Thoughts on Patriotism and celebrating the 4th...

Patriotism Revisited...
So, I've started commenting on this idea a few times now, but just haven't found the words to express it quite right.
First, let me 'splain. (**Cue the dream sequence harp music to signify some sort of time warp and/or disclaimer). I came darn close to joining the military on at least a couple of occasions in my life. I got several persuasive and persistent calls from recruiters after I scored in the upper ***th percentile on the ASVAB in High School and was promised quite a bit should I decide to join. I have also thought about it on several other occasions. Needless to say, I love our country, feel very patriotic and proud and have defended our countries honor (at least verbally) while on foreign soil; As it happens, I had the occasion to exchange fairly harsh words with a South African park ranger/tour guide while exploring a cave in the Mpumalanga province This park ranger made nasty comments about US taxes and needing to fund the "War Machine" - kinda cheesed me off - so, I felt the need to set him straight about what we are really fighting for. At any rate - I am a patriot - true-blue, red-blooded, proud, "ugly American." End of preface****

One thing that breaks my heart is how I recall that after 9-11 so many Americans came back home to the church, as if they realized that they knew they were missing something and knew where they could find it. One of my favorite worship songs ("We will embrace Your move" by Darrell Evans) contains the words - "to those who've rejected Him, He's reaching His arms out again..." That one line really summed up what was happening across the U.S. in the weeks following the 9-11 tragedy. The problem is, for many what they found in the church was not the true answer, but rather a call to patriotism. In a word - we are guilty as a nation of substituting patriotism for a geniune relationship with Christ.
Don't get me wrong - many churches get it right day after day, week after week, solidly preaching and living out the message of hope through a true relationship with Jesus. But why hasn't the church really grown in the wake of such tragedy? One thing we are guilty of is that as a church in generl, we have allowed people to buy into the lie that just being a "good" and patriotic American citizen, that God will bless and protect them, and somehow they will earn a spot for themselves beyond the "pearly gates" when they die.
What is the answer? I certainly wouldn't propose that we become ashamed of our heritage or anything but exceptional. My point is, I think it is a tragedy in itself that in many instances the church has somehow missed the opportunity to bring people the true message of hope. We Americans willingly settle for patriotism instead of the grace, forgiveness and true sense of purpose that can only be found in a relationship with Jesus.

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Other intersting stuff!!!!! (To me anyway...)
Just keeping up with tradition here, but I found it interesting that Joey Chestnut won his FOURTH coveted Yellow Mustard Belt in the 95th annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, held at Coney Island, N.Y. Read more about it here.
Apparently, this years' competition was a bit easier for Chestnut who ate just 54 dogs to defend his title. He set a new world's record last year downing 68 dogs and buns in 10 minutes. The REAL excitement occurred a few minutes after the competition was over when former 6-time winnner (and Chestnut's arch-rival) Takeru Kobayashi (who couldn't compete due to contractual restrictions) tried to rush the stage and was apprehended by police and subsequently taken into custody. Phew! Talk about your sour grapes (or weenies?). Better luck next year Kobayashi!

In Other News...
We had a great day with Kimberly and the boys. We ate dinner (Bratz, Pulled Pork and LOTS of other great stuff). We then went to a concert where Christopher and Clayton played with a commuity band at the Gazebo in Community Park. Cool Stuff.
Later it was fireworks at Nichols park with Darian, Erica, Beth, Cameron and Austin (Bryce stayed home with a sneezing fit - alergies?) At any rate - I'm pooped!

Just a Quickie...

I've started several posts in the last couple of weeks, but just haven't finished anything. They started out much more boringly than this one will prove to be if you can believe it!

For now, here's an update of what's going on - for my faithful 2 readers. (Hi, Jason, Hi hon.)

Soccer has started - and my boys have got some skills. I enjoyed 2 great games on Saturday. It was cool out, and there were some clouds - then it got sunny and hot and my nose burst into flames (not really - but it is now much redder than usual - which is generally pretty red, as I have a mild case of rosacea.....)

Youth Worship Team is now in full swing - This is pretty exciting, as I have now been given the awesome responsibility of corrupting or otherwise ruining the musical future of about 10 young people (two of which are my sons and one is my neice). They are all pretty awesome! Last night was their first time leading at a youth meeting - they did great!

Mom is now in her own place - As of last Tuesday night my mom has officially moved out. This is bitter-sweet. She found a cute little house and we spent last weekend moving ALL of her stuff from storage - whew! We are excited for her, but we kind of already miss seeing her all the time. I am sure she's enjoying the peace and quiet.

That's it for now. (yawn!)

Happy Birthday!

Just a few years ago (ahem!) on this day, August 20th Fronia G. Sellers gave birth to Beth. Her name is Beth - short for Beth.

(I always say that's all her parents could afford).

Now *a few years later*, we know and love her as wife, mom, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister & friend.

What can I say except, my life and the lives of our 4 boys have been blessed by her presence. She is a WONDERFUL mother to them, and always attentive. I especially admire how she looks for and makes the most of opportunities to help prepare them for life in the "real" world. (They will appreciate it someday!)

Also, I am proud to say that She is my best friend.

I love you!

Happy Birthday Beth!

Having Fun!

Soooo, my mom and neices are out from California. So far, we're having a blast!

Yesterday (after church in the A.M. - more about that at a later date) we went to an indoor rock climbing place.

It's a really cool converted grain silo in Rochester (just outside of Springfield. Almost all the kids made it to the top of the 65ft. wall. Me and Beth learned how to "Balay" - a fancy term for "Holding the ropes while the others climb."


Then we went to a movie (the Simpsons). The movie was exactly what you'd expect - it was the Simpsons!

We then came home, ate pizza and played poker/watched movies etc...
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This morning Allison (eldest neice) and Darian (eldest son) went to a college day thingie at Illinois College and the other two neices went fishing with me and Austin.

We caught a few (mostly little ones), and I freed the two smallish-sized catfish I caught.









Austin lost his flip-flops (can't imagine how!)

More to come.

Beware! Vampires are about.....beware!

So, this weekend we were out at Nichols Park for my niece, Mishka's birthday party. The sky was blue, the birdies were singing - and the buffalo gnats were biting us and sucking our blood!

I don't know much about these suckers except that they get into your face very aggressively, and they occasionally bite. On some people they leave big welts. There were some young ones present (a 5 month old little boy, plus my nieces - Mishka is just 1 yr.) Needless to say when we saw one of these parasites chewing on Mishka we decided that was it, our outdoor party was cut short. We invited everyone to our place instead. Not quite the same, but we did have a good time.



As for the Buffalo Gnat (also known as the Black Fly), they are in abundance this year. As a reminder, I work for a pest control company and we simply tell everyone that there is not much you can do about them. If you are like most people you find this quite disheartening. Imagine how I felt yesterday telling everyone - "...well, they will eventually die off...I think." These critters are usually associated with horses - or they can be found indoors in areas where there has recently been a lot of moisture. In that case you can fog em'. Outdoors - wear some repellant and pray.



But fear not - they will die off - and soon, we will be invaded by Cicadas!

Inevitable Irony...

Today was absolutely gorgeous! The sun was shining, the birdies were singing - and I actually had a day off!!!!!


I took my son Cameron out for a drive in our van, (he's not ready for a clutch yet - and my Jeep isn't quite ready for him yet either.) We had a little excitement trying to execute a quick 3-point turn. It would have been a legal turn but...then it got ugly. I believe one guy who waited for us was very religious - he gave us some kind of one-way sign as he passed us. (Story for another day.) In spite of that, Cameron is doing quite well and is becoming a very safe and conscientious driver.





Then, I took my son Bryce out for a bit. With the weather being so nice I thought it would be fun to take the top down on my Jeep but, it needed washing first (don't want to stow a dirty top). So off we went to the do-it-yerself car-washing place. We got her all sparkly clean, vacuumed and what not. I then pulled in front of my house, brought a few things inside and when I got back out to make my Jeep a convertible - SPLAT! - on the canvas top. Some dumb bird bombed my nice newly-cleaned Jeep.



Now that's cruel irony!

Soggy day alert...

So, today was my Friday off right? A couple of things thwarted my usual plans of lounging around in my jammies and robe for 8 hours by myself. Namely:

It rained.

Also, the kids were home - no school today.

I know, I probably sound whiney and selfish - cause I am. I just can't seem to get a good day alone. Sigh. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE my family - love every minute I spend with them - but sometimes it is nice to have just a few hours of QUIET! They're BOYS for crying out loud.




We did make the best of it, however.






We had some fun last night - played hold-em with my two youngest till about midnight - since they weren't going to school the next day. Yes, you read it right - I played cards with my kids till MIDNIGHT. They're 8 and 11. My 11-year old whooped on me. He kept getting these crazy hands. Today, we slept in. Later on we'll cook some kind of dead animal and chow down. We rented some movies and bought some ice cream too! Lovely day off. And yes, I am enjoying my time off WITH my family.

In a dry and thirsty land...

We were on a long journey. Many in our party were tired and hungry. But we pressed on. We were on a mission. We had seen some interesting wildlife along the way - many carrion birds, dangerous reptiles, even large primates. Off in the distance we spotted a tiger. It was too far away for now to be any threat to us, and so we pressed on toward a more important and immediate goal. We had to find water, and fast!

Some locals directed us to what had once been a fairly reliable water source - but to no avail. It was dry. Away from the comforts of home we became painfully aware of our plight. We would normally take these most basic things for granted - but not now. The younger ones in our group were in dire straits. They were seriously fatigued, in need of shade, rest and especially water.

Just ahead, up at the crest of a small hill there appeared to be signs of life-giving water. However, it would be costly. I had no idea just how costly until....I read these signs:

$3.00 bottle!!!!! What a rip-off!

The St. Louis Zoo is a very big place. Not a bad deal either. It has free admission - and if you want to pay, there are some neat attractions - a train ride, a prehistoric simulator and lots of other stuff. However, there is one teensy fly in the ointment. They DON'T have any water fountains that work! We looked long and hard most of the day to even find a water fountain. Then, when we found it - it was turned off for the winter! The cycle repeated itself with every fountain we came across.

Water bottles are expensive - like $3- so what is a large group supposed to do? We sent two of our kids to the car of course and carried it in ourselves. Hey, any responsible safari leader would pack water in for his team don't ya think!

Aside from nearly dying of thirst before we got to the gorilla exibit we had a great time!

You know what I hate? Car shopping...

In light of our recent loss (the now world famous Geo-mobile) I thought I'd fill you in on the process of replacing her.

But first let me explain something. I absolutely loathe buying cars. Period. Why? In a word - SALESMEN! You have your three basic types.

First, there's the guy with the comb-over and checkered blazer who seems so utterly desparate to make a sale that he'll tell you whatever you want to hear. He'll follow you out to your car, and try to get your work phone number so he can bug you till you buy something. (ew!)

Next, we encountered the exact opposite - the guy who wouldn't even come to the door half the time when we popped by to test drive a car my son was really interested in. It made me think his whole car lot was just some sort of mafia front - or tax scheme or something. ZERO customer service. Did he even want to sell a car? (Double-ew!)

Finally, there was the good-smelling, slick, over-dressed Alec Baldwin-type guy who just gave us the creeps. This guy had a cheezy shiny gold watch, a shiny gold bracelet, a couple of shiny gold rings and a really nice trenchcoat over his really nice suit. (Did I mention the shiny gold diamond tie tack?) Something gave me the impresssion that this guy had no trouble asking for the sale! He may have been slightly over-paid!

The bottom line - who can you trust? No matter how good the deal is (or you think it is) you always feel like you're getting the shaft, so to speak.

So, I've learned to compensate for these sales-type guys. I become a complete jerk!

My son saw me in action. His jaw hit the floor. Here's how it goes.

Them: Hello sir - can we get you into a car today? Watcha lookin' for?
Me: When I find it, I'll tell you.

Them: Well, we have a fine assort.....
Me: I'm just looking, I'll be back if there's anything I'm interested in. Go stand over there until I need you.

Them: No problem, I'll be right over here.....just call me if you have any questions.
Me - after looking around: O.K. here's what we want - 97 or newer, less than 100k miles - under $X,000.00 - what have you got?

Them: Uh, well, uh, let me get the manager......uh..
Me: Awe, c'mon, I know it can be done? Do you want to sell a car or not?

Them: Who are you?
Me: I'm a tough customer - I know what I want, I know what can and can't be done.

Them: Yes sir - you are........(under their breath, ##@@)

And, after shopping a little bit we got what we wanted - though I still lie awake at nights wondering if I couldn't have gotten a little better deal. Hmm.

Here's to political in-correctness & the age of innocence...

In case you haven't yet heard, there is currently a big flap over a recent comment Ann Coulter made during a speach at a big conservative P.A.C. fundraiser. If you haven't heard about it yet, turn on the news or look at MSNBC.com, as well as everywhere else.

Let it be known that I am one for free speech, and I'm also certainly no fan of Sen. Edwards. I personally could care less what she called him. However, I have a few problems with Ms. Coulter's remarks:

• A. Since it has been widely publicized, an ever-increasing segment of the population who normally wouldn't have been in tune to this sort of thing now believe that she is speaking on behalf of ALL us "bigoted" conservatives. (*Please see footnote)


• 2. My in-laws have now joined in on this discussion.


• 2.1 Ann Coulter was being at least dishonest while not really being all that funny (No I don't think Ann Coulter REALLY thinks the Hon. Sen. Edwards is actually fruity.)

My wife an I popped in on her dad earlier this evening just as the news came on that Ann Coulter had actually used the "F" word in reference to the aforementioned would-be Democratic presidential nominee. He then proceeded to ask the Mrs. in-law what said "F" word meant. She proceeded to look said "F" word up in the dictionary.

We were all delighted to find out that:

• A "Fagot" can be any peice of burning wood.


• It can refer to any peice or bundle of wood "intended" for burning.


• It is sometimes used in reference to a peice or bundle of iron also intended for shaping in the fire.


• It is at times used as a slang synonym for a lit cigarette.


• However - you have to add another "G" to it (in their older dictionary) in order to arrive at Ms. Coulters' intended definition.

Needless to say, my wife and I had a very entertaining few minutes bringing her parents up to speed with present day political in-correctness.

Ah, to be their age and innocent again!


Footnotes and other "addenda"

No, of course I don't think it's o.k. to call anybody a fxxxot or anything else you have to censor or substitute letters for (unless of course you know your audience, it's funny, and..... oh, nevermind, just ask Michael Richards how well that works out....) Also, please see me personally if you would like to have a serious, straightforward honest discussion about the gay lifestyle - i'd be a fool to publish my views in this type of forum - I might get creamed from both sides.

Saying "goodbye" to an old friend...

1991 - 2007

For those who know me you might remember my trusty ol' Geo-mobile. This vehicle - a silver, 1991', 4-door, 3-cylinder hatchback was "blessed" to our family through a friend back in 2000' - with just under 60k miles on it.

There was NOTHING wrong with it - except that occasionally the no. 1 spark plug would loosen up and you'd have to tighten it about once every 3 weeks.

Well, after 6+ years and 100k++++ more miles, plus 2 (- count-em') 2 clutches it was finally time to let it go.

My eldest had been driving it - it was still reliable, though it had seen better days. Then finally, our 3-cylinder hot-rod turned into a 2-cylinder lawnmower. It was toast! For the cost of fixing it, we could buy another one just like it in better condition. Alas, the end of an era.

I realize, I have nothing cutesy to say - no bit of wit or wisdom. I am still mourning the loss of my second (or third)-favorite car (my all-time favorite was a 76' pinto - a story for another time). My current favorite is my Jeep! (You'll hear more about it too!)

I'll leave you with these parting thoughts on the Geo Metro stolen from Taylor Mason, one of our favorite "clean" comedians:

• The Geo Metro - a Three cylinder Car - Three cylinders. It's the only car where you can sit in the drivers seat and touch all four windows without even trying.
• You can't even kill anybody with it - I know, I've tried. The worst you can do is give somebody a bad rash on the calf.
• I love my Geo, you stop at the gas station, put in a thimble-full, get back on the road for another 400 miles.

I'll definitely miss you, my little "Geo-mobile."