30 and counting part deux....

Here are the pics of my family and Paige's first trip to the beach. She wasn't quite sure what to think, but it was cool to watch her. Maybe I'm biased, but she sure is cute!

Paige and "Unna Matt" soakin up the sun together

She really got a kick out of the sand, didn't mind it one bit...Us on the other hand, well our feet were on fire to say the least...

I absolutely love this picture...She's a regular beach bum!

Here is my sis Malea, Paige, and Aunt Megan by the water...Paige wasn't really sure about the water, but the surf was a little rough that day.

After it was all said and done, she was ready for a little snuggle nap time.

It was great to see the fam. It is tough being away from them, but we know that God has us down here for a reason and thankfully we can see them every so often. That is pretty much all hat is going on here with my life, but I'll have more to say later I am sure.

Until next time...

30 and counting....

Hey all, sorry I have been absent from the blogging world for a couple of weeks. It has been crazy here with family and friends visiting and getting ready for youth camp next week. I am the district camp director so the stress level has gone up considerably from last year. Life is good, ministry is tough (which is a blog for another time), and God is the best and it has been awesome to celebrate turning 30 with family and friends. It was awesome, and it all started with a visit from Phil and Lisa Huber. Phil was my college roommate and is like a brother to me. He and the family came into town for a visit after a conference in Orlando. It was great to see him and they got to experience the first of two celebrations at one of my favorite restaurants Okki Japanese Steakhouse. Below are some pics of he and his family from their visit. It was great, and the only bad thing was there was a tropical storm off the coast so we didn't get our deep sea fishing trip in. Cathin' a little fire on the grill...I love hibachi! It is always a fun experience!

Phil and Lisa enjoying their first time at a hibachi grill!

Katie, their youngest is a ham...she always has something to say and is a hoot to be around!

Lilly is a little bit more reserved and like Lisa, but I was amazed at how much she has grown and how mature she acts for her age.

After Phil and Lisa left, we hurried quickly to get the house ready for the guests that "weren't coming." My parents came as well as my sister, her husband, and their new baby. I thought I had it all figured out, but by the end of the night with all the twists and turns, they all did surprise me with a great party where several church families joined us as well. It was great and very memorable. I'll post those pics in another blog entry since evidently I can't post more than five per blog entry.

That time of year again...

Okay, so for most people, June 1st is just another day. However thanks to the little buddy above here named Ivan, people around here including myself begin to get a little nervous. June 1st marks the beginning of Atlantic hurricane season. It marks the beginning of watching the news everynight to get the report on the tropics, making sure you have everything you need just in case, and daily logging onto websites like accuweather, intellicast, and NOAA just in case they announce something is coming your way. There has always been something about hurricanes that have intrigued me...even before we moved here I remember sitting at home watching Ivan hit the area that I now call home. And for the next six months I'll be dilligently watching and waiting to see what happens. Hurricanes still intrigue me, and I am hypnotized by the coverage, and will watch again this year, but I am hoping that we don't have to skip town this year like we did last. We stayed for the tropical storms, left for Dennis and stayed for Katrina. Imagine what it is like here without power during the summer...not fun! I know Katrina was over 200 miles away from us, but the big old oaks in from of our house were still leaning pretty heavily...so I get a little nervous. Now we are probably somewhat okay where we are at. We won't have pics like these where we live...at least we shouldn't...


It's really weird in that I can take you to these exact spots downtown now....hard to imagine what it was like after Ivan hit. However, where we are at (9 miles north of the water line) we have to worry about the tornados that pop up from the side storms. I have never liked bad storms and imagine what it is like when you are under a tornado warning for 6 1/2 hours. That to me is a little strange. In Ohio, if we have a tornado warning, you go hide for the 45 minutes or so that you have it...what am I supposed to do for 6 1/2 hours? We just stayed in the main room and listened to the coverage on the radio.

Well I imagine we'll make it through this year like we did last. It is hard to tell what is to come. We can pretty much be guaranteed of at least one storm hitting the gulf coast. You know I wouldn't wish a hurricane on anyone (and how do you pray for a hurricane not to hit you-you don't want it to hit anyone else do you-except maybe Michigan for you wolverine fans), but I thought hurricanes were supposed to hit the carolinas and the east coast? Why us? I guess the Gulf is a giant magnet for hurricanes with its warm summer water. That is why you go to bed with a cat 1 storm and wake up to a cat 5.

So I'll be off to Wal-Mart to get the rest of our supplies today including bottled water, batteries, and some more needed stuff and we'll "hunker" down if we need to, but it's that time of year again...
Hopin I don't wake up in OZ...

-Matt