My Musical Weekend

I've always loved music. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to play music as my 'job'. Now that I'm not playing music full time, there are still many moments when I get the itch for music and need to have it scratched. This past weekend I got it scratched.

Through some random web surfing early last week I happened upon this band called "the Yards" I found on lawrence.com. I clicked on their songs to download some free mp3's and there was the band photo. I realized that I knew the guitar player, Michael Hamm, from when I lived in Lawrence in college. Michael played some guitar with "thepoolboys" on our Dying to Know Myself album and played a couple live shows with us as well. Tremendous guitar player! This guy is talented. The Yards are a funk, jazz, jam band which is right down my alley. The download got my approval. I was impressed. They just so happened to be playing a show that Friday night at a bar down on Mass St. I called a couple musician friends to see if they were interested and it was a no go. But, I wanted to go anyway...the itch was flaring up. So I went. It was so refreshing. I sat right near the front of the stage and for over an hour allowed myself to shut out the world around me and get into the groove. Songs lasted ten, sometimes fifteen minutes but you'd never know. The guitar playing was smooth, the groove was heavy, and the organ was dirty. C'mon!! Sure I wish I was the one up there playing the drums but it's not my time. Maybe someday. Check out their stuff at www.theyards.net.

Monday Mornings

It's amazing what basketball shorts and pillows will do for entertainment. The wipeout is pretty funny - it's what you don't see that's funny.

Jedi Brennan

10 Hours before the game...

KU Wins the National Championship!

We finally did it! KU is the best basketball team in the NATION!!! I was alive in '88 when we last won it, but I was nowhere near the kind of KU fan that I am today. I watched the game over at my bro-in-law's house with family and friends, and never before have I been so excited, nervous, anxious, yet overjoyed over a sporting event. I've always said that Jayhawk basketball is the BEST sporting event to watch, and especially attend (everyone needs to experience a game at Allen Fieldhouse) - but this season it has proven completely true!

I was able to attend a few games this year - two of them from the 5th row, halfcourt, on the bench side thanks to Lindsay's Dad's friend. I've posted a few pictures below to show how close we actually were...yet the pictures don't seem to capture how close we really were to the action. Hearing the players talk to the scorers check-in table, hearing Coach Self yell out plays, and seeing just how high these guys jump to get rebounds is stuff you don't get watching it on TV - or even High Def like I did for the championship.

Calvin was lucky enough to go to his first ever game in Allen Fieldhouse on Jan 8th against Loyola (Md) where we trounced them 90-60. It's pretty cool that his first ever game to the Fieldhouse was to see a National Championship team. It will be especially cool when he goes on to play at KU on scholarship - right? We've been out working on his shot every day since the game. Calvin Clements sounds like a KU basketball player, doesn't it?

This town is buzzing with basketball fever - tomorrow we're taking the family to go buy our championship t-shirts!

Rock Chalk Jayhawk - GO KU!!

Backyard Work Day!

Do grasshoppers...??

Iowa/Omaha Vacation Pictures

Hangin' with the Hockney's at the Henry Dorly Zoo in Omaha, NE

paddle boat ride on Lake Okoboji

leading worship at Okoboji

Lins & Calvin outside the chapel at camp

I grabbed a student who played drums to keep the groove while I led a camp favorite "Hey Everybody". He even did a drum solo!

I'm sure what I was saying was deep and insightful...hmmmm.

Some random Taco John's in northwest Iowa

Can you spot the gorillas in this picture?

Bridges Bay Water Park - Spirit Lake, IA

Okoboji Bible Camp

I wanted to share a bit about my experience this summer as the speaker for the senior high week at Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp. It was a great opportunity as it was a bit of a new thing for me. Typically I'm asked to come in a lead worship, or play music but my friend Rachel asked if I'd come a speak to 60 or so Senior High students July 23-27th. I was all for it. I ended up bringing the whole family and we turned it into a family vacation. Yes, our first family vacation as the 5 of us was to Iowa. Hey, you gotta start somewhere! Actually, I love Iowa. Lots of great people there. AND, the camp was on Lake Okoboji which is a beautiful lake. One of five lakes in the world that is purely spring fed (or something like that). All I know is that it was very clear water, and very cold. Which felt great in 100 degree weather!

The week was great. Speaking went well as I shared with the students much of my experience as a follower of Christ, along with some stories about my family, my youth group in Lawrence, and other random things. Our boys loved camp. There's so much to do - and the people there are great. There was even a group from my hometown of Overland Park, KS who were students at my alma mater (are there two t's in that word? i dunno) high school, Blue Valley. I spoke after dinner every night which meant that during the day, we spent time as a family playing around camp, going to the beach, and even got to go to a new indoor waterpark. It was sweet! The boys went on a water slide for the first time!

We had a blast. The week ended with a swing home through Omaha as we got to visit our friends Rob & Julie Hockney and their new baby girl, Morgan. We went to the Omaha Zoo, then came back home that night. It was a great week of vacation and ministry. I thank God for that opportunity to combine the two. Enjoy the pics!

Charlotte's Sweet Noises