tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-256239172024-03-27T16:53:30.682-07:00Todd C's Blogthoughts about life, God, family, friends, community, books, movies, music, and sportsToddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.comBlogger321125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-71959597661222571952023-09-01T22:34:00.003-07:002023-09-01T22:35:09.657-07:00Grief and Gratitude<p>I just watched a great movie, <i>This is Where I Leave You, </i>about a family coming together when their father dies. I deal with grief every day in my work. Lately I have been thinking about contrasts in the grief and healing process.</p><p>Despair and hope. <br />Crying and laughing.<br />Looking back and looking ahead<br />Lament and joy.<br />Mourning and dancing.</p><p>At the beginning of grief, we live in the first part of those contrasts. As we journey through our grief, we begin to experience the second parts. It's not a smooth transition, and our thoughts and emotions can go all over the place. </p><p>I might feel despair for a while, then have glimmers of hope, then something happens and the despair is back. </p><p>Lately I am trying to be intentional in seeking hope, joy, peace and laughter. As I pursue those, even thought I occasionally cry and lament, I sense progress in my healing journey. </p><p>Six months ago I lost one of my closest friends. Pete and I met 12 years ago when I applied for a job at Logos Bible Software. After a couple trips to Washington for interviews, Pete hired me to be on his ministry development team. He became my boss and my friend. We only worked together a short time, but his influence on me was great, and our friendship continued over the years and across the miles.</p><p>Three years ago Pete was diagnosed with colo-rectal cancer. Pete was already the kind of guy who went 90 miles an hour, all day long. When he learned his time was limited he ramped up even more; doing all he could to help others with the days he had left.</p><p>I was grateful to visit him several times during his last few years. In 2021 Pete's wife Shara and I conspired for me to surprise Pete with a visit to their home in Colorado Springs. I got a jeep pick-up as a rental car and Pete and I went four-wheeling up Mount Hermon. We drove and walked and talked and had a blast. At the end of the day we went home and had dinner with Shara; then the three of us watched Ted Lasso. It was the perfect show as we laughed and had our hearts touched by that amazing show about beautiful relationships. </p><p>I saw Pete again this past February, just a few days before he died. His health was declining, but we still had good time together, remembering special times and people in our lives.</p><p>Which brings me back to the idea of contrasts in the grieving and healing process. I miss Pete like crazy. I miss having him available when I needed wisdom. Pete was one of the wisest and most Godly men I've known. I knew that I could call him anytime, with any problem, and count on him to listen and encourage and share good insights.</p><p>I miss laughing with him, having light-hearted conversations about politics, and deeper conversations about theology. </p><p>But I'm not always sad when I think of Pete. I'm also grateful, that I got to be close friends with this amazing man. Grateful that he chose me to be on his team, and that he invested in me and taught me and coached me, both professionally and personally. Grateful that our families spent special times together--eating and playing games and laughing for hours. Grateful that even over thousands of miles we stayed connected. </p><p>Profound grief happens because someone had a profound impact on our lives. And that is something to celebrate. I love you and miss you, Pete. Thank you. </p><p><br /></p>Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-518285930080545902023-08-06T21:27:00.002-07:002023-08-06T21:48:29.894-07:00My Happy Place<p>I have found that baseball keeps me sane, steady, somewhat healthy. My life has been stressful the last few years. I spent many years in a marriage that was unhealthy. I ended up leaving a job from which I thought I'd retire. There were parts of my life that were good--mainly my relationships with my kids, and friends, my job at Faithlife (until the end). And baseball. </p><p>Whatever else is going on, I'm at peace when I'm on a baseball field--whether coaching or umpiring or watching my boys play. The baseball field is my happy place.</p><p>I've needed that in recent years. As my friend and mentor David Blanton has said, I have become "well acquainted with grief."</p><p>In 2017 my best friend Dale died of a heart attack. We had been friends since we were nine years old. He was my go-to person.</p><p>My friend Rick died that same year, also of a heart attack. Years earlier Rick and I had gone to grad school together and taught at a Christian school together in Texas.</p><p>Later that year my pastor Dave died of brain cancer. Dave had been a good friend and encourager for many years.</p><p>In 2019 my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer; she died in 2021. I cannot say enough about how much my mother meant to me, and how losing her has impacted my life.</p><p>Also in 2021 my good friend Nick died in a car accident. Nick had been Cash's soccer coach for many years, and I had been his son's baseball coach. Nick was one of those guys who was always a joy to be around.</p><p>In 2022 my grandmother died at 99 years old. She lived in Nashville and I was grateful to have regular visits and grow closer to her in recent years.</p><p>In 2023 my dear friend Pete died of cancer. Pete hired me at Logos Bible Software when we moved from Virginia to Washington in 2011. We worked together for a short time, but he had a big impact on me and we stayed close over the years. I had several special visits with him in his final years, including one just a few days before he died. </p><p>I have grieved a lot over the last six years. But year in and year out, I always find joy on the baseball field. First it was through coaching my boys from T-ball (ages 5-6), through Little League (7-12) and into Babe Ruth (13-14). Over the last few years it's been watching them play travel and high school ball. </p><p>When the boys are not playing, I umpire. I started back in the 90's when I lived in Texas and have done it on and off over the years. I love watching baseball on TV, and going to Mariners' games whenever we can.</p><p>A few weeks ago I started having heart palpitations. I've been to the doctor, and he says everything is fine. It's probably caused by stress; just a lot going on these days. But I've noticed that when I'm watching the boys play, or when I'm umpiring, or when I'm watching the Mariners play on TV with my boys and my friend Johnny, the palpitations stop. The stress leaves my mind and body. </p><p>Baseball is more than just a game. It has healing properties. Baseball calms me, and gives me peace. The baseball field is my happy place. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJped6aAxmibQXJIc_hzjcT9ApyZacXm5rpgXmJFKy5YVTvar821rMla4LnLoiW_AYJLzovQoYBAt_t-6r2Ik1r1Wx3BaZyTAe34Ou0V88bsvUMGJmDvUzWvWRexWftQ8LPaXRQgHR4Bo1lycp-LNZY857kIWbBrnfbWjBJd8NiKrBi8d8aUo/s974/perfect%20game.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="735" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJped6aAxmibQXJIc_hzjcT9ApyZacXm5rpgXmJFKy5YVTvar821rMla4LnLoiW_AYJLzovQoYBAt_t-6r2Ik1r1Wx3BaZyTAe34Ou0V88bsvUMGJmDvUzWvWRexWftQ8LPaXRQgHR4Bo1lycp-LNZY857kIWbBrnfbWjBJd8NiKrBi8d8aUo/w480-h638/perfect%20game.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br />Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-70180915138156572622023-08-01T16:10:00.002-07:002023-08-02T19:52:59.129-07:00Baseball is Life<p>If you're a Ted Lasso fan, like me, you know Dani Rojas's catchphrase is "Futbol is life."<br /><br />I have adapted it to reflect the sport that permeates my life: "Baseball is life." Baseball has been a huge part of my life as long as I can remember. My earliest memories are of watching the Cincinnati Reds with my dad in the 70's. Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and the rest of the Big Red Machine. I remember sometimes at night we could pick up the Reds radio and listen to Marty Brennaman. </p><p>The Baltimore Orioles were the closest team, so occasionally we would make the trip to Memorial Stadium and watch the O's. </p><p>My best friend Dale and I were obsessed with baseball--every day we'd open the <i>Washington Post</i> to see who had won the day before. Each Saturday we'd get the <i>Sporting News</i> in the mail--that was the best way to keep up with all our favorite teams and players, along with <i>Baseball Digest</i> and <i>Sports Illustrated.</i></p><p>We'd watch the game of the week on Saturday afternoons, and always watched Mel Allen on <i>This Week in Baseball. </i>In the days before ESPN, that was where you went to see what was going on in the world of Major League Baseball. </p><p>But it wasn't just pro baseball that filled our lives. Dale and I played little league baseball. We were both catchers. I was a good defensive catcher, but didn't hit well, and was never a star. </p><p>But what I remember even more than little league were hours and hours spent in our backyards. It was as simple as baseball can be. We'd set up a makeshift pitching rubber and a home plate, and take turns being pitcher and catcher. We would pitch to one imaginary batter after another. There were two possible outcomes--a strikeout or a walk. If you gave up a walk, that translated into a run. Each person would pitch until he recorded three outs. So if you walked 2 before getting your third strikeout, you were down 2-0.</p><p>After three outs we would switch, and go back and forth until we had played nine innings. It was as simple as could be--balls and strikes, outs and runs. It doesn't sound exciting, but it was. First of all, we were competitive. We loved each other, but we desperately wanted to beat each other. Since the catcher was also the umpire, there were occasional disagreements over calls, but we were committed to the system and if the pitcher didn't like a call, he had to live with it.</p><p>We played that game for hours, taking on MLB player personas. I was usually Tom Seaver on the mound, Dale was Jim Palmer. I have forgotten many things over the intervening 45 years, but I remember every detail about the geography of our back yards during those years. I can close my eyes and I'm there, squatting behind home plate with my catcher's mitt, calling Dale's pitches.</p><p>After each game we'd take a break and go into the house for a snack. I always loved the snacks at Dale's house. Usually something healthy like grapes or watermelon, but sometimes it was brownies. And Dale's mom did something with brownies I'd never seen before. Chocolate brownies are good enough as is, but Dale's mom took them to another level and added chocolate frosting on top!</p><p>We'd eat a brownie (they were already cut with military precision), and I'd say, "let's have a second." Dale said no, one was all we were allowed. I was usually willing to bend or break the rules, but Dale was disciplined and usually stayed within the rules. Having an Army colonel for a father did that.</p><p>Dale and I were best friends, and that continued throughout our lives. Neither of us continued to play baseball beyond little league, but we still loved the game. We would get our parents to drive us up to Baltimore for occasional Orioles games.</p><p>We were thrilled when the O's won the World Series in 1983. We were both in Texas by then, but didn't get to celebrate together as Dale was in his freshman year at Texas A&M and I was in basic training at Fort Bliss, outside El Paso. </p><p>Next Time - Seeing Dale and me in my own boys</p><p><br /></p>Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-14996055871997855772023-07-30T19:35:00.000-07:002023-07-30T19:35:43.021-07:00Writing Again<p>It's time to start writing again. I haven't written much over the last few years. Why? Fear, laziness. Sometimes I'm not sure what to write about. It's not a problem of having nothing to say, but too much, and I don't know how to choose or where to start.</p><p>So I'm going to start with whatever comes to mind.</p><p>I've been separated for almost nine months. It's been hard and good. My marriage was very unhealthy. I'm not blaming, and I'm not going into detail. I wasn't healthy. The atmosphere in our home wasn't healthy. And our family wasn't healthy.</p><p>I had to get out for my own well-being. My stress and anxiety were unbearable. I was struggling at work (and ended up getting fired), couldn't sleep, couldn't relax, couldn't enjoy life. </p><p>The only respite was my children. That was, and is, what brings me joy. That is also what made it hard to leave my marriage. I should have left years ago, but I didn't because I couldn't stand the thought of not being in the same house as my boys every day, every night. Ashley was gone, first to college in Portland, more recently to Texas. I was used to not being with her every day (although I still miss her every day.)</p><p>I was afraid of not being with my boys every day. But I finally decided being healthy and apart from them sometimes was better than being unhealthy and with them all the time.</p><p>When I moved into my apartment, the primary emotion was relief. Freedom. It's been hard for me, and for the boys, but I don't doubt I did the right thing. I am much healthier. I think Jamie is. And Cash. I think Brady is, but he still sometimes says he wishes we all still lived together.</p><p>But I am at peace. I am content to be on my own. I miss the boys when they are not with me, but I love it when they are. And for the first time in my life, I have peace about being on my own. I don't need a relationship. I'd like one eventually--I do want to find someone to share my life with, but not right now.</p><p>I have a job I love, something I've wanted to do for a long time, and good friends, and three children that I love more than anything in this world. And that's enough. </p>Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-12087051724974255762021-02-17T13:01:00.001-08:002021-02-17T13:07:52.171-08:00Honoring Mom<p>Monday we celebrated the life of my mother, Helen Newhouse. My friend Josh Hayden shared a beautiful message that truly honored my mother. My brother Eric and Aunt Sharon shared wonderful memories. Below is what I said about Mom. You can read her obituary and watch a video of the service here:</p><p><a href="https://mountcastle.net/obituary/helen-newhouse/">https://mountcastle.net/obituary/helen-newhouse/</a></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-7d5fc870-7fff-b7e2-9116-3cff890b5f4c" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most of us are introduced to music by our parents. Once we move past lullabies and childrens’ songs, we learn the music our parents listen to. Our kids learned to appreciate Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Cash. They have each developed their own preferences over the years, but they also still listen to my music sometimes. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some of my early memories are of listening to Mom’s music in the 70s--which was mostly classic country and folk. One of my favorites was John Denver. He sang of sunshine and mountains and adventure and love. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of his early hits was “Back Home Again.” If I could sing, I’d sing it for you, but I can’t, so I’ll just read the lyrics from the last verse and chorus:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's the sweetest thing I know of, just spending time with you</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's the little things that make a house a home</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like a fire softly burning and supper on the stove</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s the light in your eyes that makes me warm</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hey, it's good to be back home again</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, 'n, hey it's good to be back home again</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Home. Home is more than a house. It’s love; safety, comfort. It’s history. It’s people. It’s family. Home is home not because of where it is, but who is there.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was born in Nashville, and while I don’t remember living there, that’s where my roots are. That’s where Mom lived during her teenage years. That’s where my grandmother and great-grandmother and Aunt Sharon lived. It’s where we vacationed over the years. So even though I’m not often there these days, I’ve always had a sense of home when I’m there.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We moved to Virginia when I was a baby, and that’s always been my true home. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve moved around several times over the years, all over the country; but Virginia, specifically Dale City, has always been home. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We moved into our home here in 1973. I’ve left and returned and left again several times over the last 40 years. But no matter where I was, or how long I was gone, that house has always been home. Because that’s where Mom was. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whatever happened in my life, when I succeeded or failed, when I was alone or scared or lost… I could always go home, and Mom was always there. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have a great family. I have faithful friends, I have wise mentors. But my mother was my hero. From the very beginning she fought for me, and for the rest of her life she was my teacher, supporter and advisor--every step of the way.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mom was a single mother. She was 19, dating a man, and when she told him she was pregnant, he surprised her and told her he was engaged to someone else. He wanted her to have an abortion but she refused. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mom was alone, and this was the South in the 60’s. Her mother and step-father were not supportive. So Mom moved into a home for single pregnant women, and under pressure, decided to give me up for adoption. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I was born, Mom couldn’t do it. She had already signed papers to give me up, and battled for a week to reverse the agreement. But she did it. She got me back, and cared for me for the rest of her life. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mom lived with a friend for a while, then when I was six months old we moved from Nashville to Alexandria, Virginia, and lived with her brother, Larry, and his wife Judy. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few months later she met my father, Howard. Mom married him, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and he adopted me.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mom didn’t have the easiest childhood, and she did all she could to make life better for my brother and me. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She was my den leader when I was in Cub Scouts. She was the team mother for my little league baseball team. She and Dad took us on vacations to Nashville, Atlanta and Virginia Beach. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I was 15, Mom and Dad split, and she was a single mother again. She went back to work full-time to provide for us.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mom went to work for the 7-11 corporation as an entry level secretary. Over the years she worked her way up to Office Manager. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She earned respect and responsibility. Years after retiring, people she worked with still reached out to her. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When my parents split I had a lot of hurt and anger, but Mom was always there for me. She encouraged me when I did well; she was patient and forgiving when I screwed up.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I joined the Army after high school, Mom wrote to me almost every day when I was in basic training. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I moved around the country, I never stayed gone too long--always making regular visits home, to Mom. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whether I was in Texas, or Washington state, Mom and Jerry came to visit often, and brought us home to visit them. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mom was a great mother. But she may have been an even better grandmother. She loved her grandchildren. When our boys were pre-school age Jamie went back to work. Mom drove down from Woodbridge to Stafford several days a week to take care of Brady and Cash. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren--calling them, sending gifts, visiting wherever they were, and taking them on trips. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some of my favorite memories over the last 20 years were spending time at Mom and Jerry’s second home, their camper in Front Royal. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We had wonderful times camping and eating and swimming and tubing on the Shenandoah River. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mom loved it when their trips to Washington allowed her and Jerry to watch the boys play baseball. They would come to practice, sometimes the only spectators, to watch the boys play.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She loved playing games and watching baseball and basketball on TV. And she loved cooking her family’s favorite foods--chicken-n-dumplings, deviled eggs, chocolate pie, banana pudding, peach cobbler. I loved those foods, because they always took me back home. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mom loved her whole family, but Sharon and Larry--her relationships with you were special--that’s why we always took trips to Nashville, Atlanta and Sanibel. For Mom, being in those places with you, that was home. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mom loved her family, her friends, her dogs. But most of all, she loved Jerry. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mom and Jerry were there for each other for almost 40 years. They talked and laughed and traveled. They camped. They watched the Nationals and Redskins, Kentucky and West VA basketball, NASCAR races, and Gunsmoke.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They spoiled their grandchildren together.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And they did what we all hope we do for the people we love--they brought out the best in each other.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jerry—Mom saw how special you are, and she helped you and others see how special you are. You took good care of each other.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The last couple years have been a challenge as we walked through Mom’s illness together. But Mom was a warrior, never giving up, continuing to focus on the people around her rather than herself, and making the most of every day. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And as much as I hurt and miss Mom, I’m grateful that my family and I got to come home a lot this past year, spending time with Mom and Jerry, playing games, looking at pictures, telling stories, reliving memories. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 15.000000000000002pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And even though I miss her terribly, I find hope, in the belief that Mom is in a new home, a better home; and that one day we will be reunited there with her, in our new home. Because wherever Mom is, for me, that will always be home.</span></p><p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;" /></p>Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-62373010464282176882020-12-06T18:03:00.004-08:002020-12-06T18:06:25.612-08:00What I'm Missing<p>December 2020.</p><p>The last ten months have been like something none of us would have imagined. I know we've all lost a lot. </p><p>For me, the biggest loss is my kids' sports.</p><p>For the last 17 years, my greatest joy in life has been watching Ashley, Brady and Cash play soccer, baseball, football and basketball.</p><p>With both boys playing multiple sports for the last eight years, most of my free time has been spent taking them to practices and games--coaching them in baseball, cheering them on in the other sports. </p><p>I love watching them practice and play. I've tried to teach and coach and train my boys to work hard and be good teammates. I think it's had a good impact on them. But while I do it for them, I benefit just as much, as those times have brought me great joy. </p><p></p><p>I almost always stay and watch them practice, rather than dropping them off. I enjoy watching them work and talking to other dads. Even more, I enjoy going to their games, cheering them on, celebrating with them when they win, and encouraging them when they lose. </p><p>But that has all been put on hold. I know it has an impact on them, and on me. I feel that loss every day. The activity that brought me my greatest joy is gone, for now. I'm trying to do a better job of finding other activities to take the place of those that have been temporarily lost.</p><p>Grandma and Grandpa gave the boys an early Christmas present of new bikes; so we're trying to ride more. We enjoy hiking, so we're trying to do more of that. </p><p>Both boys are taking hunter safety classes so we can start hunting; and in the spring, we'll do more fishing. I hope we can resume sports before long, but until then I'm going to find ways to keep us all active. </p><p>Like all of us, I am mourning what is lost. And while it is healthy to grieve, it's not good to wallow in that grief. So I'm trying to look up, find positives in the midst of the difficulties, and work to find the joy that isn't coming so easily these days. <br /></p>Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-67460143379833974832020-01-24T22:49:00.001-08:002020-02-13T17:30:39.935-08:002019 In Review<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I get older, I realize more how each year is filled with significant events. 2019 was no exception. Two big highlights were trips home to Virginia. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-41c92467-7fff-b396-d2a6-e4d78d1d1726" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">January</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">January was typical of most months in the Cullop family, as both boys were busy with sports--basketball and indoor soccer. I am proud of how hard Brady and Cash work and how much they accomplish. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The big event in January was a five-day visit from Ashley. I had hoped she would move back to Washington when she graduated college last year, but she loved Portland and decided to stay there. It was great having her home for a few days. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkWbBjt5RniEcYfLjrU9gPkWrnlTdrh3BvzAk1QqIgGUsi6GfZ9g9ep0tEceENFA3tmPjL7bKhvsFvj1Y3Jmfcd1t0LqAu0Z62i9AfekBThLs16IqVD0K4xq1W5Rny9VYi5Hz/s1600/pic+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlkWbBjt5RniEcYfLjrU9gPkWrnlTdrh3BvzAk1QqIgGUsi6GfZ9g9ep0tEceENFA3tmPjL7bKhvsFvj1Y3Jmfcd1t0LqAu0Z62i9AfekBThLs16IqVD0K4xq1W5Rny9VYi5Hz/s400/pic+1.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5aa50be4-7fff-1346-eaea-21bb2e0d100b" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-5aa50be4-7fff-1346-eaea-21bb2e0d100b" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cash playing for his school basketball team. Basketball is the sport in which he has the least experience, but he was a leader on his team and had a great season. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">February</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-ecb32e6f-7fff-54ce-cf39-2a3872291ef9" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The highlight in February was a solo trip home to Virginia, mainly to spend time with my brother Eric and be there for his baptism! We spent three days together talking, eating, walking, driving and had a wonderful time. We haven’t spent much time together since we both lived in Texas over 20 years ago. It was really special. </span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also had great time with Mom and Jerry, and some of my very best friends--Elise Bell, Mike Poff, the Jenkins family, and my college buddies (see pic below). </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZalM-0W_ouyWQjij3qdW4Q7Q2pEF6TRKhapYxjjEVTt7tXLl4ss1av1UYSYMTRiN5W3kxlpzRqkUR4-QIHzwyOk7bLZFSYKkcdCqgBBn3hOQ8H06bOpo-uoMjF5LoFwemVWVF/s1600/pic+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZalM-0W_ouyWQjij3qdW4Q7Q2pEF6TRKhapYxjjEVTt7tXLl4ss1av1UYSYMTRiN5W3kxlpzRqkUR4-QIHzwyOk7bLZFSYKkcdCqgBBn3hOQ8H06bOpo-uoMjF5LoFwemVWVF/s400/pic+2.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-dd007f4e-7fff-c805-5c91-08097ee761f0" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-dd007f4e-7fff-c805-5c91-08097ee761f0" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eric and his Pastor Sherry after his baptism. One of my all-time favorite days. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3gkmBbTsQgi0xOT3ARD1OPoe8xg3JVWbSQsHPF6tEQkUXGUhPUgh6q8e6ImytDsAmyK-mUe2kDOZwafP6_1st_8kXVztMt5z_kF59Y7NToLs3EcYxDwjr-ensOW_HGjK9k84/s1600/pic+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3gkmBbTsQgi0xOT3ARD1OPoe8xg3JVWbSQsHPF6tEQkUXGUhPUgh6q8e6ImytDsAmyK-mUe2kDOZwafP6_1st_8kXVztMt5z_kF59Y7NToLs3EcYxDwjr-ensOW_HGjK9k84/s400/pic+3.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-7dfc779c-7fff-4059-ece8-674a2bbf5cf9" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-7dfc779c-7fff-4059-ece8-674a2bbf5cf9" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eric and I doing some sightseeing in Luray. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCUihgFBIaIigk63EXncepo92pu63cwrXwtH_BL2DqS43yLf1XTQrExpdsUzqRadai3LeODHlOUzP_zoKhFERXYws2e8bKsJXWr7depneUpd6X6cQCvxA43ZQM8L6qpoudvdX/s1600/pic+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCUihgFBIaIigk63EXncepo92pu63cwrXwtH_BL2DqS43yLf1XTQrExpdsUzqRadai3LeODHlOUzP_zoKhFERXYws2e8bKsJXWr7depneUpd6X6cQCvxA43ZQM8L6qpoudvdX/s400/pic+9.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-ce29c5e7-7fff-5d75-1fb8-6c30d7535354" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-ce29c5e7-7fff-5d75-1fb8-6c30d7535354" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cracker Barrel with Mike Poff; a brother for 27 years!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnPq1y9I5xcQPjd35RjOY2FQhk1H4ByeEkVeahFiAIhzDhsFWVFPBmXnupul1rjHfk9lU667pky9REkg3iXqKmh3y5z6NQ91GQB_aTbCyJG9JmfJVAD6XqmO-K9pHQkc6sTMD/s1600/pic+10.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnPq1y9I5xcQPjd35RjOY2FQhk1H4ByeEkVeahFiAIhzDhsFWVFPBmXnupul1rjHfk9lU667pky9REkg3iXqKmh3y5z6NQ91GQB_aTbCyJG9JmfJVAD6XqmO-K9pHQkc6sTMD/s400/pic+10.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f5e9bceb-7fff-4d8f-3603-a0bb409f7339" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-f5e9bceb-7fff-4d8f-3603-a0bb409f7339" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elise Bell; a dear sister for 33 years. We were in campus ministry together in the 80s, seminary in Texas in the 90s, served together in the same campus ministry in the 2000s. I’ve never known a truer friend. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquHbSLM15UwfQOfJ7JhVrc_hlD2Nql2SuwRP78JcQY9PSKkEO7gCCfCwWo8tyt4dOfjC73PaXft4wH7yII2_MDG4WkgPUvi0qN5Qf9Gajf2QoQ3RdIuwIe3829CRE58WLvSGN/s1600/pic+4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgquHbSLM15UwfQOfJ7JhVrc_hlD2Nql2SuwRP78JcQY9PSKkEO7gCCfCwWo8tyt4dOfjC73PaXft4wH7yII2_MDG4WkgPUvi0qN5Qf9Gajf2QoQ3RdIuwIe3829CRE58WLvSGN/s400/pic+4.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-1a5317d1-7fff-e9de-ae31-7c8fe4d1fbee" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-1a5317d1-7fff-e9de-ae31-7c8fe4d1fbee" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dinner with Gordon and Heidi Jenkins and their son Matthew. Gordon and I have been brothers for 40 years; Heidi has been my sister for 34. I love them and their family!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SMParmHskhJ3gfzk02IGygWmh3XBPu-xT3emmqayfX9TQSj-1VCQAn18JhFYHOALBZKQ-vAL7SETTx9j-tWPUpFSRoM-LTWtK9l7uFbAFk2fg95bs3X8dRATkRQMakR8LgiJ/s1600/pic+8.png" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SMParmHskhJ3gfzk02IGygWmh3XBPu-xT3emmqayfX9TQSj-1VCQAn18JhFYHOALBZKQ-vAL7SETTx9j-tWPUpFSRoM-LTWtK9l7uFbAFk2fg95bs3X8dRATkRQMakR8LgiJ/s400/pic+8.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-83212280-7fff-6b58-5368-3b57b1ebd401" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-83212280-7fff-6b58-5368-3b57b1ebd401" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of my all-time favorite places to be--the Patriot Center (now Eagle Bank Arena) watching GMU basketball with these guys--Kenny Budd, me, Johnny Gallagher and Andy Gibson</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Zh5M2CAlFcQNGYJCt_TZjZKLg65PfThr2jshPNOXSNaBVV_rk7tZ3ov4lyy8ITj89kdAJ7q0DA_dS97-_kG9Gvg8NTaoKa-Xyxk1NutF3RfiEybujXs-dIYB3tFn8MBsbs0F/s1600/pic+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Zh5M2CAlFcQNGYJCt_TZjZKLg65PfThr2jshPNOXSNaBVV_rk7tZ3ov4lyy8ITj89kdAJ7q0DA_dS97-_kG9Gvg8NTaoKa-Xyxk1NutF3RfiEybujXs-dIYB3tFn8MBsbs0F/s400/pic+5.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-6f43c942-7fff-5268-df9b-5cc49e7853a7" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-6f43c942-7fff-5268-df9b-5cc49e7853a7" style="text-align: start;"><br /></span>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-6f43c942-7fff-5268-df9b-5cc49e7853a7" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cash and Brady duck hunting with Uncle Chad and cousin Ira</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUenIAnlKjYT4KhPk5rgtw2RxBCv0U-JGoxQG3hx3KiWNW3GUdYHQOTJaXyx6dhKxcLnQfGwkOhM9cw1vcDvzLoPUvPJC3u0rjAO_tRNZEcPXXLn4aojpfukh7G0stx8Mlv3ks/s1600/pic+6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUenIAnlKjYT4KhPk5rgtw2RxBCv0U-JGoxQG3hx3KiWNW3GUdYHQOTJaXyx6dhKxcLnQfGwkOhM9cw1vcDvzLoPUvPJC3u0rjAO_tRNZEcPXXLn4aojpfukh7G0stx8Mlv3ks/s400/pic+6.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-eedbaeb3-7fff-b960-f977-9a3ffc1a3839" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-eedbaeb3-7fff-b960-f977-9a3ffc1a3839" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cash working on his basketball skills, even in the snow</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpU1kcIsn4s1DgplyUS6ws7liDQh6OXT4DgZG6MgEUM7RT-k3GeuwvNsM3gj86jvigyQMEbKlAssuQ5TFLwZhooH9NunBfCE4jhqeMaxilRxJrZfVyHI8rqXGlUX28GHWaTcfh/s1600/pic+7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpU1kcIsn4s1DgplyUS6ws7liDQh6OXT4DgZG6MgEUM7RT-k3GeuwvNsM3gj86jvigyQMEbKlAssuQ5TFLwZhooH9NunBfCE4jhqeMaxilRxJrZfVyHI8rqXGlUX28GHWaTcfh/s400/pic+7.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-832ede38-7fff-e4b7-cc75-2ea6ba68e204" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-832ede38-7fff-e4b7-cc75-2ea6ba68e204" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We got a rare snow in February. The boys built a snow fort in the back yard.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJABjEIq1F9odUWsVDXSKIH5oUwyisCg7_Dnl9Q2PALggHh4YD96SkZTj4Qr7BmEXDcZDpbsqt31gpNK4HOWgOSaQVyo_7fQ582kwdgYAeWg_kBncNgEkmOwI7-IkMBnY59PI5/s1600/pic+11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJABjEIq1F9odUWsVDXSKIH5oUwyisCg7_Dnl9Q2PALggHh4YD96SkZTj4Qr7BmEXDcZDpbsqt31gpNK4HOWgOSaQVyo_7fQ582kwdgYAeWg_kBncNgEkmOwI7-IkMBnY59PI5/s400/pic+11.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-82751afb-7fff-d744-f65b-12d86e95f0b5" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-82751afb-7fff-d744-f65b-12d86e95f0b5" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Both boys finished basketball season; Brady’s team won three straight to win their tournament!</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-3e812098-7fff-572e-bd6f-b5c7608e267a" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">March</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-3e812098-7fff-572e-bd6f-b5c7608e267a" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">March is always one of my favorite months--it means the beginning of baseball season! This was my last year coaching the boys in baseball. It started with T-ball seven years ago; and ended with Cash’s last year in Little League. This season both boys will be playing on a select team and I’ll be a dad/fan instead of a coach. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfw11iDt_pDnho4asnmmoib_bZUpSFeujTtwkELny1D99CVAf15Sjm3rA1jId2EKCsTLgKBnWIOJDGG7FUxaTgqwaS5nppu11H769U17BOqOtgk7pztbdDE_q937_rZP0VzrU/s1600/pic+12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfw11iDt_pDnho4asnmmoib_bZUpSFeujTtwkELny1D99CVAf15Sjm3rA1jId2EKCsTLgKBnWIOJDGG7FUxaTgqwaS5nppu11H769U17BOqOtgk7pztbdDE_q937_rZP0VzrU/s320/pic+12.png" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">April</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-a115ea92-7fff-d9db-33b0-d55ec91ddb9b" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Baseball season! Cash was in his second year of Majors and was joined by many of his teammates from his minors team two years ago. I coached with Jim Walker for a second year and we had a blast. We won all but one game during the season (a forfeit when one of our players was ejected for accidentally throwing his bat). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We played some extra games against some better teams and Brady was able to join us for those.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTn1iD2kK5Y-LWGVDUKWitzSOHkp5kVWbIILfwQopgkI9ix2E2fYO_pPn8IcvDOUTCXSQkGZyDBYwTDuHjPE8HSvyKcYD9YcNNIJh5QhdqFeHUGgbNyLOM3Pcyfy2vl8sFt-2/s1600/pic+13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="512" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTn1iD2kK5Y-LWGVDUKWitzSOHkp5kVWbIILfwQopgkI9ix2E2fYO_pPn8IcvDOUTCXSQkGZyDBYwTDuHjPE8HSvyKcYD9YcNNIJh5QhdqFeHUGgbNyLOM3Pcyfy2vl8sFt-2/s400/pic+13.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-9b46eb77-7fff-41a0-b7dd-46cd8bb56e99" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-9b46eb77-7fff-41a0-b7dd-46cd8bb56e99" style="text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.5pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brady finished 4th out of 14 in the 800 at his middle school conference championship. He beat his old PR by 5 seconds. He also finished 7th in long jump and 8th in the 200. Proud of our boy!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9tvSwfUUaZClY-savYAGO-6-4IDuBZ_BQ-wnIYjz9hjGNLoZ4b5kwcDW8HjG_zZBLibLk5WpN_l4VwlKzU4lB5LvSItv2mWGH0QHNqiy3mbGNvM3gW8wYylC05JY5dcAUdNQ/s1600/pic+14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="512" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq9tvSwfUUaZClY-savYAGO-6-4IDuBZ_BQ-wnIYjz9hjGNLoZ4b5kwcDW8HjG_zZBLibLk5WpN_l4VwlKzU4lB5LvSItv2mWGH0QHNqiy3mbGNvM3gW8wYylC05JY5dcAUdNQ/s400/pic+14.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Baseball season was in full swing. I turned 54; Brady turned 13. After several years of playing Burlington soccer, Brady went back to the Northwest United Soccer Club and started the long season. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gJy3tO-OHoPzazJXTUtydruDRFR7PsbhJ8HIAFc9JsIY2RZkVldgXhzd18eKZk7GVcj_cbOz8CJE_CtRa5HzbMOT211UCEeMw2wWwGPgrXTJ_BaVBQrgQPiQeYqcV2NxKOXS/s1600/pic+15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="512" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gJy3tO-OHoPzazJXTUtydruDRFR7PsbhJ8HIAFc9JsIY2RZkVldgXhzd18eKZk7GVcj_cbOz8CJE_CtRa5HzbMOT211UCEeMw2wWwGPgrXTJ_BaVBQrgQPiQeYqcV2NxKOXS/s400/pic+15.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f63b2214-7fff-4de7-08e9-c3b1a2dc250d" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-f63b2214-7fff-4de7-08e9-c3b1a2dc250d" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of our favorite activities, year in and year out--going to Mariners games in Seattle. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUMJZJhIM1HIVx-uFa5yZaDJNjxvBhXIvqrRBxnQHKfcYksUbUFbDoWZ1bzBJYBlfGQjtq4TSPRFQyilhs4FfHMGjiHNpqwEYmgaxcJ9hCht-pM4L5JB83t0Ip7JWXSDgNLwP/s1600/pic+16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAUMJZJhIM1HIVx-uFa5yZaDJNjxvBhXIvqrRBxnQHKfcYksUbUFbDoWZ1bzBJYBlfGQjtq4TSPRFQyilhs4FfHMGjiHNpqwEYmgaxcJ9hCht-pM4L5JB83t0Ip7JWXSDgNLwP/s400/pic+16.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-03379a8b-7fff-a91a-001e-bab5eec1bd12" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-03379a8b-7fff-a91a-001e-bab5eec1bd12" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The boys played in a Mothers’ Day Tournament and gave roses to the moms.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-13cfba74-7fff-0159-6f9d-0f9f693e0f9b" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-13cfba74-7fff-0159-6f9d-0f9f693e0f9b" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ashley came home and surprised Jamie for Mothers’ Day!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbthYNBJtvhMlyN_FeL1T8SkO7tCs-tkli-7VY34yTdEIiCLTom1uHNCML3LKC3Oa-tUQp_mM59YslOB4SirN818fkx3HuwCi-xryoAjx4TNIgmGpi1E4FjROhZ5Mh7KhsQhA/s1600/pic+18.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbthYNBJtvhMlyN_FeL1T8SkO7tCs-tkli-7VY34yTdEIiCLTom1uHNCML3LKC3Oa-tUQp_mM59YslOB4SirN818fkx3HuwCi-xryoAjx4TNIgmGpi1E4FjROhZ5Mh7KhsQhA/s400/pic+18.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b8dd4a3e-7fff-5474-81f2-8cc86991f95e" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-b8dd4a3e-7fff-5474-81f2-8cc86991f95e" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our handsome new teenager!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">June</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After a great regular season, Cash’s baseball team, the Cardinals, played a playoff tournament with teams from all over our area. After blowing through the tournament, we were challenged in the championship team by another Burlington team with several of our friends. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-6892225b-7fff-fff6-11ec-15d437c9a363" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was an incredible, back-and-forth game, but Cash’s Cardinals beat fellow Burlington team the Navy Sox 5-4 in a thrilling Andrade Tournament championship game. Cash pitched 2.1 innings in relief to earn the win, and had the game-winning RBI with a sacrifice fly in the 6th inning.</span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I took a trip to Birmingham, Alabama for work and got to see several old friends. The highlight was spending a day with Ryan and Kelly Akers. I taught with Ryan and Kelly for a couple years in Fort Worth and we have stayed close over the years. Being with them was a huge blessing!</span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We got some hard news as my mother, Helen Newhouse, was diagnosed with Mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. There is no cure, but Mom is going through treatments and has a great attitude.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4khAkaI8o2twPOGQAjIRr6gB76uYxWSXFeLJ-z57E5g1fDG0ei_NimdFm_WTqLmnMdKknyXYKnsTKvGEQ2d0tds92g9HzdjMpOtHZXcQblCSmy8-o3L54wOQq3DYtQRqU1we8/s1600/pic+19.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="719" data-original-width="960" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4khAkaI8o2twPOGQAjIRr6gB76uYxWSXFeLJ-z57E5g1fDG0ei_NimdFm_WTqLmnMdKknyXYKnsTKvGEQ2d0tds92g9HzdjMpOtHZXcQblCSmy8-o3L54wOQq3DYtQRqU1we8/s400/pic+19.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-6e7ad5d7-7fff-fc9d-0845-a0a5b118afc9" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-6e7ad5d7-7fff-fc9d-0845-a0a5b118afc9" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tournament Champions! </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG15QnAXOx32jQ0zJEPnINT6LuUV7wuyAWZ0I_5AnOnuIX0zwdUozJoYDXjsofVqIwx4QqkQDhaQu6C5Lb7bzAJo44u9pjXsViI_PmrR0RlMN4h9lR1TKol2UnapnDdDYRJK-m/s1600/pic+20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG15QnAXOx32jQ0zJEPnINT6LuUV7wuyAWZ0I_5AnOnuIX0zwdUozJoYDXjsofVqIwx4QqkQDhaQu6C5Lb7bzAJo44u9pjXsViI_PmrR0RlMN4h9lR1TKol2UnapnDdDYRJK-m/s400/pic+20.png" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4VO3yYJVzva21DYVaQRIpEv63OafDZ98u6oIl7b2h2kKutFQDWqDSu6ebwRyDngaCu-SXCJDUiaQTt5Ue3k_B_inKjSkGKVWcd0vzIwpKXNBMaQui4pgx7epduR1yglhDpKK/s1600/pic+21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy4VO3yYJVzva21DYVaQRIpEv63OafDZ98u6oIl7b2h2kKutFQDWqDSu6ebwRyDngaCu-SXCJDUiaQTt5Ue3k_B_inKjSkGKVWcd0vzIwpKXNBMaQui4pgx7epduR1yglhDpKK/s400/pic+21.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDP-i2MautFr7oLoRpDNlrMlJcmZVlhkMrzzhlB0CEeYvo6zBJ8ZWMvnVXxAupwRocW5STr13HEfKzVrQ8aN5wyr_MbAuxAs3SFymRLLcyaToYqMLZYTVBLubx9L_XJpU1BXM2/s1600/pic+22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDP-i2MautFr7oLoRpDNlrMlJcmZVlhkMrzzhlB0CEeYvo6zBJ8ZWMvnVXxAupwRocW5STr13HEfKzVrQ8aN5wyr_MbAuxAs3SFymRLLcyaToYqMLZYTVBLubx9L_XJpU1BXM2/s400/pic+22.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-785c56ee-7fff-7697-7666-392e7213e72c" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-785c56ee-7fff-7697-7666-392e7213e72c" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Coaching with these guys over the years has been a blast; Jim Walker, me, Brad Stallings and Sean Lockwood. </span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-dee5b608-7fff-fba1-6c8a-b6d21d6dd1eb" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ryan and Kelly Akers and their daughter. One of those perfect days. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrE8xs5aJiLR0-341e-MZGi7sBA-WiPx1N6O9iDZX2QixCs7kEFLt2OpzKFVkJ-6WS-8jN5_iYZWu0KDHIf7N55j7oXiJY30KMnHfJVTbAGG4FsvTbbf_rP1x9l8a5HTdXB4H/s1600/pic+25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrE8xs5aJiLR0-341e-MZGi7sBA-WiPx1N6O9iDZX2QixCs7kEFLt2OpzKFVkJ-6WS-8jN5_iYZWu0KDHIf7N55j7oXiJY30KMnHfJVTbAGG4FsvTbbf_rP1x9l8a5HTdXB4H/s400/pic+25.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-48f33d62-7fff-6f9b-fd8d-ae5f5f115fd9" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-48f33d62-7fff-6f9b-fd8d-ae5f5f115fd9" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ran into Bryan Jones at a pastors’ conference. Bryan was one of my youth when I was a youth pastor; later we partnered in ministry. Grateful that our paths have crossed over the years; a truly great guy. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvFYv847OR_8UCWunSbdJoyRezx3DvAGx-rijcCF6fX6XqVpu6KxMLkPNQetrqBUSNwC7bIERLEwK_bveNe4QJeCG31dt9a8QgAQA9u_O7dpbhaz9vj1K61W6F-5HasiYJH3a/s1600/pic+26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvFYv847OR_8UCWunSbdJoyRezx3DvAGx-rijcCF6fX6XqVpu6KxMLkPNQetrqBUSNwC7bIERLEwK_bveNe4QJeCG31dt9a8QgAQA9u_O7dpbhaz9vj1K61W6F-5HasiYJH3a/s400/pic+26.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-1c7ecea9-7fff-becf-e0b9-c96165162a1f" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-1c7ecea9-7fff-becf-e0b9-c96165162a1f" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jay Wolf was my pastor in my first ministry position as a summer youth intern 32 years ago. He was a great mentor; wonderful to see him again!</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-41592046-7fff-1fc9-d9f4-ba8d7fe018c6" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-41592046-7fff-1fc9-d9f4-ba8d7fe018c6" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">July</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-41592046-7fff-1fc9-d9f4-ba8d7fe018c6" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the third straight year Cash made the Little League All-Star team as we defended our district title in Oak Harbor. Cash and teammates Tyler and Hamza dominated on the mound with two no-hitters and won games 20-1, 14-0, 4-0 and 10-0. Cash was 10 for 15 at the plate. </span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-41592046-7fff-1fc9-d9f4-ba8d7fe018c6" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In four years of coaching All-stars with Brady and/or Cash, we won three district championships. It’s been a great run.</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-41592046-7fff-1fc9-d9f4-ba8d7fe018c6" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666984558105px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-41592046-7fff-1fc9-d9f4-ba8d7fe018c6" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-41592046-7fff-1fc9-d9f4-ba8d7fe018c6" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">A few weeks later we took a road trip to Richland for the state tournament. We had a blast building friendships, hanging out in the hotel, cooking out, swimming, and playing baseball. We ran into some good teams at the state tournament and fought hard, but lost our two games, one to the eventual state champion. It was a great experience.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDGK3la-PcsueRojYVu5d16xB2-1zyL1SOnX48JSLfiK5l0-m9LeDPVYINMc3Std57D6tG71jxvjcdobhfRqqxe-U1Cx6YQlUqY8eKpWR7tnuiBBvGYquafDr5E68xudjw0c9/s1600/pic+27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDGK3la-PcsueRojYVu5d16xB2-1zyL1SOnX48JSLfiK5l0-m9LeDPVYINMc3Std57D6tG71jxvjcdobhfRqqxe-U1Cx6YQlUqY8eKpWR7tnuiBBvGYquafDr5E68xudjw0c9/s400/pic+27.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4NKgIuKUeszNFSrVD86Ow_K0_nvXdRom2jg8XAKn3m7NGFdaZuk2etwIZNazJIE6pwC_XNR6A2uARZDmtqqtaJvSLRwf8Bw-ULOdzxVVyKxnq-JZxseIKAtJtq5qT4Kx2yiy/s1600/pic+29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT4NKgIuKUeszNFSrVD86Ow_K0_nvXdRom2jg8XAKn3m7NGFdaZuk2etwIZNazJIE6pwC_XNR6A2uARZDmtqqtaJvSLRwf8Bw-ULOdzxVVyKxnq-JZxseIKAtJtq5qT4Kx2yiy/s400/pic+29.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdw2HNzRs9s_6qvl_vqDhzFMwiOkeOSX0wh3kBAD3OLJS1zFUuwKY8jUq-rnNiF3PMmcA295miBFfidB67I0ULO0-FihkYtijrvgtAKZZPrw8w7KctygSORmjqpKD0nvdFCI9/s1600/pic+30.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1145" data-original-width="1600" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdw2HNzRs9s_6qvl_vqDhzFMwiOkeOSX0wh3kBAD3OLJS1zFUuwKY8jUq-rnNiF3PMmcA295miBFfidB67I0ULO0-FihkYtijrvgtAKZZPrw8w7KctygSORmjqpKD0nvdFCI9/s400/pic+30.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_zGq2JgRReZjwZ7T9oxwsBdHYyMlf5XXQhH9La1EDb7ptvBIJwgUhekdg2P8-UZU83WZahifuUUvAltoGL9hNORZjfMHh57M3JXptq7fRvMB75SCCtLgVwu2qE0whrFUKf6K/s1600/pic+31.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2_zGq2JgRReZjwZ7T9oxwsBdHYyMlf5XXQhH9La1EDb7ptvBIJwgUhekdg2P8-UZU83WZahifuUUvAltoGL9hNORZjfMHh57M3JXptq7fRvMB75SCCtLgVwu2qE0whrFUKf6K/s400/pic+31.png" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-bB8VyjoBdqv32MdEnK27l6RuQF7UnT9276E7xlxHVED6Cd0xji8wuRWMS3haBF1cKbW9u9LmzuqUdHotl23e4SGRYDaQQewarwKUohW77rA6U6GguMANhOH-i_1qfBwEBA7/s1600/pic+32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-bB8VyjoBdqv32MdEnK27l6RuQF7UnT9276E7xlxHVED6Cd0xji8wuRWMS3haBF1cKbW9u9LmzuqUdHotl23e4SGRYDaQQewarwKUohW77rA6U6GguMANhOH-i_1qfBwEBA7/s400/pic+32.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b85f8918-7fff-ba46-5e3d-4c88543f0e62" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-b85f8918-7fff-ba46-5e3d-4c88543f0e62" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hanging out at the state tournament with some of my favorite people--Brad Stallings, Jim Walker, Drew Fleshman and Alison Studley.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Vef8-pkje8U2dX2ijWeurIxkFnOUh2YhflnAT86ELyUYykxMZDkf7wRvQjJlMb4gqpAtWUIH9tfa6R1P57kNrOSmDupIibb7AzJTFpruMw2kEMzU5KHnkgWs4E3S52s1livD/s1600/pic+33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="512" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Vef8-pkje8U2dX2ijWeurIxkFnOUh2YhflnAT86ELyUYykxMZDkf7wRvQjJlMb4gqpAtWUIH9tfa6R1P57kNrOSmDupIibb7AzJTFpruMw2kEMzU5KHnkgWs4E3S52s1livD/s400/pic+33.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f4233653-7fff-2700-2a73-5e2c1b83ba9f" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-f4233653-7fff-2700-2a73-5e2c1b83ba9f" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the highlights every summer is the Faithlife (my work) picnic. All you can eat, games and fun people. Ashley was able to come up from Portland to join us!</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-d3b3f55c-7fff-785f-5428-57f4edc4db40" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">August</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-d3b3f55c-7fff-785f-5428-57f4edc4db40" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">August started with Brady’s soccer team in the middle of the summer tournament season. They had some ups and downs, then put together a good run in the Rush Cup, making it to the championship game where they battled hard and fell short 1-0. Brady played a great tournament. </span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-d3b3f55c-7fff-785f-5428-57f4edc4db40" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the first time since moving to Washington in 2011, the whole family flew home to Virginia to visit Mom and Jerry. It was a wonderful vacation.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUSdsz3eEPfTfGWBmaATealQVkXMWE91cZSFdiTGArzveO05DLdVCzFlKV9r9bgQRcjY6DzlqAbEIVukB9xxP6O9jS-BXfa3lCBJsO7LRz2qlZJhOUre6AtYYvq3a8OEzpC_I/s1600/pic+34.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUSdsz3eEPfTfGWBmaATealQVkXMWE91cZSFdiTGArzveO05DLdVCzFlKV9r9bgQRcjY6DzlqAbEIVukB9xxP6O9jS-BXfa3lCBJsO7LRz2qlZJhOUre6AtYYvq3a8OEzpC_I/s400/pic+34.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-884cfc2a-7fff-ec33-7e09-bf696a58dfa1" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-884cfc2a-7fff-ec33-7e09-bf696a58dfa1" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Me and Dan Dever. Dan and I have been friends since the late 80s when we did youth ministry together. In 1992 we moved to Texas together where we were seminary classmates and roommates for several years. We both moved back to Virginia in the early 2000’s. He has been a true friend for 30 years. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-63f02a1e-7fff-5348-1456-7a57af0f681d" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-63f02a1e-7fff-5348-1456-7a57af0f681d" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jamie and I met at New Hope Church in 2002. Here are several of our great friends from there. From left--Brady, Dan Dever, me, Jon Feld, Ron Buzalsky, Nancy Buzalsky, Kim Feld, Jamie, Stan Harris (who also did youth ministry with Dan and me at FBC Alexandria), Jay Hudgins and the Cashman. Each of these people have invested in Jamie and me over the years. What a blessing to spend that time together. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5b46gSRTizAhj9nGLAJ8GughD0RfRV1w49U5VHW71NKfvjxZ-nnoB4bv6drPZw9ieIZYq6lwT3XTQx_UOnvjZnRbqbCK7Pgb1b4FMenKTDIwsfqlb-MH8whl4NSqqddcrUEp2/s1600/pic+36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5b46gSRTizAhj9nGLAJ8GughD0RfRV1w49U5VHW71NKfvjxZ-nnoB4bv6drPZw9ieIZYq6lwT3XTQx_UOnvjZnRbqbCK7Pgb1b4FMenKTDIwsfqlb-MH8whl4NSqqddcrUEp2/s400/pic+36.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-852de04a-7fff-a1b1-caac-06c42f0640a3" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-852de04a-7fff-a1b1-caac-06c42f0640a3" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This was an incredibly special evening. David Blanton was my campus pastor at GMU, and the first man to disciple me. He and his wife Norma were my spiritual family in college, and we have stayed in touch over the years. Elise was part of that ministry as well, and has been a sister to me for over 30 years. This was the first time all four of us were together since my college days. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENf2oTcSx7kE1uZ2n7uxAS8v0fMtNHofmWqhsqivbiS-xnBe5ROLkFzWTz81DMpEyNZjrWbK_no6KPAvOrKwz59OV8AcOzGS3D4a0yUSGC_FDx9AvV_0aCMlKEsmcyRpkgTLV/s1600/pic+37.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhENf2oTcSx7kE1uZ2n7uxAS8v0fMtNHofmWqhsqivbiS-xnBe5ROLkFzWTz81DMpEyNZjrWbK_no6KPAvOrKwz59OV8AcOzGS3D4a0yUSGC_FDx9AvV_0aCMlKEsmcyRpkgTLV/s400/pic+37.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvQdN3bsQ6IxO3kqlRkqPVhQhU_i1OvaOSPC8Ip38M26cZ9Y1I84IeIcnnAVSneL5BLAAsfFP6SsCfcR3jcxEYryBGO1pyYjsDqYyumN8cTr-ZAYGIlc0Uf366wG8PdzgIkwf/s1600/pic+38.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvQdN3bsQ6IxO3kqlRkqPVhQhU_i1OvaOSPC8Ip38M26cZ9Y1I84IeIcnnAVSneL5BLAAsfFP6SsCfcR3jcxEYryBGO1pyYjsDqYyumN8cTr-ZAYGIlc0Uf366wG8PdzgIkwf/s400/pic+38.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5d12da65-7fff-1ad4-7e32-550e8e9ed426" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-5d12da65-7fff-1ad4-7e32-550e8e9ed426" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Time with the Jenkins family; always a blessing</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbK_Q96XAH1tExz-geyUQO-lTmqNdeZ6Gs3iY6lVd5Ng3nOuTKjKQGjyrTF4VcHf0h-Z6la6Rk4ccwgwrN1YxnnKJBmnrR_juO5tqAcyMG_Ott4PZlKugffVOu87c0vnrrayk/s1600/pic+39.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="512" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbK_Q96XAH1tExz-geyUQO-lTmqNdeZ6Gs3iY6lVd5Ng3nOuTKjKQGjyrTF4VcHf0h-Z6la6Rk4ccwgwrN1YxnnKJBmnrR_juO5tqAcyMG_Ott4PZlKugffVOu87c0vnrrayk/s400/pic+39.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-94abb078-7fff-9c55-e10c-1282b91acacf" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-94abb078-7fff-9c55-e10c-1282b91acacf" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nick Baatz (top left) was a good friend to Jamie and me at New Hope. Here is our family with Nick and his husband Scott. We’ve been blessed to connect with them a couple times in recent years--always a good time!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuR0Uf0lRd2BD63UkhIViNnD2jAj67S3NJekXcYeVrzrmhnhipFVzc138n6HY1JSdWWz3nR4K9Gyd0J34Z0ugX902iKtN-TcaWRBGlCmTkN3ypoGpaJcPZomkOY6h2WBvBSYLO/s1600/pic+40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuR0Uf0lRd2BD63UkhIViNnD2jAj67S3NJekXcYeVrzrmhnhipFVzc138n6HY1JSdWWz3nR4K9Gyd0J34Z0ugX902iKtN-TcaWRBGlCmTkN3ypoGpaJcPZomkOY6h2WBvBSYLO/s400/pic+40.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e9d065b7-7fff-ea98-196c-ec77e2ceaf18" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-e9d065b7-7fff-ea98-196c-ec77e2ceaf18" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Got to spend time with Andy, Johnny and Kenny!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXPri_Az-_CpJxx5HXzj6LVpQQqmR2IgPUa1dKGz87XdqSgXNvGtwhZSpb6UXG-OZSSq-DA1BmjZqZIGjwfPkXiokH0EAbgZDH2cLjkNSVqBC2GdnbWOOsPXN1EvIzp98L58W/s1600/pic+43.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="512" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXPri_Az-_CpJxx5HXzj6LVpQQqmR2IgPUa1dKGz87XdqSgXNvGtwhZSpb6UXG-OZSSq-DA1BmjZqZIGjwfPkXiokH0EAbgZDH2cLjkNSVqBC2GdnbWOOsPXN1EvIzp98L58W/s400/pic+43.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-90537ec5-7fff-72c4-e548-48e77d068985" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-90537ec5-7fff-72c4-e548-48e77d068985" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A more recent Virginia tradition--a meal at Cracker Barrel with Chris Hough and Mike Poff--all of us were part of Hope Church in Ft. Worth and also did ministry together in Virginia</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihk5DHDpsoGGOjru7R097Iq3FmtkicMIaKuwPhuBAVat7Y7TnC2j4b0Ee0kwinDo06bKPba-j9s7IlhHr5aeTOajXZB8i4W_qGgHKwDXaZkgzmtuam9-6N2895tWH57DB9frFJ/s1600/pic+44.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihk5DHDpsoGGOjru7R097Iq3FmtkicMIaKuwPhuBAVat7Y7TnC2j4b0Ee0kwinDo06bKPba-j9s7IlhHr5aeTOajXZB8i4W_qGgHKwDXaZkgzmtuam9-6N2895tWH57DB9frFJ/s400/pic+44.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-0f3a16e3-7fff-ba24-ec49-2fd9f893ef92" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-0f3a16e3-7fff-ba24-ec49-2fd9f893ef92" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dining room at Mom's house, home since 1973. I’ve probably had more meals in this room than any other in my life. Great time with Mom and step-dad Jerry.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfmDIz5b857JlNTIGHO5OGuessCZSC3WFsGoi-euNIxtLLp85orO-9KjzLh8uoIUa6nIVmdKTPY0cQhyP2KCJoMBtk6lZ2pPv0hIT593LKK8tN5B8zfq_eYK37hAVEalZJJo6/s1600/pic+45.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="512" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfmDIz5b857JlNTIGHO5OGuessCZSC3WFsGoi-euNIxtLLp85orO-9KjzLh8uoIUa6nIVmdKTPY0cQhyP2KCJoMBtk6lZ2pPv0hIT593LKK8tN5B8zfq_eYK37hAVEalZJJo6/s400/pic+45.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-8bd7bc4c-7fff-00f7-366f-4cb20a17a968" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-8bd7bc4c-7fff-00f7-366f-4cb20a17a968" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These boys love their grandma--and she loves them!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-onbtlT09LCdc_HISPiuxtIZFiB1pf3Z5icMyP4Fh2uWO0WLjAi8axU-e9vblZjRHh4-xZms6YwXKxZ209rtFD5wSTWPx1gE-baz1ShGcBpwZZVNHydOoUXJCYcFDdWqpSeN/s1600/pic+46.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-onbtlT09LCdc_HISPiuxtIZFiB1pf3Z5icMyP4Fh2uWO0WLjAi8axU-e9vblZjRHh4-xZms6YwXKxZ209rtFD5wSTWPx1gE-baz1ShGcBpwZZVNHydOoUXJCYcFDdWqpSeN/s400/pic+46.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-a01e7a05-7fff-5ee2-8674-123d51656b34" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-a01e7a05-7fff-5ee2-8674-123d51656b34" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good time with my brother Eric</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvl5vhX_u6Ah4AfEPBiyZh2TxpFkbWhIJHVm8sYxvkoWPyA9reyqT5sIJDvvVN_8JmqZQBYBVFQtLbueJnk4eSU1G3szgz51DY5JiuRt5I5i2e2ELT36IBB8kLHwUy00-wM0gJ/s1600/pic+47.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvl5vhX_u6Ah4AfEPBiyZh2TxpFkbWhIJHVm8sYxvkoWPyA9reyqT5sIJDvvVN_8JmqZQBYBVFQtLbueJnk4eSU1G3szgz51DY5JiuRt5I5i2e2ELT36IBB8kLHwUy00-wM0gJ/s400/pic+47.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">September</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-29766831-7fff-0bf6-b57e-a5147125adfd" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After some time off in August, Brady and Cash were back in school and sports--fall baseball, school and league soccer for Brady, league soccer for Cash.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brady’s middle school soccer team completed their second straight undefeated season (with Brady on the team; legend has it they haven’t lost in about 7 years); Brady was a real leader on the team. </span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Both Brady and Cash tried out for and were selected to play on the Barnstormers, a new 13U select baseball team next season. While I am sad that my coaching career is over, I am excited for the challenges and opportunities ahead of the boys, and proud of how hard they work and what they have accomplished.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ashley had her fourth knee surgery in the last five years. Grandma Vicki and Jamie each went down to Portland to help her.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHXAvB3t3I6zQmuGds2DqIvfYaAGQaHS74v89iOvr51jhI8SvqBJqkgDlnbGrbXaVtpTZcyJjcMrkNSfygPV5vddHJlvCZiCJSHfsJhRanwbfmD987QJTqo7oUwssa952Qc1h/s1600/pic+48.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHXAvB3t3I6zQmuGds2DqIvfYaAGQaHS74v89iOvr51jhI8SvqBJqkgDlnbGrbXaVtpTZcyJjcMrkNSfygPV5vddHJlvCZiCJSHfsJhRanwbfmD987QJTqo7oUwssa952Qc1h/s400/pic+48.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c840cd4e-7fff-6e8f-d712-779ccffc7039" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c840cd4e-7fff-6e8f-d712-779ccffc7039" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First day of sixth and eighth grade!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-f504bec7-7fff-c3bf-084b-8e08049fd019" style="text-align: start;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-f504bec7-7fff-c3bf-084b-8e08049fd019" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brady and I sometimes work out together at Planet Fitness; good times!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tJgpEe4Lb2hbf22OR35XNXYNysEONcDbmYP9tes5x3dAYZKt7GM6CIkz8EDuNOi_NI3NGpZnxqXF50tiWdmBP3iGVlQ7P97HOQziOTmcjGcSXdYzeAQ9glbsB5R-_hirgLMe/s1600/pic+50.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tJgpEe4Lb2hbf22OR35XNXYNysEONcDbmYP9tes5x3dAYZKt7GM6CIkz8EDuNOi_NI3NGpZnxqXF50tiWdmBP3iGVlQ7P97HOQziOTmcjGcSXdYzeAQ9glbsB5R-_hirgLMe/s400/pic+50.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cashman at the plate</td></tr>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-06645d34-7fff-6a33-815e-a45e161e39f3"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">October</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">November</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> were mostly about sports; finishing up fall baseball, playing soccer, starting basketball. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 14.666666984558105px; white-space: pre-wrap;">This was my eighth year working at Faithlife/Logos Bible Software. I had a great month in November and won Salesperson of the Month for the second time in my time there. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">December</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> we were blessed to spend Christmas week with Ashley in Portland! It is rare to have all five of us together for long--this was the longest we’d all been together in years. We had a wonderful time talking, eating, playing games, going to Ashley’s church, seeing the hospital where she works. It was the perfect way to end 2019!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I get older, I realize more and more that what really matters is relationships. First of all--my family. I am blessed every day by my wife and three amazing children.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-19115141-7fff-5258-b2b9-3763f510af2c" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have lifelong friends that continue to love and encourage me. </span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s hard to believe we have been in Washington for eight years now. I’ve made some great friends through the kids’ sports, work and church. For over a year now, I have met weekly with a group of four dear friends connected through church to encourage and challenge each other. These guys celebrate with me when life is good, and lift me up when life gets rough. </span></div>
<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are reading this, you are one of the people I’m grateful to have in my life. Thank you.</span></div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-91522677835547083792019-07-28T11:29:00.000-07:002019-08-04T08:19:24.753-07:00Remembering Dale <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGwMS35gbF9GD3s1okFLkcpZQf8du9CP0zG5t45AbHPeXJRDG8sErf3b1wuI2uZ1DQHoeoNTqB5LwBP3WQiyFgoFqviOxWxXfZtcr61boFft1302DONtOVZ8FINxNsgg0NmLu/s1600/67371072_10156522878311527_621192072187084800_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGwMS35gbF9GD3s1okFLkcpZQf8du9CP0zG5t45AbHPeXJRDG8sErf3b1wuI2uZ1DQHoeoNTqB5LwBP3WQiyFgoFqviOxWxXfZtcr61boFft1302DONtOVZ8FINxNsgg0NmLu/s400/67371072_10156522878311527_621192072187084800_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dale and me on Orcas Island 2015</td></tr>
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Two years ago today I got the call that my best friend Dale died. It was one of the hardest days of my life.<br />
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The timing was unbelievable. Dale and his fiancé Liz, along with two of Dale's boys, had just spent five days with us on vacation. We packed so much into those days--a wonderful day at my company picnic, playing on the beach at Birch Bay, hiking Mount Baker, sightseeing in Seattle, and taking the ferry to walk and play in Friday Harbor.<br />
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It was an amazing time together, filled with great talks and lots of love and laughter. On the last day of their time in Washington, Dale proposed to Liz in Seattle. We talked a couple times over the next week as they started making wedding plans.<br />
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I cried the night they left, and I cried tears of joy when he told me about the proposal.<br />
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I've always been a cryer--any sappy movie can get my tears flowing. I get tears of joy when my kids win a big game or bring home a great report card.<br />
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I've never cried harder than I did the day I learned Dale had died. I woke up, and as usual, looked at my phone to see if there were any pressing messages or emails. I saw a notification of a Facebook message from Liz, Dale's fiancé.<br />
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"Todd, it's Liz. Please call me." </div>
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Messages at 2 AM are never good. I figured there had been an accident or something like that, and hoped that nobody was hurt too badly. I called Liz and she answered the phone. She sounded upset, like she'd been crying. My anxiety level quickly rose. </div>
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She said, "Todd, Last night, Dale took Ryan to soccer practice. While he was there, he went for a run. He must have collapsed while he was running, and he died. Dale's dead, Todd."</div>
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I felt frozen; like I couldn't move or think or feel anything. Then when I did move, it felt funny, like it wasn't me; like I was outside my body. I stood up and began walking back and forth next to the bed.</div>
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"Oh Liz, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." I didn't know what else to say; I just kept repeating those words. I felt like my mind was pulling back, closing up, running from the truth and the weight of what Liz said. </div>
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"I don't know what do, Liz. I think I'm in shock."</div>
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"Is Jamie there?" she asked. "Give the phone to Jamie."</div>
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Jamie was in the shower. I walked into the bathroom, opened the shower door, and just held my phone out to Jamie. I guess she took it, then I walked back into the bedroom. </div>
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I dropped to my knees next to the bed. I felt like my heart was exploding. I buried my face in the comforter on the bed and began to wail--a combination of sobs and screams, over and over, into the bed. The boys were still sleeping; I didn't want to wake them.</div>
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Jamie came out of the bathroom and put her hand on my back. I just kept sobbing. My mind was frozen. I couldn't process what was going on. My body felt weak and I felt a pain, deep inside, like nothing I'd ever felt. </div>
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I cried for a while, then got up and talked with Jamie for a minute. I texted my boss to tell him I wouldn't be at work. It was time to get the boys up, so I went to get them. They had just spent five days with Dale and Liz, Ryan and Benjamin. Dale was family to them, as he was to me.</div>
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I went into Brady's room and woke him up. He could see in my face and hear in my voice that something was wrong. As soon as I opened my mouth to speak I began crying again. I tried to breathe and speak slowly so I could get the words out.</div>
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"Dale, he was running, and he collapsed, and he died."</div>
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Brady's eyes got big; it took him a few seconds to process the information, then he began to cry, and reached out to hold onto me. I started crying again and just held him. Cash heard us and came into the room, so I told him. He started crying as well. We were all just letting it out.</div>
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Jamie had to go to work--she kept apologizing, but I knew she needed to be there and told her to go.</div>
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I fed the boys breakfast and told them they could stay home or go to day camp. They both chose to stay home. I sat with them and cried and held them for a bit. Then I got them watching TV and began to make some calls.<br />
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I called my mother. Mom had known Dale since we were kids; he was family. I didn't want to scare her, and knew I would start crying as soon as I spoke, so I started with "the kids are OK."<br />
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I slowly got out the words to tell her what happened to Dale. She was upset.<br />
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I left messages with Jill, one of Dale's closest friends from high school, and Lisa, whom Dale dated in high school. They both called me back soon after. I told each of them what had happened. Every time I began to speak, I stared crying again, and struggled to speak the words.<br />
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Both of them were shocked and upset, and concerned for me, and for Liz, and Dale's family.<br />
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Sue, Dale's ex-wife, called me and we talked and cried.<br />
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I called Dale's mom and talked with her. I don't remember much about those conversations; just listening to details as they came, talking about plans for a memorial service.<br />
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It was a horrible day, but underneath the grief, then and now, was a nugget of joy--realizing that the person I admired and respected more than anyone was my best friend. That for my whole life I had a friend who was always there for me. Dale supported me and encouraged me and always answered the call when I needed something. He always gave--emotionally, spiritually, materially.<br />
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One time when I needed a car and asked him to borrow money, Dale gave me a car he had that he didn't drive much anymore. When I went to pick it up, I looked at the service records and saw that he had fixed the AC, done a full service and put new tires on it before giving it to me.<br />
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I had 43 great years of memories with him, and the icing on it all was a week of incredible joy and new memories we had just experienced.<br />
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The grief and loss are always there, but they are softened by a lifetime of wonderful memories, especially those we made in that last week together. I'm grateful I got to meet Liz, who Dale loved so much, and who brought him so much joy.<br />
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I went to San Antonio a year ago to be with Liz and Dale's family on his birthday (and the anniversary of his death). It was wonderful to spent that time with them. I didn't make it down there this year, but hope to next year.<br />
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I cry less often these days. I guess I am healing, but I still miss him and think about him every day. every single day. Sometimes I talk to him, usually on my drive to or from work; which is when we had most of our phone conversations over his last few years.<br />
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And I look forward to seeing him again one day, and giving him one of the bear hugs we always shared when we said hello.<br />
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Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-28253007453658579512019-07-25T21:15:00.002-07:002019-07-30T20:46:34.276-07:00Baseball 2019--A Championship SeasonAnother Little League Baseball season has come to an end, and it was one of the most enjoyable seasons I've had. I assisted my friend Jim Walker in coaching the Cardinals in the Burlington-Edison Little League Majors division, along with Brad Stallings and Sean Lockwood.<br />
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We had a small but strong team of nine players--three 12-year-olds, five 11's and one 10-year-old. We went 13-1 in the regular season, our only loss coming on a forfeit when one of our players was ejected for accidentally throwing his bat. We were up 10-2 at the time.<br />
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In our post-season tournament--the Andrade Tournament in Oak Harbor, we won 9-1, 13-0 and 20-5 before winning a thriller in the championship game 5-4. Cash knocked in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth.<br />
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When the season was done, we moved on to All-Stars. Five of our players made the team--Cash, Tyler, Hamza, Chloe and Landon. We breezed through the district tournament, 20-1, 14-0, 4-0 and 10-0. Two of the games were combined no-hitters. Cash was dialed in, going 10-for-15 in the tournament, including a 3-run double for the game winning RBI in the semi-final. He also pitched in both the no-hitters.<br />
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The final leg of the season involved traveling to Richland, WA, for the Washington State Little League Tournament. Last year we were blown out in two games, both of them 10-run shutouts.<br />
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We were hoping for more this year, and our first game was a battle. We took a long time to get our bats going, and were down 4-1 going into the sixth inning. We came alive and tied the game, taking it to extra innings. We scored once in the top of the eighth, but gave up two in the bottom to fall 6-5.<br />
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Our second game was against a really good North Bothell team, and we knew it would be a battle. We fought hard and refused to let them blow us out, eventually losing 11-5. North Bothell eventually won the tournament and became Washington state champions.<br />
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It would have been great to win a game or two, but we fought hard to the finish in both games, and scored ten runs in two games--a good showing.<br />
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Years from now, I know I'll remember the people and the conversations as much as the games. While the kids enjoyed some independence playing wiffle ball in the hotel parking lot and hanging out at the pool and hot tub, the parents all gathered on the hotel patio to eat and drink and tell stories and laugh. We laughed a lot.<br />
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Sometimes you end up on teams where there are clicks, with both players and parents. But this team was special. The kids all got along, on and off the field. They were a true team. And the parents were a wonderful group of people. Everyone hung out together and had fun and cheered our kids on.<br />
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The conclusion of the season also means changes for me moving forward. I've coached with either Brad or Jim or both for the last six years.<br />
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Both their boys are twelve and will move up to the next level next year. Cash has one more year in Majors, so I'll coach him along with Sean. I'll miss coaching with Brad and Jim, but look forward to becoming manager again after two years of assisting. I'm also looking forward to working with Sean again--he is a great coach and a great friend.<br />
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That will be it for Cash and me, our last season of Little League. I'm excited, but right now it's time to turn our attention to soccer!<br />
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Here are some pics from the season.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYEN2iJh2EAajNQa0wSpyGF_BNYIFWeG9QBMCytTcpbG-f7ktOANFIo5LjN8DJjG0Lk4UgQN7x_hzfqBXJBphtq2bXOOjMK01nFJ9d5PCWOXPQvOirbBwbjM_QJut9MLzrk3hr/s1600/bb1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYEN2iJh2EAajNQa0wSpyGF_BNYIFWeG9QBMCytTcpbG-f7ktOANFIo5LjN8DJjG0Lk4UgQN7x_hzfqBXJBphtq2bXOOjMK01nFJ9d5PCWOXPQvOirbBwbjM_QJut9MLzrk3hr/s400/bb1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2019 Washington District 11 Little League All-Star Champs!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cash did a fantastic job at shortstop both at Districts and State</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cash batting at the District Tournament</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Jim Walker and team--pre-game at the District Championship</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tyler Walker and Cash--love watching these two play</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim and Tyler Walker</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim Walker, Me, Brad Stallings and Sean Lockwood--I'm thankful for great coaches and friends!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brady played with us in some of our extra Cal Ripken games</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cash on the mound and Brady at Short</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me coaching the Cashman on first</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprCBqWPDi6i3EvtvbPpurmK7UY25URg8ChG-JxdzcLEKp62kFqAa5ggQXGMhfDwhoZxplpIWnzzvcn_8dglceWRobDc4eB1lwlokkpRIQkOtY5H6Iu5GHYKV5psPhuu8CDYry/s1600/state+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprCBqWPDi6i3EvtvbPpurmK7UY25URg8ChG-JxdzcLEKp62kFqAa5ggQXGMhfDwhoZxplpIWnzzvcn_8dglceWRobDc4eB1lwlokkpRIQkOtY5H6Iu5GHYKV5psPhuu8CDYry/s400/state+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great showing at the State Tournament</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnipzpBlValYk4laYfzTtjfVOweBCkqxzKKI5B05ztBleWoTUnw21M-wvXLI39Ix5xmDSW4wqPa-Bp9Umuh7wrAVrKQQv7MkQGb_lfVxqLIOoiQdGfdcAusKDg4AroLBOnY7cY/s1600/state+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnipzpBlValYk4laYfzTtjfVOweBCkqxzKKI5B05ztBleWoTUnw21M-wvXLI39Ix5xmDSW4wqPa-Bp9Umuh7wrAVrKQQv7MkQGb_lfVxqLIOoiQdGfdcAusKDg4AroLBOnY7cY/s400/state+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying grown-up time with some of my favorite people at State--me, Brad Stallings, Jim Walker, Drew Fleshman and Alison Studley</td></tr>
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<br />Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-29446614242733065872019-07-16T12:41:00.002-07:002019-07-16T21:14:27.632-07:00Sports DadI love attention and affirmation. Probably part of why I've spent much of my adult life in ministry and education. Pastors and teachers get a lot of love and attention. They also get their share of criticism, but the positive usually makes it worth it.<br />
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As a kid I was much the same way. I wanted to be popular; I wanted people to like me. I wanted to be really good at something. I played Little League Baseball as a kid, and loved the game, but I wasn't very good. I played catcher, and was OK on defense, but I couldn't hit. I struck out a lot, hit a lot of weak grounders, and occasionally had a decent hit.<br />
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I was never a leader on the team, and was never a star. Some of my classmates were in that group. They were among the guys that pitched and hit home runs and got their names in the paper. I wanted to be like them, to get the recognition they did.<br />
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I did get my name in the paper once. I had two hits in a game--a single and a triple--and was thrilled to see my name in print. I think I still have that clipping somewhere. But that was a rare event.<br />
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Overall, I was not that good. I never made All-Stars. So when I finished Little League at age 12 I hung up my cleats and started umpiring. Over the years I became very good at it. I ran a marathon and competed in a 100-mile bike race. I played softball for many years and had a blast.<br />
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But in recent years I've discovered something even better than being a great athlete, or a leader on a team, or an All-Star. For the last 15 years I've been the father of great athletes.<br />
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It began with Ashley in soccer. She started young, and I watched her grow from a little girl who played soccer into a fantastic athlete. She played with boldness and passion and energy--she became a leader and was always one of the best players on the field. She was a soccer bad-ass. She played within the rules, but she played a tough, physical game.<br />
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Ashley played soccer for years, up through high school, and I loved watching her play.<br />
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Ashley's brothers have continued her legacy. Brady and Cash play baseball and soccer and basketball. They are both much better baseball players than I was. I like to take some credit, as I taught them to throw and catch before they could even walk. Baseball was a big part of their lives from early on. I coached them in T-ball, then coach-pitch, then into regular baseball. I've coached one or the other or both for the last eight seasons.<br />
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And I've found more joy in their successes than I ever would have in my own. I love coaching them and cheering for them. I love watching them work hard and succeed. I love watching them win and I love watching them persevere when they don't win.<br />
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Brady (13) finished his Little League career last year. I coached him through three All-Star teams and we won two district championships. Coaching your son in an All-Star District championship game feels like winning the World Series (I imagine). The joy and excitement is amazing.<br />
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Cash (11) is playing on his third All-Star team right now. We just won our second straight District Tournament. In four games we scored 48 runs and gave up one. Our pitchers threw two combined no-hitters, and Cash pitched in both of them.<br />
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This Friday we head to Eastern Washington for the state tournament. I love these days. I love being out on the field. I love watching the kids work and play and yell and battle and celebrate.<br />
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We are a small-town team. I hope we can make a run at state, but it will be tough to compete with the teams from Seattle and other big cities--they just have a much larger pool of players from which to draw. But our kids work hard and give it everything. However far we go, I'm grateful for the experience and the wonderful times spent with Cash and his teammates, and the good friends I coach with.<br />
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I loved playing and umpiring baseball and running track and running and biking. But none of it compares to the joy of coaching and cheering my kids.<br />
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Here are some pics from the tournament; thanks to Anna Weynands and Drew Fleshman!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QTqRtzU_egK5o5m36KwSBQaMXia01hA3YEMt9QOs42SlOjTisyikp_MoI1H2FapXqx3-YSEUjGTD-KHbHFJS7r6O8iEuoQ1WOHbkgoFXx-ur8Tl9P2F4yHYkJUb2B5HxMYVf/s1600/Cash+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1600" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QTqRtzU_egK5o5m36KwSBQaMXia01hA3YEMt9QOs42SlOjTisyikp_MoI1H2FapXqx3-YSEUjGTD-KHbHFJS7r6O8iEuoQ1WOHbkgoFXx-ur8Tl9P2F4yHYkJUb2B5HxMYVf/s400/Cash+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Cash played short when he wasn't pitching</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUaNJMa4RIPfx4e0tiQq5h9r6QY6fGBqYuFCQarfiM6WnHZzE9OeXPiqUBqskWXTOzIrZFZ5xrQApfrEGor2XkY8-dl4rdV00C3Vvcic4d9Pg3KPq3lNKAm-DFBqZzygKBcbj/s1600/Cash+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfUaNJMa4RIPfx4e0tiQq5h9r6QY6fGBqYuFCQarfiM6WnHZzE9OeXPiqUBqskWXTOzIrZFZ5xrQApfrEGor2XkY8-dl4rdV00C3Vvcic4d9Pg3KPq3lNKAm-DFBqZzygKBcbj/s400/Cash+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYFDS8hNAXUKZDbYKwXQYT78h0CmxL59bqOm_qbQ6FUQadOhtSN1Ev61HUwSfGF2FkRd9DLFI1Dd5NP312ni-MUdx71PvQloPqUXZ4ZsnE1qn5dduxVDrelA_iWX6-lRDyRkp/s1600/Cash+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYFDS8hNAXUKZDbYKwXQYT78h0CmxL59bqOm_qbQ6FUQadOhtSN1Ev61HUwSfGF2FkRd9DLFI1Dd5NP312ni-MUdx71PvQloPqUXZ4ZsnE1qn5dduxVDrelA_iWX6-lRDyRkp/s400/Cash+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Cash went 10-for-15 in the tournament</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBuHhUw8EUkIMTDu5BPBGrKvkjAaWqFdfFDkKJ4-xp-9LxXxPS7jAl6Z3DaGxnXay9dJRans45p8gQC_H3Uwb2cL_6ORlLjaq3pRUvuAvHXIsNJeoN6tNh6L-XoviLHDUDCBe/s1600/catch2-622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1393" data-original-width="1600" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBuHhUw8EUkIMTDu5BPBGrKvkjAaWqFdfFDkKJ4-xp-9LxXxPS7jAl6Z3DaGxnXay9dJRans45p8gQC_H3Uwb2cL_6ORlLjaq3pRUvuAvHXIsNJeoN6tNh6L-XoviLHDUDCBe/s400/catch2-622.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Cash pitched in both of the Tigers' two no-hitters</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2EtM3U1qFG6psgSpWYYTuMZS8eNtTcpngyNrIawjHKTvW9ydH0J2dPBPVJNHxmWXUN0xdCDoMVcicRMSjKZb4bvVZuH7Pr7GCdWTdyDBD83BGRlxwSXn5SoKFFEqOIrrAwq9/s1600/catch2-674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1326" data-original-width="1600" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2EtM3U1qFG6psgSpWYYTuMZS8eNtTcpngyNrIawjHKTvW9ydH0J2dPBPVJNHxmWXUN0xdCDoMVcicRMSjKZb4bvVZuH7Pr7GCdWTdyDBD83BGRlxwSXn5SoKFFEqOIrrAwq9/s400/catch2-674.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Cash after a 3-run double in the semifinals</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOlXnkzMmTeB0XK-B3Gp3UHcyQadrniXSuBm4537EVli6zmY-o-GbgLZaxHQetRKDWNNBRcGNFdqMIAM_-tMb2_ioZorlgtL8hopFzJuPwdXPTIawxyrE6KvNc-jD4K1lWydP/s1600/intros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOlXnkzMmTeB0XK-B3Gp3UHcyQadrniXSuBm4537EVli6zmY-o-GbgLZaxHQetRKDWNNBRcGNFdqMIAM_-tMb2_ioZorlgtL8hopFzJuPwdXPTIawxyrE6KvNc-jD4K1lWydP/s400/intros.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Watching our opponents during introductions</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQneuX_RlqbC9RMQA1H9mMnQC6LBtF3EBvweOLDe9iSaWl8U8bl6eRS_76QLVd_r6teQ2n-XYt7jIRCJvzWNONJbEw2Y78ZrdASgMpTNwlM8XG_4V3Wy3_2QNdY8xQVU-UsXC/s1600/pre-game.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQneuX_RlqbC9RMQA1H9mMnQC6LBtF3EBvweOLDe9iSaWl8U8bl6eRS_76QLVd_r6teQ2n-XYt7jIRCJvzWNONJbEw2Y78ZrdASgMpTNwlM8XG_4V3Wy3_2QNdY8xQVU-UsXC/s400/pre-game.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Pre-game Pledge!</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPf1ALuZzjlYkKHULXoc0fqtUhpZMs5uR6eKoT7q4iVr47xTMiPVdBoXI-IiOwDzRXY8VmckDZ91pRqfd52a1-EhyphenhyphenB_od5GDISNFnDjd27wUcbohxiLeVlTEDbEyOBAsM_tZa_/s1600/scoreboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPf1ALuZzjlYkKHULXoc0fqtUhpZMs5uR6eKoT7q4iVr47xTMiPVdBoXI-IiOwDzRXY8VmckDZ91pRqfd52a1-EhyphenhyphenB_od5GDISNFnDjd27wUcbohxiLeVlTEDbEyOBAsM_tZa_/s400/scoreboard.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Celebrating</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIfKpOZPJ9G2jEPR1QDF96l3tU0jzD9h5B0l9Xq5J8AYFnnZ2IGpgJoSdR-GDBvNCYHeAsLm7oyN7PKlY7dCOZSRutDX68YDhEZmjWB4-F6Ufhg2QND2JFkBEynR_I_7MkENb/s1600/team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1144" data-original-width="1600" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIfKpOZPJ9G2jEPR1QDF96l3tU0jzD9h5B0l9Xq5J8AYFnnZ2IGpgJoSdR-GDBvNCYHeAsLm7oyN7PKlY7dCOZSRutDX68YDhEZmjWB4-F6Ufhg2QND2JFkBEynR_I_7MkENb/s400/team.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">District Champs</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1V5c3wlvwo-GTCaPIzoUjXJsDHpwSsQJa0c-F6fqSG0ybgppTeEGrQCDOPYzjvNsWvfEyqh2smbs9oIXr481RMO6HIXHSV855jSyd_FHbU7viJjhAh4wOxCOQguV52Oww8jB/s1600/TC+Tyler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1428" data-original-width="1017" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1V5c3wlvwo-GTCaPIzoUjXJsDHpwSsQJa0c-F6fqSG0ybgppTeEGrQCDOPYzjvNsWvfEyqh2smbs9oIXr481RMO6HIXHSV855jSyd_FHbU7viJjhAh4wOxCOQguV52Oww8jB/s400/TC+Tyler.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Tyler's hip injury flared up in the last inning. I'm helping him back to the dugout after he walked. I love this picture and I love that kid. </td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuvPlvwZ_wX3kxabiZI4Tej118hMV9EuHE_pE_sV0Mj_nu4dZVNYzWR272uonxyW-7fsnydK6xQet-M-Cy5ZyF9u0JdJIJbaXpZAYwaTpj0BeFHrXzzsq8aI0s0V80hm5Jlq_/s1600/TC+Cash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1428" data-original-width="952" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuvPlvwZ_wX3kxabiZI4Tej118hMV9EuHE_pE_sV0Mj_nu4dZVNYzWR272uonxyW-7fsnydK6xQet-M-Cy5ZyF9u0JdJIJbaXpZAYwaTpj0BeFHrXzzsq8aI0s0V80hm5Jlq_/s400/TC+Cash.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">My All-Star</td></tr>
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<br />Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-12454913061438493602019-06-30T18:18:00.003-07:002019-06-30T20:06:51.344-07:00Missing Texas and One of My Favorite PeopleI've blogged on and off for years (more off in recent years), and always struggled with what I wanted to write about--sports, faith, family, music, movies...<br />
<br />
Recently it hit me what I want to write about; what I need to write about. People. The hundreds of people who have impacted my life. I am who I am because of them. The memories that have meaning in my life are because of the people with whom I've walked through life's experiences and adventures.<br />
<br />
For some reason I've been really nostalgic for Fort Worth lately. Lately I've missed it even more than usual, and really long to go there.<br />
<br />
I want to take my kids there and show them the places I used to go--Hope Church, Southwestern Baptist Seminary, the Ballpark in Arlington, Gateway Park where we played softball, the Stockyards, Sundance Square, Grapevine Mills, and more fantastic restaurants and coffee shops than I can remember.<br />
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All those great places were special because of the people I was with in those places--friends from Hope, from the ballpark, the great guys with whom I umpired, a few strong, patient women I dated, and most of all the kids I taught and the people I taught with at Heritage Christian Academy. I loved those days, year after year. I loved watching "my kids" grow up and become successful in so many ways. I loved spending time with families that took me in as one of them.<br />
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I'd like to use this blog to tell the stories of the people that have impacted my life--or at least the parts where I got to be part of their stories.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUNDdIu6Tl9PxhbYL4N9_4UOy4O3BDUHstMGa64hOcDts5ttNdbCaR6wEhtUTckwrdyyThvfphuh4-ygQFkcjr0rdU_hK5dGEPvuEriDkaRELtkYMaTke1Fp0loOJnPyUh-fB/s1600/mike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUNDdIu6Tl9PxhbYL4N9_4UOy4O3BDUHstMGa64hOcDts5ttNdbCaR6wEhtUTckwrdyyThvfphuh4-ygQFkcjr0rdU_hK5dGEPvuEriDkaRELtkYMaTke1Fp0loOJnPyUh-fB/s400/mike.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Me and Mike Poff, Cracker Barrel February 2019</td></tr>
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<br />
I'm going to start randomly with Mike Poff. Not too random--Mike was a big part of my life for many years; and still is.<br />
<br />
I met Mike in the summer of 1992. I had moved to Fort Worth to go to seminary, and had been encouraged by some friends in Virginia (Rusty Coram, Chris Hough) to check out Hope Church. I had met pastor Harold Bullock at a retreat when I was in college, and was intrigued. Hope had a fantastic reputation as a church that was effectively reaching non-Christians and bringing them into the church.<br />
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Within the first week or two in Fort Worth I went to a newcomer's lunch after Sunday worship at Hope. Mike was helping out at the lunch. We ended up sitting next to each other and quickly learned we were both from Virginia. We discovered we had a lot in common--sports, movies, etc.<br />
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We quickly became good friends, and Mike has been a true friend for 27 years now; half my life! We were not just friends, but also ministry partners, softball teammates, and even roommates for a time in Fort Worth. Mike was one of those guys I knew I could always count on. He was always there for me, through some real ups and downs.<br />
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He is often hard on himself when we talk about a challenging situation we had to work through when we were roommates (a situation I created), but truth is he handled it well. We both made mistakes, but we gave and received grace, and our friendship grew stronger. He has continued to encourage and challenge me for years.<br />
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I moved from Texas back to Virginia in 2002, and Mike followed soon after, becoming pastor at a church near where I lived. He and his lovely wife Anna are still there. We've spent a lot of time together over the years, and have always had incredible conversations; often while watching baseball games. Even since I moved to Washington, we talk often, Mike's is still one of the first voices I seek when I need guidance.<br />
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In recent years we have built a wonderful tradition of lunch at Cracker Barrel whenever I am in Virginia. I love and appreciate you, Brother!<br />
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Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-75298312371920400862018-01-07T14:23:00.000-08:002018-01-30T15:35:36.361-08:00Hello 2018<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOShjpQdfgW1f4ONwjw4vb3vfNxPeJmsiHoDq40xD9nNdOVZn6AvNPxdWpZCZH91PDI6HtVKeUFonwMKgRwOwdnij_EpxkyeN73UOsz0b8bHfjvPlW2JR44RRTmlOH41loBEo8wQ/s1600/family+dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOShjpQdfgW1f4ONwjw4vb3vfNxPeJmsiHoDq40xD9nNdOVZn6AvNPxdWpZCZH91PDI6HtVKeUFonwMKgRwOwdnij_EpxkyeN73UOsz0b8bHfjvPlW2JR44RRTmlOH41loBEo8wQ/s400/family+dinner.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Family Dinner, surprised by Ashley, July</td></tr>
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<br />
2017 was one of the most eventful years of my life. There were some great highs, terrible lows and some big changes.<br />
<br />
<b>January</b><br />
I started the year working a new job at HUB International, a commercial insurance broker. I had left Logos in late 2016, after five years, to begin a new job. That lasted for about five months.<br />
<br />
<b>February</b><br />
I went back to Logos. Several positive changes had taken place since I left, and I was glad to be reunited with my old team. It has been great being back there.<br />
<br />
February began an incredible sports year for Cash as his basketball team finished the season undefeated. It was his first time playing basketball, and he had a blast. Both boys were leaders on their indoor soccer teams.<br />
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<b>March</b><br />
Baseball season! For the first time the boys were on different teams. I coached Cash’s Minor league team while Brady moved up to Majors to play with coach Jim Walker.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Brady on the Mound</td></tr>
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<b><br />April</b><br />
Brady and Cash got some nice hiking gear for Christmas, so the boys and I pledged to do more hiking. We went on several fun hikes throughout the year and hope to do more in 2018.<br />
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<br />
Easter was especially meaningful as both Brady and Cash made commitments to follow Jesus and were baptized. I was thrilled to baptize them with Dave Browning, our friend and pastor of our church. Dave was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in February. Easter was one of our last times with him.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Pastor Dave and me baptizing Brady</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Cash</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Cash, Ashley and Brady at Easter</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Family at Easter</td></tr>
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<br />
Baseball continued to roll on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZNoMT8w0TE2vyidS338o6iA4ZAZOZrne1YEx6V8uNow_ePuDFRxrgI-SuyTH5ysg3CRWMp5BA-ghWyb3PPK4ssXvWmpb6XBhl7zshxoY6zl56q-evinS2n59Hpga4EHFTJyctA/s1600/18446716_10154620751386527_5951670506635866697_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="946" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZNoMT8w0TE2vyidS338o6iA4ZAZOZrne1YEx6V8uNow_ePuDFRxrgI-SuyTH5ysg3CRWMp5BA-ghWyb3PPK4ssXvWmpb6XBhl7zshxoY6zl56q-evinS2n59Hpga4EHFTJyctA/s400/18446716_10154620751386527_5951670506635866697_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Cash behind the plate</td></tr>
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<br />
<b>May</b><br />
I turned 52; Brady turned 11.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjzfSmB7pya1RiRNT9fkuMe-kM_GcnyUzZ16uMM_xLK0JDQdIZtTzabYSOwxUMhy9TvW55QeOsfeC8uBRuyZ1NpFppV2x7IOJlwOO3yRcWdARsby8SKKlH1uY2QpKivelxDfIGA/s1600/IMG_0510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjzfSmB7pya1RiRNT9fkuMe-kM_GcnyUzZ16uMM_xLK0JDQdIZtTzabYSOwxUMhy9TvW55QeOsfeC8uBRuyZ1NpFppV2x7IOJlwOO3yRcWdARsby8SKKlH1uY2QpKivelxDfIGA/s400/IMG_0510.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Cash, Tyler Walker and Brady; dinner after baseball on Brady's birthday.</td></tr>
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<b><br />June</b><br />
Baseball wrapped up with a storybook season for the Thunder (the team I coached and Cash played on). We went 13-1 and finished in first place. After losing in the first round of the playoff tournament, won seven straight games, including 9-8 in a 9-inning final game, to win the championship.<br />
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<br />
Both boys made their All-Star teams (Cash the 9-10 team, which I coached; and Brady the 10-11 team). Both teams had good tournaments, but did not win the district as Brady’s team had the year before.<br />
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<b>July</b><br />
We were fortunate to go to several Mariners games this summer, as we do every year. It's usually the boys and me, but Jamie came with us to this game, where the M's beat the Red Sox in 13 innings!<br />
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<br />
My best friend Dale Crockett came up to visit from Texas. Dale and I became friends when we were nine years old, and had remained close for 43 years--visiting each other frequently and talking all the time.<br />
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Here is a <a href="http://toddfc.blogspot.com/2014/04/people-2-old-friend.html" target="_blank">post I wrote about Dale</a> a few years ago.<br />
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Dale brought sons Ryan and Benjamin, and his girlfriend Liz. They spent five days with us, and we had a fantastic vacation. I tend to be a “let’s just relax” person when it comes to vacation, but Dale wanted to go and see and do.<br />
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We packed a lot into five days. On Saturday we went to my company picnic--always a fun time with games and incredible food!<br />
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On Sunday we went to church, then to my sister-in-law Linde’s art show, then drove up to Birch Bay. We went to the beach and let the boys play in the water. We had a delicious lunch, then went for a walk down the beach and got ice cream at the C Shop.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkoM-Jp3Zk3wW7AhB2b6pNplhaQwIP2XPWI6Jz5e5YOnJ5a7zmL3aSZEenQyyG5W2-t3Z1wFmNWkg_fyO9lzp7m_ZU-3EVSmk3hyg05pLR4lIh3oggcW8azFKRVcPUYBQfTQwc-w/s1600/IMG_0821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkoM-Jp3Zk3wW7AhB2b6pNplhaQwIP2XPWI6Jz5e5YOnJ5a7zmL3aSZEenQyyG5W2-t3Z1wFmNWkg_fyO9lzp7m_ZU-3EVSmk3hyg05pLR4lIh3oggcW8azFKRVcPUYBQfTQwc-w/s400/IMG_0821.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Liz and Brady at Birch Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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On Monday we drove up to Mt. Baker and went for a fun and challenging hike--much of it through snow! That night Jamie joined us for a fun summer dinner on the patio at Johnny Carino’s.<br />
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Tuesday we drove down to Seattle. Dale took Benjamin and Brady on a tour of CenturyLink Field, where the Seahawks and Sounders play (they only had three tickets left).<br />
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Liz, Cash, Ryan and I walked around, shopped and saw some cool sights.<br />
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That evening we went to Seattle Center, played in the fountain, went up the Space Needle and ate pizza. Another great day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqrymAvTSkdRG2HNACz_ZJOb_p7qeA5LCE2iIGdb4l740AMT65Uh28cbE7jnzqtm3Tgq54pjyBfGF7xn_llD3KIHTam8JJfAddJD_0dROBjMT90jAT7iBFLjz0O8NOULgNaMXDA/s1600/Dale+Liz+Space+Needle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="612" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqrymAvTSkdRG2HNACz_ZJOb_p7qeA5LCE2iIGdb4l740AMT65Uh28cbE7jnzqtm3Tgq54pjyBfGF7xn_llD3KIHTam8JJfAddJD_0dROBjMT90jAT7iBFLjz0O8NOULgNaMXDA/s400/Dale+Liz+Space+Needle.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Liz and Dale</td></tr>
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On Wednesday we took a ferry out to Friday Harbor. We played football and basketball in a park, had a great seafood lunch, walked and window-shopped and had ice cream.<br />
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On the return trip, while Liz and the boys sat inside the ferry, Dale and I went out on the deck and watched a beautiful Washington sunset. We talked about life and love, our kids, the past and the future. It was a wonderful conversation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh288UKvbP1kHyvCNsGOam-BG9tk9rgl3du6wOclVBdhGy_WWewPEuaCbCoj7_0B6x5UpBWbh5JcrADQojlpQ2JA3JblvbJNg-Ps2oWWXj9nfX9SdU7Ucrczzmv2dN3CqbhGrkUwA/s1600/85F1503A-F816-432D-AF35-A444853FEFEC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh288UKvbP1kHyvCNsGOam-BG9tk9rgl3du6wOclVBdhGy_WWewPEuaCbCoj7_0B6x5UpBWbh5JcrADQojlpQ2JA3JblvbJNg-Ps2oWWXj9nfX9SdU7Ucrczzmv2dN3CqbhGrkUwA/s400/85F1503A-F816-432D-AF35-A444853FEFEC.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Ryan Crockett, Cash and Brady, Ben Crockett</td></tr>
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We said goodbye that night at our house as Dale, his boys and Liz drove down to Seattle for their last night in Washington. Later that night Dale asked Liz to marry him.<br />
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It was the best vacation I could ask for. Dale and I had fun with each other, fun with our boys, and it was wonderful to get to know Liz, whom Dale loved so much.<br />
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The following Friday was one of the worst days of my life. I woke up to see a message from Liz asking me to call her. When she answered, she told me that Dale had gone for a run the night before (on his birthday), had a heart attack, and died.<br />
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I was devastated. Apart from my family, no one was closer to me. Dale probably knew me better than anyone. He was my brother. Losing Dale was like losing a part of myself. I am still grieving. Hard.<br />
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<b>August</b><br />
I flew to San Antonio for Dale’s service and spent an amazing four days with Dale’s family as we remembered and honored Dale. Mr. and Mrs. Crockett invited me to stay with them, and just as when we were kids, they made me feel like part of the family. It was a powerful time with the Crockett and Perren families.<br />
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The day I returned to Washington, the boys and I flew to Virginia for an already scheduled vacation.<br />
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It was good to be home, where Dale and I grew up. We had wonderful time with my parents--Grandma Helen and Grandpa Jerry; as well as my brother Eric, his son Eric Jr. and family; my step-sister Cora and husband Steve; it was good being with them.<br />
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My brother Eric and I took the boys to Kings Dominion, something that has become sort of a tradition in recent years.<br />
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I got to see lots of great friends--the Jenkins family, the Schleyers, Chris Hough, Mike Poff, Rusty Coram, Kenny and Karen Budd, Andy and Erin Gibson, Johnny Gallagher and Janelle Cesari; Elise Bell and a lot of great friends from high school.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx86A52XW1sCE8zOM0egWy6m0sILtmhML0jak10D_ppmbUUpuiMg3PFbV81lO_R4BiFesAH3vGpDPK-eKSFN62nNQICXwhG-MQHM_9QO4_1ZUrn5yXYCU5K72uePc4H8coUbR2rA/s1600/20953097_10213821386839745_631853822792485709_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx86A52XW1sCE8zOM0egWy6m0sILtmhML0jak10D_ppmbUUpuiMg3PFbV81lO_R4BiFesAH3vGpDPK-eKSFN62nNQICXwhG-MQHM_9QO4_1ZUrn5yXYCU5K72uePc4H8coUbR2rA/s400/20953097_10213821386839745_631853822792485709_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">High School Friends gathering to remember Dale</td></tr>
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Another highlight was seeing Brad Walker. Brad, Dale and I were best friends when we were in elementary and middle school. I hadn’t seen Brad since high school, but he flew from his home in Illinois to join us in remembering Dale. It was wonderful catching up with him.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69idUEYvv-TJ36KuQkHmdXv3O_Y3rRhLGoGWGoMvF6FPexszWonM6G2Br4P-wcR9dh2k86NJ6O8UrbmZb2Ndg5ImiGF3duDOW7TlH9sNLp2QvAxeKbVuviF4WEiSYPZWWk97ecg/s1600/20883062_10210406761985697_7556599172453905021_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69idUEYvv-TJ36KuQkHmdXv3O_Y3rRhLGoGWGoMvF6FPexszWonM6G2Br4P-wcR9dh2k86NJ6O8UrbmZb2Ndg5ImiGF3duDOW7TlH9sNLp2QvAxeKbVuviF4WEiSYPZWWk97ecg/s400/20883062_10210406761985697_7556599172453905021_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Me, Rodney Dickhute and Brad Walker. Good friends and neighbors with Dale.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Potomac Nats game with Grandpa Jerry!</td></tr>
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We returned home to Washington and the boys got ready for school. Brady began middle school (sixth grade), and Cash started fourth grade.<br />
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<b>September</b><br />
On the first, our pastor and friend Dave Browning died. Dave and I had known each other for about eight years, and had become much closer the last two years. He was the latest in a line of great men that God has brought into my life to mentor me. We met for coffee or lunch regularly, sharing ideas and encouraging each other. He was a great man.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Dave Browning</td></tr>
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There was good news--Jamie started a new job as Health Room Assistant at the boys' school. After commuting to Anacortes for six years, she was glad to now be working four minutes from home!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7U_FElHHoPcigt4UhUBC0E17jvam0gtCjFo9MHo1dbmFttHFFJ-oHgRWLTloDSKpOpX2TmVMz41AsEvMEOElRF7ZME52MyZ8bT_NsAK-lmBUIKTFUkalE8MqqHJQ_m4sTt6MZog/s1600/21150183_10154949598566527_1440648619802699485_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7U_FElHHoPcigt4UhUBC0E17jvam0gtCjFo9MHo1dbmFttHFFJ-oHgRWLTloDSKpOpX2TmVMz41AsEvMEOElRF7ZME52MyZ8bT_NsAK-lmBUIKTFUkalE8MqqHJQ_m4sTt6MZog/s400/21150183_10154949598566527_1440648619802699485_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Jamie with Brady and Cash; first day of school</td></tr>
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Both boys began soccer season; playing with many of the same kids they had in the past.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHC2YpXKKliIbN8Lvv1IEiFLD-4Lq7Jbde5jlNlVpaI9LTfoCTYWezw9onmGTpkNj2tgRRdFGAI_TR06fItaFGLN_lNtezFHzs0tNpZyXlslZy6DrXHnC_oawHusKtrw4uAz5UTg/s1600/21762241_10155011473726527_4452902362527613083_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHC2YpXKKliIbN8Lvv1IEiFLD-4Lq7Jbde5jlNlVpaI9LTfoCTYWezw9onmGTpkNj2tgRRdFGAI_TR06fItaFGLN_lNtezFHzs0tNpZyXlslZy6DrXHnC_oawHusKtrw4uAz5UTg/s400/21762241_10155011473726527_4452902362527613083_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Cash with a corner kick</td></tr>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxHmTWutuxeUT4PUHAkB7L9bqlvQUdaTx7yOijJ1FGcjXW4cf4Xxc8On4oMI0Zd9KYCqmQQNeaNAqI' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Cash with a penalty kick</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFGbFKQvvNuOsNM6w5_hfnY7wozScTriAwHMeaJPiqbEH0Xg_VrDE9x_enhPJ3EYToMgpbA1GzHjm1kzrCCv1cQx-Dwgk09qFpuOgsMI5dhFzr_zkRAyEJeH8Yem5P62nzrPYXw/s1600/22308569_10155052516161527_8211239013723770412_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFGbFKQvvNuOsNM6w5_hfnY7wozScTriAwHMeaJPiqbEH0Xg_VrDE9x_enhPJ3EYToMgpbA1GzHjm1kzrCCv1cQx-Dwgk09qFpuOgsMI5dhFzr_zkRAyEJeH8Yem5P62nzrPYXw/s400/22308569_10155052516161527_8211239013723770412_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Brady was always the guy who works the hardest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The boys also played fall baseball--Jim Walker, who coached Brady in the spring, coached the team, and I had fun helping out.<br />
<br />
Cash was the youngest player on the team, but had a great season, as did Brady. Both boys played really well.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurnciFCQniCJpCekouUUtQyLMJAARNk_H68as2L1OEqUXuR9LHilvh4r6Vep6hI2_PEF_DceofmMa8k8wrJWx-uBHOAY57bq9_M1ZoTrINr718L7v5dP-J9aleAVW0RFmJLGW/s1600/IMG_1316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurnciFCQniCJpCekouUUtQyLMJAARNk_H68as2L1OEqUXuR9LHilvh4r6Vep6hI2_PEF_DceofmMa8k8wrJWx-uBHOAY57bq9_M1ZoTrINr718L7v5dP-J9aleAVW0RFmJLGW/s640/IMG_1316.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brady pitching/Cash catching in Fall Ball</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Brady began a new activity playing snare drum in the middle school band! We had a wonderful time at his first concert at Christmas time.<br />
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<br />
<br />
On the 15th Cash turned ten. Double digits.<br />
<br />
I traveled to Nashville with work; representing Logos at a conference at the Opryland Hotel. It’s a fantastic place to be! I spent a special morning touring the Johnny Cash museum downtown.<br />
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<br />
<br />
The highlight of the trip came after the conference, on a visit with my grandmother, who is 95 years old!<br />
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<br />
<br />
<b>October </b><br />
I took a work trip to our office in Tempe, Arizona. It was a great time of team-building with some of my friends and co-workers there.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiVlKIOTmOWR_9_q_P5k41rAGEKd7i8qLPuV9kkWdHA_2SNgvDjsKU1SaUE940sCT3hYbyaPTfO047H-1CV03nZ8jhWSLILu4gMTbxF17tJISYqn994ojakecS1aEr2QHPTNgyQ/s1600/22814504_10155109849416527_2938501234588512091_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiVlKIOTmOWR_9_q_P5k41rAGEKd7i8qLPuV9kkWdHA_2SNgvDjsKU1SaUE940sCT3hYbyaPTfO047H-1CV03nZ8jhWSLILu4gMTbxF17tJISYqn994ojakecS1aEr2QHPTNgyQ/s400/22814504_10155109849416527_2938501234588512091_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 16px;">Boys roasting marshmallows as Autumn set in</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>November</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Ashley turned 22. That just doesn't seem possible. We didn't see her as much this year, as she stayed in Portland for the summer, working. We saw her on holidays, and a few other times she came home or we went to Portland.<br />
<br />
We had a great time surprising her by going down in August; and she surprised me by picking me up at the airport when I returned from one of my trips.<br />
<br />
She is about to begin her final semester of college, which also doesn't seem possible. She has done an amazing job and is looking ahead to big things.<br />
<br />
Cash’s soccer team, the Storm, finished an undefeated season and won the league tournament. Cash had an incredible season. In 2017 his teams finished in first place in basketball, baseball and soccer.<br />
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<br />
<br />
Brady’s team didn’t win as much, but still had a great season--and Brady was a great leader.<br />
<br />
I took another work trip, this time to Providence, RI, and Boston. It was another good time with friends and co-workers.<br />
<br />
The boys began indoor soccer and basketball. It never slows down.<br />
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<br />
I had an up and down year with my health. I injured my back in January--a slipped disc and pinched nerve, but physical therapy helped a lot. In the summer I joined the local Planet Fitness and did a great job working out. I lost some weight and have felt much better.<br />
<br />
I re-injured my back on Thanksgiving Day while working out. Back to physical therapy; saw improvement, then injured it again the day after Christmas. Still trying to heal and deal with the pain.<br />
<br />
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner prepared by Jamie’s mom, and it was great having Ashley home!<br />
<br />
<b>December</b><br />
We had a fun family event in December. Earlier in the year I met Brandon Graham, who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, through work. He invited our family to the Eagles-Seahawks game in December. Ashley drove up from Portland and we all went to the game, then got to meet Brandon after the game. He was incredibly generous and made the kids feel special at their first NFL game (and the Seahawks won!)<br />
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<br />
We finished the year relaxing, playing games, watching football, enjoying some family time.<br />
<br />
I am grateful for my family, and the blessings we experienced in 2017. But there is a darkness over me as I write this. 2017 was hard. I lost my best friend and my pastor. I lost two other friends--Rick Hope, who was a good friend and coworker during my years in Texas (1992-2002), and Kevin Cong Ly, a good friend and classmate at Leland Seminary. All too young.<br />
<br />
I have never faced death like this. I am grateful for my wife and my three wonderful children. I love my job, my boss, my team--and I look forward to work most days.<br />
<br />
But my heart is heavy over the losses. Dale was my best friend. He was the one I called when I needed help, or advice, or someone to listen. He was my rock. My person. And without him, I feel a little lost.<br />
<br />
I know the holiday season adds to the challenge, but I am trying to walk through this time and keep loving God and loving people.<br />
<br />
And today, on January first, I look at the year ahead.<br />
<br />
I want to balance grief and hope.<br />
I plan to watch less TV, and spend more time reading.<br />
I want to get more involved in ministry, and I'm working on some ideas for that.<br />
I'm eager to get back out there with the boys, hiking once or twice a month.<br />
And I want to always work on being a better husband and father.<br />
<br />
Thanks for reading!<br />
<br />
Some pics of Dale and me through the years:<br />
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Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-37736610347082318342016-10-01T07:49:00.000-07:002016-10-01T23:26:47.436-07:00Connecting with Brian McLaren in Chicago<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKfqsWsNK9JiF6S_oMRL3WCb_QCeCZcSBr8Ww8Ptj0t1t9Go_g1oSQpQ_fg6SfWcAmBDictt6HjpPPBg3z9LRaMPnuMF8gMlMv69GQMzCC0gBtOR3ep65eMA4bE8b0jjEagwX/s1600/Brian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKfqsWsNK9JiF6S_oMRL3WCb_QCeCZcSBr8Ww8Ptj0t1t9Go_g1oSQpQ_fg6SfWcAmBDictt6HjpPPBg3z9LRaMPnuMF8gMlMv69GQMzCC0gBtOR3ep65eMA4bE8b0jjEagwX/s320/Brian.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">When I look back at my spiritual journey; which really began
in earnest 31 years ago, there are a many incredible people who have made a big
impact on me. The first was David Blanton, the Baptist campus pastor at George
Mason University, where I went to school.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">David mentored me, taught me, and modeled faith in God and a
life of loving and serving others. I saw Jesus in him, and much of the good in me came from the foundation David helped build in me.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Mike Bradley took the baton and led me as I
pursued youth ministry (along with Jay Wolf, Jim Witt, Cecil Frazier and Ray Bearden at First Baptist
Church of Alexandria, VA).</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In my ten years in Fort Worth, Texas, Harold Bullock, John
Hawkins, Phil Herrington, Mike Poff and Randy Boyts became my mentors. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">When I moved back to Virginia in 2002, Rusty Coram encouraged and challenged me
as I continued in ministry, and as I moved toward marriage and fatherhood.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There have also been a few people who had great influence
through their writing and speaking. The first was Brennan Manning. Brennan’s
book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Ragamuffin Gospel</i> opened my
eyes to a new way of seeing God—as a God who loves me
unconditionally. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Rich Mullins had a similar influence through his music and
writing. His incredible desire to be completely selfless (and his honest
struggle in that effort) challenged and guided me. His music held me and strengthened me when I was at my worst.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Over the last twelve years, the man that has had the
biggest impact on me is <a href="http://www.brianmclaren.net/" target="_blank">Brian McLaren</a>. I first met Brian when I was a brand new
student at Leland Seminary in 2002.</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I was returning to seminary after a six-year hiatus (a story
for another time), and was excited be at Leland, a small, innovative new
seminary outside Washington DC. Leland held a retreat for all students and
faculty at the beginning of the year, and Brian was the retreat speaker. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Brian amazed me by articulating many of the questions and struggles
I had been dealing with in recent years. He helped me see God and faith and the
Bible in new ways, ways that felt more honest and real.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I began reading Brian’s books—one of them was about his
friendship with a young woman and her reluctant journey toward faith in Christ.
I soon found out that young woman was one of my classmates at Leland, and she
became one of my best friends. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Brian and I crossed paths every few years. I went to several
Conferences and workshops where Brian spoke, and though I doubt he always
remembered me, he always greeted me like a brother.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I was working for a church network in Northern Virginia, and
we brought him in to be the speaker at our annual meeting (which created a
little controversy, as Brian was becoming more controversial in evangelical
circles).</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I remember running into Brian at a friend’s church one
Sunday (we both just happened to be worshiping there) and having a wonderful
conversation with him.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">All during those years I read his books as he wrote them,
and continued to be challenged and encouraged. All of his books, especially the
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.brianmclaren.net/archives/books/brians-books/a-new-kind-of-c.html" target="_blank">New Kind of Christian</a></i> trilogy, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.brianmclaren.net/archives/books/brians-books/a-generous-orth.html" target="_blank">A Generous Orthodoxy</a></i>, and <a href="http://brianmclaren.net/archives/books/brians-books/a-new-kind-of-christianity-1.html" target="_blank"><em>A New Kind of Christianity</em></a>, nourished my soul and helped me in this internal
battle to hold onto faith.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I am in a challenging time right now, beginning work in a
new field, feeling inadequate as I try to learn all I need to in order to
succeed. I also miss being involved in ministry. I have had some ideas circling
in my head for a while now, but haven’t moved from idea to action.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This week I went to Chicago for a training program with my
new job. I keep up with Brian on Facebook, and knew he was on a book tour. He
had been in Seattle a few weeks earlier, but my schedule didn't allow me to go down and
see him. </span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">On Wednesday I saw a notice on Facebook that Brian would be
in Chicago on Thursday evening. It was nice weather, and a 1.5 mile walk to the
church, so I went to see Brian. He seemed to recognize me, and when I reminded
him of our past connections and common friends his face lit up and we had a
nice conversation.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">He read from his new book, <em><a href="http://brianmclaren.net/archives/blog/the-great-spiritual-migration-bo.html" target="_blank">The Great Spiritual Migration</a></em>, and my soul was nourished. I
sensed God’s spirit challenging me to step out and put into action some of the
ideas I’ve had about really being a pastor in my family, and moving into the
lives of our neighbors. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’m not in a ministry job, but I think the opportunities for
ministry have never been greater. I am eager to read Brian’s new book and try
to live out some of the principals he presents in my family and other
relationships.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This post was originally going to be about seeing Brian, but as I write, I realize it's about how God has reached into my life, using people like Brian, and many others, to love, encourage and use me for His Kingdom. I am grateful, and excited for what is next.</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-38517266013079597892016-07-24T22:43:00.000-07:002018-05-28T19:15:00.862-07:00Bruce Springsteen Live, Take #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few months ago Brady and I saw Bruce Springsteen in concert. It was my 12th time seeing Bruce in concert. The first was in November, 1984, in Denver. 32 years ago.<br />
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My most frequent Springsteen date has been Kenny Budd, my college roommate. We've seen Bruce together five times--twice in Washington DC, also in Fairfax, VA; Richmond, VA, and Greensboro, NC.<br />
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Each Springsteen concert has been an event. I mean an Event. Big. Amazing. Memorable. If you've never seen him in concert, you can't fully get it. He puts on the most amazing live show, hands down. In the early days, marathon four-hour shows. Now, 30 years later, he still plays for 3 1/2 hours.<br />
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I've been to probably a hundred concerts. Most of the time, you leave wishing the performer would come back out for one more encore. Not so with Bruce. He wears you out. By the time he leaves the stage, you're ready to go home as well.<br />
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The first time I saw Bruce he was 34; this time, he was 66. That's hard to believe.<br />
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Here is a clip of Bruce singing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld1cXemQ3UQ" target="_blank">"Meet Me in the City,"</a> the song that he opened with.<br />
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Bruce's music has been the soundtrack of my life. I've been looking back at some of those concerts, thinking about where I was in life, realizing that each time I saw him, I was a different person, in a different place in life. I thought it would be fun to reach back and dig into those memories, so here goes...<br />
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Concert #1. November 11, 1984, McNichols Arena, Denver, Colorado.<br />
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My friend Jeff introduced me to Springsteen's music in high school. A year after graduating, I was 19, a private in the Army stationed at Ft. Carson, outside Colorado Springs. I was living a pretty wild, reckless life.<br />
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Mark and Gary were two good friends in my company. Mark was from California, very laid back and cool; he rode a sweet motorcycle. Gary was bright and friendly, but came across as kind of a stoner. Great guys.<br />
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We spent a lot of time together in the summer of 1984. Gary had a jeep; we'd take the top off and ride around Colorado Springs, hanging out at the lake, playing frisbee, drinking beer and watching girls.<br />
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It was a good time to be in the Army--it was peacetime, and I had a pretty easy job--personnel clerk in the battalion headquarters of a maintenance battalion (mechanics).<br />
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As a young single guy with a lot of freedom and little responsibility, life was pretty much one long party.<br />
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Months before the concert, when we heard tickets were going on sale, we decided to go to a record shop downtown and get tickets. One of the guys said we'd better go early, maybe even camp out the night before, to get in line.<br />
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So at about 2 AM, Gary and I decided to go downtown to the record store where tickets for the Springsteen show were going to be sold. There were already dozens of people in line. We got in line and talked and laughed with a bunch of other people, mostly about our age, some a little older.<br />
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At 10 AM, the store opened, and the line began to move. It probably took us about 20 minutes to get to the ticket window, and I bought 2 tickets.<br />
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As the concert drew closer, I started thinking about finding a date. I wasn't dating anyone regularly, but I'd met a pretty girl in our battalion named Kathy, and talked with her a few times.<br />
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A week or two before the concert, I asked if she'd like to go with me. She said yes.<br />
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On the day of the concert I called her, and got no answer. I went to her barracks, she wasn't there. I got stood up. I asked my roommate Mike if he'd like to go, he said sure.<br />
<br />
Mike had a Trans-Am; really sweet; he drove us up to Denver.<br />
<br />
It's been more than 30 years, but I can still close my eyes and see and hear and feel the beginning of that concert. After an hour of the typical pre-concert buzz, the lights went out. People began to yell and cheer.<br />
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Then we heard Bruce yelling, "One, two....One, two, three, four..."<br />
<br />
Suddenly the stage exploded with bright light, revealing a huge American Flag. At the same instant, the drums and keyboards blasted the opening of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQWHgkEPO6M" target="_blank">"Born in the USA."</a><br />
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I listen to that song on Springsteen's <i>Live 1975-1985 </i>album, and I'm always carried back to that concert. I still get chills.<br />
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I was already a Springsteen fan, but on that night, for four hours, I was taken to another world. It was indescribable--the power, the energy, the unity that 20,000 people experienced at that concert. We sang, danced, clapped, yelled and lived a lifetime in the characters and experiences and themes in Bruce's songs.<br />
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I was young, and just starting to experience life, and ask questions about who I was and where I was going--questions that Bruce explored a lot in his early music.<br />
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I was on a natural high for those four hours, and for a couple days afterward.<br />
<br />
There are events from my life--many from years ago, and some even from a few weeks ago--where my memory fails me. And to be honest, I don't remember a lot of the details of that concert. But I remember the music, and the feelings that the music created. And I've been fortunate to experience those feelings again and again over the years.<br />
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Each of the concerts has been different, and I've been different at each one; but they always take me back to that first one.<br />
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Next up--one concert postponed by snowstorm, and celebrating with Bruce on his 36th birthday.Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-64863155275192472632016-03-31T22:00:00.002-07:002016-04-02T17:04:18.491-07:00Best Day with Bruce and Brady<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: center; widows: 1;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've written before about what I call best days--experiences filled with joy, adventure, something new; days that make me feel alive and fulfilled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last Thursday was one of those days. I took Brady to see Bruce Springsteen in concert. It was my 12th time seeing him; Brady's first. What an event for his first concert ever!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He is still young enough to let me control the music most of the time, and over the years has really enjoyed listening to Bruce. When the tour was first announced, I was bummed that it wasn't coming to the Pacific Northwest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But a few weeks into the tour, they announced new cities--including Seattle. I was on the phone and computer when tickets went on sale, and got a couple decent seats.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Brady and I listened to a lot of Bruce in the weeks leading up to the show, so he would know the music. He loves to sing along.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, the day came. If I had drawn up how I hoped the concert would go, I couldn't have done any better than the actual event.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We got to Seattle in plenty of time, and while it took a while to find a place to park, we found a spot in a neighborhood, so didn't need to pay. It was a bit of a hike, but downhill all the way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We went to the food court at Seattle Center for dinner, then walked over to Key Arena. We got to our seats and watched the arena fill up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At 8:10 the band came out, followed by Bruce, and he began what was an almost four-hour show. It is hard to put into words how amazing it was.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've seen Bruce 12 times, and I've never seen him better. His energy was unbelievable. At 66, he could easily play for 2 hours and be done, and no one would complain. But he continues to give everything he has. What he does, night after night, is almost superhuman.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bruce opened with "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld1cXemQ3UQ" target="_blank">Meet Me in the City</a>", then played the 20-song River album from 1980. It is an incredible album with many classic Springsteen rockers, including "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKfzV2O1x9U" target="_blank">Hungry Heart</a>," "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfqutJ7LtjY" target="_blank">Cadillac Ranch</a>," "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP3UCZ5bVPc" target="_blank">Ramrod</a>" and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjESTGN51jY" target="_blank">title track</a>. After playing the album, Bruce then did another 14 songs, all fan favorites, mostly from the 70's and 80's.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He played all the songs Brady really wanted to hear--"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y4JfkZ5mJs" target="_blank">Badlands</a>," "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR0Xu1UuHcA" target="_blank">She's the One</a>," "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=129kuDCQtHs" target="_blank">Dancing in the Dark</a>," "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL-HL3ELvFI" target="_blank">Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out</a>," and, of course, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxuThNgl3YA" target="_blank">Born to Run</a>." There was a touching tribute to the Big Man, Clarence Clemons, during "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" (Clemons, Springsteen's sax player for decades, died in 2011).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was a magical night. I have never felt more energized, more inspired, more fully alive than I have at Springsteen shows; 12 times over the last 32 years. Each one has been amazing--and after that many years and shows, Bruce's music has become the soundtrack of my life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Each song takes me back to a different time and place in my life (I'm going to write a series of posts on the times I've seen him live).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've probably seen close to 100 concerts, and nothing compares to a Springsteen show. I think this one was the best of all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The show started at 8:10; about the time Brady is usually getting ready for bed, and lasted till midnight. For almost four hours, Brady and I sang and danced and laughed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I loved watching Brady jump up and clap and yell and dance to his favorite songs. Joy is even better when it is shared, and it was so wonderful sharing that joy with Brady.</span></div>
Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-79873415012659155182016-03-20T22:37:00.002-07:002016-03-20T22:37:15.481-07:00Love Through DisciplineBeautiful moment tonight with Brady. Brady's favorite game is <i>Clash of Clans</i>. We don't allow him to play the violent video games that some of his friends do, and he struggles with that. He understands why we don't, but it is hard when his friends talk about games that he is not allowed to play. It's always hard when it feels like you don't quite fit in.<br />
<br />
But he loves <i>Clash of Clans</i>, and plays it every day. Today he got into some trouble with the game--not for being deliberately disobedient, but for making some choices without thinking. We've told him not to share ANY personal information with others he plays online with, and today, he did that--nothing specific or revealing, just a little about himself.<br />
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Because that's a safety issue, Jamie and I are pretty strict. We decided that Brady was going to lose his game privilege for a few days (and that if he ever shares personal information again, he'll lose it permanently).<br />
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I sat down to explain to Brady what we were doing and why. I was prepared for the tears and anger that sometimes come with his consequences, but Brady listened calmly. I could tell he was upset, but he didn't lose composure. He understood. He knew that we were disciplining in love, not out of a desire to make him miserable (of which he sometimes accuses me when he's really upset).<br />
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I was so proud of how he accepted his consequence; even though he was upset. He asked me a few questions, and we moved on to reading time. Usually at bedtime I read to the boys, but tonight, I asked if Brady wanted to read to me from his current book, <i>Where the Red Fern Grows</i>.<br />
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He read to me--beautifully, with feeling and power and innocence--a story I have read probably 20 times myself.<br />
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After Brady read we prayed, and I told him I have never loved him more, or been more proud of him than I am tonight. I could see the joy and pride in his face, and as I type this, I imagine those same words from God to me tonight...."I have never loved you more, or been more proud of you, than I am now."<br />
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The beautiful, endless grace of God.Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-32383493432580501602016-03-10T21:46:00.000-08:002016-03-10T21:46:31.085-08:00The Religious Liberty FightI am surprised we are still reading about Christians arguing that not allowing them to discriminate is restricting their "religious liberty." I am disappointed and embarrassed by Christian business owners fighting for the right to refuse service to people they don't agree with. Now we have several states trying to pass laws that allow businesses to discriminate under the guise of "religious liberty."<br />
<br />
Saying it violates your religious liberty to serve someone with whom you don't agree with is ridiculous. How is your religious liberty violated by making a cake for someone who is gay? No one is asking you to be gay. No one is saying you have to agree with the gay people you are doing business with. No one is saying when you make this cake you must profess your support for gay people. It's a cake! It's not a religious statement--but it could be, in a very different way.<br />
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If you are a follower of Christ, you violate the principles of your faith when you refuse to serve someone. Jesus never said separate from the world and only interact with those who are like-minded. Jesus said over and over to love your enemy, feed the hungry, heal the sick, give your shirt, walk a mile with someone...<b>serve your fellow man.</b><br />
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It is sad that many would rather turn their back on someone, because they don't agree with them, than take the opportunity to bless someone's life.<br />
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If the goal is to point people to Jesus (and if you call yourself an evangelical Christian, it should be); than which accomplishes this better:<br />
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1. Refusing to serve someone because you think they are wrong, or...<br />
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2. Moving into someone's world and providing them exceptional service, or selling them a top-quality product, or serving them with kindness--showing them that Christians love people and do things with excellence and want to love and serve and invest in the lives of all people?<br />
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Seems pretty clear to me.<br />
<br />Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-90491672914573100712015-05-10T07:25:00.001-07:002015-05-10T07:33:48.886-07:00Ashley and Our Big Decision--Four Years LaterLast week I turned 50. Unbelievable, bizarre, surreal...my mind has been swirling with memories, thoughts, feelings, questions, what-if's, questions and hopes. I'm feeling a stronger sense of urgency to try and do some things.<br />
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And I'm feeling even more the pull to write, so for probably the 37th time, I'm going to try to get back into blogging regularly.<br />
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I've got 50 years worth of stories now, and I want to write more, especially for my children.<br />
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Of everything I have done, and have in the world, nothing compares to my family. Jamie and I have been married for 11 1/2 years now, and we are still working to figure out how to grow and improve our marriage. We've had our struggles, but I love her, and appreciate her, and enjoy the life we are building together.<br />
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The biggest blessing in my life is our three children. Because of the age difference, I get to experience very different relationships with them. Ashley is 19, and just finished her first year of college. She was younger than Cash is now (7), when she first came into my life.<br />
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I loved being her second dad, and experiencing all the wonders of growing up with her. I am often baffled at how fast the time went--how 4500 days could have come and gone, almost like a blur.<br />
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She has turned out to be a wonderful, brilliant, fun, faithful young lady. She is easy to love and enjoy. We have a great, easy, honest relationship. We communicate well and I love being around her.<br />
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She doesn't really need (or want) too much parenting anymore. She's a grown-up. In six months she'll be 20. TWENTY. An age without a "teen" at the end.<br />
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In August she'll get on a plane, without Jamie or me, and go to the other side of the world. Spain. "It's this whole other country." (name the movie reference?)<br />
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That's pretty grown up.<br />
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But she's been pretty grown up in some ways for a long time. Four years ago our family was at a crossroads. I had been substitute teaching and umpiring baseball for two years, looking for full-time work. I applied to dozens of places in Virginia, and had flown out to Washington twice on job hunting expeditions.<br />
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Finally, in March of 2011, a great opportunity came along. I interviewed and was offered a job to teach English in a private school in Virginia. We were thrilled and relieved. But I had already planned a trip to Washington and had a few interviews lined up, so I went through with it.<br />
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We had been talking about moving to Washington for years. I fell in love with it when we came out to visit several times. Jamie didn't really wanted to move back when I first brought it up, but she came around over the years.<br />
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By 2011, she had done a complete turnaround and was almost desperate to move back home to Washington. Her best friend died a few years earlier, and she longed to get back to her family and friends here.<br />
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I came out in April that year and interviewed at Logos. Things went well, and I went home to Virginia with job offers in Washington and Virginia.<br />
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I loved Washington, and felt a pull to be there; but wasn't eager to leave my family and friends. I had left before--spent ten years in Texas--and had been back in Virginia for nine years. I loved life in Virginia with Jamie and our kids, our first house, our neighborhood with a lake, being close to Mom and Jerry, my friends, season tickets to GMU basketball, and umpiring high school baseball.<br />
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And I was excited about getting back into teaching full-time. Teaching in Texas was the best job I ever had. I loved being part of a small faculty, investing in the lives of kids, talking about books and writing every day.<br />
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So I was torn; not sure which job to take. Jamie and I talked and talked about how moving would affect our family, especially Ashley, who was finishing her freshman year of high school.<br />
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Ashley loved her school, and her soccer team, and after three years of home-schooling, had jumped into big high-school life with great success.<br />
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After many conversations, prayers, back-and-forth's and what-if's, we finally felt like we had made a decision. We would stay in Virginia, let Ashley finish high school, then look at moving to Washington again in three years.<br />
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Jamie and I sat down with Ashley for one more conversation to go over the decision. We told her what we were thinking. We all talked about the decision, then Ashley said what she'd been thinking.<br />
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"I love it here, and I'd love to stay here. But I know how much Mom wants to go to Washington, so I think that's what we should do."<br />
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I think at that point the back and forth was over for all of us. We were going to Washington.<br />
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I'm still amazed at how thoughtful and selfless Ashley was in that decision. She left her friends, her school, her soccer team; and started over as the new kid in a new school on the other side of the country.<br />
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I know it wasn't easy, but she did great. She won lots of academic awards, played soccer, jumped into the youth group at our new church, led worship, worked at kids camps, and made the most of her high school years.<br />
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And now she's flourishing in college at UP. She's home for the summer before going to Spain for a semester in August, so I'm going to enjoy as much time with her as I can.<br />
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<br />Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-25804790854232474812015-02-17T17:02:00.001-08:002015-02-17T17:02:14.783-08:00Courage or CowardiceI've read Facebook comments and blog posts (Matt Walsh comes to mind) that say that Christians who stand up for Gay rights, or marriage equality, or other "liberal" causes are not courageous, but cowardly.<br />
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They say that people move toward more open/liberal perspectives because they don't want to go against culture, they want to be accepted, and they don't have the guts to stand up for what is right. They say people are afraid of the persecution that comes with "standing firm for God against culture."<br />
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Crap. Total crap.<br />
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Over the last 12 years my theology and politics have moved from very far right to pretty far left. Brian McLaren's <i>A New Kind of Christian</i> had a huge impact on me. It wasn't that his book, and others like it (works by Doug Pagitt, Rob Bell, Pete Rollins) changed my mind--they helped give words and language to the thoughts and questions that were already swirling in my head.<br />
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The rigid religion and selectively literal view of the Bible I had grown up with didn't feel right, or authentic, or honest. Brian McLaren (in his books and a few conversations) helped me see my questions and doubts weren't a sign of unfaithfulness, but honest wrestling with God.<br />
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Pete Rollins helped me expand my view of God far beyond the tiny, easily manipulated God of the religious right...<br />
<br />Sidebar--Every once in a while you see stuff like this on facebook:<br />
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Child: "Dear God, why didn't you save the children at (insert any school shooting)?"<br />
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God: "I'm not allowed in schools."<br />
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Really? The God of the universe is unable to act because people have removed him from schools? We have that kind of power over God?<br />
Not the God I seek.<br />
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OK, back to my topic...<br />
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I'm now at a point where some of my beliefs are at odds with conservative evangelical Christianity (marriage equality, homosexuality, hell, war, immigration, death penalty...)<br />
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To those who think I (and others) give in to culture on issues like these--realize this: I did not change because it was easier to agree with culture. Just the opposite, it has been incredibly hard to be open and honest about these changes, because this has created differences with people in the culture that I have always been a part of, and where most of my most precious relationships are--the Church.<br />
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I don't care what people in the culture at large think of me. I do care what my former pastors, and mentors, and partners in ministry think of me. I hate that some of them are disappointed in me because they think I have "left the faith," or fallen into "false theology."<br />
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I have lost opportunities, and at least one job, because I was honest about my open/liberal/progressive beliefs.<br />
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I'm not saying I'm courageous--I wish I had the courage to speak out more, and take action for the things I believe (like people such as Jill McCrory, my graduation partner at Leland).<br />
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But I certainly don't support my gay friends, and immigrants, and argue against war and the death penalty, and question eternal hell, because that's the easy way. It's not. I do it because my relationship with God tells me I must be honest about the beliefs and stances that make sense to my understanding of God and His character.<br />
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<br />Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-12775375758047648062015-01-10T22:28:00.002-08:002015-01-10T22:28:31.526-08:00Christmas 2014It's been a great Christmas season and new year; some highlights...<br />
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Spent a fun and tiring Saturday with my father-in-law putting up Christmas lights. I've always been kind of lazy with this; never had a big desire to put up a lot of lights, just to take them down a few weeks later.<br />
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But the boys are always asking for us to do more. I realized it was a pretty big deal for them, and Jamie did a great job finding some good deals and adding to the few lights we already had (from Uncle Chad!)<br />
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So a few weeks before Christmas Lyle came over and helped me put lights up at our house; then we went to his house and put up lights there.<br />
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It was a great day spent with him and decorating our house. The boys were really excited, and it made me feel great to see how proud they were of how our home looked.<br />
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Ashley came home after her first semester at the University of Portland, but was only here for a few days before going to Virginia to spend Christmas with her dad and her family there. We're happy for her, but we miss her!<br />
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Ashley had a fantastic first semester of college. She took some hard classes--Biology, Chemistry, Philosophy, Theology, Spanish...and still made all As and Bs. We're so proud of her!<br />
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The week before Christmas we went to Chad and Linde's, where Jamie's sisters, all our families, and the grandparents all gathered for a big dinner and gift exchange. It was a fun evening, especially watching the kids open their gifts.<br />
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Christmas day was fun--we skyped with my parents so they could watch the boys open presents. We had a great day.<br />
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Grandma Vicki took the boys New Years' Eve; Jamie and I had a date in--got takeout from the Train Wreck and watched a couple movies; fun evening.<br />
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Work is going well, Ashley and the boys are doing great, Seahawks keep winning. The only down side is Ashley goes back to school tomorrow (but we'll see her soon.)<br />
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Life is good!Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-57265041168162281852014-12-29T22:57:00.000-08:002014-12-29T22:57:01.167-08:00John Hawkins--Humble LeadershipEarlier in the year I began writing about people who have influenced my life.<br />
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John Hawkins was a big one. John is the President and CEO of <a href="http://lead-edge.com/index.php" target="_blank">Leadership Edge, Inc.</a> His book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Leadership-as-Lifestyle-John-Hawkins/dp/1930771126" target="_blank">Leadership as a Lifestyle</a> is fantastic.<br />
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I met John when I moved to Fort Worth in 1992. I was starting seminary, and sought men who could mentor and teach me. John was on staff at Hope Church, doing campus ministry at TCU.<br /><br />John and I hit it off right away--he was incredibly kind and friendly, always interested in what was going on with me. We often met for lunch or coffee, and he and his wife Janet invited me to wonderful dinners with their family. John is one of the most humble people I've ever known.<br />
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We talked about God and ministry and being a man. John would ask thought-provoking questions, and give me nuggets of wisdom to think about it.<br />
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The best of his statements always started with, "you see, Todd, the thing about it is..."<br />
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The "thing" was always something important for me to think about or work on in my life.<br />
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When John started Leadership Edge in 1993, he asked me to do some part-time administrative work for him. Now that I think about it, I was probably LEI's first employee--what an honor!<br />
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John had an office set up in a small building in his backyard, and I would go over there two or three days a week to put together mailings, organize John's messages and writings, file, etc.<br />
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On our first day, John gave me a little talk before we started:<br />
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"Todd, when we get together, we always have great talks, and I enjoy those times. But when we're here, working, we need to focus on the job, not our friendship."<br />
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The next time I came over to work, John came into the office. It was pretty early.<br />John asked if I had had a quiet time yet that morning. I hadn't.<br /><br />"Let's spend a little time with God before we start working," he said.<br />
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We spent the next hour praying, reading Scripture and talking. The administrative work took a back seat.<br />
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That's who John is, putting people first--loving, teaching, encouraging, challenging.<br />
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Hard to believe that was over twenty years ago. John and I still talk on the phone every couple years, and the wisdom and guidance he gave me in our short time together made a big impact on me as a man, a husband, a father and a friend.<br />
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I love you, Brother!<br />
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John and his wonderful wife Janet</div>
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<br />Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-47735758559504835022014-12-29T21:44:00.001-08:002014-12-29T21:44:35.617-08:00New Name for BlogI started blogging about 8 years ago. At the time, I was 41, and chose the name 40-Something Teenager; reflecting the fact that even though I was in my 40s, I still felt like a teenager in many ways.<br />
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In five months, however, I will turn 50. I won't be a 40-something anymore. I spent way too much time brainstorming and searching for a new name, and finally gave up trying to be creative. Hence the new name.<br />
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2014 has been a great year--fun, adventurous, exhausting, challenging. I am doing some thinking and praying about how to keep going with what is good, and what changes I need to make to deal with challenges and struggles.<br />
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Hopefully a new name and some changes in my schedule and priorities will lead to more writing in the coming year.<br />
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If you are reading this, it means you are one of the few who stick around, probably hoping I'll say something worth reading again. I'll try!Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-29552285963541290472014-11-02T00:02:00.000-07:002014-11-02T12:42:12.770-08:00End of Fall Sports Season<br />
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Last Saturday was the last day of Brady's football season and Cash's soccer season. Both boys had great seasons.<br />
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Cash led his soccer team in scoring and was a real leader on the field. I was really proud of how he tried to include teammates. There were many times where he could have scored goals, but instead looked for opportunities to pass the ball and give his teammates a chance to score.<br />
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Cash always worked hard in practice, and gave 100%. He is a natural athlete and makes it look easy, but he always did his very best. He has fun playing, which makes it fun to watch him.<br />
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Brady finished his second year of football and was also a leader on his team. He was one of the smaller players, but played like a big man. He led his team with 9 touchdowns in 9 games, including 3 in the final game, a playoff game they lost 26-18. Yep, Brady did all their scoring in that game.<br />
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He played running back, defensive back, kicker, and kick returner. The only time he ever came off the field was when a game was out of reach and he came out to give younger players time on the field.<br />
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At the beginning of the season I told Brady he wouldn't be one of the biggest guys, but he could be the guy who works hardest. That's who Brady became. When the team ran laps, and some players would slack or cut their laps short, Brady always went all out, and tried to finish first.<br />
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It was obvious how his coaches appreciated and respected Brady's work ethic and leadership.<br />
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Thinking about the boys playing their sports, I can't help but remember how much I love to watch Ashley play soccer. That was a big part of our lives for many years. She was so fun to watch and cheer for. As she recovers from her ACL surgery earlier this year, I hope she'll get back into soccer at some level, and that we get to watch her again soon.<br />
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I love that all three of our kids are terrific athletes--but even more, I love that they play hard and work hard and give it their best. I'm a proud papa.Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-84364912906417773662014-05-03T06:36:00.000-07:002014-05-03T06:39:19.345-07:00People #5--Big Sis<i>I'm writing a series of posts about some of the incredible people who have touched my life...</i><br />
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Elise and I have been friends since college. We met in 1986 at the GMU/NOVA Community College Baptist Student Union. Of all my friends, Elise has probably shown me more patience and grace than anyone.<br />
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The truth is, Elise is more like a sister than a friend You can’t dump family; they are yours for life. That’s how it is with Elise and me (not that I would want to dump her!)<br />
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We developed a great friendship in college—she really was like a big sister to me. I was a brand new Christian and she taught me about loving God, ministry, serving people. She was my mentor when I was confused, and a shoulder to cry on when I was heartbroken.<br />
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She was ALWAYS there, incredibly dependable and supportive.<br />
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We both moved to Texas to attend Southwestern Baptist Seminary in the early 90s. I was a pretty self-centered person in those days, and wasn’t a very good friend to Elise, but she was always good to me. I made some pretty bone-headed decisions, and let her down several times, but she never gave up on me and never turned her back on me.<br />
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In the late 90s Elise moved back to Virginia. A few years later, I was contemplating moving back to Virginia when Elise asked me to join her in leading the campus ministry we had been a part of in college. As He had done many times, God used Elise in a big way in my life.<br />
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I moved back to Virginia, and after several years in different places, our friendship continued. Elise was still a big sister, and a mentor, and the truest of friends.<br />
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She guided me in the new ministry, then moved on to other opportunities, as I took over the campus ministry that she had led for several years. We continued to interact in ministry over the years; some of my favorite times were preaching at her church.<br />
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Elise is, and has been since I've known her, completely sold out for God and children. She loves all people, but has an incredible heart for children, especially those in need--both in the US, and overseas. Through big projects, mission trips, teaching and training, and in everyday life, she does everything she can to make life better for children.<br />
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Elise dreams big, and makes big things happen. I wish I had paid more attention to her dreams and accomplishments over the years, and been more a part of the work she has done with and for children.<br />
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Since I’ve moved to Washington, I’ve done a poor job of keeping in touch with Elise. I am able to keep up with her on Facebook frequently. Even though we don’t often talk, I still feel close to her, like you do with family, whether you last talked yesterday or last year.Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25623917.post-80594640014772774962014-04-28T18:59:00.001-07:002014-04-28T18:59:55.190-07:00People #4--RoomieIt's funny how we identify people. Kenny and I lived together for only about about a year and a half, but he will always be my college roommate. We lived together at an instrumental time in our lives, and unlike many college relationships, ours continued long beyond our college years.<br />
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You can read about how we met <a href="http://toddfc.blogspot.com/2012/04/ken-budd-is-my-friend-brother-college.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I'm not sure what else to say about Kenny, other than he is without a doubt the easiest-going person I have ever met. In all the time we lived together, and throughout the decades of our friendship, we've never had an argument. I've never even been mad at Kenny. I'm sure he's been irritated with me at times (like that year I played the <i>Some Kind of Wonderful</i> soundtrack over and over), but he's never said anything or showed it.<br />
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We have that comfortable kind of friendship where we can say anything--things that might be embarrassing in other contexts, but not between us. Those are the strongest friendships, when you know you are accepted no matter what.<br />
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Some of our best times in recent years were going to GMU basketball games, and going to Richmond for GMU's conference tournament each March. Those have been some of the best times of my life.<br />
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Kenny would be embarrassed if I went into detail, but he has cared for me and my family in many ways over the years. He is one of those guys who would do anything for you.<br />
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We still talk, not as often as I'd like, but our conversations always make me smile. There is so much I could say...maybe one day I'll write a book about Kenny. I love you, Pal!Toddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04891399196853862545noreply@blogger.com0