Putting the X back into Xmas

I saw this on Bart Millard's Twitter Feed today:

The "X" in Xmas is from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of Χριστός, Christ in Greek.

I don't know how true this is, but Bart is a reputable minister and the lead singer for MercyMe, so I presume he wouldn't joke about Xmas.

Merry Xmas, everyone!

M.I.A. (Missing In Alcohol and pork fueled madness)

Many of us have been wondering where the heck Kyle has gone. A once frequent blogger and famed Internet funny-man, Kyle seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. Here are a couple of theories regarding his disappearance:

1- With a belated sense of enthusiasm, he has decided to hike the Appalachian Trail (meaning the actual AT, not go to South American for a tryst.)

2- He has holed himself up in a cabin to work on his novel, a humorous yet melancholy biographical work similar to those of Pat Conroy before his writing began to suck.

3- He got his dream job and is now busy as a roadie for KISS.

4- While reading a monster magazine on the toilet, his legs went to sleep. When he finally tried to stand up, he fell down and tried to grab the toilet for balance, but the toilet lid slammed down and broke all his fingers, rendering him unable to type blog entries.

5- He was so offended by the lack of comments on his last "Where in SC?" entry that he swore a vow of blog-silence that would last until Thanksgiving Day when he would post a hilariously staged photo that looked as if he was frying Ferdlings in a Turkey Fryer.

If the last one is true, we're all sorry for offending you and look forward to your next blog entry.



Updated: Here's what I imagine # 5 might look like.

O' Tannenbaum

At the prompting of Charlotte, Kyle, and Jim, here's our Christmas tree...

Death Gourd

Saw this picture while surfing the web this morning. I wish this was my pumpkin. After Halloween, I'd fly down that canyon, shoot a blast down the exhaust duct and then fly away and watch it go supernova. Pumpkin everywhere.

Cub Scout Camping Weekend

Over Columbus Day weekend we went camping with Grant's Cub Scout Troop at Morrow Mountain State Park, in NC. It was a long drive (about an hour east of Charlotte), but worth it. They had a great group camping area, a river, hiking trails, historical buildings to tour, and the ranger gave an interesting lecture on wildlife. Also, the kids seems to find at least half a dozen snakes to harass. A good time was had by all (except the snakes).

Free, Free, Set Them Free!

Our children got 4 baby ducks for Easter and raised them for a couple of months. While we were away one night one of theme disappeared. We suspect a fox must have snatched it. A week and a half ago we decided (by "we" I mean "I") that it was time to release the remaining 3 ducks at Summer Lake where we plan to build one day. My nieces even joined in for the releasing ceremony. I check on the ducks last weekend, while Jennifer and the kids were out of town, and there was only one duck left. Probably another fox situation. Next year, our children will have to get baby foxes for Easter.








Deja' Vu! (or Worm Hole)
When Jennifer and I were just starting to date, in college, we got a baby duck. His name was Bill. We raised him in my dorm room (with the help of my roomie, Paul) and eventually released him on a nearby farm pond, where he was probably quickly eaten by a fox.

Above: Paul and Bill (1989)

Happy Easter!

He Is Risen!

Jerusalem Marketplace

Today, instead of it's annual Easter Egg Hunt, our church held a Jerusalem Marketplace. There were various exhibits for families to visit and learn what life was life in Jerusalem during Jesus time in Earth. A good time was had by all.

Above: Lance and Jim perform a Jewish-ish song (for 3 hours straight.)

Above: Trevor (performing the role of Jesus) triumphantly rides into Jerusalem.

Above: George and Grant, attending Synagogue.

February 29th, The Craziest Day of the Year

Today is February 29th, Leap Year, "the craziest day of the year". I distinctly remember a leap year moment in college. It was February 29th, 1988 and my room mate, Paul, and I were in Dr. Edward's Educational Psychology class. I was doodling and Paul was diligently taking notes. I doodled a caricature of the professor and showed it to Paul, who was only slight amused. (As a Psych major, Paul took this class more seriously than I.) Also, where I dated the page in my notebook, I wrote somthing like "February 29th, the craziest day of the year."

A week or so later, when studying for the test, I looked through my notes and something about the doodles and the sub-title for the date helped jog my memory of the lecture (my brain just seems to work that way). Ironically, I ended up doing better on the test than Paul. A freak accident, I'm sure, but Paul was not real happy about it (probably because I wasn't a very good sport about it.)

I don't know why, but I can remember that sequence of events quite vividly. I've forgotten much more important things and too many other memories are just fuzzy to me, but for some reason this goofy memory still stands out. In the words of Barenaked Ladies "Memory is a strange thing". Or perhaps it's because of the strange power of Leap Year. After all, it was merely five leap years ago that this happened. I wish I still had that doodle to scan and post here. I'm sure it would jog Paul's memory. Then he would blog about it being another "worm hole".

After all, Leap Year's are crazy. We have presidential elections, olympics, and Psych exams. So, Happy Leap Year, the craziest day of the year!

Happy New Year!

I have many things to be thankful for, but one thing in particular that began for me in 2007 is this whole blogging thing. Blogging has allowed me to rekindle friendships with my old high-school buddies James, Rick, Chuck, Todd, and Steve, with and occasional "Hi" from Martha. My old college roomy and fellow rocker, Paul, and I have been able to relive our glory days online. I've made a great new friend with Kyle. I've been able to keep up with the Joneses and also help my kids, Grant and Blythe, post their own blogs. My church friends, Tim and Jim, have gotten involved too. And I've been able to keep track of friends who now live elsewhere, like Robbie, Wade and Ferris. Other folks tell me they read my blog, but they never leave comments. Therefore, I'd like to invite those"read-only" people to join the party and start blogging with us. Make it your 2008 New Years resolution.

How to Eat Fried Turkeys

Here I am on Christmas morn, frying up some lunch.

Start with the best oil, squeezed fresh from a batch a sandwiches from Dukes Sandwich Shop.
Fry your whole bird for 3.5 minutes per pound at 325-350 degrees.
Provided you didn't burn down you house, take the fried turkey inside for carving, or just eat it whole. Yum!

RipStik Casterboard

My son got this contraption for Christmas. It's a RipStik Casterboard. Unlike a skateboard, which has 1 platform and 4 total wheels on 2 axels, this thing has 2 platforms, and only 2 wheels on casters. According to the video below, "if you can learn to ride a bike, you can learn to ride a RipStik." Well, I love riding my bike, so...

Merry Christmas!

Ornaments on our Christmas Tree

Below are my kids, Grant and Blythe, with their cousins on Christmas Day.

Above: Grant (9)m Elizabeth (5), Jack (6 mos.), Amanda (3), and Blythe (7)

Mr. Bean's Chistmas

...And A Partridge in a Pear Tree!

An Unoriginal Christmas Idea

I copied my pal Paul's idea for this. I'd like to see all my blogger buddies make similar photos to post on their blogs this December.

A Lotta' Cantata and Pinata.

Another busy weekend here in Lexington. Friday evening I went to hear Derek Webb (formerly of Caedmon's Call) at The Watershed with my friends Tim and Heidi. It was a cool coffee house show, with just Derek and his 12-string guitar. I have to admit I wasn't familiar with a lot of his work, but he had a tune on Grey's Anatomy this season, so I figured he must be pretty cool. Plus, he even said he was trying to perform some of the tunes he doesn't perform every night, so it was kind of a "side B" concert. His songs were pretty deep and some were sarcastic. Most had a theme about social justice. He threw in some Bob Dillon and Elvis Costello for good measure. It was really an interesting show. I think I prefer the coffee house venues these days anyway. So much more intimate.

Saturday my niece, Elizabeth had her 5-year Birthday Party with a Pirates and Princesses theme. Arrrg! My sister-in-law, Nikki, out did herself with a huge buffet and an awesome treasure hunt game that ended with the kids trying to bust open an indestructible pirate chest pinata.

Then Saturday evening my church had the first of three cantata (Christmas Musical) performances. This year not only did I play bass in the orchestra, but Jennifer and the kids had acting roles and the kids sang in the children's choir. We had two more performances Sunday morning during church services.

NOTE: My former Airport High Band buddies might notice a certain Mr. Craft in the orchestra photo. It's the Circle of Life.

Five for Five

Here's my answers to the Five for Five post on Rick's blog:

I. What are your five favorite Christmas songs?
I had to make 2 lists here. The first are the Religious/Sacred songs and the second are the Politically correct (secular) classics.
1. Go Tell It on the Mountain (any version)
2. Gloria (Michael W. Smith)
3. Little Drummer Boy (WhiteHeart's version)
4. Emmanuel (Amy Grant)
5. O Come, o come Emmanuel

1. Carol of the Bells (Mannheim Steamroller)
2. Baby It's Cold Outside (Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan)
3. In the Bleak Midwinter (James Taylor)
4. Sleigh Ride
5. Winter Wonderland

II. Five foods you look forward to at Christmastime?
1. White Divinity Fudge Candy
2. Chex Mix
3. Honey-Baked Ham
4. Fried Turkey
5. Homemade "Mama's Salad Dressing"

III. Five favorite presents of all time?

1. Go Cart (from my grand dad to me and my brother) when I was a kid, of course.
2. My first Keyboard, a Casio, when I was in Middle School.
3. Keyboard case from Jennifer (when we were dating.)
4. Family Trip to Hawaii (2003.)
5. Presbyterian College Watch, from my parents after I graduated.

IV. What are your five favorite holiday TV specials?

1. Charlie Brown Christmas (with that poor little tree)
2. 24 hours of A Christmas Story (this is a movie marathon, but it's on TV)
3. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer
4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (classic cartoon)
5. Whatever the Simpsons are doing this season for Christmas

V. Top five holiday-themed films?

1. A Christmas Story
2. Polar Express
3. The Santa Clause
4. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the Jim Carey movie version)
5. Die Hard

What are Your Answers? Post your comments here OR put them on your own blog.

Breakfast Club

A couple of weeks ago several of my fellow blogger-buddies (and Airport High School Alums) decided to meet for breakfast on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Between Rick, Chuck, Todd, and myself, only one of us was unable to make it. Even though our absent friend Todd prefers to do all his own stunts, we hired a stunt-double to stand in for him for our group photo. We hope to see you next year Todd.

Left to right: Rick, Todd (played by Rick Shull), Chuck, and George.

Thanksgiving Part Duex

Our second Thanksgiving (with the Joneses) in Greenville on Friday. Sooo much Turkey, so little time. I think "Black Friday" really gets it's name as the time of year you should begin wearing black more, for it's slimming effect.