Wednesday, April 29, 2009
A mushy crush
The children and I sat down this evening for a quick dinner before I had to run off to church for choir practice.
Out of the blue, Eliana said, “A boy at school has a crush on me.”
“Oh r-e-a-l-l-y??? And is this boy in your class?”
“Yeah. Actually he has a crush on four girls in my class.”
“Wow. He’s a busy boy.”
“Yeah. Him and another boy got in a fight at school because they both have a crush on us.”
“Oh. So there are TWO boys with a crush on you?”
“Yeah. But I don’t want anybody to have a crush on me. It’s mushy.”
{extended}Monday, April 27, 2009
Why did I let myself get sucked in?
Neither Carmi nor I watch a lot of television. Certainly not network tv shows. Most of what we watch is on TLC, the Travel Channel or HGTV.
But I’ve heard so many people talking about this show called Lost on ABC. If you’re not familiar with it, the show follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious tropical island, after a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney, Australia and Los Angeles crashes somewhere in the South Pacific.
The ABC website streams all the episodes from the very first 2-hour pilot back in 2004 to the current episode.
So last night, after the children were safely tucked into bed, I sat down and watched the first hour. Just the first hour. And now I think I’m hooked.
Why oh why did I let myself get sucked in?
Do you watch it?
{extended}Sunday, April 26, 2009
Excited about God’s Word
Our Chinese friend from the local Chinese mission church came by for a visit this afternoon.
She sat and talked with Zane for a good hour. Before leaving, she gave Zane a book that is some sort of Bible study curriculum for him to work on through the week. She plans to come back every Sunday afternoon over the next several weeks to engage in a conversation with Zane about what he has read and learned.
He sat down with the material tonight before bed and it was hard to pull him away.
Part of the weekly study involves memorizing a couple of scripture passages. He walked around the house reciting Romans 1:20 and John 3:16 with a big grin on his face.
It’s awesome to see our young man so excited about God’s Word.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Our first concert
Joyful Hearts presented our first concert tonight.
This was the first time I’ve been on stage for a concert in almost 4 years and it felt really, really good.
We sang at a small Presbyterian church that was celebrating a 100th anniversary. The church’s music director was Eliana’s kindergarten teacher last year and it was wonderful to see her again.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Three brand new tracks
David, Ryan and I went into the studio tonight.
Studio musicians were to record three brand new tracks to songs that we’ll initially use as demos on our website but that will ultimately end up on our first CD together. We plan to return to the studio on Saturday, May 16th and record the vocals.
In his personal space
The kiddos are watching a movie while waiting for gran’mommy to come. Mom is going to sit with them until Carmi gets home while I head to the studio for some recording time.
I couldn’t believe that Zane was letting the girls in his personal space.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
A reality tv series I might actually watch
Airing throughout this month will be the pilot episode for a new reality TV series, “Children’s Heart,” which offers an inside look into how one organization is bringing children to the United States for live-saving surgery not available in their own countries.
“These are children whose families have almost given up hope. They know it is only a matter of time before they die from their heart condition,” says Cindy Bonsall, director of Children’s Heart Project, a project of the international Christian relief group Samaritan’s Purse. “It is our passion to help these children and give them back hope and the opportunity to live.”
It was in 1997 when Samaritan’s Purse found many children in Bosnia suffering from congenital heart defects who could not be adequately treated because the country’s ethnic war had damaged hospitals and equipment and forced many doctors to flee.
After contacting a hospital in the United States that agreed to donate medical care, Samaritan’s Purse arranged for the first child to undergo what is often routine surgery in the United States. Today the project has moved beyond Bosnia into Kosovo, Mongolia, Honduras, and Uganda, with plans to expand into other areas of the world where treatment is unavailable.
“Children’s Heart Project is so touching,” comments Cissie Graham Lynch, who worked for the Children’s Heart Project as part of an internship to complete her college degree. “To take a child and transform its life, to give a child possibility to live, is just a remarkable cycle from beginning to end.”
Lynch, who is the daughter of Samaritan’s Purse president and CEO Franklin Graham, is among those featured in the pilot episode of “Children’s Heart,” which will be airing on the Daystar, MYfamily and INSP networks.
The pilot episode tells the story of three children from Mongolia with life-threatening heart defects who were flown to the United States in 2007, along with their parents and interpreters, for a chance at life. It also highlights the two families who hosted the visitors from Mongolia and the ways that God changed their hearts through the process.
“Not only does God work on their hearts, but it’s a heart project for the host families as well,” says Nancy Hanson, who, along with her husband, has hosted at least four families through the Children’s Heart Project.
As of January 2008, the Children’s Heart Project has brought more than 450 children with life-threatening heart defects to North America for heart surgery not available in their country.
Some 54 hospitals in North America have participated in the Children’s Heart Project, including the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., St. Vincent in Indianapolis, Ind., and Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The hospital in the pilot episode of “Children’s Heart,” which began airing on April 20 and will run through May 3, is the Methodist Children’s Hospital of South Texas.
More information, a program schedule and ways to provide feedback on the “Children’s Heart” pilot can be found at http://www.childrensheart.tv.
[source]
{extended}Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Zane’s first school picture
This is Zane’s first picture from school.
I suppose it’s the “spring” photo since I’m sure the directory photos were taken several months ago.
I like ‘em chunky
One of our current favorite movies is Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa from 2008. It’s 89 minutes well spent.
Just in case you haven’t seen the movie, let me show you what the girls and I think is one of the funniest parts.
By the way, this is how I strut around the house. But I do NOT say this to Carmi.
;-)
{extended}Monday, April 20, 2009
Amazing Race in China
Yesterday (Sunday) evening, The Amazing Race featured a leg of the race in Guilin, Guangxi, China.
Last night’s episode was the 6th time in 14 seasons that China has been a destination for this popular reality television show.
Season 1 - September 5, 2001 to December 12, 2001 - included a leg where the contestants visited Jingshan Park, Hongqiao Market, Donghuamen Night Market, Tiantan Park at the Temple of Heaven and Juyong Pass (or Juyongguan) at the Great Wall. I just realized that Juyongguan is the section of the Great Wall that we visited during our adoption trip in 2007 to bring Karys home.
Season 2 - March 11, 2002 to May 15, 2002 - included a leg in Hong Kong.
Season 6 - November 16, 2004 to February 8, 2005 - included a leg in Shanghai and Xi’an.
Season 10 - September 17, 2006 to December 10, 2006 - included a leg at the Forbidden City and a return to the Great Wall’s Juyong Pass.
Season 11 - February 18, 2007 to May 6, 2007 - included a leg in which the contestants revisited Hong Kong for the 2nd time.
You can watch last night’s episode in it’s entirety here.
{extended}Sunday, April 19, 2009
Happy Birthday to my lovely bride
I’m late but still wanted to wish my lovely bride a Happy Birthday today!
Wow. She was hot even at 8 months old.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Zane and the Lazy 5 Ranch
It was such a beautiful day that we hated to stay inside so we took a road trip to the Lazy 5 Ranch.
I couldn’t wait for one of the critters to lick Zane.
Soccer clinic
One of our young men from church offered a 3-hour soccer clinic on the church campus before lunch.
I don’t know that either Eliana or Zane has any aspirations to play soccer this Fall. If nothing else, it gave the two a chance to get outside and enjoy a beautiful morning.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Heading into the studio
I received an exciting phone call from David, our lead vocalist, this afternoon.
The three of us have been talking about the need for a few quality song demos to put on the Joyful Hearts website (which I need to get to work on, by the way).
Well, it looks like we’ll be heading into the studio next Thursday evening to record 3 songs that will ultimately end up on our first CD.
I always thoroughly enjoyed studio work. My former group released 4 CDs - in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 - and we recorded a 5th in 2004 which never saw the light of day because we disbanded.
{extended}Eliana’s report on China
Carmi and I visited Eliana’s class at school this morning and helped her present a report on our trip to China.
Eliana was required by her teacher to keep a journal during the trip. The Empress was extremely bashful in front of the class but was able, with Carmi’s coaxing, to give a highlight from each day. I put together a PowerPoint slideshow to go along with her narrative.
I think Eliana’s favorite part was telling about the squatty potties. Her classmates were certainly grossed out by that. However, I think they responded the loudest when I showed photos of the creepy crawlies in the Guangzhou restaurant.
And it was right before lunch.
Nice.
Once we finished, Eliana gave each of her classmates a small drum and a 1 yuan bill.
{extended}