Disney Trip: Day 5

Day five started with Melissa and me going over to Animal Kingdom to ride the newest ride at Disney: Expedition Everest. It’s a roller coaster that is “in” the Himalayan mountains… which even includes a real Yeti. It’s a great ride, though very short. There’s even a segment where the coaster goes backward. It’s pretty disorienting and great!



We also took in other “non-Emily” rides like Dinosaur and It’s Tough to Be a Bug. It was a fun morning that reminded us of the first couple of times we went to Disney. We met up with Jim, Frances, Emily and Aaron for our lunch at Rainforest Café… which was pretty much paid for because of an internet rewards program called mypoints. I had earned enough points to have $50.00 in gift cards. Emily enjoyed the different “animals” and the sporadic thunderstorm. It’s one of my favorite places to eat there at Disney. Lots of attention to detail.



After another afternoon resting… we found our way back to the Magic Kingdom for another night there. We rode a couple of my favorite rides on this night… like Pirates of the Caribbean. I also really enjoyed walking with Emily down Main Street hand in hand and going over to Adventureland to climb up into the Swiss Family Treehouse. I remember that being the very first thing I that did way back on my first trip to Disneyworld in Junior High. She got kind of scared up at the top… but it’s a moment that I’ll never forget… and it’s a moment that Emily still mentions to me even now five months later! Very cool! We also took in the Enchanted Tiki Room… which is weird… but I don’t mind… Emily seemed to enjoy it as well.




We ate dinner at a counter service restaurant called Pecos Bill’s. I’ve always like this place because there is tons of indoor seating… and there is such a cool ambiance to the place. It’s decked out like a Caribbean small town setting… I really enjoy Disney’s attention to detail. The eating environments are some of the neatest things to experience there!

On this particular night, I was also able to buy a Dole Whip Pineapple Float. It is my favorite dessert at DisneyWorld… found in Magic Kingdom… specifically Adventureland. Think vanilla and pineapple icecream swirl right in the middle of pineapple juice. Oh so good. (I guess you have to like pineapples to get enjoyment out of this!)

A little later we were able to take in Mickey’s PhilHarMagic… which Emily really liked! Next to MuppetVision, it’s my favorite 3D attraction in the ‘World.’ It happens to be Melissa’s favorite. This particular night was the Extra Magic Hour for Magic Kingdom. It was so crowded! We were disappointed to miss out on several attractions that Emily would have loved like Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh and several others.

Magic Kingdom is such a cool park at night. Main Street is decked out with so many lights. Adventureland doesn’t have lights… they have torches… if I remember right. Each land is lighted in a very unique way. It makes for a neat nighttime experience!

New Year, Same Story

I know he's only out for a couple of days... but this is pretty stinkin' funny. Why do the Cubs keep giving this guy money? This comes from the Associated Press:

MESA, Ariz. -- Oft-injured Kerry Wood is out again -- this time because of a flub in a hot tub.

The Chicago Cubs pitcher is not expected to throw off the mound for a few days after he slipped this week getting out of a hot tub at home. Wood landed on his stomach and chest.

"It was just a little spill," Wood said Thursday. "I didn't think anything of it. Nothing's wrong. It's just going to be a few extra days. My arm feels great. My body feels good."

Wood said he probably would not have thrown off the mound until Friday had he not gotten hurt. He participated in most drills on Thursday when pitchers and catchers worked out for the first time.

Bothered by an injured right shoulder the past three seasons, Wood is being converted to a reliever after being limited to four starts last year.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

Too funny to pass up... you have experienced my first Cub bashing post of the 2007 season. We'll just see how far 300 million dollars on mediocre talent (with the exception of Soriano) can take you. I guess if they run into some problems they could ask the Pirates to give them Jason Bay for nothing. Pirates tend to do that for the Cubs. Marlins too for some reason...

A Day of Milestones

Yesterday was quite the day for Aaron. He had been a little fussy (which for Aaron means only smiling for 7 hours instead of the usual 9!!). Around 3:00, I decided to poke my finger in his mouth and there was the cultprit....his first tooth!!

Aaron also decided to sit up all by himself! He's been close for about a week now, but finally accomplished it yesterday. He sat and played toys for about 20 minutes before toppling over. Emily is really enjoying this new stage of Aaron's. She enjoys getting on the floor and playing toys at his level. It's fun watching them interact.

On a side note, Emily love pre-school and continues to learn more each day. She's doing very well with her letters and loves to write "mail" to people on a daily basis. Yesterday she fell off the bed and scraped her chest. She immediately started crying, but not because she was hurt....she was afraid she had hurt God. She wanted God to come out of her heart so she could see for herself that he wasn't hurt. It was very sweet and innocent. It took about 10 minutes to calm her down and convince her that God was not hurt.

An Update on Emily and Aaron.....by Melissa!!

Well, Josh has been wanting me to post for awhile now....so I thought I'd give it a try.

I thought I'd give a quick update on the kids. They continue to change and grow each day. It is so fun to see them interact with each other. Emily is great with Aaron and he just adores her. The following picture is of a very special time they enjoy spending together. Before I had Aaron, I took Emily to a "big sister training" course. She received a CD there all about being a big sister. She loves to play that CD now and sing the songs to Aaron. It is a very endearing time for them.

Aaron continues to be such a joy. He is such a happy and content baby. He always has a smile to give and his giggles are just so cute!! He is beginning to roll around a little more, but continues to be content to just "hang out". He love to play toys and EVERYTHING goes in the mouth.

This weekend we went to Chicago to visit my parents and celebrate my mom's birthday with her. It was a lot of fun. A highlight of Emily's trip was getting to go to Disney Princess on Ice. She loved it. At one point, she had to go to the bathroom, but didn't want to leave and miss the show. It was too cute. Thanks for a great weekend Bunca and Papa.

The Promise of February...

February is a great month... there is a day in the middle of February that offers hope, comfort, peace and a sense that the world is finally back to the way it should be. It's a holiday that should remind us how good the world can be. It's a holiday in which some wear cute little red outfits.

Ah yes. The promise of February. The hustle and bustle of December has worn off. The bitter cold of January along with the fact that January is the most boring month of the year makes mid-February all that much more inviting. It’s a chance to remember what matters most: Love. “What the world needs now is love sweet love.” Especially in late January when the temperature is below freezing and I am bored out of my mind. Mid-February changes all of that… there is a certain warmth that starts to drift in the air. February brings with it the promise of something better, something purer, something…. different.

This special day in mid-February is a chance to reconnect with loved ones. It’s a chance to tell them how you feel… to talk about things that you may not have talked about for months. Perhaps it’s a chance to let your loved ones know just how much you’ve missed having them around.

There are only a few days that rival this special day in February… and I for one am going to do my best to take advantage of the benefits of this glorious day. Carpe Diem. I’m going to kiss my wife on this day… and I’m going to kiss her good and long. I’m going to give my daughter a giant bear hug and tell her that I’m proud of her and that I love her. I’m going to lift my son in the air, enjoy his huge smile and tell him that soon enough he’ll understand why February is such an important month… I’m going to deeply breathe in the cold, bitter air of Missouri and tell myself that love is enough to warm my heart.

I’m going soak in all that I can on that great day… not just because it’s February 14, but because of what February 14 represents to me and thousands, if not millions around the world. The 14th day of February is not magical in and of itself… but it has become so much more. It has snowballed into a day of rejoicing, of celebrating and of jubilation. Everybody will celebrate in different ways, to be sure. Some will write cards. Others will make sweet love. Some will eat nice meals. Still others will throw a “classic” into the DVD player and watch it all over again… Gifts will most assuredly be exchanged; parties will be thrown; the celebration will be tremendous…

In the words of the legendary rock band, U2: “It’s a beautiful day… don’t let it get away.” Why is this day so special? Because on this great day of February 14… we celebrate something greater than ourselves. We celebrate a day unlike any other day on the calendar year... a day that brings untold joy to millions!!!

February 14: PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT!!!

Book Review: Velvet Elvis

I want to do better at engaging the things that I am reading… so I’ve decided to start writing short book ‘reviews’ after each ‘professional’ or ‘non-fiction’ book that I finish. I want put down in writing what things affect me and influence the way I think. It’s a way for me to engage that particular book in a deeper way; to wrestle and struggle with the material that stirs me the most. Putting it down on paper/cyber paper helps me to do that kind of thing. As an aside, I am not going to critique the book here. I’m really only going to pull out the ideas/quotes that I found most interesting… and in most cases, I won’t really even write my own analysis about them… I’m just pulling out the ideas that were most important to me. Perhaps I can give my ‘editorial’ in the comments section if this post generates any discussions.

So… large disclaimer… this is a book review. If you don’t like books… ignore this post and go down to the next post about Disney World. If you don’t like reading about what someone else has been reading… run and save yourself.

So, last month, I finished reading Rob Bell’s ‘Velvet Elvis.’ I highly recommend it. I didn’t agree with everything in the book… but he sure as heck-fire made me think all the way through which doesn’t always happen with Christian literature. Another perk of the book is that it’s a very fast read.

Talking about God… Bell has this to say in chapter one: “The moment God is figured out with nice neat lines and definitions, we are no longer dealing with God. We are dealing with somebody we made up. And if we made him up, then we are in control. And so in passage after passage, we find God reminding people that he is beyond and bigger and more. This truth about God is why study and discussion and doctrines are so necessary. They help us put words to realities beyond words. Which is why it only works when they serve a greater cause: us finding our lives in God. If they ever become the point, something has gone seriously wrong. Doctrine is a wonderful servant and a horrible master.”

To me, the most important chapter was the fourth one: Speaking about Jesus and the cross… Bell has the following things to say: “There is Jesus’ death on our behalf once and for all, but there is the ongoing work of the cross in our hearts and minds and souls and lives.” (Bell’s point here was to suggest that the church often ONLY looks at the legal ramifications of the cross… Christ died FOR us… in our place… to pay our debt… to take our punishment. He also wants the church to remember to look at the HOLISTIC nature of the cross. Yes, Christ died FOR us… but He also died so that something would change IN us!) “The point is becoming more and more the kind of people God had in mind when we were first created.” (I hadn’t thought of it quite that way before but it makes really good sense in light of another statement he makes in this chapter…) “It is possible for the cross to have done something FOR a person but not IN them.” (As I pastor, I see this all the time.)

Finally, Bell’s thoughts about heaven and hell are very intriguing: “For Jesus, the question wasn’t, how do I get into heaven? But how do I bring heaven here?” “What’s disturbing then is when people talk more about hell after this life than they do about hell here and now. As a Christian, I want to do what I can to resist hell coming to earth. Poverty, injustice, suffering – they are all hells on earth, and as Christians we oppose them with all our energies. Jesus told us to.”

I could’ve written about two more pages (Microsoft Word is where I type all my posts out first) on the various thoughts that I highlighted throughout the book… but I like to keep posts as short as possible. I know that personally, I tend to just skim blog posts that wind on and on and on. All that said, it really was a pretty good book!

Disney World Trip: Day Four

Okay, okay… it’s time to pick up where I left off months ago. I was motivated to write these immediately after my trip… but I got distracted by a broken laptop and various other things. The further away I get from the trip… the harder it is to getting around to finish these.


We started this day by going to the Magic Kingdom. We rode a bunch of rides in Tommorrowland. Emily’s favorite ride of the trip was Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. It’s a ride based on Pixar’s Toy Story… and you ride through various scenes trying to shoot various targets that get you points. It’s one of my favorites as well. Good times.

Call me nostalgic or just plain crazy… but one of my very favorite attractions at the Magic Kingdom is a little jewel called the ‘Carousel of Progress.’ It follows a family as it progresses through the different technological innovations starting with the turn of the century and running it’s way through the 20’s, 40’s, etc. Very interesting show. It makes you realize just how many of the things we have grown to depend on have really only been around for 100 years or so. Not very long in the grand scheme of things.

The meal that I was most looking forward to for Emily’s sake was scheduled for lunch on this day. We ate lunch inside of Cinderella’s castle, in a restaurant called ‘Cinderella’s Royal Table.’ I’ll admit that I was disappointed with the food… but the ambiance more than made up for the food. They started by letting the families get a picture taken with Cinderella. Then we went up to the restaurant where three or four Disney princesses were making their rounds. Emily had an absolute blast getting her picture taken with and getting the autographs of all these princesses. Quick question though: Does Mary Poppins really count as a Disney princess? Really? It’s an honest question.


The evening of Day Four was the first time that we made our way to MGM Studios… which turns out to have been a mistake. We should have gone earlier in the week and we should have gone during one of the mornings. At this point, we were all pretty exhausted and we missed many cool attractions at MGM studios. It’s Melissa’s favorite park and we ended up missing most of her favorite attractions… which I felt bad about.

We ate dinner at a little place called ‘50’s Prime Time Café.’ It sorted of reminded me of ‘Ed Debevic’s’ in Chicago. The waiters and waitresses are not necessarily trained to be polite and nice. They are trained to banter with the guests. At the Café, the chef is our ‘Mom’ and the wait staff is our ‘Cousin.’ Everybody is family at the Prime Time Café. Our waitress played the part well and told many of us to get our elbows off the table, to say please and eat our vegetables. I had a shrimp cocktail for an appetizer; a sirloin steak for my entrée; and a ice cream brownie for dessert. It was a great experience and one of my favorite meals of the week. I would definitely plan to go back.


If I remember right, we also took in the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular this evening. I know some people will disagree with me on this… but that show DOES NOT GET OLD to me. I love it and I hope they keep it for a long time. Emily liked it as she is aware of who Indiana Jones is because of various video games that I have. It was a good day 4!