Do You Remember Your Wedding Day?
Do you remember your wedding day? It’s okay to admit it if you don’t…
Mine in all honesty is somewhat of a blur. I remember taking pictures and greeting people as they arrived, but the ceremony itself is a little foggy. In fact I have no idea what the pastor spoke about. I’m sure it was a great message and was filled with wonderful tidbits of marital advice and scriptural substance, but for the life of me I can’t remember what he said.
I started thinking about this the other day as I was preparing the message for my sister’s wedding next weekend. I have the privilege to speak to family and friends about my sister and her fiance Joel, their love for Christ and His love for them and their marriage.
One of the things that I love about my sister and her soon to be husband is their desire to serve. They have a passion for missions and in fact met while teaching in Russia. It ultimately is this element of service that will be the foundation for my message for their wedding.
It is my hope that the words God speaks through me will accentuate the beautiful occasion by focusing on their desire to serve God by serving each other and those they come in contact with. And although my sister and Joel may only hear bits and pieces of what I say due to their excitement, I pray that perhaps someone in attendance will grab hold of a thought and allow it to impact the way they live their life.
After all there is no life, like a life lived in service to God.
Posted on April 7th, 2011 by David | 6 Comments »
I’m In A Good Place
As Monika and I get closer and closer to the arrival of little Ella, there is an increasing amount of pressure to get things in order around the house. Things like setting up Ella’s room, organizing the “stuff” that has been occupying the room up to this point, putting up shelves in the garage for storage, etc., etc., etc..
A couple nights ago I put together the crib and today Monika and I picked up a dresser, some curtains, paint, wood stain for another dresser, shelving for the previously mentioned project in the garage and a couple lamps. I also managed to order new tires for Monika’s car. Needless to say that with these projects in full swing a certain amount of stress has been added to our lives. Yet we are making great strides towards being as prepared as possible for the new addition to our family .
And even in the midst of all of this crazy chaos that comes with the holiday season, working, being a grad student, a husband, and soon to be father I am incredibly grateful for the season of life that I am in.
I’m in a good place.
Posted on December 5th, 2010 by David | 2 Comments »
Vintage Nokia
My father-in-law Klaus is an awesome guy and part of what make him so awesome is the fact that he uses a vintage Nokia cell phone circa…2002 or 2003, maybe 2004…probably not much newer than that. Does anyone else have a family member who rocks a vintage cell phone?
Posted on November 28th, 2010 by David | No Comments »
A Great Thanksgiving
I’ve had some pretty great family get togethers over the years. In fact when I reflect back on my childhood it is often family get togethers that I remember most fondly. There is just something about being with family that is irreplaceable.
This year in order to get on the “correct” rotation for Thanksgiving gatherings we doubled up and visited both our families. Now we will be in sync with the other cousins and siblings who have to rotate between one side of the family and the other (even years my side, odd years Monika’s side).
This doubling up made for quite the feast.
We started at Monika’s parent’s house and had dinner with her parents, brother, grandparents a couple aunts (her aunt Margaret came from Germany) and an uncle. The food was great as it always is on Thanksgiving and the conversation was enjoyable but unfortunately we had to dash off to the second dinner before we could have dessert. This was alright considering that there would not only be a second meal at the next location, my aunt’s house, but also a variety of different pies and sweets. Unfortunately I didn’t think about taking pictures while at dinner number one but I think Monika might have some tucked away on the camera that I’ll have to post later.
When we arrived at my aunt’s house everyone had already begun eating but like always there was a ton of food and I jumped in for round number two. I had turkey, potatoes (both mashed and sweet), stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce (the jellied type that remains in the shape of the can), black olives and sparkling cider. This was nearly identical to my first meal and one again it hit the spot.
After we ate we had a great time catching up. There were 18 adults 3 kids and 2 dogs at this gathering so there was a good deal of commotion.
It was perfect.
Once dinner had settled it was definitely time for some pie. I believe there were 5 pies (pumpkin, apple and pecan), ice cream, a loaf of cranberry bread and some funny little marshmallow turkeys. All of this was washed down with coffee and hot spiced cider.
There was such a great feeling in the house as everyone caught up on life, shared stories, ate food, and laughed as word spread about one of my cousin’s kids drinking out of the dog’s waterbowl while they pretended to be a dog.
It truly was a great Thanksgiving and I felt blessed to be able to share it with both sides of my family.
I have many other pictures that I could post but this last one is my favorite from yesterday.
Can you find my aunt Martha hiding in this picture…?
Posted on November 27th, 2010 by David | 2 Comments »
Getting Away With Family
Let me just start by saying, “I love my family.” They’re incredible people and and I would rather spend time with them than anyone else. Unfortunately it doesn’t happen nearly enough. Life, seems to get in the way, schedules are complex, and geography divides.
But two weeks ago the family convened in Manzanita, Oregon for my cousin’s wedding and what was in my opinion, one of the greatest family get-togethers of my life. It truly was epic (I hate that word but it was).
It was brilliant.
We ate, laughed, took dozens of photographs and created indelible memories. It was only for a weekend and just down interstate 5, but it was without a doubt one of the best vacations I have ever been on.
Will we ever get together like that again? I don’t know. I hope we will because it is that type of weekend that I live for. Time with family, removed from the trappings of everyday life, doing nothing but enjoying the familial blessings God has given us.
To my family…thank you for a great weekend. I hope we can find a way to make that happen again. I know life is busy and there are obligations to attend to, but what a great weekend. We need to get away like that regularly, if for no other reason than to ride bikes on the beach through a monsoon, hangout late at night at the local pub observing the “weathered” locals, and eating over priced food at little cafes. That’s what life is all about. God has blessed us with a great family, let’s enjoy it!
Photo courtesy of Joshua Mahar Photography
Posted on May 1st, 2010 by David | 4 Comments »
Family Photo
Just a good old fashion Family Photo
Posted on December 29th, 2009 by David | 1 Comment »
St. Petersburg Snow
My sister is teaching at a university in St. Petersburg, Russia. Not a very hospitable environment during the winter. It get’s cold! However, along with the cold comes the snow and I am a snowaholic. I LOVE THE SNOW! So when I see week long forecasts that have nothing but snow I get a little jealous…
If only it would snow here…
Posted on December 22nd, 2009 by David | 2 Comments »
Skyped
Well I just got done Skyping my sister in St. Petersburg, Russia. She’s been over there for several months now teaching English. While I’ve Skyped her from my phone before, this was the first time via my computer. Pretty good time, although my mic doesn’t work so she talked to me and I typed to her.
As she’s on this journey she’s blogging about all of her happenings so I thought I’d provide a little link love.
Posted on December 21st, 2009 by David | 1 Comment »
Helping Your Child With Media Discernment
There is no doubt about it, we live in a multimedia society and often times it can be a challenge to determine what is acceptable to take in; this is especially true for kids.
Take a look at the Focus on the Family article linked below and use the questions presented to help your kids process what media they consume, and what God thinks about it.
CHECK OUT THE ARTICLE: “Talking to kids about media discernment”
What is the most challenging part of “media discernment?”
Posted on June 16th, 2008 by David | 2 Comments »
