My Little Man's First Trip to the Barber Shop

My my little man made his first trip to the barber shop today!  He was a bit nervous when we sat him down, but a lollipop made everything better.  (In fact, we went through 4 lollipops because he kept dropping them and freshly cut hair does not come off sticky candy.)  :)

Anyhow, this dude was so chill the whole time...like Sports Clips was his home.  I think I heard him tell me the score to the game at one point.

Loved this day...great memory for me!

My Birthday Weekend

Had a great weekend with the family.  We celebrated my 33rd birthday (very holy age I might add).   Having 3 kiddos now, Mel and I laugh at how "flexible" our plans have to be on birthdays! We were still able to do everything Mel had planned for the day, it just was more interesting with 3 kids in tote!  

We had a blast getting breakfast at Einstein Bagels (my kids still think they were donuts).  We forgot the diaper bag at home and didn't realize it till we were already at breakfast.  So we cruised back to get it from the house, drove to a park in the area to do cake and gifts.  Then we came home and got the kids excited about Grandma coming over.

(opening my own present hasn't happened in 4 years)

Then Mel and I took off to the Grove in downtown Houston.  Incredible restaurant and great vibe. We stayed there the whole night, then cruised home and crashed!  It was amazing to have a few hours of uninterrupted grown-up conversation.  Hard to come by these days!

(Mel enjoying the cool night air on the walkway at Discovery Green)

(The view from our outside table upstairs)

Thanks Mel for a great birthday...you're the best wife a man could have!

Crowder: Jesus is My Friend

Hey may just be the one and only that could cover it so well.

Full House

Ike has brought lots of frustration for everyone. Understandable.

One of the joys of times like this is seeing everyone pull together. From helping with boarding of houses to clean up after the storm, there is always a real sense of togetherness that happens during these times.

Some church friends of ours called from out of town to see if they could bring us groceries on the way in because they saw the state of stores here!

Tonight, we're pulling together with friends and family. My brother and his kids still don't have power, so they're staying another night with us. We got a call from our good friends Iris and Pablo and they're without power as well. So, we're all hanging tonight under our roof.

Mel gets all the "girl-talk" time she can handle and me and the fellas are getting ready to play some poker.

If nothing else, there will be good conversation and deeper relationships because of this storm.

Thanks Ike.

The Days of Ike

It was a long couple days leading up to Ike. We received a call at 7:20 a.m. on Thursday from our Canadian friends down the street. We joke with them about being hurricane rookies. :) Anyhow, they were needing some help boarding up the house, so after Chris and I both worked half days, we started pounding away at the wood. Chris being a chemist and myself being a pastor, it soon became quite evident the neither of us were carpenters. So, the phone call to master handy man Roland was made.

3 hours later, boards were up and the Canadians were ready to ride the storm. Roland proceeded to board his house with help from some 8 year olds and then he helped my mother-in-law with hers. While boarding in the early afternoon, I took call from a friend needing some "hurricane worthy" relationship counseling. So, Mel and I cleared our calendars and had the lovely couple over Thursday night.

We continued helping with boarding on Friday...all the while my house was taped with X's. :) One of the 8 year olds that was helping us was clowning on me for taping the windows with an X. He said, "Ike is going to be blowing through, then come up to my house and see the X's and turn and go the other way." I told him they were holy X's taped and filled with the Holy Spirit and ready to take on Evil Ike. He looked at me oddly.

My wife and I decided to take our friend Peter up on his offer to crash at his empty house that was already boarded up. We were very grateful!

Now, the day after...we had power by 3:00 p.m. and I only had one casualty...my front yard tree. I think we had power so quickly because we live a mile from a hospital one way and a mile from a sherriff's station and prison the other way.

My brother is on his way over now with his kids. They live in Katy and the power is still out there. He said the kids were tossing and turning in their sleep because they were so hot. Reminds me of my summer in Spain. No AC...sleeping with the windows open. I didn't sleep well that summer.

So, we have no church services tomorrow, so maybe we'll join some friends at the one nearest our house. We'll see...

Oh, and looking at my phone, I had about 30 texts going throughout the storm. I can't imagine texting like that if I didn't have a full keyboard phone. What did I do before these days of technology?

I know many others had it worse than us. So many people lost everything. I'm grateful tonight.

What Rocks My World

Blue Wave Car Wash

Quite possibly the most amazing car wash to hit Houston (thankfully one is an exit down from my house). Prior to Blue Wave, I was paying no less than $10 for the wash, plus whatever I spent on vacuums. I get it all now for $4.99! And I'm pretty sure you could lose an appendage should you get too close to their vacuums. They are by far the strongest I've ever seen...

On My iPod

Here's what's in high rotation on my iPod right now.

• Jimmy Needham (Firefly and Hurricane)
• Glenn Hansard (The Swell Season)
• John Mayer (Free Fallin' Live)
• Colbie Caillat (Oxygen, Older, Battle, and Tied Down)
• Amos Lee (Last Days at the Lodge)
• Daniel Renstrom (Adore and Tremble EP)
• Some Original Songs from this dude

What are you guys listening to?

100th Post

It's taken me a couple years to get here, but here I am. The infamous 100th Post. And yes, I am well aware that I haven't posted in 2 months. :) My wife and I both decided to take a "blogging break" this summer as we focused on the family. Honestly, neither of us missed blogging. Don't know what that means, but I do know it has caused us to examine where blogging falls in our list of priorities. Neither of us has decided to quit blogging, but instead are trying to figure out where it fits into our normal weekly routine.

So, here's what I do know based on all my blogging research. If a person does not blog at least 3 times a week, most likely his or her readers will begin to fall away. In addition, commenting on other people's blogs obviously causes traffic to come to your blog. I never really started blogging to gain readers, I actually did it as an avenue to stay connected to the people of my church and my worship team. Then it morphed a bit into a family journal as well so that we could have a record of what life has been like (since scrapbooking is out of the picture with 3 kids under the age of 4).

In light of the above statistic and the fact that I haven't blogged in 2 months nor commented on anyone's blog except this guy, I am going to attempt to "recall" all my former blog patrons! I have seen that there are certain sort of "buzz words" through google that cause people stop by and visit your blog. So I thought, what a better way to bring people back than to write an insane paragraph using some of the highest googled words. So, for those of you visiting for the first time looking for a wealth of information on the following subjects, I'm very sorry, I have little to offer you in this post. :) So here we go...

My good friend and might I add, Rock Star Aaron Ivey has just skyrocketed to CCM fame in his inclusion on the soon to be in every Christian household game "Guitar Praise." Yes that's right, if you ever wondered what it would be like to walk in this guy's shoes or play like his white haired guitar player, now's your chance. Run, don't walk and pick up Guitar Praise for your home entertainment system and learn to sing and play like a true CCM Rock Star. And on a few other notes, you should know that Hurricane Gustav hit Louisiana on Labor Day this week. As Batman: the Dark Knight is arguably one of the best movies of all times, I can't help but kick myself for wasting 2 hours of my life on Tropic Thunder. American Idol has added a fourth judge this season in an effort to boost sagging ratings. We'll see if it helps. I have noticed that about once a week, CNN runs some sort of headline on their home page that has the word SEX in it to lure people into clicking. This past week it was "8 bad reasons to have SEX." We have now seen that our Presidential tickets are Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin. Teen pregnancy has already been brought up on the GOP side of things, while others out there are still calling Obama a terrorist and the AntiChrist. Ridiculous. Other things that seem to have great public appeal are Elvis, Worship, Gotees, Gotee Trimming, David Hasselhoff, the new 90210, Glenn Beck, Hannah Montana, Ross King's Clear the Stage and Michael Jackson.

So, if you have come to my blog for any of the above reasons, welcome. If you stick around, I'm sure there will be other forthcoming posts that are sure to be of interest to you. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help in the area that you are researching. Should you choose not to revisit my blog, I won't hold that against you. But you should still go out and get Guitar Praise.

The Great Cup Marker

Have you ever been hanging out with friends and looked around at the disposable cups you’re using and wondered, “Which one is mine?” “I remember setting it down somewhere…”

Here’s what I know. If you’re ever at a party or any other social gathering, I can show you the cup that is not yours. Below is my wife’s cup. We have been dating since 1996…it was then that I became privy to the little habit of “marking” her cup. She says she plans on chewing the gum again…in almost 13 years, I can tell you that I have never seen her “rechew” the gum she puts on cups, plates, and bowls. So why not just throw it away????

But I love her even more for it!

Best Kiss

So I have been starting to get my feet wet with photography. It something that I've always loved, just haven't had the know-how. In the past months, I've been seeking lots of advice from this guy and this guy to help get me started. Both have been more than excited to share all their little secrets. :)


Anyhow, the folks over at Best Kisses contacted me through my flickr account and offered me an insane amount of money to post a picture of my good friends Roland and Johanna. On this particular day, Roland and Johanna were with me helping a family in our church renovate their house. I must say the one thing about photography I've learned is this... get a big memory card and snap as many times as you can! The other 12 pics of Roland and Johanna didn't come out as good.

Take a read through the website of Best Kisses. It's actually pretty cool what they are doing!

I Love My Dog But...

So, I'm cruising to work this morning down the newly expanded 8 lanes of Hwy 90 and I see something that makes me do a double-take. My camera was in reach, so I decided to get a shot of it...



In case you think your eyes are deceiving you...here's a close up. You can click on the images to get a really good shot. And yes, the dog is sitting on a pillow and is wearing goggles.



Here's my dog...at home, on the carpet, doing what she does best. No extreme sports for her...

My Day With the Kids

So, yesterday my wife was out helping a family in the church that just had twins. In order for her to be freed up to be with them, it was best for all three kids to stay at home with me. In an effort to be the best dad to my kids I could be, I began to mentally prepare myself the night before. Upon waking up, these were my thoughts:

- Today will not be an easy day
- It’s unlikely that I will sit down very much
- There’s a good chance I will get thrown up on
- I will clean the kitchen no less than 3 times today
- Whatever you do, do not get your computer out. Your kids need the best you today.

So, I woke up at 6:30 and began my preparations for the day. Coffee on, milk ready for the girls, and milk thawed for the baby. This was not my first time alone with all three, but it would be the longest stretch.

We had a great day…my kids had my full attention and I really enjoyed my day with them. Upon planning for the day, I decided I would put one of my wife’s little “home maintenance” programs in place for the day. She has told me that she’s been trying to make sure the kids clean up their mess before they move onto the next activity or before leaving the house.

I thought that to be very wise, so I tried it out.

I must say it proved to be the tension reliever of the day. If you have toddlers, you know it takes about two minutes to wreck a room. I would turn around and there would be crayons and paper thrown everywhere after 5 minutes of coloring. Then they were ready to dress up and play princesses. Coloring was no longer satisfactory.

So I would tell them, “Ok, we’re not going to play princess until all the colors and paper are picked up.” It was like magic…”Ok papi, we’ll clean up.” We went through this process about 4 times during the day, cleaning the immediate mess before moving on to make another.

The whole day wasn’t about messes though…my favorite part was when Cash was sleeping and we went outside to wash the car. (Granted, there’s no reason to wash my heap of a Ford Escort, but it’s the smallest car and they feel they’re making a contribution to its cleanliness).

I couldn’t find a bucket, but we did have this big tub we keep toys in. It turned out to be the best thing since sliced bread. A “mini pool” if you will. Here are some pics of their time “washing the car.”

Barber Shop Revisited

So when I first started my blog, I talked about Oscar's Barber shop and my experience there. Well, my days at Oscar's are gone. Why you say? Because I now have 3 kids, 1 less full time salary, and the last time I filled up my Jeep it cost me $65. (Cost me $28 when I bought it). If I can save a few bucks by changing barber shops, I will.

And I'm happy to say that I've made the move to the Richmond Barber Shop where I save a good $5 to $8 with each haircut. That's about $100 a year in savings.

I thought my last barber shop was for guys, but this one is in a league of its own. Let's just start by saying, the guy that cuts my hair is named "Colt." Give you a picture? Yeah, he's country. You can get your shoes shined as well or buy yourself a jar of honey. There's a life size cutout of John Wayne in the corner...along with a few other portraits of him. Footballs signed by Bum Phillips. Baseballs signed by Nolan Ryan. There's a hat rack...and guys use it.

It just so happened that the shop was full of patrons the last time I went. Not one of them under the age of 50...except me. But let me tell you some of the lines that I heard thrown around...ones you don't hear much in Suburbia. But our Suburbia borders Redneck Town, so the two collide every once in a while and it always makes for a good time! So here are some of the one-liners I heard that day:

"Well, when I leave here, I gotta go spray my cotton."

"He was happy as a June-Bug"

"Supposed to feel like 104 today."

"You hear that old man __________ died?"

"It's hot, but we're still gonna run our trot lines this weekend."

These are just a few of the reasons why I love my barber shop. This is why I don't get my haircut at a "fancy" place in the mall by a guy named Sergio that swats me on my tail with his comb. There's no trendy music that I can go home and download on iTunes. No hair products called "Sexy" are available here. It's just a dude in a ball cap with some clippers and an antique cash register.

Fabuloso Mondays

So Mondays are one of my favorite days to come home from work. Why? Because it is the day my wife mops the entire house! And a splendid job she does I might add. But more importantly than the clean floors, there is the lovely aroma of the purple Fabuloso. It is the shekinah glory of all household cleaners.

It is a rare Monday that I don't thank Jesus for the lovely smell of purple Fabuloso.

*there are other colors of Fabuloso, but they are far inferior and merely "aspiring" to be all that the purple Fabuloso is.

Friends vs. Seinfeld

Yes, I believe the title itself is probably causing all sorts of vibrations to rise up in many of you. I'm not afraid to go there.

This is often a topic of discussion around our office here at Crossbridge. To go even further, it is the final question of every job interview we've done as well. "Friends or Seinfeld?" The person immediately feels on the hot seat and the answer they give will inevitably tattoo them for their entire tenure here at CB.

I know, I know...many of you will say "statistics don't lie...just look at the numbers." Yes, the Seinfeld finale was watched by more viewers. But, looking at the overall numbers from season to season, there is a clear winner in terms of viewers.

Seinfeld Stats

Season	Ranking	Viewership
Four (1992–93)	25	12,754,700[35]
Five (1993–94)	3	18,274,800[36]
Six (1994–95)	1	19,652,400[37]
Seven (1995–96)	2	20,330,800[38]
Eight (1996–97)	2	19,885,000[39]
Nine (1997–98)	1	21,266,000

Friends Stats

Season	Timeslot (EDT)	Season Premiere	Season Finale	TV Season	Rank	Viewers (in millions)
1	Thursday 8:30 P.M. (September 22, 1994 - February 23, 1995) Thursday 9:30 P.M.(February 23, 1995 - May 18, 1995)	September 22, 1994	May 18, 1995	1994-1995	#5	24.3
2	Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 21, 1995 - January 18, 1996) Sunday 10:13 P.M. (January 28, 1996) Thursday 8:00 P.M. (February 1, 1996 - May 16, 1996)	September 21, 1995	May 16, 1996	1995-1996	#2	29.4
3	Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 19, 1996 - May 17, 2001)	September 19, 1996	May 15, 1997	1996-1997	#3	25.0
4		September 25, 1997	May 7, 1998	1997-1998	#3	24.1
5		September 24, 1998	May 20, 1999	1998-1999	#2	23.5
6		September 23, 1999	May 18, 2000	1999-2000	#4	20.7
7		October 12, 2000	May 17, 2001	2000-2001	#3	20.2
8	Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 27, 2001 - October 4, 2001) Thursday 8:50 P.M. (October 11, 2001) Thursday 8:00 P.M. (October 18, 2001 - May 16, 2002)	September 27, 2001	May 16, 2002	2001-2002	#1	24.5
9	Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 26, 2002 - May 15, 2003)	September 26, 2002	May 15, 2003	2002-2003	#2	21.6
10	Thursday 8:00 P.M. (September 25, 2003 - April 29, 2004) Thursday 9:00 P.M. (May 6, 2004)	September 25, 2003	May 6, 2004	2003-2004	#2	22.8

Now then, I know you die hard Seinfeld loyalists are all throwing things at your computer screen right now...but really. Episode after episode I have tried to watch...with nothing more than the occasional "ha" at some mediocre joke. I do keep giving it a shot, but seriously, not funny.

Friends on the other hand...Mel and I have the entire library and we watch the show regularly. Laughing every time as hard as the first time we saw it.

So, I'll open it up to you guys for comments. Are you a Friends or Seinfeld person? Why?

I'll also set up a little poll to the right to add to the fun!

A Real Quote

My wife is in one of her "modes" right now...at 10:30 p.m. She passes me in the house and mutters with great enthusiasm - "There's nothing better than a clean bathroom."

Really?

I'm forever in debt to Mel for the incredible house keeper she is. But really, nothing better than a clean bathroom? I can think of so many other things...but I don't want to burst her bubble you know. So my answer is this...

"I Know Right!" I join her in that great undeniable joy of a clean bathroom!

Organization OverRated

So, my wife is probably the most organized person I know. She's second only to this lady. (My wife reads her blog religiously).

Now then, I am not known to be the most organized person in the world. I'm organized "in my own way" as I tell Mel all the time. However, I do have this unique and I believe "guy only" trait of remembering driving directions to places after only being there once. I don't know many gals that are good with driving directions. Especially when you start throwing north, south, east and west into the conversation.

So, back to being organized...my wife is. But every once in a while, it backfires on her. For the past 6 months, she's been looking for these Hallmark cards she knows she has. Basically, she buys cards on a regular basis, so they are ready to go when we have a birthday or a holiday that necessitates a card. Keeps us from running to the store last minute...I'm thankful, truly I am. :)

Last night, we're looking in the home office for something I'd misplaced, but that I know is in the office. She tells me, "look in that box up there on the file cabinet." I bring it down and you guessed it...2 shoe boxes full of Hallmark cards. I busted out laughing...they had been up there for over 6 months, "neatly organized," but completely unable to be found.

On another note, I found the thing I was looking for within a half hour and it was inches from where I remembered I put it. Stuffed ever so messily in a coffee cup on my desk with about a hundred other things. Most that know her well call her Monica. (Friends reference and precursor to my next blog post!)

American Idol Recap

So I was wrong...and thankfully so. And by 12 million votes.

Though I still believe it was one of my least favorite seasons, the finale last night was pretty awesome. The song Michael Johns and Carly did was the highlight for me...but second to this little treasure.

Cash Giggling

Having a little fun with my little man. I walked into the room tonight and heard him "talking" to me when he was over on the bed. So I went over to have a chat with him and this is what it turned into. This is a fun stage!!