Many of you have asked about Project 1825. Here is the story! Last July I did a wedding for a dear friend of our family. As a thank you for doing the wedding, she and her husband gave Jen and I a weeks stay at their beach house in Delray Beach, FL, and airfare. Jen and I were looking forward to some time away. Then in October, our family was blessed with another amazing gift, a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country with very low mileage, and the plan changed.
After much conversation, Jen convinced me that instead of being a romantic weed away for the two of us, it would be a much more fulfilling use of these gifts to include the whole family. So, starting in December we started planning the trip to the beach, kids and all.
A very generous Christmas from our family led us to a final tweak to the trip. We decided to spend one day in Orlando with the kids at the Magic Kingdom before heading to the Beach house. The dates? February 18-25 (hence the name Project 1825). Jen and I needed to have a codeword when talking about it. See, our plan was to keep this a surprise to the kids. We didn’t tell it was coming.
So on February 18th, Jen and I dropped the kids off for a normal day of school, packed the van and loaded the technology (long trips need DVD’s and video games!) 2:55, school ends and we pick up the kids. As we head south the kids asked, “Where are we going?” We knew this question was coming, and would be a tough one to side-step. So… we ask for some help from the family. Uncle Dave, Auntie Sarah and Emma met us at the “Red Robin, hmmmmm” in Owing Mills, just outside Baltimore for supper, and more importantly, the answer to the question, “Where are we going?”
After a great supper, and more importantly, nightfall, we left for the south. Just short of 10:00 p.m. we stopped for final trips to the bathroom, and the question, “Why are we in Virginia?” The answer, “A little detour”, seemed flimsy, but thankfully was enough to get them back in the van and to sleep for the night.
The original plan was to drive through the night, with the hope that they would wake up in the Disney Parking lot for a wild day of enjoying the Magic Kingdom! However, we thought better after driving through an evening of downpours through North and South Carolina, and Georgia. Daddy was exhausted, so we checked into the hotel early (9:00 am) and spent the day relaxing (sleeping for daddy), swimming in the pool, and getting ready for a day at Disney on Friday, the next day.
The original plan would have worked, by the way. Alex was up early (6:00), but never suspected anything. He thought we were on our way to Rehoboth Beach in DE. (oi! Lot of work to do with that boy!) The other two woke up in downtown Orlando, then spent the next 20 minutes trying to deduce where we were. There were some great answers!
1. Tropical trees must mean we are in Hawaii.(don’t know how we drove the van there!)
2. Since we were in a big city, we must be in New York or Philly. (? Driving in circles all night?)
3. This was a big city, so we must be in Chicago, since we always go to Minnesota for vacation.
4. Michigan (Anna saw a sign that said “Michigan Street”)
They finally put 2 and 2 together when they started looking at license plates. Once they figured out we were in Florida, they guessed Disney World right away. At that point we were 5 minutes from the park, pulling into a Waffle House just outside our hotel.
So that is “Project 1825!” There will be more updates, and pictures to follow, but know that it has been more than we could have ever asked for. The look on their faces in the van will never be replaced! The looks on their faces as the watched the parade down Main Street, and the fireworks over the Enchanted Castle will never fade! Thank you all for your interest, prayers, and generosity! We have been so blessed.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Lessons from the basement
Saturday I spent about five hours in my basement with a gas powered pressure washer cleaning mold and old paint off the walls, prepping it for drylock. Alan Steinl, a friend from church, let me use his pressure washer. This particular pressure washer has a HUGE gas tank. So I started with a full tank of gas and warm feet. 2 1/2 hours and frozen toes later, the gas tank finally ran dry, and the pressure washer shut off... and there was silence.
In that moment I was reminded of Psalm 46:10 "Be Still and Know that I am God." How often do we try to grab time with God on the run, in the middle of the noise? How effective is that time? How refreshing are those moments when we can be in the silence? There are times when my wife calls me at the office, and becasue of what is on my desk, or what is on my computer screen, she doesn't get my attention. She knows that, and I know that, and that isn't good! How often does God have to speak to me through the noise and clutter of life?
The frustrating thing is that I know this lesson! It amazes me how often I have to be reminded! I hope this is a reminder and an encouragement to you. Struggle mightily to create the environment to meet God in silence. He is longing to be with you.
In that moment I was reminded of Psalm 46:10 "Be Still and Know that I am God." How often do we try to grab time with God on the run, in the middle of the noise? How effective is that time? How refreshing are those moments when we can be in the silence? There are times when my wife calls me at the office, and becasue of what is on my desk, or what is on my computer screen, she doesn't get my attention. She knows that, and I know that, and that isn't good! How often does God have to speak to me through the noise and clutter of life?
The frustrating thing is that I know this lesson! It amazes me how often I have to be reminded! I hope this is a reminder and an encouragement to you. Struggle mightily to create the environment to meet God in silence. He is longing to be with you.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
It's Done!
Got this picture in a text message from my brother Seth, with the caption, "Hey Man, it's done!" More to follow, and a lot of work still to do, but man are we pumped!!! (sump pumped?)
Making Progress
Hi all,
Progress has been steady on our French Drain project. Between Seth and I, we have got 80% of the concrete work done, and today Carl Jones is coming over to set the Sump pump crock and move the water heater so we can finish the concrete installation. Lord willing, we will be cleaning out our living room this weekend, and re-loading our basement! It will be fun to watch that start to take shape.
Progress has been steady on our French Drain project. Between Seth and I, we have got 80% of the concrete work done, and today Carl Jones is coming over to set the Sump pump crock and move the water heater so we can finish the concrete installation. Lord willing, we will be cleaning out our living room this weekend, and re-loading our basement! It will be fun to watch that start to take shape.
Anna checking out the "Big Truck".
She also helped daddy with the cement. First we put the cement in the wheel barrow.
Then we add water...
...stir...
dump...
...level...
... and wait for it to dry!
She also helped daddy with the cement. First we put the cement in the wheel barrow.
Then we add water...
...stir...
dump...
...level...
... and wait for it to dry!Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Another Day in the Dirt
O.K. This post has no great spiritual tie in. It is simply an update on another great day of work. On Tuesday, my brother Seth was foreman on site at our house as phase II of the French Drain Project began. At 1:00, he got the dump truck in place, and at 3:00 he got the stone delivered and poured on the side of the house.
When I got home after work at 3:00, he had already started hauling out the broken up rock and concrete we jack hammered on Friday. You remember what that looked like, right...
The process went something like this...
First, we shoveled the debris into 5 gallon buckets.
Then we carried the buckets up the stairs...
... to the Dump Truck. Our family enjoys watching the "World's Strongest Man" competition on ESPN (Phil Pfister is our favorite!) One of their events, the Power Stairs, involves lifting a 245 lb keg up 20 stairs, one step at a time. It looks punishing! I know these buckets of rocks didn't weigh that much (maybe 50 lbs each), but after putting 30-50 of those in the back of the truck, I felt this desk jockey got as close as he ever would to that kind of event.
Jen was waiting for us in the back of the truck, and she emptied the buckets, and sent us back downstairs for more!
Three hours after we started, the clean up was done!
Our task for the day was not done, however. The next part involved digging a three foot hole in the trench to set the new sump pump crock in place. This is where living in Claymont (mount of clay) becomes an issue. Seth and I spent the next two hours digging, prying, chopping, doing anything we could to get this whole in place. We hit three very big rocks, one of which is still there. The biggest challenge we had was that the whole kept filling with water, obstrucing our view of what we were doing. I got the brilliant idea to move the current pump into the new hole and use it to pump out the water. Unfortunately, I didn't take the time to disconnect it, put a longer pipe on it, then plug it in. Halfway through the pumpout, the connection hose let go and I got whole face full of sludge, to which Seth laughed! PUNK! (it was really funny, and I am sure if I wasn't the one eating dirt, I would have laughed whole-heartedly!)
We eventually got it done, and with a great sigh of relief, we called it a night. (after a shower, we were filthy!)
O.k, maybe there is a spiritual reflection coming out of the events of yesterday. One of my favorite books in the bible is Ecclesiastes. It is a book written by the wisest of men (Solomon, or another teacher in Israel) who was struggling mightily to make sense of the world around him that doesn't make sense. One of those conclusions resonated with me today.
Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
18 Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. 20 He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
Though the work was tough, and part of me wasn't looking forward to it, I felt very good in my soul at the end of the day. (in my soul, not necessarily in my body! That just hurt and tasted and smelled bad.) Thank you, God, for this time of toil that has refreshed my soul.
I was also reminded of how thankful I was for my brother Seth, and Ecclesiastes has something to say about that as well.
Ecclesiates 4:9-10
When I got home after work at 3:00, he had already started hauling out the broken up rock and concrete we jack hammered on Friday. You remember what that looked like, right...
The process went something like this...
First, we shoveled the debris into 5 gallon buckets.
Then we carried the buckets up the stairs...
... to the Dump Truck. Our family enjoys watching the "World's Strongest Man" competition on ESPN (Phil Pfister is our favorite!) One of their events, the Power Stairs, involves lifting a 245 lb keg up 20 stairs, one step at a time. It looks punishing! I know these buckets of rocks didn't weigh that much (maybe 50 lbs each), but after putting 30-50 of those in the back of the truck, I felt this desk jockey got as close as he ever would to that kind of event.
Jen was waiting for us in the back of the truck, and she emptied the buckets, and sent us back downstairs for more!
Three hours after we started, the clean up was done!
Our task for the day was not done, however. The next part involved digging a three foot hole in the trench to set the new sump pump crock in place. This is where living in Claymont (mount of clay) becomes an issue. Seth and I spent the next two hours digging, prying, chopping, doing anything we could to get this whole in place. We hit three very big rocks, one of which is still there. The biggest challenge we had was that the whole kept filling with water, obstrucing our view of what we were doing. I got the brilliant idea to move the current pump into the new hole and use it to pump out the water. Unfortunately, I didn't take the time to disconnect it, put a longer pipe on it, then plug it in. Halfway through the pumpout, the connection hose let go and I got whole face full of sludge, to which Seth laughed! PUNK! (it was really funny, and I am sure if I wasn't the one eating dirt, I would have laughed whole-heartedly!)
We eventually got it done, and with a great sigh of relief, we called it a night. (after a shower, we were filthy!)
O.k, maybe there is a spiritual reflection coming out of the events of yesterday. One of my favorite books in the bible is Ecclesiastes. It is a book written by the wisest of men (Solomon, or another teacher in Israel) who was struggling mightily to make sense of the world around him that doesn't make sense. One of those conclusions resonated with me today.
Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
18 Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. 20 He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
Though the work was tough, and part of me wasn't looking forward to it, I felt very good in my soul at the end of the day. (in my soul, not necessarily in my body! That just hurt and tasted and smelled bad.) Thank you, God, for this time of toil that has refreshed my soul.
I was also reminded of how thankful I was for my brother Seth, and Ecclesiastes has something to say about that as well.
Ecclesiates 4:9-10 9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
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