Order of pics from Christmas in California!
1) My beautiful sis - Cindy and her son Mikey
2) My parents
3) A candid shot of our good friend Jenny with Michele sharing a laugh
4) Another great candid shot of Jon - Jenny's husband
Dec 29, 2006
Skolroods meet the Wongs and friends
Order of pics from Christmas in California!
1) My beautiful sis - Cindy and her son Mikey
2) My parents
3) A candid shot of our good friend Jenny with Michele sharing a laugh
4) Another great candid shot of Jon - Jenny's husband
Wongs...meet Skolrood
Order of pics
Michele with Gianna (cousin's baby)
Future mother in law (Louise) and her sister
Future brother in law - Greg and Michele
Michele with Ella - niece
Dec 21, 2006
What's the Heart's Treasure?
But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. LUKE 2:19
The verses before this spoke of shepherds who ran in haste to see the child of promise the angels heralded about.
You can imagine the moment when the shepherd bursted into the manger. They are sweaty, smelly and with eyes wide-like saucers. You can see Mary, clutching her baby and Joseph in a protective stance. What’s going on?
Then the shepherd’s story sputtering speech mixed with excitement retelling their angel encounter — it dawns on Mary once again — her child is truly profound. It feels like yesterday when Joseph told her of HIS angel encounter.
How many angel encounters does a mother get? Is there more?
It’s crazy enough when babies leap inside wombs upon your arrival and people starts talking of heaven.
But you'll never forget it - these moments where the heart is alive in joy, or pain.
Moments like : Your wedding. Your first kiss. Graduation. That win you never thought possible. 9/11. When someone close to you died. Holding your child the very first time.
This was a moment you write in your journal. A moment where you connect with the next one, and from the previous one...to see your life is with and for God Himself. It’s these spiritual moments where you can pull away like Mary from the diaper changes,the worries of money, the bad news of life – and see God through it all and He will carry you through.
The scripture is filled with God moments. Moments of despair RENEWED. The hopeless RESTORED. The weak made STRONG.
I cannot help but see Mary seeing her son on the cross, and flash backing to all these MOMENTS - these encounters with the Divine.
It’s a MOMENT that will define who you are.
The verses before this spoke of shepherds who ran in haste to see the child of promise the angels heralded about.
You can imagine the moment when the shepherd bursted into the manger. They are sweaty, smelly and with eyes wide-like saucers. You can see Mary, clutching her baby and Joseph in a protective stance. What’s going on?
Then the shepherd’s story sputtering speech mixed with excitement retelling their angel encounter — it dawns on Mary once again — her child is truly profound. It feels like yesterday when Joseph told her of HIS angel encounter.
How many angel encounters does a mother get? Is there more?
It’s crazy enough when babies leap inside wombs upon your arrival and people starts talking of heaven.
But you'll never forget it - these moments where the heart is alive in joy, or pain.
Moments like : Your wedding. Your first kiss. Graduation. That win you never thought possible. 9/11. When someone close to you died. Holding your child the very first time.
This was a moment you write in your journal. A moment where you connect with the next one, and from the previous one...to see your life is with and for God Himself. It’s these spiritual moments where you can pull away like Mary from the diaper changes,the worries of money, the bad news of life – and see God through it all and He will carry you through.
The scripture is filled with God moments. Moments of despair RENEWED. The hopeless RESTORED. The weak made STRONG.
I cannot help but see Mary seeing her son on the cross, and flash backing to all these MOMENTS - these encounters with the Divine.
It’s a MOMENT that will define who you are.
Dec 15, 2006
Airport Nightmare with Security AAAARGH!
This is more up-to-the-minute then CNN.
Travel tip: TSA security caused Michele and I to drop out of our security check-in and go back to baggage check in. Anything - pills, toothpaste, hairspray, hair gel - cannot be brought on board the plane. Even an 8oz bottle of water Michele brought had to be finished before going through security.
So with all Michele's makeup, personal beauty products, vitamins, supplements - we had to transfer everything from our luggage to our carry-on. I was extremely fustrated and exasperated. But there was probably $40.00 wroth of goodies we would have to throw away if we didn't check in our baggage. Fortunately, our flight is not a transfer.
MY TRAVEL ADVICE: Ship all bottles, pills, personal beauty products to your location in advance - or prepared to do check-in baggage. I hope my guests for the wedding remember this advice - especially women and couples (or the husbands).
Other than that - the weather here is wonderful, but Michele and I agree: we are no fans of air travel.
Travel tip: TSA security caused Michele and I to drop out of our security check-in and go back to baggage check in. Anything - pills, toothpaste, hairspray, hair gel - cannot be brought on board the plane. Even an 8oz bottle of water Michele brought had to be finished before going through security.
So with all Michele's makeup, personal beauty products, vitamins, supplements - we had to transfer everything from our luggage to our carry-on. I was extremely fustrated and exasperated. But there was probably $40.00 wroth of goodies we would have to throw away if we didn't check in our baggage. Fortunately, our flight is not a transfer.
MY TRAVEL ADVICE: Ship all bottles, pills, personal beauty products to your location in advance - or prepared to do check-in baggage. I hope my guests for the wedding remember this advice - especially women and couples (or the husbands).
Other than that - the weather here is wonderful, but Michele and I agree: we are no fans of air travel.
Dec 14, 2006
Admit it
Call me a sucker for underdog stories. I admit it - a part of me wants to see this 'last' Rocky flick.
Rocky was one of those characters you just love to root for. I've always said, if you didn't care about the character in a movie - it's not going to be good...and it was good. The movie also won the Academy Award for Best Picture - which sounds so ludicrous until you watch the movie.
If that movie doesn't inspire you to root for an underdog, maybe this clip will. It's a touching clip of a father's commitment to his son -who was paralyzed after an umbilical cord wrapped around his neck as a baby. The two entered race after race and every time the father gives moments to the son where the son says he doesn't feel like he's handicap. It's absolutely inspiring.
Upcoming trip
Well, this week Michele and I will be off on our early Christmas visit to see my family and friends in California.
It's going to be whirlwind trip, but it'll be fun.
I missed my friends, and my family so it'll be nice to see everyone again. The weather is suppose to be gorgeous with a few cloudy days, but otherwise way nicer than Illinois! I sprung for two nice hotels near the airport after remembering that this entire trip is a business write-off...since I'm spending part of the time working.
It was earlier this week that I turned to Michele, "I cannot believe I'm actually visiting California." Visiting is a good word considering I've been pretty much a California native for over thirty plus years.
It's also going to be sweet jetting around with a beautiful girl.
REX GROSSMAN - You can stay another week
Craig, Michele's dad asked me recently - after Rex Grossman's redeeming performance, "Did I hear you say keep Rex?".
Knowing that I was a critic of the Chicago QB's past poor performances...he had to asked.
To wit, and my reply, "As Dominic would say- after a nice meal, ' You can stay another week.' "
(For those you don't know...Dominic is Michele's grandfather.)
Talk about living in EVERYONE LOVES RAYMOND!
Dec 11, 2006
Quote of the WEEK
Just this past Sunday at Heartland:
"Yesterday is History,
Tomorrow is a Mystery
Today is a gift, that's why it's called a Present"
Not living in the here and now will cause you to miss the moments of life that matters.
God places moments - and sometimes we let our past, our worries rob of what we have now.
"Yesterday is History,
Tomorrow is a Mystery
Today is a gift, that's why it's called a Present"
Not living in the here and now will cause you to miss the moments of life that matters.
God places moments - and sometimes we let our past, our worries rob of what we have now.
Dec 9, 2006
No Words...the pic says it all...
Whether one agrees with the war, you have to agree on this: there's not many moments more sweet than a soldier returning home and being reunited with his/her loved ones.
To America's soldiers - we are proud of you.
Dec 8, 2006
James Kim Paranoia
James Kim, a man I didn't know personally, died yesterday. You maybe have seen it on the news.
I'm not all that different from James Kim: I'd do anything to protect Michele, and I have a paranoia protection streak in me.
Before the tragic news happened - Michele teased me when I packed both of our cars with emergency gear for any emergency situation: matches, toolset, flashlight, energy bars, rope, duct tape, and emergency blankets (the waterproof, reflective kind outside and inside). We also have our "emergency box" stocked with more gear to last us a week.
I'd even ran Michele through the '3 MUSTS' of SURVIVAL. 1) Shelter; 2) Water; 3) Warmth. (By the way, she knew it all)
Call me paranoid a bit, but it's no longer that when you find yourself in trouble, and being prepared may give you a chance to help someone else. Being a man, you have the PROTECTOR and sometimes that does put a bit of "preparation" in you.
I ache for his children who lost their daddy: a 7 month baby girl, a 4 year old girl, a 7 year old girl and a now widowed 30 year old wife.
Dec 6, 2006
Serious SuperBowl Questions
Well, I hate to tell my future father-in-law this: but I'm not sure if we're going to the Superbowl with this guy.
His passing drives me nuts. Granted he's still YOUNG. Young enough to drive one of my fantasy football friends nuts - Grossman had a rating of 1.3! QB rating of 1.3? That's like numbers used to rate a flea's weight. These are numbers used with measurement words like 'micron'.
It's really low. Really low. I think it's the first time in NFL history a QB rated that low in a game.
Despite the heart attack plays of Grossman I'm warming up to the Bears. I will admit, with each passing week, I'm becoming a BEARS fan. Urlacher and the Chicago D does excite me, but the offense needs tinkering Craig.
Admit it.
We should mortgage the next five years worth of picks for a guy named - Peyton Manning.
Dec 5, 2006
HEARTLAND -
http://www.heartland.cc/makingripples/HistoryofHeartlandVideo/tabid/89/Default.aspx
http://www.heartland.cc/Portals/0/media/simple/index.html
4100 people. 3 acres of carpet. Property of new church? SHOPPING MALL.
I never thought I would ever be participating and living life with a huge church. Heartland is what I called huge.
But it's been the most incredible place of 'transformational teaching' I've encountered yet. The messages are simple, practical and deep. That's the philosophy of Bill Hybels: teaching from the Word of God where anyone regardless of their spiritual journey can benefit from it. Heartland has officially partnered with Willow Creek Community Church. The church grew from 1998 with 22 people to now 4100. That's small compared to Willow's 20,000+, but Heartland expects the number to double in a year.
The biggest thing I noted from Heartland: the church is ALIVE, because the people are being transformed. It's certainly not alive because of mere emotion but God is stirring the people. You can't help but sense the 'buzz'.
I think people who frown upon evangelical Christianity have a rightful reason: too smug, too judgemental, too stiff, too religious and sometimes too unforgiving. We Christians have become stale and lost a sense of transparency in our lives.
Michele and I went to the Wednesday bible study at Willow and we saw the worship leader stopped after worship to discuss the health issues of his daughter in relating to a upcoming worship song he was leading to.
He was choking back the tears as he described how at times he doesn't want to be up there worshipping because his heart was just breaking over his daughter, but he knows life is bigger than just him. This guy literally sang with tears rolling down his eyes. It was true transparency. Afterwards Bill Hybels, in a very touching moment got up and asked everyone at Willow to stretch out their hand in unity to pray for this couple. It was a very poignant moment...seeing a sea of hands reaching out to pray for this couple. I heard many people weeping among thte 5000 in attendance at the bible study.
The church is truly alive and well.
