Me vs. pollen

That's what today felt like. For whatever reason, all of Philadelphia's trees, grass, molds, spores, dust mites, animal dander, and other allergetic forms of Satan invaded my entire sinus system today. It was rough. I had taken an Allegra D in the morning, but it was no match for the devil's demoralizing attacks. Fortunately, my nose was mostly cleared up for the afternoon, which included a 4 mile run with my kids that felt like 8 miles (all in 88 degree weather...it's amazing what a harming effect heat can have on a runner!).

Despite today's pollen ambush, Philly has TONS of beautiful blooming trees all over the city. Here's a picture of a few of us pretending the petals are pink snow:




This past week was filled with runs. I ran 5 miles Mon, Tues, Wed, and Thurs. Then to top it off, my kids and I ran down to the Skuykill River from school and back--my approximate distance: 7-8 miles. For those of you who are counting, that's the longest I've ever ran in my life! The most encouraging part was seeing my students go so far and be excited about their accomplishments. We needed to go pretty far since our 10 miles race (Philly's finest Broad Street Run) is this coming Sunday morning.

My roommate Seth was asked to give his testimony in church Sunday. He did an awesome job of glorifying God and humbly sharing how God has moved in his life. God really has been at work in Seth, and I've felt tremendously blessed to have been privileged to observe so much as his roommate.

Yesterday some Liberti folk and I spent another GORGEOUS Sunday afternoon in a park. We grabbed lunch to go and headed to Liberty's Lands, a nice green playground/park a mile from Fishtown. What a blast! We played a frisbee game called hot box that one of our church's pastors taught us. I even indulged in the ice cream truck's wares for the first time. Not exactly Franklin Fountain quality, but it sure hit the spot.

God has recently brought some really neat people into my life here in Fishtown. John, Kallie, Nate, Melanie, Kristin, Jeremy, Seth, Sarah, and I have had some really fun times together. I feel so comfortable hanging out with each one of them, and I enjoy life so much with them, too!

Here are a few pictures from last week's adventures:

Surprise birthday party!

We had a surprise birthday party for our vice-principal Ms. Hawkins yesterday at St. Ignatius. The entire school was in the gym and surprised her a day early with balloons, an everyone-signed banner, cake, and cupcakes for everybody! She was so surprised that she started crying. (Something I had never seen from her before! She's an intense woman!) It was awesome to see the kids and teachers come together and surprise her like that. Here's a quick tribute I put up for my kids:

Summer of three-peats

This summer will have several trilogies to headline its box office. Here they are, complete with trailers:

Spiderman 3
May 4




Shrek the Third
May 18




Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End
May 25




Oceans Thirteen
June 8




and finally,
Rush Hour 3
August 10




I'd say I'm looking forward to Pirates, Shrek, and Spiderman the most, although all have potential to be stretching their original storyline too far. Pirates, perhaps, has the most potential since it was pretty clear they were doing three movies all along. Now if only it didn't cost $10 a person to see a movie these days!

Talk to the human

Bothered by all the automated support services? So are the people who started the GetHuman project. They have been compiling a database for hundreds of companies and how to reach a human operator. Next time you need to call an 800 number for assistance, check out their database first.

Incredible weather

After church this morning, about 14 of us grabbed lunch at Whole Foods for a picnic. We went to Logan's Circle to a fountain in Center City, and ate on the lawn there. It was gorgeous! How often do you get to play in a fountain after church? Great friends, great food, great weather, great times. I'll have to post some pictures of the event when my friends post them (my camera was at home).

Yesterday Seth, John, and I attacked our backyard for spring cleaning. We pulled a bunch of weeds into trash bags, tilled the soil, and sewed some grass seeds. Let's hope our experiment is better than the rocky soil in Jesus' parable! We'd like to get a fire pit in there soon too...

My last day of my second masters class is today. Unfortunately, I had put off several papers, so I have some work cut out for me today. Sarah has an exam on physical diagnosis tomorrow...which means we're both finally getting to work.

The second race in my life

What a beautiful day in Philadelphia! Sarah and I ran with my students on our first race: the Clean Air 5K. It was the perfect day to race. The kids were awesome...about a third of the team wasn't able to race (mostly due to missing multiple deadlines for their forms), but they cheered each other on. When you don't hear much encouragement AT ALL for so long, then to see them yelling from the sidelines at the team going by, it means that much more. I had to fight back an urge to go as fast as I could. Instead, Sarah and I ran with LaShante and Sharonne. (LaShante ran the WHOLE way, which was a big accomplishment for her) Running in a road race is so much fun! We have a 10 mile race on May 5...but we'll tackle that monster later. For now, it's cool to celebrate.

This was my second race of my life. The first was on New Year's Day in Holland, Michigan. Brian Mulder, Scott Parrott, and I ran it on the spur of the moment. It felt really good to have trained and be prepared for a race. Unfortunately, the next one won't be quite as easy...

Our whole team.

Bunch of our team (can you find me?).

A cute girl I found at the race.
All the free stuff we got at the race. =)

A day full of grace

I've felt blessed today. There has been a number of things happening to me that I have not earned, but were given to me at no cost. Here's a list of freebies I have received just today:

-pair of new Puma running shoes for being a coach in Students Run Philly Style
-beautiful blue and green sweat-wicking running shirt for Students Run
-bright green Students Run t-shirt
-falafel lunch with Stephanie (I beat her in a NCAA March Madness bracket challenge)
-Michigan Chemistry t-shirt
-Michigan "bad call brick" made of foam to chuck at the TV when upset at the refs (kudos to Chris Avery for the previous two birthday gifts)
-SEPTA Day Pass from Sarah (all the public transportation free for the day)
-Blue Man Group ticket from Seth (he got them for doing a photo shoot a few weeks ago)

Continuing the freebies spirit, Sarah and I snagged some free Ben and Jerrys ice cream on Tuesday. We had to wait in line about a half hour as it snaked down the block, but it was certainly worth it after an afternoon run with my students.

Walter and Lydia's big day

It was an honor and a privilege to be part of the bridal party for Walter Nelson and Lydia Riddell's wedding this past weekend. The two of them are beautiful together, and they truly are better together than apart. Sarah and I have shared many memories with them on double dates, relationship conversations, long distance empathy, and our fond times together in Holland, Michigan. The wedding itself was beautiful; fortunately I was able to hold off on my tears until after my reading was over. Lydia sang along with "Lord, you have my heart", as she walked down the aisle. It was clear they wanted their wedding to be a worship service, and I certainly felt grateful to God for how He worked in their relationship! I'm excited for where He's going to take them in the future, too.


Although I didn't know any of the other groomsmen well before the wedding, we had a grand time with each other this past weekend. Rich, Jeff, Prabu, and I were an ecletic blend of guys, but we blended well. At breakfast the day of the wedding, Walter pointed out that of the 8 guys eating breakfast together, each one was from a different state! (Michigan, Maryland, Ohio, New York, Utah, Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia, in case you were wondering). That fact epitomizes to me how diverse the friends of Walter and Lydia are.




Another highlight from the wedding for me was sharing the experience with my beautiful girlfriend, Sarah. Since we were both in the wedding party, we got to be involved in everything together. It was great to share the joy and discuss it all with each other. Life is just more fun with her!



Our weekend in Holland was pretty busy, but not busy enough for us to miss a delicious flank steak birthday dinner for me on our deck! Spring is on the way!!!

Free curly fries today!

Here's the official news:
http://www.rtminc.com/about/news.php?yr=2007&sid=1380

And here's the results to print off:
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/raceresults?raceId=20070414310&seriesId=3


If that isn't exciting enough, tomorrow is free cone day at Ben & Jerry's!
http://www.benjerry.com


What a way to start the week!

Nor'easterly welcome

Upon arriving back in Philadelphia, Sarah and I were greeted by a Nor'easter--apparently a large weather system that travels up the east coast of the US. Our neighbor state New Jersey has declared a state of emergency today, urging people to stay at home because of over 50 major highways that are closed due to flooding. As expected, Philadelphia's public and private schools are open today. We may get 5 inches of rain in 36 hours! This morning the colder temperatures have turned the rain into snowy slush...possibly the perfect weather for tax day.

BUT! Despite the inclimate weather, Sarah and I returned home safely. The wedding was an honor to be a part of, and we both had a delightful time with Hope friends. More to come!

Birthday pictures

Here is the dousing of balloons that fell on me:


And my room was toliet paper heaven! I fell asleep last night feeling like I was in a homemade fort! Quite fun.


I'll try to post ones from Franklin Fountain and bowling later.

Overwhelmed

My birthday has been such a blessing today! Here are a few highlights:

-Dad calling me with each of his seven classes today...each class singing a different version of "happy birthday"
-Toliet paper all over my room
-Birthday streamers throughout my living room
-A cascade of balloons as I walked upstairs to take a shower, and seven people surprising me
-Multiple Facebook birthday wishes--many from old friends
-Church homegroup surprising me at Franklin Fountain
-Anticipation of flying to Michigan WITH SARAH tomorrow (that's right: I'm not flying away from her...I'm flying WITH her)
-A massive birthday hug from 4th graders
-My grandparents singing a lovely duet of "happy birthday" on my voicemail
-Going bowling at Northern Lanes (yet to happen)
-Feeling loved and appreciated by friends

Thank you, God.


why me?

Back in business

It feels good to be back. After a wonderful five days in Florida, Seth drove me home from the airport last night. My flights went well, except for a little scare in Cincinnati where I had 20 minutes to get off the plane--I was in the last row--catch a shuttle, and run across a terminal to get on my flight. I arrived at my gate at 7:52 when my flight left at 7:55...AND THEY LET ME ON IT! I was thrilled. My expectations were low for my baggage to arrive in Philly with that short layover, but low and behold, my bag was the third one off the rack! I'm going to have to write Delta and thank them for their stupendous service.

This morning I picked Sarah up at the airport. It was SO GOOD to see her again! There were times when it felt like the 11 days we were apart were short, and even more when it seemed like the days were long. Either way, she seemed like a new friend again. Unfortunately, she was less fortunate with her baggage, which should be arriving sometime this afternoon.

Google just announced a free 1-800 411 service. You can call Google at 1-800-GOOG411 from any phone and it'll connect you to a voice activated service for local search results. They'll connect you to the business for no additional charge.

I don't have school today, which is a tremendous luxury. This week is going to be a CrAZy one with my birthday on Wednesday, flight to Holland Thursday, and wedding celebrations on Fri/Sat for Walter and Lydia. I'm going to do my best to stay ahead on my masters class assignments to avoid falling behind whilst in Michigan.

Easter sunrise service on the ocean

Happy Easter everyone!!!

This morning was a special Easter morning. Grandpa, Grandma, Alice, and I woke up early and went down the beach to attend a sunrise service. It was my first sunrise service, and it was wonderful! There was a small gathering of believers on the shore as the sun began rising. We joined hands, prayed, read from Matthew 3, then the paster waded into the water and began baptizing five people. For Florida, it was a chilly 56-degree morning, and the ocean wasn't very forgiving. It made their desire for baptism even more impressive. Here's a picture:


I felt like I was part of the song's lyrics, "I went down to the river to pray..."

Here's a short video I took from this morning, too:

Florida adventures

Yesterday my 7-year-old cousin Alice and I did something I had never done before in my life: make Easter Eggs! Grandma hard boiled the eggs for us, then allowed us to dip the eggs into colored cups of vinegar to add color. The process was harder than I had anticipated! I used my hands, which was a mistake from the beginning. My Aunt Sally taught me how to use a crayon to write on the eggs, so I made one with HOPE and another with an M for Michigan (school appropriate colors were used, of course).


Today Alice had a grand adventure: Easter Egg Hunt! Hordes of kids, mostly tourists, traveled to Palm Beach Shores Annual Easter Egg Hunt. Alice was by far the most thorough and faithful egg hunter present. While the official hunt lasted for perhaps 150 seconds, Alice combed up and down the walkways in the park for well over 20 minutes searching for eggs others had missed. Her persistence paid off: she found several discarded eggs as well as one other filled one. I enjoyed watching so many kids and their parents come out from their condos and houses for the hunt.

My t-shirt of choice today is my green Fishtown shirt. While I was standing in line for ice cream at the egg hunt conclusion today, the lady serving asked me if the shirt meant Fishtown Pennsylvania. When I responded positively, she told me she was from Logan, just a bit north of Fishtown! Her demeanor changed from being pleasant to very interested in me and my shirt. The world continues to shrink.

Yesterday Grandpa and I went golfing. (yes, that makes twice in one week for me...a new record!) I think I could get better at golf if I did it more often: at one point yesterday I had 9 consecutive bogeys! For an experienced golfer, that's no big deal, but the consistency I showed really encouraged me.

The weather this morning was perfect for a run, and I took advantage of it! I ran for over 50 minutes, which is the longest I've ever run. I estimate that I ran 6 miles as well, which would also be a record for me. A soft breeze combined with 62 degree sunshine made the scenic jog fly by. No wonder the Florida teams are dominating college sports right now!

Communication with my folks has informed me that Holland has several inches of snow right now, which happens to be a quarter of the way through April. That's not so bad, except when you consider that my family just left 85 degree weather...

Have you heard of the book Freakonomics? Several people in different circles of my life mentioned it recently, so I borrowed it from a friend in homegroup. I finished the book this afternoon after starting it on my flight over here. Steve Levitt, the economist, brought up several controversial arguments regarding analysis of various issues. While I disagree with some of his numerical assertions, I very much enjoyed Levitt's style of writing and candid opinion. He doesn't have an agenda except to make connections and figure out how things work! Since I like learning about that kind of thing, I very much enjoyed the book.

Tomorrow morning we're all rising for a sunrise service on the beach! I'm very excited about this, since I've always heard my grandparents talking about how they see it every year. My flight leaves at 4:15 tomorrow afternoon, so depending on how Alice is feeling, we might catch two services. If all goes according to plan, I'll be back in Philadelphia by 9:40PM.

Do it in your sleeve

My Aunt Sally is in director of cancer monitoring for the state of Minnesota. She told me about this video that the department of health showed all their employees...I think it's great.

Beard and mustache competition

This is one event I'd like to attend, but can be content to see pictures from in the meantime.

World Beard and Mustache Competition.

Life in Florida

I am writing right now from grandpa and grandma Bushhouse's condo in sunny West Palm Beach, Florida. We're on a little island called Singer Island, which seems to be a bubble of ideal weather. Today was 84 degrees and brilliant Sunshine, which made me regret forgetting my sunglasses in Philadelphia. Fortunately, my dad and brother did too, so we all got some new ones together.

Dad, Grandpa, Jordan, and I went golfing this afternoon at Lone Pine Golf Course. I enjoy golfing, and I manage to get in a few games a year. There was no question that we were all rusty, but my dad managed to snag three pars (I got two). Jordan wasn't feeling 100%, so we opted to go for playing in golf carts. I felt so spoiled as we zipped around the course after our balls! The weather was perfect, with a nice breeze to keep us cool between shots.


Jordan opted for the unorthadox barefoot approach since his sandal inserts kept shifting around. It seemed to help his game, and his bunyons. =)

Opening day

Go Cubs! Today was the opening day for Major League Baseball teams across the country. There's nothing like it! Unfortunately, the Cubs lost to the Reds 5-1. Good thing there are 161 games left in the year!

Other news for the Cubs today included the sale of the team to a Chicago billionaire named Zell. He purchased the Tribune Corporation, who owns the Cubs. Zell said that he would sell the team next year, which analysts say should sell for over $600 million. Not bad considering the Tribune Co. bought the Cubs for $20 million in 1981...

I wore my jersey to school and after school (it hung on the back of my chair during classes). I'm making spaghetti and meatballs tonight for Scott, a friend from homegroup. We're going to catch the NCAA championship game tonight--a rematch of the college football final between Florida and Ohio State. My money (and bracket) is picking Florida to win; I might be biased since I'm leaving for Florida in less than 24 hours, too.

April Fools...Google style

One thing I enjoy about Google is that every April Fools Day, they "create" a new service for people. Here's what they did this year as a joke:

Google TiSP
Google Paper

Okay, so it's an April Fools Day joke for the computer geeks out there, but I think it's pretty funny.