It's about time

So, Sonya and I have been a little late getting in on the recycling thing. I've realized I'm all about recycling and saving the environment, but being about something and actually doing it are two very different things. I know that is profound. If recycling is easily available I'll definitely take advantage, but if I've always said I'm not going way out of my way to recycle. If my neighborhood doesn't offer recycling I'm not going to haul my recycling across town to a facility, and other lame excuses. Well finally I got on the ball and got our recycling bins that we need for recycling that is now offered by our HOA. In the past our family puts out about 3 trash cans full of trash every week. Since we've started our recycling efforts that has gone down to about 1/2 to 1 can of trash each week. Now it is almost like a challenge, even our kids are excited about it. We try to see how much we can recycle and how little we can throw away. It's been really good for us and I know we're really late to the game, but I want to encourage everyone else making excuses why not to recycle to give it a try. Every little bit helps when it comes to saving our environment.

Feel Free To Comment

So I've realized something in the last few months. I really don't care a lot what my appearance looks like, I go bald, I grow a long goatee (sp), I grow my hair, I shave my goatee, whatever. (I didn't realize this in the last week I've known it all along). I don't know if it is my personality or my somewhat upfront public status in my life and job, but people always feel like they can say whatever they want about how I look. Now the reason I am writing this blog is not because I really care about what they say, like I said I don't care. But for instance after I shaved off my beard this summer someone said "Oh you look so much better that beard was just disgusting" I started to grow it back immediately. I've also had a little agreement with my boys during sabbatical, they asked if I would grow my hair out because they don't remember what I look like with hair. I agreed and they then threw in the additional requirement that I not cut it until I'm done with sabbatical. (May 25ish) This last week 3 different people said "Your hair is getting pretty long, when are you going to cut it" 1 even followed with "and your beard is getting long again" Now I'm thinking about keeping the hair until I can't handle it anymore (it's really hot in the summer time) A lot of this has to do with me being a little rebellious and doing things to get the comments obviously, but it still floors me a little bit. Want to make a comment feel free. I'd love to hear it. :)

Skiing, The Gym, and lots of time with the kids

It's been interesting being on sabbatical to say the least. It's pretty crazy not having to go to work every day. I've spent quite a bit of time at the gym, I'm getting in shape and trying to lose some weight. I'm also thinking about doing Ride the Rockies this summer. It will be 380 miles over 6 days in June. I'm trying to decide whether or not I want to spend a huge amount of my sabbatical time on a bicycle. We'll see what decision I make. I went skiing about a week ago, by myself at Arapahoe Basin. It was 8 degrees with a lot of wind, it was very cold and I felt very old. I wish I could still ski like I did in college. My other time on sabbatical has been spent being dad. Sonya has been working a ton getting camps off for the Jr. and Sr. high ministries. She also went on the staff retreat last week Sunday through Wednesday. So I've been with the kids a lot and it has been great. I've told Son that the idea of sabbatical isn't for her to go to work and me to stay home, in other words trade roles for 4 months. That's why it's going to be so nice to get away to the mountains this week. Maci is going to try skiing for the first time. She's a little young being only 2 1/2 but she's free so we'll see how it goes. Stay tuned for more thoughts.

Sabbatical Thoughts Part 1

Well I'm officially on sabbatical. After 7 years at Eastern Hills they make you take 4 months off. I'm really excited, but it's going to be weird at the same time. I've been working consistently since I was 15 years old. Now I'm going to take 4 months off. I think this will take a little getting used to, but I'm also really excited about it. I was just thinking about my jobs and where I've worked. I started landscaping at age 15, spent 4 summers mowing for Keesen Enterprises. I worked as a dietary aid at University Hills Nursing home during the school years. After I graduated I had two jobs in the Woodland Mall in Grand Rapids. I sold Halloween costumes off a kiosk in the mall followed by a golf supply kiosk where our most popular item was a t-shirt that said "It takes a lot of balls to golf the way I do". That summer I worked for "Struggles" Beeke construction building homes in Kalamazoo. The next school year I started at Woodland sports center where I was a rollerskating rink floor guard 2 years and worked my way up to Skating rink DJ. I went back to mowing that summer at Hilbrands landscaping. The next year I quit the rink and started at a Immanuel CRC in Hudsonville as their part time youth pastor. I was on student staff with Young Life that year, and after graduation moved to California to be youth pastor of Trinity CRC in Artesia. After 5 years there I moved back to Colorado and started at Eastern Hills. After 7 years I'm on sabbatical. Oh what fun it is to work, but now I'm taking 4 months off, it should be awesome.