What a Month!

November has been a pretty busy month for me!

First there was Hannah's big birthday bash(I'll post pics later), then Spirit & Truth (which was awesome), we've been doing an office 'remodel' and I had no desk or computer for a while (which is part of the reason of no posting), an 'all' staff Thanksgiving dinner the Friday before Thanksgiving (see Nikki's post for more details and pics), my bro and his wife came down for that weekend to hang out, Thanksgiving day (which Rachel had to work) didn't do a whole lot, and then this last weekend in Palm Springs with our best friends, Dave and Aubrey and their family.

That's my November in a nutshell, with some minor details left out, of course.
Oh, and Leah's B-day is tomorrow..... wow, a year already!

Well, December is next with all of it's holiday frenzy and prep for winter and summer are getting into full swing. As always I start to 'feel' behind around this time of year with those preparations!

Awesome!!

The U2 concert was awesome!! I don't really know how else to describe it... and I know that sounds generic.

We didn't get to 'meet' Bono and The Edge this time because we arrived later than we wanted to but this show was amazing and, in a way, totally different than when we saw them in April.
They seemed more relaxed and less structured, which was a good thing... it wasn't bad at all, it made them more personal and in touch with the audience.

All I can say is that it simply was amazing.

For some cool pictures and a little more info check out Wakeling's post.

Fanatic...

...I know, I know, I'm a fanatic. A U2 fanatic that is.

If any of you are U2 fans out there and you did or didn't get to see the show you need to keep the middle of November in mind. Like the Elevation tour they are releasing a two disc DVD set of the Vertigo show shot in Chicago. It looks to be, yet again, amazing and a must have for any U2 fan!
You can get the full scoop at U2.com.



And on Tuesday (Nov. 1st) Rachel and I will be seeing the amazing show again along with Davina and Scott. It will be awesome and who knows maybe I'll actually have pics of us meeting Bono this time.
I'll keep my fingers crossed. :D

Balance

So last week I had a rough life... I 'had' to spend six days on Lake Mead in a houseboat reading, taking naps, snorkeling, hiking, etc... Man, that was tough!
The first half of the week was spent with thirty other awesome guys involved in youth ministry just getting to know each other, share common problems and triumphs associated with ministry, family and life. It was real good for me and I definitely learned a few things about myself as I always do.
The 'retreat' never really has an agenda or schedule, but some underlying 'theme' seems to always be the topic for discussion. This trip came at the perfect time, because it seems this last year I've been struggling with some new things I haven't had to necessarily deal with before.

And that is BALANCE.

I'm finding it hard to know the limits of how much time to spend doing my ministry and how much time to spend with my family. It is a little different than maybe someone in church ministry because I LIVE where I work and do ministry... so I find it harder to say "No" especially when I thoroughly enjoy what I do at camp (program camps). I love spending time with campers, youth pastors and youth workers, staff, the band, and the speakers... I love that interaction, because in the back of mind I know I need to 'soak' up as much as I can because come the middle of August everyone goes their separate ways until, hopefully, the next year.
But in a way my family time 'suffers' for that.
Am I being selfish?
I've recognized that Rachel and I have grown a little apart over the last 7-8 months (don't worry it's nothing drastic, and we do talk about it), part of it is having small children in the house and the other part, I think, is not having the communication that we should on a regular basis.
For anybody who has been married for awhile you know how easy it to fall into certain patterns and become complacent in your marriage and not 'work' as hard to please your spouse like you did when you were both in the 'honeymoon' phase.
I don't want to be years down the road and one day my marriage implodes, we have nothing in common except our children, and wonder where it all went wrong!
This was the question I put out there to everyone on the trip..."How do I find the BALANCE between my family life, my ministry AND time for myself, (all which I thouroughly enjoy devoting time to), and still be an excellant husband and father while also being an effective leader in my ministry."
During those three days I was able to glean knowledge from some awesome men whom I respect greatly and they gave some great advice on what I should and shouldn't do based on their experiences which I think will benefit me greatly.
It will definitely take a little bit of work and adjustment, but the end results for my family's sake and mine will be greatly worth it.
If you guys have any thoughts or advice, by all means please contribute.

The second half of the week was spent with the evergrowing Pondo staff on a 'super yacht' houseboat having a blast and also getting to know each better in semi-tight quarters. Check out Nikki's blog for pics and details.

Buccaneers On A Roll...

...Four wins and no losses. Can I get an "amen"?
Thank you, Jasen.

The Dark Lord Has Arrived...

... to my Lord of the Rings collection that is.

I ordered 'him' in March 2004 and I finally recieved it last week. The detail is amazing and 'he' stands close to two feet tall! I'm not sure where I'll put him for the time being, but check out the pics below and see why I'm a movie collectibles nutcase.

Who knows... maybe someday the sale of it will put my kids through college!


The one ring... in my kitchen! :D


The Dark Lord pouring all his malice and hate into the one ring.


Sauron and Gollum... the two 'bookends' to the fate of the ring.


The detail is amazing...


If haven't read it yet make to sure read my post below and check out the pictures about our vacation. ;)

Oh, and I'm sorry that I haven't posted in awhile or commented on anyones blog, everything seems to be breaking on me all at once. My computer moniter went 'kaput'... all though I didn't find that out until a week later and my cell phone died on the same day. So if you call me and leave a voicemail please leave your number because I lost the, literally, hundreds of numbers I had in my phone... and I'm sorry that I don't have all of yours memorized. Thanks!

Our Vacation...

Leah looking cool and subconsciously 'flipping off' daddy!


Daddy explaining the finer points of sandcastle construction at Laguna Beach.


My women


At the Long Beach aquarium.


Look at those cheeks.

This picture turned out so cool.


Hannah and the giant crab having a 'conversation'.


What's next Hannah?


Hannah's other mode of transportation.



Hannah and Leah at "the happiest place on earth"!

Need I say more? Look at those smiles.

Hannah gave her pacifiers to Mickey Mouse so we are one step closer to her being a 'big girl'. They had an awesome time and it was really cool to witness our kids experiencing something that you could tell just totally blew them away.

Back at home the girls are reliving the moments courtesy of Dad's video camera skills.

Busy, busy, busy....

...Sorry, these last two weeks which seem like have been a long time (but very good) have been pretty crazy... in a good way.

And I'm reading three books at once!

I'll post hopefully in the next couple of days and also have some pics, so be looking for them it because I'm sure it will be long or I'll have several posts back to back as I have several things I want to tell you all about.

Preview: Hannah at Disneyland.... priceless!

Me Won, U2!!

... Well it looks like I'm going to get to see them again!

Here is how it played out.

So I didn't buy the tickets that night when I was tempted at the time of my post, but I told a little 'white' lie to 'test the waters' with my wife!

I went home (because I was at the office when I posted) and told Rachel "So what would you say if I bought tickets for U2?". Response: "NO WAY YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" "I'm not" was my untruthful response.
"How much?" I tell her.
She about passes out. Then I tell her that amount is also for her sister Davina to go too, as part of a wedding gift from us.
She actually agrees with me and thinks that that would be agreat idea.
After a couple of minutes she then says to me, "I'm actually getting really excited about going again!
BINGO!! Yahtzee!! That's the response I'm looking for!
So I tell that I hadn't bought them yet, but didn't know how she would react. She then yells at me "Well you better get your butt back on that computer and buy me some tickets to a U2 show that you got me all worked up for!"

I love her!

Anyway, long story short, we are going Nov. 1st and we also bought tickets for Davina and her soon to be husband, Scott, as a wedding gift. I'm so stoked to be going again and we will be sitting closer to the stage.
If any of you remember the last time we went in April and I posted about meeting Bono and the Edge, you can be sure we are taking the Cyber-shot and parking our butts where we saw them last in hopes to capture a moment I can put on my blog!


Well, we got through the month of August a little tired, but doing good. This week we've been getting ready for Jasen and Amanda's wedding and it has been going well despite the little 'curve balls' they've been get tossed their way. It is going to be an awesome looking wedding and reception and one I'm proud to be a part of.

On the homefront, Leah has been sick this last week and a half and just has not been herself (poor thing) which means alot less sleep for mommy and daddy.

Anyway, I better go since this is already pretty long and I'll be seeing some of you on Saturday....

Until then, peace.

Vertigo Revisited?

...So I'm seriously considering buying tickets to the Nov. U2 concert to see them again and in the process pay an exorbant amount of money to go.

Should I do it? My wife doesn't know... but I want to surprise her and I'm also thinking of getting a ticket for Davina, Rachel's sister.

It's a gift I know she will like... they will both like. I'm torn between surprising my wife but possibly incurring the wrath of my 'ninja spouse' that she will eventually get over because, hey it's Bono or tell her my intentions and her possibly shooting down the idea.

What do you think I should do?



I'll sleep on it. Even though it is very tempting to do an impulse buy!


See what tomorrow brings!

Pump Up The Volume...

... anybody remember that movie? That tells you how old I am. :)

That seems to be the theme for this week's guest group that Nikki and I have posted about. They have been here since Sunday and it seems that this week has dragged by with their same daily routine... yelling, screaming and wailing... take a break to eat, more yelling screaming and wailing... eat, yell, scream and wail... all day long. I am not exaggerating. From 7:00 in the morning to 10 or 11 at night!

In fact, they are even doing it right now.
Different culture, I guess.

Next week will be kind of weird with no noise around here.

Maybe too quiet?

I'm Baaaaacckk!! ;-D

Man, it has been a long time since I've posted last.... I apologize. Alot of my fellow 'bloggerites' out there probably gave up on checking if I had any new posts months ago. I don't blame you!

It has been a crazy, good, eventful and all around awesome summer! If you have read any of the other pondo blogs out there you can get a small glimpse of the type of summer this was for all of us.... so I won't regurgitate the whole summer for you.

I was pleasantly surprised by alot of the staff this year and I definitely was blessed by them more than I expected. Program staff was awesome! And that has been rare to say for program as a whole over the last several years. Every one of them served without complaint (major complaint) and I didn't have to worry if things were getting done... which is a HUGE burden off my shoulders! Thank you, crew.... I will have you back any time!

There are certain moments and people that really made the summer for me. Nathan and his hilarious dance, Cody from day one being my resident ninja and all around awesome counselor, Brittany (Anderson) and her everlasting smile, Stacy taking on the 'impossible' and playing Halo with da' boys(I'm glad God placed you here this summer), Nikki and I trying to 'one up' each other on Mon. nights, Jeff singing Dancing Generation and the context of his shower times, the 'facedown video' on Tues. nights which always seem to drive a stake through my sinful heart, Chris and his incessant team spirit, Lee winning the Ultimate Cheer every week except the last, and so many more that I won't write about it all.

I just wanted so say that I'm back after a long absence and it probably was good that I didn't post during the summer because they probably wouldn't have made much sense anyway.

I'll write more tomorrow...

...about the crazy guest group that is here right now

... and how LOUD they are!




Yes, it's is another Hispanic group!

See ya'.

...Too Tired

...to post.

This week is our 'break' week that I still am working. I'll find some time to update in the next couple of days.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMANDA!!!

... Yesterday was Amanda's birthday and Jasen arranged a 'surprise' birthday bash for her in the chalet last night. I think Amanda has had about six 'surprise' birthday parties in the chalet since she has been working here! ;D

Amanda, do you remember when 'Walton' sang to you on stage that one summer? Awkward! It was Ryan wasn't it?

Anyway, Amanda, I care for you and am glad that you are doing well and even though things this summer aren't the way we originally planned I'm glad we still get to experience it together. It's kind of like last year, but reversed. Now I don't have you on stage with me as opposed to last year where I wasn't with you up there. But I know that this summer is nowhere near bad or terrible. Nikki is doing great! She is just a little more competitive than you, so some times I have to keep her in check (j/k Nikki!).

Your b-day gift is coming, I promise!

Again Happy 30th Birthday, Amanda! Just kidding people she's only @#$. I let her tell you if she feels like it but she is much younger than an 'old man' like me! :)

Love you sister.

How can my day not brighten looking at this smiling face? Thank you Becky for the snapshot.

The Ringing of the Bell...

....Well, I just heard the bell ringing, signifying the start of our second week with our first meal....lunch! I'm soooo hungry right now, but I must post because I keep putting it off with ALL that time I have on my hands right now. (That's sarcasm coming through)
Anyway, the bell always will remind me of camp( we have a new one this year... thanks Wes). I remember last year watching Heather try ring it and it was a show unto itself!

Camp is off to a great start this summer and I'm looking forward to a great experience with campers, staff and the band. Troy's teaching was awesome and worship with those junior highers was amazing! The band got a compliment on one of the evals last Friday that said "worship greatly improved from last year and I didn't even think that improvement was needed based on last year's performance."

Staff has been GREAT this summer... it really feels like a team from every department and everyone has been doing their 'jobs' well and with awesome attitudes. I'm really enjoying our Program staff also... there has been a few adjustments made but I know that God is working all things.

I'll try not to make it so long before I post again (yea, right) but time for me is scarce. And to be honest I'm pretty tired (par for the course). Keep us all in your prayers if you remember... I'd be grateful. ;D

Seven Days from Now...

...The summer season begins for Pondo!

And, yes, the Lord has blessed me with all the staff that I needed! Thank you, Lord, soooo much! I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but so far, this staff has been really good. All around, every department has great staff! Again, thank you, Lord!

Sorry that this is so short.... I'm lucky to have been able to type this much actually!

Thank God for You...

....Because you all have stepped up to help me and Pondo out!

I'm not out of the woods yet, but I think my two counseling positions and my last program position might be filled! I still need to have some conversations with the 'potentials' but it looks real promising. Thank you!

I'm still down a video guy, though. Keepin' my fingers crossed. Trying not to worry.

Meanwhile the tent is being put right now, but is behind schedule. It was supposed to be done by Friday so that I could start this weekend with setup, but... oh well!

I have to leave in 45 min to go pick up our 'first to arrive' staff members for the summer. Lifeguard training is this next week... remember that, Heather? At least you didn't drown. ;D

I Don't Want To Admit It...

...But I'm starting to get desperate!

I still need two counselor guys! It seems like every time I make a possible good contact they don't call me back or they don't return the application or they need to make more money or some 'better' opportunity' comes their way. And I just now found no more than two minutes ago that Ed CAN'T do video this summer.

What is the deal?

And I'm hiring three less guy counselors than last year! I can't imagine being five guys down right now.

Why is it that girls (in general) seem more willing to serve than guys? This has been a common problem every year, but not this bad. Are there more responsibilities placed on guys than on girls or are modern day males to picky and don't want to 'work' and serve? I've also seen my share of 'momma's boys' out there too!

I'm not trying to bash the male gender, as (the last time I checked) I am one,... but I'm starting to get discouraged.

Please keep us in mind if there is ANY capable guys out there you know of and/0r someone who knows how to do video shooting and editing, as I've been telling others I talk to about this, please keep me and pondo in prayer about this situation and also for this summer. I would greatly appreciate that spiritual support.

I guess this is a little bit of a Rant.

We Have Arrived.....Finally!

...Pondo is now on the map! The World Wide Web map, that is.

Our camp website launched on Tuesday afternoon after many 'years' of saying "It's on the way", we can now say that it is reality... and it looks pretty good!

Check it out and let me know what you think.

pondo.org or
ponderosapines.com or
ponderosapines.org

Broke!

...That is what I'm going to be when I invest in the next wave of video consoles.

My previous post yesterday (down there\/), talked about the next Xbox, today just released news from E3 was about the PS3 and man is it a whopper! Plain and simple.... I'm going to be broke... broke of money and broke of time.
Ohh the suffering! Check out all th specs for the PS3 here.


That is if this even interests you.

Low and Behold!!!....

.....The video game world is about to change again! And it looks awesome! Something that will definitely have to be a part of 'Aaronland' (that entertainment theme park which is my living room). Sony is going to have to definitely step it up if they want to be a part of the 'ball game'.

Check out all the specs here at XBOX. It is mind blowing goodness!


So I spent over $150 of my hard earned money yesterday to complete the transformation of my 'Aaronland' living room. And it all fit in a pretty small bag.

'What did you spend it on?' you might ask. Well being the audiophile that I am when it comes to movies and sound, I bought all Monster Speaker Cable Connectors (gold plated I might add) for the 'system' so that no bare wire touches a speaker terminal... which is a 'no-no'.
So now it is all clean and crisp and no one would probably know the difference between the old sound and the new... but I do and since I'm the one wasting... I mean, spending my money on it, I guess that's all that matters. ;)

Sorry...

... that I haven't posted in awhile.

Just a disclaimer for future posts... there probably will be bigger time gaps than previous ones due to getting down to the 'wire' of summer. But I still luv' ya'. :)

I had a great weekend with Amanda and Jasen last weekend... nice and relaxing... for me and for them. So much so that they graced us with their presence for an extra night! I think Jasen enjoyed playing Halo on the 'Big 50'... he just kept saying things like 'it's freakin' huge' and 'this is awesome'. How was it going back to your T.V., J? ;) Hey, Jasen, by the way, I noticed that my ranking on Halo (all of them) got knocked back to 1! Do you have any clue why? I mean I know I suck and all, but it took me a long time to get where I was.

And that you left the clan! Is it because of the whole time difference?

Anyway, it snowed again last night! When, Lord, will it ever end? There was a movie a long time ago about surfing called The Endless Summer, well this season has to be known as The Endless Winter!

Bring It On...

... Not as in the movie, but as in summer camp. ;)

Dan and I had an awesome meeting today about this upcoming summer with Troy, Keith, and Jasen and it was very exciting for me to be able to be a part of the brainstorming of ideas again.
To hear these guys talk and the passion they have for this material, it helped me start to visualize this summer and get more momentum for the tasks upcoming.

All I can say right now is that it will be another "aamaaazzing" summer... right, J?

Too tired to post more...sorry! :(

In the Blink of an Eye....

...It seems that 10 years went by! Today is our 10 year anniversary and I wonder... where did the time go and why so fast.

Don't get me wrong it has been great... awesome, in fact, and an experience I wouldn't trade for anything. My wife is my love, my soul and my everything. I'm looking forward to eighty more... if we live that long.

Sometimes, I think of eternity and heaven and what that would be like with the possibility of not 'knowing' Rachel as my spouse, but as a fellow worshipper of Christ. I'll be honest... it saddens me sometimes. I know that there is some speculation over this subject, but regardless my human little pea-brain is not grasping the full enormity of being in God's presence and how our earthly relationships won't matter to us like they do now. I believe there will still be 'fellowship' in heaven, just on a different level.

Anyway I would like to read your thoughts on the topic... in the meantime laugh at the picture below! :o)



I know, I know.... I actually have hair. And Rachel has bangs, don't forget that part! Trust me people, that's cider (wink,wink ). So bring on the heckling... I know it is inevitable. But it still is one of the happiest days of my life along with the births of my daughters!

C-ya!

Documentary Week

Also last week was documentary week for me on my Netflix rentals and they were some good ones. Check out the links to the side > and also check out my brothers website if you are interested in art. >

Crazy Week

So it has been awhile since my last post...

Well, lets see.... last weekend ( the weekend before this last one) my family and I went down to Glamis with our best friends and their new toy hauler(rv trailer that can also haul motorcylcles inside). It was pretty windy all weekend but we had a great time.

Rachel worked Monday and Tuesday so I played Mr. Mom and watched the girls because my parents(babysitters) were also on vacation.

Tuesday after Rachel got home from work we left late at night and went to spend a couple of days in a condo down in Anaheim that my parents arranged for us.

Wednesday we went to the Long Beach Aquarium so Hannah (who is obsessed with animals) could see the underwater wildlife. She was amazed and is still talking about it.

Thursday we hung out by the pool and then went to Downtown Disney, which was pretty crazy for a Thursday night. Hannah got to go tho the "Jungle" which is her term for the Rainforest Cafe, to see the animals ( again, obsessed). But we don't eat there because she gets freaked out when the animals 'move and look at her'. So she is content to look from a distance.

Friday we packed and headed to the desert, once again, (because we had such a good time the week before) but not before we stopped by to see my Aunt Rachel.
My Aunt got some type of severe infection or absess in her stomach and she had to be flown to Loma Linda from Big Bear in a helicopter last Thursday. She is doing much better now, but is still in the hospital, so please keep her in prayer if you can.
Anyway, we went to Glamis again and rode the dunes with their quads and this time it wasn't windy... just hot. I guess everything can't be perfect. It was good spending time with Dave and Aubrey and their family. I miss those guys.

And Monday morning we came home!

That was my last week in a nutshell... not that you cared, but that is where I've been! :-)

UNBELIEVEABLE!!!!!

... or as Jasen would say.. "Aaamaazzing!"

We saw U2 last night and the show was awesome. It was a blend of the 'Pop' tour and the 'Elevation' tour as far as the visuals and lighting went and the whole place was amped. There, of course, was not one person sitting down in the arena and to hear that many people sing in one voice was impressive and inspiring.

What started off this grand experience was being in the right place at the right time... a fluke, if you will. So Rachel and I are buying our insanely exspensive U2 swag a couple of hours before the doors open near the outside corner of the Staples Center when I glance over and see a group of 30 or so people huddled around some barricades as if they are trying to see something. I tell Rachel to go check it out as I finish paying for the U2 'gold'.

It's freakin' Bono!

And then The Edge walks over too!

I run back to the car (we parked close for $20... I think between merch and parking I got raped) to get one of our ever present U2 cds and run back to give it to Rachel to get autographed. We were literally... 2 feet from both of them! And we got The Edge's 'john hancock'. Couldn't get Bono's because they said they had to go do soundcheck... but it was still pretty exhilarating. The cool thing about the whole deal was that no one was freaking out or shouting their names, so in a way it didn't really attract alot of attention. It seemed like a more 'intimate' experience than being smashed in between people in the hopes to catch a glimpse of them.
It made the seats we had (remember, not my first pick) more enjoyable knowing that before these icons of rock and roll sang to thousands that night.... they talked to us.

The Planets Have Aligned...

...and all is good in 'Aaronland'.

Tuesday night I was doing a little gaming, as I usually do late at night, when all of sudden my t.v. kind of... well, for lack of a better term, ... died. Well, for those of you who know me and my family, life kind of centered around that 'Box of Satan'. :) Between my movies and video games, and the kids and their 'learning' programs, it got alot of use (I know we're a 'terrible' example). So I tell my wife this, and she says we'll go to Best Buy tomorrow and 'see' what they have, ...since we are going to be down the mountain anyway, right?

I check online the next day before we go and see that Best Buy has their televisions on sale and also with 2 years interest free financing...and 10 free dvds... and rewards points accumalated from the total of your purchase (which translates into free gift cards{$125 worth!}).
I then informed my wife that something rare has happened... the planets have aligned and this is the only chance we will have to get this great of a deal. To my surprise, she actually agreed with me!

We get to 'The Store' and start shoppin'.....
....Three hours later we left. With alot of 'stuff'! WE CAME, WE SAW, WE BOUGHT, WE KICKED BEST BUY'S BUTT!!
Now, my system before was definitely nothing to complain about as some of you know... see below

if you can see them, those are bubble on the carpet from Hannah.

... and next we have..tadah!!

Do you see them? The planets, I mean, ... they're aligned, right? Good, I thought I was the only one to see it.

And my wife was the one pushing for the new speaks(right and left of 'big' t.v.) because the older ones 'don't look like they belong'!! I love my wife! Only she would want to buy a piece of electronic equipment because it 'looks' better than what we have. But, hey, I'm not one to argue with Rachel ( because she secretly knows kung-fu) especially if she is coaxing me to get home theater equipment... it is usally the other way around.

Anyway, all joking aside, God has blessed me this week with 'stuff' I definitely don't deserve and I thought I'd share my excitement with you all. Hopefully I'll be able to share some of the "media goodness of 'Aaronland'"with you all someday, until then ...............

One More Week!!!...

...Until I get to see the best concert of this year! U2 at the Staples Center next Tuesday! I wish I could bring my digital camera so I could post some awesome pics, but oh well. I'm getting more and more excited...of course to see U2 ,but also to spend some time with Rachel. Plus this last week I saw U2 on MTV's Jammed 'secret ' concert and VH1's Rock and Roll Music Hall of Fame induction of U2. They were both awesome, so I'm gettin' psyched.

Anyway, enough about that, did everyone have a good Easter? I was 'playing' Mr. Mom this weekend because Rach had to work Sat. and Sun. It was tiring but good to spend time with my girls. We went to church on Sunday with my parents, Aunt Rachel and Ms. Nikki Howell and then went to the Redlands park after grabbing fast food. Man, the park was packed! I don't think I've ever seen that much people there, but we still had a great afternoon together... thanks Nikki! :D

Always Unexpected...

So I get an email last week that a close friend of our family (the LeBrun family as a whole) had a heart attack last Thursday on his way back 'home'. His 'home' is in Tepic, Mexico (about 1,000 miles below the border) and his name is Kurt Melberg. You see, Kurt and his family, have been missionairies to Mexico for as long as I can remember bringing the gospel and planting churches among the mountain indian tribes for many years. It was always kind of strange to see this family that all had blond hair, speaking english with a hispanic accent. Anyway, we always hung out with them when they were on furlow visiting churches in the states trying to raise support for thier ministry down south.
Like I said earlier, Kurt and his wife were on their way back home from a trip to the states when he had sudden chest pain. They pulled over in the next town, which only had a 'doctor' and no hospital, who surmised that he quite possibly had a heart attack and will nedd to try and get to the Tepic hospital 4 hours away. He made it and they determined that he, in fact, did have a heart attack gave him some meds and prescribed bed rest.



I just found out that he died today.


This man was a couple of years younger than my dad! I don't really know how to feel right now other than a sense of shock. I feel for his family (wife,three sons and a daughter) but as I'm grieved, the thought (almost comforting, actually) popped into my head, "Aaron, don't be sad because he is no longer here... he is now with Me, where he is in My glory and presence."

Thoughts of my future and my parents and the arrangements that need to be made, have been going through my head over the last couple of years and it is tough thinking of your mortality or your parents mortality or your wife's mortality. Talking about wills and trusts and making sure your kids are provided for in the event you leave this earth before you 'plan' to, are not fun conversations and I despise them, but I know they are necessary if I want my family to be prepared.

I'm sorry for the this morbid, depressing post...but these are the thoughts rambling through my skull at the moment and I need an outlet.

Please keep the Melberg family in prayer or if you can't remember the name..just think about 'those missionairies to Mexico'.

Dan, Becky and the girls at little place we like to call P.F. Changs! 

Her own canvas 
Hannah was left 'unsupervised' for a 'couple' of minutes when she decided to take it upon herself to .... decorate herself.
Now, I don't know if she was trying to put on 'makeup' like mommy (Rachel does not go quite this crazy though) or if she was trying to be artistic, or if this was her way of saying she wanted tattoos like daddy. It was on her eyelids, her feet, arms, and ears...and was pretty hilarious so I had to take pictures. Luckily we foresaw scenarios similar to this and bought washable markers so it came right off in the tub.

Good Times and Talks...

So it has been awhile since I've done a 'lengthy' post and I'm sorry...especially to all of you out there trying to call me and always getting my voicemail! It has been a little bit crazy here with and camps, summer around the corner, and still not enough guy summer staff for what I need this upcoming season. If you think of it, please pray for us in that regard... that the Lord will bring me some quality guys who are passionate about youth and work well (a rare thing to find) and that I will have the faith and patience to wait on God for these staff members we need.
Nikki came up yesterday to clean some of the cabins and she took a 'short' break to see how I was doing in the office. Four hours later we decided to probably get on with the 'rest' of our day. Sorry, Nikki, that I kept you from doing what you needed to do, but it was great to have that conversation with you!

DONE!!!!!

Winter Camps are done and the snow is melting quickly. Springtime is around the corner and summer is around the 'bend'.

Can I get an 'Amen'?

One More to Go...

Seven winter camps down, one more to go! It has been amazing that we have had snow for each and every weekend, which has been unheard of as long as I have been here.
I'm going boarding (snow) tomorrow at Valley with Dan and Becky....they are skiers. We went twice last week and it got real foggy both times, but it was still a blast.
I am ready for springtime though... and summer and the beach and the chaos of camp.
Are there any summer traditions or vacations you guys have done that stick out in your mind as memorable for one reason or another?
On for me was when my family and I went to Morro Bay up the coast... it is a beautiful place that you all should visit if you ar in the San Luis Obispo area. But anyway, we were camping at a campground called Montana de Oro and my dad wanted to do some ocean fishing off of one the natural rock formations on the coastline near the campground. We got to our spot in the morning when I guess the tide was low and started fishing. We didn't catch any fish.... but we did catch two fairly large crabs (surprise, surprise!). We decided to head back to the campsite to show off our prize, when we realized we couldn't get off the rock formation because the tide came in and turned the rock formation into an island! We couldn't swim off for fear of getting smashed against the rock by the waves.... so we sat there and waited... and waited... and waited until late afternoon when it finally went back down and we were able to 'escape'.

Let me tell you... crab never tasted so good!

Tell me your adventure.

@

These are some pics from several week ago when we went to the desert for Valentines Day. Sorry that I'm not current with my pic posts like the 'Ash' man, but enjoy none the less.

Hannah and best bud, Victoria

Asian cheeks

A Year Older And I Think I Feel It...

So my birthday was yesterday, and it is either another year of age that I feel at this moment or the stress my body has endured over this last month. I'm going with the last month! How old are you, some of you may ask... that's for me to know and for you to guess. No, I'm just kidding, I'm now 31. I'm not just thirty, I'm now in the thirties. But you know what they say now... that forty is the new thirty, so I guess that makes me "twenty". Confused yet?

Anyway, the Oscars were also yesterday, so we had people over to watch the Oscars and to celebrate my birthday and Davina's birthday (my sister-in-law's b-day is today). I received some awesome gifts from everyone. Nikki gave me Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind(great movie), Davina and Scott(her fiance) gave me Dawn of the Dead and Shaun of the Dead...the first being scary and the second being downright hilarious, a Barnes & Noble giftcard from my in-laws, Russ an Lisa gave me Lucado's Faith Builders cards for my desk with a neat holder, The Bourne Supremacy and I, Robot from Rachel (in case you hadn't noticed I like movies), and my parents gave me a DVR with TiVo. TiVo here I come. No more commercials, baby! It was a great birthday, but I just felt like I had no energy.

Also, a prayer request. My cousin's wife, Kelly Hall ( from Nashville), has had some pretty serious headaches over the last several weeks... so they went to get her checked out and found through an MRI that she had hemorraging on/in her brain! Which could lead to brain anarism. She is about my age. I'm not yet sure of the course of action they have to take but please think of her when talking to the 'man upstairs'. I'll try and keep you updated.

I'm going to post some pictures now in a different post so see you up above this post! =)

Howell Picture Goodness

This a picture Nikki took a couple of weeks ago during winter camp in the fog. Believe me, this scanned post doesn't do the real picture justice, but I still thought I should share it with you guys.


Those Howells are talented, I tell you what. :)

TO check out roughly how much snow we got, go to Nikki's blog page and see what I mean. It finally stopped yesterday afternoon! Nothing at this point is more defeating than to get the snow all cleaned up (which takes all day on the tractor and in the plow truck) only to have to do it all over again as if you never did anything in the first place.
Hopefully we'll have bright sunny weather for this weekend's winter camp.

....still snowing...

... the backhoe and snow shovel are not my friends...

Rain, Rain, Go Away..Don't Come Back Another Day!

Okay, so it seems that we now can't have a winter camp without some form of wet weather. Today, again, it has rained, snowed, hailed, slushed and fogged. Make up your mind, weather. And Becky just informed me that supposedly it will last until Tuesday!
So this will be another late start for winter camp #5 because of the crawl of traffic and weather that all of the churches have to wade through to get here.

Did everyone have a good Valentines Day? My fam and I went to the desert to be with our friends Sun. and Mon. We spent our Valentines Day with the kids. Real romantic, huh? It was still good though because I got to spend time with the girls which has been in short supply lately with all of the recruiting trips.
I'll post some pics from last weekend when winter camp #5 is over.

Just sitting here in the office waiting for campers......

waiting.....

and then they get here and it's GO, GO, GO, GO ..... then Sunday hits and another one down.

My Last Two Weeks... In Pictures

So these are pictures from my last two weeks. Hope you enjoy!

First, I went to Joshua Wilderness Institute at Hume Lake and got to see my buddy Darin (see pic below). Daniel Skipper went with me to keep me company plus he had two friends he graduated with in the Joshua program. We were on the road longer than we were at Hume but it was a good trip.

Jan. 24th 

Next I went to Cal Baptist on Thursday the 27th and got to see Nikki, Kyle, Heather Gibson, Adrian, Stephanie and some possible future summer staff. Sorry I didn't take pictures of this day, guys.

We then had our second winter camp the next day which was rainy, slushy, snowy, and icy all in the same night. Saturday of our wintercamp you all heard the great news of what happened between J and Amanda at my house and I'm sure saw the pictures of the ring. Then Sunday after winter camp Nikki, Amanda, and Jasen hung out with my fam before Amanda and I headed to BBC the next morning. See below:

J and Amanda loungin' 


Hannah and Leah after nap 


The future 'Ashdizzles' and 'Pooty'. (winter camp joke) 


Nikki take care of 'Cheeks' LeBrun 

The next morning (still dark) Amanda and I left Pondo after having to pull the car out of the ice patch it was parked in with my 4runner. We flew into Springfield that afternoon at about 3:00p.m. Oh, lovely, gray Springfield. Got to hang out with Wess most of the week which a was treat for me and got to see alot of former Pondo staff. Most it seems aren't coming back or are still deciding. If you guys know any of these people push them in the 'right' direction for me, will ya'. It was a good but tiring trip and I miss my family immensely as I'm sure Amanda also missed Jasen.


John 


Brittany 


Daniel 


Erin. 


Amanda or Zoolander? 


Wess and I 

We came back Thursday the 3rd (also Ben's birthday for those of you who didn't know) and then did the winter camp thing all over again the next day. We had Steve Solomon this weekend and he is always awesome. His boys are sooo cool especially hearing his oldest, Zach(6), do Napoleon Dynamite impersonations.
We (the fam and I) went to the Skippers today to watch the Super Bowl with them, the Kovars and Nikki. I'm glad at least it was a close game even though I wnated the Eagles to win.

Tomorrow I leave at 7 am to head to Biola for two days for more recruiting (it never ends) to try and find some people dedicated to doing ministry well. Please if you think of it, keep me in prayer for guidance and wisdom.
I'm also looking forward to hanging with my homeboy, Ben.

So hope you enjoyed the pics... maybe more will be here next week...who knows. Until that time... peace


..and I miss you guys!