I go to Relevant Life Church of Salem Oregon
Our Mission Statement:
Changing lives through connecting with God and building relationships with people.
Real life, real people, and real experiences make you realize if your relevant in each situation you find yourself in.
I don't subscribe to the notion that you have to be running at 110% all the time to be successful. Just being steady and consistent in what you believe and how you treat others is enough to make life effective and worth living.
My philosophy is to: "Do what you can with what you have to work with".
Not everyone is going to be a Billy Graham, Martin Luther, or Paul of Tarsus. But, you have talents, abilities, and gifts that enable you to do some things as well or even better than others around you.
Spend liberally, the currency of life you have been given on others, and you will find more joy, peace, and love than money, fame, or power can buy.
September 20, 2009
September 14, 2009
The wonder of weekends
Monday, who put this on the schedule????
Not that I mind getting up, it's just harder now. Oh well, not to complain, at least I was able to do it.
The weekend was good, not too busy but still not boring either. Saturday was the Jog-A-Thon for Speed the Light at our church. I am the quasi-official photographer and took bunches of pictures of costumed, sweating, joggers for posterity. They were sure dedicated.
Aiyana (grand daughter #1) went as Amazing Girl but she didn't have much time to make a costume so she used one of my long sleeved shirts as a cape and made a mask out of construction paper. The mask kept slipping around and blocking her line of sight so she eventually was unmasked for safety reasons.
Some of the costumes worn by the others were fantastic. We had Bumble Bee of transformer fame and various others as ninjas, and various super hero's. Even the mighty green Hulk. He won the sweat-hog award and was slowly dissolving as the heat of the race increased. After a while he looked like one of those artificial plant people in the ads on TV.
Our youngest runner (8 years) completed 12 trips around the track or 3 miles, and the most miles were racked up by one kid (10?) with 24 laps or 6 miles. I was impressed and a little jealous too. I don't run as I'm sure body parts would undoubtedly fall off if I did.
After an hour of running, and jogging around the track, we all went to The Old Hometown Buffet for breakfast. We had over 40 that jogged, and maybe 60 that went to the breakfast. Lots of hungry runners there and we certainly got our moneys worth.
Finished up Saturday with a trip to the local junk store and a DVD movie show at home.
Sunday was church with a really good message on being "real" in our faith and lives. It'll show what you are on the inside sooner or later. If your real in what you believe it won't flake off like the painted type does because it's coming from the inside out.
End of summer BBQ at Mark and Bobbies with the whole church invited. There was a problem with the burner on the BBQ and some of the hamburgers looked more like burnt offering than burgers. Still there was plenty of food and everyone had a great time.
I will get around to downloading the flash card from the camera Monday night after work and try to post a few of the better pictures here.
Not that I mind getting up, it's just harder now. Oh well, not to complain, at least I was able to do it.
The weekend was good, not too busy but still not boring either. Saturday was the Jog-A-Thon for Speed the Light at our church. I am the quasi-official photographer and took bunches of pictures of costumed, sweating, joggers for posterity. They were sure dedicated.
Aiyana (grand daughter #1) went as Amazing Girl but she didn't have much time to make a costume so she used one of my long sleeved shirts as a cape and made a mask out of construction paper. The mask kept slipping around and blocking her line of sight so she eventually was unmasked for safety reasons.
Some of the costumes worn by the others were fantastic. We had Bumble Bee of transformer fame and various others as ninjas, and various super hero's. Even the mighty green Hulk. He won the sweat-hog award and was slowly dissolving as the heat of the race increased. After a while he looked like one of those artificial plant people in the ads on TV.
Our youngest runner (8 years) completed 12 trips around the track or 3 miles, and the most miles were racked up by one kid (10?) with 24 laps or 6 miles. I was impressed and a little jealous too. I don't run as I'm sure body parts would undoubtedly fall off if I did.
After an hour of running, and jogging around the track, we all went to The Old Hometown Buffet for breakfast. We had over 40 that jogged, and maybe 60 that went to the breakfast. Lots of hungry runners there and we certainly got our moneys worth.
Finished up Saturday with a trip to the local junk store and a DVD movie show at home.
Sunday was church with a really good message on being "real" in our faith and lives. It'll show what you are on the inside sooner or later. If your real in what you believe it won't flake off like the painted type does because it's coming from the inside out.
End of summer BBQ at Mark and Bobbies with the whole church invited. There was a problem with the burner on the BBQ and some of the hamburgers looked more like burnt offering than burgers. Still there was plenty of food and everyone had a great time.
I will get around to downloading the flash card from the camera Monday night after work and try to post a few of the better pictures here.
September 10, 2009
Things aren't always interesting, sometimes their just part of the everyday grind. Still there is always something that can tweak my interest. Adventures don't always involve travel, anyone that has tried to put ear drops in a spooked puppy-dog knows that.
Speaking of which, Bear our Australian Cattle Dog (from Missouri) had his first visit to a vet since moving here from Ava Mo. He is a stray that showed up at Mom's place one day looking lost and hungry. No collar, and nothing showing up in the local papers looking for him, Mom wouldn't let him go hungry and he being a quick judge of character knew he had found a soft hearted and generous woman, and stayed.
So how did he become ours? No, Mom is still kicking fine, but she has Peppy (another stray) that she adores and Bear is an outside dog. After moving to Oregon she didn't have the room for both of them. So, my daughter adopted Bear and kept him for two years before she had to move into an apartment where unfortunately, there was no yard for him to frolic in. I didn't want to see him go to a stranger, and Sab (Sabrina) said she would like him back if she ever got another place where he could run free again. And so, we adopted him.
He is getting old. Well we don't know exactly how old, but his teeth are really bad, and he developed a limp on the right front that didn't seem to have an identifiable cause. I examined his paws, joints, and legs for injury or growths and he seemed to be fine. Still, when he walked, he favored the leg and so we made an appointment with the local vet.
You know you can never just have the vet check the main issue without giving a full examination, blood work, dental exam, etc... So $250 later we went home still not knowing why he limped, but now with antibiotics for his gums (infected) and ears (also infected).
So that brings me back to putting drops into ears. Bear's ears. He is a very passive dog. But, if looks could kill, I'd be pushing up petunias after putting drops in his ears. The first couple of drops went in ok, hey look someone with more hair in their ears than me but as they hit bottom, he got really excited and started struggling to get away. He weighs 50 lbs and is a lot stronger than you would think. I got them in, but I'll need help with the next dose as he is wise to me now.
The antibiotics are easier to administer. I took some hot dogs and sliced them into short segments and used a straw to bore a hole in the center of each segment. I can put one of the pills into the center and toss it to Bear. He doesn't chew anything smaller than a cow and it disappears quicker than an Oregon mole down it's hole.
We got the lab report on him and now need to give him even more medications. Seems his thyroid isn't up to snuff (no wonder he is fat) so he now gets two hot dog slices with his pills. Plus they gave us some doggie Advil to help with his joint pain. He has osteoarthritis and it is what is causing the limping. Poor puppy.
He was bouncing around in circles this morning when I opened the patio door to give him his pills. He hops on his front legs and then spins around and hops some more. It's really cute. He loves hot dogs.
Another two weeks and he has to go back for some dental work. Looks like he is going to lose some of his teeth due to decay and grinding down over the years. May be eating soft dog food for a while, or maybe permanently. We'll see.
Keep it in mind if you adopt an animal. Health costs are part of the deal. So is taking time to get to know your new family member. Bear is an outside dog. Never has been inside the house except by accident. He can't walk across tile floors and crawls when crossing the kitchen floor. Much happier in the grass or destroying Jo's plants. But that is another story.
Speaking of which, Bear our Australian Cattle Dog (from Missouri) had his first visit to a vet since moving here from Ava Mo. He is a stray that showed up at Mom's place one day looking lost and hungry. No collar, and nothing showing up in the local papers looking for him, Mom wouldn't let him go hungry and he being a quick judge of character knew he had found a soft hearted and generous woman, and stayed.
So how did he become ours? No, Mom is still kicking fine, but she has Peppy (another stray) that she adores and Bear is an outside dog. After moving to Oregon she didn't have the room for both of them. So, my daughter adopted Bear and kept him for two years before she had to move into an apartment where unfortunately, there was no yard for him to frolic in. I didn't want to see him go to a stranger, and Sab (Sabrina) said she would like him back if she ever got another place where he could run free again. And so, we adopted him.
He is getting old. Well we don't know exactly how old, but his teeth are really bad, and he developed a limp on the right front that didn't seem to have an identifiable cause. I examined his paws, joints, and legs for injury or growths and he seemed to be fine. Still, when he walked, he favored the leg and so we made an appointment with the local vet.
You know you can never just have the vet check the main issue without giving a full examination, blood work, dental exam, etc... So $250 later we went home still not knowing why he limped, but now with antibiotics for his gums (infected) and ears (also infected).
So that brings me back to putting drops into ears. Bear's ears. He is a very passive dog. But, if looks could kill, I'd be pushing up petunias after putting drops in his ears. The first couple of drops went in ok, hey look someone with more hair in their ears than me but as they hit bottom, he got really excited and started struggling to get away. He weighs 50 lbs and is a lot stronger than you would think. I got them in, but I'll need help with the next dose as he is wise to me now.
The antibiotics are easier to administer. I took some hot dogs and sliced them into short segments and used a straw to bore a hole in the center of each segment. I can put one of the pills into the center and toss it to Bear. He doesn't chew anything smaller than a cow and it disappears quicker than an Oregon mole down it's hole.
We got the lab report on him and now need to give him even more medications. Seems his thyroid isn't up to snuff (no wonder he is fat) so he now gets two hot dog slices with his pills. Plus they gave us some doggie Advil to help with his joint pain. He has osteoarthritis and it is what is causing the limping. Poor puppy.
He was bouncing around in circles this morning when I opened the patio door to give him his pills. He hops on his front legs and then spins around and hops some more. It's really cute. He loves hot dogs.
Another two weeks and he has to go back for some dental work. Looks like he is going to lose some of his teeth due to decay and grinding down over the years. May be eating soft dog food for a while, or maybe permanently. We'll see.
Keep it in mind if you adopt an animal. Health costs are part of the deal. So is taking time to get to know your new family member. Bear is an outside dog. Never has been inside the house except by accident. He can't walk across tile floors and crawls when crossing the kitchen floor. Much happier in the grass or destroying Jo's plants. But that is another story.
September 4, 2009
Slingshot over Oregon
This is the first entry and I'll try to keep up with more as time permits. I have always been attracted to the sea and sailing but have not been able to pursue such pleasures because I get motion sickness easily and even watching rides at a fair are enough to make my stomach quezy. So I'm a landlubber, but not by choice.
This is just a place to keep friends and family up to date on what is happening with Joan and I.
We took the day off on Tuesday to attend the Oregon State Fair. After all it's "Too Big To Miss" and living here in the state capital makes it easy to get there. Actually twice in four days. We went with the old foggy crew on Saturday (08/29) so we could see all displays and exhibits, plus do a little junk shopping without the grand kids begging for another elephant ear or other yummy glob of junk food. So was rather peaceful. Just Mom, Jo, Carol (our friend) and me.
We went back to the fair again on Tuesday for wristband day (all the rides you can stomach for $25 a head) and set the grand kids (Aiyana and Skylee) loose on the FunTastic rides for 7 hours. Boy did they have fun! I don't ride the "vomit comet" or the "slush and barf" rides and can't hardly look at them, but Mom decided I should have some fun anyway and roped me into riding the Slingshot with my son-in-law Craig.
Now this machine is designed to launch two riders from the platform straight up over a hundred feet in a two person plastic butt hugging-shoulder crunching seat made for someone that weighs 100 lbs or less. Of course the first problem was just getting parked in it. Seeing that I weigh a trifle over 270, this was an accomplishment worthy of epic song. Still just latching the foam padded metal shoulder harness into place was giving the technician a workout. I tried to suck in my gut, but it wasn't cooperating as there wasn't any room left in my ribs from being squished into the tiny seat. Somehow he got it latched and then the ride was on.
The seat is tilted back just before launch so that your looking up between the two masts with the four cables that will propel you on your short but terrifying ride into the sky. I was thinking "this ain't so bad" when the technician counted down from 3 to zero and hit the release button.
What a rush! I could see the fair dropping away on each side as the chair rocketed up to the top of the masts (eat your heart out space shuttle) and then put us in weightless limbo as the chair passed the tops of the masts and continued for another 4o or so feet up, and the same going back down. At the apex of the journey (first time to the top) the chair flipped over and then stayed with us facing down so we could more appreciate the view of the ground coming up at us at ever increasing speed. It's amazing how fast the ground was approaching. I thought at the time that this must be what it feels to bungee jump. Just about the time I thought it was going to give us the immersion experience of going through the aluminum plates of the launch platform, we flipped over again and were headed back up, accelerating, past the mast tops again. I could see Eugene from up there, I'm sure of it. Then down for the second trip and the seat of course flipped again so I could once more enjoy the view of my imminent death approaching. I think it did this 3 or 4 times, before the operator took mercy on us and finally lowered the chair of terror back to the deck. Wow. $50 for the ride $20 for the video (I won't need it to remember that trip!) not soiling my undies, priceless. So a couple of hours of vertigo and mild nausea later I was fully recovered.
Hey Mom, you want to buy another ticket?
This is just a place to keep friends and family up to date on what is happening with Joan and I.
We took the day off on Tuesday to attend the Oregon State Fair. After all it's "Too Big To Miss" and living here in the state capital makes it easy to get there. Actually twice in four days. We went with the old foggy crew on Saturday (08/29) so we could see all displays and exhibits, plus do a little junk shopping without the grand kids begging for another elephant ear or other yummy glob of junk food. So was rather peaceful. Just Mom, Jo, Carol (our friend) and me.
We went back to the fair again on Tuesday for wristband day (all the rides you can stomach for $25 a head) and set the grand kids (Aiyana and Skylee) loose on the FunTastic rides for 7 hours. Boy did they have fun! I don't ride the "vomit comet" or the "slush and barf" rides and can't hardly look at them, but Mom decided I should have some fun anyway and roped me into riding the Slingshot with my son-in-law Craig.
Now this machine is designed to launch two riders from the platform straight up over a hundred feet in a two person plastic butt hugging-shoulder crunching seat made for someone that weighs 100 lbs or less. Of course the first problem was just getting parked in it. Seeing that I weigh a trifle over 270, this was an accomplishment worthy of epic song. Still just latching the foam padded metal shoulder harness into place was giving the technician a workout. I tried to suck in my gut, but it wasn't cooperating as there wasn't any room left in my ribs from being squished into the tiny seat. Somehow he got it latched and then the ride was on.
The seat is tilted back just before launch so that your looking up between the two masts with the four cables that will propel you on your short but terrifying ride into the sky. I was thinking "this ain't so bad" when the technician counted down from 3 to zero and hit the release button.
What a rush! I could see the fair dropping away on each side as the chair rocketed up to the top of the masts (eat your heart out space shuttle) and then put us in weightless limbo as the chair passed the tops of the masts and continued for another 4o or so feet up, and the same going back down. At the apex of the journey (first time to the top) the chair flipped over and then stayed with us facing down so we could more appreciate the view of the ground coming up at us at ever increasing speed. It's amazing how fast the ground was approaching. I thought at the time that this must be what it feels to bungee jump. Just about the time I thought it was going to give us the immersion experience of going through the aluminum plates of the launch platform, we flipped over again and were headed back up, accelerating, past the mast tops again. I could see Eugene from up there, I'm sure of it. Then down for the second trip and the seat of course flipped again so I could once more enjoy the view of my imminent death approaching. I think it did this 3 or 4 times, before the operator took mercy on us and finally lowered the chair of terror back to the deck. Wow. $50 for the ride $20 for the video (I won't need it to remember that trip!) not soiling my undies, priceless. So a couple of hours of vertigo and mild nausea later I was fully recovered.
Hey Mom, you want to buy another ticket?
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