Good Times

Camp Test

2009-09-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

This is a test for camp. :)

Holy Week

2009-04-10T11:27:00.001-07:00

It's very random how I stumbled across this reading, but these words hit home with me...

Mennonite song book called “Sing the Journey.” It reads,

This is the Welcome Table of our Redeemer,
and you are invited
Make no excuses, saying you cannot attend;
simply come, for around this table you will find your family.
Come not because you have to,
but because you need to.
Come not to prove you are saved,
but to seek the courage to follow wherever Christ leads.
Come not to speak but to listen,
not to hear what’s expected,but to be open to the ways the Spirit moves among you.
So be joyful, not somber,for this is the feast of the reign of God,
where the broken are molded into a Beloved Community,
and where the celebration over evil’s defeat has already begun.
http://gatheringinlight.com/2007/04/05/maundy-thursday-house-worshipprayer-service/

Spring Swim, Birthday, & Friends

2009-03-31T15:04:00.000-07:00

On March 21 we watched people from the West Michigan community jump in Lake Michigan (33 degrees) at Camp Geneva! COLD!!!!!

It was also Tina's birthday. We celebrated the night before by having a game night with friends. The best part of the night was surprising her with a friend from North Carolina! She couldn't believe it!

This is a game we learned from our friend, Carrie...a blast!

Chicago

2009-02-22T14:53:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to Chicago with friends, Craig & Kate, to enjoy some time away from home and to see some sights in the Windy City. My Uncle John had a wonderful connection at my favorite hotel, the Hotel Monaco, and we stayed for a VERY reduced rate. It was beautiful.

We went to Whole Foods so Tina could load up on her version of goodies - for example, anything with ingredients that don't include gluten (wheat grains) or dairy.

The Lincoln Park Zoo was a cool (free) place to visit and was better than we expected!

Dinner at P.F. Changs to top it off! Lettuce Wraps - Mmm!

Presbyterian Church on Michigan Ave

What Claws?!

May we help you?

Majestic

Pondering

Trip to Lake Michigan

2009-02-11T20:19:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Tina's dad came to Holland to help me install some insulation in our basement crawl spaces. To reward our hard work, we took a trip to Holland State Park. Beautiful!

President's Ball

2009-02-11T20:10:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, my friend Matt and I had the amazing opportunity to emcee the President's Ball and GVSU. It's a dinner and dance that celebrates the students and faculty who make GVSU a better place. There were about 400 people at the dinner and 4,000 at the dance!

Isn't she beautiful?

Matt, Stephanie, Tina and I

Faith Like That

2009-02-11T20:00:00.001-08:00

I dug out an old CD today and one of the songs on it was "Faith Like That," by Jonah 33. I've always loved the lyrics and thought I'd share them with you...

I have heard about the days of old

About the men who followed you

And how they saw the supernatural

And became the chosen few

So I come before you now

Tearing off my earthly crowns

For this one thing I have found

I want a faith like that

To see the dead rise

Or to see you pass by

Oh I , I want a faith like that

Whatever the cost

I'll suffer the lost, Oh I

I want a faith like that

I'm not looking for a miracle

Signs and wonders are things thereof

I caught a glimpse of what you want from me

And what I have is not enough

I read the story one more time

of those who gave to you their lives

with no fear or comprise

I want a faith like that

To see the dead rise

Or to see you pass by

Oh I , I want a faith like that

Whatever the cost

I'll suffer the lost, Oh I

I want a faith like that can move any mountain

and send them to the sea

I want the faith that can break every stronghold

That keeps you, keeps you from me

I want a faith like that

To see the dead rise

or to see you pass by

Oh I, I want faith like that

I want a faith like that

To see the dead rise

Or to see you pass by

Oh I , I want a faith like that

Whatever the cost

I'll suffer the lost, Oh I

I want a faith like that, a faith like that

Update!

2009-02-01T12:24:00.000-08:00

I give people credit who can keep up with this on a regular basis! Here's my favorite way of updates...photos!

The snow this year has been ridiculous...me jumping off the roof into a snow bank!

Our family went to Costa Rica over Christmas and New Years to celebrate my sister graduating with her masters in occupational therapy.

A sloth in Costa Rica!

White-faced monkey!

Our friend, Derek from Arizona, hung out with Matt, Darcy, and I while he was in town.

Grandpa

2008-12-22T07:27:00.000-08:00

Reflection is a good thing. 2008 was a defining year. Probably the most significant event was losing my grandfather, Richard VanderKlok, on February 9 after a couple year bout with cancer. Here are some photos of he and I. He was a great man. I lived across the street from he and my grandma growing up and got to spend a lot of time with him over the years. He'd walk me to the bus stop for school, we'd work in the garden together, and he always made me feel loved as he was ALWAYS so excited to hear what I was up to. Most significantly he never asked me about what particular job I desired or what position I'd like to attain, but rather he seemed to always ask me questions that were related to who I was becoming and/or who I desired to be. I'll never forget that. So...job title/career aspirations aside, who are you becoming? Who do you desire to be?

4 Generations...my grandfather is on the left

Grandpa and I near Christmas

Granpda and Grandma VanderKlok

Seasons

2008-12-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

Mr. Wilson

2008-12-21T18:45:00.000-08:00

This is Phil, however I call him Mr. Wilson because he lives next door. We have a hedge that separates our property and it reminds me of a television show of old. Mr. Wilson is the perfect neighbor. He and his wife, Ann, refer to us as "The Kids," and they are always helping us with various home owner tasks. So, today, Mr. Wilson snowblowed my driveway because he didn't like seeing "The Kids" struggle through the 4th shoveling of the day. Thank you, Mr. Wilson. You're the best.

Family Thanksgiving!

2008-12-05T06:10:00.000-08:00

The highlight of Thanksgiving...deep fried turkey...cigars...football...family...ahh the joys of giving thanks!

Christmas Tree!

2008-12-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

The Friday after Thanksgiving is the day to get your Christmas tree! So we did!

Thanksgiving with Friends

2008-11-25T19:53:00.001-08:00

Our friends got together to celebrate and give thanks a couple of weeks ago and it was AWESOME! I found a bird that weighed 24#...I am sure it was the alpha turkey in it's farm. We're talking a monster! I'm also sure it scared the smaller turkey's away.

After 6.5 hours, it was ready for consumption...the 23 of us paused our "Dykema" game (the Dykema game is a large group game comprised of writing famous people on paper and trying to get your team to guess who you are describing...there are various rounds, but this gives you an idea.) We packed into our friends' quaint apartment and ate some tasty food made by everyone who attended.

Once belt buckles were loosened and the pie was cut, we played a new game called "All in the Family." I am not even going to begin to explain it, but let's just say it was fun :) We finished the night with MAFIA!

Fall Fun

2008-11-03T19:03:00.001-08:00

In early fall, we went to an event at the Fredrick Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. It was hosted by the Grand Rapids Young Professionals as a networking event. We saw it as: Free Ticket to the Gardens! YEAH!

80th Birthday

2008-10-11T13:16:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday we celebrated Tina's Grandpa Rooks' birthday. It was the first time for many of her extended family to see our new home.

Leader Retreat

2008-10-10T15:36:00.001-07:00

One of our greatest passions in life is mentoring young people. The main place where this passion comes to life is anthem. Anthem is the high school ministry at Mars Hill. We began there as leaders with the freshman students (who are now juniors). There are about 80 students in the group and 16 leaders and we call it family:) The model at anthem is a gathering on Wednesday nights where the students spend about 40 minutes in a large group teaching gathering with each of the four grades. There's also a time where we worship with a student band and a rockin' gameshow. We transition to our family group for a time of breaking bread (doritos and cake) and catch up with how things are going. The family then breaks up into small groups called LifeGroups. Each LifeGroup has two leaders that facilitate the discussion. Our role is to be family leaders. The easy way to say it is that we are the leaders for the leaders.
The Mars Hill Students Staff does a great job equipping their leaders to serve students and achieve their goal of helping student live the best kind of lives. One way they equip us is the annual leader retreat at Timberwolf Lake in Lake City, Michigan. As you can see by the photos, we had a blast!

Our Mega Box Wars Team

Mega Box Wars!

The Girls Team

Made to Stick

2008-10-10T15:21:00.000-07:00

Over the past month I've had 5 or 6 people tell me that I HAD to read the book, Made to Stick. I'm a chapter into it and I can see why. This book was written for a guy like me. It's all about making your ideas stick...how to give them the best possible chance to succeed.

Some of my favorite quotes so far...
"A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." - This resonates with me because I think we often try to make things too complicated and the result is confusion. Simplicity is actually the title of the first chapter.

"What we mean by 'simple' is finding the core of the idea."

"Finding the core means stripping down an idea to its most critical essence."

I think you should check it out for yourself!

Dad and Brother Visit

2008-09-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

My Dad and Brother visited us this weekend. They arrived early Saturday morning and we went to the farmer's market, Holland State Park, Fricano's Pizza, and the GVSU football game. It was a beautiful day to be outside and we took advantage! The football game was against Ferris State and we beat our northern rivals 31-13.

An Un-Ordinary Week

2008-09-18T15:16:00.001-07:00

It's been a VERY different week than normal. The last three days at work have been busy as our J.O.Y. (Just Older Youth) Givers have been at camp for a work retreat. They come for three days to help us clean cabins/buildings, chop wood, prepare mailings, landscaping, and many other various work projects. I normally would get to do some different work projects with the group, but we also had the local area middle schools here this week participating in team building activities that we call, "Initiatives." My colleague, Brian had trouble finding help in facilitating the Initiatives, rock climbing, and archery, so I joined in. It was fun to hang with middle school students, but extremely tiring. I give major props to those teachers!

Today I had an interaction that stuck out more than the others. I was encouraging a girl to climb the rock wall, but she said she couldn't. Just like in any other instance, I asked her to at least try. She still said no. One of the teachers came up at that point and clued me in that she had a heart transplant three months ago. For some reason it really hit me hard. Here was a 6th grade girl with a heart transplant of someone who is no longer living. The deceased person made it possible for her to continue living because they designated that their organs be donated at time of death. It motivated me to register myself as an organ donor on the Secretary of State website. Did you know you can register online? If you haven't already, I'd encourage you to do so...you can save someone's life even after you're dead! https://services.sos.state.mi.us/OrganDonor/Registry.aspx

Nationally . . .
More than 95,000 people are waiting for an organ transplant.
About 50 percent of those waiting are minorities.
18 people die each day waiting for a transplant.
Every 12 minutes a new name is added to the national waiting list.
Half of those waiting for a kidney transplant are minorities.

Family Reunion - sort of

2008-09-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

Awhile back, Tina and I attended an extended family reunion for her Grandfather's side at her Uncle Tom's. It was fun to meet more of the extended family and exciting to explore her uncle's property. He owns a landscaping business - Rooks Landscaping - and has quite a bit a property devoted to displaying "mock-ups" for yards. His approach to the "customer experience" is genius...have people dream about potential options for their yard and actually experience it on his property. Here are some photos...

Farmer's Market

2008-09-13T11:28:00.001-07:00

We LOVE the farmer's market. It's cool to see the community so excited about buying local produce. It's such an attractive atmosphere. Kudos to Holland for great design and thoughfulness in putting it together. It's the highlight of our summer Saturday mornings.

Sailing

2008-09-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

A little while back we met up with my Dad and Amanda, and Tina's Aunt Jane and Uncle Barry on Gull Lake to go sailing. It is a goregous lake with a caribbean-blue-color tint. It's such a refreshing experience!

Significance

2008-09-05T05:15:00.000-07:00

Each day I receive a devotional in my email inbox from Os Hillman. Reading his thoughts are a part of my morning routine each day and today's struck an especially strong chord with me. I think he hits the nail on the head in the first paragraph...I enjoyed working at my previous job, but felt a lot of frustration and emptiness because I was there for the wrong reasons. Secondly, he hits a home run when he states that, "Significance comes from fulfilling the God-given purpose for which you were made."

Amen, Os, and thank you for your words today. May they bless you too!!

Significance

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman

Friday, September 05 2008

"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands." Psalm 90:17

Many of us begin our careers with the goal of achieving success. If we haven't entered our work as a result of God's calling, we will eventually face a chasm of deep frustration and emptiness. Success flatters but does not provide a lasting sense of purpose and fulfillment. So often we enter careers with wrong motives-money, prestige, and even pressure from parents or peers. Failing to match our work with our giftedness and calling is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. If that happens over an extended period, a person crashes.

At this time, many make another mistake. Workplace believers think that beginning a new career in "full-time Christian work" will fill the emptiness they feel.

However, this only exacerbates the problem because they are again trying to put another square peg into a round hole. The problem is not whether we should be in "Christian work" or "secular work," but rather what work is inspired by gifts and calling. If there is one phrase I wish I could remove from the English language it is "full-time Christian work." If you are a Christian, you are in full-time Christian work, whether you are driving nails or preaching the gospel. The question must be, are you achieving the God-given calling for your life? God has called people into business to fulfill His purposes just as much as He has called people to be pastors or missionaries.

It is time for workplace believers to stop feeling like second-class citizens for being in business. It is time workplace believers stop working toward financial independence so that they can concentrate on their "true spiritual calling." This is the great deception for those called to business. Significance comes from fulfilling the God-given purpose for which you were made. Ask Him to confirm this in your own life.

Extreme Update

2008-09-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

Wow...a lot has happened since I last wrote.

In an earlier post, I wrote about resisting the urge to buy the latest gadgets (thank you, Amanda for reminding me of that post!). One of those gadgets was a Nikon D60 DSLR camera (there is a photo of the exact Nikon I bought in the 'gadget' post). Last week I caved. Tina wanted to get me one for my birthday in May, but it felt like too much with the home purchase. I took so many photos this summer, including borrowing a Nikon DSLR from someone on staff and couldn't resist how beautiful the photos turn out on a DSLR rather than a point-and-shoot--hence why I decided to pull the trigger and buy it.

You may be asking yourself why I didn't buy a Canon. The reason is simple. Both Canon and Nikon had a similar product and the ratings were almost exactly the same. Everyone I talked to had their opinions, but all told me to go with what feels the best since the performance was the same. The Nikon won because I liked the grip (more substantial than the Canon XTI) and because Costco had the newest Nikon, but not the newest Canon. It came with a protective carrying case/bag, a 1gb card, 100 free photos from Costco, and two lenses -- one for short distances and one for long distances. If anyone knows me at all, you'll acknowledge without hesitation that I take A LOT of photos. (ex. honeymoon-I think I took 600 photos!)

...more to come...

Date Night = Always a Good Idea

2008-08-26T04:22:00.001-07:00

An Evening on the Lakeshore

2008-08-20T05:23:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the perfect summer day! I ended the day of work with a sea doo ride on Lake Michigan with a co-worker. We rode from camp about 4 miles to Holland State Park and back. The water was very calm and made for fast goings. It was relaxing to just ride and look at the cottages (or estates depending on which one you're looking at!) On my way home Tina called with the idea that I should pick up some steaks for dinner. I thought about it for .2 seconds...umm, yes please! So I traveled to the end of our street to Montello Meat Market. I ordered a nice porterhouse steak to split between the two of us on the grill. We ate on the porch a great steak dinner, potatoes and corn on the cob! MMM!

Afterward we got in the CRV and headed to Holland State Park to walk the pier. The sun was setting, sailboats were making their trek back to their boat slip, and people were jumping off the pier. These are the times I am so thankful we live so close to Lake Michigan. Most people only get to do this sort of thing while on vacation. We can do it on a week night! Think of how many people live no where near water! I can't conceive not living by water!

We finally found ourselves at Captain Sundae for a good cup of ice cream to cap the night off.

What a night!

Photo Op with "Big Red"

The Pier

5-year old boy pier jumping!

Mmm...Snickers flurry and a hot chocolate sundae with an overflowing of Oreo!

Family Picnic

2008-08-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

Tina and I went to her mother's extended family picnic. This is no ordinary picnic. 2 grandparents. 22 kids (including spouses.) 50 grandkids. 2 great-grandkids. We all met at Grose Park on Crockery Lake, shared a meal, and played games. It was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Tubing!

Fantastic Pulled Pork!
Carter tries his hand at cornhole
Dessert!
Cousins!

Last Day of Camp

2008-08-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked the last day of camp. It's a bittersweet feeling. I love the sound of children's voices and the enthusiasm of summer staff. If I had the choice, camp would be a couple weeks longer, despite the crazy hours. Now we move into retreat season and that won't slow down until Thanksgiving!

My view of the lake every Friday evening as we welcome parents to pick up their campers. It's easy to get caught daydreaming at this view. Can you imagine a better job than looking at this landscape?

A closer view of the lake.
From the other view. I thought the blue Toyota, Jeep-looking vehicle was pretty sweet.

Neighborhood Block Party

2008-08-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

Last night we participated in our first block party since moving into the neighborhood. It was awesome! We got to meet almost everyone in the neighborhood, and it reinforced how wonderful the people are in this area. We brought our grills, chairs and tables into the middle of the street and ate some good american bbq. A water fight ensued that included water ballons, hoses, and buckets! We feel so blessed to have "stumbled" upon this block. Before we began, we even said the Lord's Prayer together!

Budget

2008-08-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

Tina and I are always try to live with the intentionality of, "Do we REALLY need this?" God has blessed us with good jobs and good salaries, but we constantly live in the tension of how to be good stewards of what God has given us. Our family budget is a love/hate relationship. I love that we have accountability by seeing our cash flow, but I hate the reality of it. It's been hard to resist buying some gadgets. I know my parents and grandparents had to wait til their later years to afford certain amenities. I also feel apprehensive of our generation's obsession of getting whatever we desire. There doesn't seem to be a lot of waiting. If we want something, we buy it.

It became especially true when I read this article.

Or when I hear about this University giving iPhones and iTouches to all incoming freshman.

Or when I hear about the efforts higher ed is making to attract students...oh and here too...

Do you budget? My current gadget desires...I heard confessing them makes it easier to deal with the reality of not having them :)

USA! USA! USA!

2008-08-11T07:33:00.001-07:00

I hoped you watched this...if not, click here...

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0811_hd_swb_hl_l0194

Olympics

2008-08-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

It's been a relaxing weekend. By nature, Tina and I tend to pack our weekend with various activities and friends, but tried to just enjoy the olympics coverage and hang around the house. It felt weird to not have any commitments, but it was fun to watch the various sports. Friday night we watched the opening ceremonies with a couple of friends. It was awesome to see the synchronization of all the people. China has such a fascinating culture.

We found ourselves quite enthralled with the events that featured Michael Phelps as he chases 8 gold medals.

On a side note, we ordered pizza from "Jet's Pizza," and was incredibly delicious! Our order consisted of the 8-corner pizza with pepperoni and bacon and topped with a butter, parmesan, garlic crust. YUM!

An updated photo of the house...if you look in one of my older posts, you'll notice all the shrubs and bushes gone from the right side of the house and the "ditch" lilies gone from the center of the house...now replaced with grasses...oh and after much deliberation, the red star is down:)

another angle...oh and do you notice the bird feeder?! Pretty sure we have a cardinal couple that dines there.

So Nate and I were heading to Scott's house for a LifeGroup gathering and we ended up behind this truck for about 10 minutes...normally not a big deal, but this was no ordinary truck. We can only speculate, but whatever was in the back did not smell "righteous." Nate's hypothesis was that it was dead turkeys. The smell was like stale manure to the tenth power! We both ended up getting headaches, not to mention the smell seriously dominated the interior of my CRV.

Links

2008-08-07T09:04:00.001-07:00

I've come across some good links over the past few days and wanted to share them...

Steven Curtis Chapman on adoption....

If you like gerbils, don't click here...

Have you ever heard of Danielle's story? I hadn't heard of it before, nor did I know the definition of a "feral child." It's tough to read, but I was encouraged by the family who adopted her...gave me a new angle when thinking of God's love for us.

Ellen and Jon's Wedding

2008-08-02T06:12:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to our friends, Jon and Ellen's wedding. It was beautifully done, honoring to God, and a whole lot of fun. The reception was great because we got to reconnect with friends we don't see very often! Leigh, Dave, Jenni, Michelle...We miss you!

Tina and I before the Reception

Matt and Stephanie before the Reception
Dave Tardella and I...Dave is a friend from Atlanta

The gang from college...still good looking as ever :)

Jenni, Me, Leigh, Matt
Me, Tina, Stephanie, Matt
The ladies
Michelle, Tina, Stephanie Leigh, Jenni

The Dark Knight

2008-07-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

See It. Now.

camp this week

2008-07-25T04:29:00.000-07:00

This week I have been chaplain at camp and it has been amazing. I look forward to this every year as I join in with the staff and campers. It never ceases to amaze me the energy put forth by the staff and how they connect with the kids. This is the best place on earth:)

cottage weekend

2008-07-25T04:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend our family spent some time at the cottage. It was the perfect time for a long weekend and the rest was refreshing.

The Family at Country Dairy - superb ice cream

walking the beach

mini-golf

weekend fun

2008-07-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a good one for many reasons.
1. Saturday morning I joined Matt for a student life reunion at Grand Valley. We both worked there most of our college years and had a blast doing it. GVSU continues to change and have recently made another update to the Kirkhof Center. It was fun to see old friends and connect with people who occupied our jobs back in the 80's! Saturday night Tina and I went to a dinner for the same event and shared stories from back in the day.

Matt and I at the Student Life Desk

2. We woke up on Sunday to wind gusts of 25 mph, which caused Tina and I to look at each other and proceeded to know EXACTLY what we'd be doing after church--boogie boarding. The great thing is we have church at camp on Lake Michigan so we brought our gear and ended up riding waves all afternoon. I think it is safe to say the waves were in the 6 foot range which was perfect for some good rides. The current was a bit strong and we wiped out quite A LOT, but loved every minute of it. Tina fell off her board at one point on top of a 6 footer only to find herself getting "washing-machined" into the sand bar below! She was okay, but both of us were quite sore and tired this morning when we got up for work.

Healer

2008-07-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

Wedding Dress - Derek Webb

2008-07-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

Wedding Dress
Derek Webb

If you could love me as a wife
and for my wedding gift, your life
Should that be all I'd ever need
or is there more I'm looking for

and should I read between the lines
and look for blessings in disguise
To make me handsome, rich, and wise
Is that really what you want

I am a whore I do confess
But I put you on just like a wedding dress
and I run down the aisle
and I run down the aisle
I'm a prodigal with no way home
but I put you on just like a ring of gold
and I run down the aisle to you

So could you love this bastard child
Though I don't trust you to provide
With one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side

I am so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers so less wild
That I would take a little cash
Over your very flesh and blood

Because money cannot buy
a husband's jealous eye
When you have knowingly deceived his wife
______________

ever feel this way?

Lively by Google

2008-07-09T19:51:00.001-07:00

So I stumbled upon one of Google's latest beta programs through a blog I like to read called ypulse. It's called Lively and basically it allows you to hang out in a virtual world to chat with your friends. Do you think we'll ever give up face to face conversation? Is it true what people say regarding current teens about how they don't have the ability to conversate on the job in person? I've thought for awhile that it was only "old" people who said these teens won't be able to converate in a real job via face-to-face, but I'm beginning to seriously wonder the ramifications of a world of facebook, instant messaging, texting, and virtual worlds such as Lively and Second Life. Maybe I should chill out:)

4th of July

2008-07-08T05:22:00.000-07:00

The fourth of July was one of the most beautiful weekends I can remember. It was full of perfect weather, relaxation, and time with family and friends. It's one of those times where you don't have to go somewhere far away to disconnect from the world around you. We even got in a few games of tennis and a ridiculous amount of time in the pool. rock 'n roll.

frying up the turkey--14lbs--48 minutes:)

hanging by the pool
hanging out

Catching Up

2008-07-02T08:48:00.001-07:00

It's time for a catch up on what's happening...being ridiculously visual, I'll show you via photos. They are a bit out of order, but you'll figure it out!

Tina and I in front of the Hotel Del on Coronado Island (late April trip)

Tina in the rose garden in Balboa Park in San Diego

Grandpa & Liz in La Jolla
At South Coast Winery in Temecula
A drive in a lamborgini - my new car :) (May)

Memorial Day weekend at the cottage Bad car accident in front of camp. They airlifted the man off our soccer field. (June)

Birthday Ice Cream (May 8)
More birthday ice cream :)

LEED Exam

2008-07-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

Tina passed the LEED exam on Monday!!!!! She has been studying her rear end off. 80% of the people fail the first AND second time. We celebrated by going to Boatwerks on Lake Macatawa and saw the movie WALL-E. The food and view were good at Boatwerks, but the best part was that I called ahead and got to speak to the head cook about Tina's Celiac stuff with food and he came out to meet us when we got there and explained ALMOST every dish on the menu and how he could potentially make it gluten-free. Any restaurant gets huge points if they are that focused on making Tina's dinner experience exceptional!

Camp Geneva Fun

2008-06-26T08:02:00.001-07:00

Our Garden!

2008-06-12T05:43:00.001-07:00

Tina and planted our first garden together! It's growing and we are beginning to think we didn't plant them far enough apart!

Post Move In Photos

2008-06-12T05:23:00.001-07:00

Our Favorite Room

Dining Room

Spring Is a Beautiful Time

For Sale No More!

Settled In

2008-06-11T13:34:00.001-07:00

We've settled into our first home and are becoming aware of what it means to be a homeowner...

mowing
slight roof leak
new garbage disposal
tons of painting
the need for a dehumdifier
TAXES
parking on the street is a no-no overnight apparently
weeds
flowers versus a weeds
weird noises at night

We do love it and can't wait to get the place in shape!

In Memory of Kevin Brown

2008-04-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

In memory of a good friend we lost on April 14, 2008.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kevinbrown

Woot.com and shirt.woot.com

2008-04-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

Website(s) of the day...
http://woot.com and http://shirt.woot.com
These sites offer one product per day and the descriptions they come up with are hilarious. The shirt woot is great because they have contests on shirt designs...check 'em out!

Irish Jig 2008

2008-04-10T17:40:00.000-07:00

I would be remissed if I didn't talk about our participation in the Irish Jig Run in East Grand Rapids. It was a great way to kick off spring with some friends. My finish time was absolutely horrible, but who cares?!

Four studs before the race...

Three gorgeous beauties cheering us on...

Four young, tired men looking for a place to pass out

Catch-Up

2008-04-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

Considering I took awhile off from blogging, I suppose I should give the cliff-note version of what has gone on since the first of the year. Because I'm not the most eloquent in sharing how things are going, I'll take you on the catch-up train via photos...

Tina and I went to Chicago in December...highlights included staying at the Hard Rock Hotel for a mere $108 for the night, ate an amazing dinner at Ben Pao's, and met up with the rest of the VanderKlok's at the Cheesecake factory before we went home. Ahh...I can taste the orange chicken now...

December Game Night at Darcy's pad. This is one example of our semi-regular hang-out night's with friends. It usually begins with debating what we are going to do, followed by some board or party game, and sometimes we fit a trip to Adobe in there.

This was a photo on a frozen waterfall during our trip to Michigan's U.P. in Munising. It's a long drive, but well worth it. We put over 100 miles on snowmobiles on Saturday and went to "church" on Sunday at this waterfall. The trip was in celebration of my brother-in-law, Dan's birthday.

This is a photo I took from the overlook at Camp Geneva after a winter storm. The sunshine was gorgeous. Yes, you are looking at frozen waves. Not as big as at the pier, but picturesque nonetheless.

Why do they call them "wisdom teeth?"

2008-04-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

Tina is getting her wisdom teeth removed today. I'll be hanging out in the waiting room hoping I can get wireless access. What else would I be doing? Read? :)

Our First Home!

2008-04-08T11:58:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we signed a purchase agreement and will be in our first home by May 10! We can't stop talking about it, thinking about it, and deciding what will go where. Yahoo!!

August Rush

2008-03-24T05:15:00.000-07:00

You need to watch this movie.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0426931/

The weather right now!

2008-01-29T19:09:00.000-08:00

Only in Michigan would you see the below photo...

this is ridiculous

Photo of the Day

2007-11-29T19:07:00.000-08:00

I took this photo as I was leaving camp today. Lake Michigan in the background with the sunset

O Christmas Tree

2007-11-23T19:33:00.000-08:00

Today was awesome. We thought it would be a fun idea to watch all the hype of the day after Thanksgiving. We got up early and embarked to figure out why people find the need to spend all night freezing in the cold to save a couple of bucks. First we watched the crowds at Menards...jammed parking lot, cars as far as we could see, and police lights flashing because there was a major accident outside the store because people were so worried about getting a good deal that they forgot how to drive. (we saw all of this sitting across US31 at a safe distance!)

Next we went to Circuit City...line out the door. For the most part, people were nice. There was no fighting, cutting in lines or trampling. The most gripping part of this part of town was when two middle aged women walked out of the store after they had just browsed for the perfect gift only to find they only had one cash register open and the line to buy was an hour and a half long! It was kind of like a thrill ride at Cedar Point minus the roller coaster...sorry, bad joke.

Finally we had enough and picked up some coffee. We made some delicious scrambled eggs and toast to compliment our hot beverage. About 10 am, we met Tina's parents at the tree farm and got to pick out our first Christmas tree together! This was an important decision considering we only get one "first" tree. We found the ideal blue spruce and tied it to the top of our Honda. The best part of all was it was snowing huge flakes! We got the tree home and decorated it with ornaments from our childhood...so much fun. Here are the photos...

cutting down our 1st christmas tree

a proud couple with their first tree

before
the ever-so-important angel placementperfection!
time to relax

Library Exploration

2007-11-20T18:05:00.000-08:00

After a great Thai dinner tonight, Tina and I explored our local Holland library. It was one of those spontaneous decisions you make after driving by a local business or organization so many times that you are compelled to check it out. I have to admit I haven't been to a library in a long time. I went to the Grand Valley one in college, but probably only a total of 4 or so times. Why you ask? It looked like something out of 1970's. It creeped me out...plus I am not what you call a big time reader. Tonight was something different than college. It was a time of rediscovery. I forgot how awesome the library can be. Not only can you read books for free, but you can watch DVD's too, not to mention download audio books and movies on your mp3 player. I honestly think the library is WAY under utilized. Tina and I walked out of there like we just got the coolest Christmas present.

Snapshot of America

2007-11-18T15:47:00.000-08:00

"Even finding the Average American is a challenge, since means and medians and majorities can hide as much as they reveal: pity the statistician whose job it is to flatten us into a trend. The average household has 2.6 members, but most families prefer their children whole. On average we are 36.6 years old, but in reality we are newborn and toddling, aged and wise. We exercise close to the recommended 20 minutes a day—but that's because 17% of us exercise for well over an hour, while the rest of us scarcely stir at all. The vast majority of Americans believe in God, and more than 90% own a Bible, but only half can name a single Gospel, and 10% think Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. So what's the average state of our eternal souls?" Entire Time Article

Last week I got my TIME magazine in the mail and the front cover caught my attention with the heading "America by the Numbers." I love stats. I love it when surveys are done and results are tabulated. I love it when they say they have set out to find the "average american." I'm instantly intrigued because I want to know if I am average, above, or below.

The stats were interesting with the ones below intriguing me the most:
Grooming time before work:
Avg American: 24 min.
ME: 30 min.
Tina: 45 min.

Out of the 303 million people in the United States:
242 million live in a city or suburb: Tina and I
141 million work outside the home: Tina and I
107 million drive to work alone: Tina and I
70 million leave for work between 6:30 and 8:30 am: Tina and I

Job Satisfaction
least amount of happiness: Gas-station attendants: 13% of surveyed say they're "very happy."
greatest amount of happiness: Clergy: 67%
Tina: interior designer: 53.5% (this was closest to an interior designer)
Me: development/marketing: I'll count myself as clergy:) i love my job!

Drinking
Lowest consumption: Utah: 12 gallons annually per person
Average annual beer consumption per person in Michigan: 20 gallons
Highest consumption: North Dakota: 32 gallons annually per person
Tina and Kevin: geesh, we put N. Dakota to shame...haha...j/k...seriously

Everyday, Americans buy an average of:
443,650 large fries at Burger King
160,968 bottles of Absolut Vodka
58,863,993 fresh eggs

Average hours of sleep
20-24 year olds
men: 8.7
woman: 9.1
Tina and Kevin: 7.5 (yes we go to bed and wake up at the same time!)

There's a lot more in the article....check it out! The link was at the beginning of this post.

ARE YOU AVERAGE?

Breakfast in CA (see article for more photos)

Tay Zonday

2007-11-15T05:20:00.000-08:00

Check out this up and coming singer. Can you believe he is 25 years old?! This is really his voice! His website is: http://tayzonday.com/

White Water Rafting

2007-11-15T05:09:00.000-08:00

Back in September Tina and I drove to Atlanta with Matt and Stephanie to visit friends, break away from normalcy and go white water rafting where they held the '96 olympics. It was wild to say the least. Here are some photos from the rafting side.

"We can conquer the world"

"Don't Mess"
"Bring it!"

Thanksgiving with Friends

2007-11-15T04:46:00.000-08:00

This past Tuesday we celebrated Thanksgiving with our friends at the Kucinski home. It was fantastic. I took a half of day at work and prepared the turkey with Matt and Stephanie. While it cooked for 5 hours, Matt and I played golf!! Can't be 60 degree weather in Michigan in the middle of November.

Our 20.7 lb bird!

The group

Cutting the masterpiece:)

Name

2007-10-31T09:28:00.001-07:00

King Arthur

2007-10-30T06:18:00.001-07:00

This is from one of my favorite movies of all time. I love King Arthur's character. His poise, leadership, and self-sacrifice for his men is compelling. The movie unfortunately has the annoying not needed love scene, but its minor compared to the story line. I also love the score. The below video is when the knights have completed their service to Rome and are dreaming of going home.

Fall Morning

2007-10-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

I took this photo this past Saturday morning when I woke up. Can you believe we have this view every morning! Lately it has been too dark, but it's tough not to be excited when you see this!

Soda Pop

2007-10-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

Did you realize how bad pop is for you?? I admit to drinking quite a bit of pop. If it's in the house, I'll do one a day. Usually A&W Root Beer or Coca-Cola. A normal mouth has a pH level of 6.2 to 7, which is close to neutral with no damage done to teeth. Tooth enamel begins to de-mineralize (dissolve!) at pH levels below 5.5. Pop has an average of 2.5! Look at the label...stuff that is VERY bad is "High Fructose Corn Syrup and/or Sucrose, phosphoric acid, and citric acid."

Samples:
Pure Water = 7.0 (0 sugar)
Coffee = 5.00 (0 sugar if you drink it black)
Gatorade = 2.83 (5 tsp sugar)
Coca Cola = 2.30 (9.64 tsp sugar)
Battery Acid!!!! = 1.00

Brush your teeth!

Trade Show

2007-10-17T05:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I represented Camp Geneva at a trade show for the Holland Chamber of Commerce. It was slow to moderate in terms of people. The best contacts I made were from other exhibitors. I go back and forth on whether or not they are effective in brand recognition/reach. I will say that 7 hours on your feet in dress shoes can begin to drain you. Kudos to anyone who does this on a regular basis!

Sibs Weekend '07

2007-10-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

The weekend of October 12th was to be celebrated for many reasons.

1. Friday 1:18 pm...well actually I was late and it was more like 1:25 pm...golf with youth director friend...rain holds off and I shoot the best score of my life...47...one mulligan...
2. Friday 4:50 pm...pick up my gorgeous bride at work
3. Friday 4:55 pm...dinner with parents at The Cottage Bar in Grand Rapids...let's give it up for the Cottage Bar Burger and Brew City Fries...YUM
4. Friday 10:37 pm...video games with brother and sister until the wee hours of the night.
5. Saturday 8:03 am...Tina & Trevor head to the farmer's market while Nicole & Kevin achieve REM. note: farmer's market=good thing for all...see photo below...I have to believe we are getting back to our roots and to a slice of how God intended us to live. One family grows food, cultivates in the soil locally. Trades this good for money to sustain the local economy. AWESOME.
6. Saturday 9:37 am...Pancakes & French Toast
7. Saturday 10:42 am...Back to the farmer's market to purchase pumpkins. This is not something to take lightly. One must inspect every aspect...size-tall/short...fat/skinny...large/small.
8. Saturday 12:52 pm...lunch...but no ordinary lunch. We created our own pizza's.
Nicole-evenly spread sauce, appropriate amount of cheese, perfectly placed peperoni's
Trevor- sauce everywhere in globs, cheese all over the place, tons of pepperoni, then more sauce, and more cheese.
9. Saturday 3:30 pm...bake birthday cake for Nicole
10. Saturday 4:58 pm...dinner with Tina's parents, brother and grandfather
11. Saturday 8:00 pm..."The Day After Tomorrow" Movie with homemade popcorn
12. Sunday 11 am...church
13. Sunday 12:35 pm...lunch at Costco...heavenly goodness
14. Sunday 2 pm...football, naps, and relaxation

Farmers Market, Downtown Holland

Pumpkins!
Masterpiece!

Tom Izzo

2007-10-12T19:45:00.001-07:00

I forgot to mention I met Tom Izzo a couple of weeks ago at a breakfast for Grand Valley alums...

Packed Week

2007-10-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a long week with a lot going on at work, and I love thinking about it, but I am glad for the weekend break. My brother and sister are in town and it should be fun hanging with them. Last weekend Tina and I celebrated her Papa Rooks' birthday at her uncle's place. Here's a couple of photos...there's also a photo from our friends who just had a baby. We promise she isn't ours!

I need to share

2007-10-05T04:43:00.000-07:00

I feel the need to share the below video. I saw it linked first from www.ypulse.com and I checked out their website and am a fan of what they are trying to do through bringing awareness of what targeted marketing does to young women.

I love my family

2007-08-08T10:15:00.001-07:00

A Great Leader

2007-08-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

You probably know this by now, but we lost a great leader this week. Bill Walsh died of leukemia at 75 years old. This was a guy who arguably changed how the game of football is played. You can banter about where he ranks among the best coaches of all time, but he would be at the top for me. I think it is because I NEVER saw him coach a game in my life. I was a tot in his hay day with the Niners. What I do see is his impact on the game. His fingerprints are everywhere. A number of his staff went on to coach great teams. They taught his philosophy to their assistants and they have now become successful. His offense has been adopted by every team in some facet.

Steve Young said, "He knew me well before I knew myself and knew what I could accomplish well before I knew that I could accomplish it," Young said. "That's a coach."

Maybe the definition of a leader is the ability to see potential in people before they see it themselves. He obviously had talent in seeing ability in others before they saw it themselves.
Maybe the definition of a leader is his legacy. How does the team do after he leaves? In his case, George Seifert (his successor) won two more super bowls with the team Walsh put in place.

Either way I think we can learn a lot about a leader from him...

Thanks for listening to me on my soapbox this morning. I may have drank too much coffee, but I hope you enjoy reflecting on this great leader as much as I did! Here's a link to an article about him...
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/07/30/walsh.obit.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

Boogie Boarding

2007-07-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

Tina and I went to the beach on Saturday and Sunday last week to enjoy this beautiful weather. The waves were ridiculously large! We had some of the best body surfing of our lives. This prompted me to desire boogie boards. I called everywhere in Holland, Grand Rapids, and Grand Haven. It yielded no results until my last call to the Surf Shop in Grand Haven. They had two left! YES! We made the trip last night to buy them.

This morning, I tried them out on some major waves with my co-worker, Brian. It was a blast! I am pumped for this weekend as wind is in the forecast and we will be on the big lake the whole time!

Planet Earth

2007-07-06T05:25:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me well will tell you my favorite store is Costco. I was so excited when I got a gift card there this past Christmas. I wanted to make sure I spent it on something I wouldn't normally buy there. Six months later I found that exact type of purchase! We don't buy the extended cable service and therefore do not have the discovery channel. You may remember the series a little while ago called Planet Earth....I wanted to watch it so bad. I found the whole series on DVD. 8 discs! Tina and I watched the first part yesterday and it was amazing!

Honeymoon photos

2007-07-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some links to our honeymoon photos...

http://gvsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2119299&l=454b9&id=22407612
http://gvsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2118759&l=63fad&id=22407612
http://gvsu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2118760&l=2769d&id=22407612

new idea

2007-07-03T05:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, it is obvious I am not too good at updating the blog so now that I am married I am going to change it from me to Tina and I. We'll both be posting from time to time. Hopefully we can keep at it!

Camp Geneva

2007-06-06T05:20:00.002-07:00

Here is a constant feed to photos from GENEVA...its not the best, but I'm just now playing with Flickr...

www.flickr.com

Cincinnati

2007-04-13T05:15:00.000-07:00

okay...so I didn't write about this earlier, but on April 1st, Tina and I made the trek to Cincinnati. I used to live in Cincinnati and the pastor who led the church I attended is going to marry us. Tina had yet to meet him and we needed to go over the wedding day itself. We also stayed with my Grandma and hung out with my uncle and aunt. When I lived in Cincinnati, I lived with my cousin, Dave. Below are the photos from our trip!

Dave and I in front of the Reds' stadium

Tina and I with Mount Adams in the background
Dave and Tina in front of the Ohio River

Human Sling Shot

2007-04-11T07:55:00.001-07:00

Check out this crazy new ride...I want to try it!

Nooma

2007-04-10T07:42:00.000-07:00

Nooma Website

Easter Sunday Golf

2007-04-09T18:51:00.000-07:00

On Easter Sunday afternoon, a no-named golfer beat arguably the best golfer to ever live in the Master's golf tourney. This no-named golfer is Zach Johnson. You read about how he won here.

This is what he said after winning:

"Being Easter, my faith is very important to me. I felt Jesus, I felt my grandfather, my family, everybody. So it was awesome....Regardless of what happened today, my responsibility was to glorify God. Hopefully I did"

He acknowledged JESUS. How cool is that? On Easter, a midwest boy from Iowa beat the best golfer in the world and mentioned his Lord and Savior.

If you curious about his story, I found this website to explain more...

Brian Regan

2007-03-26T05:43:00.000-07:00

okay...this is frustrating...my favorite comedian Brian Regan is going to be in Kalamazoo at the State Theatre on May 4. Why is this frustrating you ask? I should be rejoicing...he is going to be in my hometown. That is the same day as my bachelor party in Holland and the start to the "wedding weekend." There is no way I'll go. I'd rather be with my friends in Holland, but what are the chances the only date the guy is remotely near to me is the same weekend that I would be getting married?! Don't get me wrong. This is going to be the best weekend of my life. I just wish he was going to be here on a different day. Oh well I suppose. It's probably better. Tickets are $33.50/piece!

If you haven't heard Brian before, here is something for you...

"The Only Road North"

2007-03-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

Today in church, Rob mentioned this book that was written by a young man named Erik Mirandette called, "The Only Road North." Erik's connection to Mars is that the church supported him in a missionary trip earlier in his life which in turn prompted him, and his brother (who later were joined by two others) to ride 9,000 miles from Cape Town, South Africa to Cairo, Egypt to spread the Good News. The tragedy is that his brother was killed by a terroist bomb that went off in the Cairo marketplace. The rest were also injured badly, yet survived. The book is about their journey.

...then I got home and the front page of the Grand Rapids Press had a large cover story on the trip. There were photos and an excerpt from the book too.

I couldn't believe the courage I read about from these young men as they battle animals, the elements, and not-so-nice people. I think about the things I worry about and my fears of taking risks. These guys took more risk in this journey then I could comprehend. They also have seen more, experience more, and grown more than I can imagine. I pray I may sense God's conviction in my life and to see the "ventures of faith" He is asking me to join Him on...

Irish Jig

2007-03-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

okay...so, I'm a little late on this one, but here we go!

St. Patrick's Day was different this year for me. The last couple years have included going to a favorite Irish Pub for a glass (or two) of green beer along with a whole lot of fun. In Cincinnati, we would hang out at the Brazenhead...this year was different. We were challenged from our pastor at Mars Hill to fast for the day and he would teach on Sunday about our "cravings." Well, I also had scheduled a 5k race called the "Irish Jig" in East Grand Rapids. I used to run cross country in high school, and ever since then I haven't been able to eat before a race. SO...I ate my last meal on Friday night and happened to catch a cold on Friday morning. See where this is going? I wasn't smart and didn't eat breakfast, ran with a cold, and didn't eat anything afteward. REAL SMART. I ran the worst 5k ever in my life, and felt sicker afterward...not to mention I didn't eat until Sunday lunch. BUT...I got to run with some of the coolest guys in the world, and we ran it together (well, most of the way...I couldn't keep up as I felt like my right lung was going to explode). As you can see by the photos below, my friend Darcy is quite the fan of St. Patrick's Day! Despite my cold and not eating that day, it was a blast!

(photo credit to my beautiful soon-to-be bride)

I'm Ready

2007-03-10T15:51:00.000-08:00

I am SO ready for some warmer weather. I try not to complain too bad about Michigan weather because it definitely makes you appreciate each coming season. And right now spring is coming!

PS Spring Forward tonight! Lose an hour of sleep!

wedding prep

2007-03-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

Today was a wedding planning day in every sense of the word...rings resized, ribbon purchased, reception dessert ideas picked, holy smokes the list goes on and on...I did get my wish though and we went to costco. For being so good shopping we got an oreo cheesecake! I am worn out, and Tina is still going strong. I don't know how she does it.

She had her act together today as I trailed her like every good fiance' should on a retail Saturday. It does feel good to have it done, as the list gets shorter and shorter.

One task still looms, which is a result of my desire not to have a cheesy DJ at the reception. I have taken it upon myself to pick all the music and load it up on my computer. It has been more time consuming than I thought and tough to figure out great dance music. There's nothing like a wedding full of Dave Mathews. I like the band, but how the heck do you dance to it?

It has been easy for me to get caught up in all the planning of a wedding...to ground myself I look at these two photos...one of the chapel where we will be wed...the second of the night I proposed:)

Change of Plans

2007-03-05T06:44:00.000-08:00

Definitely couldn't see a thing on my way home Friday as the wind was blowing the snow everywhere. My normal drive is around 35 minutes and instead was an hour and a half. Pretty freaky at times, but eventually made it home...

So I did what anyone would do at a time like this...I sat back, relaxed and listened to Matt Kearney and enjoyed the ride...

Spring Break Orlando

2007-03-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos to mark the one year anniversary of one of the best trips ever...

Wolfgang's

2007-03-02T13:12:00.000-08:00

Pretty stoked about a Wolfgang's trip tomorrow morning...They have the best breakfast in Grand Rapids, hands down. Their omlettes are huge and the coffee's hot...if you haven't checked this place out, do it now!

Wolfgang's Restaurant
1530 Wealthy St. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506

CCCA Conference

2007-03-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

We are excited at Camp Geneva as we are hosting the Christian Camp & Conference Association Michigan Sectional March 5-7. Christian camps from all over Michigan will be with us to network, attend seminars on various topics, and listen to great speakers to name a few. Duffy Robbins will be there along with CCCA President Bob Kobielush. Joel Hanson (old PFR member) will be leading worship. I am leading a networking time on marketing. It should be good learning experience, but my biggest job I am most passionate about is helping people park! YAHOOO!

And I'm Off!

2007-03-02T12:55:00.000-08:00

I am finally on the blogging bandwagon! Let's hope I keep it up!