Four Little Monkeys

Today we got to spend our day off in the company of great friends.  Dorina invited us down for a visit and planned a super fun morning at a place called SkyWalk.  SkyWalk is one heck of a trampoline experience!  It's a huge room, with wall to wall trampolines.  There are trampoline ramps and slides, a dodge ball court and a special trampoline that launches its jumpers into a pit of foam blocks.  Needless to say, we ALL had an excellent time!

(My favorite part of the foam block pit was watching the girls get stuck in it!  They had to really work to wiggle themselves free and relied on hands from each other to get dislodged!)

Yes, we spent the morning boinging, playing "Crack the Egg" and whipping kids high into the air, but that was not all the good today held.  The reason we planned this trip was to meet Dorina's newest daughter Zayla, who is a month and a half and just as sweet as she can be.  Dorina and Ericlee are close friends and no strangers to discerning the call of God.  It was important to talk about what we've been going through, also.  And, of course, Dorina spoiled us once again with a fabulous meal (Italian Wedding soup and chicken salad in crunchy wontons).  Living near enough to make day trips to see these dear friends would fall into the "Reasons to Celebrate Staying!" List!

100 Reasons to Stay

All through the holiday we sat wondering what our family's future would hold as a Search Committee in Chicago sought God's will.  We, and many other dear friends, prayed fiercely that God's will would be clearly revealed. This week, we're happy to report that we have unmistakeably heard Him speak!

It was on Wednesday, a day that I went to school to pick up Ella.  We were headed to our friend Becky's after school for some $10 haircuts.  As we waited for Ella, I pushed Delia on the swings in the January sunshine, neither of us sporting a coat.  A few favorite teachers came to ask how we were doing and told us they selfishly wanted us to stick around.  When Ella emerged from her classroom, she hugged about 10 of her friends goodbye.  On the drive home from Becky's we marveled, once again, over the sight of black mountains silhouetted against a sky turning pink and orange.

The Search Committee was very torn between Dave and another equally-strong candidate.  Because he is more different than their current pastor and more ready to leave his current church, they offered the call to this other pastor.  So, we get to stay in the home we love!

While the girls met this news with huge smiles and relief and our initial reaction was one of peace and celebration, the more we continue to process, the more we feel a twinge of disappointment.  We started to give a piece of our hearts to this pretty amazing other church and we started to imagine what life could be like back in the Midwest.  We'll continue to search for lessons in all this and trust that somewhere, even if it's years down the road, God will reveal why He wanted us to go through this process.

When we moved across the country out to California to begin a ministry at this church, Dave was fresh out of seminary and we had no idea what to expect.  As we questioned if we could leave it all this year, we acknowledged that in living and serving here God has exceeded our expectations in every way.  This state astonishes us every weekend as we try our best to get out and explore it.  Our church is healthy, strong and growing.  And the people!  The people that have come into our lives are not just good folks we like serving with.  We truly love them, some like family, and our list of life-long friends has grown tenfold.

Thank you, Lord, for having a plan for our lives, a plan to bless and grow us into the people you want us to be!  As we seek to do your will, may we glorify you in all we do! 

Dave's 2011 Reading List

I'm back with a 2011 Reading List!  Though I took last year off to focus more on miles ran instead of pages read, I'm happy to report an all-time high page count this year.  I finally met a 12,000+ page goal, averaging about 1000 pages a month.  However, completing books like "War and Peace" (which I actually started last year) and "The American Short Story" certainly helped with this.

Just to review my "Rules":
- Only books read completely can be included in the list - nothing unfinished, nothing I read only a portion of, even if the portion was substantial.
- Page count is calculated by taking the last page of the actual book and then adding any introductory pages that were not in the count and any additional appendices that get read. (Glossary and Notes pages are subtracted, unless read - Illustrations within the book are fair game).
- Categories of “Professional” and “Personal” are totally subjective and usually divided more on why I read the book.
- Reviews (all based on general impression at the end of the year) Green = generally positive, Red = generally negative, Black = Neutral

Professional Reading:
“Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership” Gary McIntosh & Samuel Rima 245
“College Ministry 101” Chuck Bomar 203
“The Story” Zondervan (and God) 491
“Integrity” Henry Cloud 286
“Sacred Encounters” Tamara Park 331
“Love Wins” Rob Bell 205
“Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership” Ruth Haley Barton 223
“Me: The Me I Want to Be” John Ortberg 254
“Almost Christian” Kendra Creasy Dean 250
“The Godbearing Life” Kendra Creasy Dean & Ron Foster 223
“Imaginary Jesus” Matt Mikalatos 232
“Experiencing God” Henry Blackaby & Claude King 189
“Guerillas of Grace” Ted Loder 142
“OMG: A Youth Ministry Handbook” Kendra Creasy Dean 165
“College Ministry from Scratch” Chuck Bomar 186
“Spiritual Leadership” J. Oswald Sanders 201
“Be Mine” Jolene DeHeer 121
“The Real Deal” Dan Webster 197

Personal Reading:
“War and Peace” Leo Tolstoy 1455
“Catching Fire” Suzanne Collins 391
“Mockingjay” Suzanne Collins 392
“Letters and Papers from Prison” Dietrich Bonhoeffer 426
“The Book Thief” Markus Zusak 563
“The Help” Kathryn Stockett 451
“Water for Elephants” Sara Gruen 335
“What the Dog Saw” Malcolm Gladwell 418
“The Big Burn” Timothy Egan” 285
“At Home” Bill Bryson 453
“Unbroken” Laura Hillenbrand 406
“Decision Points” George W. Bush 483
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” Harriet Beecher Stowe 446
“My Side of the Mountain” Jean Craighead George 177
“On the Far Side of the Mountain” Jean Craighead George 170
“The American Short Story” Various Authors 1012
“Bossypants” Tina Fey 277
“The Princess and the Goblin” George Mac Donald 199
“Cannery Row” John Steinbeck 181

Total Pages: 12,664

Was blessed to have a lot of good reads this year, with only a few bad ones - it would be hard to even pick my favorites.  "Unbroken" certainly stands out as a top pick, but I would recommend almost anything green - which was a lot this year.  We will have to see what next year brings - already into some good ones.

Loved On

The moment we arrived home from our Monterey Getaway, the presents were unloaded from the suitcases-- pink moustaches, pillows to color and bedazzle and Calvin College wear (plus the co-pilot tandem bike Auntie Heather sent on ahead of her).  And from that moment the spoiling did not stop!  I know Dave and I love having visitors, but I do believe our children, and even our dog, may love the guests best!

Another gift Ella had received this Christmas was a knitting kit.  Since I know not-a-thing about knitting we were waiting for a friend to give us some lessons.  One night a crowd formed around You Tube where knitting demonstrations were watched.  Mostly, we were confused...

But Heather persevered and actually taught herself how to knit just so she could show her niece!  It's pretty tricky, so I hope Ella remembers what she learned and I hope she remembers that it was her Auntie who taught her!

Besides nightly cuddling with Heather by the fire, Lily was treated to her other favorite thing in the world this week-- a nice long walk.

We spent one afternoon hiking and geocaching around our favorite local hiking spot.  When Heather wasn't being dragged along by an exuberant Lily, she was carrying a pooped-out Delia on her shoulders!

A special thank you to Anna and Heather for all the love and attention you showered on the five of us!  We're going through some withdrawal now...:)

3 Stops in the City

Today we had to sadly bid adieu to Anna.  Since she flew out of San Francisco this afternoon, we took the whole family and made a day in the city out of her airport drop off.  We found a number of different and interesting things to do.

Our first stop was to the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, where we arrived early enough to get in free!  Dave and I visited this garden years ago before we even lived here and we've only been back one time since (before kids).  Things like pruned bonsai trees, koi ponds, zen gardens, waterfalls, pagodas and this reflection bridge made it a unique and peaceful place to stroll around.  (Lovely, but not worth the $7/person admission fee-- go before 10:00 am on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday.)

Next we drove to the old favorite that is Fisherman's Wharf where we did the old favorites that are wandering around gawking at the fresh crab stands and eating lunch at Boudin's flagship restaurant on the wharf.

Can't visit San Francisco without getting some clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl!

A real worthwhile stop proved to a be a totally new hiking path for us, from Crissy Field to Fort Point.  This trail followed the waterfront and kept an incredible view of the Golden Gate in front of and above us.  I don't think we've ever gotten such great pictures of the bridge (and the parking was easy and free!).  We'll definitely be adding this path to our "Must Do in SF" List!

Though we were unfamiliar with the Hopper's Hands plaque when we came upon it, a quick search on the iPhone taught us all we needed to know about the famous turn-around point for those using the Fort Point Path.  We sat and watched about a dozen runners, bikers and hikers come up to the trail's dead end and proudly tap this sign, so we had to do the same!

The last thing we saw was this crazy pelican, totally not scared of visitors and their cameras, looking for handouts from the fishermen on the pier.  Up close he was so cool, especially gulping down the whole chicken legs someone fed him!

Our day in San Francisco gave us 3 good stops-- one to a place we hadn't seen in a while, one to a favorite we visit regularly and one to a whole new place that we're sure to visit again!

Minute to Win It New Year's

Our final hours of 2011 may have been some of the best hours of the whole year!  We happily took Jetta's invitation to merge her family and mine for a night of NYE fun.  Dave and I put together a whole Minute to Win It Tournament that we knew both kids and adults would get really into.  And besides the humiliating video footage that now exists of me whacking a huge softball across the room with a grapefruit stuffed into a pair of pantyhose tied around my waist, I'd say the night was a huge success! 

Heather pulled "Chocolate Unicorn" and had to stack 7 Ding-Dongs on her head.

Kirsi got "Dizzy Mummy" and had to unroll a whole roll of toilet paper using her 360-degree-turning body.

Dave selected "Noodling Around" and had to stack 7 penne noodles on a single strand of uncooked spaghetti using just his mouth.

My favorite task-- Annelies pulled "Tortilla Head" and had to flip a tortilla onto a plate on her head using a scuba flipper.

Jetta got "Just Hang On!" and had to make this hanger tower, balancing each in the middle, not the corners.

Ella easily completed "Junk in the Trunk" by wiggling and jumping a bunch of balls out of an empty tissue box belted to her waist.

Anna impressed us all with her dice stacking skills when she aced "Getting Dicey".

Phil proved to be the Minute to Win It Master, easily completing each of his tasks, as well as others that people just couldn't do.  Here he does "Face the Cookie" by moving a cookie from his forehead to his mouth with no hands.

What's better than ringing in a new year in the company of friends and family?  And some roaring laughter too!  We were just dying watching the 25 tasks Dave and I set up being attempted.  If you need a fun party idea, I totally recommend this!  You can easily find lists and descriptions of events by Googling "Minute to Win It" or I can email you the list we put together.

Happy New Year! :)

Best of 2011

This New Year's Eve, as we celebrate and remember the blessings and highlights of another great year, we hope you enjoy this VM Family Best of 2011 List:

Best Book: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Best Movie: (Okay not really a movie, but probably the thing Dave and I most enjoyed watching this year) Arrested Development.

Best New Recipe: I discovered Pinterest, and thus a new addiction, this year.  I'll share the 2 best recipes I've tried (multiple times now!), thanks to Pinterest.  One is dinner, one dessert: Panko-Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach and Tomatoes and S'mores Bars.  You're welcome.

Best Family Visit: A four-way tie between Uncle Chris, Uncle Kyle, Anna and Heather

Best Outing: Carmel over Spring Break where we were delighted to find it was seal pupping season!

Best Way to Celebrate an Anniversary and Birthday: Disneyland!

Best Teacher: Mrs. H. who made sure Ella had a wonderful year in kindergarten.  Ella maintains a relationship with this favorite teacher still this year.

Best Way to Worship God: This one doesn't change from year to year-- the Redwood sanctuary and fellowship of friends at Mount Hermon wins again!

Best Hike: All the way around Pinecrest Lake during our family camping trip.

Best Display of Bravery: Delia taking her first ride on the tube this summer.

Best Baseball Game: Dave and I vote for the nostalgic Cubs game, Ella and Delia vote for the entertaining Giants game.

Best Vacation: The 2 wonderful weeks we spent with family in Chicago and Michigan

Best Song: Anything Ella plays on the piano! (A close second: Party Rock-- the marching band edition on You Tube! :)

Best Investment: Our membership to the awesome Monterey Bay Aquarium, where we learn and marvel at something new each time we visit.

Best Costumes at the Harvest Party (in my biased opinion): Delia as Little Red Riding Hood, Dave as the Big Bad Wolf and Ella as Rapunzel.

Best Part of the Preschool Program (again, in my biased opinion): Delia as a "Sneaky" Angel.

Best Surprise: An unexpected weekend in Chicago where we ate pizza, visited a world-class museum and saw SNOW!

Best Lesson Learned this Year: As God nudges us to explore a new ministry opportunity and challenges us to ask ourselves if we'd be willing to leave our beloved home to move back to the Midwest, our biggest lesson this year has been that of discerning God's voice, seeking His will and submitting in obedience.  We've been extra intentional about prayer, finding the ways He speaks through our various studies of the Bible and listening the wise council of our must trusted friends.  It's always amazing to see God working and we'll be excited to share what trials He brings us through and what blessings He has in store for the VM Family in 2012!

Vacay in Monterey (Part 3)

While Heather ran on the beach and Anna worked out in our hotel's fitness room, Dave and I took the girls to the super fun Dennis the Menace Park.  This park, with its climbing wall, suspension bridges, garden maze, tunnels, different playground equipment and "mail package slide" (as Ella calls it), is Kid Heaven!

When we all met up again, it was time to check out of the hotel and check out the Monterey Pizza My Heart for lunch. 

The last part of our experiential Christmas gift to Anna and Heather was a day of hiking around Point Lobos in Carmel.  We saw this favorite hiking spot as we've never seen it before-- shrouded in fog!  While the sun shone in Monterey, this State Reserve along the coast and cliffs was actually in a cloud!  It was pretty cool to walk around.

We took a new Cypress Grove Trail which wound through a forest of old, gnarled Cypress trees.  The fog and twisty trees made us feel like we were in another world!

The best part of Point Lobos is that you are never out of sight of the ocean.  I just love, love, love hiking while enjoying these sea views! 

Vacay in Monterey (Part 2)

Another gift we gave this Christmas was a handheld GPS device to Dave.  He's been wanting to get into Geocaching for a while, so this tool will allow him to develop this new hobby.  Our trip to Monterey provided Dave with lots of opportunities to test out his treasure-hunting skills.

His first find was a pretty easy one-- a heart shaped box hidden under a rock ledge out on the cliffs of Lover's Point.  The picture is blurry, but in the log book Dave wrote "First find on my birthday!"

The next few caches we searched for were much harder to find.  But the whole family got into it and Anna commented on how reading the coordinates and decoding the clues made her feel like we were in Goonies!

After our adventures in geocaching on the beach, we had to revisit the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary to see if they were still hanging in gobs from the Eucalyptus trees.  They were!  There even seemed to be more of them!

 Delia thought using the binoculars to study this guy on the ground, less than a foot away from her, was a good idea.  We were laughing pretty hard.

I hope you are not getting sick of Monterey posts because we absolutely do not get sick of seeing the amazing things this place has to show us!

Vacay in Monterey (Part 1)

Anna and Heather are here!  Anna and Heather are here!  Our Christmas gift to them this year was an experiential gift-- a 3 day mini-vacation in our now-favorite getaway spot, Monterey.  And our gift was everything we were hoping it would be, highlights including the indoor swimming pool at our hotel, some great eats at fun restaurants, late night talks in the suite, plenty of beach time and, of course, a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Jellies!  We predicted Anna would like these best.  We were correct!

Seahorses!  This exhibit is always amazing. 

Touch pools!  Delia gets up close to a mushy sea cucumber.

The wave room!  The girls were pretty excited to share this exciting experience with Anna and Heather.

Sting ray petting!  Usually the rays are hanging in the out-of-reach part of the pool.  On this visit, one was brave and friendly enough for us to pet him!

Ocean views!  Slipping outside to gulp in the salty sea air and watch for wildlife in the bay remains one of my favorite parts of the aquarium.