I’m Moving!

Well, I’ve done it! I have loaded up all my posts, pictures, and comments, and am moving my blog! I got my own site, and won’t be posting anything else here, so follow this link!

Bible Quizzing (plus!)

We just got back from a quiz meet in Meridian, Idaho! There were 29 of us, counting kids and adults (2 full vans!). 4 out of 5 of our family went (Austin, high school quizzer; Alison, middle school coach; Deanne, high school coach and driver; and me, driver and scorekeeper). It is so much fun and such a great thing to be a part of. I am really proud of all our NFC quizzers. Here are a few pics of the weekend. There’s a link at the end for more pictures.

The whole Newberg gang (and one special guest)!

Here are our two high school teams competing against each other: Conner, Austin, Sarah, Lizby, Anna, Chris, and Taylor.

This is on our way over on Friday…

The Saturday night activity was supposed to be a corn maze, but it was too muddy and cold, so they brought in “inflatables”… jousting, a bungie thing you run as far as you can in, and sumo wrestling! It was a real hit! This picture is of Austin and Kyle Fish.

Here’s the video…

Here are more pictures if you are interested!

Listen…

At church the past few weeks the theme in morning worship has been “Listening to Christ”. Real important—but not automatic. We have to take the time.

This cartoon (from November 2000) came to mind today, and it illustrates why listening can be difficult. The competition for my attention is fierce, but the solution is simple.

Take time to listen…

More Color

Ever-growing Newberg High School reorganized itself into five “Small Schools” recently. I got to be in on developing the new look, by designing the “identity package” for each of the schools. Since the schools are named by color—Blue School, Red School, Yellow School, Silver School and Green School—It was a very colorful and fun project!

In all I designed 42 matching pieces: staff newsletters, parent newsletters, postcards, notecards, notepads, letterhead, envelopes, and business cards. We probably won’t print them all though, as each individual school will decide what they want to use.

3 Unusual Things

I rode my bike to work this morning. Here are three unusual things that happened:

1. There was a sleeping raccoon right in the bike lane! I suppose he got tired of waiting to get across the “Dundee traffic”. That’s smart. Possums are a lot less patient. (I guess my “I share the road” sticker means more than I thought)
2. I got honked at by a pretty girl (OK, it was Deanne, driving past on her way to class)
3. I almost ran into a parked car (riding straight into the sun, I tilted my helmet/visor down to shade my eyes, and then was studying the pavement a little too long!)

Portland Beats Seattle!

Google Maps’ Street View added Portland yesterday!

Discrimination?

Privilege: A special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group of people

I really like the practice of reserving the best parking spots for people who need them. People who can’t walk (or have difficulty walking very far) get the special privilege of parking the closest. It’s the right thing to do, for good reasons.

My friend Sherry recently blogged about a nearby wildlife refuge that has “hybrid only” parking spots. This raises some questions in my mind, and I decided to have some fun with it… (I really don’t have anything against hybrids!)

1. What is the reason for this privilege?

A. This will encourage people to buy hybrids
B. People with hybrids need to park closer
C. Non-hybrids (especially SUVs) should be kept out of the best spots
D. This makes people feel like they’re helping the environment

2. Will the tow trucks that they have to call be required to run on vegetable oil?

I googled “hybrid parking only” to see if this was a new trend across the country. I only found a few photos of this, however several cities (LA, Salt Lake City, and Albuqerque), offer free parking to alternative fuel vehicles.

This next one is a different issue, but it makes a great point!

Next I want to see this…

A Gold Nugget

When someone shares their life story, or tells about how God has reached out to them, I often feel as if I have just been handed a gold nugget. I feel enriched. I’m reminded about the importance of community and shared experiences. My friend Mary Lou shared her life story yesterday, and it was a real encouragement to me. She started out with this prayer by Thomas Merton. Thanks Mary Lou.

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

— Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude

 

This is Cool!

While web surfing today I came across this colorful site.

More cute little kid clips!

Here are a couple more clips!