Where I Belong

Don't give me some BUGGY, EASTERN forest...

This is where I belong...

I belong on the mountaintop with my Dad...

And here...in the solitude of a 13000', alpine meadow by myself...

And here with my family...

You ask me who I am? This is about as close as I'll get to answering that question. Let me add the MOST important part -

These Boots are Made for Hikin'...

...and that's just what they'll do!

I'm getting really excited about our trip to Colorado starting Labor Day weekend. My brother-in-law and I made plans to explore another '14er in the Colorado wilderness while I'm there. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, "14ers" refer to Colorado's mountain peaks that exceed a 14'000 ft elevation. There are around 54 of them in the state (can't remember the exact number) and the experience of God's beauty, the physical exertion, the whole package, make it a hobby that I can't get enough of...OK maybe my 32 yr old body needs a few days rest in between the hikes. It's been too long since I hiked my last 14er, and the Nevada desert has got me thirstin' for another one.

Anyway, I spent my birthday money at REI on this pair of hiking boots. Thank you everyone!! They are SO much better than my old ones - they fit better and weigh less. I'm convinced that my old ones were designed for hiking from Alaska to San Diego with a 50 lb pack on my back - much more shoe than I needed for a short day hike. As you can see, they are Asolo, which was the same brand as my last pair. They're great quality boots!

The last time I remember being so excited about boots was the summer before I started the Air Force Academy. I wore them everywhere (even hiked them down into the Black Canyon with Paul Sigafus) so that I could break them in before the next four, long, wearisome years began. VERY long, VERY wearisome years....ANYWAY, my intent is to do the same with these boots in the next two weeks before they take their maiden 14er voyage! I wonder what my boss would say if I wore them to work with khakis - I already talked him into a goatee! Maybe I shouldn't push my luck, huh!?

Graham...which peak are we going to hike!

What's In a Name?

I know it's been a long time since I've posted on here, but I'm excited to have a chance to sit and reflect on the last couple months.

I can't pass up this opportunity to share a story with you. At the end of July, I traveled to southwest Iowa to attend a funeral for my Grand-Uncle...is that the right terminology for my Grandpa's brother? Anyway...it was a wonderful time of fellowship with some family members that I hadn't seen in eons, and it was a wonderful celebration of Uncle Carl's life.

Sometimes along the road of mourning and sadness, God gives us little bits of humor in places we least expect. The sleepy little hollow of Hamburg, Iowa (not so sleepy anymore for reasons not mentioned here) was one such place during this trip. We were driving into Hamburg (population 1,240) on the last day of our trip when a particular restaurant caught my eye.

Yep...that's right. "Ye Ole Yack-N-Snack." Now most people probably identify the word "yack" with talking alot, but I came from an upbringing where the word had a double meaning. Not to turn the blog sour, but when I was a kid we had a dog named Dagwood. In our family, the word "yack" referred to Dagwood's action of vomiting after eating something digestively challenging. With that in mind, you can see how I got quite a chuckle from the name of the joint. Needless to say, I wasn't tempted to eat there : ) Maybe an even better name would have been "Ye Ole' Snack-N-Yack!"

We decided to park across the street from the restaurant at an old-fashion, soda-fountain drug store. I love drug stores that hold onto this tradition - especially Jay Drug in Shenandoah, IA. As we were heading in to order up a cold treat, I noticed the name of the drug store...Remember, this is right across the street from the Yack Shack.


God bless my Grandma who was with us, but we had to explain the humor of the name to her. I guess it's a sign of our times, huh!? I'm sure this drug store has been in business in Hamburg for a long time, but never had I taken notice of it, or the irony of it's name.

I've got to hand it to Hamburg, IA for creativity - whether it was intentional or not on their part. I sure got a good laugh!

Bryce Canyon or Bust!

I had a hankerin' for campin' last weekend. I'd read on Paul Parsons' blogsite that Utah's Bryce Canyon was one of his favorite Western hiking locales.  I had to check it out.  After rounding-up a posse from our home church (a subject for a later blog), we headed out in search of the famous "hoodoos." Yep...you heard me right - hoodoos. Where the National Park Service came up with this name, I don't know. It refers to the natural rock formations that we spent the weekend hiking around which continually point and give glory to the One who formed them - amazing!


The "Band of Brothers" from left to right: Alexander, Myself, Neal (my Co-worker and roommate in Iraq), and Triston (all guys from our home church).

Our humble campsite - it doesn't get much better than steaks right off the camp grill:

We had an AWESOME time worshiping together Sunday morning and even had a fellow worshiper (a Stellar's Jay) join us for some Bible reading and praise music!

Alexander, Myself, and Neal.

"One thing I ask of the Lord,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in His temple.
For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in His dwelling;
He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock." - Psalm 27:4-5

A World Without Cancer

***  ATTENTION ***

IF YOU OR A FRIEND ARE DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER, YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK BEFORE STARTING CHEMOTHERAPY OR RADIATION TREATMENT

I'm almost finished with a book that has completely turned my world upside-down!  It's called "A World Without Cancer."  Written by a terrific research author named G. Edward Griffin, the book analyzes Vitamin B17, otherwise known as Laetrile.  A short summary would almost do the book injustice, but all I can say is that it's a MUST READ for everyone in our culture!  Griffin shows among other things that 

1) cancer is a result of a vitamin deficiency , Vitamin B17, and a poor diet in general - similar to scurvy and a lack of Vitamin C, 

2)  the treatment of cancer patients with Laetrile has proven to be far more successful than any chemo / radiation treatment, and 

3) numerous lab tests of Laetrile in the 60's and 70's were covered-up by big business cancer institutes and even the FDA itself (this sounds like something out of "This Present Darkness" or something!).  

Unfortunately, our country has made Laetrile illegal, calling it too toxic; but doctors in Europe, Mexico, and other countries administer it and laud it for its outstanding track record of killing cancer cells.  The book talks about the politics that led our country to eventually banning it and our public's complete lack of knowledge concerning this natural remedy.  

You've got to read this book!  If you don't want to spend the money to buy the book, let me know and I'll gladly get it for you as a gift - this is revolutionary!  Online searches for "Laetrile" or "Vitamin B17" will yield a plethora of great results.

Matt's Unfortunate Morph

After reading my sister's last blog, I thought it would be fun to try this trendy website that accesses some computer database and tells me which superstar I most resemble.  

Little did I know that the results would be such as they were.  After I found my courage again, I tried a couple more pictures:  suffice it to say that out of 3 total attempts, I got turned into a girl on two of them and into Vince Vaughn on the last one.

To quote her Wikipedia biography:

"She stated in People magazine that she lost her virginity at the age of 14," and

"She was featured in ads for Bongo jeans, and has appeared in Seventeen, Teen People, Teen Vogue, Rolling Stone, Blender, and GQ.  In 2006, Maxim named her #23 on its annual 'HOT 100' List."   

...Just thought you'd like to know.

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celeb

What's In a Song?

Have you ever listened to any songs from Andrew Peterson, an emergent Christian singer/songwriter?  If you haven't, you NEED TO!

If you're a fan of downloading singles from iTunes, like me, I suggest starting out with his song, "For the Love of God," from the "Far Country" album.  To me, this song is SO beautiful with its mellow harmony of guitars and its simple message of love.

My favorite line is toward the end when it says,

"Now love is not a feeling in your chest,

It is bending down to wash another's feet,

It is faithful when the sun is in the West,

And in the East.

It can hurt you as it holds you,

In it's overwhelming flood,

Till only the unshakeable is left,

This new command I give you, He said,

Love as I have loved,

So Brother love her better than yourself,

And give her your heart....

For the love of God

In the name of Jesus,

The Groom who gave His life to love His Bride."

Can you think of any more beautiful lyrics??  This about does it for me every time I hear it...tears, I mean.  I admit that I fall way short of loving Becky the way I'm called to love her.  How often have I come home from work and not shown her or my daughters the kind of selfless love that "bends down to wash their feet," or lend a helping hand.  I have a long way to go, and I pray that God will help me grow in the way I show selfless love to them.

When I think of faithful love in my life, 3 people immediately come to mind:

-  My parents 

-  Rebecca

-  Jesus

Of course, Jesus' love is perfect.  He is the Groom that loved so deeply that He died for you and me.  Even while we were His enemies, He died for us!  Thank God that we who believe are called His Bride, soon to be presented spotless and white before Him for all eternity...an eternity of perfect love and communion with the One who knows us better than we know ourselves - the Lover of our souls!