7 Reasons To NOT Take Your Wife Hiking On Your 19th Anniversary

1. Labor

   Too much like work. It's not very relaxing! 

2. Heat

   Because hiking is not often conducted indoors or in colder times of the year (at least, not for us).

3. Sweat

   It effects her differently than it does you.  There’s makeup and stuff.

4. Restaurant Closing time

   Closing time for the only restaurant close by is inconvenient. 

5. You Get Rushed

   Because #4, you get rushed and miss wonderful natural attractions and moments that you otherwise would enjoy.  You cannot run and chat at the same time.

6. Hills that you MUST climb!  

   What goes down, must come back up. Also, if #4 applies, there is added difficulty and stress 

7. No Lovin’

   Chances are at the end of the day, you  are expecting to get some... well 😉❤️!   And you have almost killed her trying to get back in time for dinner.  (Obviously, we could single this down to 1 reason..)

Play Well Together

      Summer is always a wonderful time!  For us, summer means cookouts, swimming, get-togethers, celebrations of all sorts, travel, and lots of fun!  Who could forget vacations?  We love to travel!  We love to travel in packs, most of the time including the extended family.  While the beach (somewhere) is a frequent hot spot for us, there have been a few occasions where we as a household venture out, just the 4 of us, and do something different.  It's just us, and I must admit, we play well together!  For vacation 2016, the 4 of us packed up the Explorer and ventured up to Cedar Point.  It was the first time for all of us.  After Hershey Park, I vowed never to go to another amusement park until our kids were tall enough to ride everything! I just couldn't stand the heartache of those words, "I'm sorry son, you are not tall enough to ride that."   Once he surpassed 54" in height, we were all set!  I have wanted to visit Cedar Point since Millennium Force hit YouTube, so this year, we set our sights and Google Maps destination on the Hotel Breakers and off to the fun we went! 

    We have a Family Mission Statement that we try to remain true to.  One such goal is that we just want to be fun and adventurous together.  We want to try new things, stay in all 50 states, and travel to the coolest places of the US. The world is too scary these days, so just the US for now :) !  I hope all families have as much fun as we do!  We laugh together, act crazy at times, and try not to get into too much trouble with hotel staff!  We find that it builds relationships and fortifies love for one another!  It's a good thing!   Family is the basic unit of society and we must learn how to get it right, so as to perpetuate healthy families! "God, please provide grace for healthy families!" 

     Vacation 2016 was a great time together, we had a great time and so much fun!  We were out everyday until the park closed and definitely got our money's worth out of it!  I pray you and yours have a great and safe Summer 2016!  God Bless and enjoy our highlights video from Cedar Point! 

A Surprise for My Celtic Cheerleader

     My goal as father and husband is to build a beautiful family culture in my home.  I like to keep things interesting and surprising, to keep love-in-action as an regular occurrence for my kids and my wife.  So for this latest surprise, my son and I had a weekend home, while mommy and sissy traveled away for a cheering competition. My daughter's Celtics team brought home 1st place in 2 categories, so we made a little banner to welcome them home and celebrate their accomplishment.

Walking With Other Families: A Weekend Getaway

     One of the things that my wife and I learned quite some time ago was the benefit of walking with other families and how enriching it is to our own family.  God's act of "fitly framing together"  the Body of Christ (Eph. 2:21)  calls Kingdom people to walk with others.  Isolation is a strategy of the enemy often used to scatter and separate people, families, marriages, etc.  Conversely, the work of Christ is to gather the scattered into the Body of Christ, which is comprised of many members walking together under Christ's headship.  

    A couple weeks back, our family received an invitation to join a few other families on a camping trip to a local lake, and boy did we have a great time of relaxation, fun, laughter and fellowship.  A bonus was added when our kids' grandparents showed up to add to the fun!  This short video is a compilation of some of the fun we had on the lake!  If your family is not enjoying fellowship with other families, give it a try!