We got a new roof and new gutters. Voila!
Here's the house with the old roof. It's more obvious in person but the roof was much lighter.
And here's the original look, 3 years ago
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The house
I still can't get over the transformation of our house. We finished the latest update today. Hopefully, it's the last major one. 
We got a new roof and new gutters. Voila!
Here's the house with the old roof. It's more obvious in person but the roof was much lighter.
And here's the original look, 3 years ago
We got a new roof and new gutters. Voila!
Here's the house with the old roof. It's more obvious in person but the roof was much lighter.And here's the original look, 3 years ago
Monday, August 8, 2011
#17 - Unbroken
I've been on my summer reading kick and finished up another entertaining read in Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.
It is a story about Louis Zamperini - a troubled child, an Olympic athlete, a bombardier (aimed the bombs for bomber planes for the US) in the Pacific during WWII and most importantly, a child of the one true God.
The man's story is incredible. His childhood was crazy. His teen and college years were amazing as he became an incredible track athlete (miler) and eventual Olympic athlete in the '36 Olympics. He would have probably medaled in the '40 and '44 Olympics had they had them in '40 and had it not been for WWII.
During WWII, his plane was shot down over the Pacific. He ended up floating around with 2 other men in tiny little rafts with nothing to eat or drink, fending off sharks, and scraping by on rainfall and the occasional bird / fish they managed to catch for some 47 days. 1 of the men starved to death.
After that ordeal, they were rescued...by the Japanese. Can you imagine that? You're on the brink of starvation and about to lose your mind only to end up in a horrific POW camp. Not only did he continue to be on the brink of starvation, now he had to go through beatings, humiliation, disease and horrific mind games for YEARS! It just kept getting worse for the poor man.
After the war ended, the poor guy was an emotional wreck. Haunted by nightmares of torture and mental abuse, there was no escape from the captivity of his mind. Until by the grace of God, he was freed from sin and death and was adopted into the loving, protecting arms of our great God and Father, the creator and sustainer of the universe. It was only through God's wonderful gospel did Louis Zamperini become freed from the horrific memories of WWII through the ministry of Billy Graham of all people!
This was quite the captivating and inspiring story. Zamperini's unrelenting human spirit was only eclipsed by the marvelous grace of God at the end of the book. It gave me even more appreciation for the sacrifice and service of the men and women who protected our nation from evil and injustice during WWII. This book was a great read.
It is a story about Louis Zamperini - a troubled child, an Olympic athlete, a bombardier (aimed the bombs for bomber planes for the US) in the Pacific during WWII and most importantly, a child of the one true God.
The man's story is incredible. His childhood was crazy. His teen and college years were amazing as he became an incredible track athlete (miler) and eventual Olympic athlete in the '36 Olympics. He would have probably medaled in the '40 and '44 Olympics had they had them in '40 and had it not been for WWII.
During WWII, his plane was shot down over the Pacific. He ended up floating around with 2 other men in tiny little rafts with nothing to eat or drink, fending off sharks, and scraping by on rainfall and the occasional bird / fish they managed to catch for some 47 days. 1 of the men starved to death.
After that ordeal, they were rescued...by the Japanese. Can you imagine that? You're on the brink of starvation and about to lose your mind only to end up in a horrific POW camp. Not only did he continue to be on the brink of starvation, now he had to go through beatings, humiliation, disease and horrific mind games for YEARS! It just kept getting worse for the poor man.
After the war ended, the poor guy was an emotional wreck. Haunted by nightmares of torture and mental abuse, there was no escape from the captivity of his mind. Until by the grace of God, he was freed from sin and death and was adopted into the loving, protecting arms of our great God and Father, the creator and sustainer of the universe. It was only through God's wonderful gospel did Louis Zamperini become freed from the horrific memories of WWII through the ministry of Billy Graham of all people!
This was quite the captivating and inspiring story. Zamperini's unrelenting human spirit was only eclipsed by the marvelous grace of God at the end of the book. It gave me even more appreciation for the sacrifice and service of the men and women who protected our nation from evil and injustice during WWII. This book was a great read.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Psalm 23
We've been chipping away at Psalm 23. And I believe she's got it.
Emery still struggles with fear. Lately, it's been fear of robbers breaking into the house when she's trying to sleep at night. I have no idea where that came from. But it's been encouraging that as I point her to the greatness of God, it soothes her fears and gives her peace and comfort. We recount the stories of God's greatness in protecting Noah and David and the Israelites in the Exodus as I tuck her into bed. It is awesome to see my daughter trust in the omnipotence and love of God.
Emery still struggles with fear. Lately, it's been fear of robbers breaking into the house when she's trying to sleep at night. I have no idea where that came from. But it's been encouraging that as I point her to the greatness of God, it soothes her fears and gives her peace and comfort. We recount the stories of God's greatness in protecting Noah and David and the Israelites in the Exodus as I tuck her into bed. It is awesome to see my daughter trust in the omnipotence and love of God.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Incredible Hulk cake
If the Incredible Hulk ate cake, this would be it:
Why you ask?
Because it's his favorite color. It's green tea cake, and it looks even more green in person.
Why you ask?
Because it's his favorite color. It's green tea cake, and it looks even more green in person.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
You'll shoot your eye out!
Did your mom ever warn you to never run with scissors? How about never own a bb gun? Maybe, don't run when your arms are full? Well, the last one is good advice when you're a 5 year-old girl.
She had her arms full with her towel, life jacket and goggles after an afternoon at the pool. While running to the car to get in first, she slipped and fell right into the side of the open car door. It didn't look that bad and I thought, oh well, not a big deal. Then I heard Matt say, "Wow, Emery is really messy." Hm. What could that mean? Oh, blood dripping all over her face is pretty messy! Thankfully, we didn't need stitches, and she's going to be ok.
She had her arms full with her towel, life jacket and goggles after an afternoon at the pool. While running to the car to get in first, she slipped and fell right into the side of the open car door. It didn't look that bad and I thought, oh well, not a big deal. Then I heard Matt say, "Wow, Emery is really messy." Hm. What could that mean? Oh, blood dripping all over her face is pretty messy! Thankfully, we didn't need stitches, and she's going to be ok.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Row, row, row your boat
Andrew has been steadily working at his piano skills. This is his first song.
The other day, Andrew came running up from the basement and frantically asked for gloves. Now keep in mind that it's 110 degrees outside right now. "Why do you need gloves?" I ask. His answer - "I need to do surgery on Matt!" Can't leave those 2 alone for a minute.
The other day, Andrew came running up from the basement and frantically asked for gloves. Now keep in mind that it's 110 degrees outside right now. "Why do you need gloves?" I ask. His answer - "I need to do surgery on Matt!" Can't leave those 2 alone for a minute.
Monday, August 1, 2011
KU
The University of Kansas (also known as KU, not UK mind you) is located in the "big" city of Lawrence. Now that we've been in Emporia for over 3 years, every city is big.
One thing Sandy and I love to do is eat food when we get out of town. Have you heard of 5 Guys Burgers and Fries? They are quite different from In'N'Out, but I must say, they are some of the best burgers I've had in a while.
They come in a brown bag stuffed with fries. We had them Cajun style. This was a small.
This was a regular burger. Do you get the idea that they like things big here? I wish I had access to this place 10 years ago. Another thing I like about this place is that they let you pick your toppings. Yummy.
One thing Sandy and I love to do is eat food when we get out of town. Have you heard of 5 Guys Burgers and Fries? They are quite different from In'N'Out, but I must say, they are some of the best burgers I've had in a while.
They come in a brown bag stuffed with fries. We had them Cajun style. This was a small.
This was a regular burger. Do you get the idea that they like things big here? I wish I had access to this place 10 years ago. Another thing I like about this place is that they let you pick your toppings. Yummy.
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