As I print off mailers for my marketing campaign, I wanted to post a pic of the crib (notice the new ceiling fan!). These days our motto is "No news is good news". Guatemala has up to 30 days to review all our paperwork, in this final stage. If they find some glitch-we will be notified-and the process will be dragged out another month or so. Two weeks into this stage, no news. Yippee.

In our home we have numerous pics of relatives and friends in AR, CO, GA, MO, OK... We have pics of one particular neice who is growing up, and hitting a significant milestone. Today is the day Nichole goes off to college. I am very excited for her. In a way I hope she finishes out at OC. Given her interests, it would serve her well to sign up for the Vienna Studies Program. I would even try to help make this happen provided this is something she would want to do. This very experience certainly impacted G in a positive way. Her Vienna experience was at a time when many Europeans were breathing freedom for the first time-and The Wall was finally being hacked up for souvenirs. We will be celebrating her 15th Vienna Studies Reunion in Edmond in November. This is certainly an experience that stays with you a lifetime.

Just a quick note as I start a small marketing blitz for my lighting business, finish hanging the ceiling fan in Benny's room, and hang a towel rack for Geri. I am ready to head out the door to drive across town to pick up a kid, Avion. He is a sweet, big ol' 12 year old that I met teaching Wed night. His usual "ride", TJ (and his awesome Godly family) just moved to North Carolina. He wants to go to church, but evidently doesn't have a family car. I'll work on getting his mom to come on along. Well....gotta run to U City.

A Few Pic's From CO

Benny's Room

Ramblin' Thoughts

Finished a job at a Catholic school west of town. It looks pretty good if you ask me. One thing I do not lack is confidence in my "finished product".

Here some Ramblin' Thoughts:

1. Yesterday I ate lunch right next to an older guy named Dorrel. He seemed like a nice guy. He was dressed in a Polo shirt, and seersucker pants, and had a pretty older lady as his company. You could compare him to a Q-Tip--sporting white hair on one end, and white sneakers at the other. Our waitress told me that she told the gentleman that he looked like someone famous. He promptly said that she was right on the mark. He even showed her some jewelry on his finger to prove it. By the way, Dorrel usually goes by a nickname. Can you believe it-I sat next to Dorrel "Whitey" Herzog, and my 18 year-old "employee" had no clue to who he was.

2. I bought a new book, Blue Like Jazz. So far it is a good read. The author is bringing up some interesting thoughts about his initial perceptions of God.

3. We finally finished painting the nursery. It looks professionally done-6 multicolored stripes above the chairrail, with dark blue below the chairrail.

4. I detest Mango. Nasty flavor, nasty texture. G sure liked it on the grilled shrimp last night. There's nothing like summertime grillin'.

5. Rafael Palmiero needs to come clean with the public/media. We have seen redemption time and time again (ie: Jason Giambi), but it all starts with something more than a really lame comment.

6. I want to see "The Great Raid". Which leads me to another thought. To my knowledge none of my family has been to the Phillipines to see Uncle Jiggs' grave at the American Cemetary in Manila. This is totally understandable given the huge distance from Here to There. I would like to visit there to pay my respects. He was my Dad's uncle that was KIA in the Philippines. I obtained some interesting records/letters about him thanks to AA & UK.

Part III

Waking up at 5:30 is no easy task. Waking up at 5:30 from a comfortably warm tent is even more of a challenge-but not so much when you "gotta go". My first thought was that it probably was chilly. I was right-but only a bit o' chill to the bones. It was a downright awesome looking day. Pull on my shorts, lace up my boots, sit in Harry's hooptie (seat heaters), and munch down a Power Bar and Starbucks Double Shot Espresso before taking to the trail.

We all loaded up in my beater, and headed 1.8 miles up a 4WD trail. It was there that we spied some great campsites for future use. We also went through one of the most beautiful Aspen groves in memory (pictures are coming). Ahhh...the beautiful sky, the smell of pine, and great views. Heaven on earth.

The trek up Mt Elbert took us along a steadily uphill trail that ended with a great view after 4 miles, and 4,100' vertical. The only miscalculation was that Aaron and I thought we would drink more water. We overloaded our packs with mostly water/Gatorade. I guess better safe than sorry. Mark hustled the last 20 yards to be the first to summit, while Harry and Michelle were about 15 minutes behind our pace. There were 50-60 people and a few dogs to greet us at the summit! So much for mountain solitude, and reflective thinking. I have to admit that it was cool to make a few phone calls to G and Dad. Ain't technology great.

The trip downhill was fairly easy. I can report no soreness, broken bones, broken skin, or anything of the like.

After loading up our gear, we headed to Keystone via Vail. We stopped there for a bit to eat, then headed to our condo for a nice soak in the hottub. After that we decided to try and watch one of the all-time stinker movies--Passenger 57. After an hour of making fun of the movie-lights out. We woke at the crack of 3:15am-took showers, and headed home. It was good to see G, and hear about her weekend excursion as well.

Part II

So on to day two. Daylight finally comes after a fitful night dodging spiders in my dreams, and trying to constantly make 2 smallish blankets cover my body. It really wasn't that bad, but the next night will provide more creature comfort. As the daylight wears on, Aaron and I decide to prepare for our golf game by getting tanked up on caffeine. We go to the local bookstore and grab a bit of breakfast and a cup o' joe. After getting the grub, It's off to Harry's to pick him and Mark up. Harry pulls through with a 2 for 1 special. Since Highlands Ranch Golf Club isn't exactly bargain-basement, this really hits the spot.

Fast forward 4 1/2 hours and we finish up on the 18th. Nothing of note, but golfing there brings back a flood of memories. Between some fairways and holes, there are a few bike/hiking trails that G and I used to ride on. The last time Harry and I played there, a hawk swooped down full speed in front of us, and picked up a baby rabbit. That little rabbit sure got the ride of his life. He was hanging down like a torpedo (head first), screaming like he knew that rabbit was on the menu. Anyway, back to the story...

After golfing we hurried to the grocery store, and to dole out baby gifts to Mark/Tracy, as well as Jimmy. Unfortunately his office was closed, so we'll have to mail them out to him and Jenna. Once the gifts were delivered and babies kissed, it was off to Twin Lakes. Keep in mind I have a 10 year old Tahoe. Once we hit I-70, Harry passed me like I was an Amish donkey cart. Also keep in mind that he drives the quintesential pimped-out Escalade, referred to as The Hooptie. Rapper slang for a decked out car. The only thing that ride needs is some Spinners, and he would be legit. After finally passing him, and leading the way, we make our way to Leadville.

It turns out that they had the streets blocked off, and were celebrating "Boom Days". I'm not sure what that is, but it was a big deal for that town. After navigating the detours, it was off to Twin Lakes to stake our claim, and set up our tents. We drove around and found the perfect camp site for all 4 tents. Once this task of putting up the tents was accomplished, it was time to test the gastronomical highlights that Leadville offered. We found a great Mexican food restaurant/bar, and proceeded to have a feast on chips and salsa. After that, our meals were served-I had Huevos Rancheros with green chile sauce. Just the meal to get you started on a huge hike.

After we meandered our full bellies back to the campsite, we were greeted by some friendlies-Chris, Landon & The Boys. They were there to fish, while we were there to merely conquer the 2nd highest peak in the lower 48. We chatted for an hour or so, and stood there with necks outstretched-marveling at the stars. You are certainly missing out if you've never experienced stargazing at 10k feet. God's creation is marvelous. The starry view was even better when I ventured out of the tent in the middle of the night, to heed nature's call. The funny thing is that when we went to bed, Aaron and I were still full of jokes.

More later.....

The Trip --- Part I

A month or so ago, I decided to travel back to CO and climb a 14er. This trip really had 2 objectives. With the latter being mentioned, the primary reason was to see friends left behind 20 months ago.

OK, so here we go. I picked up Aaron at 5am on the dot. He kissed his sweet wife goodbye, and off we went. I met Aaron at church, and somehow we have hit it off. He is a great guy, and we share the same sense of humor. It just so happens that he grew up in SW MO-just like yours truly. Here we are motoring along I-70 trying to "feel one another out", since we haven't had the chance to spend much 1on1 time (with the exception of golfing 9 holes).

We both brought IPods, so we started out sharing music we like. This is where we differ (ie: Tomatoe, Tomato). He (like Benny's Uncle) likes Bluegrass. He also likes fringe southwestern flavored music, and Gospel. After listening to his selections, I still haven't embraced Bluegrass or Gospel. There's some definite talent there, but I prefer not to hear someone belt out nasaly, falsetto, yodels. In the background, it always sounds like some coot on speed is hammering away on a banjo-like he is experiencing hillbilly nirvana. Regarding Gospel. I can appreciate it, but just find it ....we'll...boring. I'll take Contemporary Christian any day. One bright spot was a band called "The Shins". They have a great song called "New Slang". Liked it so much, that I went out and bought the CD today. This is definitely 2 thumbs up.

So here we are, driving in the dark across I-70 listening to tunes and just talking. Around KC the A/C pulls a Ricky Williams. It just quits. Taking it in stride, we crack the windows and keep chatting. We talk about life, family, likes, dislikes, crack jokes, and share thoughts on Hot Button Issues such as Stem Cell Research (adult and embryonic), and The Death Penalty. I think there are great possibilities with researching adult stem cells, and am starting to sway on my traditional death penalty stance. I realize there always needs to be consequences for actions, but it's getting harder to endorse the death penalty. It's fine that it is "on the books", but my preference would be to not push it. Despite the fact that Jesus was a victim of Capital Punishment, It just seems contrary to the overall message Christ was living out. If you believe in capital punishment, that is fine. Stick to your beliefs.

So back to the drive. We end up getting to DEN after 12 1/2 hours. It was great to be back. The first thing before heading to L&L's house was to drive by our old house. No changes. 20 kids playing in the street. We even had one girl riding her bike giving us the evil eye, because The Tahoe dared to tread on her street while she pedaled away with her friends.

Once getting to L&L's, we set out to Colorado Hacienda. I had a hankering for Chile Rellenos. With that checked off my To Do list, we went back to hang out. We played foosball, Tiger Woods Golf, and JL came over to say howdy. He is a great guy that I really miss. Aaron and I planned on sleeping downstairs. I gave him the bedroom, and I planned on sleeping on the couch. That was until I saw a little brown spider (non-poisonous). They scare me, so I ended up sleeping on the floor with 2 little blankets-as far away from the couch as possible. I'm such a wimp with spiders. I even tried to breathe shallow as to not create much heat-thinking that spiders are attracted to warmth. How crazy is that.?...I'm trying to figure out which is worse. Brown Spiders or Bluegrass.

Hot Hot Hot

Just back from CO, and G is getting back from CHI. Stories coming soon. One note: Driving through Kansas isn't fun when the A/C is not working. Hours spent sitting in a hot seat, with a hot sweaty shirt on, having a hot breeze coming out of the hot vents, drinking hot bottled water....now that is livin' large!

PGN

Today we finally made it to the PGN stage of the adoption process. The Guatemalan gov't has 30 days in which to kick out our application. For whatever crazy reason, it is expected to be "kicked back" at least once. Each rejection pushes back the entire ordeal 20-30 days. It's hard to believe we are stepping closer and closer to getting Benny. Just to think of the things we need to do between now and then almost seems overwhelming. We'll just keep plugging along. The bedroom isn't finished, and the bathroom is in a shambles. I guess things could be worse.

On to other things. We played b-ball last night, and it's a good thing I brought my key. Everybody was waiting in the parking lot, since the "usuals" weren't there to open up.

As the 2nd oldest player, I was again left to guard the oldest-Harvey. Harvey is 62 years old, and a workhorse. He frustrates me on the court because of his defense. That guy can block out the basket with some power (like George). Harvey was getting the best of me, so I went back to my all-time favorite tactic. That would be to run around like crazy to wear him down. I think it worked, and I was even able to get a few clean-up shots in the process. That goes to show you that hustle can take the place of skill.

The running around tactic does have it's price when going "in the paint" with some speed. While it is true that I came with the key, I left with a shiner on my left eye, and a sore neck from getting "an adjustment" from a big ballplaying Hoss from Texas. Incidentally he went to high school with Mark Clayton (former OU standout), but nonetheless detested my OU shirt. I guess he thought that it was a big red bullseye.