hey.
it's harley's birthday today!
everyone gets a treat.

Mish has been on a cruise this week with her good friend Brittany soaking up some sun down off the coast of Mexico.
I've been at home with The Harboo.
Being alone does have some perks to it.
I get to leave things out that I normally don't leave out. I started drawing again so I've cleared off the dinning table and moved a small stereo, colored pencils and a sketch pad on it.
Sort of created a little space for myself.
Thats been nice.
But I miss my wife too terribly much to want to do something like this often.
Nobody is around to use the small forks or water the flowers. Or play Rummikub with.
And I can only read so much.

Last night a really felt like a bachelor.
For Easter my parents gave Mish and I a gift card to the local farmers market.
Mish jokingly said that that will be my lunch money for the week while she was on the cruise.
I'm ok with that.
I like Sprouts (that's the name of the farmers market)
So I left work a little later than usual and headed to the store to find some dinner.
Normally I'm real big on preparing a meal.
I actually like to cook.
But last night I didn't have a game plan.
And I was hungry.
I thumbed through some of the pre-made meals but nothing really caught my attention.
But when I rounded the corner I came upon an item I knew Mish wouldn't be to upset to miss out on.
Sushi.
That's it.
I'm in.
I grabed a package of California Rolls and some Japanese beer to wash it down with.
What else do I need.

Again, fun, but not something I would want to do every night.
I really miss my wife.

Spring is in the Derrière...

The seasons always seem to come at the right time.
Just when I'm getting tired of sun down at six, we spring forward an hour on our clocks.
It stays sunny longer.
The trees are green again.
The wild flowers are in full bloom.
I can get back on the bike again.
And get some sun on my skin.

A few days ago I was at a stop light with the windows down.
The sun roof open, enjoying the spring weather.
A cool breeze blowing through the car.
However, the tranquil moment was soon interrupted when I felt something hit the back of my head.
I was hoping that it might have been a leaf or acorn.
But I feared the worst.
I reached back with my hand and gently brushed my hair.
And my fears confirmed.
Through the sunroof and into my hair.
Nothing but net.
Poop.
In my hair.
Poop.
Now on my hand.
Poop.

Poop.

right now i'm at my desk.
in front of my computer.
typing this blog.
but i'm distracted.
i keep glancing out the window.
not sure why.
maybe to see if it has started to rain.
or if the clouds are still hanging around.
right now my bumper sticker or t-shirt or license plate cover says, "i'd rather be at a local coffee shop with a good book, a new cd, and a latte."
i kind of need a day to recalibrate.

A Vonderful Goot Game...






for weeks students brushed up on their skills.
both mentally and physically.
learning a new SAT word each day.
wind sprints and yo yo's in the backyard.
push ups.
logic puzzles.
protein drinks and sleep deprivation.
insane? maybe.
but quite necessary.
why?
because when it's all said and done.
when the cards are put back in the box and the tables are wiped down.
when you take one last look back into the room before turning out the lights.
only two people walk away with the t-shirts.
only two people walk away with the trophies.
only two people are worthy to be called Dutch Blitz'rs.

congratulations to Tricia and Brittany for being this years North Texas Dutch Blitz Champions.

bonjour...

yesterday i helped my soon-to-be brother-in-law jay move some old furniture from his parents house in paris...wait for it...no, in texas.

the day was spent driving to paris.
picking up a uhaul at none other than hicks muffler and tire.
loading four pieces of 100 year old furniture put together by 100year old screw drivers onto the truck.
watching papa semple close the deal on a car and sell another.
Eating the most amazing BBQ at Scholl Bros. BBQ and drinking the best sweet tea ever.
(Jay says you know a place is going to be good when the sign out front of the restaurant just reads BBQ)
watching mama semple close the deal on a BBQ catering gig from said amazing BBQ place.
a quick visit to the eiffel tower. (there really is an eiffel tower)
and then back to dallas to move the 100 year old furniture into Jay's apt.

going into it i didn't think it was going to be that strenuous of a day but around 5 pm i hit a wall.
maybe that was the all the sweet tea wearing off.
i was tired and hot but more than anything i missed my wife and couldn't wait to see her.

he makes me as surefooted as the deer...

a few years ago two of my roommates from college and i had the opportunity to spend the weekend hiking in the grand canyon.
we had planned on backpacking into the canyon on a friday, spend two nights at primitive campgrounds, and then hike back out on sunday.
(suddenly as i am writing this i can't help but think of the spiritual undertones that could be applied to this trip. "how?" you might ask. well, we made our decent on Good Friday and ascended on the third day, easter morning.)
i guess you could say it was sort of a spiritual death and resurrection, but i wasn't thinking in those terms that weekend.

we left lubbock in the evening on thursday and drove through the night to the canyon.
its about a 12 hour drive.
i did most of the driving, but richard finished off the last couple hours.
jay slept in the back most of the time.
which paid off that morning when jay had to stand in line for the permits while richard and i tried to sleep in the car.

we arrived just after 5 am.
just in time for the sunrise.
we pulled over into a viewing area, got out and watched the sun rise.
warm, golden light flooded into the canyon.
i had seen pictures of the canyon before but none can truly capture the magnitude of the canyon's beauty when your actually there.
especially at sunrise.
i felt very small.
and cold.
because it was snowing.
yep, snowing.
on easter weekend.

we retrieved our permits that morning, and after an early lunch began our descent into the canyon.
on our second day in we had a little extra time after we got to the next campsite to go explore.
the map we had indicated that there was a spring not too far away.
we needed to refill our water bottles so we went off looking for it.
it was quiet and peaceful out.
we really felt like we were the only ones there.
we probably were.
we found the spring and refilled our bottles.
adding an iodine tablet and some lemonade mix to help add some flavor.
while we were standing there i remember hearing the crack of falling rocks.
we looked up to see two big horn skipping along the ridge high above us.
(this is the part where you do the whole "oh look, a big horn. that's why i come up here." routine.)
they make it look so easy.
i remember there being sections of our hike that were pretty difficult.
one miss step could mean a long fall.
i'm amazed at how graceful the big horn makes it look.
so when the psalmist writes, "he makes me as surefooted as the deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights." i think i get the idea.
i am encouraged and comforted knowing that God won't let me slip.
that i can have confidence, not in myself, but in He who is faithful.
because i'm not always as confident as i may look.
seriously.


read psalm 18.
it will blow your mind.

and what the heck is a noodle swing, anyway?

so i attempted to make teriyaki chicken last night.
i sliced off a piece and ate it.
then gave a piece of the hot off the grill product to my wife.

i looked at her.
she looked back at me.
we both looked down at the chicken on the plate.
and then looked back at each other.

i said i was sorry for what i just did and we both agreed that ordering take out from our favorite local thai restaurant would be the only thing to get the lousy excuse for teriyaki taste out of our mouths.

and it did.

happy fat tuesday...i think

well, i've kicked off my fat tuesday celebration a little early today.
its taks testing today so the seniors don't have to be at school until noon.
i decided to join them for breakfast at the infamous ham & eggs restaurant.
if you've never been to ham & eggs you wouldn't believe me when i tell you how huge the pancakes are.
bigger than your head huge.
(not that your head is huge.)
it's impossible to eat even one.

this time i opted for the french toast special.
i'm trying to eat a little better.
as if french toast, eggs and bacon are any better than a mound of pancakes.
but, hey, its fat tuesday.

after we all stuffed our faces full i drove back to the apartment to let my beautiful wife use the car for the day.
i rode my bike to work.
up hill and against the wind.
now my head hurts and i think i'm going to puke.
i think i have a pancake hangover.

there is something very transcendent about ben gibbard's voice.
i don't know what it is.
but yesterday michelle downloaded death cab's plans album from itunes and i curled up on the end of the bed like a labrador and listened to the whole thing.
maybe its in the stories he tells.
maybe its the rat tat tat on the high hat.
but i find myself dreaming.
feeling inspired.
creative.
not a lot of bands do that for me.
sufjan, sure.
broken social scene.
ok.
but death cab always takes me some place.

i got a new car...

well, not really.
ali, a friend of mine, graduated high school early and just moved to England to hang with the rest of her family, who have been living over the pond for several months now.
so mish and i are car-sitting for the next 4 months until ali returns to walk the stage.

we've been a one car family for a little while now and its been really nice.
we spend less on gas.
insurance is lower.
and we have to plan our days around each others schedule.
and when its not rainy or bitter cold i've been riding to work on my bike.
but since this winter has been a bit more rainy and colder than other years it will be nice to have the extra car.

so when i'm not on the bike i'll be cruising in style in tori, the ford taurus.

what did ya jump ship? what's with the life vest, kid...






i have these vague memories of my grandpa with his pant legs rolled up with the surf splashing around his ankles.
he's been casting out past the sea foam for the better part of the evening and hasn't had a bite yet.
a white bucket of raw shrimp sits patiently in his shadow.
the sun is going down now dipping behind the unobtrusive horizon of the gulf of mexico.
hitting the water and spraying light everywhere.
kind of looks like an egg hitting a flat skillet in slow motion.
maybe i'm just hungry for dinner and i'm seeing things funny.

christmas' on the panhandle of Florida can get cold.
i'm not used to being on a beach in a hoodie.
but my Grandpa is out in the surf with a beanie on and a big puffy vest.
as content as can be.

my grandpa has since passed that puffy vest on to me.
(i think he got a better one)
but i love it and i'm wearing it today.
and i'd like to think i could be just as content in it as he was.
just as peaceful as he was fishing on that cold winter day at the beach.

currently listening to:

it always snows on wednesday
by the hayes family rumor




today i'm thinking...

- that i'm married to the most amazing woman in the world.
i'm humbled by her faith.
i'm inspired by her creativity
and i'm drawn to her honesty and grace.
- that if the resurrected life of Christ never really happened then i'm getting paid to tell others
about the greatest hoax in history.
- that one of the most beautifully painful realities of marriage is that every sin, from the subtlest to the deepest, will surface. but it's in that reality that we can begin to be made more
like Christ.
- that i've really been into reading lately.
- that our country is in desperate need of some good leaders.
- that some days i wish i had a megaphone and the right words to say that we've messed this all
up. big time.
- that i want to give more.

happy snow day...

it really doesn't take much to shut down the schools here in the greater DFW area when it comes to an "arctic blast". just a light white dusting will do the trick. i had heard rumors of a possible visit from said white dust but i wasn't going to get my hopes up. and yet, as i awoke this morning to prepare for work i peeked through the blinds and to what did my wondering eyes did appear, but a light snow fall which brought me great cheer.

as is the policy at our church that if the school district is closed for whatever reason so are the church activities for that day. so i'm off for the day.

happy snow day everyone. i'm going to stay inside as much as possible. brew some coffee and finish the book i've been reading.

lick it, technology...

so i'm sticking it to the man and i'm reactivating my old phone i had in college.
turned in my current phone for a much needed credit and i'm going old school.
it's kind of exciting really.
simplifying things.
to a certain extent.
i don't receive text messages so you'll just have to call.
i'll have to us a lighter again a concerts because the display screen on my phone is not that bright.
no more camera phone.
no more cool ring tones.
not even an alarm clock.
it does have a speaker phone and voice dial.
wow.
but i've never used them before.

it's been about two years or so since i've used this phone and it was crazy going back and looking at all the old numbers.
old friends from my days at tech.
some as far back as freshman year.
i wanted to call a few just to see if the number still worked but i wouldn't really know what to say beyond "hey, i was just scrolling through so old numbers and was calling to see if this was still your number. ok, bye."
awkward, really.
there are a few i still think i'll try to call.
guys like kc green or justie b.
just to say hey.
some numbers i've held onto as an "in case i end up in your state and need a place to sleep."
but i haven't talked to some of those people in a long time so i'm not really sure if they still live in that state.
wouldn't that be weird.

so i've purged some numbers.
again, it feels good to simplify things.
and remember, i don't get text messages anymore so you'll just have to call.
or write a letter.

one of my new year resolutions is to blog more.
so i'm five days in and this is my first post.
not so great of a start.
however, one of my other goals this year is to read one biography/memoir type book each month.
i have been faithful to this goal so far by starting a book nathan let me borrow about a pow named ernest gordan.
i'm only a few chapters in but it's pretty good so far.
the book is titled "to end all wars."
you may be more familiar with the movie "bridge over the river kwai" which is based off this book.

it's all part of being a professional christian...

the scene:
The Millers house in Plano, Texas
for
the annual parenteau family christmas party and gift exchange.


"ok everyone, why don't you make your way into the family room. We're going to say grace."
in-laws, out-laws, boyfriends and girlfriends, children of all ages shuffle into the room and naturally begin to form a circle.
with uncle dave to my right and emily to my left i have to quickly decide if i am going to go for the more comfortable "over hand hold" or be forced to go "under hand".
dave moves quick and gets the over hand position.
dangit!
but emily was not as ready.
one out of two ain't bad.
"ok, is everyone here?" "Steve, would you please lead us in grace?"
for a split second i thought there might have been another steve.
for a split second my stomach was in my throat.
and in that same split second i felt naked.
yep. naked.
ok, maybe not naked but you know that feeling like you just got caught doing something embarrassing like picking you nose at a stop light.
that's sort of how i felt in that split second.
but i said yes.
and in the very next split second i tried to decide if i should go with the "present the whole gospel in my prayer because i know not everyone in the room knows the Lord" prayer or just ask everyone if they're thankful and go eat because the food is getting cold.
i decided to mix it up a bit.
lot's of thankfulness and a friendly reminder that Jesus is the reason for the season.
i don't know if anyone got saved that night.
but there was a lot of love going around.
i always enjoy my time with the parenteau's and their extended family.

Why yes, the grill is in fact on fire and burning out of control...



i just found out that a locate restaurant in the lubbock area i was involved in during its early stages will be closing its doors today. thankfully i'm several years removed from being a burrito architect but i will miss ole cilantros. you were always good to me. thanks for the memories.

if you happen to be in lubbock today please stop by cilantro's and eat a burrito for me. they're really yummy.

after 170 miles on the bike i finally got my first honk. i'm not sure if i know who it was but i still waved back. i ride friendly, the texas way.