Meet Riley

Riley joined the family just before Thanksgiving last year. We thought at first that she was a yellow lab. She was absolutely adorable and has the sweetest personality. Turns out though she has a really curly tail. It's not a yellow lab tail. After doing some research we think she is part Basenji. This is a lesser known breed of dogs that were traditionally hunters. This breed is known for its stubbornness (grrreat) and chewing (awesome). She has lived up to both of those. But she is cute. Now that she is growing, though, she is growing out of the chewing habit a little. 

We have learned that her place is the back yard and not the house. Her stubbornness with house training is wearing us down. In spite of that, we are so glad she is a part of the family. Guess we can all be a little stubborn at times. 

'The Spot'

I took Ashley and the kids on a drive the other day.  It was a pretty long drive...maybe about an hour and fifteen minutes or so.  Winding roads, too.  The weather was amazing!  Clear blue skies, no humidity, low 80s.  We were finally going to revisit our "spot."  The spot where I asked Ashley to marry me 12 years ago. It is a wayside on the Blue Ridge Parkway between Big Island and Lynchburg, just after you cross over the James River.  There's a creek that runs into the James River known as Otter Creek.  That's where I popped the question!  For the longest time I couldn't find the spot on the maps.  I wasn't exactly sure where on the parkway the spot was.  I was so excited to go back there once I found it.  Ever since we moved back to Virginia I've been dying to hunt the spot down.

We decided to bring a few snack and play in the creek a bit while we were there.  Ashley was a bit woozy from the drive, and I think she and I both were not exactly sure if this was the right spot or not.  Until we saw this....

I carved our initials in the tree on our first visit to this spot 12 years ago.  When Ashley saw this she started to cry....this was the spot!  The spot that changed the course of our lives forever.  The spot that brought us to the beginning of our commitment to loving one another till death do we part.  And here we were staring at our own little piece of history with our four children.

We had a blast playing in the water.

And before we left, I spruced up the tree carvings to make sure they lasted for years to come.  I also added a few "new" initials!  Now the kids can bring their kids to our little piece of history.

Wow!  I am so very blessed!!!

The Fishersville Memorial

After the Israelites crossed the Jordan River and entered the promised land, the people of Israel got a lot of rocks and piled them up as a memorial.  It was to serve as a reminder to all the generations to come of that momentous occasion, and what God had done to prove his love and faithfulness.  Well, I don't exactly have rocks here.  What I do have is the internet, though.  And my desire is for these posts to remain as a memorial and reminder for our kids and for their kids of what God has done along our Journey Together!

If the size of the rock pile indicates the significance of the event, then today's post would be a huge pile of rocks!!  So big, it might be confused for a mountain.  We just put a contract on a home in the little township of Fishersville, VA.  Okay...let me back up a little.

Earlier this year, Ashley and I were contemplating my future with Walmart.  Things were going extremely well.  I have been given assignments and making an impact in my field across the entire company.  I was being recruited by senior managers for positions around the east coast.  So that led Ashley and I to wonder what sort of job or option would be a good one for our family.  We concluded that if anything at the Mount Crawford, VA facility opened up, then that would be a good promotion.  It would keep us close to family while allowing me to take a promotion at the same time.

And wouldn't you know it, Mount Crawford opened up.  The Asset Protection Manager at that building resigned out of the blue one morning in February.  I immediately texted Ashley, and then put in the for the job.  And now, we are only three weeks away from this being a reality for our family.

We just returned today from a 5-day house hunt, and we cannot begin to express how thankful we are to God for his leadership in all of this.  We prayed for wisdom.  We prayed that the house would really jump out to both of us.  This one sure has.  It is a larger home, but it is one we can grow in for years to come.  It is in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley and is surrounded by the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.  And for anyone who knows us (and Ashley especially) we never like to pay full price for anything.  The sellers of the home needed to sell fast and were ready to cut a good deal.  We had a set price in mind of how high we would go, and no further.  It was the exact amount the buyers said was their bottom price!  With every other house we saw, we found ourselves comparing it to this one.  No, it is not a perfect home, but we are truly grateful for every square foot of it.

Walmart will do all the moving, which is a first for us!  This is also the first job I will have where I will work "normal" business hours.  Monday through Friday, baby!  If you had told me nine years ago as I was bouncing in and out of frozen trailers that I would be doing this, I would have told you that you had lost your mind.  I think I hear God laughing even now.

So.  We are beginning our goodbyes to Wake Forest, North Carolina.  It will be a sad departure, no doubt.  And we do not know what God has in store for the next ten years.  All we do know is that we will serve Him whole-heartedly....and let him do the rest.

Frozen and the Love of God

In the new Disney movie, Frozen, two orphaned princesses contrast each other in their response to some of life's mysteries.  This movie is in my estimation one of Disney's finest hours, and I find myself most often to be a huge Disney critic.  Not this time!  What I enjoy most about this film is the very same thing I enjoyed about the movie Cars....the message.  Without giving the story away, I was blown away at the clearest message of love being the selfless act of humility in the form of sacrifice.

In the movie Cars, Lightning McQueen purposely finishes dead last in the biggest race of his life.  In finishing last, he let's the antagonist finish first, and pushes the King (the car brutally knocked out of the race by the bad guy) across the finish line.  As he crosses the finish line, the King (played by Richard Petty) tells Lightning that he just gave up the piston cup (his life-long dream).  To this, McQueen responds, "It's just an empty cup."  LOVE IT!

In similar fashion, Frozen crosses a different finish line.  Princess Ana can only be saved by an act of true love, and everyone in her unusually snow-covered world is convinced she needs the kiss of a prince.  After all, that is what we have all been told is the act of true love, right?  Instead, THE act of true love comes from a most surprising place.  I do not want to give away the ending, but I will say that this story serves as one of Disney's greatest stories.  And what is my criteria for a "great" story?  Well, if a story, regardless of how fantastical, conveys the most important realities of life in a fashion that causes the audience to be challenged to live a life of Christ-like love and selflessness, then that is a great story.  I don't mind a bit if my kids watch this one over and over again.

I'm a bit of a literary nerd, and Ashley has to put up with me at times when it comes to this.  I cannot help but take in all the metaphors and imagery in stories and movies.  Frozen is absolutely filled with literary tools that Disney does very well.  Just listen to some of the names of the characters - Christoph (sounds a lot like Christ to me), Ana (much like her name, this princess experiences a sort of resurrection as a result of laying down her life for an undeserving sister).  Interestingly enough it is these two that work together more than any other in the film.

The cold heart of Princess Elsa and her journey in figuring out the ins and outs of her special gift is a very important metaphor in the story.  Instead of hiding and concealing a gift (which is often called a curse) Elsa learns in the end how to best use her gift.  The coldness of her heart ends up trapping her in a self-made castle of fear and pain.  This castle is absolutely elaborate!  At the same time it is deadly, and almost takes her sister's life.

I give this movie my blessing and hope that everyone who watches learns this....."greater love has no man this, that he lay down his life for a friend." John 15:13  AND  "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5:8

Good job, Disney!

Family

 Forever,

Always

May

I

Love

You!

  There are only but so many things you will always have in this life.  And those things are to be treasured more than any other thing this world can ever offer.

Those not pictured here are never forgotten:

• Steven - @ Work.  Thank you God for work! And thank you, God that you still work miracle in marriages.
• Neil - In heaven with Jesus!  Thank you, God for salvation!
• Jake - Just to the right of the camera man.  Thank you, God for little boys who teach us so much about your love and grace!
• Levi - In heaven with Jesus!  Thank you, God for the mysteries of life.  If we had all the answers to un-askable questions, we would never need you.  Help us to trust.  Help us to understand that to be with you is better than life itself!

Thank you, God for my family!

Our 10th Anniversary!

I picked up my cell phone today and dialed our favorite Mexican restaurante for take-out. "Nachos compuestos para dos, por favor.  No guacamole, sour cream seperado," is the same order we have been placing at this same restaurant ever since we made the trek to the Forest of Wake, NC (we've never actually eaten anything else here...never) back in 04.  I tell the caballero on the other end of the line that my wife will be picking up the order.  I tell him that she is wearing green today and that she is "muy bonita!"  I could sense his smile from my end of the phone.  He repeated it over and over, "Okay, I will look for a beautiful lady to walk through my door."

The kids and I were on a separate errand and just happened to be in the neighborhood of the restaurant.  As she got into her car she spotted us down the lot.  We just smiled and waved.  Her face lit up with that same angelic smile - her trademark smile - you know, the one that lights up a room!  Yeah that's the one.  She said she just got the royal treatment.  The gentleman at the restaurant was overjoyed when she walked in the door.  He said that her husband told him to look for a beautiful woman to walk through his door, and here she was.  Ashley told him it was our anniversary and immediately got a celebration from the man, and a hug, too.  Then she turns the corner and there I am.  That's how we roll.

Ten years ago, Ashley and I committed before God, family, and the rest of the world that we would love and serve one another faithfully the rest of our lives.  We blinked and ten years went by!  Here we are, more in love now than ever before.  God has so richly blessed me with a beautiful wife and four beautiful children.  I am overwhelmed at His goodness to me!!

So what did we do for our big ten, you say?  I took Ashley to one of the most romantic cities in the country. Certainly one of the coolest towns on the east coast - Charleston, SC.  The whole family came as we made a family vacation out of it.  We stayed at a very elegant getaway condo on Daniel Island, right by Charleston Harbor (again thanks to Ben and Kaylee's friends in SC).  Ashley and I got to get away for a very special date earlier this week while Ben and Kaylee took the kids out for pizza and bowling.

Our special date began with us getting on some fancy clothes, well, island fancy that is.  Fancy in Charleston is not fancy like anywhere else.  No suits or ties....dresses, sandles, and untucked shirts is more like it.  We began with a evening stroll on the breezy shores of Sullivan Island.  The sun was setting and the beach was a beautiful glow with the evening sunlight.  The breeze made it cold, so I had to hold her hand a little closer you know.  I loved it!


From there we ventured to the other side of the city for a dinner at California Dreaming.  We were seated at a table just by the river - the Ashley River.  The river and it's marinas were all in lights, and the nighttime cityscape made the view perfect.  We shared a delicious meal as we talked about the first 10 years and the next 10 years.  We decided that on every 10th anniversary we are making the trip to Charleston.  We talked about our love for one another.

We ended the night with mint chocolate chip ice cream, and yes ladies, a little TV - Atlanta Braves baseball to be exact.  Again, another demonstration of Ashley's love for me.  While that part wasn't planned, I can honestly say it meant a lot to me.

We returned from our adventure from sunny South Carolina late last night, refreshed and already missing our island retreat condo.

The next 10 years and beyond....

I covenant before God, family, and the world, that I will love and serve my bride, Ashley Dawn Erdman, faithfully the rest of my days.  No matter what happens.  No matter what comes our way.  There is nothing she nor I will ever be able to do to take me from her side.  Nothing.  The journey has been a wonderful adventure this far, and I am so glad you are by my side.  With my hand in yours and yours in mind, let us continue on to face one day at a time with humility and love, all the rest of our days.  I love you, Ashley.  You are the love of my life!  Happy Anniversary!

In Honor of Neil

On Monday, April 22, my uncle, Neil Barlow, breathed his last and slipped away into the presence of God.  Neil was survived by his devoted wife Jane and their son, David.  Over the last few days, I have replayed in my head memories of times I have shared with Neil over the years.  Some of them made me laugh.  Some made me cry a little.  Most of them made me smile.

Anyone who knew Neil Barlow could tell you that he absolutely loved sports.  As far as I know, his passion for sports extended to three main teams - the Washington Redskins, Carolina Tarheels, and the Atlanta Braves.  There were probably others, but these undoubtedly were among his highest passions for sure.

I can recall quite well those Sunday afternoons at Maw Maw and Paw Paw's house when the Eagles played the Redskins.  My dad was an Eagles fan, and could get pretty loud during a game.  Neil was certainly vocal during any game - especially Redskins games.  So when you put my dad and Uncle Neil in the same room when the Eagles were playing the Skins, you were in for quite a treat!

One of my favorite memories of Uncle Neil was from a long time ago.  I had come along with Jane, Neil, and David on a trip to Atlanta.  Jane was going for business, and she invited me to come along to hang out with David and assist with Neil, whose health had already begun to decline.  While there we all went to a Braves game together.  Oh man, was I loving it!  It was my first MLB experience and we had a blast!

Well, the next day of our trip, we had the whole afternoon and evening free.  Jane, being the captain of the voyage, asked for entertainment and dinner ideas from the crew.  David was pretty young, so I'm sure he probably didn't get a vote.  Me, I was the help, so I was happy to just go with the flow.  But Neil, on the other hand, he knew exactly what he wanted.  He wanted another Braves game, and there wasn't anything that was going to get in his way!  Jane could not understand this, we had just gone to a Braves game.  But once Neil decided he was going, that was it.

As a side note, I must say I really can't blame Neil.  I mean we were right there in Atlanta.  And any baseball fan knows that the only thing better than a night at a MLB game is two nights of MLB games!  Also, I liked to think Neil was not too sure how many more Braves games he was going to be able to see.  So he might as well get in as many as he could.

So we decided that Jane and David would spend some time together, and since Neil couldn't go alone (although he certainly would have if he had to) I was elected to go along - not exactly forced against my will, though.  We had nothing but a few dollars in my pocket and a credit card in Neil's.  Here we were....a young teenager and a handicapped man with a craving for Braves baseball.  I'll never forget the stress of having to interpret the station maps on the Atlanta MARTA train that went right by our hotel.  We had to take a bus from a station to the ball field.  And while it sounds a little scary to be in such a big city, I remember not being that worried or feeling that scared.  It was an adventure!  And Neil was leading the way!

We didn't have tickets, of course, so the first thing we did was stop at a ticket booth.  Neil had the card and simply passed it through the hole in the glass and said those two magic words "Best available."  In other words, he was telling them, I don't care how much it costs, get me the best seats you have!  To some of you reading this, you might be wondering how in the world anyone could spend over $100 dollars in baseball tickets, but to Neil, you couldn't put a value on being in that ballpark!  He was going in, and he was going to have the best seat he could buy!  And boy did we have great seats!  In fact, we got to sit about three or four rows up from the seats we bought because Neil was in a wheelchair!  So we got to enjoy the legroom and space that the handicap row affords, just behind home plate, one section up.

I could not even begin to tell you who won the game.  I saw some of the best players in the world play, but I honestly don't remember who they were.  But I will never forget getting a footlong, large Coke, and singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame in the best available seats next to my Uncle Neil who yelled and yelled.

........my mind takes me from those happier days of Neil's life to days recently when Neil couldn't even speak.  But he didn't have to, though.  His eyes would say it all.  He would strain to keep his head up and still and his eyes would light up at the sight of my children when we would come to visit.  Every one of us knew that even though on the outside Neil was fading by the day, there was still a deep desire inside that frail body to walk up to a ticket booth with card in hand and ask for the best available!

And now he is still.  No more shaking.  No more pain.  No more endless bowls of applesauce, and certainly no more embarrassing bed baths or bathroom situations.  No more of that.  Only rest.  Only great pleasure in the best available seat right next to Jesus.  One thing is for certain, though, I will cherish that memory of my time with Neil, and will be flooded with that memory again when I find myself at Turner Field, yelling at the baseball game with a footlong in one hand and a Coke in the other.

A Year is too Short!

The longer I live, the more I am convinced that the short and simple moments in life can impact my little world just as much if not more than the long and on-going seasons of life.  For example, the moment I got married was a blurr (Ashley might say a whirlwind), the kids' births were all so special but happened so quickly, the day I graduated seminary came and went.  These are only a few of these moments I'm talking about.

This year was absolutely FILLED with some of these moments.  These last 10 years or so have had so many of these moments as well.  We were only in Clifton Forge for only a little over a year back in 2003, but the friendships we made then we still have to this day!  We consider this friends as very special people in our lives, like extended family, even.  Like Celia, Dallas, the Brantley's, Scottie and Sharla, Pastor Doug, Forrest and Rachelle....and Sherrie.

Sherrie died on Christmas Eve.  We all felt the shock wave of pain as the news quickly made its way to our home that night.  Just like Sandy rolled into the northeast, the news of Sherrie's death was horrific and terrifying.  I was in shock and disbelief.  We didn't want to be anywhere except Celia's living room that night.  So we went up for the funeral and burial, it was the only natural thing to do - especially when a family member dies so suddenly...and yes, these folks are our family....Sherrie was like our family!  I can't help but think about the opportunities we've had to pack our things and all of us visit over the years.  And now we can't get them back.  She followed this blog...her name is just over there on the left.

So instead of regrets, we live in response to this experience as we should with all of life's experiences...we learn from them.  Visit friends more often.  Call regularly.  Email as much as possible.  Keep in touch through facebook.  Whatever it takes.  Thank God for this gift of friendship through this toilsome life, and this brief existence!

And there is no other friendship like the one I have with my beautiful bride!  That is a friendship so precious to me!  I fear it is all too often too precious....but I'm okay with a bit of spoilage, I guess.  I like to think that when I serve her I am serving God himself.

I praise God for the little moments that fill my life with unforgettable memories...for that is what God has used to make me who I am today!

Cat Tales

Is it bad that Christmas has come and gone, and I want to blog about our new cat?  Ever since our Gracen Mercy died early this fall, there has been an emptiness to the house.  So we decided to get a new kitty after Christmas.  And we absolutely fell in LOVE with this guy!  No name yet, but I'm sure it won't be long before we find the perfect name!

Okay...so I'll blog about Christmas some other time.

Season Passes

Some Dads pride themselves in their season tickets to major league baseball, NBA, or any other professional sports team.  Some couples even have season ticket holders for theatrical performances or concerts.  Us.  No way.  How boring compared to our season passes to Adventure Landing Mini-Golf!  How cool it is to just show up, flash our pass, and get our clubs!  We can go any time!

Now, at this point you've probably asked yourself a million times how much these passes cost and how we can afford such a luxury for our large family.  Well, I don't mind telling you how much it cost...FREE!  Adventure Landing in Raleigh had a special back in Spring; if you purchased a game of mini-golf you got a season pass for free.  Well, we purchased four.  They only had 100 passes, and we got the last four!!  How fun this has been!  Ashley and I have had lots of practice.  She and I tied the last time we went.  We had the exact same score!  We're getting pretty serious about it.  They wouldn't let us compete in London, though.  Ok, well, we never actually tried, but we sure have a lot of fun together.