Krista and I over 4th of July weekend in Hayward Wisconsin 

Political unrest

Since the last election cycle, we have had three yard signs burned(melted in the case of plastic) and one stolen. Last year during the Senatorial election here in Minnesota, we had two Norm Coleman signs melted at night, both times while we were home sleeping. One month ago we had a sign for the Luis Palau Twin Cities Festival burned. Just a few days ago, our Bush/Cheney '04 sign was taken from our yard, leaving just the wire frame.

At first I thought it was a local kid or group of kids just making mischief. At this point I do believe it is politically motivated since the Paul Wellstone signs last time and the Kerry/Edwards signs this time have been left alone. I do wish to make it clear that I am not blaming Democrats in general.

It seems there must be one person out there that is not satisfied with supporting his/her own candidate, but feels it neccesary to try to take away my right to support the candidate of my choice. This is sad. This is a person who surely does not hold to the same democratic ideals that I do.

Lets keep it civil people.

the new oak floor in the addition 

Contractor wraps up

Today I paid up the final bill with our contractor for our addition and remodel job. There is still work to be done but now it falls on my shoulders. I have made progress on window staining and sealing, but much more of that to come. Soon I need to get outside and put on gutters and downspouts.

A big thank-you goes to Plumbline Builders, our contractor, and to Benny Martinez, the project coordinator. Plumbline did a great job on the project and finished on time as well. Everything looks good and they were quick to respond to our concerns in a few areas. Check them out at www.plbonline.com.

The kids start school on Monday and they both seem excited about it. Abby is in the 5th grade and Gabe is in 2nd. I hope that having them in school helps me to make some good progress on the things I have to do around the house. I will be glad to have them at school as I know they both like it and since we have a great school, I know they will learn.

A few days to thirteen years

On August 23, 2004 I will have been married to Krista Lee for 13 years. I wanted to be sure to write about it because she is so important to me. I need to make it clear to anyone that reads this that I would marry her again and love her more today than I did then.

Krista is my only love. I know that as a typical guy, I don't communicate my love for her often enough, missing opportunities to say "I love you". I know she is the main reader of this blog so I can tell her here. I love you Krista.

Today I was rehanging some pictures on the wall in our bedroom after the repainting. Two of the pictures are the ones taken of our kids at the hospital after their births, Abby with her fingers sticking out from being prodded for the photo, and Gabe with his lips puckered like he is ready to kiss you. Those photos came after some scary moments, with last minute ceasarians both times. As I think back on those moments today, I remember being scared about the potential for my children not being well, but also remember thinking about the connection and bond that my wife had already developed with these kids, and the kind of pain she would experience if something tragic happened. Thanks to God for two healthy kids, and not having to face that reality. As I hung the photos back on the wall today, I thank God that my wife still has that bond with each of our kids. They still love to cuddle with her, and look to her for the comfort that only Moms can provide. I can see that and I am the at-home parent around here.

One of the other things I was hanging back up was the caricature drawing of Krista and I that we had done on our first wedding anniversary at the Mall of America. This is a great memory of a fun day. One other thing I hung up is a painting of a golf hole at The Pines in northern Minnesota. We have gone to this place for many anniversary golf trips and this photo brings lots of good memories too.

So our walls are full of good sappy memories again, telling a bit of the story of me and my woman, now 13 years and going strong.

Festival weekend

This past weekend was the time for the Luis Palau Festival at our state capital grounds. On Saturday there were about 80,000 people that came at some point during the day and the estimate for Sunday was over 100,000. This was a major event including music, sports games for kids, children's entertainment and craft areas, and a BMX/skate park with demonstrations from pro skaters. All of this was done to bring people together to tell them about the Good News of Jesus. The event went very well thanks to the efforts and prayers of many hundreds of churches in Minnesota. My family went on Saturday evening for the music and for the preaching of Luis Palau, an international evangelist.

On the home front our contractor is just about ready to wrap up their part on our home project. We are having a pro install the wood floor rather than doing that ourselves, and he will be here the week of the 16th. I have started the staining and sealing of windows and have many to go. That along with the repainting of the entire main floor of the house will take a bit to get done.

One child away

Yesterday I drove one of our church busses to camp, dropping off about 100 kids including my 10 year old daughter. She has been to this camp three times before, and loves to go. It is a four night, five day camp at Lake Beauty Bible Camp. You can see their website at lbbc.com. She gets to learn about God, enjoy time with friends, as well as all the other camp stuff like swimming and games and horseback riding.

It is strange to have just Gabe home today. He asked where his sister was this morning before he remembered she went to camp. He stated that that was good because now he could watch his shows without interference from his sister and what she wants to watch.

On Thursday I will drive back to camp to pick up the group.