: : my two cents on politics : :

On this day, Election Day '08, I wanted to share a few of my feelings about this election. First, a few disclaimers-

* I HATE politics.
* I HATE political commercials.
* I HATE that politics make Christians (and everyone else for that matter) draw lines on who is "right" and who is "wrong."
* I HATE that you can't talk politics with friends without alienating people.

Our political system is flawed. It's a grown up's popularity contest. Every election, we hear the same old inflated rhetoric saying how this candidate is going to make this country better and when it comes down to it, they don't do much of any of what they promised they were going to do. There's twisted information from both sides and twisted information from the media. I CANNOT wait for the next week or so to be done with.

I voted for George W. Bush. Both times. Does that make me a moron for choosing him? No. Do I agree with all that he has done as a President. No. Do I despise him for the things I don't agree with? No.

As Christians, we are not called to speak out against any political leader simply because we think he sucks or he in on the wrong side. According to Romans 13, we are to SUBMIT to the political leaders that GOD has placed in that position. It reads: Romans 13:1-2 - Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

It's time to deflate the idea that one candidate or party symbolizes hope for society. I'm not going to tell you who I voted for, because I know to some I will be right and to some I will be wrong. Do I agree with all the stances this man has? No. But, I did seriously pray and debate who to cast my vote for and I hope and pray that you did the same.

I think this will be my only post on politics. I am sick of them all and I am done.

: : what a cute kid : :

Okay... so I had to post this because she's so stinkin' cute... even when she wakes up at 2:00am and doesn't go back to sleep until 8:00am. I think I can sense a career in modeling coming on... all this and she's only 11 days old! Well, like it or not, she'll be modeling in front of cameras most of her life... this is because of picture happy grandma and mom! :) I think she's almost used to the flashes of the cameras.

: : ready or not, here I come! : :

Those were the words of my new baby girl...

Sara started having contractions yesterday (Saturday, July 26) around 7:00am. Of course, we were waiting for the cable guy to come install our new cable/phone/internet... so once the installation was completed, we headed straight for the hospital. Two hours of sitting in triage, and the doctor decided that he was going to keep us. So, we were admitted to a room to begin the birthing process. Sara's "hard labor" began at around 4:30pm, and the doctor predicted an "O-Dark-Thirty" birth.

July 27, 2008, at 2:35am, Gracelyn Elizabeth Williams made her triumphant entrance into our little family. She came into our world weighing 7lbs 6oz and was 19" long. She's beautiful! She for yourself:

: : pet peeves and seven weeks : :

Boy, am I glad this work week is over. Hopefully the weekend won't fly by like usual. I'd like to actually be able to enjoy it and relax...

I haven't written in a while and I've had this topic kind of stuck in my head and need to get it out sometime, so now is the time!

My recent pet peeves:

1. Canadian Drivers.
I love Canadians. Don't get me wrong. I think where I live and who I work for, they help keep our economy going. But, when it comes to driving our roads... they have no stinking clue! Where are they going at 5:40am when I have to get to work by 6:00am and they are going 40-45 mph in a 55 mph zone? They have to see the signs that say it's MPH NOT KPH... do they get the idea when five cars pass them? No. Do they get the idea when 10 cars are backed up behind them? No. Annoying.

They also don't slow down when the speed limit changes. I may pass them in the 55 zone, but when it slows down to 25 mph, they catch up to me because they're still going 45 mph in a 25 zone! What the???

It just goes to show that we need to get out of Sumas so that we don't have to be mad at Canadian drivers everyday.

2. Drivers that don't use turn signals.
It's not that hard... if you're turning, use the dang thing! Otherwise you're going to get rear-ended! And it will still be my fault! The turn signal switch is there for a reason.

That's all I have to say about pet peeves really. I feel like I'm whining and I don't like it when I feel like that, so I'm done.

Baby update...
Sara and Gracelyn are doing fine... we're down to seven weeks until our due date, so time is FLYING by! We're very excited for her delivery and have been VERY blessed by all our friends and family that have thrown us showers and gotten us almost everything that we need. There are still a few things we need to get (diapers and a diaper genie), other than that, we have PLENTY of newborn-three month old clothes. We could use more of any clothes 6-9 months and 9-12 months, but we know we'll be provided for.

Gracelyn is head down now, so she's getting ready to drop anytime. She still likes to punch Sara in the bladder which isn't at all comfortable... and neither is her stretching and putting her feet in Sara's ribs. She seems to like music. Whenever she hears it, she starts moving and kicking... either that or she's doing her calisthenics to get ready to learn to wrestle (I keep telling Sara that there will be girls wrestling at most high schools by the time she grows up, but Sara would rather her be a wrestling cheerleader, like she was, and just appreciate the sport from the sidelines.

Birthing class has been pretty fun. I think it's kind of neat to meet other couples that are in the same boat as you. I think we only have three more classes left, and then an after-birth party to see all the babies.

Needless to say, the time is drawing near and we are pretty excited. We appreciate everyone that given us stuff, helped us with stuff and who have kept us in their prayers! Please continue to keep us in your prayers, especially Sara (she is the one who has to deliver this baby... my job is to make her comfortable, but I don't imagine any part of childbirth is "comfortable"). I know my wife is strong and will do awesome! She's pretty incredible.

: : WHA??? : :

Two posts... in one week? Unheard of! Well, deal with it people! :)

So, I thought I'd just do a simple post with the latest ultrasound pictures of my (I'm 100% positive she'll be) beautiful baby girl.

In this first picture, you can see that she has her left hand palm up against her forehead showing that she's being a drama queen (like her daddy... as Sara said). :)



In this second picture she's just imagining she's weightless, in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by tiny little seahorses.

: : Living Hallelujah : :

Some days you wake up and you don't want to be happy. You woke up on the proverbial "wrong sie of the bed" and there is no way you're going to be happy. Well, that's the way I woke up this morning. Partially because of the way I fell asleep upset last night, partially because I was upset that I had to get up at 5:10am, but whatever the case, I was not happy to be up.

Then I had the revelation (that I've heard many times before) that being upset all day is a choice. My mind had already made the choice to be in a bad mood for the day. I've decided to squish that thought. I don't like being grumpy, and nobody else like me when I'm grumpy. My wife especially. So, I'm nipping it in the butt and I'm going to strive to be in a good mood for the day. With God's help, I want to be "living hallelujah" to God. So, with that said, here are the lyrics to the song I want to live my life by today:

"Living Hallelujah" - Sarah Kelly

Who am I?
That You came to earth for me
To die on a tree?
Who are you?
Son of man, Son of God
Yes, I believe it's true
More than words I bring to You
May all I say and may all I do be

(Chorus:)
Hallelujah, hallelujah
May everything about me be
Hallelujah to my King
Hallelujah, hallelujah
May everything about me be hallelujah

All of me
I surrender completely
Take control
I want all of You
So I'm letting go

I am healed and I'm forgiven
I am free because I'm living

(Chorus)

It's all so clear, it's all so clear
I was born to worship

Hallelujah, hallelujah
May everything about me be hallelujah

: : my bad... my bad... : :

So I've been catching up on reading my blogroll... and thinking some people were slacking on their postings... then I looked at the date of my last post and realized I AM THE ONE SLACKING! Holy smokes... it's like I've been grounded from my blog for the last month. Let's see... what do you need to know...

Sara and Gracelyn are doing fine. Gracelyn is still baking in the oven and things are going great. Four more months until "D-day". We've got another doctor's appointment on the 8th. Not sure what for... just another check-up I suppose.

We found out about two weeks ago that Sara's twin sister, Amy, is also pregnant! Now our daughter will have a cousin that is close to the same age. That's exciting! Too bad Sara didn't originally find it exciting. I guess the whole being a twin and competing in/over everything got old as they grew up and Sara was expecting to be the only pregnant one in the family... then along came Nate and Amy's seed. :) (Sara is doing much better with it now)

My parents have finally been approved to get their new house and land! They should be living in Birch Bay by the beginning of May! (this is a much needed move... they've been in the same dilapidated old mobile home since 1980 and it has definitely seen it's better days... I remember those days... I was about 4...)

Speaking of houses... our condo is officially on the market. If you know anyone that would like to buy a quaint, two bed, two bath, 1100 sq. foot condo in Sumas, send them our way! We've decided that with gas prices rising, and with Sara's 50 mile round-trip commute, that we'd be better off not living in Sumas. I personally don't mind the drive... not to mention the fact that I drive the more fuel efficient car ("why not switch then?", you may ask... well, we're trying to do that more often... Sara just hates driving my car). We don't think that we are going to jump right back into buying another place. We're thinking we may try to find a place with cheap rent and try to get caught up on some of our debts, like our credit cards and Sara's car. Good thing we're not at the national credit card debt level (somewhere around $8,000 per household! OUCH!). We'll see when and where God opens the door for us to buy a house (we're praying), not condo, with a yard so we can get a Boston Terrier. :)

Well, that's about all I have to say for now. I will be leading worship this week at our new church (Valley Community Church). Feel free to stop by and check the church out (if you're in the area... we meet at the senior center in Sumas at 10:00am).

Happy April Fool's Day!

: : 95% for sure : :

We went to the OBGYN for an ultrasound on Monday. Here's what we found out:

- We were told not to take the tags off of any clothes that we are given.

- We were told that our baby is in the 59th percentile range for it's size (that's a little bigger than normal... don't blame me... well, maybe you should... after all, I was 10lbs 9oz when I was born).

- We were told that everything looks good and normal and that our baby appears to be healthy.

- We were told that (and he's 95% sure) that we're having a GIRL. :) (Cassie, your dream must have been a premonition... or something like that...)

Here's the latest ultrasound picture.















Have a blessed day! :)

: : wrap up : :

With wrestling season now over (for those that didn't know, I was a volunteer coach at my alma matter, Lynden High School), I thought I'd reflect on the season and the things I learned throughout the season.

1) I still love wrestling and being able to share my passion for the sport to young, moldable minds. (Maybe I should be a teacher! Ummmm... maybe not) It's great watching kids that have never wrestled struggle at the beginning of the season... and then seeing their light go off when they finally start to get it.

2) Time moves fast. Prime example: my first year as a paid coach was in 2004. I was an assistant coach for the Lynden Middle School team. The boys that were in 7th grade when I coached that first year, are now seniors. It's sad to say that only two of them remained on the team... but they were the strength of our team this year. They both made it to state this year, with one placing 6th and the other losing a tough match in the 3rd round to get knocked out of the tournament. Anyways..l all that to say that I coached these boys/young men at the beginning of their school careers, and it was really cool to be able to watch them succeed in their final year.

3) Making a time commitment like coaching, was a lot easier when I was single and didn't have a wife to take care of and be with. I'm sure it will only be more difficult next year when I have a little four month old baby at the beginning of the season.

4) I'm not as young as I used to be, and definitely not NEARLY in as good of shape. I found this out while wrestling at the "Geezer Classic" in December. To put it simply... I got whooped.

5) It makes me so happy to see what our head coach is doing with the wrestling program. He has turned it around from being a program that was lucky to have 10 kids, to a program that is now a force to be reckoned with... (on a good night) and is growing back to the way it was in the late 80's/early 90's.

6) We're lucky to have the coaches we did this season. All total, with volunteer and paid coaches, there were eight of us. Some of the bigger schools, like Bellingham or Ferndale... only had four or five coaches. It shows that they all believe in the program that Coach Randy is building.

7) I can't wait for next season... hopefully I'll be in better shape and be able to hang in there with the guys, instead of getting winded so easily... plus I look forward to losing my fat man gut. :)

That's all I have to say for now. Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon... there may be baby news after Monday! ;)

: : Not All It's Cracked Up To Be : :

Influenza A. It's not all that great. Well, it's not great at all. Not one part of it.
Not the 102.6 degree fever.
Not the vomitting.
Not the horrible cough.
Not the body aches.
Not the sore neck.
Not the sore throat.
Not the doctor's visit.
Not the doctor shoving a swab into my nasal cavaties.
Not my wife not being able to stay in the same room as me.
Not missing work (and subsequently, the paycheck that comes along with actually working).

I quit. I'm done with the flu. They say it only takes getting it once before you decide you never want to get it again and start getting the vaccinations. Here's to getting a prick in the arm next year before flu season.

: : pac-nor-west : :

The Pacific Northwest According to Jeff Foxworthy

1. You know the state flower (Mildew)

2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.

3. Use the statement "sun break" and know what it means.

4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.

5 You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.

6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant.

7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" Signal.

8. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.

9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Veneto's.

10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon.

11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima and Willamette.

12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.

13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.

14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark - while only working eight-hour days.

15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.

16. You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."

17. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation

18. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.

19. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see
through the cloud cover.

20. You notice, "The mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.

21. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.

22. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.

23. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.

24. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists. (I truly do...)

25. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time.

26. You measure distance in hours.

27. You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in the same day.

28. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.

29. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer &Elk season (Fall).

30. You actually understood these jokes and will probably forward them! (or blog them...)

: : whatever : :

I've lived in my condo since March of 2007. Since then, we've not had any neighbors in our building. We could be as loud as we wanted, park where we wanted, do whatever we wanted. It was a glorious nine months of solitude in our building.

Two or three weeks ago we came home to notice some lumber in our yard. "That's odd...," we thought. They must be building a fence somewhere. Hmmmm. Two days later there was a stack of concrete mix sitting on our patio. "What the heck?" we thought. The next night when we got home there were holes dug in our front yard. They spanned from one end of the building to the other and they were all of SEVEN FEET away from our patio. "Oh no they didn't!" we exclaimed! This is an outrage! How can they build a fence IN FRONT of our window without telling/asking/notifying us? So the next morning while Sara was still home before she left for work, she called our maintenance man and asked what the heck was going on...

"Well, we're putting a fence up. Why? Do you not want a fence?"
"NO! We bought this condo because it has a nice yard and a view and your fence is blocking it all."
"Well, you can still walk around the fence and enjoy the yard!"
"That's NOT what we want! Why are you putting it there anyways?"
"Your new neighbors wanted a privacy fence."
"New neighbors?"
"Yes, they're moving in tomorrow. They wouldn't buy it without the fence. I guess we could stop it before your window."
"Fine. That's good enough."

Turns out they could have stopped it one section earlier and not blocked any of our patio, but for some dumb reason, they didn't. Now a portion of my wonderful patio is blocked by a lovely (it is nice) seven foot tall cedar fence. Good thing it's not in front of my kitchen window.

These neighbors we were getting were already on our black list without ever meeting them. We expected them to move in the next day, but it turned out to be the next day of the next week. We never saw hide, nor hair of them. Just their car parked in MY SPOT. Really blacklist now.

The other night around seven o'clock, we're lounging around the house, watching TV at a normal volume and there is a knock on the door. I went and answered the door to finally meet the new neighbor. (she looked to be in her 30's)

"Hi... my name is Carrie and I just moved in next door with my mother, Myrna. I hate for our first meeting to be anything less than pleasant... but can you turn down your TV please?"
I'm a nice guy... "Yeah sure..."
"Thank you... if you ever need anything don't be afraid to ask."

What the??? My TV is too loud at 7:00pm? I could understand it if it was up at the half-way level and rattling the walls (as it usually is close to when watching movies). But we were watching "My Wife and Kids" and it wasn't even half way up!

Since then, we have not seen either of them once. I think they're hermits (maybe vampires) who are afraid of going outside. Their car sits in the same place all day, everyday. Do they go anywhere? Who knows... Do they work? Don't think so...

My thoughts turn to the title of this blog... whatever. What are they going to do? Complain to the landlord we don't have? I mean, come on lady. You bought a CONDO. You better expect to hear a neighbor every once in a while. Whatever.

We're going to try and sell our condo now. We liked the solitude and quiet. Now we have neighbors that complain about a not-very-loud TV. Being that I work for a home builder, we're going to start searching for a lot to build on.

Yippee!

scare

so there was a slight scare this weekend. I'll spare you all the details... but for those who have had a baby... there was a scare.

Sara is now at 11 1/2 weeks. 12 weeks on Wednesday... the end of the first trimester. hoorya!

well, after an unexpected/needed trip to the doctor, all is well. the heart beat was pumping away and I guess the little one was even waving to the camera, full finger flexing and all! now I wish I would have been there to see it! maybe next time it will wave at me.

anyhow... with trimester number one now being close to over, we are almost in the clear. (that's relieving) we keep praying (and would appreciate your prayers too) for a full term, healthy pregnancy and baby.

well, here's a kind of recent picture from the last ultrasound I was at from 10 weeks. enjoy. :)

I must be crazy

I must be crazy.
I watch movies, something happens, and it gets me.
I watch TV, something happens, and it gets me.
I see people with babies or children, and it gets me.
I think I’m officially becoming a dad, and it’s getting to me.

Lately all the things mentioned above have been getting me… choked up. I mean, really, I’ve always been an emotional guy. But, come on… I’ve never been one to get choked up over an emotional part of a movie or TV show.

Sara and I were watching We Are Marshall the other night. The scene where the player breaks into a closed door meeting to show the schools governing body all the students standing outside showing their support of keeping the football team going… well, it got me.

I don’t know whether it is the fact that I have a baby on the way and now everything in life seems to be a little more precious… or if I’m going crazy… or perhaps I’m starting to understand God’s love for me and for His people, because of this tiny gift He’s given us, and I’m developing that desire to feel the emotions other people are feeling. When one part of the body mourns, the entire body should also be mourning. When it rejoices, we all rejoice. It’s not an emotion I have ever felt before, but I sense it starting to overtake my being.

It’s crazy. It’s not normal. It shakes my inner core. Yet, it’s a part of me that I would never want to give up. I think I’m finally starting to see the world through the eyes of God and it’s difficult. But then again, when is anything in life ever easy?

So here’s my leaving thought. I will take this new level of emotion I’ve been experiencing and I will do my best to try and understand and deal with the things that God puts in front of me. Step one: learn how to be a loving, supportive, God-fearing husband and father. To my little one… I can’t wait to meet you and hold you for the first time! I pray you grow strong in your mother’s womb and come into this world knowing that you are truly loved, not only by your mother and I (and all the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins), but also by God in all His splendid glory.