Updated 5/17/2007 - by Bryan
I'm not usually one to recommend an album after i've only heard it a couple times - but Wilco's new album "Sky Blue Sky" came out Tuesday and it's really rocking my world right now. It's got a really nice mellow sound with several instrumental/guitar solo sections that are just awesome. My favorite track so far is #3 - Impossible Germany. I'd definately recommened giving it a listen.
Updated 5/11/2007 - by Bryan
Here are some more pictures (Charlie is certanily not lacking for photographs):
Charlie is no longer glowing blue while he sleeps. The home nurse took his bed away this morning. His bilirubin count had come down to near 12 earlier this week and they said we didn't have to use the bed anymore, but the count went back up to over 14 after a day, so we kept using it for a few more days. It's now back to 11.1 and they took his bed away this morning. He really likes being in his bassinet or baby bed now because he can be wrapped up as well as roll himself over onto his side - which seems to be his favorite position to sleep in (with his hands up under his chin). He gained another ounce and a half, so he's up to 6lb 5.5oz now. We're slowly sliding into a routine now. For whatever reason, it seems like we are staying up a lot later. I'm not sure if it's just laziness or because we just wait until his late feeding before actually going to bed. Lately, he's been going 3.5 for 4 hours between feedings at night which means "only" 2 feedings during the night, but as all you experienced parents know - the feeding can take a while (especially if he's sleepy) and then you've got to burp, and change diaper, and get him back in his bed and the whole process can take over an hour - so you've only got a couple hours to sleep (or less) before his next feeding. He usually feeds around 12:00am, 4am, and 8am, and i've been taking him out of the room after the 8am feeding while i get ready for work so Angie can get an hour or two of good rest. The feedings have been going much better as of late, with him latching on pretty quick. We're continuing to enjoy the meals from church - they have been outstanding! I think Angie has emailed to get the recipe of just about everything we have eaten. So if Red Mountain Church doesn't have anything else - apparently it's got some good cooks. We're anticpating taking Charlie to Angie's cousin's wedding tomorrow for his first outing. If all goes well, we also hope to go to my grandmother's 90th birthday on Sunday. I gather it can be a hassle to take a baby (and all their gear) out in public, but i haven't experienced it first-hand yet.
Updated 5/7/2007 - by Bryan
BP and Clay have commented about the enormous amount of comments we got in one day after not having posted for 2 months. I wish i could say our readership is that devoted, but the truth is that Angie sent out a mass email to lots of friends with a link to the blog :) I thought the traffic graph below was interesting:
Out of the 117 visitors on Wednesday, only 29 had been here before. The rest were theoretically first timers. Maybe they'll stick around for a bit :)
Updated 5/7/2007 - by Bryan
Here are some pictures of the last few days:
Charlie's been doing great! As evidenced by his "glowing" appearance in some of the pictures - he was a little jaundiced coming home from the hospital. Technology has improved to the point where they can bring a little light bed out to the house that he sleeps on. It used to be that they kept babies in the hospital until their bilirubin count comes down...i'm sure Leah will correct any spelling/incorrect info here :) Charlie had a 12.9 when he left the hospital, which is just under the line they want you to be, but the levels don't peak until day 4 - so they sent the bed out to the house. He generally doesn't like the bed because he can't be swaddled like he could otherwise - and it's a bit cold when he first gets in (we've started putting the cover in the dryer beforehand which helps). On Friday, his bilirubin level went up to over 16 and then has dropped about 2 points every day so that we're down to under 12 now. Conversely, his weight has been "sky-rocketing". The nurses say Angie must have super-milk! He dropped to 5lbs 9oz on the day we were leaving the hospital but has gained about 2oz/day so that he's over 6lb now. They say they will probably take the bed away tomorrow - so that will be nice. Feeding has been alternately very challenging and very rewarding. He has trouble getting latched on sometimes which can be very frustrating for mom and baby, but once he does it's a very peaceful time for mom and baby to bond. And as evidenced by his weight gain - he's certainly getting enough :) We've had plenty of help with both of our families being nearby. Angie's mom stayed the first night which was very helpful, but we've been on our own the rest of the time and it's been very manageable. We've been overwhelmed with good food to eat, which has been a real blessing. Thanks for all the notes of encouragement - they've been appreciated!
Updated 5/2/2007 - by Bryan
Here are some of the pictures taken over the past couple of days:
Update: Just added some pictures of Charlie's trip home here:
Updated 5/1/2007 - by Bryan
Charlie is here! Angie's water broke last night about 12:30am and we got to the hospital about 1:30am. She progressed really quickly to 4cm and got an epidural around 5am. She kind of plateaued at 9cm around 8am - so thy gave her some pitosin to help speed things up. At around 10:15am they determined she was 10cm and ready to push, so she pushed for about 45 minutes and out he came! He was 5lbs 15oz and slightly over 20" long. We're definately proud parents and pretty fond of our little kid :)
Updated 2/17/2007 - by Bryan
I finally got an RSS feed going. So for all of you with RSS readers - here's your link:
RSS 2.0Update: I also added a feed for the comments:
Updated 2/16/2007 - by Bryan
I saw an interesting blog post today asking the question is Lost (the tv show) lost? The writer makes some pretty good points and although i hate to admit it, i kind of agree with him. I've found myself losing interest at times in the show, and i think it's because of the slow plot development and it's tendency to become more of a soap opera than a mystery. I do still watch the show, and for every "filler" episode that turns me off, there's usually a show that piques my interest enough to keep me coming back for more. Anyway, it's an interesting read:
Updated 2/16/2007 - by Bryan
Over the weekend while the guys were down at the lake with BP, we found a litter of 5 puppies on the all huddled together in the middle of the road. For whatever reason, i decided i liked one of them better than the others - so we decided to keep him. We're having our doubts about whether we are up for taking care of him for the long-haul - especially with Angie hardly able to bend over anymore (sciatic nerve), so we're kind of half-way looking for him a good home. Isn't he cute though?
Updated 2/14/2007 - by Angie
Our friend Brian Prentiss came into town last week to have a guy fest at the lake with Bryan and some other guys. As we were talking with him and Nicholas and Oliver on the way back from the airport I realized how much I missed that family. So what else can you do but hop on a plane and head to California the next day? As the guys were passing gas and beating their chests over burgers and brews, Katie, Abi and I had a great time having our own "pink" fest as Abi might have called it (in her little dreamy princess mind, everything that has any worth in this world is PINK). If it were another time in our lives we might have enjoyed getting out and doing more than hanging out over rented movies and good books, but we were quite the pregnant pair. She with painful Braxton Hicks (only 39 days to go!), and I with a touchy sciatic nerve (still 86 left). Oh, and let me not forget Abi, who constantly reminded us of the baby in her tummy too (prayerfully, at least 20 years to go). Bryan flew out and joined me in time to go to Grace and see the progress that has been made in the short 4 months that we have been gone. We were so welcomed and encouraged. We had lunch with some dear friends at one of our favorite Chinese spots, checked out the new shops on Castro, stopped by Red Rock for old times sake (sorry I missed you Emily, Diane, Angela, Michelle....), and had fabulous desserts at the new Mediterranean coffee/sweets/food/wine hang out, Netto. We loved reminiscing about the brief but rich chapter of our lives that was spent there. We ended our time with a stimulating and thought provoking conversation with Brian and Katie. Just like old times.There are many places we could have spent our airline miles on, but little Mountain View CA has more than a vacation could ever offer.
Updated 2/5/2007 - by Bryan
I saw a very funny article today about the mac/pc commercials that have been on TV lately. It is definately funny but i think there is a lot of truth to it too. I'll quote a few of the good parts and then provide a link to the whole thing...
I hate Macs. I have always hated Macs. I hate people who use Macs. I even hate people who don't use Macs but sometimes wish they did. Macs are glorified Fisher-Price activity centres for adults; computers for scaredy cats too nervous to learn how proper computers work; computers for people who earnestly believe in feng shui.
PCs are the ramshackle computers of the people. You can build your own from scratch, then customise it into oblivion. Sometimes you have to slap it to make it work properly, just like the Tardis (Doctor Who, incidentally, would definitely use a PC). PCs have charm; Macs ooze pretension. When I sit down to use a Mac, the first thing I think is, "I hate Macs", and then I think, "Why has this rubbish aspirational ornament only got one mouse button?" Losing that second mouse button feels like losing a limb. If the ads were really honest, Webb would be standing there with one arm, struggling to open a packet of peanuts while Mitchell effortlessly tore his apart with both hands. But then, if the ads were really honest, Webb would be dressed in unbelievably po-faced avant-garde clothing with a gigantic glowing apple on his back. And instead of conducting a proper conversation, he would be repeatedly congratulating himself for looking so cool, and banging on about how he was going to use his new laptop to write a novel, without ever getting round to doing it, like a mediocre idiot.
Cue 10 years of nasal bleating from Mac-likers who profess to like Macs not because they are fashionable, but because "they are just better". Mac owners often sneer that kind of defence back at you when you mock their silly, posturing contraptions, because in doing so, you have inadvertently put your finger on the dark fear haunting their feeble, quivering soul - that in some sense, they are a superficial semi-person assembled from packaging; an infinitely sad, second-rate replicant who doesn't really know what they are doing here, but feels vaguely significant and creative each time they gaze at their sleek designer machine. And the more deftly constructed and wittily argued their defence, the more terrified and wounded they secretly are.
Ultimately the campaign's biggest flaw is that it perpetuates the notion that consumers somehow "define themselves" with the technology they choose. If you truly believe you need to pick a mobile phone that "says something" about your personality, don't bother. You don't have a personality. A mental illness, maybe - but not a personality. Of course, that hasn't stopped me slagging off Mac owners, with a series of sweeping generalisations, for the past 900 words, but that is what the ads do to PCs. Besides, that's what we PC owners are like - unreliable, idiosyncratic and gleefully unfair. And if you'll excuse me now, I feel an unexpected crash coming.
Sorry if this offends any of my mac loving friends :) The entire article is available: HERE
Updated 2/1/2007 - by Bryan
I discovered a new music artist today: Paolo Nutini
He hales from Scotland and recorded his debut album - These Streets - last year while he was only 19. If I had to compare him to someone, i'd say he's a more pop oriented version of Amos Lee - he's definatley got some blues influence. Anyway, i've really enjoyed listening to his album and would reccommend giving it a listen:
Another new album i've recently been listening to is Norah Jone's new album - Not Too Late. I'll have to give it a few more listens to see if it holds up to the genious of her previous stuff, but It's definately worth a listen as well:
rhapsody.com/norahjones/nottoolate
Updated 1/5/2007 - by Bryan
Here's some new pictures from this Christmas: Link
And Abby's Easy Bake Oven: Link
And Bowling: Link
Updated 12/27/2006 - by Angie
It's a BOY!!
Bryan and I had such a fun Christmas being able to tell everyone that our little one is a boy. We were also very surprised when Bryan's younger sister announced that she was pregnant too! Their baby will be due in August, just 3 months after ours.
Updated 10/29/2006 - by Angie
"We" are pregnant! Bryan and I have sat on our news for quite a while, waiting until our move to tell our parents as well as friends here in Birmingham. We had to remake that decision every few days though, because we wanted so badly to tell everyone. It was somewhat of a selfish decision - we just wanted to see the family's reaction for ourselves! Needless to say, it was priceless.
I am almost 12 weeks along, feeling pretty crummy, but that should be getting better soon. We have moved into our house, but have not gotten very settled yet. On one hand it's nice not having to do all the dirty work (painting, moving the heavy things), but on the other it is so hard not to be able to do all that I want to. I'm so thankful for our family that has graciously given their time and energy to help us!
Pregnancy definitely made the journey out here a little more interesting. I was in tears nearly every time we had to decide where to eat. I hate all food right now, and had to decide between a handful of fast food places for lunch and dinner every day. I actually "craved" a McDonald's hamburger during the first couple of weeks of pregnancy, but that quickly faded. When it came time to move, McDonald's was no longer my friend. Well, except for that one morning I had my heart set on an egg mcmuffin and it wasn't breakfast time anymore (I know you would understand Katie). I had a meltdown. Just ask Bryan.
More meltdowns to come, I'm sure. I'll keep you posted.
Updated 10/19/2006 - by Angie
We made it. We really made it.
The first half of our journey was wonderful. I was struck by the accomplishment of man at the Hoover Dam (did you know that the cement is so thick that inside much of it is still cooling and setting - and it was built 60 years ago! Thanks for that insight BP). Then I was dumbfounded by the beauty and majesty of God driving through the National Forests that lead to the Grand Canyon, and then of course the Canyon itself (all the pictures I have seen cannot begin to capture how amazing it is). The artistry didn't end as we drove through the Painted Desert, rock monuments and mountains of Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. All of it made me think that the beauty that we try to create (even the Rembrandts of the world) seem like kindergarten scribblings. But I think the Lord looks at those "scribblings" as we would at our own child's work. He reminded me that our creativity is a reflection of Him!
We made it to Kris and Bec's stomping ground and had a great time over beer and pizza, sampled some brews at Bristol Brewing Co., saw the Garden of the Gods, and took a scenic drive through the mountains. The highlight was just being with them. Gosh I love those people.
There is not too much to say about Colorado on.....not to say that it isn't pretty. We realized that the South really is beautiful, just not quite as awe-inspiring as the West. So I just tried, but failed, to sleep. It got pretty miserable. As did the food. I'm just not a fast food kind of girl.
We are now enjoying some time with our families while we wait to move into our new house on Sunday. You should come by! Free pizza!
Updated 9/7/2006 - by Bryan
I'll post more about the trip soon - but here are some new pics.
Updated 8/26/2006 - by Angie
Recently I wrote about my new business venture. This would make it seem that we plan to be in CA for a while, but sadly that doesn't seem to be the case. I haven't written in a while because the thought of this has overshadowed everything else, and I don't like to splatter my heart too much here.
September 3, 2005 marked our one year anniversary. What better way to celebrate than to pack our bags and road trip it across the country! We couldn't have picked a better weekend. We had just bid farewell to Katrina, and hello to outlandish gas prices. We began our adventure around midnight with all of our belongings, the Prentiss mini van, and Lamar in tow. Surely we set a record by making it to California in 3 days flat. We were soon greeted by both old and new friends.
Friends. It's no surprise that we now consider the Prentiss's as close as family, but I find it truly amazing that after only a year I can call many others dear friends as well. In many ways it seems that just weeks ago we were passing the signs.... Tahoe.....Sacramento.....Palo Alto......and finally, Mtn. View; but it also seems like we have lived here for years. I really didn't expect to find myself so....... at home.
The thought that calmed my heart during our move was that this was simply a step for us. We weren't saying we were going to be in CA forever. It's that same thought that now eases the fears and sadness of moving back to AL. I guess the Lord promises to be a light unto our path, not a spotlight unto our entire future.
Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to again be close to family and friends, but as of now that's one of few things that excite me. I hope my AL friends will forgive this honesty.
So, anniversary number two is less than a week away. We are actually packing our bags and heading to L.A. for the weekend! I'd like to think that I will just blend in and look like a local that doesn't care about watching for the stars, but you might have already heard about my Will Smith spotting. Not so inconspicuous. I digress.
If you will, please pray for us during this next adventure (not L.A., but the whole moving back to the South thing).
Updated 7/23/2006 - by Angie
I hear that one aspect of a quality blog is consistency. I'm sure that is not the only thing that disqualifies me from inclusion in the world of "good" blogs, but who's grading? Only me.
So I really don't have much exciting to say except for things I have already said. It's hot here. Really, really, hot. And we don't have AC. And we look like classic Alabamians. Right now we are sitting outside our house scantily clad (Bryan shirtless), chairs facing the front window, watching the TV inside. I do have my Mac in my lap. Does that redeem me?
Yesterday our thermometer - inside our house - read 100 degrees. Outside it read 105 in the shade. So we fled to the air-conditioned mall along with the rest of the county. You know how it is at the Galleria around Christmas? Fighting over parking spaces and Food Court tables......I guess Christmas in July really means something here in California.
I know I've already blogged about it, but I thought that the Silicon Valley graded a little higher in the smarts category than we Southerners. I mean, there is a solution. I even think that an air-conditioning unit might be easier to work than computers and robots and other Silicon Valley techy stuff. Am I wrong? I don't know if the people here like to play it tough (a lot of women here really believe in natural child birth), if they consider it a luxury rather than necessity, if they are more environmentally aware..... I think it is all of the above. Speaking of being environmentally aware....
Friday was declared "Save the Air Day". It was a beautiful concept - public transit was free for the day! Bryan decided to head to San Francisco to work for a change of atmosphere, and I decided to meet him later in the afternoon. Because of the rising heat I decided to go sooner than later (the trains have AC). I happened to hop on the one train that the AC had just broken. "Hang in there folks", the conductor said, "as we stop for a few minutes to get it working again. Please get off if you are feeling light-headed or woosy". Oh, this was me. Did I mention that the free fare caused it to be standing room only? Like, big hairy man's armpit in my face standing room only. I was nearly holding my breath, literally sweating buckets (and I got all dressed up like we were going on a date!), beginning to understand and empathise with claustrophobics. But no one was moving so I decided to suck it up. The train finally started again, but the mechanics had worked to no avail. The temperature, along with the BO was rising. It seems that everyone was waiting to get off in Millbrae, where the light rail was. When we finally arrived you would have thought someone gassed the train or something - everyone bailed and ran to the light rail. Sadly, I met my hot date looking and smelling like a wet rat.
Thankfully, he still liked me, and we had a great time. It was the first time we visited the Mission District. We had some of the best Thai food I think I have ever had at Osha, and had an excellent mocha and real maccihato at Ritual Coffee. They know coffee. One of their baristas won 2nd place in the National Barista Competition (yeah, they have that). Oh, to be his understudy. :) Sitting there though, I suddenly felt so plain in what I thought was a cute Gap shirt and khakis. I spoke "blank slate", when everyone else seemed to scream "vintage! I'm a walking piece of art! how cool am I ?!".
I really want to blog about the deeper things we are experiencing. There really is more going on than heat, redneckness, and day trips, but I will just blame my lack of vulnerability on the temperature. It's not fun to think very hard when you are already sweating.
Updated 7/6/2006 - by Bryan
Just posted some new pics from our recent trip down south...
Updated 6/28/2006 - by Angie
Well, long time no write. But wow do I have some stories to tell!
We just returned from a trip to Birmingham where we spent time with family, and Atlanta where Bryan worked at the PCA's General Assembly. I should really tell you about how encouraged I was by seminars I heard, conversations I had, and the new friends that I made there. But who wants to get sappy when we can talk about armadillos?
No, joke, I have pictures to prove that there really are people in this world that consider armadillo hunting a true sporting event. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating. Maybe my family & I were outside when we heard some rustling in the bushes. Maybe I told my mom not to freak out because it wasn't going anywhere. Maybe when I put my camera to my eye the crazy thing RAN BETWEEN MY LEGS! Ok, maybe right beside my leg, but I really did do a better toe touch than I ever did as a cheerleader. Nevertheless, it was a classic Southern family moment that started with a "hey y'all, what's that?" and escalated into everyone running to get there gear (Dad, his warrior pole to poke? it out of the bushes; Mom, a spotlight so she could stand far enough away as to not get trampled but to be sure not to miss anything; and me, my camera because I was sure that no one in CA would believe that this was actually happening). My sister was sad to miss it, but mud ridin' took precedence. Thankfully my brother wasn't there, for I'm sure he would want to fry the poor critter up for a good eatin'.
The rest of my tales from home really don't compare to the night of the armadillo, but a few things are worth mentioning. Only about once a year or so do I crave true Southern cooking, but if I were a little closer to John's Diner in Trussville my tastebuds could be persuaded. Mom took me there fresh off the plane and the fried green tomatoes, corn grits, collard greens, John's famous slaw, and sweet iced tea did not disappoint. Some of you may know that John's was a downtown B'ham landmark for years (my grandfather still raves about his visits there 40 years ago). It now has a new revamped store off Hwy 11. Great (although possibly out of the way) place to take newbies that might be a little overwhelmed by a hole in the wall, with big mama yellin' "what chu want baby?" while slappin' some runny butter beans on a not so squeaky clean plate.
Other things we relished in: BBQ, chick-fil-a, Milo's, sweet tea, did I say BBQ? Hugs, hugs, and more hugs. I don't get many of those on this side of the world. Hearing a mom say to a group of kids "ok, all y'all schooch in for a picture!.Schooch!". Catching up and laughing with family and friends that I so dearly love.
Finally, a few sightings that are better seen than written about:
Where can I get these seeds? 
I guess I should be careful in my comment here. But I must mention that there were also statues of Mary and Buddha in other neighbors yards. Was this a friendly neighborhood competition?
You can check out the real photos of our sweet time with family and friends at our website, www.bryandavis.net .
Updated 6/8/2006 - by Bryan
I noticed today on Microsoft/MTV's new Urge music store that the most popular song recently has been The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony. That's pretty random - what would cause a song from 1997 to end up number one today? Especially considering most of the people using Urge today were probably in 1st grade watching Sesame Street in 1997.
Speaking of music, I've really been enjoying Sufjan Stevens music lately. Brian Prentiss reminded me of his music recently. He's one of those artist that sounds all right with the first listen but gets better with each subsequent listen. He's a very talented musician/song writer, but i also love how his reformed theology comes out in his music - even though it's not overtly "christian". Currently, my favorite album of his is Come On Feel the Illinoise.
Speaking of U.S. States, Angie and I will be travelling back to the southeast on Monday for a couple of weeks. Every year for the past 7 years i have worked at the PCA's annual General Assembly. Jeff Bone - the guy that hired me at Infomedia 10 years ago - and I team up and do a live webcast from the Assembly floor. This year it's in Atlanta - 2 hours from Birmingham - so it will be convenient for us (and unbearably HOT). We will be spending about a week visiting family and catching up with things back in the home office before heading over to Atlanta for the next week.
Speaking of Atlanta, I've given up hoping the Braves will pull out another division win this year. It would take a minor miracle for them to pull their act together considering the Mets don't look like thier about to start losing. Even still, we're hoping to make the Red Sox/Braves game on the night of the 18th. It will be on ESPN at 8pm ET - so tune in and see if we make it on TV.
Speaking of TV - we've enjoyed the summer TV break. We actually go on walks after dinner now instead of tuning in to watch Jack Bauer perform the humanly impossible while saving the world.
And speaking of saving the world, I'd better get back to work!
Updated 6/6/2006 - by Bryan
Well, I just got off the phone with my sister, Bec, and she turned in her 2 weeks notice at her job and they kindly told her to please leave now and they'd just mail her a check for 2 week's work! So...she'll be looking for a new job over the next 2 weeks. You guys can be praying she'll find something! On a side note, the only place she had internet access was at work (they don't have a comptuer at home) so this should drastically reduce the amount of traffic our blog receives :)
Updated 6/3/2006 - by Angie
I love Saturday mornings here. We sleep in, sip our coffee slowly, walk out our door and wander around downtown Mountain View. Today we did the usual, but added an interesting visit.
There's a quite unique little hair salon up the street. Sure, when you look in the window you see the usual chic looking stylists, hair products and equipment, but this place offers something more - hula hooping Chinese ladies. Now before your mind goes where it shouldn't, let me explain. Bryan and I walk past this place nearly everyday after work and it never fails - there is always at least one cute little lady hooping away. You can't pass by without giving a mutual smile and wave. I've wondered if it was marketing, exercise, or simply just for fun. Bryan has been needing a cut, so today we decided to find out.
As soon as we walked in the door both of the stylists that were there were so excited to see us (although I was a little disappointed because there wasn't a hoop in sight). With a huge smile they welcomed us with "ah, you finally come! You have such nice smile everyday!". I think they are really saying "it's about time you're getting that hair cut!". Whatever the case, I figure it is worth even a bad cut just to see them so excited. About halfway through I finally ask. "So what's the deal with the hula hoops?". "It's because of the big stomach" she replies. So one of my theories proved correct. Just then another stylist runs to the back to retrieve it. This is no ordinary hoop. It's huge! "Here, you try". Let me just say that the years of P.E's Hula Hooping Queen have not passed me by. If you think Bryan's hair looks bad, blame his hysterical laughing during the cut, not the stylist.
So ladies, we have always wondered why the Asian people have the market on tinyness right? Well, now we know the secret. It's not genes, it's not the diet, it's not even all those crazy Chinese herbs and stuff. It's our very own Christmas present of '85! I'm making a dash to Target right now!
I must say, hula hooping beat reading Chinese magazines while waiting. And maybe I even left a little trimmer.I love Saturday mornings here. We sleep in, sip our coffee slowly, walk out our door and wander around downtown Mountain View. Today we did the usual, but added an interesting visit.
There's a quite unique little hair salon up the street. Sure, when you look in the window you see the usual chic looking stylists, hair products and equipment, but this place offers something more - hula hooping Chinese ladies. Now before your mind goes where it shouldn't, let me explain. Bryan and I walk past this place nearly everyday after work and it never fails - there is always at least one cute little lady hooping away. You can't pass by without giving a mutual smile and wave. I've wondered if it was marketing, exercise, or simply just for fun. Bryan has been needing a cut, so today we decided to find out.
As soon as we walked in the door both of the stylists that were there were so excited to see us (although I was a little disappointed because there wasn't a hoop in sight). With a huge smile they welcomed us with "ah, you finally come! You have such nice smile everyday!". I think they are really saying "it's about time you're getting that hair cut!". Whatever the case, I figure it is worth even a bad cut just to see them so excited. About halfway through I finally ask. "So what's the deal with the hula hoops?". "It's because of the big stomach" she replies. So one of my theories proved correct. Just then another stylist runs to the back to retrieve it. This is no ordinary hoop. It's huge! "Here, you try". Let me just say that the years of P.E's Hula Hooping Queen have not passed me by. If you think Bryan's hair looks bad, blame his hysterical laughing during the cut, not the stylist.
So ladies, we have always wondered why the Asian people have the market on tinyness right? Well, now we know the secret. It's not genes, it's not the diet, it's not even all those crazy Chinese herbs and stuff. It's our very own Christmas present of '85! I'm making a dash to Target right now!
I must say, hula hooping beat reading Chinese magazines while waiting. And maybe I even left a little trimmer.
Updated 6/2/2006 - by Bryan
A few random things...
My younger sister Bec wrote me today and told me that she had reloaded our blog at least 50 times today hoping to see something change (she gets a little bored at work). She wanted me to put something exciting up. I told her maybe she could start a blog and write in it every time she gets bored at work.
I just saw a cool article on what makes Silicon Valley what it is. It boils down to people and specifically 2 types of people: rich people and nerds. It makes a good read. Today, as I was working at Red Rock, I saw a good example of this. There were a couple of guys sitting next to me having a conversation about tech stuff (really high-tech stuff). One of them appeared to be a Venture Capitalist (rich guy) and the other appeared to be a nerd. The nerd was telling the rich guy about his 3 companies he had started. I kind-of got bits and pieces of their conversation as i was trying to concentrate on work - but it was very interesting. The nerd was from Quatar and had apparently come to the Bay Area (Berkley) for graduate school. He had done his research on some sort of high tech linear/non-linear audio filtering something or other that the rich guy was just drooling to sell to consumer audio companies (I wasn't quite nerdy enough to understand). One of his companies apparently deals with some sort of robotic surveillance equipment - and he had amazing stories to tell about remote controlling a cessna sized aircraft with his equipment on board as well as F16's flying around using it. NASA apparently uses his video equipment on robotic exploring equipment too. Anyway, this guy is apparently brilliant and had stories about being called back to Quatar after Berkley to help start a Silicon Valley there, meeting weekly with some of the royalty and getting to know them personally, etc... He seemed to pretty well impress the rich guy and is undoubtedly in a good position to get lots of money from him to get his technology to market. At any rate, these are the kinds of things that go on here in the Valley.
Tonight, Angie had a book club meeting for the women at Grace, so i was on my own. I decided to walk down to town and find me a cigar and some beer (you didn't read that mom!). I brought it back to the house and am sitting outside with the laptop under the stars watching the end of the west-coast games on mlb.tv and updating the blog. I don't know how exciting it is, but maybe it will entertain Bec for a minute or two when she gets to work on Monday.
Updated 6/1/2006 - by Bryan
Most people are familiar with PDF files and using Adobe Reader to open these files. Adobe Reader is a relatively simple program that just basically displays PDF files that for some inexplicable reason takes a download of over 20mb to install and is one of the more sluggish programs on my computer. The other day i had to open a PDF on a computer that didn't have Adobe Reader installed and finally decided i had had enough with Adobe and it's bloated software littering my hard drive - so i went looking for alternatives. I found a great little program that does just about everything Adobe Reader does - with blinding speed and a 1.26mb download! It's called Foxit Reader and is available free here: foxitsoftware.com I'd highly recommend it.
Updated 5/30/2006 - by Angie
I guess I spent Memorial Day as it should be spent? Although I was born and raised in Alabama, and even have a friend back home who's grandparents still have a cannon in their back yard pointing North at all times, it took me moving to California to see my first Civil War reenactment! I didn't know the West Coast knew anything about the Civil War. I mean, isn't it all about rebel flags and the South rising again? In any case, it was a blast. Pun definitely intended.
Our friends Gene and Laura were in town and all of us, along with the Prentiss family, went to the Santa Cruz Mountains for the day. When I think of Santa Cruz, I think of surfing narly dudes. See below. But when we first arrived I felt like I was back at Tannehill State Park on Pioneer Day. Don't get me wrong, I was glad to patriotically celebrate with the Yankees and the Rebels. My favorite part of the battle was hearing Nick and Oliver's main concern of "who are the good guys, and who are the bad guys?". Reasonable, but how do you answer that one?
We took a steam engine train ride through the Santa Cruz mountains which are filled with giant Redwoods. It was pretty cool. But not really cool. I won't name any names, but the Reverend of the group predicted it would be cold (we were going through the mountains). But it was quite the opposite. Marianne's ice cream was a much welcomed treat.
We later drove to downtown Santa Cruz and took in its hippiness. So eccentric! There are true hippies everywhere along with hitch hikers and homeless people, and yet the shopping is very chic and high end. We then then headed to the beach and watched the daring surfers (they climbed out on the cliffs with big "warning" signs posted everywhere), the sun bathing sea lions, and the dancing, dreadlock bearing bongo guys.
It was a Memorial Day that started with something that, in a way, was so familiar. Yet as the day progressed, I was continually reminded that I'm not in Kansas anymore.
Updated 5/26/2006 - by Bryan
Most conservative Christians I know would absolutely hurl at the mention of Hillary Clinton's name, but In a recent Newsweek article, she and other liberals preach one of the more convicting "sermons" i've heard lately. I've received countless email forwards from christian conservatives about how we can lock up our borders and keep all those immigrants out - because this is OUR country. As evidenced by the recent heated debates in congress, there are many people who believe strongly one way or the other on this issue and have urgently argued their beliefs in public. But, one point of view i haven't heard argued much - is the view scripture takes on the issue. This is probably because it directly contradicts what most of us conservatives want to believe on the issue. In Leviticus and Matthew the Bible shows us how we should think about the poor and needy and those that have arrived from other cultures (i.e. welcome them and love them as much as we love ourselves).
I think most conservatives arguing from a biblical standpoint would say that Jesus would not condone illegal activity and a lot of immigrants are illegal, so therefore they are bad. I agree that Jesus does not condone illegal activity, but I think from scripture it's obvious that He encourages caring for the alien and stranger and the poor and needy. So, as Christians in a democracy, i think we should encourage our government along these lines and rejoice when our secular government takes a stand on these kinds of issues and actually helps us Christians in our calling to reach out to those who need help. Even (especially?) when it means money out of our own pockets. Sure - big government is undesirable and taxation isn't fun - but how can Christian's complain when our government uses our taxes for activities which the Bible describes as "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless"? Opposition would be the ultimate hypocrisy.
Updated 5/20/2006 - by Angie
I've decided that personality tests might not be needed for those who visit their local coffee shop everyday.
The best thing about being a barista is having a personalized drink ready by the time the customer gets to the counter. Here's your Double, decaf, skinny, dry, light vanilla cappucino Mr. Man! Enjoy.
Here are my theories on a few regulars:
Double, Breve, Cherry, Mocha Man- definitely a Hedonist
Single, non-fat, decaf latte people - boring
Double but a triple cup, decaf, non-fat, super-foamy cappucino lady - high maintenance!
Dine in espresso - not from the US
Triple espresso to go's - up too late on myspace last night
Quadruple red-eye guy- up too late on myspace every night for the last week
Soy chai latte in a mug - tree hugger
Simple coffee men- predictable, but loyal
My favorite customers though are the ones that come everyday but order something different each time. Loyal, yet adventurous.
So what am I you may ask? I guess this means I am an occasionally hedonistic but sometimes boring, loyal yet adventurous, super high maintenance woman!
Updated 5/18/2006 - by Bryan
Red Rock makes fresh baked chocalate chip cookies every day at 3pm. Today they are chocalate chip and i'm definately going to support my local coffee shop by buying at least a couple of them.
Updated 5/17/2006 - by Bryan
What's up with baseball this year? The Rockies have the best RPI in the league? That's crazy. And the Diamondbacks and Tigers not far behind? I'm just glad to see the Braves are starting to right their ship. They've certainly built themselves an uphill road to climb though.
Updated 5/7/2006 - by Angie
As we are enjoying our sushi (even though it was Sushi Boat) tonight we overhear the couple next to us say "well then, you wouldn't want to move to the South....... actually, I might move anywhere but Alabama...". I am pretending to be interested in my dear husband's conversation as well as my tuna, but really I am straining to hear the woman finish her thoughts. No luck. I am now kicking myself for not striking up a conversation. How fun that would have been!
It left us laughing about what she could have meant, as well as reminiscing about the treasures of the South that some will never know. My new friend Ina recently told me about her first experience in the South (she is originally from China). She was on a greyhound going from NY (I think) to Louisiana. At some point two Southern belles boarded just a chattin' away and Ina thought "why are they singing to each other?". I think Ina grew to like it. She says Katie and I are like music to her ears. I'll just pretend that everyone thinks that.
Speaking of what everyone thinks, I was going to list some of my loves and laughs about the South, but wouldn't it be more fun to hear it from y'all? I know only about 3 people know about my little blog, but all y'all come on, belles and rebels alike, and give a shout out (or shout down) to the good 'ole South.
Updated 5/4/2006 - by Angie
So I recently saw the movie "13 Conversations About One Thing". Yeah, I know my good friend Kate already blogged about it. So just read hers if you want. But I have been mulling over one aspect of it for a week. In the end (not that it is a hugely plot driven movie, but if you are like me and don't like a hint of a film given away, stop now!) it seems to say that just a smile or friendly gesture could radically impact someone. Now I am with Kate in that the film really doesn't get at much and should be titled "13 questions with no answers". But it just so happens that I have seen this one idea play out in my own life this week. I work in a coffee shop where people are in and out constantly. I have simple, shootin' the breeze conversations all the time. Very often though when someone walks away I wonder what is really going on inside them. Is she really as sad and hurt as she seems? Is he really as lonely as he seems? But I feel helpless. I will only see them 30 seconds at any given time.
Now let me quit ramblling and tell you about Sam. My co-workers and I have wondered if the elderly man is deaf, or just doesn't speak English. His first day in he just layed his money on the counter and we played charades to figure out that he wanted an Earl Grey. Everyday since it's the same order, the same friendly smile by us, and the same blank look in response. I always wonder if he thinks I am insincere or just weird. Then, a shift in behavior. This week he shuffled in the door like any other day, but instead of laying down his money he hands a pink rose. A smile and $1.62 is exchanged. An Earl Grey, shuffle to his seat, and a blank look. But this time it was worn by the cashier. A smile did matter to him. And the rose mattered to her.
Updated 5/4/2006 - by Bryan
We have become quite addicted to the ABC show "Lost" over the past year and a half, but haven't seen anything quite like last night's episode. In it, Michael returns to camp after LONG absence looking for his kidnapped son, Walt. But at the very end of the episode, he takes a gun and ends up apparently killing Anna-Lucia and possibly killing Libby as well. We had a couple of theories:
One - that he was either just obeying the "others" orders in order to get Walt back, or...
Two - that he had been brainwashed by the "others" and was involved in their cause now (whatever that might be).
Either way, it certainly leaves open the possibility that his description of the "other's" camp and their apparent vulnerabilities might very well be false - which means the ambush that Jack is planning could very well fail.
We also learned that Jack's dad apparently had a daughter that we didn't know about. The interesting thing about it was that we didn't get a good view of her, but people say she looked a lot like Claire. Could it be that Claire and Jack are half-siblings? Given the way that all the people's paths on the island have crossed previously, i wouldn't doubt it.
Updated 5/3/2006 - by Bryan
This past February, 86 evangelical leaders issued the Evangelical Climate Initiative, claiming that global warming is real and the Christians must get involved in solving the problem.
Others in the evangelical community (the NAE) opposed the initiative, stating that the science is inconclusive, and that it is, therefore, impossible to take an informed position.
I'm not necessarily convinced that all the climate change is caused by humans but i'm not convinced it's totally the regular cycles of the environment either. In either case, i don't see how any Christian that believes in the creation mandate could be opposed to cutting back on emissions. Regardless of whether they are creating global climate change, they are certainly polluting the local environment and therefore undesirable to someone who believes they have been given charge over creation in order to nurture and take care of it.
Updated 5/2/2006 - by Bryan
These blog posts and the link to the movie about the Golden Gate Bridge and suicides are very sad. I never knew it was such a common occurence there.
Updated 4/28/2006 - by Angie
Here are some NEW PICS from our visit with our friends Clay and Heather. They came out and we visited many of the tourist musts out here in the Bay Area. We began at Golden Gate, walked through Muir woods, ate in Sausilito, caught an Indy film "Tsotsi" (which we highly reccommend), and retreated to a little Inn in north of Napa in Calistoga. Do I even mention our midnight visit with Ben and Jerry? We then slept in until our first wine tasting of the day. We were all a little concerned that we might give ourselves away as being clueless, but thankfully all the people we met were suprisingly down to earth. And our own Heather proved to have missed her calling! She was one of the very few people to ever visit Joseph Phelps and make a perfect score on the blind wine aroma test! We eventually had enough (in all possible ways) and headed back to the city. We took it by storm and capped the day off with a true San Francisco cultural experence - lets just say that our new "friend" Nicole ended up being Nicholas! We had a great time and were greatly encouraged by our friends and God's working in their lives!
Updated 4/10/2006 - by Angie
"No way, not 400" they say. "They probably live in a small place, but it has to be bigger than 400 sq. feet!". But no friend, it's our reality. I am reminded of this every time I walk to the kitchen. For most that means simply putting one foot in front of the other. But for us, well, do you remember Catherine Zeta Jones manuvers in Entrapment? She ain't got nothin' on me!
It's easy to become frustrated when I have to use a chair for extra counter space, when I have to put groceries away like working a puzzle, or when I straddle a bicycle to put clothes in the wash. But I have to smile, even as I am sitting now at our makeshift TV tray computer desk. I love our little home. Every one of our 57,600 inches.
Hmm... that number sounds so much better than 400. It's just like the Lord to humble me and renew my perspective. It makes me think of the saying "home is where the heart is" (yes, although it is usually cross-stitched and hanging on our grandparents wall). But isn't it still true? When we leave here, I hope I think about how Bryan was never more than a few feet away, and how we were able to have 10 friends sitting around our coffee table laughing about our forced "Asian style" meal, and really, how simple life was. The benefits have far out weighed the hardships.
A few wonderful things about living in a small space:
- It's always cozy!
- You are forced to be organized.
- It's easy to clean. Just stand in one place, rags in hand, and turn circles.
- I'm not tempted to buy home decor.
- Cheaper utilities.
- It promotes the outdoors!
Bryan thinks we should just add 100 sq. feet per child. Well, we will just save that topic for another blog.
Updated 3/28/2006 - by Bryan
New pics from Panama City the weekend of March 17th: Panama City Beach Pictures.
Updated 2/5/2006 - by Bryan
Added some more pics from today to the San Luis Obispo Pictures
Updated 10/10/2005 - by Bryan
New pictures of Red Rock Coffee Company - our favorite place to work.
Updated 9/27/2005 - by Bryan
My (Bryan's) parents left this morning after being here for 3 nights. We were thrilled that they were willing to make the drive to see our new little home!Bec and Kris (in Colorado) had purchased a car in Atlanta over the internet and my parents had agreed to drive it out to them. So while they were "in the area"they decided they would drop by for a visit. We admire Dad's perseverance in making the 2500 mile drive 3 times in 3 weeks - and Mom's for being willing to make it withhim this time! While here - they visited our new church,tried out the coffee shops downtown including the one I call my "office", and spent Monday driving along the west coast up to San Francisco and seeing the sites there.Angie and I caught the train to the city and met them there after work. We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and had nice dinner in the cute little town of Sausalito.
We're looking forward to getting involved in our new community group this Wednesday and in two weeks are scheduled to fly back to Bama for Angie's 10 year high-schoolreunion. We're finding the most expensive part about being in California is the cost of flying to back to Bama for all the important events :)
Dad took lots of great pictures while out here, so we'll post them soon! We love getting email from friends - Send us a notewhen you get a chance - and we might even reply!
Updated 9/8/2005 - by Bryan
We made it to California! Just a quick update for now...we arrived Tuesday evening about 11pm local time and just went straight to the Prentiss' where we had our first good nights sleep in a while.Wednesday morning we unpacked the truck with the help of Lamar and Brian Prentiss. It was much easier than loading it! Wednesday afternoon and evening, we took a drive north up the coast through HalfMoon Bay, over the Golden Gate Bridge to the little city of Sausalito where we had a nice dinner. We enjoyed seeing all the sights along the way. Today (Thursday), Lamar flew home. We wereso grateful for his help! We couldn't have made it without him. We were able to get most all of the major furnishing arranged today, and the place looks great! It's amazing how comfortably2 people can live in 400 sq/ft - we'll try to post pictures soon!
Updated 9/4/2005 - by Bryan
We're on the way to California! It's 5pm and we've driven over 820 miles. We're west of Topeka, Kansas driving through some of the most mind-numbing scenery in the country.We spent all day Saturday loading up the truck with all of our belongings. It also turned out that we wereable to help the Prentisses by driving their van out to California for them. So we have 3 drivers (my dad and us) driving their van and our moving truck towing our car.We left Birmingham about 11pm and drove till about 5am to near Paducah, Kentucky where we slept for an hour and a half before continuing on.The weather has been absolutely beautiful - not a single cloud in the sky. It dipped down into the 50's last night, and has been up near 90 this afternoon.We hope to roll into Denver, Colorado (the half-way point) tonight around midnight and find a hotel roomto get a full nights sleep before continuing on tomorrow morning. So far we've purchased over 76 gallons of fuel for the moving truck and about half as much for the Prentiss' van - at an average of a littleover $3 a gallon. We sure picked a great weekend to drive across the country :)
Updated 8/26/2005 - by Bryan
A couple links for those interested:
- About Mountain View, CA
- A view of the main street (our new house is a couple blocks from there)
Also, just remembered, i need to get the california trip pictures up....
Updated 8/18/2005 - by Bryan
Just a quick update - i'll add more when i have time...
We're moving to California!
We took a trip out to the Palo Alto area the last weekend in July and by God's grace, found a place in a perfect locationon the first day we started looking! All the other places we had seen were a little bit discouraging, and it was just after we specifically prayedthat God would lead us to a place we could really enjoy, that we found our little home. It's only 400sq/ft, but that's about all we can afford on ourBirmingham salary! It's in the little city of Mountain View (where Netscape was born), within walking distance of restaurants, a library, a park, a train station,a farmer's market, etc... The plan is to load the truck Sep 3 and then head out the 4th. It'll be a long drive, but we plan to stop in Colorado and see Bec and Krisat the halfway point.Also, we just spent a week at the beach with the Davis family. It was great seeing Bec and Kris! I'll post some pics soon...
Updated 7/23/2005 - by Bryan
Just added some new links on the right.
Also, for those of you that don't know - Angie and I are very probably moving to California!
As some of you may know, we have been praying about going off somewheresince before engagement (the desire started actually when we weresingle, with trips to Vancouver, Portland and Seattle stirring Angie'sheart, and New Zealand stiring Bryan's), but neither of us areadventurous enough to just go with no reason or connection.
We both have a desire to live in a diverse (internationals, "intellectuals",non-believers as well as believers) community with a "community" feel- sidewalks, ability to walk to a park and/or testaurants, coffee,shopping, etc. The only place we really love in B'ham is HighlandPark. We pursued this, even putting an offer on a townhome that got beat out by anoffer one day previous to ours. We were sad, but kept looking. We definitely felt the Lord's hand about what kind of place to live in, but not specifically where.
We also have had Brian and Katie Prentiss on the back burner while prayingabout where the Lord would want us. They were originally friends of Angie's in collegeand very influential in her spiritual growth and have already had quite an influence on Bryan'slife. They were scheduled to finish up seminary in July of this year, andwere pursuing a job at a church in an urban location somewhere in the U.S.
So then Brian & Katie end up getting a job in Palo Alto, CA, and told us all the thingsthey love about the city, the people, the culture and the church. It lined up so much withour own desires, so we continued praying, and decided a few benefits of moving to CA would be:
-Being in a place so completely different from B'ham - could stretch us, help us grow as a couple
-Seeing and being part of a church that is established enough to provide stability, but grassroots enough that we might can play and active part.
-Getting experience with this culture that we think we love. Will we really love it?
-Growth in sharing the gospel and building relationships with this type of culture (we haven't yet found anyone here that we really know thatcan help us in this, and with our personalities, we really need to bedoing it with others, not alone).
-Brian and Katie know us well, get excited about the same kind of ministry that we do, and are "one step ahead". It will be great tohave their friendship there.
-Mature us in faith and trust in the Lord!!!
After thinking/praying through these things, Bryan asked Brian & Katie what they thoughtabout us moving out that way near them and they were thrilled!They have since helped us think through itfurther. The next affirmation came when Bryan talked with his boss - hewas extremely encouraging and said go for it!
We then were prayingabout conversations with our parents. Both sets were suprisinglyencouraging, although those hard conversations with family forced us to realize thatit is not all fun and games. Being so far away from family is the hardest partof it all for us. God used the conversations with our families to help us count the costs involved.They forced us to re-evalutate our motives and be 100% sure of His leading in our decision. It hasbeen tearfully hard yet so wonderful in the lastfew days to put our trust in the Lord. He has been sweet inHis words in Mark 10:28-31 (..."there is no one who has left house orfathers or mothers or sisters or brothers or lands for my sake and forthe gospel's sake, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in thistime.....and in the age to come, eternal life...). It's encouraging to know that God is absolutelyin control and has a perfect plan worked out for us. We only see the next step,not 10 steps down the road. We could move and then after a while decide we want to labor therefor a lifetime, or see that we really love the South and gain experience to come backhere and labor more effectively in the kind of culture we love here.Either way - we're excited to be able to pursue the things that have been on our hearts.
We are taking an "investigative" trip at the end of July to visit the church where BrianPrentiss will be pastoring and to investigate housing opportunities. We are praying that the Lordwould use this to give us a final red or green light for September. Thanks for your prayers!
Updated 5/31/2005 - by Bryan
Oooh! New design! Could the site be coming back to life?
Updated 6/1/2003 - by Bryan
Howdy from NZ! Updates to the site have been pretty nonexistent recently, but I decided I'd better update it before I actually leave :-). I stuck some pictures up in the pictures section from the evening church service today. I'm heading back to the States for the Presbyterian Church's General Assembly in Charlotte, NC and won't be coming back to NZ anytime soon :-(. My visa would expire in a couple months after returning so it didn't make much sense to spend lots of money on a round trip ticket for only 2 more months. The past couple of weeks have been busy but fun since the Campus Outreach summer team from the University of South Alabama in Mobile arrived. The 7 guys are staying at my flat and it's been lots of fun having some Alabama boys around. They are spending the summer helping out the CO team here by building relationships on campus, doing evangelistic activities, etc... as well as focusing on their own personal spiritual development. Today was spent saying lots of goodbyes at church. I head out tomorrow morning for Wellington to spend the night with Tim Landreth and Lynley Bayne. Tuesday evening I head to Auckland to spend the night with my old flatmate Carl. And Wednesday evening I depart Auckland for the States. I'll be arriving in Birmingham at 10:45pm Wednesday (3:45pm Thursday NZ time). I plan to spend the first couple of days recuperating and then attend a wedding up in Huntsville on Saturday before departing for the General Assembly on Sunday. After a week in NC, I'll be getting back to the swing of things in the office. There's a possibility that I'll stay in a garage apartment on Mt. Brook Parkway for at least a little while. I'll be looking for transportation options : As far as the future goes, I'll be spending the next few months praying about where the Lord would have me live. I would really love to come back to NZ to continue working with the youth in the church and helping out the campus ministry, so we'll see what He has in store for me. Thanks for your prayers!
Updated 3/30/2003 - by Bryan
Hey folks! Sorry the updates have been so slow. I lost my digital camera, but the Vinsons found itin their camera bag a couple weeks later - so the photo's should be a little more frequent now. I just posted some from thetrip down to Dunedin this weekend for the big Otago/Canterbury match - Canterbury won 17-16. I'll try towrite a full fledge update and post it soon. Thanks for your prayers!
Updated 2/6/2003 - by Bryan
I made it back to NZ in one piece (with all of my luggage!) It was a long trip, but it went pretty well. There were a couple of connections that were really tight, but God helped me to make them on time - on the way to Phoenix they had to put my laptop underneath because there wasn't enough room on the plane for it and when I got there I had to go hunting for it at the baggage claim - and in Auckland going through passport control and customs took forever and then I had to get all my bags across the airport to my connecting flight. I took half of a muscle relaxer on the long flight and slept like a baby for about 5 hours, so that has helped me not to be too exhausted. 28 hours after I left, I arrived in Christchurch!
Carl met me at the airport with a lady from church and brought me home. The weather was kind-of overcast with a temperature in the 60's (cooler than normal - but I don't mind). It's warmed up a little since - probably into the 70's now. The Vinsons had borrowed my car while I was gone and we weren't sure where it was, so Carl and I walked downtown for lunch and did a little shopping before catching the bus home. It's nice to be "home".
Yesterday I just kind-of chilled. Carl went down to his school to do a little work, and I just piddled on the computer and stuff. After Carl got home we went out and threw the football that I brought back and went on a grocery shop. I cooked chicken pot pie for dinner and then we went over to Cam's house to talk with him, Rich, and Steve, play Xbox, and watch Panic Room (pretty filthy language - I wouldn't recommend it). I took a shower when we got home, and I got to bed about midnight.
The jetlag hasn't seemed to bad this time. It may be because I was staying up so late at Greg's before I came. I got up about 9 this morning, had some breakfast and am now trying to start work. Today is Waitangi Day in NZ - kind-of like our July 4 - so everyone has a holiday - cept me :-(
The Vinsons are over in Australia for another week or so. I've seen Rodney since I've been back and I hear the Tutor's are back as well. School will get started back in a week or 2. Until then, I'll be getting re-settled and probably start hanging out down at the rec center to meet students.
I'm going to try to keep the updates a little more frequent. My fan club seems to like it that way :-) Y'all keep in touch!
Bryan
Updated 12/12/2002 - by Bryan
I'm back home in Alabama! I surprised everyone and showed up at 5:00pm on Friday, December 6. It's been great seeing all my friends and family again. I'll try to update with details soon! If you're lucky, I might even stick some pictures up :-)
Updated 11/18/2002 - by Bryan
Well, it's been 4 weeks since my last update, so I figured I better make myself sit down and do it. There has been a lot happening here in NZ. I'll see if I can remember the high points...
Tuesday, Oct 15th - After several more trips to the Immigration Office, I finally got me a nice Visitor's Permit stamped in my passport. It took several trips and waiting in long lines and a few discussions about why I'm in NZ, how I'm supporting myself, etc... It expires in April, but will be invalidated when I leave the country to come home for Christmas. I can stay for 3 months just on my passport when I get back, but will then need to re-apply and will be able to stay until the end of July on the visitors permit. One of the things we have been praying about is me becoming a Resident Assistant in College House - the big dorm here. All of the RA positions have already been filled, so it would take God opening up the position for that to happen. If it worked out, I would probably take at least one class and get a Student Visa that would be valid as long as I was taking classes. Something like that would enable/require me to stay until November, when classes get out. We are praying that God's will would be done. It could be beneficial to the ministry to have someone living in the dorm, and it would be a great base to build relationships with other students from.
Sunday, Oct 20th - The United States went off daylight savings time, setting their clocks back an hour. This moved us further ahead 1 hour, so we are now 19 hours ahead (5 hours behind (minus one day). It was 17 hours ahead (7 hours behind - minus one day) when I got here, but with our DST change in early Oct and now America's we have moved 2 hours closer. This has been helpful with work. Now, if I start work at 7am it is only noon back in Birmingham so we have a couple more hours of time to communicate before everyone goes home.
Wednesday, Oct 23 - Our flat was invited down to Lincoln (a small university about 15 minutes south of Christchurch) to the flat of some of the guys who are involved with ministry down there - including Phil - a fellow from Owaka (Carl's home), Keith - a guy involved at EPC from Windom (down near Owaka), and 2 other guys. They fixed us some good roast chicken and veggies and we had a good time of fellowship. A couple of them had just finished their exams, and the other 2 had one more to go so everyone was starting to celebrate the end of the school year.
Thursday, Oct 24 - Scott Frasier (a guy from EPC) had been wanting to get together with some guys for a while, so I called some guys up and scheduled a trip to the movies to watch Reign of Fire. Several of the van Rij's came as well as Neal and some guys from Lincoln. We had a good time watching Matthew McConaughey and company extinguish dragons with some very big guns, helicopters, tanks, etc... :-) Also, John and his mom were nice enough to team up and make us a delicious banana cake with icing that our flat really enjoyed.
Friday, Oct 25 - Our flat was invited over to the Vinsons along with about 10 guys from Lincoln who had just finished the school term. Neal fired up the grill and we had lots of big juicy hamburgers and sausages. It was a good time of fellowship, and I met a couple of guys from Colorado who had been studying down at Lincoln for the past term. They were going to spend a week or 2 touring the rest of the country before heading back to the States. While the rest of the guys settled in for Black Hawk Down, I took one of the Colorado guys over to the house across the street from our flat - where 4 guys from Colorado live. They got here a couple months back, and are working with Campus Crusade helping get a campus ministry going here at Canterbury. It was good to meet them, and to know there are a few fellow Christian, Americans across the street.
Saturday, Oct 26 - We helped Rob van Rij and his youngest son Sam setup for church the next day. Afterwards, we were making pizza and convinced Sam to stay and eat. We had a good time hanging with the youngest member of the prestigious van Rij clan.
Sunday, Oct 27 - After church we got several of the van Rij boys over for lunch and a game of Risk. After several hours, there were only 2 world powers left - Nathan and Me. After several fierce battles, I was able to extinguish his armies and become ruler of the entire world - quite an accomplishment for one afternoon. After church that evening, Nathan, John, Carl, Nicholas, Cam, and I met for our first weekly Colossians bible study. We discussed Colossians 1 and had a time of prayer.
Friday, Nov 1 - We had a youthgroup meeting at the van Rij's Friday night. It was the first in a while. We had fun playing volleyball, soccer, throwing the football, playing some games in the living room (psychiatrist, adams family, etc...), and eating a snack. Carl gave the devotional.
Saturday, Nov 2 - Carl and I teamed up and gave the flat a big spring cleaning. We scrubbed the bathroom, kitchen, swept, mopped, mowed the yard, etc... It's always a good feeling to know that everything is clean (at least for a little while). Carl finally decided to give his hair a little trimming. He insisted that I do it (he didn't want to pay someone). After giving him a big disclaimer, I gave it a try. We decided to give him a mullet, so I cut the top and sides - leaving the back. All we had was a pair of scissors, and it was difficult to get it very even, so I went and borrowed the Vinson's clippers. We determined that we had cut it a little too short with the scissors as even with a #2 guard there were still some spots too short, and it looked like a weed eater had gotten loose on his head :-o That evening, we had John and Cam over and watched The Emperor's New Groove - one of my favorite movies of all time.
Sunday, Nov 3 - We had communion at church Sunday morning, and after church the university age students went over to Peter's for the bi-weekly student lunch. We had a good time of fellowship with all the folks from EPC, and also got in a few games of pool. Matt van Rij left to go tramping on Stewart Island (below the south island) with some friends. They were going to be gone for about 10 days. Carl decided that he had had enough of his mullet, so we took out the #1 blade and gave him a nice smooth shave all over. No one can keep their hands off his head now because it feels like a little fur ball. After the evening service, we came back for our Colossians bible study.
Monday, Nov 4 - After work, I whipped up some chicken pie and broccoli and we invited Joseph Mhetura (the Zimbabwe guy) over for dinner. I also cooked some brownies for dessert that turned out pretty good (if I say so myself). After dinner, I went down to the University Rec center and played some ball.
Tuesday, Nov 5 - Nick made us some chicken over rice for dinner after which we all went down to the University and played basketball for a couple hours.
Wednesday, Nov 6 - Carl made us some fish and mashed potatoes that were quite good, and we then went to pick up John and Susan van Rij and Liz Bayne to go watch the fireworks that the Christchurch city council were putting on. We all hopped in the Baynes van, and I had fun trying to remember how to drive a manual transmission - but on the other side of the car. We went over to Sumner (a small town on the beach) and climbed through a cave onto some rocks that stuck out into the ocean to watch. On the way home, we went the Summit Road, which is the road that runs along the top of the Port Hills just south of Christchurch. Half way home, we met a couple girls hitchhiking and picked them up (it's much more common here than in the U.S.). The girl had been out with some friends, but "lost their car". Apparently their friends had gone home without them. After dropping them off, we went to McDonalds and had a snack and some coffee before taking everyone home.
Thursday, Nov 7 - We cooked pizza and had John and Nathan van Rij over to eat and watch The Princess Bride (another one of my all time favorites). Afterwards, John and I had a wrestling match in the living room. I don't think there was a decisive winner, but John did say that I am much improved since coming to NZ :-)
Friday, Nov 8 - I cooked some good 'ole macaroni and cheese, and Carl had a birthday party to attend so Nick and I went to McCafe for some coffee and fellowship.
Saturday, Nov 9 - Carl decided to go over to Greymouth to hang out with his former flat mate - Simon Eyre (Cam's older brother) for a couple days. That morning, I ran 4.2 kilometers and cleaned up the flat some. That afternoon, I also went to a local bookstore and browsed through the books. I got a book about the history of the world that I have enjoyed reading. Over the past couple of weeks, I had read Elisabeth Eilliot's "The Mark of a Man". It was a very good book that I would recommend to any guy to read. It is a good reminder of the role that God intended a man to have in his household. That afternoon, I drove up to the church and helped setup for the service the next day. We were just about out of food in the flat, but I was able to scrounge up some meatless spaghetti for nick and me before preparing to teach the youth Sunday school class the next day (in Matt's absence).
Sunday, Nov 10 - We studied Romans 8:18-39 - about putting our sufferings in perspective of the future glory we anticipate, and God's glorious love. Geoff began a series on the Lord's prayer - focusing on "Holy is your name". After church, Nick and I went over to the Vinsons for lunch with them and a student from down in Dunedin. That evening Nathan and I decided to go to St. Johns Anglican church for their evening service. We have several friends who attend their at nights, and we enjoyed seeing them and worshipping with them. After church, we continued our Colossians study in the 3rd chapter.
Monday, Nov 11 - After a warm, dry week, the weather decided to turn cold and wet again. We found out that the owner of our house put it on the market, and there is already a buyer interested. He is apparently an investor who plans to eventually tear it down and build 3 more on the property to rent out. He came by to look at it, and then brought his family by and it appears they may be interested in moving in (our lease is up in January) - so we may be looking for another place next year. Interestingly enough, his daughter turned out to be one of the girls the summer Campus Outreach team had been involved with and who had been meeting with Jennifer and Holly some over the past months. Apparently, she has not made a decision for Christ yet, so y'all can be praying that God will open up her heart. That afternoon, I introduced Nick to grits - I made a little snack of for him and myself. We went to McDonalds for a good 'ole American style, cholesterol filled dinner that evening, and then went to Pak 'n Save for our weekly grocery shop.
Well, that gets us to a week ago. I'll try to add the events of the last week sometime soon - yeah, I know you're skeptical, but I just might get arount to it :-)
Updated 10/21/2002 - by Bryan
It's been a busy 2 weeks since my last update. I had a nice vacation, hanging out with the guys from the U.S., and a busy week of applying for a NZ visa and working.
Friday evening, Oct 4th, I flew up to Auckland to meet Greg, Will, and Eric from the U.S. who were flying in Saturday morning. Greg and Will are from Birmingham, and Eric is from Austin, TX. I had a good (delayed) flight up to Auckland, and a nice rest at the Grand Chancellor Hotel near the airport.
I had to catch the 6:00am bus to the airport Saturday morning to meet the guys, but it turned out their flight was delayed and it took them a while to get through customs, so I had time to get a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel and a large coffee from McDonalds while I waited :-). It's amazing how McDonalds taste the very same all the way around the world - even the good 'ole coffee - although a large is about the same size as a medium in the States. When the guys arrived, we rented a Honda CRV to put their snowboards on, dropped the big bags off at the hotel, and drove into Auckland to see the sites. Auckland was a beautiful place. Queens St. is the main drag through town, and it has lots of shops and restaurants up and down it. We spent the morning checking out the Viaduct Basin - which is the area where all the America's Cup yacht racing activities were going on. There lots of yachts and other boats docked there for spectators to ride on and watch the racing. The biggest one was a HUGE yacht owned by Larry Ellison - founder of Oracle. He had sailed it down from L.A. for the Cup (Oracle sponsors one of the American teams). The defending champions are the kiwis, and that is why the cup is being hosted in Auckland. Millions of dollars are spent on the boats, trying to get the most efficient hull design, and it has greatly benefited the economy having the race here. We went on a 2 hour harbor tour and we were able to see a couple of the yachts coming back in from the races. The bay that Auckland is on has lots of little islands all around it - including some inactive volcanoes. Some of the islands are actually populated and they have daily ferries going back and forth. We also saw the Sky Tower (similar to Seattle's space needle), and Greg and I went up to the top and took some pictures of the skyline and harbor. That evening, we went to a nice sushi restaurant, and the guys introduced me to sushi. I had had it before, but had never made a whole meal out of it. It was really delicious, and I think I'm now hooked on sushi :-). Saturday night, we set our clocks forwards an hour for daylight savings time so we are now only 6 hours behind CST (technically 18 hours ahead, but you know what I mean).
Late Sunday morning we drove up the peninsula north of Auckland into Northland. We saw a really cool winery there that had a nice café/restaurant. A British Roadster club had come to eat and we saw some real neat cars parked out front. We also saw some nice beaches, and even hiked out to a big hill out on the coastline. Greg and I decided to climb up the hill and get our picture taken up there. After we barely made it, we realized we had left all the cameras behind, so we couldn't take any pictures of the fabulous view. That evening we headed back to Auckland, and found a pub to watch the Rugby League championship game between the NZ Warriors and the Sydney Roosters. The NZ Warriors were formed about 6 years ago as the only NZ team in the Australian Rugby League, and this was their first year to make it to the championship game. Everyone in NZ was rooting for them to pull it out, and they put up a good fight but lost a close game.
Monday, we headed south on our way to the South Island. The central north island is on top of an active volcanic plateau, and the town of Rotorua had lots of bubbling pools of mud and sulfur and geysers. The town smells of sulfur because of all the geothermal activity. South of the town was a huge beautiful lake that the road took us around. As we continued south, we drove by the Tongariro National Park that was very, very desolate - with hardly any vegetation except some dry grass. Dominating the skyline were 2 huge, snow-capped mountains - one of them over 9,000ft. We ended the day in Palmerston North, a nice university town about an hour north of Wellington. We had some Indian food at a local restaurant before hitting the sack.
Tuesday, we finished the drive to Wellington and didn't have much time to spare before we had to board the ferry. Rental cars are not allowed on the ferry, so we turned ours in at Wellington, and picked another one up on the other side. The inter-island ferry is a huge ship that carries cars, trucks, and even trains (as well as people) from one island to the other. Our ride was very beautiful and pleasant, but we talked to several people who said the surf is normally huge and it's usually a very rough ride. We ate lunch at the café on the ship on the 3 hour ride across. As we neared the south island, we entered a channel that took us to the little town of Picton. The channel was beautiful with big mountains on either side, and occasional houses on beaches at the base of the mountains. There were no roads, so apparently the only way there was by boat. After we picked up the car on the other side, we headed south towards Christchurch. The drive took us down the east coast of the south island where we saw huge surf as we traveled down the rocky coast. We ate dinner at Mussel Boys - a place in Kaikoura that specializes in mussels, although I got fish :-) It got dark as we finished the drive through a few mountain ranges as we neared Christchurch. The guys got a hotel room a couple miles from my house, and I headed home to stay in my own bed.
Wednesday, the guys headed up to Mt. Hutt - the most popular ski resort in NZ. It's about an hours drive from Christchurch in the Southern Alps. I decided to take the day off and get some things done around the house. That evening Will made us a reservation at a very nice Italian restaurant in the Christchurch city center, where we had a nice dinner before heading home and to bed.
Thursday, I took it easy at home as the guys headed south towards Queenstown. I rode the bus downtown and spent the afternoon shopping and walking around town.
Friday, I went to check on what I would need for the visitors visa application process. To stay here, you have to have proof of funds to support yourself while you're here and a plane ticket to get you out of the country when your visa is up. By the time I had all that rounded up and went back to the Immigration office, they were not accepting any more applications that day. On the way back home on the bus, I met a girl (Juliette) who was from Nelson. I told her I knew another girl from Nelson (Fiona), and it turned out that she knew Fiona's family. The International Christian Fellowship meeting was that evening at the university, so I invited Juliette along to see if Fiona was there. We had a good meeting, and it turned out Fiona was there, and she was able to schedule a time to get together with Juliette. I don't think Juliette is a Christian, so y'all can be praying that God will make Himself known to her. After the meeting, I went with some of the people from ICF for dinner, and I had a chance to meet several new people - several of them from Malaysia and Singapore.
Well, that's half the news since my last update. It's getting late and time for me to go to bed, so I'll update you on the other half soon :-)
Updated 10/4/2002 - by Bryan
I'm flying up to Auckland (on the north island) this evening to meet up with 3 friends from Birmingham - Greg Summerlin and company. They are flying in early tomorrow morning. We're going to rent a car and see some sites on the north island before driving south, crossing the ferry, and continuing back to Christchurch. We hope to see some of the beaches, possibly catch some of the America's Cup yacht race, check out the ski slopes on the north island, and also visit the active volcano up there. I don't know exactly how long I'll be gone, but it will be most of next week. I'm taking the laptop though, and hopefully will be able to post some pictures and news while I'm up there.
Things are going well here in Christchurch. It's been good getting to know Nicholas since he's been here. Please continue to pray for him and that God will be working in his life. This afternoon, I went to check on getting a visa so I can stay here past Oct 29 (when I would have to leave otherwise). My situation is a weird because I'm working for a company in the states and volunteering for the ministry, so a NZ Work Visa doesn't really apply and they didn't sound too happy to give me a visitor's permit with me working here - especially since I'm going back to the US for part of December. So y'all can be praying that it will all work out smoothly.
The weather has been cooler the past week or so. Highs in the 50's and lows in the low 30's. I was all geared up for spring with the warmer weather, so I'm having to break out the long sleeves again and keep the heater going. I've enjoyed the notes everyone has sent. Keep them coming!
Bryan
Updated 9/22/2002 - by Bryan
Well, I think I'm about 3 weeks behind in updating the website. Things are going well in Christchurch. The weather has been warming up, and I'm actually starting to wear shorts more and more. I've enjoyed reading news about all the college football games - I only wish I could see 'em :-) This past week was a very productive one at work and on campus....
Last Friday (the 13th), NVR invited me to go to an International Christian Fellowship (ICF) meeting with him at the University. So after work, I picked him up and we showed up for the meeting at 7:30 only to find out it really starts at 5:30. So we decided to go get some coffee at Le Café - a coffee shop at the old historic university downtown, which is now called the Arts Center. It started raining and sleeting heavily as we walked/ran the block from our car to the Café. The coffee was good, however, and we had a good encouraging conversation. Nathan is looking for ways that he can better reach out to the non-Christians at the University, so he and I are kind-of in the same boat.
Saturday morning, Carl rode down to Dunedin with the Bayne family in order to see Irene's (one of the Bayne girls) profession of faith and to see some friends. That afternoon, I rode with the Vinson's down to Lincoln (about 15 minutes south of Christchurch) to the Botkin family farm. We enjoyed visiting with some fellow Americans and seeing the little calves and lambs. Mrs. Botkin even had some sweet tea she shared with me :-) On the way home we drove through the town of Lincoln which is a very small town mainly consisting of Lincoln University - a smaller agricultural University. There are several guys from Lincoln that are interested in ministering to the unsaved students there, and Neal has been actively involved with them. After returning home, we ordered some pizza and had some good fellowship.
I had been fighting off a cold for several days, and Sunday morning it finally hit me full force. I skipped the morning and evening church service, but had an encouraging time in the word at home before biking down to Hagley Park (the HUGE park downtown) and taking in the sunshine. There were about 10 guys who were playing some touch Rugby and I joined them for a while before heading back to the house and watching a movie.
Monday, during work, Scott stopped by for a visit and we hashed out America's Iraq policy :-) It's been interesting living in another country - I've found that most foreigners like to pick on America and generally disagree with its foreign policy. It's also interesting to see how everyone here (even Christians) think of George Bush as being a pretty weak and useless president. No doubt it's because of the picture their media paints of him. After work I made some of mom's macaroni and cheese for the first time. I thought it was pretty good - although it was quite creamy (I may have put too much milk). Carl reckoned that it needed a little flavor - some bacon perhaps? But overall - it turned out nicely :-) After dinner, I worked until I headed to bed.
Tuesday, Carl cooked some Shepherd's pie that turned out nicely and I went down to the Rec centre and played about 2 and a half hours worth of basketball. There are several guys that I have been getting to know and I was able to play and talk with several of them. While playing, I somehow turned my knee funny, and it's been swelling up and hurting every since.
Wednesday, after work Carl cooked me some lamb chops that were right good, before we both headed down to the Rec center to play some ball. I was able to persuade Nicholas - a Chinese guy - to come over for dinner Thursday to try some of my world famous chicken pie :-) Because of my knee, I went intending to just shoot and talk to guys, but they persuaded me to play and it ended up irritating my knee pretty bad.
Thursday, I spent the late afternoon preparing dinner. I cooked the chicken pie, as well as some broccoli, and prepared some tossed salad (with Lori Mote's dressing), and some chocolate chip cookies. Nick showed up and we had a good time with him - learning about life in China and what he is doing here. He was staying with a Kiwi family here for the past 2 months in a homestay situation. He saw the empty room that the Zimbabweans had moved out of and asked when he could move in :-) We told him as soon as he was ready. That evening after taking him to the Rec center to play ball (he plays every day and is very good), Carl and I went over to one of the University Hall's (dormitory) to study the book - The Master Plan of Evangelism - with Neal and 2 guys. It's a really good book that focuses on Christ's life and how he evangelized and built disciples and how we can emulate it.
Friday afternoon, Neal and I listened to the Auburn game together. During the first half, we went down to the U.S. Antarctic center where supposedly they have the Armed Forces TV Network, which would have been playing the Auburn game. Apparently security was tightened after Sept 11th, and we were turned away at the gate by the guard. Neal knows someone who knows someone that works there, so we might try the inside track for the next game :-). After work Nathan and I went to the ICF meeting "again" and actually made it on time. It was a good time of fellowship and a study on prayer. I met several people from Malaysia, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, and the head guy is from Australia. Afterwards, Nathan and I went to Thai Thai - a Thai restaurant downtown and got some tea, before I dropped him off and went home and worked late finishing up work.
Saturday, I went with the EPC youthgroup to Waimari Beach - about 15 minutes from town. We had a good time playing rugby, football, soccer, and various other games on the beach, although I had to play gingerly on my knee. We were all very sandy by the time we left. Saturday evening, we invited John, Matt, and Daniel (Matt's flatmate) over to play Risk. Nicholas also showed up so we had quite a crowd. Carl ended up conquering the world around midnight after which we took Nicholas and John back home to their homes. Nicholas also decided to move in the next day.
Today at church, Geoff spoke on Mark 15 - about Christ's crucifixion. It was a good evangelistic sermon. After church, the older students went over to the Vinson's house for lunch. We had a good time of food, fellowship, and fun. I met a few new people including Fiona - a girl originally from Zimbabwe, and Naomi - a kiwi that are both part of the ICF group. I introduced Fiona to Joseph at church and they had a good time talking about their country. Most of the guys went and played rugby and football, but I took it easy with my knee. Instead, NVR performed a psychology experiment on me that involved watching a video and answering some questions (he promised no long-term side effects). After a nap, we went to church this evening and Geoff continued his series on 1 Peter. Tonight it was about the Christian lifestyle - giving up the lusts of the flesh for obedience and love. During church, Carl had a roast lamb cooking that we ate afterwards. It didn't quite turn out like he had hoped, but we got filled up anyway :-)
In a couple of weeks, a friend from Birmingham, Greg, and a couple of his friends are going to be flying down to NZ. I'm hoping to be able to meet them up in Auckland and do a little touring of the north and south islands with them. It will be good to see some folks from home :-) This coming week, I hope to get down to the Rec center a good bit. I may not be able to play ball with my knee, but I should be able to shoot and talk to the guys. Be praying for opportunities to share my faith and for boldness to do it. Also, pray for Nicholas - that God would reveal Himself to him.
Updated 8/26/2002 - by Bryan
I have been busy this week getting setup in my new office in my bedroom, trying to get hyped up about college football without any local media coverage about it, following the Oakland A's amazing winning streak, and trying to stay warm! Here's a recap...
On Tuesday, I got back into the swing of things with work. A package from my parents arrived, and I enjoyed sorting through some of my mail from back home, and some goodies they sent.
On Wednesday, I called up Jennifer Vinson (the Thai food expert) and asked her where a good place to get some Thai was. On her recommendation, I got some sweet and sour chicken over rice from the Riccarton House of Noodles. It was very good! I was also trying to setup a wireless network in the house for my notebook - for convenience and also because my office - the only room in the house with an internet connection - was about to become home to 3 Zimbabweans for a couple of weeks. Carl helped me move my office back into my room and that evening Neal came over and we helped him move most of his stuff out of the office. He moved his office back to his house.
Thursday for lunch I tried a Hawaiian hamburger from the local oriental fish & chips place (how's that for weird?). That afternoon, I received a package from the Schultz with a sweater, some warm thermals, socks, and gloves. It's always fun to get packages from Bham, and all the warm clothes have already been put to good use :-) Also that afternoon the Zimbabweans moved in. Mark and Joyce came from Zimbabwe several months back to live and work here in New Zealand, but Mark's brother Joseph came a few weeks ago because of intense government persecution. He worked for a humanitarian aid organization there that reported the acts of violence the government was performing on the people in Zimbabwe and the government was cracking down on them. Government officials took him in for questioning and told him to come back the next day, and he was able to escape that night into a neighboring country - leaving his wife and kids behind. For several days he was unsure what his fate would be. His passport was only good for so long and it was possible he would be deported back to Zimbabwe. Through Mark and another guy he was able to purchase a ticket to New Zealand. He is currently looking for a job so that he can raise money to get his wife and kids here. I went over to the Vinsons that evening for tea. Jennifer fixed homemade sushi that was delicious! It had some "smoked" salmon in it, and there was some debate over whether that meant it was cooked or not :-)
Friday evening after work, Carl, Chris, and I went to the Taj Mahal - one of the local Indian restaurants (there are lots). Carl decided to be adventurous and got a hot curry-filled dish, while I went with a slightly milder chicken dish, and Chris took the easy way out with a very un-spicy chicken dish. Interestingly, our server was from Fiji. After tea, we went to Starbucks and I got me a long black espresso, and we then went and played a few games of pool before retiring for the evening.
Saturday was a nice relaxing day. I finished up a few things for work and that evening we went to the movie theater and saw Signs - the new Mel Gibson film. Carl and I met Mat and Scott Fraser there. Scott takes care of his daughter all day and sounded like he was glad to get out and do something with they guys :-). The movie was pretty good. It was very scary in some places, and had some spiritual undertones, but there were a few discrepancies with the storyline and the spiritual content might leave some people with more questions than answers.
On Sunday morning at church, Peter spoke as Geoff was up on the north island attending a meeting of all the evangelical Presbyterian churches here. They are discussing forming a denomination similar to the PCA. After church, we went over to Rob's place for lunch. There were several young people over there, and we got in some good games of rugby, football, soccer, and wrestling. Needless to say, we left pretty tired :-) After showering, we went to the evening service where Trevor Webb (one of the elders) spoke on the passage about the Gibeonites tricking the Israelites into accepting a treaty. Carl and I then had a nice moccachino at McCafe before heading to bed.
Updated 8/26/2002 - by Bryan
It's Monday evening here in NZ, and I'm feeling guilty for missing my Sunday evening update. We were down in Owaka at Carl's parent's farm all weekend and just arrived back in Christchurch. We drove down there Friday afternoon (about a 5 hour drive) and spent the evening in Dunedin with Chris, who was in Dunedin for a basketball tournament, before heading down another hour to the big metropolis of Owaka (population of about 300). Carls' parents and his younger brother live on a farm outside of town about a kilometer from the ocean. They have something like 1,500 sheep and 120 cattle. It was interesting to see how a sheep farm operates - in the winter the grass doesn't grow fast enough to support the sheep, so they divide the paddock (pasture) into a bunch of small paddocks with temporary electric fence and each day move the sheep from one to another to ration the food. In the next couple of weeks it will be lambing season (when all the new lambs are born) and they will soon allow the sheep back out to roam the pasture. It's a whole different culture down there - most everyone are farmers. Their water comes from tanks that capture rain off of the roof. For the most part their water is heated with the fire in their wood stove, and the closest normal grocery store is a good 20 minutes away. There's amazing scenery down there with very hilly pastures in the foreground inhabited by lots and lots of sheep and mountains and ocean in the background. While we were down there, there was lots of snow, sleet, and cold wind. We were concerned we might not be able to make it back today - the main highway goes through the mountains north of Dunedin and can sometimes be closed because of snow. It was closed this morning, but by the time we went through it had reopened. On the other side of the mountains the weather improved dramatically. It was sunny and "warm" (in the 40's) for the rest of the drive, although the storm followed us up and is expected to come through Christchurch tomorrow. Here's a recap of last week...
On Monday, I did lots of laundry and after work made spaghetti for Carl and I. After tea, I worked some more in an effort to get enough done before our trip down South.
On Tuesday, after work and tea, Carl and I went down to the University and played some ball. I saw Nicholas again and spoke with him a little bit, although he is very hesitant to strike up a conversation - possibly because he doesn't know English too well. Pray that God will open up an opportunity to spend some time with him. I also saw Chike, and invited him over for tea on Wednesday. He seemed pretty excited and agreed to come.
On Wednesday, I spent a good part of the day shopping for tea and cooking tea. It gave me a new appreciation for what mom's go through cooking dinner each night. My mom sent down recipes for chicken pot pie and brownies and I made them both. The pot pie tasted pretty good (if I say so myself), but it was a bit runny - I'll have to figure out a way to get the chicken broth thicker. Chike came over for tea and we spent a good 2 and a half hours eating and talking. He is originally from Nigeria and moved here when he was 6. His mom teaches African religions down in Dunedin at Otago University. He is hoping to go to NYC this summer and find a summer job. I'm trying to hook him up with some friends up in NYC, so be praying that something will work out and for an opportunity to share the gospel with him.
Thursday, I had lots of visitors at the flat. Neal and Rodney were here in the morning for a meeting. Over lunch I went to the bank and picked up some lunch from good 'ole Subway. I also ran by the store and picked up a fresh supply of Dr. Pepper. After lunch, Scott Fraser stopped by to talk about the possibilities of starting a web design company here - possibly in partnership with Infomedia. There are several guys interested who are all out of work, and it is interesting that all our paths have crossed here in Christchurch. We're planning to have a meeting on Wednesday of this week to discuss what opportunities there are. My boss, John Lovoy, is interested in investigating the idea, so it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be slightly ironic if something works out, since I came to Christchurch to focus more on ministry, but who am I to stand in the way of God? :-) That afternoon, Geoff Macpherson dropped by for a brief visit and then Matt came over for a visit. He stayed for a little while, and invited me over to his place for tea. We went over there, and I enjoyed meeting his 3 flatmates Tony, Gideon,?, and Gideon's girlfriend. After tea, I came back to the house and ended up working late into the night (after midnight) on a project that was running behind.
On Friday, I slept late and then worked for about an hour before packing for our trip to Owaka. On the way out of town we picked up Karen Polluc. She and her husband Vick were the family that boarded Carl before he came to this flat. She has a daughter in Dunedin and we dropped her off in Dunedin to spend the weekend with her daughter and son-in-law. After dropping her off, we went to Chris' basketball game and caught the last 10 mintues or so. They ended up losing by 3, but finished 8th overall (out of over 30 teams). They were the highest placing South Island team. After the game, Chris, Carl, and I went to the local mall, had some "authentic" Arizona/Southwestern food, and looked around at the stores before dropping Chris back off and heading down to Carl's parent's place in Owaka.
On Saturday morning, Carl and I drove his brother Nick and his friend up to Dunedin for their Rugby game. They got beat about 4 "tries" (touchdowns) to 1. After the game I was able to meet Carl's older brother, Ashley who lives in Dunedin. We then watched the first few minutes of Chris' basketball game before we had to head back to Owaka for youthgroup. We met at the local church in Owaka and then drove to Gore (which, by the way, is just down the highway from Clinton) and went ice skating. Carl and I picked up Ian Baine and he rode with us. Some of you may have met him while he and his family were in Birmingham for a year while he was studying at seminary. I had heard of him a lot, but had never met him. He is currently preaching at a church an hour south of Christchurch, but will soon be heading up to Wellington to head up a church plant there that Briarwood is funding. He was down in Owaka for a week preaching (they don't have a permanent pastor). While everyone ice skated, I enjoyed