Assessed

Myers-Briggs- INFJ
DISC- CS
Strong Interest Inventory- ARS
Temperment- Melancholy Phlegmatic
Love Language- Words of Affirmation, Giving of Gifts

But what does it mean?

I Love LA

Austin

Coming Back Stronger

I watched the Super Bowl last year at my Aunt Linda's house in Dallas.  She is famous for her football parties all season long so I knew I couldn't miss the Big One.  She did not disappoint.  When the game started I was initially rooting for the Colt's.  No real reason, I just sort of picked a team.  Obviously the Saints won, but I found myself really happy for them and the city of New Orleans.  The rest of the country seemed to feel the same way.  The victory was about more than football... there were people in New Orleans who desperately needed something to celebrate after dealing with the rebuilding of their city in the aftermath of Katrina.

As the football season began this year, I thought I would read Drew Brees' book Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity.  It was a great look inside the long road to the celebration in February.  

Drew was the starting quarterback at Westlake High School in Austin and was leading the team to 5A state championships about the time I was going into high school.  So everyone knew who he was... he was a big deal.  His uncle, Marty Akins, was also the quarterback for the Texas Longhorns in the days of Earl Campbell and the game against Alabama in the Cotton Bowl.  Marty has been a family friend of ours for many years.  I also felt a special connection to this story because I was able to witness the damage of hurricanes Katrina and Rita right after they happened... as well as spend some time in the Astrodome when it served as the home to thousands of refugees from New Orleans, or "guests" as we called them.

Here's one of my pictures from the Astrodome

The book really makes it clear that facing adversity and challenges and times that may seem like setbacks or devastating loss are usually opportunities for growth and greater victories ahead.  Sometimes when things seem the most hopeless we are on the edge of breakthrough we never thought possible.  But we have to make a choice to trust in God, accept the challenge, move forward, and like Drew, Come back Stronger.  His challenges included his family being torn apart, devastating injuries that could have ended his career, and the suicide of his mother.  His response to these challenges is inspirational.

I will remain loyal to the Cowboys when it comes to rooting for a team in the NFL, but I am a Drew Brees fan.

You Think You're Fancy?

That's what I was asked as I presented my electronic boarding pass on my iphone at the TSA checkpoint in the Austin airport.  Yes.  I am fancy.

How's Your Love Life?

Here's a little promo video I was in for our next series at church.  Come check it out!


How's Your Love Life Promo from Oasis Church on Vimeo.

Blisties!

Sam and Caroline

The Week

Here's the iphone pics for the week...  You'll notice one of what appears to be a young boy looking over the balcony of a modern looking house.  That is a statue.  He looked real and I thought it was such a bizarre design choice I had to take a picture.  There are also a few taken around the wedding of a couple of our best friends.  It was a beautiful day.  Ginny watched it all standing on hot pink 5 inch heels.

In the Desert

And now... random iphone photos from this week...

The Fam

I got to see my family from Dallas tonight.  So good.  I needed it.  Here I am with my awesome cousins-

This week in iphone pics...

Haircut

Ginny cut my hair!!!!  Here's the before and after:

And here's some random iphotos from the week:

Sweep the Leg

I recently saw the Karate Kid. I have to be honest... I was rooting for that kid with the mohawk at the end. I hope they do a spinoff about him.

Dinner Party

We got to spend this Independence Day with some of our favorite folks...

Yes... we are crazy

Cone of Shame

Should I feel bad about loving this?...

What is it about a dog with a cone on his head?

Here are some random iphone pics from this week...

Personal Space

Gidget doesn't believe in it...

Set in Stone

I came across this sidewalk inscription today and it got me thinking about the author. 

It is truly a magical moment full of opportunity and possibility when you come across a wet slab of concrete.  A blank canvas beckoning you to leave your mark for the world to see for generations to come.  You may not have much time.  You need to put something meaningful and thought provoking, a comment on society perhaps. 

Which brings me to the author of this piece.  He clearly felt it was important to leave his name, possibly hoping one day to return and show his grandchildren.  But it was not enough...  more impact was needed.  "was here" is a possibilty... no, too cliche...  And then it hit him like a warm summer breeze.  He thought "my mark, my stamp on this ground for all to behold... I've got it!"  His eyes darted around for a tool to complete his delicious task.  A twig... placed by fate for the benefit of mankind.  He grabbed the implement and hastily wrote in script his name "Daniel".  Necessary, but overshadowed by the glorious work yet to be done.  Then he set about his real task... carving deep into the cement... his hands trembling with excitment as he makes his mark... FART.  Brilliant!!!!

If only I could meet this brave soul to offer my congratulations and sincere thanks for his contribution to the landscape of this city.

Curb Your Wheels, Sucka!

When I first saw this sign three years ago I thought it was just a big scam set up by the city of LA so they could make a buck from inattentive parkers.  I soon learned that "violators will be cited" is for realsies.  No foolin'.   They should add "immediately" to the sign.  They get you real quick.

A couple years later I was walking back to my car that was parked in a garage and to my surprise I saw that it had rolled from out of it's spot into the driving lane within the garage.  No one could get by in either direction.  The parking attendant had put some blocks behind my back wheels to keep it from hitting the car parked behind me.  I thought "Well that's unusual".  The car was in park. As a precautionary measure I decided to apply my parking brake every time I parked.

A couple of weeks later the same thing happened in a different garage... with the parking brake applied.  

Long story short, I now have respect for this sign and this law because if I ever park even on the slightest incline I have to have a curb to turn my wheel against or I will be chasing my car down the street.  If that ever happens, I assure you that there will be pictures/video posted here.

Holy Guacamole

Homemade Quesadillas tonight- smoked cheese, grilled chicken, crispy tortillas, lemonade, and my baby's from scratch guacamole.

Godchicks 2010

This weekend our church put on it's annual women's conference called Godchicks. It may sound strange- but it's my favorite thing all year. You may be saying "but Matt- you're a guy, why are you going to a women's conference?" There are several reasons- but the men come here to serve the women and show them how much they are valued. Amazing things happen at Godchicks. It is a place of great beginnings. Here is a peek behind the scenes at some of the people that I am privileged to call my friends and share my life with-

The Shack

I just finished reading The Shack by William Young.  I wish I could recommend this book, because there are parts of it that I love... but there are also things about it that are not good at all.  Any thoughts from anyone else who read it?  I'll bet you've got some strong feelings...

Apple Cider Vinegar

Sometimes I get stomach aches. I've tried several things with varying degrees of success. Sometimes Aloe Juice works but only sometimes. Medication almost never works. Recently I got one of these aches after I flew on an airplane. It would not go away... it stayed with me until the next day. Until... I tried some Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with water. My pain went away almost instantly. I've only tried it once, but I plan on trying it again. The only thing is, it doesn't taste so good...

Roots

Here's a video from my recent trip to Arkansas. I've got a little hillbilly in me...

One Sick Puppy

Gidget has been sick the last couple of days.  I'll spare the details.  I gave her some medicine tonight, here's what the box says:

"If medication is to be dispensed, client can be advised that dogs usually find this wormer very palatable and will lick the dose from the bowl willingly."

This was not my experience- Gidget did not find the wormer palatable...  Had to squirt it down her throat with a syringe.

The Dentist

I went to the dentist today.  Everything checked out.  I really like my dentist and the staff.  I look forward to going there just about as much as you can look forward to going to the dentist.  Good people can make something unpleasant not seem so bad.

French Crepe Company

This morning we took a friend to the French Crepe Company at the Farmer's Market at the Grove. We got the Strawberry and Nutella...

finish it off...

Birthday

We went to a birthday for 3 super cool girls tonight. A hint for a great birthday party: Games. I got to play baseball and some 'Round the World Ping Pong...

Another thing to consider: Burger/Bun mismatches. Had to double up on the meat.

Finally!

It's about time- I've been waiting for Ginny to start receiving some senior citizen discounts.  And 80% off of Sunset Magazine!  Does it get any better?

PS- You may be wondering why information is blacked out on the photo.  It's because I don't know who is reading this and if you're creepy or not.  You may be some kind of senior citizen stalker.  And I am not buying any more robot insurance!

Captivating

In 2002 I read a great book called Wild at Heart by John Eldredge.  It changed the way I looked at myself and brought a lot of clarity to my life.  The book is about men- who they were designed to be and why they are the way they are.  It is a great read for any man and also for any woman who wants to understand men.  Ginny read it and it did wonders for our relationship.

After that success, we recently decided to read Captivating.  This book is the women's equivalent of Wild at Heart.  It was written by John and his wife Stasi.  I knew what a treasure women were before we read this book, but John and Stasi translated the complex and mysterious ways of women into a language that I could understand.  I have even more respect for the amazing women in my life, and it was cool to take that journey with Ginny.

Voting

So... if you know me, you know that voting is very important to me.  Today is the primary in California, so naturally I began doing research weeks ago and was very excited to get to the polls when they opened at 7 AM so I could proudly display my "I Voted" sticker all day long.

We arrived at 7 AM, along with the poll worker (that's right "the" as in "only one").  He began setting up the booths and trying to find the roster and punchers and all the materials while we read the learning materials on the walls of the elementary school classroom.  It's remarkable any of those kids learn to read.  He decides to start letting us vote without being set up, so he looks for us on the roster- which took way longer than it should have.  Then he gives us the wrong party ballot with no poker.  Same story with the other voters who had arrived.  While we are voting on a school desk (booths with privacy shields had not been set up), he is trying to put everything together.  When we finish we hand him our completed ballots and he tosses it on a table because the ballot box hasn't been set up.  Then he says "trust me, it will get in the right place".  I'm thinking, "Yeah, this guy's earned my trust, he seems responsible".  I hope he finally got things together and all the completed ballots wound up in the right place.  I didn't get to wear a sticker because he couldn't find them- so I made my own.  Now that I think about it- was that guy a real poll worker?