My New Jeep

Fast-forward 50 years, and you have Keith and Lori out for a drive.

My favorite overheard quote from last weekend.

As two elderly women walked into the lobby where we had our product table set up, one said sweetly to the other: "Oh, isn't that nice. They sell CDs."

Yeah, OK. We're all out of 8-tracks (the Waggoner family still has a few available, however).

March Madness

We have arrived to the time of year where I become virtually useless. I love March Madness! It's become an annual tradition to fill out brackets with all my buddies from GBS. We maintain standings and talk a lot of trash. The highest I've ever finished is 2nd. This year, we have about 20 people vying for bragging rights. My final four includes Duke, Gonzaga, Conneticut, and Boston College, with UConn winning it all.

I'm already second-guessing my Gonzaga pick not to mention Boston College. I am currently in 3rd place, so we'll see what happens.

There's not a chance in the world that they'll get past the top 32, but go IU!

Earth to Barry Bonds. Earth to Barry Bonds. The scam is over. Please retire.

I have this annoying habit of walking around while talking on my cellphone. This doesn't necessarily apply to my conversations on the ol' landline, but for some reason I can't sit still while talking on the mobile. Even when I'm called in my office, I have to get up and walk around the room instead of sitting still. Fortunately, I don't get hit with those roaming charges.

Foodmonger

Kassady also has her own idiosyncracies, including the consumption of apple sauce while standing. Actually, this applies to all of her dining attempts.

Switchfoot asked for me to provide alternative cover art for the 10th anniversary of their release "Legend of Chin".

(Photo credit: Trey Waggoner)

LaZy Basket

Furniture is so expensive these days! Visit Goodwill and pick up the latest styles in laundry baskets. Very cozy.

Don't Blow It

I captured Kassady appreciating one of her favorite pasttimes: exploring the Kleenex box. Maybe she'll be a pastor's wife someday and all this practice pulling out tissues will come in handy around the altar.

Tough Stuff

Trey is at it again. He loves using the camera. He caught me awkwardly attempting to tie Kassaady's shoes. My fingers are too big for those little shoelaces. Notice the gaze of intense concentration adorning my nearly hairless face.

The Queen City

I just had to post this cool picture. It has nothing to do with my life, necessarily, but it's a great shot. This was taken by Roel Cuaresma, an international student at GBS (who, by the way, bought my beautiful, baby-blue 1995 Mercury Sable when I moved to Idaho). It's taken overlooking downtown Cincinnati. I have to give him props on this one. I'll bet even Kevin Moser is impressed!

ER episode

Last night we had quite a scare. After the teens Bible study we went over to Marc and Talisha's house for dessert. Their beautiful new house has hardwood floors throughout the first floor. Kassady was running around and slipped and fell backwards on her head. Lori ran over to pick her up and she was stiff as a board and not breathing. Her eyes began rolling back into her head and then she started jerking around. Lori started calling her name loudly and she finally starting breathing again, but would just utter these cry/moans. Lori handed her to me and Kassady started throwing back her head and closing her eyes. I kept on talking her to try to keep her alert, but she wouldn't respond in her normal fashion. Lori held her again and she kept on acting like she was going to faint. Her face turned extremely pale and her skin started appearing blue underneath her nose.

We left Trey at Marc and Talisha's and tore off toward the hospital. On the way, Kassady kept trying to fall asleep. We didn't know if this was because of the injury or because of being an hour and a half past her normal bedtime, so Lori kept her as awake as possible.

She was finally admitted to the emergency ward and after waiting for about a half hour or so was initially seen by a nurse. By this time her color had come back and she was tearing up the hospital room (literally). When the doctor eventually made it in to the room, Kassady was back to her normal self.

They checked her vision, her head, and ears for signs of a concussion or injury, but couldn't find anything. We took her home and Lori woke her up in the middle of the night just to make sure there weren't any lingering associative problems.

Thank God she's fine. All's well that ends well, I guess. Just a little less sleep.

The Welcome Waggon(er)

I walked in the door to a great surprise! Trey had prepared a large sign welcoming his daddy home. He included pictures of all of my favorite sports. After he and Lori had discussed making a sign for me, he told her that she also need to "hang streamers and balloons and stuff." So, Lori did. I am loved.

Here's another picture of the sign, streamers, and balloon (hanging from our elaborate chandelier). Which brings to mind the question: Why do women stress out about dust on refrigerators, lamps (chandeliers), and closet shelves not to mention pictures thereof? It seems to me that women exhibit a hypersensitivity when it comes to these areas. Guys, are like, is there food? Good. There could be dust, cobwebs, dirt, full-grown gerbils in the closet but as long as you come out with food we're OK. Women, on the other hand, apparently spend their time in someone else's kitchen industriously assisting the hostess while at the same time scanning the tops of refrigerators, cabinets, counters for minute particles of dust. At least that's my theory. Cause why else would they stress out about pictures like this one? It's beyond me. Ladies?

Driving

I had my first bus-driving experience on the little "hills" of Mt. Hood (elevation: 11,237 feet). Now, we didn't go all the way to the top or anything like that, but I did navigate the outskirts. I have never driven anything larger than a 15-passenger van (I don't think Rev. Barry Arnold's tractor qualifies as a vehicle), so there were many prayers offered up as I skillfully piloted our bus around the steep grades of the mountain. The guys made subtle observations such as "Um...you might want to slow down here." "Try the jake brake." and my personal favorite, "Aaaaggghhhh!!" I handled it quite well, with the only sign of my internal stress being the large red blotches on top of my bald head and the nervous twitch I developed at the corner of my mouth. We made it without incident (if you don't count the stench of burning brakes).

The Oregon Trail

Well, I survived my first full weekend with Liberty with minimal damage done. I had a great time! It's as enjoyable and fulfilling as I imagined it could be. Everything went fairly well. If it could be illustrated using a weather forecast it would be mostly sunny, few clouds, slight chance of rain (I know. That's a pretty weird comparison).

My first full concert was in John Day, OR. The town was small, but the scenery was incredible. It's surrounded by snow-capped and majestic mountains. The trip down was beautiful. For those of you who know me, I'm usually fairly comfortable on the stage. I'm far from being Mr. Smooth, but I'm past the knee-clattering stage (see Exhibit #10, Keith's first music recital, GBS, fall of 1995). However, I walked on the stage confidently and then totally lost it on my very first song. I don't know if it was nerves or what, but I couldn't remember any of the words to our concert opener. I mumbled my way through the entire song, forgot that I was supposed to take the melody on the last 2 choruses, and totally blew the ending. In a way, it was comforting. I knew it couldn't get any worse. It didn't. I made it through the rest of the concert without huge, noticeable errors.

We had to sleep on the bus Thursday night, which was a new experience for me. I got maybe 4 hours of sleep. It was probably more like 3. On Friday, we headed west towards Portland. We had a full weekend of concerts, 5 full concerts and 1 memorial service held at Portland, OR First Church of the Nazarene. The church is literally built into the side of a mountain. Pretty impressive!

Overall, everything went well. I still have no clue what the lyrics are to the song "Happy Rhythm". I know that the word "bubbles" is in there somewhere so I throw it in every other phrase knowing that eventually I'll get it right. But, people laughed at my attempts at humor, I was told that I looked "real good" in my promotional picture by a 7-year-old girl, and I met some fantastic people. What more can you ask for on your first weekend?

It's all good!

Doran

Posts, Parts, and Pants

OK, this is one of those filler posts. You know what I'm talking about? I've been so stinking busy the last few days (don't read into that, please) that I haven't had time to post anything substantial. I have been attempting to matriculate through the Liberty Academy of Song Memorization. I would give myself a C right now. We leave Thursday for my first full concert and I'm about halfway ready. When I was a GBS quartet member I had the luxury of a music stand for the first few service. Not here! I am thinking about buying a remote system that I can hook up to my laptop. The purpose will be to let me flip through powerpoint lyrics that I will have on the laptop discreetly hidden behind a monitor. I'm seriously thinking about trying this.

I'm also attempting to post video. I've been working on this for the last couple of days. I've almost got it figured out. The wait will be worth it. I promise!

I also have to watch the newest addition to my music video library: Signature Sound, Live. These guys are quickly becoming my favorite SG group. Their performance, vocals, and productions are top-notch. I'll offer my unsolicited review of the DVD.

I'm also struggling with the upcoming demise of a favorite pair of jeans. Jeans are like family. You know, they go through so much with you. They're there for those important moments in life. If I remember correctly I was wearing this particular pair of jeans in the hospital when Trey was born. I've worn them to concerts, to picnics, to sporting events, to jobs. They were my "mowing" pants last year. Well, now they are finally falling apart, the tattered ends and the holes in the knee indicating that the end is nigh. So, they will be laid to rest this week in a landfill outside Nampa. Your sympathy is appreciated.

Got Game?

Is there anybody else that likes the game Sorry? This was the only game that the Waggoner family played when I was growing up. Seriously, I can't remember playing any other game as a kid with my Mom and Dad. I think that it's because it was the only game that Mom could potentially win. That's not a put-down, it's reality. So, tonight I bought the game for our family. This is a game that Lori theoretically can win.

She didn't tonight. Trey's determined focus (exemplified in the picture above) led him to 2 wins, while I took another. I guess Lori will stick to Dutch Blitz (the only game that she can beat me in).

IT

My family is impressed with my computer skills. Except for Lori, of course. You don't see her in the picture, bowing in awe. Trey is catching on to operating the laptop. He likes to type words, any words, in no significant order. I guess that's kind of what I've been doing on the blog, so I might get him started. Kassady doesn't ever want to be left out of anything, so anytime Trey is playing a game she jumps up on the chair beside him (in this case, beside me). I'm going to enjoy the hero-worship as long as I can (at least until they find out the truth).

By the way, we sure have come a long way since the 286. Remember that one?

The Big Rig

Trey is very impressed with the fact that I'm traveling on a bus. He was dying to check it out, so I gave him the official tour. He's convinced that he will be a bus driver. Trust me, he can't be any worse than I am! Trey even has his own bunk on the bus. Anytime we are in the area, I'll take him with us. He thinks he's big stuff!

Catchin' Up

I have finally slept. This has been one of those incredibly full weeks that seem to fly by leaving you breathless and ill-prepared for the next. I didn't get home from the concert until late Wednesday evening. While I was still on somewhat of an adrenaline rush following the concert, my hyperactivity was tempered with the tragic news of Anthony Burger's heart attack. It kind of left me sick in the pit of my stomach. Anthony was 17 years old the first time I saw him in concert with The Kingsmen Quartet. It was in Kokomo, IN at a Nazarene Church. I was 4 and this was my first time at any type of concert. We went with Paul, Rose, and Tami Fry. I can faintly remember Anthony cranking it out at the keyboard. There's also a strong memory of an older lady who gave me a wintergreen Lifesaver. I don't know why that sticks with me, but it does. I hated to hear of Anthony's death. He was a rare talent.

Early Thursday morning I headed over to the hospital to be with a friend who was facing surgery. Fortunately, everything went as well as it could, but it left me extremely exhausted.

Last evening we had Allen, LaRona, Marc, and Talisha over to play games. Well, that's what we intended to do, anyway. But after eating pizza, hot wings, and all the other stuff that Lori prepared we collapsed in the living room and critiqued the latest Gaither Video: The Canadian Homecoming. By the way, it's a great video!

Last night, I crashed and slept in until 8:30 this morning, which is pretty good for me. This has been an easy day, nothing too major to do. I needed it.

I'm trying to figure out how to get video clips on my blog. Everytime I think I'm getting web-savvy I run into complications which keep me humble. Hopefully, I can get this figured out. I have some funny clips from our Tuesday rehearsal.

It's been a while since I posted, but this has been an incredibly busy week. Last night was Liberty's 10th anniversary concert. We had a great turnout! A little over 1600 people enjoyed an evening of memories. It was a privilege to meet the founding members of the group and catch a glimpse of their passion for the minstry of Liberty Quartet.

This week I had to put the finishing touches on a video that was shown at the concert featuring clips from the archives. I also created the evening's media presentation. When you couple that with our set-up, rehearsal, and everything else, you understand why I haven't posted.

Doran is trying his hardest to have Royce make me the new "idiot" of the group. Fortunately, Royce isn't buying it. Doran is the best idiot we have!

Yesterday morning I woke up with an extremely sore throat. I had a feeling this was going to happen. On the way home from Arizona, one of the drivers inadvertantly switched on the bus A/C as we were traveling in 10 degree weather. Consequently, I woke up in the middle of the night, my bald head distinctly aware of the breezes wafting around it. I curled up into the fetal position, pulled the blanket completely over my head and did my best to ignore it. I finally got some sleep, but I also picked up a cold. I was pretty nervous about getting up and singing, but I survived.

Hopefully, I'll have some pics to post in the next couple of days. Until then, peace.

Finally, rolling down the road

Well, here we go. After my sumptous dining on Saturday afternoon, we made our way to Fountain City for an evening concert. I have to tell you, it's been a long time since I had this much fun. Royce broke me in immediately, ensuring that I was a part of the concert. However, I'm not sure I liked his intro.

He would start of by explaining that this was Paul's last weekend with the quartet. The audience was sigh loudly at that. Then he would say "However, God has been good, and we have found a new tenor." He then immediately asked, "How many of you have heard of the former tenor for Gaither Vocal Band, David Phelps?" At that, you could hear the audience start murmuring and exclaiming (I heard one lady say "Oh, my goodness. I can't believe it!"). He then quickly said, "Well, that's not who it is. I just wondered if you knew who David Phelps was." The audience would laugh as he introduced me as the new tenor. I'm not sure that I was being complimented. I don't know...

Fountain City, AZ

Saturday night we sang at the First Baptist Church of Fountain City, AZ. Fountain City is a suburb of Phoenix. I have never been to Arizona, so their landscaping was totally different than anything that I'm used to. I had never seen a real cactus out in the desert until this trip. It was pretty cool. We had a good turnout for the concert and the people seemed to enjoy our ministry.

Doran was in rare form tonight.

Paul and Dan get a mic check before the concert.

Doran finishes off the last traces of a chocolate chip cookie, one of 3 dozen generously given to the quartet by one of their fans. It's great getting to travel with one of my good friends. Doran and I had a lot of fun comparing playlists on our mp3 players and jamming to some of our favorite tunes. We're both audiophiles, generously praising and critiquing music, arrangements, voices, and lyrics. Fun stuff.

Flagstaff, AZ

The guys crank out a few numbers to the energized congregation of Flagstaff First Church of the Nazarene. We had a fantastic service and listened to a great message entitled "Marriage and Revival". Over dinner, I discovered that the pastor, Dr. Donald Minter used to pastor the Central Church of the Nazarene in Fort Wright, KY. In fact, the current pastor, Rev. Larry Dillon (a great friend of GBS), was called to the ministry during his pastorate there. Lori used to attend his church way back in the day when she first came to GBS. He knew a lot of the members of Immanuel Church of the Nazarene, where I previously served as worship director.

Small world.

I tentatively attempt my solo on "Hold to God's Unchanging Hand", my face reflecting my memory's difficulty of remembering the lyrics. My bright, bald head and obvious sense of fashion allowed me to communicate effectively and confidently to an audience who were silently musing "Why in the world did Liberty choose this guy?"

Prescott (AZ) First Baptist Church, site of our Sunday evening concert. We had a full house! A great time was had by all.

Live, in Concert

Here are a few pics from our Sunday evening concert in Prescott, AZ. I sang several songs in this concert. There were a few that they had all five guys sing. I just turned my mic off to hide the fact that I was totally screwing up the lyrics. There was one song that I had all turned around. I sang it 3 different ways in as many attempts. I also busted my first choreographed moves. It failed horribly. Except for that, everything went extremely well. The audiences were very gracious, overlooking my contrived lip-synching. Fortunately, for my own well-being, I didn't take a stab at humor. My humor moves audiences to facial immobility accompanied by silence. It encourages me greatly.

It was cool to meet people who told me that they would be praying for me and my ministry with the quartet. I'd never seen these men and women before, but already God had put me on their hearts. Amazing!

Doran's contributions

Doran is vainly trying to get me to be the new idiot of the group. But Doran is a natural in that role. He's so convincing. I hate to admit it, but he actually made me laugh. Fortunately, Doran has retired his Napolean Dynamite dance routine. Oh yeah, and his ballet moves. That was painful to witness.

Hard Workers Working Hard

Doran and Royce spent a lot of time on the bus preparing for Wednesday evening's 10th Anniversary Concert. The guys let Doran think that he's the mover and the shaker (actually he is the mover and the shaker). We have already distributed 1800 tickets for a venue that seats 1700, so it will be a full house. We also have several who couldn't get tickets, but are going to wait outside hoping that people don't show up for their seats. Trust me, we're not that good, people.

Maybe it will be like those people who camp out for 2 days trying to get tickets to a Rolling Stones concert. That would be great! I'd be sure to hand out Krispy Kreme donuts to the faithful. Maybe we are spawning the Southern Gospel version of the Deadheads. Now, there's a frightening thought! YES! We have arrived.

Meet Paul and then quickly file for a restraining order

This was the last weekend for Paul Ellis. As you can tell, life on the road has taken its toll. This was the first time that I've been able to spend time with Paul. He is one of the funniest guys I have ever been around. While I won't describe all of his practical jokes (Earl), let me put it to you simply: the guy is a maniac. He's naturally funny and has a hilarious comment for everything that takes place, whether in concert or on the road. He reminds me of Mike Dickinson (for my GBS classmates) without the heavy sarcasm. He is a fantastic tenor and he graciously helped break in the rookie replacement.

The Dam and Sin City

Last night, I had the privilege of witness two incredible sights: Hoover Dam and Las Vegas, NV. Now I say, Las Vegas, because we drove through the city at 1:30 or 2:00 AM and it was almost as bright as day. The famous Las Vegas "Strip" had more bright lights than I have ever seen in my life. They had all kinds of crazy incentives for potential gamblers. You could get a room at a fantastic hotel for $39 a night. There were also signs advertising all-you-can-eat buffets featuring prime rib, lobster, and all kinds of exquisite food for prices like $7.99. Unbelievable! It's easy to see why the call it the "Sin City". It's extremely sad to see the casino parking lots full of the cars of gambling addicts. Dan, who used to live in Las Vegas when he was a teenager, told me that the casinos don't have any clocks on the wall and they control the lighting so that there is no way to distinguish between night or day. They intentionally create an environment that encourages losing track of time. Crazy!

Hoover Dam was awesome! Of course, it was 1:00 in the morning when we crossed, but you could still see the immensity of this man-made wonder. The two pictures above were taken about half-way across. I was hoping to get a better shot but there aren't a lot of places spacious enough to allow the bus to pull over. You can see some better pictures at http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/gallery/damviews.html. I couldn't see the bottom of the drop-off in the dark, but I can tell you that it was waaaaaayy down there.

It was a fun, wearying trip. The guys drove all night and we arrived in Boise about 1:00 this afternoon. I still have to get used to sleeping on the bus, but I did OK. I got about 6 hours of sleep. I could have slept a little bit longer, but I had Dan wake me up when we got close to Hoover dam. Actually, it was the inspections agent that got on the bus with his flashlight that woke me up. But, hey, overall it was a great weekend of ministry.

Thanks for your prayers!

Just Like Willie (Nelson, that is)

OK, I'm officially on the road again. I flew in Phoenix this morning (back-to-back 4:00 AM mornings are no fun, let me tell you) and was met by the guys. If you have never seen a 13'2" bus creep along a road with 12' clearance, you've missed it. It took about as long to get out of the airport as it did to fly in.

We made it to Claim Jumper for lunch. Oh man, as soon as they brought out the barbeque baby back ribs, the confirmation of my call came. I know I'm supposed to be here. I had never even heard of the restaurant, but I have to add it to my list of favorites (www.claimjumper.com). Good stuff!

We're heading for Fountain City, AZ tonight. I'm going to sing a few songs with the group. They're also going to have me sing a song with the rest of them that I don't know very well. They said, don't worry we'll turn your mic off. Nobody will know the difference. Sounds like a Bible college quartet I used to sing with. So, here we do: karaoke time with Keith. Whoo-hoo!

Well, I'll touch base later. Hopefully with some pics.

Or So I Thought

I woke up at 4:00 AM for the flight that never happened. We got to the airport at 6:00 AM and at the ticket counter I was informed that I was not guaranteed a seat and that the flight was oversold. Great.

I walked down to the gate and tried futilely to finangle a seat on the flight. So, the guys boarded and I'm left negotiating with America West personnel. Finally, they agree to get me on tomorrow morning's flight (a first-class ticket, no less) and give me a free round-trip anywhere in the lower 48 states.

I'm bummed about missing tonight's concert, but I'll catch up with the guys tomorrow.

By the way, the girl working for America West at B-18 needs to take a few lessons in customer service. She was all attitude and no eye contact. Fortunately, they brought over John, who did a great job working with the customers. The girl literally refused to help find me a seat. John was trying to get information from her, and she told him, there's nothing we can do. Just forget it. I'm filing a complaint. I've never done it before, but her service was unacceptable and a disgrace to the company. I'm feeling better already.

On the Road Again

I'll be posting again on Monday, unless I find a WI-FI connection somewhere this weekend. I'm hitting the road for the first time with Liberty. I'll be singing 3 or 4 songs each concert, but primarily I'm going along to get a feel for my responsibilities. I'll let you know how things go. Keep me in your prayers.

BIAS

Is there anyone else out there who is sick and tired of stupid comments going unchallenged by the liberal media? Check out this incredibly ridiculous statement that no one will comment on: http://newsbusters.org/node/4057

You know, I oppose any type of racism, whether it comes for white OR black OR (Fill in the blank with another race). However, I am growing weary of the rampant bias in the media. If Gumbel would have said that he wasn't watching the NBA because of the lack of white athletes, he would have already been fired (see exhibition A: Rush Limbaugh). Let's have some consistency here, people.

Prognosis

For all you that have been making fun of my ankle injury, I have news that will hopefully make you feel guilty for your jocular attitudes.

I just returned from the hospital (my first trip in forever). Due to the increased pain in my ankle and foot I decided to have it looked at, just in case something was messed up and I was making it worse. The prognosis is that I have torn ligaments in my ankle and there is quite a bit of internal bleeding which has contributed to the discoloration and inflammation. The doctor told me that I can't hike, play sports, or do anything strenuous for a month or so. Great! There goes the Mt. Everest vacation! Lori's crying over that one.

So...now how do you feel about your sarcastic, caustic comments? What? Yeah, that's what I thought. Oh well, I had to give it a try and make you feel guilty. So much for that. I have such a support team.

A glimpse of the past

Yesterday I was thrilled to receive the hot-off-the-press DVD "Allegiance, LIVE". Filmed among the beautiful cornfields of Noblesville, IN this release features the powerhouse vocals of this immensely popular trio. This was a special evening as it also featured the talents of a bass vocalist, Mike Mater. Mike actually added some legitimacy to our music. If only he could have emceed.

Our trio found ourselves in numerous awkward, perplexing, and downright hilarious situations. Who can forget the concert in a humongous high school auditorium with 26 people in attendance? That number 26 included the members and bands of the three featured groups and assorted family members. I don't know if I have ever laughed so hard in my life as I did that night at the ludicrousness of the whole experience.

While we enjoyed singing and rehearsing together, the real fun of our short traveling stint was our after-concert critiques of ourselves. Man, those were the days.

The Ask

Since it's Valentine's Day I have to tell a romantic, emotional, tear-jerking story from my past.

After a year and a half of dating, I had decided that Lori was the woman that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. She was everything that I wanted in a wife! So, following proper engagement etiquette, I made an appointment to speak to her father. Now, at the time, I didn't know him very well. In fact, I had only been with him a couple of times in my life. So, needless to say, I was a tad bit timorous about approaching him to ask for his daughter's hand in marriage.

We were going to be traveling through Pennsylvania on a band tour, so I asked to speak with him privately following a concert. That evening, with a look of utter sincerity (or maybe it was utter fear) I requested his permission to marry Lori. He didn't smile much. In fact, he didn't smile at all. He cocked his head sideways, gave me a searching look, then asked, "Do you think you can provide for her?" I (not having an idea what the future would hold for me employment-wise) gave an emphatic "You better believe it!" hoping that he wouldn't ask how. After what seemed like an eternity, he gave his assent. Whew! I couldn't stop grinning after that.

I thought that I had overtaken the toughest hurdle and looked forward to popping the big question.

It was a beautiful evening in June when I put my plan together. Earlier in the day, I had slipped flowers and her engagement present up to her apartment (Dave and I would later assemble the present, which is a whole other post) and was prepared for a great evening. I took Lori to our favorite Cincinnati steak destination, Longhorn Steakhouse, and initiated the unfolding of my plans.

Well, maybe the most accurate phrase would be the "unraveling of my plans." I was planning to get on my knees in front of the entire restaurant and in a quixotic moment propose. Well, it didn't happen that way. As I was trying to work up the nerve to carry out my preparations, Lori chose to talk about some of the weirdest stuff in the world, subjects that didn't remotely fit into my anticipated romantic jargon. I kept on trying to get the conversation around to our relationship, but she would have none of it.

OK, change of plans. I thought to myself, "I'll wait until we get out to the car, drop to my knees and ask her in the parking lot." Riiiight. We get out of the restaurant, following fascinating conversation about the names of friend's children, is there life on other planets, and the such. On the way out of Longhorn Lori said, "I have to find a restroom. I'm not feeling well at all." She headed down the hall to the ladies room, leaving me stressed, brainstorming as to how I was going to salvage this moment. I worked myself up so much that I became sick to my stomach and ended up running down to the men's room.

By the time, we staggered out to the car, it was appearing that all of my great plans were ruined. Lori muttered the entire way out to the car about getting back to her own restroom, while I was vainly trying to think of a way to bring the subject back to romantic topics.

I tried to talk her into going to a park in the area, but she wouldn't hear of it. "Just get me home!" she demanded. We are driving down I-71 N towards GBS, and I'm sweating it, knowing that as soon as she walks in she'll see the flowers and the present and my plans will be blown.

I suddenly whipped the wheel to the right and swerved off the road, screeching to a halt. Lori starts asking 20 questions: "Are you speeding? Are you being pulled over? Are you sick? Are you going to throw up? What's wrong?" I calmly said, "Lori, will you marry me?"

She replied with those words that every man proposing wants to hear. "You're crazy! Don't be stupid." I told her, "No, I'm serious. Will you marry me?" "Whatever!" was her reply. After 3 or 4 times of asking, I finally pulled out her engagement present receipt to prove that my proposal was legitimate. She finally said, "Yes".

It's been a great life! Even if I did have to work for it.

So, wipe those tears, and realize that there is hope for you. It can't ever be that bad. Just ask.

I Love My Family

Happy Valentines Day, everyone! Hopefully, you have spent some quality time with (not to mention money on) your true love. Our family just returned from a fun evening out at Applebees (motto: "1 of 3 decent restaurants in Nampa"). Lori and I were laughing this afternoon about the fact that our celebration of holidays has changed dramatically with the addition of children. I was talking to a friend earlier in the day who mentioned that he had made reservations at the Mona Lisa (the #1 date destination in Nampa, owned by our good friends Dustin and Angie) for he and his wife this evening. He was looking forward to a nice evening with just the two of them, celebrating their love. It goes without saying that they don't have children. Dr. Keaton told me that he was going to try to get on the reservation list at the Mona Lisa this evening. The best romantic option available to Lori and I not including a babysitter is Applebees. Nothing says I love you like their honey-barbeque riblets.

You know what? I wouldn't change a thing. We spent a lot of time laughing together, playing Pictionary on the children's menu, and teasing Trey about giving his Oreo dessert to a hungry Zambian named Sammy. It was fun! We all gave each other Valentine cards, handed out a few little presents to each other, and made it a great day.

I hope that whatever you did to celebrate the day with your family gives you the same fulfillment.

Suds and Duds

Here I am hard at work, doing my best to qualify for "Husband of the Year". Check out the cool outfit. In this picture I am styling the hard-to-find Santa Claus pajama pants. You definitely don't want to splash the detergent on your jeans, you know what I'm saying? I am a pro, having had years of experience of soapy hands. My parents had two dishwashers. They were named Keith(ie) and Bobby. We fought every night over who got to do what. Dry or wash. It always ended up with suds flying about the kitchen and Mom hollering, "Keith (referring to my dad), you need to put down the paper and get in here and separate the boys." Dad's reply was something like "ughyyeahmmm". He wasn't a masterful communicator when reading the newspaper. Great memories.

Chairwoman of the House

Kassady's destructive force has now been fully unleashed. This weekend she discovered that she can stand up on a chair and reach just about anything. Here she explores the imcomprehensible results of the lightswitch. On/Off/On/Off/On/Off/On/Off/On/Off/On/Off...this will slowly but surely drive one to utter insanity. I'm there.

probably the weirdest personal picture I will ever post on the blog

I messed up my ankle pretty bad this past Thursday evening playing basketball. It doesn't really hurt that much, but the ankle is still swollen and my whole leg pops a lot when I walk. I apologize for the graphic content of this post, but it looks pretty nasty (not to mention has featured several colors including purple, green, yellow, black, red, and blue) and I just had to share with someone besides Lori, who is not impressed.

Gladiators, yesterday; Hockey Players, today

The following is a press release from the hockey game I attended last night. You must realize that I know next to nothing about the game. It was only the second hockey game that I have been to, so I am truly a spectator rookie. The only thing that I could relate to were the fights. What is up with hockey and fighting, anyway? The refs do nothing to stop the pounding, standing idly by while Victor Czeckhvgil loses more teeth. Football has a lot more contact, but you don't see players flailing away at each other following a tackle. I don't get it. There were 4 or 5 fights during the game, 2 leaving blood on the ice. I will admit that it contributes to the excitement of the contest. Maybe soccer should look into this facet of the game.

The cool thing about the game is that #1, the tickets were free, #2 We were placed in a suite overlooking the arena with all the free food you could eat, and #3 I was in the presence of knowledgable hockey fans who could explain the game to me (namely, Marc patiently explaining the terms "icing", "clearing the zone", and such).

I'm not sure what an "even-strength goal" is (maybe it refers to the fact that no team members are in the penalty box), but regardless, here is the game summary:


Feb 11, 2006
Steelheads Press Release

BOISE, Idaho - Condors’ forward Mike Hofstrand scored an even-strength goal with just 4:56 left in regulation to lift the visitors to a 3-2 win over the Steelheads in front of 5,182 fans at Qwest Arena on Saturday night.On a rush into the Steelheads’ zone, Hofstrand took a feed from center Brian Collins and slipped the puck past Steelheads’ goaltender Steve Silverthorn (26 saves) to give the Condors their first lead of the game. The win allowed the Condors (20-18-5) to take four of a possible six points from the Steelheads (26-16-6) in the three-game series. Two more meetings between the clubs still remain with both of them coming next week in Bakersfield.

From Trey

Trey has been dying to type on my computer, so here is his first post (I'm only sounding out the words for him):

Wow trey ir
Cat
Trey
Daddy

Mommy
Kassady
Dog
Pip
Cow
Horse
Welcome
Emme
Kendra

VP Cheney takes aim

I know this isn't really funny, but my weird sense of humor is making me laugh at this story:

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/02/12/D8FNQ2T00.html

The Vice-President of the United States accidentally shooting a fellow hunter will be talk-show fodder for the next week. Fortunately, the man he shot "alert and doing fine" after being sprayed with shotgun pellets. There are so many great punch lines in this story.

Funny Man

Trey is beginning to practice stand-up comedy. He is starting to get past the knock-knock jokes, thank goodness, but his brand of humor does require a bit of forced chortling. Today, he added his own twist to a classic, asking, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" To which he replied, "To get to the other side...and because another bully chicken was going to get him."

I would offer advice on how to improve the quality of his jocularity, but I've never been known for my wittiness, as to which my Allegiance comrades can wholeheartedly attest. I am very good at laughing, however. I make a great audience member.

Memory

I'm in the process of memorizing music for my Liberty Quartet debut, which will take place next week. Fortunately, my first weekend will be with Paul Ellis still in the group, so I can learn the ropes from the veteran. I have a decent ear, but after 30 or 40 songs it's hard to remember where you go up and what the words are to the 2nd verse. There are several embarrassing moments awaiting me. Of that I'm sure. Oh well. Par for the course. Right now, "I'll Sail Away Home" from the album "Liberty: Live in Alaska" is playing on iTunes.

An Ode to Tour (that kind of sounds like a new type of fragrance)

I was going through some old documents the other day and came across this poem. If you ever traveled with a college choir or orchestra, you can relate to these words. I can't remember if I wrote the poem or not. I do remember reading it at IHC during the Mass Choir rehearsal (about which I need to write a whole article). Anyway, here it is. Read and be blessed.

The Choir Tour

Sitting on this bus, for quite a long, long while
Stifling heat, locker room smell, it’s enough to get you riled
Bathroom stops infrequent, few and far between
The ocean motion is an option, if, of course, it’s clean

Lasagna is the main course
If not sloppy joe
Pastor’s wives are so concerned
That everything’s just so

I appreciate the courtesy
It sometimes makes me smile
To say three times “I’m sorry, I’m full”
While choking on the bile

The housing, that’s another subject
Scary it can be
I never know what I will find
Sharing the bed with me

From roaches, hair, and little mice
To backed-up showers galore
I answer crazy questions
“Now what are you in school for?”

What causes all this suffering?
What would initiate such pain?
Ministry (would you believe it?)
Choir tour is here again

Though it’s easy now to criticize
To murmur and complain
I’d never trade this privilege
It’s definitely worth the pain

The services incredible
The singing so inspired
Cements the fact, I made the right choice
I’m glad that I joined choir

To see souls saved
And hearts encouraged
Make it all worthwhile
God spoke to me several times
As the bus went another mile

Yeah, there’ll be plenty of great times
And to be honest, there’ll be strife
But like Mr. Wolf says
Choir is a mirror of life

No matter where we go from here
Wherever God may lead
We will always remember tour
Being part of the family

So, guys, bring on the hot air
The food, housing, backed up sewer
It’s worth it all to be a part
Of another choir tour

Now playing...

My latest time-consuming passion has been loading my iPod with my music collection. I'm about half-way done and have 5,921 songs loaded. I put my iTunes on party shuffle and enjoy my own music broadcast. Currently, on the playlist is "I'll Be Thinking of You" by Andrae Crouch off of the album "The Light Years". Classic stuff.

The New Look

Enjoy the new look. I slaved over it for, oh, I don't know, maybe 7 minutes. I was getting tired of mauve and gray.

You missed a spot

OK, I had to upload this. While I was typing my last post, Kassady clambered up onto the bed and attempted to help. Fortunately, my camera was beside me. You're looking at a future blogger!

Commodore 64: a cultural revolution

My son, the video-gamer. Trey is the proud owner of a V-Smile educational video game system and he loves it!

It brings back memories of my childhood gaming experiences. Most of them conjure up remembrances of the Commodore 64 system. Which brings to mind the question: was the Commodore 64 used for anything besides games and video consoles for ACE schools and conservative holiness homes? There were some incredible games including RBI Baseball, Summer Olympics, and some game that involved racing street cars. The graphics of the Commodore 64 reminded me of my 9th grade abstract renderings in PC Paint, in which with a vivid imagination people or objects could be made out, though not always correctly identified. Those were the days.

I remember the day that I was introduced to the Nintendo console. I was in a hospital room in Lafayette, IN recovering from having my appendix removed. A young boy next door told the nurse that he was willing to share his video game system with anyone who was interested in playing. The nurse wheeled in a TV (we called it a monitor) and the NES console and I was hooked. I recall fondly those early days of Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt.

From there I went to PC gaming. The first game that I ever became mildly addicted to was Wolfenstein. I think it was the first 3D PC game I ever played. I would sneak to the computer in the wee hours of the morning and freak myself out, saving the world from Nazis and German shepherds. You have to admit that the music was pretty creepy.

Now, I occasionally pull out my XBox system to play one of the many EA sports games in my possession. Oh yeah, I still enjoy Medal of Honor. For some reason, though, it's not as fun as it used to be.

Winter Sports run in the family

David Frederick III (my nephew) catches some air at the Perfect North ski slopes in Lawrenceburg, IN. He's become an avid skier in the last few years and is quite the hot dog. I'm impressed!

He is proving his dedication by embarking on a Moser Ski Adventures tour to the far reaches of Colorado. Everyone associated with Kevin Moser understands that only the truly accomplished can accompany him on his high-octane, adrenaline-infused journeys to the double diamond trails of the US. Just ask Jon Plank.

David's mother is making sure that he takes his helmet.

Give It Away

I just bought the new Gaither Vocal Band CD, "Give It Away". While Marshall Hall (new baritone) sang 2 or 3 songs on the CD "The Best of the Gaither Vocal Band" including the power ballad "Picture of Grace", this recording features the new GVB consisting of Bill, Guy, Marshall, and new tenor, Wes Hampton.

Now, let's be honest. Whoever followed David Phelps as tenor with the Vocal Band was bound to get panned. Phelps possesses a one in a million voice. While Wes is an able tenor, this recording either does not showcase his range or indicates that his high notes will fall far short of David's arial acrobats. In fact, Guy takes the tenor on a few of the songs, and does a great job at it. Give Wes a couple more albums before you judge his ability, though.

Marshall is a great addition to Gaither's men and he cuts loose on several tracks, bringing back memories of the most underrated baritone in Southern Gospel music, namely Mark Lowry.

Overall, I am disappointed with the song selection. I read interviews with Bill and he was hyping the fact that he was more excited about this recording than any project he had ever worked on. He needs to relax a little. This CD falls far short of some of the great GVB projects like "Loving God, Loving Each Other" and "I Do Believe". I've come to expect more.

One great song on this album is "Give It Away". This is a fantastic song that will have you tapping your feet. If you're a GVB fan, buy the album and add it to the collection. If you haven't bought one of their CDs before, don't start with this one.