Father Daughter Dance

Its been a long day and theres still work to do, she's pulling at me saying
"dad I need you there's a ball at the castle and I've been invited and I need to practice my dancing. Oh please daddy please.
















She spins and she sways to whatever song plays without a care in the world. . .




So I will dance with cinderella while she is here in my arms. Cause I know something the prince never knew.
Oh I will dance with cinderella.
I don't want to miss even one song
Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight and shell be gone.
She will be gone.

perspective from the delivery room

A 16 year old becoming a mom.

A 34 year old mom with a history of cardiac disease enduring labor with a heart that doesn't function fully.

A 28 year old mother of 2, weary from 2 days of labor, ended up having an emergency c/section, pulls herself out of bed 6 hours after surgery to see her premature baby in the neonatal intensive care unit.

A husband with fear all over his face, watches as his wife becomes a mother. Then together they touch their new baby daughter, and in an instant all the fear and pain is gone.

A 20 year old pregnant women, who comes to the hospital every 3 days with a new symptom, desperately wanting to be admitted so she doesn't have to be alone at home.

A 2 hour old baby in the newborn nursery all alone, because his mom is doesn't want to hold him.

A doctor, a pilot, a mechanic, and a sandwich maker, all first time dads, all cry the first time they see their newborn. Each hand becomes shakey as they take the scissors from the physician to "cut the cord".

My job gives me perspective.


I wish I could have a camera with me.

I wish you could see how tight a man holds his wife's hand as she pushes through contractions.
I wish you could see the determination in the woman's face right before her baby arrives.
I wish you could see the big sister as she peeks over the bed to kiss her baby brother.
I wish you could see the newborn turn his head to hear his dad's voice for the first time.
I wish you could see the grandmother count her grand babies tiny fingers and toes.

It gives you some perspective.
I need that in my life.

I need it for times you don't want to see.

like the time, the mother left her infant in a trunk of a car, and pretended she didn't have a baby. For 6 hours. That baby survived.
like the time the prostitute had her baby in the toilet, came to the hospital and wasn't sure who the father was.
like the time the teenager came to the hospital, after attending a high school basketball game, had her baby, and then left her infant there, 4 hours after delivery. She never told her parents. She relinquished her rights as a mother.
Like the time I helped a 13 year old become a mother.
Like the time I held a women's hand after the 6th pregnancy ends in a loss. She still doesn't have a baby to hold.



My mind sometimes can not comprehend it all. My heart sometimes spills over.

For the most part I love what I do. The moment a family is born is Amazing.
Truly Amazing.

But sometimes it is heartbreaking.

Today the delivery room has given me some perspective. I needed it.

Show me your way

Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths; guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.
Psalm 25:4-5

Maggi Turns 9,

We make birthdays a big deal around here.

That is how we role.

Infact, (for the record) I declare November my birthday month.

Well, Maggi turns 9 today.

We can hardly believe it. We have been celebrating for 2 days now and here and here are some of the pictures.

We started out by bringing cookies to our classmates and teachers. Yummy.

Then we had Emily and Samantha spend the night. Maggi chose to take her friends to Red Robin, her favorite restaurant. Then to the mall for a trip to Bath and Body Works, for our party favors.

And of course, Coldstone Creamery for a Yummy Treat.































This morning we woke up and had dad makes us some waffles, and then opened some gifts.

Then . . . for the grand finale. . . We had been working on for weeks.
(ok my mom has been working on it for weeks) was the Indian TeePee.

Originally Maggi wanted a Kaya, American Birthday Party, complete with a teepee. The party changed into a casual girlfriend getaway, but she still wanted the teepee.

It turned out Great!

As you can see the girls LOVED IT.
(Thanks Dave and Mom)

Making Wishes Come True.
Thats how we roll.

MORE TO COME.
(party tomorrow too)
Just had to get it started.

passports and plane tickets-Why Not

This week has had some big developments.

We have been scheming and plotting our summer plans. While we are waiting on the next step of our missionary application process, we decided to take some action.

We decided to spend our summer in Costa Rica, and attend a Spanish Immersion Program. The course is an intensive program that focuses on helping people learn to speak Spanish. It is a six week program. The whole family will be going. Dave and I will be taking a leave of absence, and the girls will be leaving school a little early.

The Spanish Immersion program was initially the spark that started the shift to applying to be full time missionaries. We had originally started out just inquiring about the program with our friends Jay and Nancy Dickerson. They are now Area Directors with the Assemblies of God for Latin Amercia, but had spent some time as serving as the directors for the school (Cincel). While we were at lunch with them, Jay asked the question, "why not do a trimester instead of the 6 week program." So Dave and I came home and were like, "why not?" We looked over the program and thought we could make it work, a three month adventure. Lets go for it. So Dave's assignment was to find out how much medical insurance would be for the three months.

So later that week Dave was telling me the numbers, it would be this much for summer school, this much for a trimester (3 months) and this much for full time missionaries.

GULP!

Whoa there hubby, What did you say?

I was like, Umm why do we need to know how much it is for full time missionaries?


And the fire was flamed.


So here we are.
With our passports and plane tickets.
Asking Why not?

We are no longer going through the motions. We are stepping out. I am not sure about all the details of the summer program, especially the details involving the girls. But we are excited here.


I am going to be honest here. Stepping out is not easy. It seems that everything gets challenged. My spiritual life changed. I am not even sure how to put it in words.

Every step brings some new challenge and causes a new wave of learning, strength, stretching, growth.

I am excited to be in this place. My spiritual life had become so familiar and easy. I had come to a place where I didn't need to come to Jesus every day for peace. I had really just been going through the motions. I mean does the enemy really focus on people who are cruising along?

Now, I need answers every day. I go to My Father and pray for the peace that only comes from Him. I humbled by His master plan for me and my family. I have this growing hunger in my soul to become closer to Him. I am thirsty for His Word and how it applies to me.

This place in my life is scarey. But I am excited.
I am excited to be unsettled and hungry and thirsty.

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Matthew 25:35,36


P.S. Lets hope I don't need to be visited in prison. :)

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

Yesterday was Dr. Seuss's Birthday!

My favorite book is Oh, the places You'll Go!

I received this book when I graduated High School, a long time ago.

The wisdom in this book is classic. It should be given to every kindergarten, and read again at the of high school.

Here Goes:

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care. About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there." With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart t ogo down any not-so-good street.
And you may not find any you'll want to go down.
In that case, of you'll head straight out of town.

Its opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

Oh! The Places you'll go!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.
Wherever you, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't.
Because sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but sadly, it's true that Bang-ups
and Hang-ups
Can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickley-perc.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an upleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a slump.

And when you're in a slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right. . .
or right and three quarters? or maybe, not quiet?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, and headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place. . .

for people just waiting.
Wating for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane togo or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fist to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a better break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another chance. Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that wating and staying. You will find the bright places where BOOM Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping, once more you'll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh the places you'll go! There is fun to be done1 There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! you'll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that Some times you'll play lonely games too. Games you can't win 'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. ON you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike. And I know you'll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course, as you laready know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a great Balancing Act. Just never forget ot be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! you will, indeed!
(98% and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

Kid you'll move mountains!

So. . .
be your name buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen o'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your maintain is wating.

So . . .get on your way!




There is a sermon in there, one written for me.
I lu huv this book.
Right now I am in the wating game.
I am waiting to find out what place I will go.
My mountain is waiting.

Thank You Dr. Seuss. Thank you for writing this book for me!

Happy Birthday.

Kings Mountain Picnic

This Sunday, after church, we packed a lunch and headed for Kings Mountain State Park. We enjoyed our sandwiches and the sunshine.

We laughed alot.

I had so much fun taking pictures of this beautiful family.

You can almost feel the sunshine.