Gingerbread Fun

Last night we gathered with some friends to make a gingerbread house! Jenny made a yummy chili and cornbread dinner and then we ate way too much candy and frosting in the gingerbread house creation. Thanks to Nolan for taking these sweet pictures!

Visiting good friends

We've been busy lately, but it's been a good busy. This past weekend we were able to connect with some friends we haven't seen in a while and it was so refreshing (although I am blogging now basically to have something to do so I don't fall asleep, we're refreshed in other ways). We were on stint with Josh & Beth and Duv a few years ago so the weekend brought with it a lot of Chinese (language and food) and fun times. We even got to meet Duv's girl Katie who was really fun to get to know. All in all, a good weekend.

We all played a fun and CLOSE game of mini golf. Top moments include hole-in-ones for me and B.Roo and an amazing unexpected birdie to tie the Duvs up by Katie.


The girls. I was soooo tired from my red-eye and you can totally tell from this picture but I thought I'd put it up anyway.

The dudes all wore plaid shorts on Friday. Goofs.

Nolan & Rebecca Henderson's Wedding

Friends' weddings are great. My dorm-buddy from 7 years ago got married in SLO this past weekend. They had an awesome wedding with great weather and a fun mix of friends and family. Seems like forever ago that Nolan & Rebecca got engaged (and I'm sure they concur), so we're stoked that they're finally married! Here are some pics from the day...


One goof, the other norm.


The other goof, the other norm. If you don't know these guys, it's a pretty accurate assessment of their similarities. Both goofs.


Nolan, gettin' his moves on... Zoolander style.


The ceremony at Grace Church.


Weddings are great for reunions of sorts, so naturally, a picture of some college friends.

Unite Service Day at Alpha Academy

Our small group got together this Saturday to volunteer at the Alpha Academy in SLO, a program that exists to "mentor young adults seeking direction in acquiring the spiritual, emotional, and physical skills necessary to lead successful, responsible, lives." We spent a few hours digging holes and planting a bunch of trees around the grounds. We had a blast! Doing things like this on a Saturday is one of the best ways to spend some weekend time. Plus, it was a good chance for our group to get some time serving together. We meet weekly for Bible study, and sometimes hang out for dinner and other activities, but we don't often do service projects together that can impact the community like this. Some pictures below:





The Alpha Academy is doing some cool stuff, and they're figuring out ways to run a service organization through profitable enterprise. They run a pet resort at the same location and often sell used cars to generate revenue. Its located on Buckley Road, just down the street from Shopatron, where I work.

Shaver Lake Sled Dog Races and some Snow Play

Wireless internet in the cabin at the snow.... so, we've got to take advantage of this blogging opportunity ;-)

We went to see some sled dog races today near Shaver Lake. These people are certainly a "microculture" of society, one which we are mostly unfamiliar. Mostly hobbyists, who enjoy raising and racing their Huskies across the snow, these sled dog racers are pretty interesting to watch.

As the dogs line up to begin their race, they yip and growl like they're about to attack somebody.... they're super excited to get racin'. They don't have quite the same eagerness as they cross the finish line, that's for sure.

Definitely enjoyed some tubing as well. Notice the interlocking of the double tube. Snow sport ingenuity at its finest.

New Year's in Napa & Mom's 50th Birthday

We had a sweet hookup of a house in Napa for New Years, so all the brothers and wives got together for Mom's birthday on New Year's Eve. We had a great time. The pictures tell the story...

Weekend in Pictures

Leading off, a closeup of our Christmas tree..


Greg's favorite - some great colors in the Gloeckler backyard in Bakersfield on Saturday morning.


Also in the backyard at the Gloeckler ranch, some home-grown Zebra finches in the aviary. They wouldn't let me get toooo close. We also picked up a couple stray chocolate labs on our run Saturday morning. Wish I could have kept 'em. ;-(


And, back in SLO on Sunday afternoon ...


More landscape shots as the storm rolls in...


and, a sunset masterpiece by Carrie...

Shane and Shane - Pages Album

We've been long-time listeners (7 years) of Shane and Shane, two ridiculously good guitarists/vocalists that write more unique and heartfelt lyrics than the majority of Christian artists. And, they finally made their way to California this week, so we drove for a few hours on Tuesday to see them play in person.

What I love most about these guys is that they're just normal dudes who happen to have some musical talent, and who drive around the country playing songs to encourage the body. Their hearts are clearly genuine, with an honest desire to bless people with great music.


If you haven't heard it yet, the Pages album is (in my opinion) the best Shane and Shane album to date. Packed with unique, thought-provoking lyrics that will both challenge and encourage your soul, these two Shane's voices blend together better than chocolate milk! (thanks to Carrie for the clever visual.) Seriously though, these guys can rock the house. You can check out snippets of songs on their website: www.shaneandshane.com

Anniversary

For our 1 year, Greg surprised me by planning a trip to San Fransisco! We went there on one of our first "dates" (to a Giants' game) and so it was fitting to return to the city and another Giants' game. We had an amazing time. Here are some pictures....

We had a fun time exploring the city (including Chinatown which was awesome).

We played disc golf in Golden Gate Park with our friends Kevin and Vanessa.
The Giants' game was cold but great. It was a good game and they won which helps with the fun factor.
And of course a trip to SF wouldn't be complete without a visit to the great Golden Gateway. That bridge is very long....

What is the Silk Road Business Group?

So, what the heck is Silk Road Business Group? It's my new job, and I'm excited about the possibilities of where it could lead Carrie and me.

What's the focus? What are we aiming to do? In short... develop new eco-friendly communities in China and across Asia, creating jobs and improving quality of life. Click here to download a short brochure if you're interested to read more.

We're Home!

We're back in slo and better than ever. It was a great summer, but boy it's nice to be home and in familiar surroundings (and a delightfully clear day to beat).

Here's our top 5 reasons why we love being back in slo:
1. No parking troubles (finding, paying $7 to park anywhere near the beach, weird rules about parking when and where, etc)
2. It's our home. Things are familiar and we like our place. Plus, we have a kitchen here.
3. Kurt, our brother, is here.
4. The air is clean. We can actually see further than a 1 mile radius.
5. We don't have to search for locations on Google maps every time we go somewhere.

We will also miss some things about Santa Monica. The top 5 are:
1. Cheaper gas (can you believe it?)
2. Peet's coffee....
3. Ken Virzi
4. Seeing famous people (or people who look like maybe they're someone famous)
5. Our new found staff and student friends (we miss this the most)

Our last night on project, we had a big farewell dinner and took lots of pictures of friends. Here is us with our Action Groups (aka Bible study- students we worked the most with).


We also had an awesome staff team and we made some fun friends. This is all of us out for a nice night on the town.

I miss our truck

We left our truck in slo for the summer. Before we came here (santa monica. see below) we took it for a short camp out. It did so great. I miss it.

Fish Tacos...

...are really good, especially if you caught the fish! We enjoyed our leftovers in this form, with homemade guacamole (thanks to greg), and handmade tortillas (thanks to trader joes). Yum. It reminds me of freshman year when Jenni Richter and I would eat fish tacos at Jeff and Josh's place and then we would offer to do the dishes. Their fish tacos were amazing... but who can beat fresh fish and homemade guacamole?

Fishing Trip

Greg and I just took our first family camping trip with my mom and dad, brother, and Greg's college roommate Jeff. We had a great time camping, and a crazy hike down to Dad's secret fishing spot. I'm pretty sore today but ultimately really glad Mom and I went. Last year just the guys went and we didn't want to miss out on any of the fun this time....

Greg, Kurt and Dad deciding which way to go....

Mom and Kurt before the trek started (notice the smiling faces at this point)

And they're still smiling! Kurt, Jeff and Greg overlooking the ravine we traversed into!

Look what I caught! (just kidding. but I sure helped. someone's gotta hold the fish!)

two can play this game....

Since Greg blogged about his day, I thought it only appropriate to blog about mine! I spent the first half drinking coffee at a shop on the corner of town, but then I ventured out to Montana de Oro, a place we should go more often.
This is where I live.

My New Getaway Place

Today was our once a quarter "Day with Jesus". It's really great to work for an organization that strongly encourages/requires that we take a day with Jesus periodically, for our souls to be refreshed and rejuvenated by the Lord.

On this particular Day with Jesus, I found a gem. As I was hiking up onto one of the mountains around this beautiful San Luis Obispo valley, I found this... I don't know who built it, but someone spent some serious hours putting this thing together. The greatest part was that it was right at the crest of the huge mountain, perfectly positioned to block the howling winds (which would have been quite distracting if I hadn't found this gem), and it overlooked a huge part of the central coast, from Oceano to Morro Bay.



I felt like testing my creative side a bit, so here are a few more pics for good measure...

Thanks to Picasa for the partial B/W filter ;-)

The 101 freeway, sepia tone.

Can't leave out Mt. Madonna and Bishops Peak

and an experimental panorama view... click to enlarge