.:Random Adam:.

MOVED

2009-11-19T21:25:00.006-06:00

I've moved my blog posts. Check out the continued posts here:

http://D3Y0.blogspot.com

Day 1 - Grandma Arrives!

2009-11-07T21:31:00.000-06:00

(First-time) Grandma arrives!!!

Best pic of the day. I looked down and Logan sends me a message. :)

Logan's Birth

2009-11-06T17:00:00.004-06:00

After Holly received her epidural at 2.30am, we tried settling down to get some rest before pushing. I slept terribly...bits and pieces of sleep here and there. During one of those sleeps, though, I was awakened around 7am by the stirring of nurses and Dr. Loeb entering and leaving our room. I was VERY out of it and had to take quite a bit of time to understand what was going on. Holly was whispering to me that she was going to be pushing really soon, so, at the prompting of the nurses, I got up and grabbed one of Holly's legs to get her in the birthing position. After a half-hour of pushing, I suddenly remembered that I had wanted to record Logan's first cries, so I quickly turned to get the camera recording just as he was being born...

LOGAN WAYNE CARMICHAEL

2009-11-06T11:01:00.007-06:00

Logan Wayne was born at 7.31am on Nov 6th. Mom was in labor for 41 hours. We arrived at the hospital at 10pm on Nov 5th, and water was broken 20 minutes later. A long, sleepless night was rewarded with his arrival after only 30 minutes of pushing!

Mere seconds after birth.

bill cosby on child birth

2009-11-05T20:41:00.001-06:00

putting the kid to the test

2009-11-04T15:27:00.004-06:00

Hols hasn't been feeling well for the past few days. Nausea and overall discomfort are keeping her from eating and drinking fluids in confidence that she'll be able to keep them down. The baby hasn't been quite as active recently either, so, we consulted the doctor, and she scheduled a non-stress test to make sure he was okay.

The monitor shows the baby's movement (based on heart rate) on the top graph, and Holly's contractions are tracked on the bottom graph. We were able to hear his heart beat and activity in the womb for the duration of the test. Holly was very encouraged to feel that much closer to him by hearing him in addition to feeling him.

The test results showed that he's quite active and responsive. He's just chilling until his time comes. :) Holly thinks he comes tomorrow. We'll see!

milky way

2009-10-31T10:43:00.004-05:00

In honor of Halloween, here is a photograph of the Milky Way galaxy. What's cool about this photo is that it is a panorama of more than 3,000 individual photos composed by Dr. Axel Mellinger of Central Michigan University. He traveled more than 26,000 miles to places like South Africa to collect all of the digital photos. He claims this panorama is 1,000 times brighter than what we would see with the naked eye and boasts that no stargazer could see this complete image from any one point on earth.

38 WEEKS

2009-10-30T10:53:00.005-05:00

Whew! We've made it another week. Two more to go until the due date.

The kiddo has really be plumping up since most organ development is finished, the rest of the time is spent giving him some additional insulation to prep for the colder fall weather to which he'll be introduced before long. He should be nearly 7 pounds and 19.5 inches long.

Holly has been spending her days at home trying to relax and rest. She wants to be as prepared as possible physically, emotionally and spiritually for the time when he comes. I'm trying my best to accommodate on a level higher than an "as needed" basis. Being the first time for both us, the latter months of pregnancy are proving to be anxious and longing for his coming. We are trusting GOD that He has put together this beautiful person and that He'll usher him to his new life in due time.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother's womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous--how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed. --Psalm 139.13-16 NLT

more install

2009-10-26T21:11:00.002-05:00

THIRTY-SEVEN WEEKS

2009-10-23T21:17:00.003-05:00

We've reached the baby's full term of development! Our goal was to get to this point, so his lungs would be fully developed and very capable of adaptation to breathing. We're preparing for him to come at any time, but, if he wants to cook a bit longer, that's okay by us...it'll help him chunk up a bit more. And he'll need the extra insulation because it's gonna be a cold winter.

He weighs 6-1/3 pounds and is around 19 inches in length. I'm beginning to wonder which facial features he's inherited from which parent...and if he has a big head of hair or peach fuzz.

Holly continues to experience Braxton Hicks contractions...some more intense than others depending on if she's been on her feet for a while or not. She's not working anymore, so rest and preparation are popular (in-)activities. Doctor's appointments continue to show good health for both mom and baby! PTL!

further renovation

2009-10-22T23:23:00.002-05:00

The downstairs bathroom renovation has moved outside. Tonight, I cut a hole through the side of the house and into the bathroom to accommodate an four-inch hose for the exhaust fan I'm installing.

Dear Timothy...

2009-10-21T18:19:00.007-05:00

I'm a few months behind (again) getting projects posted, and this post is from late August '09. Transitioning from the Fruit of the Spirit series, I removed the colored tiles and reused the backlit shelves to light the main display for the next series, "Dear Timothy...". The 17-week series is an expositional look at Paul's letters to Timothy, specifically, the first letter. So, the stage display was supposed to show a parchment-like surface with the "hand-written" beginning to the letter.

Since I wasn't about to look nor pay for two 10x7.5-foot sheets of parchment, I sought the alternative, which led me to good ole muslin. Found a bolt of muslin at the fabric store for $20. DEAL! $$$ The muslin looked rather clean and I wanted to add some texture to it to make it more paper-like. So, it was soaked in tea for a few hours and bunched up to add more wrinkles.

After drying it was time to transport the series branding to the muslin, which was done by creating a transparency, displayed by an old overhead, traced with pencil, then painted by the loverly Holly Faye.

While she was busy tracing and painting, I was prepping the stage with all of the lights I wanted to use. In all, 110 lights were used.

And the finished product...

more landscaping!

2009-10-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

All right...so the temps have been near 70 the past few days. The window for completing outdoor projects was open, so I jumped on the opportunity. The label of "finished" is now getting clearer on this landscaping wall project. But now, I'm losing daylight, so it's time to call it a day.

plague!

2009-10-19T14:21:00.002-05:00

Warm weather today has spawned a brood of ladybugs outside. Hundreds and hundreds of them, and they're finding their way inside. Hopefully the gallon of bug spray I bought will keep them at bay.

the best part about morning...

2009-10-17T09:20:00.002-05:00

...is still breakfast.

36 WEEKS - the home stretch!

2009-10-16T15:24:00.005-05:00

Well, we had our first false alarm yesterday. Holly had her weekly checkup with the doctor, and the doctor must've pushed a button because Baby wanted out. Holly started having some contractions after the appointment and, later that afternoon, had some subtle hints that her water had broken. Thankfully, the doctor was still at her office that evening, so I got Holly back to see her (and save us a trip to the hospital). Turns out her water was still intact, and the contractions have lessened. So, this was a good rehearsal for us--the car is loaded with the essentials, we have extra batteries for our cameras, etc.

Meanwhile, the kid is 36 weeks along, and he's now set a LOT lower in the womb. He's not trying to kick Holly's ribs out now. The doctor believes he'll be arriving before the end of the month...not mid-November. Holly is full-term in a week, so we're pushing to get to 37 weeks. Any time thereafter is great for us. My mom is ready to pack up once we go home after the birth and help us with her first grandkid. :) We're pretty much ready to go!

nesting!

2009-10-15T09:54:00.001-05:00

Busy sorting through the bounty of gifts for Baby...

future red wings fan

2009-10-14T20:57:00.001-05:00

Just won this auction on eBay. My little man is gonna be a Wing!

more MUTEMATH photos

2009-10-13T21:03:00.001-05:00

SWEET photos of MUTEMATH recently at Club Nokia in SoCal. By Max Roper.

what a tangled mess I weave

2009-10-12T20:53:00.000-05:00

Continued work on the downstairs bathroom...

and so it begins...

2009-10-10T11:29:00.001-05:00

Oct 10...first day of snowfall...

the kiddo at 35 WEEKS

2009-10-09T19:43:00.004-05:00

Oh my...it's been 35 weeks already! The lil' stinker's growing a lot, and he's beginning to tell us that he wants out. Holly is constantly being afflicted by his kicking her ribs and squishing into her hip. It may be comfy in there, but it sure ain't cozy! He's up to 18 inches long (from my elbow to my palm!) and weighs just over 5 pounds (nearly a ripe honeydew).

Holly is still doing really well despite the beating she takes from our little Olympian. Her stamina continues to dwindle less and less, so she's cutting back on a lot of activities. But her nesting keeps her active...even though the baby's room is pretty close to prepped. We (ahem...I) still have several house projects that we need to knock off the list before he comes, though (and before the cold weather settles here).

hmm...

2009-10-08T19:39:00.001-05:00

This from a recent e-mail I received...

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like [Hurricane Katrina] happen?' Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

Preach it sister...preach.

MUTEMATH @ People's Court

2009-10-02T19:57:00.009-05:00

Paul with keytar atop his keyboard.
Typical
Stare At The Sun with Roy on upright.
Paul and Darren during Pins and Needles.
Darren during Reset standing on his kick drum being held up by the crowd. :)
Bye, guys...thanks for checking out Iowa.

java joe's

2009-10-01T16:21:00.005-05:00

Waiting for the MUTEMATH show in downtown Des Moines, so we hit up Java Joe's. Scenery very reminiscent of Yesterdog back in Grand Rapids. This place decorates with used stage props and backdrops from the adjacent 4th Street Theater. They serve common coffee shop munchies, but also ice cream, a wide assortment of beer, and they also roast their own beans. Odd muzak too...anything from the Hairspray soundtrack to Reba Mcentire and classical opera. I need to introduce them to MUTEMATH...

it's beginning to look a lot like...

2009-09-30T16:44:00.002-05:00

For five seconds I considered this little gadget for Parkview's Christmas season. Okay...six seconds.

retaining wall almost done

2009-09-13T20:54:00.002-05:00

The temporary finished retaining wall. Since I build the wall out away from the foundation, I have to find some fill dirt. The most annoying and challenging part is leveling every brick, but the brick layers on top of the base layer stack nicely once the foundation is true. The funnest part is the roof gutter drains from the wall, so it hides the pipe and keeps the yard looking tidy.

I needed to thin the number of layers as the wall reached the gas meter and air conditioner.

landscaping work

2009-09-12T17:09:00.004-05:00

These are some older pics, but this work was allowed to happen because the weather has been so cool here this summer. I believe the two days I worked on this, the temp didn't even hit 70 degrees and it was cloudy the whole day. PERFECT for outdoor work.

This project replaces large railroad ties that were built with 12" nails for use as a retaining wall. After removing most of the ties (and discarding them with the dumpster we had during the roofing project), I was able to rebuild the wall with landscape bricks that don't attract bugs and won't deteriorate as quickly as wood. The bricks also look cleaner and allow for curves to contrast the straight lines and 90 degree angles of the house.

Robin returned to check on my work...maybe even snatch a quick meal.

fruit of the spirit design

2009-09-08T12:15:00.005-05:00

This should've been posted more than a month ago, but here are some pics of the stage design for the Fruit of the Spirit series last month.

I wanted to mimic the tile-style design on the stage backwall, which were painted with more warm, earth-tone colors to match the rest of the colors in the room. So, I built Jeopardy-esque shelves--5x5 spaces at a 4:3 ratio. Each unit stood 92" tall, spanning 120" in length and 12" deep. Each space was backlit with little kitchen cabinet lights.
Used aluminum drywall outside corners as the track for lights and cable management.

The lights came from IKEA, and their setup allows up to six lights being plugged into a single wall plug.

Then added light gel filters with some paper to diffuse the backlight. The colors came pretty close to matching the backwall paint colors.

Definitely a four-sided shape theme going here.

What the tiles look like all lit up.

The last touch was setting some par lights with shutters and the same gel colors...then focusing them on the backwall tiles to give the appearance those tiles are similarly lit as the sides.

biblical social network

2009-09-07T22:27:00.000-05:00

The next installment of Chris Harrison's biblical data visualizations. This visual focuses on people and places throughout the Bible and the way in which they interact. So, taking 2,619 names and, if a name occurred twice in one verse, a connection was made.

Any name that happens 40 or less times is drawn at an angle; names with 40 or more times are drawn horizontally. The larger the name size, the more connections are made.

Interesting to see David and Jesus occurring adjacent to each other.

visualizing the Bible

2009-09-06T11:24:00.005-05:00

Here is a beautiful depiction of Bible cross references by Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild, a Lutheran pastor.

The bar graph along the bottom shows each chapter in the Bible (the bar length shows the length of each chapter). The white/gray colors above the bar show each respective book of the Bible. The color of each arc shows the distance between the connecting chapters.

In total, there are 63,779 cross references!

nesting begins!

2009-09-05T09:20:00.003-05:00

We borrowed the family carpet cleaner...a) because we NEED to clean our carpets and b) because we're starting to put the baby room together!

We also put the crib together as our inaugural furnishing to the room.

30 weeks

2009-09-04T22:12:00.001-05:00

I've been very sparse in my blogging lately, and I'm backed up with content to post, so, hopefully, I'll hit a good stretch here to get caught up.

Little Carmichael is now in his third trimester and 30 weeks along. He's almost 16 inches long (probably closer to a foot-and-a-half if he caught the Carmichael height gene!) and weighs as much as three pounds.

The eyes continue to develop more keenly at this point. He is born with 20/400 vision, which means he can only see short distances. It also means close cuddling and nursing are incredibly important for facial recognition.

The little tyke is really active in the womb. Holly often feels movement (as do I) and is now able to discern body parts as they are pushed up against her belly. The coolest feeling is when he rubs his arm across the womb as he stretches...it's more than just a kick or punch when you feel a full gesture. Holly likes to play a responsive game with him--if he's pressing against a certain spot on her belly, she'll respond by pressing that same spot toward him. Sometimes he returns with a shove. :)

He rests very low in the womb (supposedly a great sign of a favorable birth later) but ends of cramping Holly's organs and even momentary paralysis because he's got his foot against her spine or something. Pretty riveting stuff!

Holly is also beginning to feel restless and antsy. Assuming this is the nesting stage settling in, we've begun preparing the baby's quarters.

adding to the fad

2009-08-19T11:35:00.002-05:00

An updated video on social media...

BUSY

2009-07-30T19:21:00.001-05:00

Things are busy...a look at my office...

wedding dance craze

2009-07-24T08:38:00.006-05:00

This video has been all over the Web, and it's so much fun...

Even NBC picked up on it and invited the wedding couple to the TODAY show...

And I can't help but beg the question...why can't this be like church? I mean, sure, the wedding is viewed as a celebration of the people getting hitched, and that's where the attention would be. But what if church was powered by something creative instead of mundane...amazing but still compelling...?

life without Brita

2009-07-21T11:41:00.002-05:00

This image from Living Water International really grabbed my attention...

different perspective

2009-07-04T21:02:00.002-05:00

American holidays always bring out the repeated phrase: "God bless America".

I wonder what would happen is America blessed God...?

more recent baby pics

2009-07-03T17:15:00.004-05:00

20 Weeks, 6 Days.

we're having a BOY!!!!!

2009-07-02T17:46:00.000-05:00

20 Weeks!

2009-06-26T22:23:00.000-05:00

Well, we've arrived at the midway point! 20 weeks into the pregnancy, Hols has gained 3 inches to her belly and is running out of clothes that fit comfortably. Vomiting has tapered off quite a bit, too...maybe once or twice a week now. We have an appointment with Holly's doctor on Monday, and, from there, we'll be scheduling our 4-D ultrasound to check on the kiddo.

This week this baby is about 10 ounces in weight and the length of a banana.

further reaction to Coach Thomas' death

2009-06-25T01:52:00.010-05:00

This news has reached all corners of the nation, including a large number of sports news websites and even European news sources.

Closer to home here are some reactions from those who knew Coach Thomas...

“He always preached to be willing to look to one another for support. We will do that. We will move on.” --Jon Thompson, Aplington-Parkersburg Superintendent, gazetteonline.com

"Coach Thomas was very special to me and many other young men from the Aplington-Parkersburg communities. His legacy for many will be associated with his tremendous success as a football coach. However, I believe his greatest legacy comes not in how many football games he won or lost but in the fact that he was a committed follower of Jesus Christ. He lived his life trying to exemplify this faith and convey those values to those under his influence. His faith in Christ pervaded everything he did and that is why in the midst of the heartache we all feel there is comfort in knowing he is with his Savior." --Aaron Kampman, Green Bay Packers DE and former A-P football player, packers.com

I read one account that said Coach would pray with his players before every game. Doing so on public school property would be shunned, but he didn't care.

"In his more than 33 years as a coach and teacher in Parkersburg, Thomas taught teamwork and relying on the support and help of others . . . That ingrained attitude helped Parkersburg residents bounce back from the EF-5 tornado that destroyed about one-third of the town a little more than a year ago, and it will help them work through this latest tragedy." --Bob Haylock, Parkersburg Mayor, gazetteonline.com

"I’d sooner have another tornado than this." --Vinton Christopherson, neighbor to the football field named after Coach Thomas, gazetteonline.com

"Heaven just got a great football coach and an even better man." --Jared DeVries, Detroit Lions DE and former A-P football player, espn.com

in honor of the late Coach Ed Thomas

2009-06-24T11:11:00.006-05:00

Aplington-Parkersburg head football coach Ed Thomas was murdered this morning while overseeing a weight lifting session of 50 high school students. An unknown adult male walked into the session and shot Coach Thomas to death, including once in the head. He died a short time later after arriving at the hospital.

Coach Thomas was the 2005 NFL High School Coach of the Year. His combined record during his 37-year coaching career was 292-84. He coached four students that currently play in the NFL, including Aaron Kampman, a defensive end for the Green Bay Packers.

More prominent than his coaching fame was his impact on the community. A beloved leader who sought more than football titles, Coach Thomas made an even greater impact on his community following the E-F5 tornado that wiped out half of Parkersburg, including the high school, just over one year ago.

The following ESPN e:60 documentary features Coach Thomas and the story of how he inspired the rebuilding of a broken community.

severe to serene

2009-06-23T21:41:00.012-05:00

pics I took of the inbound storms this afternoon (except the following radar image)...

...incoming shelf cloud...

...not sure what's happening here with the darker plooms coming off the cloud...

...not looking good...

...definitely not good...but this is still my favorite shot...

...following the storm were these really serene images...a full double rainbow, and a rare, awe-striking Iowa sunset...

shower wall repair

2009-06-20T22:45:00.004-05:00

A long day spent repairing a spent tile shower wall. Moisture damage ruined the tile work and the drywall behind the tile. So, everything had to be ripped out. Tough project to work on because it was the only working shower in a house of five adults. Still some work yet to do, but it's enough for one day...and enough for showers to happen.

nineteen weeks along

2009-06-19T20:00:00.005-05:00

Halfway through the full term! Kiddo's now the size of a large heirloom tomato.

Pretty cool description of what's happening with Baby according to Babycenter.com...

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! His brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to him, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

sign of the times

2009-06-16T22:50:00.002-05:00

Holly has my previous laptop...a four-year-old DELL Inspiron 9100 hand-me-down with 2.80 GHz Intel Pentium 4.

Today, she tried downloading an iTunes movie that is 2.42 GB. After three hours at home, she had only acquired 20 MB of the movie (that's .8% of the movie, by the way) on a 7 Mb home hookup.

I took the DELL to work to see if a T1 connection would increase the download speed. Not much improvement...she still would've needed an additional 238 HOURS to finish.

I carried the download over to my two-year-old MacBook Pro. On the same T1 connection, the 2.42 GB movie took only 115 minutes to download.

TWO YEARS of technology was the difference between a 14,280-minute download time and 115 minutes. Definitely a sign of the times.

And I won't even go into the PC vs. Mac debate...

MUTE MATH TOUR DATES RELEASED

2009-06-16T14:14:00.006-05:00

Suh-WEET!

MUTE MATH just released their '09 Tour, and they're making a stop at People's Court in Des Moines on Oct 1st!

They're also playing the House of Blues in Chicago on Oct 18th, and the Orbit Room in Grand Rapids, MI on Oct 20th.

A MUST-SEE SHOW!

18 weeks!

2009-06-14T10:17:00.006-05:00

Kiddo is now the size of a bell pepper and has grown Holly's belly enough to show a bit of a bulge. Pants don't fit well anymore. But the morning sickness is now starting to subside...only a few rough, vomitous mornings per week.

Tthe time has come to find out if Hols is cookin' a boy or girl; the genitals are now in place and noticeable. Our ultrasound appt has yet to be scheduled, though, some time at the end of the month. Since Week 2 Hols' confidence still stands that she's growing a baby boy, but we'll see.

camping

2009-06-13T15:41:00.006-05:00

Hols and I camped with our small group at the Coralville reservoir last night. some broke out the camo...

but everyone broke out the foil meals...

...including corn on (soon to be 'off') the cobb...

...and steamed salmon and zucchini and squash. Hols did an amazing work with this food.

Bryan and Betsy with their meals...

then it started raining...Thaddeus checking the radar courtesy of his iPhone...and it didn't look good...

s'more-making...improvised.

but we kept the fire roaring, otherwise the cool rainy night would've stuck us in our tents all night.

after an all-night rain, I went for an early-morning hike and discovered year-old evidence of the Flood of '08.

this pathway staircase was washed out after water overran the reservoir spillway.

the fossil gorge immediately proceeds the spillway...

camp breakfast ROCKS...bacon, eggs, pancakes, fresh coffee, OJ, grapes...

michaelangelo

2009-06-11T18:03:00.000-05:00

Found this guy paddling down the road shoulder this afternoon...

COOL story out of Canada

2009-06-10T12:21:00.007-05:00

Really cool interview here with 88-year-old Mayor Hazel McCallion, who has been in office for 31 years and runs a debt-free city. And she still plays HOCKEY! "Not bad, eh?"

raising THE Cup

2009-06-09T09:28:00.001-05:00

This is such a great commercial. Here's to the Wings doing exactly this TONIGHT!

one year ago

2009-06-08T15:11:00.006-05:00

It's now been one year since the '08 Flood devastated our church building...

...but the church itself overcame, and, six months later, we re-garrisoned the building. Really amazing GOD story.

colorful stage

2009-06-07T13:39:00.005-05:00

The inspiration? ... it's SUMMERTIME!

get outta town

2009-06-06T23:55:00.003-05:00

Hols and I escaped to Chicago for a quick IKEA trip. Love this girl.

We also made a stop at Red Robin. I wore a Red Wings shirt to Chicago...Red Wings defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in the Conference Finals a week-and-a-half back. Had to brag a bit...or a lot. Got a handful of "GO WINGS!" chants from people, a couple of boo's. But my favorite was the manager at Red Robin threatened to body check me into the booth.

Hols had see food.

It's the LEGO Store!

baby :: week 17

2009-06-05T13:03:00.004-05:00

Baby's skeleton has now begun to harden from cartilage. The umbilical cord is getting stronger and thicker...good thing 'cause Baby is gonna start packing on more pounds. Joints are movable now and the sweat glands have begun forming...the sweat glands!

Now about five ounces in weight, Baby is the size of a turnip!

continued bathroom project

2009-06-04T18:37:00.004-05:00

Still ripping stuff out of the basement bathroom in preparation to frame in the tub. Almost there...

squirrely squirrely squirrel

2009-06-03T12:49:00.000-05:00

stage design trussing ideas

2009-06-02T14:52:00.005-05:00

Seeking some ideas for stage design involving upright trussing. Cool ideas...

added to the list...

2009-06-01T23:27:00.000-05:00

On top of all of the other projects happening around the house, suddenly another project has landed on the list. The soap dish ripped tile off the shower wall. Great... Stupid soap dish...

the bed is made

2009-05-31T20:01:00.006-05:00

...almost there...

BEFORE
AFTER

week 16

2009-05-30T09:32:00.005-05:00

We've reached Week 16 in Holly's term...that's 40% through! So far so good...minus the nausea. Baby is now 4.5" long (the size of an avocado), is now developing a scalp and even growing toenails! I drew a cartoon of the kiddo....(okay, not really).....

Starting to bulge a little bit!

hillsong U almost on top

2009-05-29T12:56:00.005-05:00

Just downloaded Hillsong United's new album. These guys are rockin' it from Australia and regularly tour the states. Have to catch them sometime.

Anyway, iTunes reports their album is sitting at #2 on album downloads passing Keith Urban and quickly catching up with Eminem's new album, which currently sits at #1. Pretty sweet. :)

the WHOLE world is in His hands

2009-05-29T11:20:00.005-05:00

Great new video from Igniter Media...

[PLEASE NOTE: there are some graphic images]

dog days of summer

2009-05-29T09:41:00.003-05:00

...continuing my apparent animal blogging theme...

Robin

2009-05-28T16:43:00.007-05:00

I made a new friend today. His name is Robin. He hung out with me whilst working on some front yard landscaping (more on that later).

We cranked up some Creed and Smashing Pumpkins whilst he supervised my work and ate pretty much every wormy, grubby, sub-surface crawler I unearthed.

He was with me the whole afternoon, too, except when he flew away a few times....probably to poop on my house all that he had eaten. I could swear I was watching this feasting fowl grow by the hour.

just for fun...

2009-05-26T11:28:00.002-05:00

conf final beard

2009-05-17T14:20:00.004-05:00

The playoff beard as of Conference Final faceoff...

...compared to the beginning of Conference Semi-Finals...

Mac & PC at it again

2009-05-16T12:39:00.002-05:00

more shots around the church building

2009-05-08T00:03:00.004-05:00

Love the carpet strips in the book holders...

Finally, a real testament to Tech guys everywhere and their nomadic work at and away from the console...always getting up and sitting down...over and over...

the ugly side of church technology

2009-05-07T21:25:00.003-05:00

I'm teching a wedding this weekend in a church building I had never before visited, and I was introduced to my audio setup this afternoon. And suddenly I'm reminded there's an ugly side of church technology systems...the side that doesn't have a budget much less very little maintenance. I knew I should've packed my soldering iron.

home

2009-05-07T11:10:00.000-05:00

it's good to be home.

Playoff Beard: Round 2

2009-04-30T13:14:00.000-05:00

My playoff beard going into Round 2 of NHL playoffs. Hols hates the scruff...and reminds me every day. :)

kiddo

2009-04-28T12:47:00.007-05:00

Well, here are our first views of the kiddo! Holly is 10 weeks and 3 days along at the time. Our due date is November 13th. The nurses were boasting that we have a perfect looking baby! AMAZING to be able to see digits and distinguishable facial components. :)

before & after (no, it's not Wheel of Fortune)

2009-04-27T07:55:00.009-05:00

Just for reference here's some before and after pics of the roof...

BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER

roofing :: day three

2009-04-26T17:15:00.002-05:00

Well, not much to speak of today after finishing the roof yesterday, but I did get some pics of the finished product...

A good look at the new ridge vent.

The skylight from the roof...reminds me of a vent opening to a camping trailer. :)

A great-looking roof!

Interesting shot of "new" atop the "old".

Strong storms a'coming!

The 20-foot dumpster FULL.

Pics of an almost finished pathway thanks to my parents' hard work...

Here's a good look of what the skylight offers our bathroom, which, previously, had no exterior light and was only lit during the day by a nightlight.

Now, it's time to clean out the gutters from last season's leaves and whatever roofing materials trickled into the downspouts. I think some of the tubes are jammed up, and more strong storms are on their way. One project always leads to another!

roofing :: day two

2009-04-25T18:45:00.000-05:00

No pics of the roof today because we were working with our backs against the wall with the weather. We awoke at 6am to the sound of rain and thunder. Thankfully, we prepped the roof to resist precipitation by tar papering what we couldn't finish shingling. The weather stormed for a little while, then moved on giving us our window to get back to work. The weather afterward was on-and-off showery, but we kept working knowing that stronger storms were in the forecast.

We finished shingling around 1pm...this after stripping the roof well before lunch yesterday! I was blown away with the speed at which we were working. There were still a few smaller things to polish like the flashing around the chimney as well as finishing the new skylight installed over the bathroom.

Another project involved installing a new exhaust fan for the bathroom. The skylight was installed in the same opening as the original exhaust fan (because it was centered on the ceiling), so I moved the fan over the shower tub and toilet.

My parents and a few others got started installing a three-foot landscape pathway leading from our driveway to the backyard patio. It's looking great so far! Should be able to polish that project by midday tomorrow.

I have to give mad props, too, to the crew that helped clean the yard from all of the trash we were pushing off the roof. Just as amazing as the short amount of time it took to finish the roof was the cleanup that finished around the same time as the roof work. If people found out how fast everyone was working, we might be getting a few calls from people for their own new, fast roof!

Now it's time for homemade lasagna and cheddar bay biscuits in a packed kitchen!

roofing :: day one

2009-04-24T22:15:00.002-05:00

FINALLY getting to reroofing the house. An early start awoke a terrible-looking roof.

Some sheathing needed to be replaced, and we patched the roof vent holes to prep for ridge vents.

And just like that, we're laying tar paper!

Totally different look to our disgusting roof.

New architectural shingles.

Jason rockin' the roof!

Perfectly sunny and hot day (the house thermometer said mid-80s).

Working hard AND hardly working!

work night by painter's light

2009-04-17T18:03:00.001-05:00

It's Friday night, sunny and 75 degrees outside. Yet I reside in my basement continuing the bathroom renovation. Now that I have the shut-off valves installed (below), I can now demo the shower stall wall (2nd below in the cyan oblique). After that's done, it's time to prep for drywall and tiling. This project won't be finished by next week. *sigh

it's that time again...PLAYOFF BEARD!

2009-04-16T20:39:00.000-05:00

Shortly following March Madness is pro hockey playoffs!

This also means the traditional playoff beard now starts growing. Holly is not a fan of facial hair, but tradition is tradition. I'm also observing my tradition of wearing some form of Detroit Red Wings paraphernalia every day...be it a baseball cap, jersey, boxers...whatever. So, the next two months will be a lot of red clothing and itchy faces.

First Wings game is tonight! GO WINGS!

yet another project

2009-04-15T13:00:00.003-05:00

Yet another project added to the 12-mile-long list. This one is making a pathway from the driveway to the backyard patio. We've absorbed another resident (and two more moving in next weekend), so I made a backdoor access for them. The pathway (once it's finished) will, hopefully, make the trip to the backyard slightly easier and drier by not walking through the grass on wet days or dewwy nights.

The project also involves moving some vegetation away from the side of the house because these veggies get very large, and the moisture and bug life isn't good to have right up to the house. So those plants were moved away and will create a flower bed along the pathway.

After a couple hours of work, the pathway takes shape, and the plants are moved.

It's a messy job.

EASTER

2009-04-12T09:56:00.003-05:00

good friday

2009-04-10T22:38:00.004-05:00

INRI

2009-04-10T15:35:00.004-05:00

My wonderful, lovely (and PREGNANT) wife graciously burned the INRI sign with a fine-tipped soldering iron. Quite the finishing touch to a long-lasting project. Now to tack it to the cross...nearly time for our first Good Friday service.

tree re-erected

2009-04-09T23:07:00.002-05:00

It's been a busy week, so I haven't posted much lately. But I came to a milestone tonight erecting the cross.
We pre-drilled holes in the tree stump and traced the holes and truck perimeter to paper. Then, we used the paper as a drilling stencil on stage so that the trunk holes and stage holes lined up. 10" lags were used along with angle brackets fastened to the stage floor joists under the stage.

Needless to say space is tight, as Robert models here. And it's VERY dusty, too, as modeled by my camera.

And there it is...re-erected as before...sorta. It's 12' tall by 6' wide and is evenly centered. Could hold a man. Now to lighting.

crafting a cross

2009-04-07T18:22:00.005-05:00

Finally got the trees out of the woods (thanks to Scott and Greg). Looking at a 12-foot tall by 6-foot wide cross, which amounts to about 250 lbs of weight. HEAVY...and messy.

Much thanks goes to Robert, who's volunteered a LOT of time and provided a bunch of his personal tools to make this happen!

new communionware

2009-04-02T15:34:00.003-05:00

I just put an order in for these gorgeous, handmade communion sets. Adam and Debra Ocepek run Ocepek Pottery out of their home in Ohio making these stoneware chalices, patens (plates) and flagons (a pitcher, basically). They're quite busy this time of year, and they were happy to hook me up and even get them to me by early next week!

Now we'll have something a bit more authentic for our communion celebrations instead of the shiny, stainless steelware sets. Excitement ensues.

great font

2009-04-01T09:47:00.003-05:00

I'm liking the name of this font. Makes me think of Metallica, whom I like, and, from whom the font name is derived from their song Master Of Puppets, the Muppets, whom I really like, and pastors...yeah, they're okay, I guess. But really, how many pastors must think that some people are like Muppets?

tree update

2009-03-31T18:04:00.004-05:00

An update on the tree cutting. I ended up cutting four trees down--the original tree I found, another tree I found to use as the vertical part of the cross, and two more trees that prevented the first two trees from falling to the ground.

The target tree down...
And the additional tree with some future firewood (since I already had the chainsaw crankin')...

tree shopping

2009-03-27T11:13:00.008-05:00

So, I'm tree shopping...but not for a Christmas tree...a crucifixion tree. Something that's pretty straight, not too big but not too small. Something with great texture. Something more on the dead and colorless side as opposed to new and colorful. Since spring really hasn't sprung yet in Iowa, the harvest is plentiful...and the church just happens to own property with a lot of trees.

We have a winner...
Texture is PERFECT.
Check out the branch of this tree. If I was to viciously slay someone on a tree, this one fits the bill. (Yikes, that makes me feel so violent...It was my sin that held Him there until it was accomplished...)
Now to find a chainsaw (yep, I'm definitely violent)...

images from fargo

2009-03-25T09:57:00.007-05:00

Inside the Fargo Dome.
Outside the Fargo Dome.

red river rising

2009-03-24T11:40:00.001-05:00

Wow...I am blown away with the proportion of rising flood waters near Fargo, ND. Areas surrounding the Red River are desperately scrambling to fight off flood waters that, between yesterday and today, rose five feet--FIVE FEET--which could set a new all-time record. Flood stage at that river is 18.5 feet, and it's expected to crest as high as 41.5 feet.

Sand-bagging efforts have led to an interlocking erosion control wall made of heavy steel frames then filled with sand--a method that was used during last year's floods here in Iowa. Last I read, 70% of their sandbag needs have been fulfilled with the National Guard as well as college students, whose classes were canceled, coming onto the scene to help. The goal is to fill two million sandbags.

We're nearing the one-year mark of our major flood from 2008. Seeing this event unfold has been quite foreboding.

still dancin'

2009-03-22T22:44:00.000-05:00

My bracket definitely took a shot this past weekend, but it's still alive. Both Arizona teams have been a pleasant surprise, although AZ State was ousted yesterday. Villanova has been playing as strong as any one-seeded team. I underestimated Kansas to really make a bid for defending their championship from last year as well as Syracuse because of their poor play in the paint. I overestimated West Virginia, UCLA and Wake Forest thinking they'd squeak into the Sixteen. Still, my Sweet Sixteen predictions are 12-4. We'll see how my Final Four predictions lay out later this week (UNC, Louisville, Memphis, Pitt).

Good Friday look

2009-03-21T11:04:00.008-05:00

Here's a sketch of what I'm envisioning for our Good Friday services.

The biggest hurdle we have is that we're holding Good Friday AND Easter services in the same room this year, so that means a potentially large turnaround getting set for Easter once GF is finished. What's more...we have a dress rehearsal for Easter at 9am the morning after GF, so the turnaround will need to be pretty fluid.

That in mind, I went with a more Halloween-esque look with the black cyc and drape suspended from ceiling trussing. This material would cover most of the Easter setup, so we'd only need to turn around one-half of the stage for the next morning. I'd like to prop some boxes under the material on the stage floor for candles and other small props.

The central element is a pending-construction cross (go fig). It's kind of a Two-Face Harvey approach with one side being the rugged, railroad tie wood texture; the other side being very clean, finished birch wood look. The idea is the rugged side would face the room for GF then be turned around to the restored look for Easter.

Some isolated par cans located along the proscenium would accent the texture of the fabric. Uplights at the base of the cross would accent the wood texture.

during the time it took me to post this blog...

2009-03-20T15:28:00.003-05:00

This video was shared in our Communications meeting today. Pretty staggering statistics.

"What does it all mean?"

1. It means that alien technology was recovered from Roswell in 1947 and has been harvested toward our own technological advances, and...
2. The Wachowski brothers were right...we are headed toward the dawn of a technological revolution.

Okay, okay...enough propoganda.

Seriously, though, I think recent technology has been the best and worst thing to happen to us. We may very well live and die by it. And, if we're pining for more of it all the time, soon, we'll be consumed by it (if we aren't already). This poses a MASSIVE obstacle for the Church. I believe the Church will either continue to struggle keeping up with technology to stay mainstream, or it will dismiss all (or most) of its technological endeavors and assume a New Testament structure in order to maintain its values and traditions. The Church may never again be the sanctum it once was a couple hundred years ago.

a fresh touch

2009-03-19T21:02:00.000-05:00

I like to make things new. Quick visual project for this weekend's message.

BEFORE

AFTER

Obama picks 'em!

2009-03-18T13:18:00.006-05:00

I love this. Obama made his bracket picks.

project(s) day

2009-03-17T23:03:00.004-05:00

Multiple projects have been started around the house, and, unfortunately, all of them are occurring simultaneously. It only seemed appropriate to be working on our GREEN house on St. Patty's Day.

We're remodeling our downstairs bathroom. Originally a 3/4 bath, we'd like to make it a full bath, which means removing the cheapo standup shower and the wall with the supply lines. Once that is out, I'll pull the shell-style vanity (seriously, it's UGLY), then the toilet. Lay down a tile floor, all new bath units, some new lighting and fresh paint.

Outside, I'm framing in a new steel door that accesses the garage. The original door is probably the original door, and it's warped so much and isn't very safe with the window glass just a smash away. New lock 'n key knob 'n bolt for some added security to the house.

I'm also working on some landscaping aspects. The bed around the house was lined with 8x8s, and our yard is so moist that they've been rotting away over the years. So, I'm removing them and replacing the wall (hopefully) with retaining wall cement blocks. The corner going around the house (pictured above) will be a challenge.

The retaining wall will also be part of a window well that will be dug to install an egress window for the basement bedroom (the window for the room is picture above). Since there is no other egress than the stairs going to the main floor of the house, we can't claim that bedroom as an official bedroom, but an egress window would allow for that. The clincher is that we'd be sawing a hole in our foundation. Messy stuff.

But, at the end of the day, we got to try out our new fire pit. This is shot is from this morning...the embers all fizzled out...just like the end to my mini-vacation working at home.

let's dance

2009-03-16T10:16:00.002-05:00

UNC wins it. No Cinderellum, but some good upsets (N Dakota State over Kansas, MSU over U-Dub, USC eeks a win over BC, Zona over da Utes, Temple over ASU)