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Rainy Day Adventures!

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 By 3 Comments

Happy Tuesday!

What a yesterday that was… a rainy day in Ocracoke turned into our best day at the beach so far. We just wouldn’t quit… we were out for memories, refusing to get back on that ferry without them!

We ate lunch at some nifty neato pavilion style café… delicious! Found a map of the island… and explored the roads we have never been on. We went to shops we had never heard of… EVEN ATE CRICKETS! Yes, real crickets… all five of us! (photo)

I was the last to go, whining like a little girl as the golden brown insect landed onto the surface of my petrified tongue. In half a second, the little fellow was expeditiously transported over to my right chompers section… and CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH… swallow!

The worse part of the experience for me were those few lingering legs that failed to go down on the first few swallows… and the EYE BALL I pulled up with the tip of my tongue… they were lodged in between my cheek and jaw. But hey, we’re the coolest parents EVER according to our kids! lol

We went to a very fun candy store called Candyland… it was a kids paradise… a chucky paradise too! (photo)

After all the shopping, we headed for the beach IN THE RAIN… got to the beach, and the rain had stopped! Coree, Heaven, and I surfed for a few hours while Elizabeth and Emily shell shopped along the shore.

All three of us caught MANY NICE WAVES… and didn’t stop till way past shark feeding time. A couple beside us claimed they saw a fin… said it was like 4 feet wide and 3 feet high! (yeah right!) So we kept surfing, even though shivers went down our spines ever time a piece of seaweed drifted into our legs!

After surfing, we joined the shell-shopping excursion… and together we found TEN SAND DOLLARS… Emily was the winner with SIX… I found TWO… Heaven and Elizabeth found ONE each… Coree found ZERO but he was HAPPY for the rest of us!

My inspiration message:

Your best vacation day EVER can come on a RAINY DAY! So when the storm clouds gather, and you’re not able to do stay on ROUTINE… look for map a MAP! Journey out beyond the well-beaten path, to the PLACES YOU’VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE!

Maybe there’s a life lesson here. Maybe, so many of life’s real TREASURES are found on the DETOURS. Maybe the storms come to force us OFF routine… to prod us onto a NEW ADVENTURE!

So instead of complaining about detours, we should LOOK FOR THE ADVENTURE… refusing to experience anything less than the TIME OF OUR LIVES!

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes EVERYTHING to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them!

I hope today’s blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! Please leave your comments and have a super day! Ohh… and don’t forget to follow our vacation on twitter and facebook! God bless you all!

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The Dinosaur Claw Machine!

Sunday, July 12th, 2009 By 3 Comments

Happy Sunday!

Yesterday was an eventful vacation day! At the ocean, Emily caught a decent sized FLOUNDER with her BARE HANDS! Then, we saw a LARGE fish in the break… something like 5 feet long and dark, never saw a fin, but it did drive us out of the water pretty fast! 

Last night, we went to the arcade at the old Buxton Drive in (don’t know the new name)… played a dinosaur claw game where you can claw little dinosaurs and win them! Well, you know my family… they were ALL OVER THIS MACHINE! 

All of us were taking turns at winning these little plastic dinosaurs… a game clearly intended for kids 6 and under! I became Emily’s hero when I won the GIGANTIC Tyrannosaurus Rex! (photo)

The funniest moment came when Coree won the DINOSAUR HE ALWAYS WANTED… and he was all smiley faced… until he went to RELEASE the prize… and IT WAS STUCK IN THE CLAW!

The machine is NOISY… it has dinosaur background music… and the claw lever opens and closes aggressively! The whole arcade knew we were there!

After Coree’s dinosaur got stuck, we all took turns at trying to shake it loose. It cost us $.50 for each try… 50 cents of HILARIOUS vacation entertainment! Finally it was my turn. Coree (my 18 year old son) gave me that look like, “Please DADDY, set my dinosaur FREE!” 

So I dropped in my 2 quarters… waited for the right moment, hit the button to lower the claw, and shook the claw until it seemed like I had broken Coree’s dinosaur loose AND captured ANOTHER one! The seconds ran out and the claw rose most triumphantly, up into the air… YES… there were two prizes heading for the exit drop… I was SO PROUD! 

Down on my knees, face lit up, working my dinosaur claw magic… all the CHEERING… it was the proudest moment of my life! lol The time had come… so I maneuvered the lever to release the dinosaurs just like I was supposed to… AND… ONLY ONE PRIZE DROPPED… the one Coree wanted was STILL STUCK in the claw! (photo)

What happened next… you HAD TO BE THERE to UNDERSTAND why we all laughed SO HARD that tears were STREAMING down our faces! Something happened in my mind… I suppose my parental defense mechanism kicked in… and all I can remember was the look on my sons face as all his hopes were smashed on the cold hard floor of that heartless arcade! 

Everything started moving in slow motion… as I violently shook the dinosaur claw machine lever maybe 100 times in 10 seconds! No, I didn’t break the machine. I just knew that if I shook it long enough… Coree’s dinosaur would DROP! Come on… DROP DINOSAUR… DROP… DROP NOW! Everyone was CHEERING… it was absolute pandaemonium! This was the DEFINING moment of my 18 years of parenting… AND… no matter how hard and long I rocked the machine… this evil dinosaur WOULD NOT DROP! 

I walked out of that arcade defeated last night… but this VACATION IS NOT OVER YET! 

Sorry… there’s nothing spiritual about todays blog… but hey, it’s Sunday and we get to go to CHURCH! Maybe you can make the 10am service at Destiny Family Center… or catch it LIVE on the internet! Hope I made you guys SMILE this morning… please leave your comments and HAVE A SUPER DAY!

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The Mighty Force of a Parents Influence!

Friday, July 10th, 2009 By 4 Comments

Happy Friday!

Had a super day at the beach yesterday. Was ahead 14 to 2 in a horseshoes game… ended up losing. Since our opponents were Emily’s brothers Jeff and Wayne (two of the MOUTHIEST boys of the South)… losing that game was the biggest stress of my vacation day!

That’s ok… today is rematch day and I’m gonna make those Wall boys wish they had finished vacation a day early! Yes, I’m talkin trash… just a bunch of wind… not very confident in my ability to even things up… PLEASE pray for me… you JUST DON’T KNOW what it’s like to LOSE anything to these guys! lol

On a more spiritual note… I got to spend a really good hour with Coree yesterday evening! It was a QUALITY father son conversation… started out discussing a book I’m reading… and the conversation drifted to the subject of reaching people for Christ and growing a youth ministry. I was shocked at the brilliance of Coree’s ideas! It was obvious to me that he had been thinking this through for much longer than anyone could have known.

I’ve been so BLESSED this vacation to see how BEAUTIFUL all these family kids are turning out. Elizabeth, Timothy, Kelsey, Sarah, Jamie, Victoria, Christopher… and the others who are not here. They each have such an amazing personality… they love and they care… they smile and they laugh… they adore their parents and their grandparents and their aunts and uncles.

Raising kids can be so stressful at times. We parents get all flustered about how our kids are turning out. Every few years, they go crazy, leaving us to wonder if they are going to stray down some dark path to never return.

Since I now have an 18-year-old son and an ALMOST 17-year-old daughter, I know these fears all too well. Yet, I know the faithfulness of God…

Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Psalm 145:13 For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule throughout all generations. The Lord ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES; he is gracious in all he does.

A PARENTS INFLUENCE is a MIGHTY FORCE! Our kids look up to us more then we know… they value our opinions… they want to see life through the fundamental paradigm we give them. This is what it means to TRAIN a child in the WAY he should go.

Through modeling, and intentional training, we show our children the WAY they SHOULD go… and by FAITH, we leave the rest up to God. Because I’m far from being a perfect parent, I rely on God’s grace to make up the difference… and believe me, it REALLY does!

Today, I want to thank God for helping us raise good children. As mine walk over the threshold into adulthood… I can SEE THAT GOD HAS KEPT HIS PROMISE! We are all so far from being perfect… but there is certain EVIDENCE of God’s HELP.

Maybe your kid is in a crazy phase… just hold on and keep praying… things WILL TURN AROUND FOR YOU! If you’re a young parent… be INTENTIONAL about modeling and training your young ones… for they are your LEGACY! Invest in them! Give them everything you have to give… and RELY ON GOD TO DO THE REST!

I hope today’s blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives!

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The High Risk of Leading the Way!

Thursday, July 9th, 2009 By 3 Comments

Happy Thursday!

Yesterday was an EVENTFUL day… we took the ferry over to Ocracoke Island and had an interesting time. A little stressful at times with so many chiefs and so few Indians! lol

Take a BLAZING hot sun… add a few LONG HOURS OF shop hiking… and a few really good eatery OPTIONS… and then of course, to go to the beach or not go to the beach… and you get a few moderate temper tantrums and a whole lot of whispering… but HEY, we all made it out as friends! Because, “We are FAM… IL.. Y!” (yeah yeah)

The bond of FAMILY really is an amazing thing! I mean think about it… no matter how bad we irritate one another… we NEVER annul ourselves from the FAMILY… we don’t just gather a few family members into an alliance and go make up a new family name… we are ALWAYS ONE FAMILY with ONE FAMILY NAME… bearing with the good the bad and sometimes, the ugly! (A real lesson in love and unity)

As we were wrapping up our Ocracoke excursion, everyone consented to a short stop at the beach… Coree REALLY wanted to swim in the ocean. He was willing to forfeit his ONE REQUEST because he seemed to be one of very few with that desire. But hey, all for one and one for all… David’s vehicle pulled over and told us to lead the way. That’s a SCARY responsibility you guys!

I gulped a few times and proceeded to the BEACH RAMP! Yes, I was going for it… at a VERY HIGH RISK, I was leading a CARAVAN of worn out shoppers on a late day detour… I was taking my son to the beach! All was well… everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Emily got to SHELL SHOP along the shore and I found an UNBROKEN SAND DOLLAR (photo included)… a very rare thing these days, even at Ocracoke. Coree got to swim his little heart out… the ocean was BEAUTIFUL!

We all headed back with SMILY FACES… everyone was whistling while we drove… what a beautiful day this had turned out to be. AND THEN… we neared the FERRY LINE to find the LONGEST BACK UP any of us had ever experienced in all our years of Ocracoke excursioning!

Gulp… gulp… was that tasty Philly Chicken sub I ate at the Jolly Roger Restaurant going to be my last meal EVER! Actually, everyone was graceful… at least to my face. Haha! Who knows, they may be having a CHUCK & COREE OMLET for breakfast RIGHT NOW… and DAVE is going to read this blog! (Maybe I should have just LEFT IT ALONE!) lol

Really… the day was beautiful and Em’s family is an absolute PLEASURE! We’ve been vacationing together for 19 years this summer… some of the best days of our lives!

I’m sure some of you guys RELATE with yesterdays tension. You’re smiling and even laughing, because YOU KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT! Oh yes you DO! I pray that every one of your vacations turns out as blessed as ours!

Have a super day everyone… it’s overcast here right now… so who knows what THE MANY HEADED CONCIL will come up with for an itinerary… pray for us! lol

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Our Newest Family Member: Pretty Betty!

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 By 3 Comments

Happy Tuesday!

I’m sitting at the ONE spot on this entire property where we receive an internet signal… the view from here is amazing! As the sun begins to rise, all the colors start to show… a duck swims into view on my right… gliding effortlessly across the calm waters of this peaceful lagoon. An orchestra of birds and bugs, they’re all awake now… beautifying this special moment with their harmonious sounds! A dog barks in the distance… a door opens across the way, a man walks out with his morning coffee, leans over his porch rail… ahh the beauties of a vacation morning!

The weather was rainy and overcast yesterday, so we drove to Nags Head and traded Emily’s surf board… she wanted something far more GIRLIER than her previous MANLY board… didn’t really care much about how well it was built or how well it surfed… Emily was craving a PINK SURF BOARD! 

Her and Coree were arguing on the ride over… Coree wanted Emily to keep the board she already had because he just bought a high performance short board… and he wanted to fall back on her longer board on calm days. Emily was not giving in yesterday… NUT-UHHHHHH! This was her day… the entire Island felt as if all of time had culminated into this very moment! Emily sat behind me on the ride there… head held low, figuring that she would lose her war with Coree and drive back home with her butch board.

I started feeling bad for Emily… even pulled Coree aside at the surf shop and pleaded with him to back off… explaining that I hadn’t seen mom this excited about a material thing in a VERY long time. She had a TWINKLE IN HER EYE… and I wanted to see her SMILE with the enjoyment of her desire.

As we walked up the steps to The Pit Surf Shop, we saw a man carrying the EXACT board Emily wanted… the sissy boy bought a PINK CAMO surf board right out from under my poor little wife. Emily’s bottom lip went out… her pace slowed… and I think there may have been a tiny little tear forming in the bottom of her right eye. 

So we asked the owner if he accepted trades, and showed him what we had… he took us around the store and nothing jumped out until… THERE IT WAS… and with each step in HER DIRECTION, Emily’s face brightened up more and more… she was SMILING SO BIG! 

The owner started firing off all the specs… and Emily just kept looking at me like she had won a million dollars! She didnt care about the specs… it was PINK AND BEAUTIFUL… and it had a name, something like “PRETTY BETTY!” 

On our way back to the vacation home, Emily was leaned forward with both hands on my shoulders… for the ENTIRE RIDE! I just kept looking into the rear view mirror every 30 seconds to see that BEAUTIFUL EMILY SMILE! I live to see her that happy! She’s so much like a little kid in moments like that… the thing I love the most about her! 

Emily told me she wasn’t giving anyone a peak at PRETTY BETTY until today AT THE BEACH… at the glorious PRETTY BETTY coming out celebration! (no photos on the blog site yet… Dave reads the blog) I cant wait to watch her SMILE ALL DAY LONG! Ohh… I forgot to mention the amazing deal she got on the trade. The board she purchased was ON SALE… AND… they gave her a PHENOMENAL trade in value… a difference of LESS THAN $150. 

Not a very spiritual blog today… maybe tomorrow. I pray that the joy of my vacation blesses you with great peace and a new kind of creativity! Have a super duper day everyone! God bless you all!

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