Time

Amazing how fast time flies when you are doing the things you love to do and how slowly the clock ticks when you find something monotonous or upsetting. My sixth year of college teaching is winding up and I'm in awe how fast things have gone. Wendy and I have three children who we dearly love and treasure - and they too are growing up so fast. Zachary is nearing that moment of walking - our baby will become a toddler. Chelsea & Aimee are both enjoying their transitions into kindergarten & preschool.

My birthday is today - March 9th. You blink and ten years whirs by eh? But I have very few regrets as I've lived a full life and want to continue to live in such a way. My heart for teaching continues to grow and I'm really struggling with seeing another group of students graduate. It is a bit like the "empty nest" syndrome that I experience every May. I hope my trip to Thailand with our church will off-set that a bit as I dive into another opportunity to challenge young adults - this time in a completely foreign culture.

Time has certainly past when I first met Wendy in our days at college & more meaningfully at camp. It twas' the God's Creation that put our two paths together, the stars, the dancing lights of Aurora Borealis, the reflection of it all in glassy waters. From the nervousness of new relationship to the warm comfort of being together for so long - it truly has been a miracle & so worth celebrating.

We've shared so many adventures together from traveling to the Caribbean, to Africa, to Costa Rica, and perhaps beyond in the future. From our time spent at Medeba exploring adventure sports & our leadership skills to building a home here in Manitoba - all of it has been stretching and rewarding. I'm in the midst of dreaming about sabbatical - a few years away and wondering where we'll be in the future. I know that I'll blink and our kids will be high school & exploring their own futures beyond our home. I hope I can still say "what a ride, what a ride!" and thank God for every minute I've had.

The Legend Brett Favre

It's tough to see a hero retire but my admiration for Brett Favre continues on. I love football - it is one of toughest sports out there and from my perspective not only the most physical but one that requires the most mental effort. Every player has a role to play and critical for any forward progress to occur. The quarterbacks, receivers & running backs get the majority of the accolades but each player on the team is necessary. I love that. I would encourage y'all to check out his retirement video as it truly reflects this man's love of the game.

Favre completes his 17-year career as the NFL's all-time leader in every significant career passing category - touchdowns (442), completions (5,377), attempts (8,758) and yards (61,555), plus wins (160). His 253 consecutive starts (275 including playoffs) is the NFL record for quarterbacks and the second-longest recorded streak in league history.The league's only three-time MVP, Favre led the Packers to 11 playoff appearances, including seven division crowns, four NFC Championship Games, two Super Bowls and a World Championship with a victory in Super Bowl XXXI.

Clearly, Favre was not only a three time MVP but also an "everyman" - a person that anyone could relate to. He was a legend but so down-to-earth & clearly fallible. He's a hero that I will expose my son to as a man to emulate - someone who although went through struggles, fought & won.
Favre ended his career with class & character. Will I wonder - what if he stuck around another year? You betcha! But I admire him going out on top.

I consider myself blessed to have actually seen Brett Favre & the Packers play on Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Football will not be the same without him and it will be interesting to see where the Pack ends up next season but I've been a fan of the Pack for close to twenty years - 16 of them Favre has been the QB - and I will remain a Pack fan.

Wendy & I in Green Bay, WI watching the team & game I love!

Ukuleles

An amazing song by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain - got to love how a basic song structure can be used again and again. Did I ever share the story of taking ukulele lessons in Hawaii? I didn't go far in that scene but the ukulele is one of the many stringed instruments I've played.

Dealing With It...

So here I sit at my Dell watching my words spill out on to this blog post. I've been battling a cold all weekend, a migraine taking me out completely on Saturday. I had the lofty goals of going for a ski that day but no energy or willpower could be mustered due to my weakened state. So instead of exploring play outdoors - I've spent most of my weekend indoors. Even my body winces as I cough out, revealing a soreness throughout my back, neck & joints. I'll admit it freely that I'm a complete "suck" when it comes to being sick.

Tomorrow it is back to teaching and I still have some prep to do - might be time to go with a dvd back-up lecturer or a small group time. We'll see how it all works out. I also have much to do in preparing for this next weekends' retreat at Camp Arnes. I'm looking forward to connecting with some junior highers from my home area and hopefully encouraging them in their journeys through life.

I'm looking forward to traveling this spring to Thailand with a group of young adults from our church to do some teaching, construction, & help out an orphanage. I'm guessing the photo ops will be prime and perhaps my writing will get a good igniter as well. Traveling for me has always helped my musings on life.

I'm also looking ahead to a summer of outdoor play with my youngest child Zachary - he should be in full-on run mode by then, and my girls hopefully will be furthering their cycling abilities. So much to look forward to but lots to be done before then. Cheers to getting better and curses to this dreaded cough that threatens my very breath.

Kayak vid - Outta Africa

As most of you know I happen to love whitewater kayaking and although I don't get many opportunities to do it here in Manitoba when I get the chance I embrace it. Enjoy this video of a sport I hold dear.

Mountain Bike Vid - Bones Over Metal

So I'm not into huge jumps like these guys but I love the same sport and definitely am missing riding these days. Nothing better as a stress reliever than a good fast run on some singletrack or downhill run.

Happy Valentine's

Life keeps whirling on it seems this February...I love my wife, my daughters, my son, and all that God has graced me with from an amazing & inspiring job to the opportunities I have to travel, to keep adventuring, to encourage those I meet on this journey called life! I realize nothing I do is of value unless I love...and so this Valentine's I call out to planet earth - learn to love & learn to live! This video is a cool collection of postcards to postsecret - a library of broken hearts & mended ones. Enjoy!

5 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do

I've always loved how the element of danger makes life interesting. Without adventure I get bored and so I've always had my inner "curious george" get me into some sort of trouble. Danger, adventure, curiosity in my life have led to growth - it seems to have the best way for me to learn new ways of thinking, experiencing, & living. Whether its been in sport, in love, in education - the element of some risk makes the challenge of living life all the more rewarding.

Growing up beside a river meant adventuring was just a step outside my house, a small forest is the buffer between my parents' property and the slow winding river - a perfect place for bike trails, tree houses, forts, and the thrill of exploration. I have stories filled with adventures that helped develop who I am today - whether it has been my many journeys overseas to exotic locales like Paraguay, Israel, Ethiopia or trips spent engaging the elements like ice-climbing in the Adirondacks, whitewater kayaking the Ottawa River, Scuba-diving off the coast of Bonaire, or mountain biking down a volcano in Costa Rica, all of these journeys of risk have taught me something about life - it is meant to be lived to the fullest!

I love to read and many of my books have adventure inserted into their title or fit neatly in the category. A classic book of adventure is Coral Island by R. M. Ballantyne - a tale of shipwrecked adventurers who learn to survive and even thrive on some pacific island. My love of archeology was largely inspired from the exploits of Indiana Jones and yes, I'm looking forward to the fourth installment this coming May. (I should note I've traveled to a few of the locations used in Indy movies in the past and it looks like this one is using Brazil's Iguazu Falls which I visited in the early 90s).

I want to pass on my love of adventure to my kids and so I have collected the complete set of Enid Blyton's Book of Adventure series with titles such as The Valley of Adventure, The Mountain of Adventure, etc. - all books that inspired me as a young boy to seek out challenges & become a part of my own legendary stories. And so when I came across The Dangerous Book For Boys & The Daring Book for Girls - I knew I had to add them to our family collection of books.

The following TED video by Gever Tulley illustrates the need for danger in our kids' lives - enjoy!

Quote: Mark Twain on the Secret of Getting Ahead

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one."

- Mark Twain, humorist and author (1835 - 1910)