BIRTHDAY!

I know it has been almost two weeks since my actual birthday (Jan. 30), but here are some cool pictures of what we did.

Heather arranged for a guide to take us Nordic (cross-country) skiing. The guide was necessary since we've never done this before. She told me on my birthday, but I had to wait all week befor our trek.

We drove down to Girdwood, AK, which is also where Alyeska Ski Mountain is located. Girdwood has a large and intricate trail system where people do all kinds of things, skiing, walking dogs, snow-mobiling, snow-shoeing, hiking, etc.

For about 16 years I've been a downhill skier. And I must say, I'm not bad. I was never formally trained, but my family often took trips to nearby ski mountains which was training enough. I can ski down double black diamonds, moguls and do some nearly fancy jumps. So, you have to understand how perplexed I was when, after not 5 minutes on the cross-country skis, I was on my back with legs and arms flailing like a flipped turtle. We hadn't even gone down a hill. Just over a little bumpy thingy and, whfoo-bam, Nathan goes down! It was the first of three glorious close encounters with the ground.

Heather got all too much enjoyment out of seeing me prostrated on the ground, humbled and in painful respect for this new sport.

The guide took us out for about 3.5 hours. We went on groomed trails, then off trail in some meadows, then into the woods. He said this was extreme nordic skiing, because we were going up hills, across thin ice (where Heather's ski went in the water), and at one point we had to take them off and hike.

It was a blast, and the scenery was serenely beautiful and calming. It won't be our last time doing nordic skiing, that's for sure. I had to chuckle at one point when Heather asked our guide (because we were in the woods) if he was packin', and he just smirked and said, "Well..."

 Hope you enjoy the pics. Adios!

2 Years Old

Well, it's official, my blog is two years old! On March 21, 2008 I sat at my computer, created an account and wrote two introductory posts to kick start this blog.

The first post ever was an attempt to introduce the title and purpose of the blog. The second post is an introduction to my wife as a means to better get to know this blog's author: me.

Over these two years I have blogged about home life, school, theology, my dogs, books, movies and work. I've worked as a grad school TA, Harris Teeter cashier, a college pastor, and a hospital chaplain. Each of these venues has resulted in some pretty interesting posts; however, my work as a chaplain has certainly yielded the most.

I've shared some very sad stories juxtaposed with posts that bring humor to the reading expereince. Variety has been one of my goals.

Some of my favorite posts have been this one about my wife, this goofy one about a psych patient, the one about learning lessons, this one about hard theological questions, the post just before this about my greeter dogs, this one that makes me laugh and this one which breaks my heart.

I'd very much like to hear what you may like about this blog. Which posts are more appealing? Less appealing? Have any posts from the past stuck in your mind? Do you have a favorite?

I guess what I'm looking for is reader feedback. Suggestions for how to make it better or what to stop doing will be received gracefully. If you've never left a comment, please do just to let me know you're reading.

I'm glad to celebrate the blog's second birthday (or should it be an anniversary?), and I hope to be writing new posts two years from now.

Peace.

Birthday Toes

Heather loves getting pedacures. Everytime, along with getting her toes painted, she comes home raving about the lower-leg massage which is part of the process. I, myself, have never been interested.


However, one of my recent birthday presents from her was in fact a trip to Hands on Spa for a pedicure. And she was right, the leg massage and little foot hot tub were quite soothing to my over-walked, often neglected feet and calves. The tiny Asian lady clipped and cleaned my toe nails, scrubbed my feet smooth and took great care doing it.


But I didn't want to just stop there, no, I wanted the full experience. So, I picked out my favorite color of toe nail polish and gave it to her to go to work.


As you can see, my toes are now Carolina blue in support of my Alma-mater, the Tar Heels. And because it was my birthday, she hand painted a flower design on my big toes just to add a bit of flare!

Don't be jealous!


One person said that I'm engaging in a bit of "gender bending." I thought I was just enjoying my birthday. I am hoping, however, to connect with my basically-a-brother-in-law, Lance, who similarly painted his toe nails at Christmas (only his were, I think, in support of the Buckeyes).

Birthday Ramblings

As of January 30th I am no longer in my mid-20s. Yep, that's right, I entered my late twenties a few days ago when I turned 27. However, it does give me some joy to imagine the reactions of my older brother and sister who must face the fact that their baby brother is two years into cheap car rental age.

Last year I posted a list of 26 random things about me. But this year, i'm afraid I'm too tired to conjure up 27 new and interesting things to say. So, you're going to be subjected to a blog of my somewhat aimless birthday ramblings. Really, what follows is probably more like a list of blog ideas that never made it to the print room and are now condensed into little tid-bits for your enjoyment. There's no connection between them.

You might ask yourself, "How can he get away with posting a bunch of random gibber-jabber?" Answer: Because it's my blog, and it's my birthday, so "ha!"

1. Learning to be a chaplain is at one level learning how to listen. There are 4 basic methods of communication: speaking, reading, writing and listening. In school we are formally taught 3 of these. And since I have become a chaplain I have learned that 99% of people DON'T KNOW HOW TO LISTEN! People interrupt often, or simply don't hear you and just say what they want to say. Listen up people: it's time to start listening better.

2. Here's an interesting segment I found in a SC journal recently:

The most significant finding was the discover of mirror neurons, a widely dispersed class of brain cells that operate like neural WiFi. Mirror neurons track the emotional flow, movement and even intentions of the person we are with, and replicate this sensed state in our own brain by stirring in our brain the same areas active in the other person. Mirror neurons offer a neural mechanism that explains emotional contagion, the tendency of one person to catch the feelings of another, particularly if strongly expressed.

3. My sister and I have been having a riveting theological discussion, which would be cool to turn into a book one day. It's an honest conversation between a Christian and an "atheist/agnostic/humanist/whatever." Anyone who suggests a great book title gets 10 points. So far, it is up to 50 pages, single spaced! Click here for a better overview of it.

4. I was born during the third quarter of the Super Bowl, and the TV was never turned off. I never knew why. Countless times I have visited with patients who never turn off the TV unless I ask. I'm always a bit surprised to hear Jay Leno in the back ground during a Code Blue (CPR on a patient who's dying in the hospital), because no one has time to worry about the TV. Though, I often walk in an turn it off now.

5. My wife was in a car accident recently (not her fault). She was ran off the road by an 18-wheeler and now has whiplash. Luckily, it wasn't any worse. The insurance aduster for the trucker's company is a jerk; so, we wanted to seek some legal counsel, and then I remembered that lots of attorneys are jerks. Dang it.

6. On my birthday we stopped at a friend's house to celebrate their daughter's 1st birthday. It was loads of fun though we couldn't stay long. The picture is of the two birthday kids. Our ages add up to 28! Lydia put cake on my nose.

7. I've been keeping a list of words that are fun to say. Here's a few: Asclepion, Bamboozle, Discombobulate, Flabbergasted, Hippopotamus, Nincompoop, Schnitzel, Tchochtke, Tomfoolery, Zamboni.

8. I also keep a list called "Quotable Quotes:" anything I hear or read worth writing down. Here's a few highlights.

“My phone ringer just told me it was on medium high which reminded me it was the best way to order New York Strip steaks!” - Erin Miller (the vegetarian)

“You know what they say, ‘It’s better to be fast then half-assed.’” -Jerry Toth

“I hate when they try to make you think, and you’re just trying to read through a book.” -Heather Keyes

"I’m really glad we have clothes now." -Vicki Hesse

Here ends the birthday ramblings for this year. I hope you enjoyed, learned something new or just got a chuckle out of it .

Happy 9th Birthday!

Today my relationship with my wife is 9 years old.

On Nov. 18th 2000 at about 4:30 pm in our high school band room I, a senior, asked a cute sophomore girl if she'd be my girlfriend. She was only 15 years old and I 17.

That was 108 months, or 3287 days, or 78,888 hours, or 4,733,280 minutes or 283,996,800 seconds ago! And we're still together.

We were married May 20, 2006 after five and half years of dating, and in two more days we will have been married for 3.5 years.

We have two daughters, Dakota and Lola. Each have four legs and tail and floppy ears. They are beautiful and we love them so very much.

Birthdays are days to celebrate the beginning. And today, I am celebrating the start of the most precious, loving, intimate, worthy relationship of my life.

Together, Heather and I have skied mountains, flown on planes, visited other countries, bought Christmas presents for a struggling family, enjoyed an eight day cruise, supported each other through college and grad school, cried together, and been an integral part of one another's life development.

I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you, Heather, for being my girlfriend, high school sweet heart, bride and life companion. Happy birthday to us!

Twenty Six

I recently turned 26 and had a wonderful birthday full of surprises thanks to my lovely wife. In honor of my more than a quarter century on earth and in the style of Facebook's "25 Things About Me," here are 26 things I've learned about myself or this thing we call life.

1. Like my sister, my favorite ice cream is Mint Chocolate Chip. Breyer's makes the best.
2. Also like my sister I am somewhat musical and can carry a tune...unlike my dad.
3. I play the drums, most keyboard percussion instruments, guitar, and I am learning the harmonica.
4. Like my brother, my favorite video game of all time is River City Ransom for the NES.
5. I was married May 20, 2006 to my lovely wife and best friend, Heather.
6. Like my parents, I am a Christian; however, my faith is often expressed differently than theirs.
7. I have a dog, Dakota. She's great. The three of us pal around a lot.
8. Everyone experiences suffering, and no one's suffering can be compared to or judged by another person's suffering. The best way to help is to walk with another through his suffering.
9. I have worked in the grocery store business for a total of 5+ years.
10. I've always wondered what really happened to the Lost Colony.
11. I've been skydiving. And I hope to do it again.
12. I hate that I live in a culture that is sickly obsessed with material things. Sometimes I want to live in another country with as few 'things' as possible.
13. Apparently my sister can trace my genealogy back to John Alden and Priscilla Mullen of the Mayflower.
14. I graduated from UNC-CH with a Bachelor of Music and will soon complete a Master of Divinity from Campbell University.
15. Life and death are not opposites. Death is the only for sure part of life. The opposite of life is more likely loneliness. There's no refuting that humans thrive on our relationships. Without any relationships, more people would find no reason to live.
16. I love movies. My wife and I watch them all the time. My favorite movie is The Shawshank Redemption, but the Dark Knight is a close second.
17. I think that there is a God out there. After all, where did all this stuff come from?
18. I love to go skiing. I was on a ski racing team for three seasons in school. In eighth grade I placed 5th overall.
19. I've been to Alaska for over a month, Northern Ireland for two weeks and Mexico for a day.
20. I don't know what I'm going to be in the future, and I'm glad of it.
21. I'm a band geek to the end. Although, being a band geek has got me into 3 Carolina-Dook games, free trips to Florida and DC, and front row seats when the Tar Heels won the 2005 NCAA basketball tournament.
22. I get a kick out of making puns. The worse they are the better.
23. The more I write, the more I realize that I like writing. The same goes with reading.
24. Like millions of others I am into Harry Potter. I blame/thank my brother for that.
25. It seems like too often, the more money people have the more they want and worry about it. Also, the more they have the less of a realistic perspective on life they have.
26. I think every so often we all ought to cry for the violence that we allow to take place everyday in our world and for those who starve when we're trying to lose weight. Then we should do something about it.

Comments welcome.