Happy Together

They showed this video at Catalyst this past fall. It is the funniest thing I've every seen, especially when Andy Stanley's house is getting TP'd.

"Inside All of Us Is...ADVENTURE"

Post inspired by National Geogrpahic ADVENTURE Blog.

When going to the link for the movie trailer, be sure to go to the gray box on the right to view the movie trailer.

What's In It For Me

So, you've been dying to know about the igloo trip?

Building an igloo takes a lot of effort. Sam and I attempted to build our igloo. About an hour in three others, then two more, came over and lent a hand in getting our igloo completed. Then, we returned the favor. In our devotion time Sunday morning we talked about Psalm 46 and God being our refuge. For me, it was cool to see God's people provide a refuge for each other.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Building an igloo is a lot of work. It was about 5 hours of work for 11 people to build 5 igloos. We finished about 5:30. We were totally soaked with sweat.

The weather went from sunshine, to rain, to snow. Sam and I put on some dry clothes, and tacos for dinner, and turned in. This is where it gets fun.

I never felt quite warm. Thoughts of igloos sound a bit romantic and adventurous. A nice place to come in out of the cold. Well, you don't really get out of the cold. You are in an igloo. It's made out of snow.

As Sam fell asleep, I read a little for school, but wondered how much I was really comprehending. I turned the headlamps off, but immediately felt closed in. I turned the headlamps back on. I woke up at 9 PM. Sam did, too. I woke up at 11:15 PM. Sam did too.
Now, keep in mind that to conserve the heat in an igloo, you need to tunnel in to your igloo, and do it in a fashion where the floor of the igloo is higher than the ceiling of the tunnel.

Also keep in mind that I started getting sick before we left. Sleeping in an igloo is a very oppressive feeling. The air is heavy, and, with being sick, I felt like I was going to suffocate. You do put a couple of holes in the igloo for "fresh air," but it didn't help. So, it was just an awful feeling. Like, being locked in a freezer with a cow stepping on your chest. All the while wondering, when I begin to close my eyes, "is this sleepiness the same sleepiness that is the warning that you are about to die from hypothermia?" – You just start to fall asleep and won't wake up again, only to be thankful to wake up again 2 hours later to go through the whole routine over again.

I felt like I was literally going to die just from being sick and being cold. At 1 AM I woke up and that suffocating feeling began to turn into panic. The scenarios are running through my mind – "It's 1 AM, I am going to have to go wake up Bob, we are going to have to pack up everything, walk out of here – with Sam, and Bob will either drive me all the way home, or at least to a point where Jean and Alina can meet us. What will these people think of me? Worse, I don't want to spoil Sam's trip." Pray, pray, pray. Feel a little better. Drink water, apply lip balm to my sunburned lips. Fall asleep, while wondering if this is hypothermia again.

I woke up at 3:12 AM. Pray, drink water, apply lip balm to my sunburned lips. Sam wakes up at 3:57 AM and asks what time it is. I tell him, and he smiles because he is awake and it's the middle of the night. I asked if he was having fun. I was hoping he'd say he was cold and miserable and wanted to go home. But, instead, he said, "Yes! We are sleeping in an igloo!" Then he asked if I was having fun. I said, "Sam. If you are having fun, then I am having fun."

He falls back asleep, and I do. Wondering, again, if this time it really is hypothermia. I wake up again at 5:12 and pray, drink, apply lip balm, and fall asleep – again betting that this time it really is hypothermia.

At 7 am there is light outside. YES! We made it! Sam has to go to the bathroom painfully bad. And, we struggle to get his snow pants and coat on without him having a breakdown. We make it out of the tunnel, out of our camping area, and onto the main trail. After Sam goes to the bathroom (which, by the way, I am so proud that he learned how to poop in the snow while wearing 5 layers), we take a hike deeper into the mountains. It is a beautiful morning. I am sick as can be, but I experienced the joy of my son. With my son that I prayed for, who came into our lives just about 8 years ago.

Cramming

This morning I got up to cram. Not so much for graduate school, but for igloo school. To see diagrams, how to shape blocks, and how to arrange blocks.

And, now, I need to get some work done on my paper before we leave...

Getting Ready

Sam and I have been packing for the "Big Weekend." Most Saturdays is "EdVenture Saturday" for the family. But, this coming weekend is a little different.

Next Thursday Sam turns 8. To celebrate Sam and I are going into the mountains Saturday with the Wilderness Ministry from church. We are snowshoeing in, building igloos to sleep in, eating dinner, breakfast the next morning and heading home Sunday. Alina is so sweet in that even though she isn't going with us she wants to help us pack up the gear.

It will be a very good trip. Mostly, because I will be spending time with my favorite exploring buddy. But, it will be good to leave paper writing behind for 30 hours and be kind and gracious to myself, and allow God to be kind and gracious to me as well. It has been a hard week. Almost like the perfect storm – the weaning of medication was going oh so well for weeks until making the next dosage drop Monday; papers upon papers due next week; a new job for Jean and anxiously waiting about another; two inspections early in the week; and therapy today. But, therapy was great; my papers are coming along slow and steady (slow and steady wins the race, as Alina says); I got to hang out with Jean, Sam and Alina at the Spotted Cow for white hot chocolate after Jean's big day; and so much more goodness to be celebrated. I am a blessed man. I am in a good place mentally to engage Sam well this weekend and enjoy him this weekend, and to enjoy how far I have come as a man.

The Weight Metaphor

Most of you who read Jean's blog know that we have been losing weight. Since December 29th I have lost 19 lbs. I still hope to lose another 10 lbs. If it happens, sweet. If not, sweet.

There are many reasons for losing the physical weight for me. I looked like crap. I felt like crap. It was hard to play well, especially with Sam. I had no energy. I am also doing some races this year. Most here in the area, but also one with my sherpa brother in May. That one will be a blast, mostly because it will be with Johnny! I can't wait!

The weight has been a metaphor for many things in life. Coming into this year there were many things that just needed to be let go of. My weight was one of many things. School needed to be done smarter so that I could spend better time with my family. This has led to Edventure Saturdays as a family. There were also harmful relationships that were weighing me down and us down. School, boundaries class at church, and therapy have all led to putting these harmful relationships in their proper places.

As a family, I feel like we are in a really great place. Moving here has been the best thing for us as a couple. When Jean's mom and dad came to visit recently I feared that we would regress or that we as a couple wouldn't be able to hold our own against them. That how we have learned to leave and cleave would be fought against. It was fought against, yet we – and especially Jean – held and held well. It is absolutely amazing to witness who we have become. Not just who I have become, but who we have become. It is truly good.

We each have a handful of friendships that we miss dearly. But, we haven't let those friendships get away. We keep in close contact with them, and they with us. We miss them so much it hurts, and we are looking forward to seeing them in April. Those 10 days are going to go by way too quickly.

Yet, being here has allowed us to cut so many harmful things away. We attend a great church, Sam (and soon to be Alina) is at a great school, I am at a great school. Most of all, I have a great family. Our marriage is intimately good. As hard as the first few months were, we are thankful. I am thankful for who we have been allowed to be and become here. God is transforming me through so many things. I have never felt closer to Jean. I have never felt lighter.