Wednesday, July 30, 2008

"Glad I was Listening" --to Jesse

"It would be so easy to publish books if it wasn't for authors."


-Jesse's comment upon arriving home after a hard day (apparently) in the publishing industry

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

It's game time!

Friday at 5:30pm we got a call from my sister telling us she had a regular customer in who happened to have 4 free tickets to that night's 7pm Whitecaps game. We had already been trying to come up with something fun to do with the kids that didn't take a lot of energy and this seemed to be the answer. We jumped in the car & headed to the restaurant to pick up a to-go pizza & the tickets. It was a great night out.

We all had a great time eating snow cones, cotton candy, and taking pictures of the baseball players.

Best quote of the evening comes from Alex. Right in the middle of the game he turns to me with a sad face and asks, "Mom, didn't you bring ANY books for us to read?"




The view from our seats. (Photo courtesy of Alex)

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Fresh Ink

My sister & I got matching tattoos this week, except that hers is pink & mine is orange (no picture of us together yet, sorry). I'm so happy with the way it turned out.


Friday, July 18, 2008

Remembering Andrew Widman (1978-2008)

For the past day, my wife and I have been walking around the house, bleary eyed, mourning for our friend, Officer Andrew Widman, who died earlier this morning after being shot responding to a domestic dispute in Ft. Myers, FL.

I met Andy on my first day of class at seminary in September 2001. I remember sitting down next to him—at that time he had long, hippy-like hair and I thought he looked like the type that knew his Latin.

In October 2001, my mom died after a long struggle with MS. It was Andy’s encouragement that ultimately kept me in school. I remember sitting in Andy’s kitchen talking things through. At the time, I wanted to run from school but he really grounded me. At least for me, a close relationship was forged on that day.

Over the next two and a half years, he would be my closest friend on campus. Only rarely did a day go by that we did not see or talk with each other. Both our families left school in 2003, and as a result our contact was less frequent, limited to the occasional phone call, email, and Christmas card. I still counted him as one of my very closest friends, the kind of person that will forever fill a spot in your life. I hope I get the opportunity to someday share with his kids just how special he was.

Andy was a huge film buff and had a sharp eye for up-and-coming actors and directors. I remember watching some of my favorite movies after getting his recommendations. He and I (along with our wives) probably watched 50 movies together during the years we lived close to each other. Now that I think back, I remember watching a lot of “cop movies” together, Heat, Die Hard (I think), and others. Andy hated The French Connection, a story of crooked cops. It seems appropriate now, perhaps a foreshadowing of the great police officer he would become later in life.

Andy introduced me to kimchi; countless books; The Lobster Trap (a local dive with free pool and cheap beer on Tuesdays); good Thai food; the game Axis & Allies. I could go on and on and on with the many happy memories that come to mind.

To me, he was the epitome of what a Christian should be. He had a deep love for all people and took his faith seriously. He let the Bible be what it was; he did not try to tame it or, though it may be convenient, fit it into a nice, tight theological system. He had a profound influence on my own faith.

O God of grace and glory, we remember before you this day our brother Andy. We thank you for giving him to Susanna, his family, and to us, his friends, to know and to love as a companion. In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn. Give us faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth, until, by your call, we are reunited with Andy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

—Jesse Hillman

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

A favorite moment

Sometimes Paulie crawls into bed with me when Jesse leaves for work. We snuggle and then he falls back asleep for a little while longer. It's after this short slumber that one of my favorite moments occurs. Here's a glimpse of what it's like to wake up to those big green eyes.



Monday, July 7, 2008

New toys for the road trip

We bought the boys each an iPod Shuffle before shuffling off (sorry) to Ohio last weekend. We loaded up numerous kid songs, along with Nickel Creek & the Beetles and then showed them how to use the iPods. It was the quietest road trip EVER!

Here are a few shots with them before we opened them: