randzig

Jet and Oliver have a fun time harvesting vegetables from the garden with Morée. Its cool that they understand even at this very young age that we do this to eat the food.  Jets is holding a carrot, pepper. Oliver is toting some cherry tomatoes and cucumber.

Our raised bed went from a few seedlings to being overwhelmed with cherry tomatoes. Yeah the tomatoes didn’t grow as vertical as would have liked. We’ll have to do a fence along the side of the tomatoes instead of the cage. Thus far the experience has been good. Some of the easier stuff proved to be quite easy, and everything else was mostly a learning experience. I’m pretty sure we have fallen in love with having a small garden and will continue this in the future.

We got a few different ideas for what we will do next year.  I want to expand 1,2, or 3 more beds!  Anyone started their fall planting?  We are going to do some lettuce for sure and who knows what else we’ll try.

Morée and I are celebrating our 7th Anniversary today. I just want to say that I love my wife and the life we are building together fills me up with overflowing joy and happiness. Don’t want to get to sappy on this public space but Morée is an amazing wife and mother to our kids. I love you!

With Morée being pregnant and having two kids we really don’t get many opportunities to get out for a “date night”. In fact we often joke about couples who have weekly date nights. Maybe its because we are a little jealous and maybe its because it seems a little impossible right now. Right now she is so sick from her pregnancy it wouldn’t be fun anyways. So if Morée is gong to be miserable we might as well all be miserable with her. Yeah I know its a horrible theory.

We will get to go to the Jack Johnson show at Sandstone…I mean Verizon…I mean the new Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone. We got the tickets months ago. Even then we said this is what we are doing for our anniversary and we were both OK with it. we’ve learned its not worth going into debt to celebrate. For our 5th Anniversary we went to Branson and we learned how much of a mistake that was so this year we will go easy on the pocket book credit card. So yeah, I got my wife a card, 3 pieces of chocolate…oh and we are getting carpet put in next week…does that count? Oh yes, it counts. When you complain that the ice in the fridge smells anything that stops her from throwing up more counts.

I just realized we don’t have alot of pictures of just Morée and I. Guess that happens when you got a couple kids and stuff to hold all the time.

Morée: Jet its nap time lets go to your room.

Jet: I’m sorry momma I can’t take a nap now, I have to leave.

Morée: Where are you going?

Jet: Oh nowhere, maybe downstairs, but not in my room ok?

It has become a ritual for the past 2 or 3 springs for me to hop online and shop for a bicycle. I can be stingy with money and sometimes I can be…broke. There is always something that prohibits the purchase. Mostly the being broke thing. Maybe if I felt it was that important I’d buy a Dave Ramsey envelope and just save up for a while and get one. I don’t do that either. He charges for envelopes you know. I have spent hours searching over the past few years. You know looking at the brand names like Trek, Giant, Gary Fisher…among others. This year was pretty normal in that regards. Dreaming of taking our gear off the bike rack on our brand new 2010 Honda Odyssey and riding with the family on the Katy Trail on our brand new reliable comfortable Trek bicycles. Hybrids of course, because you never know when daddy might want to get a little dangerous and go off road.

I have a streak in me that wants my purchases to be new and brand names. I think it has something to do with the way I was raised. Actually I think it has something to do with the post WWII generation that was able to place confidence in brands and corporations. Back when companies could be trusted reliable name brands made you feel comfortable, stable. These days for the most part though I can resist buying the new expensive stuff. Which really has become a justice issue in regards to the environment and people who manufacture the “expensive stuff”. (Excluding the IPOD of course. Couldn’t resist that.) I also tend to have a streak of wanting to be intentional about using second hand stuff. Hence my obsession interest in thrift store finds. Now its becoming trendy. “Reduce Reuse Recycle“. In some circles you are really uncool if you have everything (stuff) you want and its all new. Thats cool by me…to have not or the lack of having everything. The way I look at it my kid doesn’t neeeeed leap frog…he has a dad. I mean we got a frog, named leap apparently and he sings the alphabet but I’ve been known to sing a few songs in my day too. I’m just sayin. Do not conform to the patterns of this world…you know that sort of thing.

Luck have it. I have ended up this year with 2 bikes and a bike trailer. All for $55. Which is pretty good when a single name brand bike would have cost $2-$500. The trailer carries things like leap frog…kids and what not. My friend from work sold me the trailer for $35 and my bike which is a Gary Fisher(brand name) was left in my inlaws yard one night and never claimed. It was just sitting in their barn for the past year so they just gave it to me. Yeah, not a bad deal. Don’t know a ton about mountain bikes but everything is working great. The best find was Morée’s bike. Schwinn American. We found it at a garage sale for $20. Its vintage and everything she dreams of. She always talked about having a cruiser with a basket on it or even one of these. Its her motherly dream to be able to live close to a city market where she can ride a bicycle(thus leave the kids with me) and go buy fresh produce for the days meals. I support this idea too but I don’t see the suburbs completely restructuring for us. Although there is always that new subdivision….you know the one thats neo urban…or faux community…just like every other authentic attempt of cubicle people to feel alive like they are connected to a deeper cultural experience.

I think one of biggest mistakes the average “american consumer” makes when making purchases is the need to have the best most expensive product even when the cheapest does the same damn thing. In this case, I’d rather have a solidly made Schwinn bicycle over even a cheap $200 dollar job from Walmart. Seriously its not like I need the most expensive model because we are going to ride a lot. Yeah you know how it goes. You want something really bad you dream of using it everyday and then it gets left collecting dust never to be used but for a couple weeks. Oh don ‘t get me wrong I’m excited about the $20 find but I know I’ll use it maybe a dozen times. Plus its got one gear with feet brakes. Why would you possibly need a new bicycle?
We have neglected as a Christian culture to define ourselves as people who Reduce, Reuse, Recycle because its wise, prudent, and Godly. Why do we have to wait until the rest of the world has already done these things to start doing them?

Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife and bride! On your Birthday I get the gift I get everyday of having you and you get… me…wha wha whaaaaa   (I married up.)

Love me!

Well not exactly but if you look at the front page of the business section in the Lee’s Summit Journal you’ll see a familiar face. Article here too.

Why pay high prices for clothes you will only wear nine months?
That was the question business partners and friends, Morée Scofield, 27, and Sarah Henks, 27, asked themselves when they were pregnant with their young children.

Some people like Morée have a weakness for dogs that can only be described as ugly.  These dogs should be put to sleep instead of having to live a life of ridicule.  DMC had a song titled “Uglier” released on Welcome Race Fans.  The jist of the song was that when you think your ugly there is always someone uglier.  And that should make your day. 
Oh the truths that Rock N Roll give us.  You can see the ugliest dogs in the world here. 

Tonight I’ll be attending the Alison Krauss and Union Station concert at Starlight with my lovely wife.  This was kind of a gift for her but fortunately we tend to enjoy the same things.

This weekend is the Ride 4 Rachel House.  This motorcycle ride is a great opportunity for bikers to pursue their biking passion while raising money and awareness for the Rachel House Pregnancy Resource Centers.  My Father in law has worked very hard to make this ride happen and I’m happy its almost here.  If your interested in riding you can register at the ride.

Lastly, Brilliant Geographers will be playing tomorow evening at The Grand Emporium.  This show is a little earlier than some we play so I hope to see you there.

You could probably say everyday thats not Mothers day is Fathers day.  Morée does so much to make our home happy.  She works so hard at having a clean house and making dinner so that when I come home I can have Dad time with Jet and Oliver.  I really appreciate that. 

Last weekend we had a party for Jets 2nd birthday.  This weekend we celebrated as a family because his B-day is on the 15th.  It was pretty fun and we may as well have been celebrating Fathers day.  We took Jet to T-Rex and to see Surfs Up at the Legends Mall.  The exterior of T-Rex is quite a site to behold.  It was developed by the same people that created the Rain Forest Cafe.  Surfs Up was pretty good and it had a few recognizable voices.  We didn’t get to watch the whole thing because Jet became more interested in the exit ramp.  I don’t know what it is with ramps but he loves them.  He will endlessly run up and down them…up, down, up, down, up down…   While watching the movie I got a little misty eyed.  No its not the times that I go to take Jet to the bathroom and come out unknowingly with poop smeared on my leg, or the times that I go to the ER at 3am because Oliver fell off our bed….Holding Jet in my lap and spending time hanging out with him is good fun.  I really enjoy doing things like that with my kids and look forward to taking them out myself.

 As I mentioned before some people just don’t get having kids.  They act lIke there is something to be acheived before having them.  Like there is a higher calling.  Almost comes off as if having kids is some sort of let down for their life.  And I’m not talking about just finishing college and good planning.  I’m talking about these couples that think they need to have their 5th trip to Cozumel.  I really feel bad for kids who have parents like that.  (That was intended to make you feel guilty.)  I’m sure people change and I hope for that in those situations.  So heres the message, Get over yourself.  If you wait anylonger your wife is going to pull the oldest trick in the book.  “I just forgot to take the pill for a couple days is all.”

People do change and the lyrics below make it clear.  I’m not a fan of this type of music…at all, but “Family Man” by Andrew Peterson is a song I think many Dads can relate to.  I often find myself humming this tune.  The melody is pleasant and the lyrics are pretty insightful.

I am a family man
I traded in my mustang for a minivan
This is not what I was headed for when I began
This was not my plan
I am a family man

But everything I had to lose
Came back a thousand times in you
And you fill me up with love
Fill me up with love
And you help me stand
’cause I am a family man

And life is good
That’s something I always knew
But I just never understood
If you’d asked me then you know I’d say I never would
Settle down in a neighborhood
I never thought I could

But I don’t remember anymore
Who I even was before
You filled me up with love
Filled me up with love
And you help me stand

So come on with the thunder clouds
Let the cold wind rail against us, let the rain come down
We can build a roof above us with the love we’ve found
We can stand our ground
So let the rain come down

Because love binds up what breaks in two
So keep my heart so close to you
And I’ll fill you up with love
Fill you up with love
And I’ll help you stand
‘Cause I am a family man

I’m saving my vacation time
For Disneyland
This is not what I was headed for when I began
This was not my plan
It’s so much better than

Sometimes I feel like I’m Marty Mcfly when he goes back in time with all the knowledge of such great advances in technology. Or maybe its the opposite, maybe I’m living likes its 1985 all over again. I have an IPOD that was gifted to me by my wife about a year ago. In all its glory it is quite amazing and quite the status symbol. I have around 35G of music on it. I listen to podcast, music, watch video the whole deal. In some ways I feel like I couldn’t live without it. Lately its probably been feeling like an unpet dog because its not the electronic device that I have been picking up the most lately. (more…)