands.
While Kevin Costner loves baseball – he’s made three of the best baseball movies ever made – Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, For The Love of The Game – he is a wildcard. Sure, he’s given us Dances With Wolves and Open Range. But he has also given us The Postman, Waterworld, and Robin Hood. Horrible movies, acting wasn’t much better.
So if we are going to go with actors – here is my short list.
4. Julia Stiles. I shouldn’t have to explain this choice. I would watch EVERY news conference she ever did.
3. Danny Glover. What a stud. Plus if he gets ticked – break out the Ginzu Frisbee from Predator.
2. Tom Hanks. He knows how to read a script and pick a winner. Plus – Gump as commissioner would be hilarious. Dougan from League of Their Own would be a great resource for him as well. “Crying? Are you crying?” “The hard is what makes the game great.” “Loved you in the Wizard of Oz.” Plus another couple of quotes that won’t be repeated here but maybe the funniest lines ever.
1. Denzel Washington. Best actor ever, in my opinion, AND has an edge. Athlete, passionate, smart, loves kids. He’s my top pick.