There are times when Christians go a bit too far and go from funny to ridiculous. This guy goes straight to ridiculous.
Here's the actual Ice, Ice, Baby video.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
halloween 2008
Allison and I went to a halloween party hosted by a married couple from the church we attend. The theme was, "Famous Couples", and we saw everything from Brad and Anjolina to Ken and Barbie. We were American Gothic (the painting) and carried a very large picture frame with us. Our first halloween as a married couple. Yay.
One of the funnest things about being married is knowing you have that other person for all of life's experiences. Don't get me wrong, there are some great things about being single. I mean, in the past I never had to worry about whether or not I put the toilet seat back down, washing dishes with soap (rinsing works just fine), or putting my clothes back where I got them (the closet). As a married man I'm much cleaner and organized (not saying a lot). Overrated.
Just kidding. I like how marriage has made me a better man and not just because I'm cleaner or more organized. It has done things for me that singleness could never do. I could type about those things, but people have written books about it. Plus, if I tell all the secrets of marriage it would ruin the surprise.
I would suggest it, marriage that is. Whether or not you want to be cleaner or more organized that is up to you.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Our New Niece
My oldest brother, Billy, and his wife, Ashley, just had their second child. This is our newest niece and she was born on Halloween night!!! Crazy, huh? Maybe that is why she looks so funky. JK. But seriously, I've never seen a 'pretty' newborn. They all look like aliens.
Her name is Criss Ashlynn. Here's the story with her name - Billy and his football coach have established a great relationship over the past four years. His coach, Chris, is married, but they've never been able to have children. So, him and Ashley decided they would honor coach by naming their child after him. What an honor.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Football and Family
The pictures are from my oldest brother's game a few weeks ago. It has been a lot of fun for myself and our family to watch him play at ACU. The journey that led him there wasn't an easy one, but nonetheless, he'll tell you he is a better man for it. Not too long ago a writer from ESPN wrote an article about Billy Don on his blogsite. In the past few years there have been a number of articles about his journey to ACU. He is now the conference leader in every major passing category (he plays quarterback) and is the only quarterback in the history of the conference to throw for more than 10,000 yards in his career.
My youngest brother, Wesley, holding his little girl in the picture below, has taken a different route with his life. He is currently the drummer for a Texas Country band named, Mile From Nowhere. A few years back they won a recording contract with Shiner Records and went to Nashville for a week to lay down some tracks (I think that is what musicians say). So far, they've had a lot of success. He's also taught himself (and his little girl) how to play the guitar and does some solo gigs. I'm pretty sure he's the only person in our family that has any musical talent.
Anyone would look at what my brothers have done thus far with their lives and call them successful. One is shattering passing records at ACU hoping to land a spot on an NFL roster and the other is receiving royalty checks from songs he's written. Those are really good things, some really incredible achievements. But, someone will break Billy Don's (just 'Billy' if you aren't family) records and he will no longer be playing football. At the same time something may happen and Wesley (just 'Wes' if you're not family) will no longer be in band or receive royalty checks. When this happens people will talk about how good they [my brothers] used to be. However, there will be some little girls who will talk about how great they stilll are. Right now they know that being a great dad is more important than anything else they'll accomplish in life...and it shows. I'm not saying they are perfect dads (who is?), but you will not find two men who love their children more than how much my brothers love their little girls. But, in order to completely understand how they became like that you must meet our mom.
My mom is a special woman. I'm not saying that because she's my mom (Okay, maybe I am a little partial). But, there was never a time growing up when I felt my mom did not love me or my brothers. I'm sure there were times when we got on her 'last nerve' (still trying to figure out what that is) or when she had to discipline us. I know she isn't Superwoman, but she is extremely close. She never missed a game. I can't ever remember her not being at any of our events. I never realized how fortunate we were to have her so involved in our lives. She was always in the bleachers and sometimes she ran out on the field (I have two stories of her running out on the field during peewee football games to 'rescue' me). What a tragedy when parents do not participate in or watch their child's games/events. You know what made her a great mother? Her selflessness. We were always a priority. I think she wore the same clothes for 18 years just so she could afford things for us. My mom did so much more than teach us how to love, she also taught us how to be tough (weird, huh?). For having to take on the role of not only a mother, but also sometimes a dad, I would say she did a good job.
My brother, Billy, summed it up a while back when having a conversation with my grandma. My grandma made a statement about him loving his daughter, Cydnie. He responded with, "I love her how my mom loved us." What an incredible legacy my mom has already established.
My youngest brother, Wesley, holding his little girl in the picture below, has taken a different route with his life. He is currently the drummer for a Texas Country band named, Mile From Nowhere. A few years back they won a recording contract with Shiner Records and went to Nashville for a week to lay down some tracks (I think that is what musicians say). So far, they've had a lot of success. He's also taught himself (and his little girl) how to play the guitar and does some solo gigs. I'm pretty sure he's the only person in our family that has any musical talent.
Anyone would look at what my brothers have done thus far with their lives and call them successful. One is shattering passing records at ACU hoping to land a spot on an NFL roster and the other is receiving royalty checks from songs he's written. Those are really good things, some really incredible achievements. But, someone will break Billy Don's (just 'Billy' if you aren't family) records and he will no longer be playing football. At the same time something may happen and Wesley (just 'Wes' if you're not family) will no longer be in band or receive royalty checks. When this happens people will talk about how good they [my brothers] used to be. However, there will be some little girls who will talk about how great they stilll are. Right now they know that being a great dad is more important than anything else they'll accomplish in life...and it shows. I'm not saying they are perfect dads (who is?), but you will not find two men who love their children more than how much my brothers love their little girls. But, in order to completely understand how they became like that you must meet our mom.
My mom is a special woman. I'm not saying that because she's my mom (Okay, maybe I am a little partial). But, there was never a time growing up when I felt my mom did not love me or my brothers. I'm sure there were times when we got on her 'last nerve' (still trying to figure out what that is) or when she had to discipline us. I know she isn't Superwoman, but she is extremely close. She never missed a game. I can't ever remember her not being at any of our events. I never realized how fortunate we were to have her so involved in our lives. She was always in the bleachers and sometimes she ran out on the field (I have two stories of her running out on the field during peewee football games to 'rescue' me). What a tragedy when parents do not participate in or watch their child's games/events. You know what made her a great mother? Her selflessness. We were always a priority. I think she wore the same clothes for 18 years just so she could afford things for us. My mom did so much more than teach us how to love, she also taught us how to be tough (weird, huh?). For having to take on the role of not only a mother, but also sometimes a dad, I would say she did a good job.
My brother, Billy, summed it up a while back when having a conversation with my grandma. My grandma made a statement about him loving his daughter, Cydnie. He responded with, "I love her how my mom loved us." What an incredible legacy my mom has already established.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Yellow Chairs
Hey friends... again I apologize for the delay in blog world. Gary and I still haven't had internet hooked up at the house yet so be patient with me and we will soon be more frequent bloggers.
For now ...
Life has been insanely crazy the last month, to give a brief recap:
Our last camp was in PA so we drove from there to TN, then back to VA for a few days where we were not so gladly greeted by the grumpy creeper van. So, Gary goes to start the poor van and we hear a Harley, very non-characteristic of the van we thought. Gary takes a look under the skirt only to find his catalytic converter missing! Now, not only does the van need a tune up and new brakes, but also a converter. Stressed reading this yet? :)
So from there, after many hours of packing and re-thinking the process of when to move, we finally set out Tuesday morning. We stopped to see some friends in Birmingham that night and off again to Paris on Wednesday. We decided we needed a breather and it would be good to see family and friends so we stayed until early Friday morning. The drive wasn't as bad as we were expecting with the van being loaded down and pulling a trailer full of stuff, that by the way barely fit. The van is now at 232,000 miles and still truckin, (or should I say "vanin"?)!
As we drove into Houston, the one town I promised myself I would never move to (as Fievel said, never say never!), my tear ducts began to glisten... sounds more feminine. :) I already missed Virginia, the place where I felt my heart always longed for. The beautiful fall colors blazing in the sun, with the cool air on your skin, vineyards all around you, incredible loving people, and just the coziness of the place. That's the only word I can think to describe it, cozy. If you've never been there I strongly encourage it. Back to the journey... about 50 hours of traveling we arrive at our rent house only to find it is not near ready for us to even move our stuff into, let alone live in. Luckily there is a storage unit next door with a chipper little owner who graciously invited us to church (which we haven't gone to, ill get to that later), and moved us in. Rushing to get to the Tig's (Gary's new boss and true friend) I hopped in the shower and we set off for our first official Young Life volunteer retreat. In case you didn't know Young Life is the organization Gary is working for now in Fort Bend County. The retreat was just what I needed, although I didn't feel that way on our way there, or even the first night, not until worship anyways. God definitely knows our hearts and souls and can give us everything we need, as He has proven so many times... HE IS ALL SUFFICIENT! We met some great friends that weekend, and have still been blessed with more and more. It has been incredible seeing how He totally provides and is completely fulfilling. We are settled in the house now, after 2 weeks with the Vonderhaar's (the Young Life Committee Chairman), and we love it. Another way the Lord blessed us in the Land of Sugar is with a whopping 2 1/2 acres... you country folk back home may not think this is much to be thankful for, but here you walk out your door and two feet over and your in your neighbor's yard. We live in the less populated area where growth is probably just a matter of time. Thanks to mine and Gary's handiwork the garage is clutter free, we have pretty yellow lawn furniture, our tree out front has a swing of it's very own, and I'm almost done tilling up the flower bed. Yard work is tough stuff, especially when you have a lot to uncover. Speaking of uncovering, in my uncompleted efforts of cleaning out the flower beds I have discovered beautiful red flowers growing from bulbs that resemble onions. Anyone have a clue to what this is? As well as sea shells in the bottom of a flower pot, which by the way had soil, but fake flowers...? Another perplexing matter is a chain that seems to be deeply rooted into the same tree with our swing, only its about eight feet up and connected all the way through the tree... again, any ideas why this might be? Gary says it was for a dog, but I am choosing to believe there must be something more mysterious than just a dog chain.
We have church shopped a little, but I began going to a bible study called The Gathering, with a friend (Jayna), at Wilcrest Baptist Church a month ago. I love it and the people are wonder; Gary and I are going there now. The people are very friendly, and the church is a tossed salad of nationalities (over 40 different countries are represented there). I think its a beautiful picture of what heaven will look like, which is what they are going for. The pastor is a college professor at HBU and is awesome! We go to the young marrieds Sunday school class with Jayna and Kris, her husband, and love that too. There will definitely be more to come on this topic.
I have a job, doing what my heart has always wanted to do but my head just recently located, as a Personal Trainer. I work at a fitness industry called LA Fitness. Well I technically work there but haven't really started just yet, I have to wait on my certification to come in. Still waiting...
Well thats it for now, hope you enjoyed and we'll be posting more regularly soon so maybe next time it wont be a novel.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Summer 2008
Here's a quick overview of the summer for you guys.
This is all the girls on our staff at late night.
These are my office girls on our night off. Starbucks and the cafe are the only escape we have on the mountain! I love these girls!
So being the "old married couple" on the team as we are, we go to bed before everyone else. The first week our room was right by the lobby and some of the staff stayed up makin a ruckus :), so I stook my head out the door, gave them the stink eye and returned to bed. Now i've been dubbed "stink eye" Malone. Here is an example.
This is what happens when you let the rec director rummage in the actor bin backstage.
Gary's version of a rec game, that turned into the rec staff family portrait.
Our team will have had 5 complete days off all summer when we're done. We've been downtown Cincinnati, downtown Chattanooga, and we're going to NYC! We went to King's Island in Ohio, and we decided to pass some time riding the bumper cars as the monsoon came.
This summer has been great, and gary and I both have learned so much. We are anticipating our arrival in Sugar Land, TX at the end of August where gary will be working for Young Life. As we get moved in I will be posting so we can keep you updated on our life since we've been MIA all summer. Love you all!
This is all the girls on our staff at late night.
These are my office girls on our night off. Starbucks and the cafe are the only escape we have on the mountain! I love these girls!
So being the "old married couple" on the team as we are, we go to bed before everyone else. The first week our room was right by the lobby and some of the staff stayed up makin a ruckus :), so I stook my head out the door, gave them the stink eye and returned to bed. Now i've been dubbed "stink eye" Malone. Here is an example.
This is what happens when you let the rec director rummage in the actor bin backstage.
Gary's version of a rec game, that turned into the rec staff family portrait.
Our team will have had 5 complete days off all summer when we're done. We've been downtown Cincinnati, downtown Chattanooga, and we're going to NYC! We went to King's Island in Ohio, and we decided to pass some time riding the bumper cars as the monsoon came.
This summer has been great, and gary and I both have learned so much. We are anticipating our arrival in Sugar Land, TX at the end of August where gary will be working for Young Life. As we get moved in I will be posting so we can keep you updated on our life since we've been MIA all summer. Love you all!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
it's a new car!
We got a car. A '03 Toyota Matrix to be precise. Our first big purchase as a married couple and now all we need is a baby to go with it (jk, a dog will be just fine). Unfortunately, Allison had to get rid of her gas lovin' Grand Marquis, but on the bright side she is no longer mistaken for a 70 year old woman (for those who don't know, the Grand Marquis is the preferred vehicle for those over 70).
The married life is good. I'd suggest it, but only if you have a good one to share it with.
married life
We like to cook. Although, we both like to cook, Allison does most of it (that's the woman's job, right?? - jk). But, these burgers were made by me (Gary). They are man burgers, hands down. Since the wedding the quality of my meals has greatly increased. Allison is a terrific cook who keeps me satisfied. Yep, I'm a fortunate man.
We haven't told anyone, but Allison has a hard time controlling her bladder. This picture proves it! JK, not that you needed me to write that. Here's the story: A little over a month ago, while washing dishes I broke the handle off one of her coffee mugs - the one she is holding. Being the handy man I think I am, I put some "super strong" adhesive on it and it seemed to hold. Well, while driving to church a few weeks ago, she put the mug of boiling hot tea up to her mouth for a sip when all of a sudden, !CRACK!. The mug, along with boiling water, went all over her (while she still held the handle). Lesson learned, never use cheap adhesive to glue a handle back to a mug.
Alright, I had an infection in my finger for 2 weeks and it hurt. I finally decided to cut it out. I burned the tip of my pocket knife with a lighter and began digging in my finger. What I found was a splinter. Just thought I would share that.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
snow day
Old Man Winter decided to visit us today and dropped 3-4 inches of snow. Allison and I took advantage of this and did a little playing. Here are some pics and videos of what transpired. 
Sunday, January 13, 2008
our apartment
Carrying Allison through the thresh-hold. Yeah, baby.
After moving in we had a ton of junk...everywhere! This is the before picture
And this is the after picture. She did a wonderful job getting everything looking superb.
After moving in we had a ton of junk...everywhere! This is the before picture
And this is the after picture. She did a wonderful job getting everything looking superb.
wedding
One word: beautiful.
That would describe the setting, bridesmaids, and definitely the bride; however, I'm not sure what to say about the groomsmen and groom.
That would describe the setting, bridesmaids, and definitely the bride; however, I'm not sure what to say about the groomsmen and groom.
honeymoon
The honeymoon couldn't have been more perfect. We were engulfed in solitude with a mystical landscape around us. It was a great five days with cell phones off, no papers due, jobs to be at, or books to read; just me, my new wife, and the joy of starting our lives together. What a special time.
