Karlene and I are in another play.

About a year ago, Karlene came home and made my day. She asked, "How would you like to be in a play with me?" Of course, being the stage ham that I am, I replied with a resounding YES! So, we starred in our first play together in "You Know the Old Slaying." It was a murder mystery with total audience interaction. Karlene did FANTASTIC in her first ever stage appearance, and more importantly began to share in a love that I have had for years: the love of theatre.

I was so surprised this year when Karlene asked if I wanted to do it again. Of course, I couldn't refuse even though this time of year is INCREDIBLY busy with many, many other things. So, we both said yes to "Insane with Power!" This play kicks so much butt, and we get to play patients in an insane asylum who think they have superhero powers. Simply put, it is hillarious!! It is nearly impossible to get through the entire play without laughing at one another, but the best part about the play is being on stage with Karlene again. I love sharing the stage with her, and I hope we continue to do this together well into the future.

If you are in town, you still have two days to catch the show: Dec 19th & 20th. Starts at 7pm and costs $10 each.

Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving Day!

Since moving to Alaska, we have developed the tradition of going to Dave and Les' home for Thanksgiving. It is always a great time, and a ton of people are there. This year, we had over 30 people there spending time together as a family. Not all of us are technically related, but we are mostly related through our bond in Jesus Christ.

The Daniels (Les and Dave) set up a table that goes from the dining room all the way into the living room, and we all sit around it at our assigned seats. Half the fun at Thanksgiving is finding your name tag at the table. It has been an ongoing joke between some of us about where we are seated at the table. Mark Knudsen and I brag about who is sitting closer to the "head" of the table. This year, he won the bragging rights!

After dinner, some of us break out the games and spend time cutting loose and getting loud while others just sit around and visit about the year gone by. This year I noticed the plethora of young ones running around and enjoying every square inch of the Daniel home. It was great to see the children of our friends developing the next generation of friendship. I'm happy for our friends who have children and hope they cherish this special time of year.

I have to admit though, this time of year makes it especially hard to be away from my family back in Indy. Of course I talk to them on the phone, but I miss staying up to the wee hours of the morning with them as we play cards or dominoes all the while taking wise cracks at each other. I miss my family dearly, but I know they are all there for each other and that I have incredible in-laws here. That makes this time of year wonderful!

Sunday Afternoons

Last Sunday, Daemon and Dylan really wanted to ride their "motorcross" bikes, so Karlene and I took them up and down the block. Notice the snow on the ground. Nothing keeps them from going outside!!

The funny thing was, they wanted to push their bikes instead of ride them the whole time. You never know what is going on inside the mind of a 4 year old.

My favorite part is when I said, "Say bye to the camera"

and Dylan answered..."BYE Camera!"

Daemon & Dylan

This is Daemon and Dylan.

They came into our lives four years ago when our niece, Maggie, gave birth to these beautiful baby boys. On their first birthday, Maggie contracted transverse myelitis and was paralyzed from the shoulders down by the end of the day. She was flown to Seattle for over three months as she tried to regain control of her breathing. During that time, Karlene and I decided to begin keeping Daemon and Dylan overnight on Saturday night to help while Maggie was out of town.

Three years later, those two little boogers have wiggled their way deep into our hearts. They have their own room in our house, and love coming to visit Uncle Adam and Tee-tee on the weekend. Just recently they have started taking turns sleeping on the top bunk. Another advantage to getting them on Saturday night is that we get to take them to church with us on Sunday morning, and they love their teachers and friends there.

I can't imagine not having Daemon and Dylan in our lives. They bring a joy to Karlene and I that no other child ever has. Just ask anyone who has ever been around them...they are addicting! We look forward to watching them grow physically, mentally, and most of all spiritually.

The Smiley Face

I mark my desk calendar with a smiley face.

You know how some people "X" out their days on a calendar when those days are expired? Well, I have always placed a smiley face on my calendars. I have done this ever since I can remember. There are many reasons why I do this: it makes me smile; it looks better than an "X"; this is America and I can express myself any way that I want to. There is one main reason though that I do this that I would like to explain.

Barbara and Denny Brown are very significant people in my life. They came into my life just before I turned a year old, and we have been family ever since. When I lived in Louisville (properly pronounced Lull-vull), I would travel to Barb and Denny's house in Indianapolis in the summer time to visit. You know how car rides can seem like an eternity to kids? Well, the two hour drive seemed like forever to me when I was young. I knew that I was close though when we would pass this large holding tank (I still have no idea what was in that tank) on I-65 that was painted with a smiley face. Every time we passed it, whether mom was driving or Barb & Denny, they would point and say, "There's the smiley face." As dumb as it sounds, it brought joy and peace to my life to see that smiley. Ever since, I have tried to point out the "smileys" in other people's lives, and continue to spread the joy.

That's why my calendar will always be marked up with smiley faces.

S.N.O.W. yup...snow.

So today is October 8th, 2008 and yesterday it SNOWED!

Wow. Snow already. Amazing.

That's what you get when you live in Alaska though. Now mind you we only accumulated about an inch, but it was enough that people were building snowmen in their front yards.

So I frantically began "winterizing" our yard. Which means that I rearranged all the stuff in the two small sheds that we have to free up room for all the outside stuff that needs to be inside. Like the 4-wheeler, the motorcycles, the lawn mower...wait...there's a thought...at least with the snow I am done mowing the grass for the rest of the year!! Yee-haw!

Geocaching...our new hobby!

Well, here's another bone to throw to B.J. and Jessie.
I have had the geocaching bug since they came up to visit. It is so bad that for my birthday I request a GPS. So, I got what I wished for. I now am the proud owner of an eTrex HCx GPS by Garmin. It is AWESOME with a full color screen, and the best part is that it doesn't smell like smoke!

So I took my new "baby" for a test drive, and I brought Karlene along to try to get her addicted to my new hobby. I put the device in her hand and watched as she led me towards our first geocache together. We found it quickly, and Karlene suggested that I had been there already. I insisted that it was my first time, and then I noticed her expression change. She now is a geocaching junkie. So thanks B.J. and Jessie for introducing us to a hobby that Karlene and I can enjoy together!

I hate to get political, but...

I received an email today from a legitimate source and could not believe my eyes.
As everyone should who gets email, I checked out the truthfulness of the claim, and I was even further in disbelief. Without going into great detail about it, I will summarize the situation to you.

The Washington Post posted a political cartoon on Sept. 9, 2008 online that took a shot at Sarah Palin. Now, I usually enjoy political cartoons, but this one went a step further. The shot at Palin extended to include Christians and God. If you would like to see the cartoon, just click here.
Why is it OK to draw a cartoon of God cursing?
Why in an age of "religious tolerance" do we respect all religions except Christianity?
Can you imagine the turmoil the Washington Post would have found themselves in if they would have posted a cartoon about Muslim faith or Islam? It would have been all over the news, people would have lost their jobs, and a public apology would have been made.

This doesn't really surprise me though when Jesus Himself said, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." John 15:18

I have B.J. and Jessie to thank for this.

The Murphys are truly a unique couple. Of course that's what you get when you mix a pharmacist with a graphic designer. While they are enjoying their first trip to Alaska, they opened my eyes to two new areas of life for me: geocacheing and blogging. How did I ever make it this far in life without these two addicting hobbies? One thing is for sure, I'm gonna have to find some more time in the day to squeeze all this stuff in! So thanks B.J. and Jessie for "enlightening" me.

I hope to keep this blog up to date for you "onliners" who want to know what's going on with Karlene and I up here in Alaska. So subscribe to our blog, and you will have the most up-to-date info possible!