Merry Christmas, everybody! Leah's 1st Christmas. Picture taken with Mommy's new digital camera... Amanda, do you recognize the outfit? 

Official U2 Fan Club Member...$40 later!

Yep, you're reading a post from an official U2 fan club member! After paying $40 at U2.com... but I get to buy concert tickets presale before the public, get a cool U2 membership card, exclusive web music videos and interviews, and 25% off at the U2 store! Did I get ripped? Oh well, as long as I can get concert tickets for Rachel and I. We missed the Elevation tour because we couldn't get seats together and were seriously bummed. Not this time! You know it will be the best show to see this year! At least in my opinion.

I forgot about another Christmas time tradition that Rachel and I always do... every year sometime during the holidays we watch Christmas Vacation and Die Hard. Some families watch It's A Wonderful Life, Miracle On 34th Street or A Christmas Story, we watch hoilday violence and comedy. Every year. It's great!

What do you guys watch?

Christmas... traditions & memories

So, how many people out there know what I'm talking about?

Some of my earliest childhood memories are of Christmas. Like the memory of the local fire dept. driving a fire engine with Santa on the back down each and every street so that every kid got to tell Santa his Christmas wishes (or wants). Or that wondrous smell of a Christmas tree in my house after having an artificial tree for several years. How many of us associate Christmas with that tree smell? I know I do!

I had a teacher in high school who grew up in New England and said that the smell of oranges always reminded him of the holidays. Huh? He told me that then getting fresh citrus on the east coast was expensive and rare and that at Christmas time as a special gift, they would each get an orange. Now I know I take oranges for granted!

Remember as a kid on Christmas Eve having that nervousness of Santa coming...and 'what is he going to bring me'...'have I been naughty or nice?'. I know some of you are saying, ' I still feel that way'. :) Good!

Traditions...
...with my family, we would get up in the morning, get dressed, and have breakfast...yes, all before opening our gifts! That can be torture for a kid! Anyway I survived. Next we read out of the bible, the real 'Christ'mas story, we would pray and then open presents. What can I say my dad's a preacher. As much as it seemed to 'pain' me as an impatient kid, it is now a 'tradition' Rachel and I do in our house as well.
For a couple of years my dad had the 'brilliant' idea of getting our tree on Christmas Eve! Yes, I said Christmas Eve! Talk about last minute decorating...I think he did it so that he could say that he only spent $5 for a tree, because tree lots were getting rid of their inventory. Or it was the miniscule pastor's salary that he received. Anyway, that 'tradition', needless to say didn't last.
Another tradition we do now is draw names for gift giving within our family(us, my parents, Aunt Rachel, my brother...) and makes gift giving a little more personal and definitely is easier on the wallet. I find it unsettling that a lot of people go in to debt over Christmas.

Comment and tell me what are some memories or traditions you guys have or had. I 'd love to read them as I'm sure others would too.
And to all of you who are in school... you've made it! Finals are over and Christmas break is here!! Be proud of yourselves and enjoy your families.

Peace.

And goodwill toward all people. :0}

Ponderosa People...LISTEN UP!!

Out of curiosity today, I Googled my name. And even though I had interesting matches (apparently I'm also a musician) it took me to some of your blog sites as well as mine. Not surprising, right? Well, I realized that in our positions as Christians and involved in ministry (camps, churches, missions, etc..), if I was a camper or church member or someone curious to know more about us, they might question our faith based on some of the language exhibited in our blogs.

I know this might oust me from this 'little' community..., but I feel I have to speak up, especially in my position here at camp. Who knows when some 'charmed' junior higher (or board member in my case) will go looking to find more info about their camp favorite and finds our thoughts. I'm not saying I'm the 'favorite'. :)

Before it seems that I'm pointing fingers... let me say that I'm also guilty of this. For whatever reason we think that this is private. It doesn't take a whole lot to find this cache of our names. Some may think that because your blogs are listed under an alias or acronym that you're anonymous to the casual observer...how many of us have buddy link lists with all of our names down the side. All it takes is for one of us to mention another by name in our posts and it turns up in a search. Let's face it, this is the internet, not our private diaries. Ask Jasen about this type of situation. Which stinks because I loved his blog!

So what does this mean? Go covert? Invent a secret code language to address each other by? Why? So we can keep talking like sailors? NO! If people want to see what's the latest in my life, that's fine... I'm just going to post as an 'open book'. I won't care who opens that book.

I went through my old posts and either cleaned up the language or deleted the post all together which was not hard to do. I encourage some of you to do the same...because the questioning moment from someone will come. I've already had some myself. One was from...you guessed it....Dan Skipper! I didn't have an explanation for him. We don't talk like this at camp or in our churches or in front of strangers, why here?

I was reminded of my daily reading on Dec. 7th in Ephesians 5 where Paul says, "Follow God's example in everything you do because you are his dear children......Obscene stories,foolish talk, and coarse language-these are not for you. ... For though your hearts were once full of darkness, now you are full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it!"


Please comment or call me! Please know that my post is out of concern and especially love for you guys. I hope it makes sense... and if doesn't , well ...... call me, I want to talk.

Catching The Red Eye...by tired daddy-o

Well, she's here, if you didn't already know. The C-section was moved to the 30th of Nov., a week after the original date. Leah was born on Tuesday the 30th at 12:58 pm. She was 8 pounds, 6 ounces and 20 inches long. Considerably smaller than Hannah was but still a good size baby. It was good that Rachel had the section done. Hannah is doing well with the adjustment, we think. I think it took a little getting used to for her that Rachel couldn't give her all her attention... but I've been giving her plenty to make up for it. Here they are from this morning... sorry the picture quality is bad.


Sleep is a little rare here this past week for me and even more so for Rachel.. trying to keep up with the feeding schedule of a newborn, but God is good and we are blessed. She looks just like Hannah did at that age.

I've come to the conclusion that I need to clone myself. I would be an excellant candidate...there would plenty of me to go around between Rachel, Hannah, Leah , my two cats(who are always meowing for attention lately), camp, friends, yada yada yada...

On a side note, if you have been on some distant moon and still haven't picked up the new U2 cd yet, get off your keister! I got mine at 11am on the release date and it hasn't left my cd player yet. I think it is awesome, especially track #3 "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own". The whole album is perfection in my opinion, but I also love U2... so I might be a little biased.

Did everyone have a good Thanksgiving? My went really well. I got to see some family that I haven't seen in many years and got reacquainted.

Hope all is well with everyone. I miss you all alot!

Hello, world!! My name is Leah Noelle LeBrun and I've been making sure that my mommy and daddy get as little sleep as possible. (Actually, that's not totally true, she's a very good baby.) My daddy says he's sorry for the lack of posts, but he's been a little busy with me , mommy and my sister, Hannah. He'll write soon. 

Just counting the days...no, I mean, hours till it is in my hands! 

Read below... 

I Know You Don't Care, But...

Like any of you would care to know this information (except for maybe Ben and Jasen)...but the best game I have played in a very long time, is by far, Fable. This game immerses you in a 'living' world where you interact with people and your personality, looks(yes, how you look), and your morality is determined by how you react to dilemas and situations you are faced with. The graphics are amazing as is the music score. I could go on forever about this game, but I won't.

Anyway, this is one of those 'official' raves... so check out the pics below...

.....or not.

Missing Bobby Fisher...I mean Kyle Smith!!

Where the heck is he? Did he actually get hauled off by pirates to forever be stuck with the identity of 'Jolly Roger'? Did the pit known as Brawley reclaim him? Only he can tell us? Or maybe blogging has left his 'blood'. Kyle where are you?

Incredible Week

Well, let's see, the last time I wrote it was Tuesday. What has happened since then?

Wednesday... was Hannah's birthday and the theme was Elmo. Everything was Elmo! Elmo baloons, Elmo tablecloth, Elmo cups and plates and napkins, Elmo t-shirt for Hannah, and even an Elmo cake, of course! This isn't even mentioning the Elmo gifts. I'm going crazy with that high pitched voice and giggle. I've entered Sesame Street hell! It was a good time, though. She loves her little kitchen. Those in attendance were the Skipper fam, my parents and Holly, Russ and Lisa, Eric and Kelly, Davina and her fiance. That was Wednesday!

Thursday... I went to work, like normal, and worked on the upcoming winter camp season. Also, it looks like we are going to be getting a new camp logo to accompany our upcoming website. Yes, Amanda, I think I officially convinced Dan to kill 'Ponderosa Pete'. The new potential logo looks really cool and I had a pretty big part in setting its direction and look. ( That statement is going to come back and bite me in the butt, I just know it). So I was also working on that with Dan on Thursday. I left the office at 4:oopm to go to an 'estate planning' appointment with Rachel. There is nothing more depressing than contemplating the possibility of your death, what will happen to your children and who will take care of them if that happens. But it is necessary so that my kids are well cared for. After that Rachel and I had dinner at Chili's (saw the Skippers there...I think they are following us j/k) and then to really top off the night and lighten things up we saw The Incredibles. Let me just tell you that if you have not seen this movie, get your butt to a theater and laugh you head off. Plus the animation is amazing! That was Thursday!

Friday... We took Hannah to get her 2 yr pictures taken at the Picture People and she threw a fit. My kid through a tantrum! My kid! I remember the days before kids when I would be somewhere and someone's kid would act up... I would be like 'can't you get your kid under control? if that was my kid they wouldn't do that.' At that point I just cursed myself. Anyway, we had one smiling pose to choose from, so that simplified the decision process. We went to Ikea again! I know...we are junkies and need help. We bought another bookcase for all my 'great literature'. Also did some early Christmas shopping knowing it will be difficult later with a newborn in the house. That was Friday!

And here I am.....typing....

hi......

bye....

Nights of Sleeplessness...

...here I come! Rachel's cesarean has been scheduled for the 23rd of November, which means we'll probably be celebrating Thanksgiving in a hospital room. But what better way to celebrate it than with the birth of your 2nd daughter! Please keep us in prayer that there will be no complications. We know that baby #2 will not be as big as Hannah was because Rachel has been able to watch her diet more because of us being aware of her gestational diabetes. In short that means = smaller baby. For those of you who don't know, Hannah was 10 lbs, 2 ounces; 23 inches = lots of complications. Those complications should be avoided because of the planned cesarean and a lower birthweight than Hannah. Anyway, I'm babbling useless info that you don't really care to know.
We are supposed to have around 40 family members here for a Thanksgiving family reunion, and my mom is a little bummed because we won't really be around or involved with it because of all this. Oh well.
Hannah's b-day is tomorrow... man, 2 yrs has already gone by! Before I know it I'll be dealing with modesty issues and threatening boyfriends! Where does the time go? Rachel and I got her one of those 'little tikes' kitchen sets... you know with the little fridge, oven, sink and now they also have a little cordless phone and microwave. Hannah is really into imitation. Acting like she is cooking, acting like she is eating, taking care and feeding her 'dolly'. She also really loves animals and imitates all the sounds they make.
It's wierd...I'm such a DAD now! It still takes me by surprise. Most of you will know what I'm talking about when it happens to you. And some of you probably shouldn't have kids. :) Love ya'!

"Ah, (burp) can't beat Del Taco. Hey, Luke, pull my finger." 

Thank you, Lord!!!

Well, we have four more years for George W.! Thank you, Jesus! That one was a nail biter don't you think? I was praying pretty hard for that election and that people would vote thoughtfully and consciously, and not with 'feelings'. The people have spoken and they say they want morality. That one kind of shocked me when I heard about the exit polls and some people saying that. Us? America? We want morality? That was a surprise and a good one at that.
We had a good Halloween in the desert with our friends this past weekend. Hannah was so cute in her little princess outfit. There was a couple of 'scary' houses that she would close her eyes as she walked up the sidewalk to the house with me but she pressed on for the prize. I really don't think she cared if she got candy or not, it was mostly about the experience for her.... and her little "chik o cheet". Even saying "tank you". Can you tell I'm a proud papa.
Anyway, I went to San Diego yesterday to set up our camp exhibit booth for Dan and Becky at a conference called Outreach to drum up some more 'bidness', and it took me 4 1/2 hours to get home last night. I'm sure glad I don't have to commute on a regular basis. That type of driving gets me very frustrated and stressed out, but I listened to some Audioslave, G'N'R, and 12 Stones to take my mind off of it.
Jasen-Happy Birthday, buddy, I hope you enjoyed it and your gifts. Hopefully see you soon!
Ben- I'm playing Fable right now and it is awesome. I also bought GTA: SA.
Everyone else- I hope to see you all soon and please keep Rachel and I (especially Rachel) in prayer as we near the date of the cesarean operation for the birth of our daughter. Love ya'.

"We're too sexy for this blog, too sexy for this blog..." 

LOTS of the white stuff...

By 'white stuff', I mean snow not coke. We probably have already had close to two feet fall since early this morning... so guess what I've been doing most the day! Plowing. We've never had snow this early in the season since I've been here, but we need it.
We went to one of the best stores in the world on Monday to get some furniture for the kids room...and that store is, everybody say it with me,... IKEA !! It is all about style, cheap and getting organized. Does anyone else out there feel what I'm saying? I know Amanda does. We spent almost five hours there! Bought lots of neat stuff, could easily buy lots more 'neat stuff' if my wallet allowed me to.
I'm looking forward to watching The West Wing tonight. It is one of my fav shows along with Scrubs and the 'Donald', I mean Apprentice.
Amanda, I did get your message but not your cell #, so call me again and let me know.... or I guess I could call your home... why didn't I think of that earlier?
Anyway, that is all that is going on in my little corner of the world and.... of course.... snow.

What can you say about escher? He looked at life through a different lens. Awesome isn't it? Tell me what you think. 

Man, where have I been?

Well, I didn't fall off the edge of the earth or go the way of Jimmy Hoffa... I'm back! It was kind of weird not being able to write on my blog for a week.
Last Monday Dan and I went to a youth pastors 'retreat' on Lake Mead to 'rub shoulders' and smooze while wake boarding. I know, it's a tough life, but I sacrifice my time when I can! It was real good to get away and get unplugged for a couple of days. We were also out of cell phone range. Came back on Thursday to host a men's retreat for Ventura Bapt. Church at camp. Then Rachel, Hannah, and I went to the desert(Palm Springs) on Friday to sell our crap at a joint garage sell on Saturday, literally, before the buttcrack of dawn with our friends, Dave and Aubrey. We made some good money. It's pretty amazing what people buy. I guess the saying is true "One man's junk is another man's treasure." After the sale we came back home on Sat. night so that on Sun. we could have a 'baby celebration' party for the birth of our future daughter. It was a pretty hectic week.
Now the rain has been making me feel a little gloomy. So far we've had three straight days of cloudy,foggy, rainy days without warm sunshine. How do people in Seattle do it? I think I would go insane. It's hard also because Hannah starts to get cabin fever. Well, on the bright side, the fire danger isn't so bad now.
BUCANEERS LOSE AGAIN! I'm not going to talk about it. I have to keep my cussing under control!
Roughly four more weeks and I'll be the 'daddy' to another gorgeous little girl.
Anyway, I'll publish more later. Sorry, again, for the delay in my posts. It's good to be back! Question to myself-- what did we do before internet?

For all you gamers out there...one more month until 'Halo 2' arrives to take away our social lives as our girlfriends and wives know it! 

The Plot To KILL Evolution

This is the title on the cover of my latest Wired magazine. The inside article is titled like this: THE CRUSADE AGAINST EVOLUTION; In the beginning was Darwin. And then there was intelligent design. How the next generation of "creation science" is invading America's classrooms.
I bolded the words that I thought were ridiculous. Basically, the article criticizes the progress some people are making in Ohio introducing the curriculum of 'intelligent design', which is a different way of saying creationism. They aren't even bringing in the concept of God being the intelligence behind our origins, which is probably why they are making progress. They want 'intelligent design' to be taught as another option to evolution, saying that life on earth is way too complex to just happen by accident. The human body contains some 60 trillion cells. Each one stores information in DNA codes, processes and replicates it in three forms of RNA and thousands of supporting enzymes, exquisitely supplies the system with energy, and seals it in semipermeable ...membranes.
And they (evolutionists) think that just happens. I get so tired of the media being so one-sided and 'liberal'. The public that is leaning toward John Kerry to be our next president seem to make their choices without really thinking through the ramifictions of their rationalizations. Last week, I watched a lady after the presidential debates say she was leaning toward Kerry because he made her feel 'comfortable'. What! Are you kidding me! That is your rationaliztion to pick our president? And so many people seem to feel this way and base their decisions on our liberal media. Is it just me or do the Democrats seem pissed that a Republican is in office?
Anyway, I wish our news networks could actually give an unbiased view (uh, hello, CBS) of what happens in politics and the world today. Take sport commentaters, for instance. They call the game the way it is played and how they see it. There is no biased views toward one side or the other. It's equal. In a democracy, every idea gets heard.
Well, sorry to bore you guys, but my blog is my rants and raves. So there it is. Please comment and tell me if I'm coming from 'left field' or not.
--Ben, Sky Captain was good, but I would wait to rent it. It had a kinda' 40's comic noir story look to it.
--Kyle, I'll call you tomorrow.
--Everyone else, love ya', peace.

Maybe someday he will resurface... we can only hope. 

Tyler Durden, the man's man. 

I'll never be a'mountain man'.

Curse you, Amanda! You tell me about this "blogging phenomenon" and how great it is, I start reading and I get hooked!
Anyway, ... I'll never be a 'mountain man'. Don't get me wrong, I like living here at Pondo even though socially it can be a little tough. The environment is awesome, my daughter has a huge 'backyard' to play in, it's quiet in the off season, we usually have white christmas days among many other positives for being here. But I'll never be a 'mountain man'... a mountain man that rides with his wife and kids in the back of the truck, while the dog is in the front seat...or a mountain man that takes his wife out to the local 'fine dining' bar (Don Pepe's) for a gormet meal despite fears of salmonella and ebola and whatever other virus' there are waiting to devour my flesh... or a man that all his kids have the same middle name 'Bob' , male and female( Jim Bob, Jo Bob, Billy Bob, Cindy Bob,)...regretfully, I'll never be a man with a mullet.
I see people in 'town' and I think " Okay, I know I live in the mountains in a small community, but please tell me that I don't act or look like that!" I like movies with surround sound, strong-good coffee(espresso), anything electronic, videogames(it's an addiction actually), interacting with fun intelligent people(some staff don't count), reading good fiction, and spending quality time with my family. These things all contradict the lifestyle of a 'mountain man'. Hence, Ill never be one.
Anyway, enough of my ranting. Last week was the Youth Specialties Conference in Anaheim that we always exhibit the camp at. It was cool to see some familiar faces. I got to spend time with Mark Howerton, who is doing remarkably well considering what he has been through. I love seeing his smiling face. I also saw Brad and Birgitta Clark, who I think I could become really close friends with if we lived closer. Also can't forget my favorite Amanda! She is like a sister to me. Except without the bickering that siblings go through. I also saw Nikki and her ever radiant smile, who I am so proud of because she faced uncertainty and some family opposition to be here in So. Cal.. God wanted her here. I saw Shantelle and am glad we got to talk to see how her life was going in San Diego as a teacher. It was a good weekend and only the future and God will know if some of the questions asked and answered there will lead to new churches coming to experience God here.
Well, I guess I've talked to myself enough for one day... Dan and Becky probably think I'm wierd...they are in the office next room. Will write later. Oh and, Wes, don't sound so down about your job. I'm sure it 's boring but at least your getting paid. Not as much as you do at Ponderosa but maybe over time... ;)