My near death experience

This past weekend I went on a Singles Retreat at Camp ToKnowHim in Pisgah, AL. I had a great time and got to meet a lot of new people. We got to do some neat stuff....like rappelling and zip line. Those who know me well know that I am not really all that coordinated. (I managed to bruise my leg good just climbing in and out of my bunk, if that gives you any kind of clue.) But my penchant for injuring myself does not keep me from trying to do things, like rappelling, for instance. And that's where my near death experience comes in to this tale.
On Saturday, we went rappelling down a 65 foot cliff. I would say somewhere around 15 of us were daring enough to try it...me included. I went pretty close to the end though, or I'm sure a few less might have tried. If you've ever gone rappelling, you know that the hardest part is just getting over the edge in the first place. You have to lean back so far and then start walking down over the edge a bit. I actually had that part ok, but somewhere along the line I lost my grip or let go of something I wasn't supposed to let go of, or something (I'm really not sure what) but I started falling....upside down....for about 5 feet, I think.... If the safety guy at the bottom of the cliff had not been there to pull the rope tight and stop my descent....well, ummm....I most certainly would not have been around to write about it. After that initial plunge, I sort of eased myself down the cliff the rest of the way. I just couldn't get my hands to give enough slack for me to bounce down gracefully. Oddly enough, I sustained no injuries from the adventure. The worst injury I got all weekend was the aforementioned leg bruise from the bunks.
After the rappelling, the zip line was a piece of cake. You just had to climb this pole to a platform (also about 65 feet high) get clipped to the zip line and jump off. I think they said the speed topped out somewhere around 32 mph. That was pretty fun. Other than that, we played Spoons, Ping-pong, pool, and various other games, we went swimming, and we had a really good service on Saturday night. All in all, the weekend was a great success.

Books I should have read when I was a kid....

For the past few years, I've been on a kick about reading the books that, surprisingly enough, I did not read when I was a kid. (For those who don't know me, its surprising that I didn't read these books because I have always been an avid reader.) I've decided to include some books that weren't around when I was a kid as well. Here is a list of books that I have read recently or plan to read soon.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
I read this for the first time about 2 years ago. I bought it for my nephews for their birthdays.

A Wrinkle in Time
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
A Wind in the Door
Many Waters
by Madeline L'engle
Also bought for my nephews....the whole series.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
by Roald Dahl
Just purchased...will read this week.

Roverandom
The Father Christmas Letters
by J.R.R. Tolkien
Actually, I didn't know about these when I was a kid, but I'm a Tolkien fanatic, so I read these and enjoyed them very much.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
by Lemony Snicket
These are great books. I think I'm on book 10 now. I'm just waiting for it to be in at the library.

Ella Enchanted
The Princess Tales
by Gail Carson Levine
These are fun, easy reads....for girls anyway...probably not so much for guys.

Inkheart
by Cornelia Funke
This is a great book. It's thick though, so unless you're a fast reader, expect to spend some time on this one.

Eragon
Eldest
by Christopher Paolini
I read this one about a year and a half ago and am waiting impatiently for the second one in the series (which comes out August 23rd).

Persepolis
Persepolis 2
by Marjane Satrapi
These graphic novels give some great insight on what's going on the Middle East, particularly in Iran.

The Bark of the Bog Owl
The Secret of the Swamp King
by Jonathan Rogers
This is a neat retelling of the story of David. The second one in the series has just come out, but I haven't gotten my hands on it yet.

Artemis Fowl
The Arctic Incident
The Eternity Code
The Opal Deception
by Eoin Colfer
Mischevious little books. I like them a lot. Haven't read the last one yet.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by J.K. Rowling
I must say I am waiting impatiently for the 6th book to come out. I have it on preorder.


This is by no means an exhaustive list. If a book you think is worthy didn't make it, it may be because I actually did read it when I was a kid. Still post it to me though. I may have forgotten about it. If it's a newer release, I may not have heard about it yet. I'm always on the lookout for something new to read. Keep in mind that this list is pretty much only children's and young adult fiction. I'll probably eventually do a blog about adult fiction.

For My Daddy

I thought it appropriate for Father's Day that I write about my father.

I love you because you

Are helping me to make

Of the lumber of my life

Not a tavern

But a temple.

from Love, by Roy Croft

My Dad is a builder. When I was younger, he and my Grandpa owned a cabinet making business. He also worked in my other Grandpa's construction business, and then in my uncle's construction business. To this day, the smell of fresh cut lumber reminds me of home.
My Dad is a true do-it-yourself kind of person. Every house we move into, he remodels...and I'm not talking just paint and carpet. He takes out load bearing walls (without compromising the structural stability of the house, mind you) and moves the location of entire rooms....like kitchens, uncovers hardwood floors and repairs them since previous owners are apparently crazy enough to cover them over with carpet and linoleum. He can lay tile, rewire electric, and reroute his own plumbing (which is what he is doing right now, actually). He also fixes cars. If something breaks down, most of the time he can fix it himself.
My Dad has taught me a lot about being self-sufficient. Before I went to college, he made sure I new enough about my car to check and add fluids....and how to change a tire. He made sure I had a toolbox so I could do minor household repairs on my own. He never once tried to stop me from moving hundreds of miles away, though he would have rather had me closer to home, but he tried to make sure that I was equipped to handle possible crises that might have come my way.
My Dad is not without his flaws, but they are overshadowed by his virtues. He has led by example. I look at my Dad and see a reflection of my Heavenly Father.

Blog beginner

Here I am, a blog beginner. I'm not a very consistent journal writer, so I doubt that I'll be a consistent blogger either. Also, I know next to nothing about creating a web page, so the graphics will probably remain boring for a while.

As I sit here and type, I ask myself, "why am I doing this?" I guess my answer to me would be, "Because...." (And, in case you're wondering, yes, I do talk to myself...) "Because" was about the best answer I could come up with on short notice...