The Greatest Holiday

The Greatest Holiday in the whole wide world, well after Easter, is almost upon us. That's right! Canadian Thanksgiving!!!!! Jean has e-mailed the invitations for the great feast and the meal preparation has begun. We can't wait to celebrate the blessings of the Motherland. We will actually be celebrating a day early, Sunday October 8th. Hopefully there will be leftovers so that we can celebrate again on the actualy Canadian Thanksgiving Day – Monday the 9th.

Though we aren't officially Canadians, we often wish we were as we love everything icy, rugged, snowy, and fuzzy.

THANKSGIVING – 2nd Monday of October

What It Is: Initially created to praise the end of wars and cholera, this holiday has evolved into its present-day raison d'etre – humble thanks for all things Canadian.

How to Celebrate: Sleep in late, throw a turkey in the oven, stir up some Caesars, and head out for some shinny (pick-up hockey) to work up an appetite for the evening feast.

Crazy Gear Friday

Original Link

A Calming Sleep Enhancer

Accidentally discovered by Badger while trying to find 'Sore Mind Balm', one that would clear your thoughts in the middle of the day. But test subjects kept coming back saying, Hey, this really helps me sleep.

Sleep Balm doesn't make you sleepy: The aroma actually clears your thoughts and eases your mind. Then you fall asleep naturally.

Great for travel or after a tough day on the trail.

Ingredients: Organic extra virgin olive oil, castor oil, beeswax, and essential oils of ginger, rosemary, bergamot, balsam fir, and lavender. 2oz tin.

For me, the very reason I go camping is be calmed...

The Story I Was Told Today

jean and the kids dropped me off for work today. as they pulled away a gentleman walked up to me.

first he asked if i smoked.

then he said he was doing some physical therapy work at panera bread this morning. now has a flat.

he said that the admiral (gas) station wanted an outrageous amount for a can of fix a flat. he said he was just a few dollars short. he said that i could hold his car keys as collateral. basically i could have anything but his text books.

first of all i don't know of an admiral gas station around here...

i asked if he went to meijer.

he said that he called over there but they don't have fix a flat.

of course they do... meijer has EVERYTHING! and why didn't he just walk to meijer instead of calling there as it was between panera bread and our office park.

he said that he was trying to call his wife but her cell phone wasn't going through, and now he was going to miss his afternoon class and grand valley state.

umm... it's 9 AM...

we got a call in our office from a first home financial, a company in the office park that we have had a very close business relationship with forever. they said they found him going through some of their cubicles.

so, i went out to look for him. wanting the real story from him of what he was really looking for.

i saw another guy outside of another building. he said the guy "hit their building" about 15 minutes ago. he said that he saw the sheriff pull in.

on my way back i talked with the lady who manages the office park. she was looking for him. she was going through all of the buildings making sure empty places were locked. she wondered if the sheriff had already found him.

drats. i was hoping to find out what he was really looking for. more on the inside of him. what drove his elaborate story.

The Greatest Day of My Life

Saturday was a rainy day. Like many days lately. After naptime Sam and I went bike riding. For Sam, bike riding is best when there are puddles and/or mud involved. If there aren't puddles, might as well leave the bike in the garage. Saturday there were some great puddles from rain earlier in the day. Then, it started raining again during our ride. Then it was absolutely POURING! Every inch of asphalt was a puddle. Great! We hit some of our favorite water collecting spots and mudholes. Sam got stuck in one mudhole and said, "Dad, This is the greatest day of my life!" HA! That's was so cool to hear. Then, there was thunder. We rode as fast as we could through the parking lot of the highschool and back home. We found out the next day that there was actually a tornado warning out. Perhaps I should listen to the radio more or watch more TV. NAH!

Last night was orienteering group. A sweet night was had by all. On Wednesday mornings I go back out to the grounds and collect the control markers. This morning about 7 AM I went into Sam's room. I sat on his bed whispered, "Sam, would you like to come with Dad to get the control markers?" His eyes opened wide from a deep sleep and said, "YEAH!" He got dressed. I gave him his own map and compass for the journey. We ate poptarts on the way. What a great day. Talking about things that are important to a little boy who is 5. Clouds. Riding the bus. Friends. Animals. We walked through calf-deep mud. We watched the water of a stream cascade over rocks and flow under a bridge. On the way back home, from the back seat Sam said, "Another great day with my dad." The joy was mine. Usually I hurry through the woods as fast as I can collecting markers on Wednesday mornings before heading to work. This morning was cool. I still had to go to work. But I got to enjoy the morning the way Sam does.

Joke of the Day

What can't the richest man in the world buy?
A Mac.

I work in an office that uses macs. My wife Jean and I also have matching macs. So, this joke is funny...

Better With Gorilla Glue

So, the silicone didn't hold long yesterday. It lasted about three minutes worth of wipe time. B recommended Gorilla Glue. I went to Home Depot yesterday afternoon after watching a disappointing Lions game and picked some up. I came home, took the grill off again, and applied it. I let it bond overnight. This morning I went out and turned the wipers on while I put it back together. Then, turned it off while I reattached the wiper blade arms. I then started the wipers again. In all, the wipers ran for about 20-25 minutes without problem. Thanks B!

A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned

We've been a one vehicle family since pretty early in our marriage. Sometimes it is inconvenient, but we always get by. The vehicle we have now is a 1998 Nissan Pathfinder. Sometimes it is awesome to have on hand. Like yesterday when I used it to pull out the stumps of our bushes left from when we took out the brick planter area. (I knew my dad would have thought it was cool using the truck for that. He liked doing things like that with his truck: pulling things, pulling things out, pulling people out of ditches on the highway on nasty winter days, etc.)

Other days, the truck feels its age. It is getting a bit tired. Friday Jean called me at work to tell me the windshield wipers weren't working. She and the kids came and picked me up from work, then we picked up a pizza on the way home. The kids and ran in and got the pizza, and Jean drove us home. On the way home it started to rain. Then, it rained hard. I reached my hand out the window and grabbed the wipers and moved them rapidly back and forth so that Jean could see. You could hear the wiper motor working, so that couldn't be the problem. It was like something just came off.

Saturday I was determined to fix it. No way in heck am I taking it to the repair shop without at least giving it the old college try. So. I took the weather stripping for the grill area and the grill area itself under the exterior of the windshield. I also had to take off one metal plate underneath that. Interesting. Let's keep going. There was this metal bar that runs from the wipe motor to another bar that moved the wipers. The metal bar was supposed to be attached to a rubber boot, which went over a ball looking thing. This boot had a sticky substance on it which made it adhere to the metal bar. The substance had lost just enough of its stickiness to allow the bar to pull away from the boot. I took some exterior strength silicone and placed it on the boot and the bar hoping it would readhere them to each other. I put everthing back together and let the silicone cure. I wanted to give it 24 hours of cure time. We'll see soon if the silicone will take the stress of adhereing a rubber boot to a metal rod. I hope so. It is going to be another rainy day.

Bulging Eyes

Original Post

In this combination picture of before and after, Claudio Paulo Pinto pops his eyeballs out of their sockets, in Belo Horizonte, 340 kilometers (210 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday, Sept 16, 2006. Claudio Paulo Pinto is looking for work. That's his job _ looking. Pinto can pop his eyeballs at least 7 millimeters (0.3 inches) out of their sockets, a national record for eye-popping according to RankBrasil, an organization modelled after the Guinness Book of World Records that lists Brazilian records. Pinto says he's been doing this since he was nine years old and "it doesn't hurt a bit." (AP Photo/Eugenio Savio)

Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All right reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Crazy Gear Friday

Found Here

MRE's – and HOT!

We've found a limited supply of fresh Meals Ready to Eat (MREs). Each meal is packaged in a heavy duty, clear plastic pouch that contains a hearty main entree, fruit flavored energy bar, jelly packet, crackers, tea or coffee mix, salt and pepper, moist napkin, matches, spoon or fork and a chemical heater. Unlike military rations, you can see through the pouch and select your entree flavor without breaking the seal. Our complete case of 12 meals, includes at least three different entree's and boasts a minimum 5 year shelf life. Fully cooked, this food can be eaten without heating, but a military issue heater has been included with each meal. Only 2 oz of water is needed to activate the chemical heater and in about 5 minutes, your entree will be steaming hot. Simple heater use instructions are printed on every package. Not to be confused with K rations or C rations, these current issue entrees have a very desireable flavor and texture due to better technology in food processing and space age packaging. These are not GI Issue MREs, the original meals are marked US Property and cannot be sold to the public. These meals are a commercial version with lots of flavor and nutrition and the closest to military rations available anywhere. We sold out fast during Katrina, so buy yours today and make sure you and your family are prepared for whatever situation might arise. Because this is a food item, MRE's are non-returnable, and we will not accept any returns on this product. The production date is a 4-digit number on each item. For example, "1296" -- 1 represents the year 2001 and 296 represents the 296th day of the year. These are fresh and current production and will not expire until 2010.

The Fish 'n Flush Aquarium

The Official Site

How it Works

Both fresh water and salt water can be added to our 2.2-gallon aquariums, but live coral should not be used. Fish 'n Flush provides a 12-volt, dual-filter system, which makes it safe for children. It also provides two nine-inch plastic plants, a fill valve, a flush valve, a flushing system, LED lighting from the top, and has a designed built-in feeder door. All you need are water, fish and food.

These acrylic tanks are fully functional, impact resistant and stronger than china. They are completely separate from the toilet tank and are designed to fit directly against the companion tank reservoir.

Chia Shoe

The grass is coming in nicely in our back yard since having it excavated for the new septic tank and drain field. Most yards in our neighborhood, including ours, are clay soil. The weird thing about clay soil is when the soil dries out, it become hard as a rock. Or, in this case, hard has fire kilned clay. When it is wet it sticks to everything. Walking around among the new seedlings to water them usually amounts to about 10 lbs. of clay attaching to each shoe. So much for needing ankle weights.

Saturday I went out and spread more seed to fill in the bare spots. I noticed several grass seedlings stuck to the clay stuck to my shoe. I am considering creating a chia shoe. I just need to remember to keep them watered. Perhaps if I leave them out in the rain for a few days like today I can enjoy wearing my chia shoes in about 5-7 days. FUN!

Crazy Gear Friday

Something about this tent has always, always fascinated me. Not just the fact that the windows have been cold crack tested to -60º F. There's something more. Not just the fact that this is the tent they use at base camp on Mt. Everest. Though, that is really cool. It is more the environment and elements that this tent can withstand. To me this tent is a metaphore. It takes you in when you are beaten up by the elements. It provides shelter for you while you regain strength. This tent is a metaphore for a friend.

Earlier this week I was feeling pretty down. Basically, that I suck. Especially compared to my friend. He seems to have this genuine love about him. I told him that I suck compared to him. Not that I am comparing myself to him. I am comparing my self to Jesus. But, he just humbles me. He is a good physical example of what it means to be like Jesus. This is what he wrote to me:

"Dude! That is the craziest thing I ever heard! I don't mean to diminish your feelings in any way, but I have to say I am shocked by your comments. Are you sure you meant to send that to me?!

My brother, I look at you and I see a beacon for Jesus. What you do for guys through the mountain biking and now the orienteering. What you do for hundreds on a Sunday by knocking out the sweetest worship music. What you do by being a devoted and faithful husband to an amazing woman. What you do by raising Sam to be the coolest little man on the planet. What you do by nurturing Alina in a father's love. What you do for a friend who is feeling lousy and at home painting by bringing him multiple containers of the best ice cream along with root beer and blueberries. What you do by taking your family and friends on adventures. What you do by your generosity. What you do by a Christ-like example for your family, friends and countless others.

Brother, I am most sincere when I say I am shamed by what you do. Seriously. Your example makes me feel like the biggest slacker on the planet. I am a sluggard. I am but a worm.

I really cannot begin to fathom where you're coming from when you say what you said. Really. I can't.

I know you weren't looking for some props here and I'm not just blowing smoke to make you feel better. In a real friendship there is gut level honesty. I'm being gut level honest here when I say I am shamed by your example. I am shamed by how little I do for others...including my
family...and for the Kingdom. I'm truly about the most selfish person I know. I have such a long way to go.

I'm not sure where your lack of self-esteem comes from or why you beat yourself up the way you do sometimes. I can guess, but it doesn't matter.

What matters is you are a magnicifent creation of dust! You were created by God for his good pleasure and I know he revels in you. And I know your kids revel in you. And I know your bride revels in you. And I know your friends revel in you.

Truly, you've got nothing to prove. I don't know much, but I know Jesus wouldn't die for a loser. And I know he died for you. He found you worthy enough to die for. That's good enough for me.

Love ya like a play cousin, brother.

You are created in His image. How cool is that?

I often tell the girls that one sign of a good friendship is when they bring
out the best in each other.

I think we have a real good friendship.

I thank God for you."

This guy is this tent. He has helped give me shelter when the elements came against me. He gave me the rest I needed to heal. And, he continues to assure me that I am okay. That I can climb again, even though sometimes I get afraid after the fall I took off of the mountain. My friend is like this 2-Meter Dome.

Tent Description:

Utilizing the original geodesic dome principle created by Buckminster Fuller to create the highest ratio of enclosed area to external surface area, the Two Meter Dome from The North Face is the optimal shelter for an expedition of up to eight people.

Tent Features:

• Unique pole configuration creates steep tent body walls that maximize the dome's internal space
• Easton 7075-T9 Aluminum Poles are constructed with a combination of cold work, heat treatment and aging to create an incredibly strong and lightweight aluminum pole
• Durable 420 denier nylon pack cloth floor is built to withstand the abuses of base-camp life
• Two durable exterior polyurethane windows let you keep an eye on your surroundings and are cold-crack tested to -60 F
• A chimney vent allows air to circulate and two doors make exit and entry easy for the tent inhabitants

Specifications

• Suggested use: Expedition
• Capacity: 8-person
• Minimum weight: 47 lbs 0 oz
• Packaged weight: 51 lbs 0 oz
• Floor area: 125 sq ft
• Floor diameter: 155 inches
• Interior peak height: 83 inches
• Number of poles: 12
• Doors: 2
• Windows: 2
• Floor material: 420-denier nylon taffeta
• Canopy material: 210-denier nylon Oxford
• Fly material: 210-denier nylon Oxford
• Stuff size: 32 x 23 inches
• Freestanding: Yes

I Remember This Feeling

Sam started kindergarten Tuesday. We took Sam to school as a family. Mrs. Anderson had her students line up on the sidewalk. They played Simon Says. I was very impressed with Sam's Simon Says skills. He listened well and only did what Simon, Mrs. Anderson in this case, said.

Then, the line went in. This familiar feeling came over me. It was the same feeling I had when Sam was 3 months old and we gave him to the doctor to take through the doors and down the hall for kidney surgery. This feeling of "I have to entrust him to someone else" washed over me. He waived at me and said, "Bye Dad!" and went through the doors. I entrust him to Mrs. Anderson.