Fence...

Pearl and I have been furiously working on a fence for our backyard, thus one of the main reasons way I have not blogged in a while. We are both really excited about how it’s turning out and surprised that we, 2 kids who have never really built anything, have built a fence that has stood straight and strong for 5 days so far.

This may be presumptuous and a little arrogant, but I’ll say it anyway. We feel like we are making our street better, which was a huge reason we wanted to move into the city to begin with. This silly fence has allowed us to talk with both our neighbors a ton more than normal, and I feel like they are now not only trying to make their house and yards look a little better but I hope they are seeing some reflections of who God is in how we live and love others. I know it’s only a fence, but I feel like it’ strengthening our relationship with those around us.

Here's some pics...

First of all we are both exhausted!

I don’t know why or how but we have both been drained today. I think yesterday took a larger toll on us then we had expected. But needless to say, today was still great!

After leaving the Hotel, which we total veg’ed at this morning, we hit the subway. We realized last night that our choice of shoe for the weekend was not the best for extensive walking so both our feet have been a little tender.

We had a mixed bag of stress, frustration, and laughter but over all a lot of fun exploring and guessing our way through the subway, we some how managed to get on countless wrong trains only to ride a stop and realize we were not going where we wanted.

We eventually made it to Time Square
And returned to our meandering around town.
I have wanted a pair of TOMS for a while now so we explored through the city until we found a retail store that carried them. In case you’re not familiar with what a pair of TOMS is, it’s more than a shoe, it’s a cause. Every time a pair of TOMS are purchased in the States a pair is donated to a child in need. (www.tomsshoes.com)

Due to time we decided to not go to the MET (I felt bad for Pearl cause I think she really wanted to do that, but there’s always next time), and instead to take a carriage ride through central park

(PS – like my new hat? Only $5! This one’s for you Kris and Shamus!)

Our horse was named “blacky” and he seemed to want to race the other carriages through the park. Here is a picture of us going neck and neck.
One thing interesting about “blacky” was that he was originally from Lancaster.
“blacky” took us by the building that Ghostbusters was filmed in, and our driver had tons of stories about all the films he had seen being filmed in the park. He was an interesting man from Ireland, although I can’t remember his name for the life of me.
After our racing through Central Park with “blacky” we continued our meandering in search of an Irish pub. We turned left where we should have turned right but in our misguiding wonderings stumbled across some interesting artifacts in the city.

Like a piece of the Berlin wall
A massive statue of a pregnant woman (this thing had to be at least 50 feet high).
And some really funny wall art
We finally came across what we were in search of, “an authentic Irish Pub” on St Patties-day weekend.
Pearl ordered a Magner’s cider thinking she would receive a glass, but got what seemed to be a gallon in a bottle, needless to say she had some left over.
We are now on the train, at least that’s where we are at the time of writing this; it may be a day or so before this is posted.
The weekend was wonderful. We both had a great time and are so thankful we got to do this.

An amazing night

What an amazing night.
Here’s the scoop:

Walking around the city was amazing, from the time we left the train and eventually made our way to the hotel around 11:30 we had meandered for roughly 5 miles, but those five miles where packed with sites and astonishment.

Here's some of what we saw...

Broadway, this is where we totally missed our turn and walked an extra half mile,
we missed it because of these guys

They where proving PI (3.14....., the thing you use with Circles) on Pi day, March 14th, it was very interesting and they were fun to talk to

But we did enjoy standing in Union Square

The blue man group was freakin unbelievable.

We made it!

We did not realize this going in but the Astor Theater was the first theater they ever performed in. They were originally street performers, who moved to the Astor, who are now millionaires.

Here are the three original blue men

The show was amazing; the stage could not have been wider than 35 feet and from the back row to the stage was within 50 feet, so there was a very intimate feel. We were in the balcony in the front row, which in my option are the best seats in the house, you feel close and apart of the stage, and you can also see everything, all the layers.

The use of creativity, lights, color, technology and amazingly timed humor was mind blowing. All I can say is, it’s an absolute must see, and one of their acts will one day be twisted into a promotional piece for Saturate, hopefully.

We were able to get a quick picture with one of the guys, he was surprisingly nice

After BlueMan, we headed in the two mile direction towards our hotel, and “accidentally” made our way into Chinatown, where we enjoyed some great General Tso’s Chicken, fired Wantons, some of the best fried rice we’ve ever had,


and a little Chinese Beer.

This is where we ate

We finished dinner around 10:30 and continued our trek. The streets where quiet, which really surprised me, but it was peaceful walking through the squares and towering gentle giants holding hands with my babe.

As we turned the corner to our hotel we discovered an eerie truth, we literally are across the street from the world trade center site. The hotel is one of the nicest we’ve ever stayed in, thank you Hotwire.com, with luxury that we are not accustom to,
but when we made it to our room it was not the amazing furniture, massive flat screen TV, or even the mini bar that drew our attention, it was the view of the WTC from the 41st floor.

It was poetic. Stories and faces of friends who experienced that horrific day, memories from how the nation experienced that day, a day of such evil filled my mind, yet, in the midst of those stories stories of amazing love, faithfulness, and bravery arose. Stories of the public servants who selflessly rushed into the smoke, stories of a city that rallied around each other, stories of how a nation stood together, stories of where love was shone to strangers. A symbol of great Evil and yet the triumph of good.

That was last night.

This morning we slept till our bodies woke us up, ordered house robes, sat in a Sauna and are now relaxing in the room before we began our meandering again through the streets.

On a side note, the Sauna was at a 180 degrees F. I was astonished that we could function in such heat. It felt relaxing, refreshing, cleansing.

Pearl’s now out of the shower, and it’s time to get ready for the day.

pictures alone the way...

Finger prints of God in the mess and confusion of humanity

Stair way to "the apple"

The view from the Apple store

What amazing looking bread

Welcome to the big apple!

Lunch

Chicken pizza!

Thinking of Kris Smith

Sitting at Apple

So we’re now sitting at the Apple store on 9th and 14th

Apple truly is one of the hippest companies I know. They’ve got a pulse on pop culture and they are not only following where culture is going, they are driving it.

It’s nice being in the city, the streets are energized with the parks and trees standout like the figure prints of God wrapping around the mess and confusion of humanity; I love the city!

Pearl and I have been dreaming about what it would be like to live here, who know’s it could happen, unlikely but who ever thought we’d be living in Lancaster PA?

we're here...

For those of you who know my grammatical skills, you know that I will often type what I wish to say, and then spend twice as long going back over what I’ve written trying to make sure I’ve got the right word and punctuation and that I’m actually saying what I mean to. English was always my Achilles’ heel in school. Needless to say, we’re closing in on the city, the train ride has went super fast, I’ve enjoyed the time to be with my thoughts and to share them with you here. We’ve just rolled out of Newark, so now I’m pulling out my camera and yes become one those tourist, well may be I want be as bad as some.

vent with unrestrained vigor

Alas this may be more like a running journal of my thought and experience. Well as long as I’m sitting on this train that is.

We’re sitting in the train station and I’m watching commuters waking back and forth, some standing next to large bags that hold provisions for the next leg of their journey, and others guarding brief cases full of documents that validate their time in the city. A group of military cadets just walked by, they are high school age and look pretty sharp and professional in their uniforms and big metal buttons.

As we entered the city we pasted the art museum, if you’re a Rocky fan you can picture it now. It’s a massive building which seems to demand your gaze; it has huge columns, steps, and a presence and stature over looking the city and Schuylkill River that are a force to be reckoned with. But as our train rolled in my eye caught the artist work of other person; art that will probably never be encased in glass and cherished but non-the less one’s expression of their soul.

It was graffiti, colors swirling together on a wall, most likely done in secret, at night in the protective covering of darkness. But someone expressed themselves, they where able to say what they wanted to say, to not be interrupted, or immediately corrected and challenged, but allowed to vent with unrestrained vigor.

How many people are looking for someone to let them express themselves, to be able to pull what’s swirling around inside and bring it out into the light? To pull visions into reality, to figure out how to put legs to dreams, to pull the beauty of their imagination out into the open, beauty that will inspire someone, will bless someone, will show truth to someone; for their art to become art to others.

But how many others need a wall to vent on with unrestrained vigor? To not pull out the beauty, imagination, or dreams out but to pull the rage, anger, hurt, pain that hides in the corners of their heart. To be released from it’s venomous whispers in their soul.

This week Pearl and I had invited some of our dearest friends over to relax and to just “be” together. As Pearl and I were talking about this evening we both had this deep sense to treat our friends to some drinks and dessert, these are the types of friends who bless others abundantly and we just wanted to say in a small way, thanks for loving us.

They were to arrive at our house around 7:30 and they are usually very punctual people, so this meant Pearl and I had to make sure we were one time, but this night they seemed to be really running late, they actually ended up being 30 minutes late, which for them was a big deal.
Once they arrived we informed them of our desire to thank them for their friendship and love through the sharing of alcohol and chocolate covered calories, so to Annie Bailey’s we headed.

As the night progressed the reason for their tardiness became more and more clear. In a nutshell they had had one hell of a fight.

As conversation continued Pearl and I felt the small nudge of God saying to not let this conversation pass, to not blow this off, but to push in, listen deeply, and be willing to ask the hard questions.

So we did.

The honestly of their answers stung a little, I didn’t want to know the true state of their being, I’d rather live in the blissful naivety of “everything’s fine” and move back to the conversations about weather, sports or such. But God had ordained this outing, this friendship, and this conversation.

They talked, we listened, they talked some more, we repeated what we where hearing asking for clarity, and they again talked some more.

They talked about how little things had slowing grown into bigger things, and these little things where now killing them. The small was becoming the large, and this new large was crushing their marriage.

We listen as they expressed true feelings of resentment, hurt, anger, hopelessness, and in some sense the acceptance of defeat.

We watched as tears filled eyes and as their nonverbals mirrored the breaking happening in the heart.

We spoke truth, or at least tried our best to. Truth about who they are as individuals, truth about the state of their marriage, truth about their love, truth about the actions they where leaning towards.

I hope the evening and conversation was meaningful for them, I hope and pray that they will discover love again, that commitment will return, that they will learn to listen to each other.

They said it was nice to talk, to be able to get things off their chest, to be able to vent with unrestrained vigor.

God, I long to be able to shut up and listen, to be willing to be still and available, to be able to see the moments when I need to ask, to push, and the wisdom to know when theirs something on the inside that needs to be drawn out. Whether it’s the beauty of calling out someone’s art, the beauty of their imagination and dreams that are swirling around, or the pain and junk of someone’s heart being crushed with life.

May we be willing to call out whats on the inside, the art and the pain.

“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endure though every circumstance.” 1 Corinthians 13:7

New York City Here we come!

I’m so excited!!
I’m sitting on a train, with my amazing wife, enjoying the first leg of my birthday celebration surprise. Pearl went all out this year and planned a birthday celebration that puts all I’ve done to shame. She knows that gifts are one my main love languages (I used to think I was just materialist, but hey the truth is I like gifts, not greed, enough said) and this year she just knocked it out of the park with lavished love.

Here’s what she did.

A little over a month ago she started dropping little hints about how excited she was about what she was planning for my birthday, then one day she hands me a piece of paper. On one side of this paper was part of a picture, on the other a riddle/clue like sentence. Every day she would slip another “clue.” Just a little more of the picture, another riddle to confuse, but all delivered with a huge smile and a little extra bounce in her step.

She knows I love surprises, but part of any good experience is the buildup, she knows this too, and she planned for it. So two weeks ago, while we where in Georgia, she delivered the last few pieces; she had me sit down and figure out the puzzle; taping the pieces of the picture together. One piece at a time, matching the clouds together, making sure building aligned, and piece-by-piece a picture was exposed. It was New York City and I love the city!

As I finished taping the last few edges together she informed me to flip it over. As I turned this mosaic of cut up copy paper over I saw the riddles ordered to sentences telling of a great adventure, the adventure we are on now.

And the best part, I had two whole weeks, to dream about this adventure, to figure out how everything would play out, to let my anticipation build.

Here’s the adventure, as planned, but I’ll keep you informed to what becomes reality.

We pulled out of Lancaster just before lunch today on an Amtrak train heading towards Philly then New York City. We’ll arrive in NYC around 2 this afternoon, make our way to Chinatown for some dinner (incase you didn’t know I absolutely love General Tso’s chicken) then explore through a maze of tunnels and connections to the Astor Theater for one of the best shows one earth, the BLUEMAN show! After a few hours of creativity genius overload, we’ll meander threw the wonderful streets of New York, getting as much Starbucks as our nerves can handle, and finally crash in our hotel. In the morning we’ll awake up to a New York morning, replaying scenes from friends and You’ve got mail, as we continue our meanderings through the streets. We’ll eventually make our way past Central Park and to the Metro Museum of art, or the MET as I’ve heard it call (although I could be totally misspellings that right now and looking like a totally idiot, but critique my ignorance all you want cause by the time you read this I’ll be there and you want ☺!) .

I’m super stocked, my wife is lavishing love, and I’m so blessed to be married to her. To all my family and friends who have pitched in to make this adventure happen thank you so much, I love you to.

Well we just reached Philly, I think we’re nearing the station at 30th street. So I’m going to stop writing and enjoy the beauty of humanity, metal and the marks of man’s past.

Lancaster Amtrak station

All aboard!!

My dog ate our tax return…

… well more like our tax return coupon for $10 off our processing fee, but either way she shredded it, and also the pillow that was near it. We walked into the living room to find our incredibly cute 7-month-old puppy holding clumps of cotton in her mouth looking at us like “hey, look what I can do, it’s this fun!”

Needless to say, we were not real happy but as we punished her we had to fight back from not busting into laughter at the same time.

We where still able to use the coupon, now it’s just in lots of tiny little pieces, and well, for the pillow, it’s in the trash.

art

I just finished marking 77 pieces of wood to be cut into 4-foot pickets for our new “picket fence” in our backyard. I’m super excited about being able to work on this project and to one day open our back door, send the dogs out, and never touch a leash or worry about them exploring a little too far. We’ve got several hard days of work before we can enjoy this vision but hopefully sooner than later.

I blogged a couple of days ago about intentionally doing things that help us “come alive.” You know, the actives that you find yourself day dreaming about, imaging all the different angles for, replaying over in your mind like a song that’s skipping in the background. Well, this is one of those activities for me, I love to work with my hands, to see a project come to life, to build and create.

Why do some activities, events, or project cause us to come alive, to wake up and look forward to what’s ahead, while other activities just make us what to pull the covers over our head and pray that we’re just mistaking a Saturday for a Monday?

Why? I wonder if it’s because we were created to Create; to be co-creators with God. No I’m not saying we are to create plants and planets and stars, but I wonder if God has uniquely crafted each of us in such a way to find joy or fulfillment from expressing the unique, odd thing we were created to share with this world.

I have heard some say it as “finding our art”. To find what beautiful thing, or art, we have to offer this world.

I have friends who create and bless this world with what I’d consider traditional “art”, amazing paintings, pottery, poetry, music, dance and other forms. But I have other friends who create art with their stories, their laugh, their abilities and skills.

One friend creates beautiful art though his ability to understand and fix things. The art of a fixed heater warming the house of a single mom who struggles daily to take care of 3 kids.

Or another friend whose art is found in how he graciously helps those around him. Today I was unloading my lumber for our fence, which is what I’d now consider one of the worst parts of the project, and my friend had just got off work, he was tired, he wanted to fix himself some dinner and relax, but he saw me, and he created beautiful art but loving someone else, he helped me carry my wood in, then went on his way. The image was truly beautiful.

Others art is found in a letter, an email, a phone call, a scrapbook, an engine that runs again.

When we express our art, our soul sings, our heart beats faster, we come alive.

So, what is your art? What unique expression of beauty do you have to offer this world?

Do you know the world needs your art? Really we do. I hope we can all find what our art is, cause if we did the world would be a beautiful place.

Happy art hunting.

ps - just image, one day this yard will have a beautiful fence.... I can't wait!

living alive

I’m back.

Not only to blogging but also to intentionally living the way that I desire to live. Well, at least I hope I’m back.

This past weekend we did a road trip to Georgia. We left Thursday after work, rocked out at one of the coolest 2-year-old’s birthday party, connected with Family, ate enough food to suffice for the next 3 months, and then headed back north. We got in late last night (I started writing this on Tuesday), and are now taking a couple of minutes to ourselves this morning before heading back into work.

Pearl and I were in the car roughly 21+ hours. As weird as it may sound we have grown to look forward to these times. We are usually in the car for a trip like this quarterly and it empowers us to step out of the “rat race” rushing of life and just be; to just be together, to be still, to not be rushing somewhere else. We spend these hours talking, reading, dreaming, reflecting, I guess in these moments we are able to realign our lives together, to let our dreams infuse each other, to be one. We have also grown to realize that these conversations will usually lead to at least one good fight, but we know to expect at least one, so we have it, enjoy it, make up and then move on.

I say all that to say that it was on this trip that I was able to reflect.

Here’s a question, Do you feel like there’s a certain way, or rhythm, of life that brings out the best in you, that almost seems to bring you to “life”?

I know this is true for me, I know that I can live different rhythms, and that some rhythms empower me to live as I desire and others seems to try and force me into being something I’m not.

As we where one the road yesterday we where talking and something came out of my mouth and as I heard it, it really resonated with me, like “yeah that’s it, that’s what I’ve been feeling.” (If you’re not a verbal processer that last sentence made absolutely no sense to you, but if you verbalize to think you totally understand what I’m getting at.)

I said, “I needed to do ______, ______, and _____ to be alive, and if I’m not intentionally doing these things then I’m not really living, I’m just paying a mortgage, getting fat, and dying.”

Now I’m not saying that I’ve got a list of does and don’t that I must fulfill, or something that I tie my spirituality into, or something I must do to be happy. What I’m driving at here is recognizing how God has created me and then intentionally enjoying these things.

God wired each of us the way we are for a reason and through this wiring is how we are meant to enjoy life.

I love working outside, using my hands, braking a sweat, it brings something alive in me, so I need to make time to get outside, find projects, make this a priority over other things.

I love riding my bike; I love just going somewhere, anywhere. Pedaling and seeing where I end up.

I love telling stories, to see people laugh, to put color and expression to the world around us.

I love to inspire and teach people, to paint a picture of what could and should be, to bring the stories of alive.

I love to see people enjoying life.

These are just a few of the things I love; they make me come alive in each of their unique ways. These are the things I find myself repeating stories about, waking up early for, and having an extra pep in my step.

And I need more material to tell good stories about, I need more reasons to wake up then just to go to work, feed the dogs and then do it again, I need a little extra pep in my step.

May we refuse to ignore the things that bring us to life.

May we refuse to let the busyness of life snuff out our expressions of how God has uniquely designed us.

May we do whatever it takes to live our lives alive, enjoying each day, and in doing so show the beauty of God through the beauty of our lives.

May we truly live alive

Ps – here’s how you know someone has enjoyed themselves, at least I know I would have