Go ahead and JUMP! everybodys doing it!

"Lord, Save me from Your followers"

J.P. gets interviewed by a documentary film crew from Portland Oregon. The film plans to take a look at the divide between how modern Christians live compared to how Jesus lived.

Bama photo journal

We spent the weekend on the Alabama coast to celebrate our anniversary. We searched and searched for a cool place to go and nothing really stood out to us. In Portland we always had so many options for places to getaway i.e. the coast and the mountains but around here there are no mountains and the coast is a bit different. At the last minute we came across a little island south of Mobile called Dauphin Island. We headed south not really knowing what to expect. We were very pleased upon arrival. It was un-crowded and really mellow with lots of beach to walk. The island was hit pretty hard by the hurricane. On one side over 300 homes were swept away but the town seemed to be rebuilding. We stayed three nights at the islands only hotel. It ended up being a very quiet and relaxing 4 days, which is just what we needed.
Some highlights:
Watching 2 amazing sunsets on the beach over the Gulf of Mexico. Visiting and exploring the islands bird sanctuary (and being really afraid of water moccasins). Golfing on the ocean front golf coarse, half of which was closed because the hurricane covered the coarse with sand making it one giant sand trap. Getting coffee and rolls at the islands family owned bakery every morning. Meeting a guy from Michigan who is a Christmas tree farmer and talking for a good hour about the industry and profitability of bringing trees to south Alabama to sell. Emily ordered a crab po’ boy sandwich which she thought would be fresh crab pieces but instead was a whole crab, deep fried and served on a bun.( she couldn’t eat it)
Jumping off stuff. Climbing a tree.




This week we are back in swing of things. Yesterday Emily was a judge for her schools annual spelling bee. I found out that I will be traveling John Perkins to Seattle for a week at the end of the month. I will be his assistant / guy who makes sure that he doesn’t get overworked, he is 75 after all. Check it out at: http://www.spu.edu/depts/jperkins/

Yesterday we also started our reading club in the after school program. Our first book is “ The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” and the kids seem to be enjoying it so far. Our main goals are to get the kids using their imaginations and to instill a love for reading. We are enjoying cool sunny days and dreading the heat and humidity of the fast approaching summer.

Johnny

Em bonds with a pelican while Johnny uses his wife as a shield, Allie you would have been freaked out!

"Yeah, Im 98% sure that's the sun"

Audio Blog

Happy Valentines Day. Click on the link above to listen to our first audio blog or right click and choose download. Dont download this one though as it is only a test.
We love all of you! Especially you President Bush for not spying on us.
J & E

Whoops! I meant

NyQuil Anniversary Toast

It was 4 years ago today that I made the best decision of my life and married the young Emily Martin. Unfortunately we spent our anniversary in bed with fevers and chills. We both came down with some bad cold or flu that wiped us out for the last three days. We’re looking forward to celebrating next weekend.

We’ve been thinking back on the last four years, the ups and downs, and have come to the conclusion that we love each other more now than ever. I’m not trying to complain here but marriage is tough! Even when you find your soul mate you still have to work through stuff that isn’t always fun. Mostly its realizing how selfish you are and learning to get beyond that to where you are truly more concerned with the others feelings and wellbeing than your own. I feel like I still have a long way to go. It seems like with every anniversary that comes and goes someone says that “you’ve made it over the hump”, or “Its all down hill from here, the hard stuff is over” but in reality a relationship with anyone takes effort. I’m seeing that there may not be a plateau of a place to be reached but with time you get better. Looking back over these last 4 years I can see slow, gradual changes in Emily and I that would suggest we are learning, year by year, how to love each other.
So on this eve as we celebrate four years of life and love, we toast with NyQuil and look forward to many more years together.