I’ve blogged once or twice before about our decision to buy a used car over new. My brother sent me a link where the importance of buying used is extrapolated for both the present and future. It could be one of the most important financial decisions you’ll ever make when you realize how much it could truly cost. And because we know how much money affects marriages it could be one of the most important decisions for your family. I highly recommend watching the Dave Ramsey video. Click Here.
I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to justify buying a car that is less than 4 years old. No matter what your income level you are literally throwing away thousands of dollars. As Dave says, “The Stupid Tax”.
The bun is in the oven. Baby #3 is on the way and Baby #3 is…. a GIRL!
Almost half way through! 116 Days so far and 164 days to go. You may have noticed the baby widget on the side for a while now so its not like I’m just now letting the cat out of the bag. I just didn’t want to make anyone upset by posting the news. You’d be surprised how many people you can disappoint by revealing news that you’d think is something to celebrate. Now that we are past the time that most miscarriages happen and we now know the gender I thought I’d post some pictures from the ultrasound.
I did a research paper in college about the link between cell phone usage and brain cancer. I found multiple studies showing the link to cancer and… low sperm count. I guess leaving your cellphone in your pocket close to your junk is a bad idea.
As if having radiation next to you isn’t bad enough how about we eat it? Yeah thats what the FDA just approved(watch video below). The same thing is done to meat so either way you’ll be getting it. Fortunately spinach was one of the easiest vegetables for us to grow this year. So as much as possible we like the idea of replacing spinach from the store with spinach from our backyard(amongst other foods). This isn’t really the reason we are doing it but its definitely good to rely less on what the government and corporations tells us is healthy. How many times have they been wrong? A few…at least.
Last weekend was pretty fun. I got to go to the Royals game Thursday night and Chiefs game Friday night for free. Saturday we went fishing and Saturday evening we got to have BBQ at the Filling Station with the Whiteheads. It was great that the games didn’t cost me anything but the highlight of the weekend or the one thing worth noting is how Yohan got clobbered in the head with a line drive foul ball! Thats right. Alberto Callaspotried to take Korea down but Korea stood its ground. Its ok he isn’t dead or anything… but it did bleed. When he got up to go to get first aid assistance the crowd cheered for him. He was a good sport to take one for the team.
Video here. You can see the hit that came flying right at us. Although it doesn’t show Yohan and they don’t even mention it.
Its true. Just like Lover Boy said. Everybody IS working for the weekend. And while everyone else is enjoying this holiday with family and friends I’m at work doing the same thing I do every Monday. Well for the most part the same thing except in a tshirt and jeans. Its ok I’m not mad about it. I get overtime and holiday pay so I make out ok.
Last week on the Walt Bodine show I heard a segment were they were talking about the ethics of work. As interesting as I’m sure you think it sounds there were a few things worth contemplating and what better day than Labor day.
One of my favorite photo sites on the internet is Shorpy. Seems like everyone these days is a professional photographer or at least a budding one. Great imagery is easy to come by and little to easy to come by actually. This site has some really great authentic historical pictures. Unique in that they cannot be duplicated.
Shorpy.com is the 100-year-old photography blog that brings our ancestors back, at least to the desktop. What do they have to tell us? The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a boy who worked in an Alabama coal mine near the turn of the century.
Joe Eszterhas who is the author of Basic Instinct and Jagged Edge is now a practicing Christian. He had quite the conversion experience. Article here. Here are a few highlights.
He and his second wife, Naomi, had just moved from Malibu to a suburb of Cleveland… A month after the move, Mr. Eszterhas was diagnosed with throat cancer….Mr. Eszterhas reached a breaking point. “I was going crazy. I was jittery. I twitched. I trembled. I had no patience for anything. … Every single nerve ending was demanding a drink and a cigarette,” he wrote…for the first time since he was a child, he prayed: “Please God, help me.“…he felt an overwhelming peace. His heart stopped pounding. His hands stopped twitching. He saw a “shimmering, dazzling, nearly blinding brightness that made me cover my eyes with my hands.“… He went from doubting if he could make it through life without tobacco and alcohol, to knowing that he could “defeat myself and win.“
Have you ever had an experience like that? Man I sure wish I could. For how much I think on spiritual issues you’d think I’d make one up. Sometimes I feel like there is something wrong with me because I’m so …not… spiritual. I can be emotional if thats what it takes but usually it takes something like this... which truly amazes me. I mean God does amaze me but I’m also amazed by how much I don’t know about him that likely would amaze me too. In other words I tend not to get “amazed”, spiritual, or emotional when singing Chris Tomlin’s latest song. Playing guitar and being in a band for many years has definitely jaded me to most praise music and I accept that fact. I don’t try to hold it against others who enjoy it. It obviously brings the masses into communion with God to know him more… intimately…thats why the world is so… good.
I can’t help but notice how customized Joe’s Christianity is. Not like its wrong or bad but because of his past and preconceived ideas of Christianity he had to make it his own. You know the whole thing of “yeah I’m a Christian but I’m an edgy one. I’m a rebel like Jesus”. Its pretty common and I have done it and still do it. But why do we do it? Why do we add on so much?
Love thy neighbor as thyself which should be good enough… but then some other kewl shtuff.
When I posted the pictures of the Tumble Weed homes recently I’m not sure everyone got what I was going for. A few comments I got people mentioned they’d rather have an RV but thats not exactly what those homes are intended for (even though some of the Tumble Weed homes are portable).
I just like the idea of a simple small cabin that you could use as a place to go to work, think, or just to be in silence. Something with a few amenities so that you can extend the period it is occupied but nothing like even a small RV or camper. Maybe this little cabin could be in your backyard, or maybe in a secluded spot of a wooded area. I found out a “Chalet”(as pictured below) is more what I am talking about.
A wooden dwelling with a sloping roof and widely overhanging eaves, common in Switzerland and other Alpine regions.
A cottage or lodge built in this style.
The hut of a herder in the Swiss Alps.
The second definition defines it a little more the way I was thinking. A hut. Heres a few more pictures to get more of the idea across.
This is a cabin George Bernard Shaw used exclusively for writing after 1906. A great place for him to get away and create out of nothing. Nicely located underneath the trees for shade.
A designer by the name of Studiomama created this Beach Chalet. I’d go for something like this.
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.
Those who go without suddenly become the prophetic presence of Christ in our lives. Our excess, waste, and over-consumption are offensive to our friends who are poor. If we lack relationships with people who are poor, then our efforts toward simplicity are conceptually driven at best. — Jeff Shinabarger
I’ve blogged once or twice before about our decision to buy a used car over new. My brother sent me a link where the importance of buying used is extrapolated for both the present and future. It could be one of the most important financial decisions you’ll ever make when you realize how much it could truly cost. And because we know how much money affects marriages it could be one of the most important decisions for your family. I highly recommend watching the Dave Ramsey video. Click Here.
Last weekend was pretty fun. I got to go to the Royals game Thursday night and Chiefs game Friday night for free. Saturday we went fishing and Saturday evening we got to have BBQ at the Filling Station with the Whiteheads. It was great that the games didn’t cost me anything but the highlight of the weekend or the one thing worth noting is how Yohan got clobbered in the head with a line drive foul ball! Thats right. 
Its true. Just like 
