Film at 11 . . .

"Film at 11" as far as I know basically means "there's more to the story that will come later" or in the case of my most recent comment it means "my brain too feels like meatloaf but i have to write something but can't spend the time to do it now".

Still interested? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_at_eleven

Okay, in my last post i was not looking forward to the first air trip we were going to take with our girls. As usual my expectations were completely dashed to bits, which in this case was a good thing. The girls were little angels as usual. Samantha cried for about fifteen minutes in the plane then promptly went to sleep for most of the trip. Allison had fun looking out the window and then falling asleep fifteen minutes before we landed. A few minor (and usual) headaches, but overall very good. Thanks for your prayers.

We were flying to Chicago to visit April's sister and her family. We had a good time while there. It was good for Allison to see her four cousins for another time and on their own turf. They have a nice house with a yard and a swingset. Friday night we went to a local park that had a nice play ground. To the left, you can see Sammie enjoying herself in a swing at that park. I think this might have been her first "big" swing. She apparently loved it.


Saturday morning seemed like the only time we were going to get to go into the city. So we took the chance and the train and the sidewalk to go to Millennium Park which is by the Art Institute of Chicago. At the entrance to the park they have this very large, strange art fountain thing (see right). This fountain was a very large area of what looked like black granite with these two towers on either end comprised of glass blocks. Water flowed over the top of these towers on all four sides until, at an unannounced time, the water on the sides facing each other would stop and the video image of a face would appear filling up the entire side of this 50' tower. These faces just sat there with these creepy grins on their lips. It looked like while they were videoing these faces someone was behind the camera telling jokes but the model knew they couldn't laugh, so they ended up with these tight-lipped smiles. They'd smile at each other for about 5 minutes then close their eyes, pucker their lips and proceed to "spit" on any pour soul who, by mistake or on purpose, is standing under them. Very weird, kinda creepy, but neat to see.

Another thing at the park was what the kids called "the bean". This was really cool. It was as if the artist had been a fan of "Flight of the Navigator" as a kid and wanted to try and reconstruct the space ship from the movie but ended up with a legume instead of an intergalactic transportation device. Oh well, better luck next time. This thing was perfectly smooth with no visible seams. Besides the hand print of many a tourist touching it and the poop prints of many a sea gull pooping on it, it was beautifully reflective. When you walked underneath and looked up it was like looking into a reflective whirlpool, very neat.

So Saturday afternoon it started raining and didn't stop really until we left on Tuesday. I helped my brother in law keep his house from falling apart with a few handyman skills, and April had a good time helping her sister with a quilt. All in all it was a good trip. At ERW in NJ it was pouring when we deplaned and our gate-checked stroller and car seat were soaked, and we had a 2-hour drive ahead of us. We complained, but why bother, people either blame shift, say there was nothing they could do, or ignore you all together. Oh well, we're alive.

That's about the end of my book, where are The Other Brownes? Too busy filming I guess, hope you get your movie done on time!

Quick Dave Update #2

Sarah and I are up in Vermont for a few weeks, here. Back in Steeplebush for the first time in two years or so. Feels like old times: traveling up and down the route between our house and the Vogelzang's house about fifteen times a day. It's funny how places can mess with your mind; at times I feel 27, the father of two children (not too hard to forget these days!), etc. Then, I'll be standing in my old bedroom, opening the closet or something, and bam--I might as well be twelve or seventeen in that moment. Also makes you think of all the changes that have come (or come and gone) since I was last living in this place. The jobs I've had, the schools I've attended, the marriage, the kids, the dog. No, wait, scratch the dog. Just got carried away with the momentum of it all, you know?

I see from the "contributers" section that this is (theoretically) being read by "The Other Brownes". Hi Adam! Hi Renee! Hope you two are doing well!

I have more to say, but my brain feels miles away from my eyes, and its seeming to move in an erraticly sized and paced counter-clockwise orbit back there in la la land. Or is it my eyes, moving in a clockwise orbit up here in al al land? Have I gone completely nuts? Most likely. It's just what seems to be happening. Seriously though; that's how it feels. And it feels like my brain is a piece of meatloaf to boot. I'm really tired, and I should go to bed (manifestly so, yes?).

Preparing to travel....with kids.

At the end of this week April and I are going to be ripping our two young daughters out of their cozy beds at about 3:30 AM and shuffling them off to Buffalo. Actually to Newark, NJ where we will wait in a line that shouldn't be moving so slowly to get a ticket to wait in another line before the nice young men with the wands make you strip down to your gutchies and laugh at you because they can stay fully clothed. Then we do some more waiting until it's our turn to board a plane where - you guessed it - we wait some more! This is the best waiting time because you never know how long it's REALLY going to be. You could wait there for minutes, or maybe hours...who knows. This is a great time to get to know your seat neighbor before he clubs you with his complimentary pillow (which the stewardess was so kind to give him to sleep while we waited).

Kids aren't great at waiting. Anyone who knows kids knows this. My kids are probably some of the more blessed with patience, but they too have their breaking points. You know it's hit Allison when every little thing makes her cry. She'll bump her elbow on a pillow, "Ahhh... AHhhhh.... WAHHHHHHHHH!"

"What's wrong?" April or I will ask.
"I (sob) bonked (sob) my elbow! (SOBBBB)", she'll reply.
"Oh! let me see!" we'll comfort, "All better!"

At this point we get a look from her that says, "I'm not really hurt, but I'm still grumpy and I'm gonna let you know it". Then her cry will change to a sound I can only relate to the engine a 1988 Volvo station wagon trying to start on a -25 degree Vermont morning, "ahug . . .augh. . .augh. . . "etc.

"Allie, stop crying. you're fine." this, along with some sort of distraction will usually do the trick.

So all this is to say . . . please pray for me and my family as we fly from NJ to Chicago and Back again in five days. Pray for Patience all around, and for protection to boot. thanks.

Quick Dave Update #1

Things have really picked up here the last few days. Yesterday, I was thinking about my old employer in Wheaton, J. David Schmidt and Associates. They are a go-to small company that helps big Christian non-profits do plan for big projects/changes as well as for getting heavy lifting things done. Anyway, I was thinking to myself, "I wonder if I'll ever hear from or get more work from them again". See, half a year ago, they called me out of the blue, and had a bunch of writing for me to do. Which was cool. Well, crazy thing is, they did call me yesterday, after I had that thought, and had a bunch of editing and writing for me to do. So that's that. An interesting story about thinking about things that are about to happen. I'm never sure what to make of it, since it happens on a somewhat regular but random basis. I think it's one way the Lord accents for me that everything I have is a pure gift from him. When he alerts me to something like this (a job opportunity, an old friendship brought to life, etc.) before it happens, it is as if he's reminding me that I have nothing to do with the orchestrations that bring me provision and joy. He is God, I am not. He gives, I serve and share. He is life, I am living. These are good things to remember.

Hey, so have you done anything about that idea of bringing worship to the home-bound members of your congregation? Don't give up on that; it's a good idea.

Anyway, mostly just wanted to say hi and give this blog more momentum!

Hey, this is the first time I've published a Blog, it's a new experience. I'm trying to get my picture here.....



....Sweet! You were right Dave, this HTML Code stuff is pretty interesting... much like that roundabout you posted... very confusing to an out-of-town'er, but if you drive it every day, it's at least navigable. (is that evn a word?)

i'm gonna go hit the AC, i'm dripping on my keyboard.

The beautiful bisected round-about

Thought I'd find that beautiful illustration of MA DOT insanity for ya. Oh, and the business at about 10:30 isn't just any business; it's a small car dealership. You can find this by starting at Lynn, MA and following 1A down until it comes quite close to 60.