from Belize

I have a LOT of blog updating to do, but haven't had time to do it. And now I'm in Belize with very limited internet access. We are updating our church's mission's blog though if you want more info on what we're doing down here in Belize City. And then when I get back to Texas on March 22 I'll post more about life in Texas.

Good Times in CA and a Successful Stampede

I hadn't made a trip out to California since I was there for my Company of New Pastors meeting at the end of September so I figured it was time to take a quick trip out there (because once Lent starts, my schedule picks up and I didn't want to wait an entire year before going back to see all my friends out there).   There are many things I miss about being in CA, and one of them is simply being so close to the Pacific.  This is the view from Becca's parent's house (the island in the background is Catalina).  

This next picture I took, because it is very typical of California.  Last night I was running here in Texas and I came across an armadillo.  While I was in CA, I didn't see an armadillo, but rather a peacock....Notice the peacock strutting across the roof....

There were lots of reasons, I wanted to make this trip.  One of which was to meet Asher, Paige and Chris' new son.  

It was great to see all three of them!  

I also got to see and spend time with the Lazzarini family.   Mostly we just spent time together at home, but I also was able to watch Margaret play in a waterpolo game.  

I had gone out to CA expecting sunny warm weather, and for a day or so it was sunny, but then the skies opened up and the rain began to fall.  Jennifer, Sarah, Becca, and I had decided to do our normal Valentines Day celebration a week earlier when I was out in CA.  Three years ago we started a tradition of doing "secret Valentines," and then going out to spend time together (and then we would exchange presents and reveal who had drawn whose name).  The past two years we had dressed up and gone out for fancy dinners and performances (a comedy club and the musical The Color Purple). Both years we had a ton of fun!  This year we decided to do something a little different and planned on spending the day hiking to the Hollywood sign.  Well, the rain stopped us from hiking so we decided to make a trip out to Upland instead.  We began our day together at Chick-fil-A, and there we exchanged presents.  

Jennifer had drawn my name, 


I had drawn Sarah's name, 

Sarah had drawn Becca's name, 

and Becca had drawn Jennifer's name. 

And then after a fabulous lunch and exchanging presents, we headed to a local rock climbing gym for a day of climbing.

We decided after climbing for a good portion of the day that we wanted some frozen yogurt, and made a detour by Golden Spoon on the way back to Pasadena.  

We got back, and Margaret and I decided while there was a break in the rain that we would take the dog for a walk.  Well, the rain didn't stay away, and we quickly got soaked.  But we had fun, which is all that matters. 

On my last day in CA, just before I had to fly out, we had a bridal shower to celebrate Sarah (who is getting married on March 21!).   Becca and I braved the rain and took the metro from South Pasadena to Old Town so we wouldn't have to worry about parking. 

Jennifer had made a card for Sarah to have during her wedding that simply said, "I Am the Bride," so that she could flash it whenever she needed to between now and March 21.

 
Jennifer had found a wonderful tea place to have the shower, and I had so much fun eating great food, seeing my friends, and celebrating Sarah. 

With Alethia (I had borrowed Tera's hat for the picture) at the start of the tea

Alethia, Christina, and Jennifer with their tea

Our wonderful food 

The group 

Before I left for TX though I had to make a quick trip to Trader Joes (to stock up on food), and while we were out we saw the most beautiful rainbow.  The picture really doesn't do the rainbow justice, but it was so pretty I had to try and capture it on film. 

On the actual day of Valentines I was back in TX, and figured that there was no better way to spend Valentines Day than to do what I love, running, with a good friend.  So, Michelle and I registered for the Haltom Stampede, a local 5K.   I didn't run a personal best, but I had fun and still managed to place third in my age group.  And the top three finishers in each age group were given a buffalo trophy. 

Michelle ran a great race and ended up placing first in her age group.  After the race, we had a great waffle breakfast (thanks to Stacy) and managed to get a picture of both of us with our trophies.  

Souper Bowl and Super Bowl Sunday

152 million viewers (according to Nielsen, though I must admit I have never quite understood how people come up with those statistics) watched the 2009 Super Bowl as the Steelers defeated the Cardinals.  We had a wonderful youth Super Bowl party, but our day started much earlier with the Souper Bowl of Caring.  20 years ago the youth of Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC address the issue of hunger in their community with this Super Bowl Sunday prayer: 

"Lord, as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us to be mindful of those without even a bowl of soup to eat."  

That year the one single church invited 21 congregations to join them and together they raised $5,700.  Over the last twenty years, as more and more congregations across the nation have joined in, over 20 million dollars has been raised!  

This was the fourth year FPCA participated.  The youth picked out soup recipes, we went to Costco to get food, and then on Sunday morning we cooked three different soup recipes (to feed over 200 people) - a classic chicken noodle, a chicken tortilla (that was the best), and a minestrone.   And at the end of the day, we had collected $915 with all the proceeds going to Arlington Charities.  

I only have a few pictures, but there are some more good ones on the First Presbyterian Church website (just follow the photos link).  

This was the start of our minestrone soup.

We had met during the Sunday School hour to start cooking, and then took a break so that the Agapes (the youth choir) could sing the introit.

The youth serving lunch in the fellowship hall:

Then, later that day it was time for our Super Bowl party! It was a party complete with lots of food,

and 3D glasses to wear in order to watch commercials (the few that were designed to be 3D).

Great way to spend a Sunday!

Congratulations to Rev. Tully Fletcher and Happy Birthday to Tori!

Though I had just been in North Carolina for the week between Christmas and New Years, I made a quick trip back to NC to be there for the ordination of Tully Fletcher (who took a call to be the Associate of Youth of Orangewood Presbyterian Church in Phoenix, AZ).  Tully and I had grown up together in the Westminster Presbyterian Church youth group, and it meant a lot that I was able to be there for his ordination.  

On Sunday after the two Sunday morning worship services, Tully's mom hosted a BBQ lunch (North Carolina BBQ in case you were curious) at her house.  It was the perfect opportunity to snap a few pictures. 

Tully and his sister, Jen:

Me and Tully:

And then after lunch it was time to head back to WPC to get ready for the 3pm ordination service.  My dad took this picture of the church, and I just love this picture

Around 2:30 Tully's entire commission (all those involved in the service) gathered together for final instructions. 

Part of what made the service so special was that the 3 pastors who had been on staff when Tully and I were going through the youth group were a part of the service.  This is the five of us just before the service:

At the end of the service I had been asked to charge the congregation.  Usually a charge is given to a congregation where a pastor is being installed.  But since Tully had been baptized at WPC (and the elder who had read through the baptismal vows in 1986 when Tully was baptized read them again, and we as a congregation reaffirmed those baptismal vows), we thought it was more than appropriate to charge the congregation at WPC as well.  It was very special for me to stand side by side with Tully, wearing our robes, and to charge the congregation.

Introducing the Rev. Tully Fletcher!

As the reception was winding down, we headed back into the sanctuary for a few more photos: 

An added bonus to being back that particular weekend was that it was the weekend before Tori 15th birthday.  I made the drive to Wake Forest and Keelan come home from NC State for the weekend so that we could properly celebrate Tori's birthday!  I hadn't really brought any party clothes with me, so I turned one of Tori's dresses into a shirt and wore it over jeans.




Keelan planned a wonderful pasta/chicken dinner, and we had 2 different cakes.  An angel food cake for us, and a funfetti cake just for Tori.  We got a little carried away decorating Tori's cake...

But Tori loved it which is all that matters. 

It was a WONDERFUL weekend, and I am so glad I got to be there for it. 

And then, I flew back to TX just in time for the ice storm!  When I moved to Texas in May, and spent the summer trying to adjust to the heat, I never guessed that the same state could have an ice storm!  The schools were closed, but the ice didn't last too long and after a day or so we were back to our normal routine.

This is the walkway out to the parking lot from my apartment.

 

a busy (but wonderful) start to 2009

I'm not really sure how so much time has passed since I last posted to my blog - the last thing I had posted about was the 5:00 Family Friendly Christmas Eve Service at FPCA. Well, since then, there has been much activity...

After the Family Friendly Service we had a party, a birthday party for Jesus, in the fellowship hall (complete with pinatas and cake). When I made my way back to my office to prepare for our 7:30pm Christmas Eve Service, I found that my office had been "flocked" in honor of my birthday. What a wonderful surprise!

It was definitely strange not to be at Westminster in Durham on Christmas Eve (I can't remember the last time I wasn't there on Christmas Eve), but it was a wonderful joy filled evening. We had a 7:30pm and 11:00pm service, and both were beautiful, fun services.

Christmas morning I had an 11:00am flight to head to North Carolina, but I had some time in the morning to hang out with the McClellands. This is Stacy and I in our pajamas that two of the youth group girls gave us.

It was a ton of fun to be with the two girls on Christmas morning and to see their excitement as they opened their stockings and presents.

And then, it was time to get on a flight. I landed just in time for Christmas dinner with the extended family.

My cousin Stacy came over with her 3 kids, and as always my dad (aka Uncle Richard) is a crowd favorite.

Stacy and I ended up "helping" the two oldest kids make these play do mosaic things. But somehow "helping turned into us doing it...

And then, the very next day it was time to celebrate my 28th birthday. This is my dad and I out for dinner at a local Chinese restaurant.

After dinner we celebrated with a TCBY yogurt cake.

And then the next day we celebrated my mom's birthday (it actually wasn't until Jan 2, but since it was her 60th there was a big party at our house on the 27th).

Since I was in NC, I definitely had to make a trip to Wake Forest to see the Danku clan. We had a truly relaxing, restful time while I was there. Besides going to visit Keelan while she was at work at the Texas Roadhouse, we really just sat around in our pajamas, watched football, sat in the hot tub and relaxed - it was wonderful.

Marryn and Keelan at the Texas Roadhouse:

Tori and I:

While I was in North Carolina I got to enjoy many of my favorite places. One of which is the Duke Cross Country trail - it's a wonderful place to run, and I miss it.

I also got to see some of my favorite dogs, Callie,

and Ronin.

I also got to go to a Duke game with my dad - which was SO much fun! The players warming up:

Tip-off:

My dad at half-time:

New Years Eve I spent most of the evening hanging out with my dear friend Rebecca, but briefly stopped by a party to say hi to some of my WPC girls.

And then on Jan 2, I headed back to Texas (I was scheduled to preach on the 4th). The 3rd we had a 5K run - the "Jiggle Butt." It was an all women's race (though next year they will have a men's division called the "Jiggle Gut.")

Pre-run:

Presley and I pre-run (it was this very oddly warm day - but it was icing two days later).

Another pre-run shot:

I ran my fastest time that I have run in recent years, a 26:45, and it was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

Michelle finishing strong:

Post-race:

Presley finishing:

Presley and I tired from the run:

And a post race picture of the four of us:

That evening we went to a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert. It was incredible, and because of a ticket drawing at Michelle's office, we had free box seats. Sadly though we weren't allowed to take cameras in, so we have no pictures of the event.

The next morning when I went into church, I found another surprise - three of the FPCA youth had cleaned my office while I was gone. What a gift!!!

Since then life has just been busy with work and running. One last picture to leave you with...

One morning when Stacy and I were out running, it was a little chilly. At the end of our run I had developed a thin layer of frost on my shirt - so Stacy wrote a message in it. This winter the Texas weather has been weird, hot one day, cold the next. One day I may get used to it, but for now it still just seems weird...

This weekend I am back in NC for a few days to celebrate the ordination of my friend Tully! It's going to be a fun weekend (and hopefully I won't take so long to post about it).

Happy Birthday Jesus!

We had a ton of fun on Christmas Eve!  The two traditional services were at 7:30 and 11:00 (with the choir singing at the 7:30, and all of the Agape Alumni, the alumni of our youth choir, singing at 11:00), and our Family Friendly Service at 5:00.  As we were designing the service, Bill and I decided to take a slightly different approach and we recruited the FPCA youth, and  a few key adults, to help us.  

This was our crew

Rob was going to start the service in the traditional fashion and then during the first hymn, our organist would transition into playing the Happy Birthday song, and we would all come in singing Happy Birthday to Jesus.  And then, after a little bit of an intro, we launched into the story of Jesus' birth, with the youth acting it out along the way.

So of course we needed a Mary and Joseph, 

and a crew of angels.

We made buttons that said Happy Birthday Jesus, and that lit up for everyone, and Bill and I wore shirts that I had ordered. 

A few more pictures from the service...

And then afterwards, we all moved to the fellowship hall for a party - complete with party hats, 

pinatas, 

and of course cake.  Though we decided this was probably one of the most unattractive cakes we had seen. 

Two of my favorite parts were the "sheep" that really looked more like poodles,

and the fact that Mary was in a wedding dress.

But it tasted great, and after Suzie cut it up and served it, you really couldn't tell about any of the strange details!

It was a great start to our Christmas Eve, and a ton of fun to do!  I really can't remember another time when I have laughed that hard during church....

It's Christmas Time!

It's Christmas Eve, I'm just about to head over to church to start getting ready for our 3 Christmas Eve services, but I thought I would take a moment to update my blog.  It truly has been a fun Advent season.  For the four weeks of Advent, we've done a series at church focusing on Isaiah 9:6, looking each week at one of the different names - Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  It's been a great way to stay focused on the "reason for the season."

It's also been a BUSY few weeks, but with plenty of time with Christmas fun sprinkled in there.  I've also learned that Texas winter weather is a little strange - it's just not at all consistent.  It can be 70 one day, in the 20s the next, and three days later it will be back to the 60s/70s.  It's definitely a change from living in Southern California, and I've had to adjust to seeing ice again (but not all that much of it really). 

Being Christmas time, there have naturally been a lot of Christmas parties.  The first party of the season was hosted by the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee (APNC), and they decided they wanted for me to celebrate my first Texas Christmas.  It was a TON of fun, with beautiful decorations, 

cold drinks, 

and great Texas BBQ.

And, some interesting desserts....

I am so thankful for the APNC and the support they've continued to show me throughout my time at FPCA.  This is the APNC, myself, and Rob, dressed up for our Texas Christmas.  

Cameron and Taylor were there for the dinner too, and had a good time, especially because there was a dog there.

No Christmas would be complete without some home baked goodies, 

having the chance to wear new pajamas, 

and have some random silly fun moments. 

Last weekend, we had our FPCA staff Christmas party.  Sammie and I ended up driving together, and because there was so much traffic, we decided to try back roads- so we ended up getting lost.  But in the midst of getting lost, we found some houses beautifully decorated for Christmas!

We finally did get there (more than a little late)- and here Sammie enjoying her orange soda.

And what is any staff Christmas party without a white elephant gift exchange?  We had quite a few fun gifts, everything from random stuffed animals, 

to a picture of the FPCA youth group from 1989,

to random home made crafts (made by Esther while in the hospital on bed rest),

to a CPR dummy (complete with a DVD demonstration).

I ended up with a pair of pink pants that say "I Love Ethiopia" on them.

And this is our staff (minus our night security monitor).

The next night was the Christmas party for the 20s/30s Sunday School class.  I'm not actually a part of the class, but went just to have a chance to hang out. 

And the last Christmas party of the weekend was the youth group Christmas party, complete with Christmas cookies (these are the cookies I made Mer Bear - if you look close enough you can see her name).

And of course, we once again had a white elephant gift exchange - this time complete with a fish

and somehow the 1989 FPCA youth group picture surfaced again.

I ended up with some fuzzy Christmas socks.

And then we had a "snowball" fight.  Since it was in the 20s outside, I let the teams make their snowball inside, and then we headed out for the snowball fight. 

This is the group (well we're missing a few, but most of the group) at the end that party.

And then it was time to head back to church for our  6:33pm worship service. And after church ended Michelle (who is working on her pilots license) had the idea that we could go up in the air to look at Christmas lights.  And one of her friends, who has his pilot's license and a plane offered to take us up.

Michelle helping to push the plane out of it's holding spot.

I tried to take pictures, but it didn't work so well (with it being dark, I needed to be able to hold the camera still to get a good shot.  Well, that's not easy to do with the plane moving.  If I shot directly in front of me, I could sort of get a shot, 

but when I tried to shoot from the side window, it didn't work at all!)

But it was fun, and the houses did look very fun from above.  Michelle at the end of the evening. 

Tonight we have three Christmas Eve services, and then in the morning I'm headed off to NC for a week!  Wohoo!