Port St. Joe, FL - vacation pics!

Vacation...it ain't for sissies

Here's a picture of Colin last week taken just minutes before that storm you see decided to drop what seemed like about 6 inches of rain on us in one hour in Port St. Joe, Florida.  We had some great days at the beach ... this was not one of them.  Until that day I'd never gotten so desperate as to use a broom to try to keep the water away from our campsite before.  Our old 1978 Starcraft pop-up camper (the one I grew up camping in) held up great, though.  Everything inside stayed dry, even if everything outside got drenched.  

This part of the Florida coast is truly amazing.  It's beauty is matched only by its fury when a storm like this comes off the gulf of Mexico.  I saw more animals on this trip than any other we've taken.  Myriad birds and deer on the coastal dunes, mice that live in the pine forests, several species of crabs, fish, and shellfish, rays, dolphins (& maybe sharks) within yards of where we swam.  As beaches go, this is our new favorite.  

2009 The Year of the Bike

Erin and I now add ourselves to the recipients of new bikes in our family this year.  A great shop in Webster Groves called The Hub got us equipped with two new bikes, plus a seat for Arden on the back.  If you're in St. Louis and looking for bikes I recommend this place highly.  And special thanks to Alex who helped a couple of people who knew nothing about this stuff and got us exactly what we needed - plus didn't mind our kids riding around the store while we test rode!  "Your kids are the best behaved we've ever had in here" - music to a parents ears!  Since they don't work on commission I take him at his word on this one.  We ended up with two of the bikes pictured - 09 Kona Dew's - more bike than we could afford, but here's hoping we'll get lot's of miles out of them.  My goal now is to get Erin to try the triathlon she's been wanting to do for the last few years.    

The guys

Colin and I braved the early spring temps for game 2 of the 09 Cardinals season.  Three home runs, a souvenir ball, and a 9-3 victory made the game, but our first guys night out in a long time made it a great time. We were long overdue so the tickets came at a great time. Colin and I love Cardinal baseball, but it was clear that we were just having a blast being together.  Next up... girl's night?

One good snow

These shots feature two of our very favorite things about St. Louis - the Art Museum, and sledding on the hill in front of it, Art Hill (what else would you call it?).  We only had one real decent snow this winter (so far) but it was a good one.

these are days

The other day a song came up on my ipod that brought back a flood of memories. More important, however, was the way the song enlightened the present. I've realized that nostalgia, or remembering "the good old days", which weren't always good - as another song once said, only brings so much light. At some point the past has to be learned from and then released into history. Not necessarily forgotten, but it has no real power to change the present unless you're living present-ly.

The song I refered to had a way of reminding me to make the most of these moments, ones like you see in this picture. Moments like the daily, chaotic, harried ones anyone who has children has experienced. Sometimes we're just glad we made it through the day. Sometimes, however, I realize I missed something. That can be a deeply painful realization. These experiences are a mercy, though. These kids are a gift of mercy, and blessing. If we're not careful we miss the shaft of light making its way across our faces.

Congrats Jeff!

My brother Jeff graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary recently and I was able to get down there to see it, thanks Mom & Dad. He's an Air Force Chaplain candidate and is applying for active duty. It's been amazing to see him and his family leave a life of relative security because they realized that they were part of a story that's bigger than themselves. They know they are called to do what they're doing. My older brother and sister (more on her later) continue to inspire me with their faithfulness and their boldness.

Alright, alright ... so it's been a long time since I've updated this. I have three kids so cut me some slack. For any of you who are still checking (and I don't blame you if you gave up on us) here's a recent photo of the kids. Since I'm taking this semester off from school, I suppose I ought to have some more time to keep this up. Adelaide is into gymnastics and ballet ... lots of fun. Colin is still into Star Wars big time. And Arden is into ... well everything. This stage is very tiring for us, but we're still amazed at the gift these kids are to us. Gotta run.