New home for Thirsty Thursday

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Same blog / New place

To all of my dedicated readers and those who stumbled upon, I am switching my blog over to wordpress. I am kinda hesitant because I have grown comfortable with blogger, but I have been told over and over wordpress is better. And I am eventually wanting to move to a externally hosted URL which would be supported by wordpress. And my address is alittle easier to rattle off mikefast.wordpress.com. So without further adieu Wide World of Mike @ wordpress.

See you there!

My return from vacation

I was on vacation for about 7 days and then this is what I came back to in my office. Let me tell you once more that I work in a office that consists of all women. Here are the details.









What a nice robe! It was actually really comfy.

If you think about it

I am on my way to Idaho with a couple friends. We are driving so if
you think about it throw up a little prayer. Currently we are driving
through Lodi so only about 9 more hours to go.
I will try to keep you updated on my twitter.

Mike

--
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose
that prevails."
--Proverbs 19:21

Go Vote

Vote for your Fresno State Diamond Dogs at ESPN.com

The Bulldogs are nominated for an ESPY award in the category of BEST UPSET. They need your vote.

GO DOGS!

Mike: Now and Then

This is me Now


This is me then

If I were a GM

If you follow baseball at all you will undoubtedly know that the Tampa Bay Rays (formally Devil Rays) are leading possibly the toughest division in the majors; AL East. Not really sure if this is a product of the organization finally putting together the right talent or just ditching the loosing culture. Either way you look at it, the Rays are a very young ball club. That got me thinking; what if I was the San Francisco Giants GM?

First, I would hit myself over and over for putting up $126 million over 7 years for Barry Zito. Next, I would realize that the future of the team is the young talent. Take a look across the bay and across the country to see that you can win with a team's average age that is under 30.

However, I would not do one particular thing. Use the young pitching of Cain, Lincecum, Sanchez etc as trade bait. We already gave Minnesota some good talent years back in Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano to get AJ Pierzynski who stayed for 1 year. Just build around what's in place and continue to build around the young guns. If it can work in Tampa it can work in SF.

Hey! Look on the bright side, we are not in last!

A Case of the Mundys

Last week I posted about a few blogs I have followed that I enjoy. "A Case of the Mundys" was one of them. I thought this plug in my blog was enough....apparently not. Luke gave me the courtesy "thanks" in the comments then later that night I read this comment.

Luke Mundy said...

Give me some link love in your blogroll! (That was shameless, I know...)

I was offended! OK, not really. I kinda chuckled and then realized that in fact Luke was not on my blogroll. So here is my public announcement that you can now find "A Case of the Mundys" on my blogroll!

Any others want some "link love" hit me up and I will add you.


Mike

Christians: Really?

I have always had my reservations when it comes to "Christian" branded products/services. In college I began thinking what the world would look like if Christians would just run businesses etc as Christians. Not needing to plaster the fact that it is a "Christian Business". I think people from the outside looking in would respect and be drawn to someone who worked to the standard that Christ calls us to work without feeling the need to have "Christian" plastered all over the ads.
You might be thinking, where the heck is Mike going with this? Just hang with me; here is what sparked that rant.

On my drive to work this morning I was listening to my lovely sports radio; The Dan Patrick Show. He mentioned a story about Tyson Gay, who ran a wind-aided 9.68 at the Olympic trials this weekend. That would have been a world record, but since the wind helped it does not count.
OK, here is the meat I was trying to get to. The headline for this story on One News Now, a Christian news site, read: "Homosexual runs wind-aided 9.68 seconds to make Olympics." I could hardly believe that this actually could happen. A sports blog that wrote about this story had an explanation to how it happened. I don't think it is a statement from site, but explains the process.

Apparently, they have set a filter to change many instances of “gay” to “homosexual,” which is how Tyson Gay, who set a record in the 100-meter dash this weekend, changed his name. This occurs on searches and on their home page, but the actual AP story linked from the site does use “Tyson Gay.” Headline writers everywhere are delighted the name change is only virtual. –Jim Buzinski

From my research on this story this morning, it seems only the headline links to this story had the name change and not the articles. Even more, don't you think it is the responsibility of the editors of this site to check content being posted after it has gone through its filter?

I am really interested in what you think of this story and also my thoughts on it.

Can't wait to hear what you think.

Mike

Some of My Favs

I've had this blog for about 1.5 years now. Only in the last 6 months have I really began to consistently blog. This change has come, in part, due to the gentle prodding of friends and family. I love reading their blogs, but I feel I am not doing my part if I just reap the benefits. I feel the need to contribute some content (even thought its not much) and not just be a comment blogger. In light of that, here are a couple blogs that have encouraged me, made me laugh or made me think.

Jesus is Extravagant: Owner: Gene Pensiero
-I met Gene my freshman year of college at Fresno Pacific; we were roommates. Gene came from CVC and as most of you know I from Immanuel. As you might also know, those two schools had a healthy rivalry and I was interested to meet this CVC kid. Turns out Gene was pretty cool and we laughed about most of the stupid stuff we did in high school.
Over the years I have grown to admire the Godly man Gene is. His blogs reflect the passion he has for God, the Church and his family. I have loved his most recent series titled "Working a Vineyard". If your not a regular to his site you really need to check it out. I also really enjoy the "Positive Post Tuesdays". Another must see while you're there is Gene's music page.


Andrewandlisa.org: Owner: Andrew Shinn Contributors: Lisa and Liam Shinn
-This is partly going to be a 'shout out' that is trying to get more content out of Andrew. He is my brother-in-law and I enjoy reading whats going on in the Shinn household. Andrew is very intelligent and when he blogs it is a good read. But I also love the picture updates of my nephew Liam. It is a great way to bridge the gap from Fresno - Reedley and I know family up in Lodi love the updates as well.
p.s. He is also a world renown...no maybe not...how about United States renown.....no...not yet....OK I will just say it. He is an awesome professional photographer. He does weddings, senior pics and many other creative sessions. You can check shinnphoto.com or his flickr photo stream.


Spanish Speaker in the Making: Owners: Jake and Renee Harder
-Jake and Renee are family who have moved to Guadalajara, Mexico to study the Spanish language. Jake is my cousin and Renee is, you guessed it, his wife. In this blog you will read about 2 people that have agreed to allow God to take them where he wants. There are in Guadalajara for a set but not in stone amount of time and plan to use this experience to minister to people in the Spanish language, both now and in the future. They have a little girl, Gracie, who they are teaching English and Spanish. Most of all it is fun to read about them living in a different culture and the struggles/victories they come across.

Last but certainly not least,

A Case of the Mundys: Owner: Luke Mundy
-Interestingly enough, I have never met Luke in person, but I went to elementary/jr high with his wife, Sarah. I feel like I have known Luke for years after a few months of blogs and following his twitter feed. I was introduced to Luke through Gene's blog and have been a faithful subscriber ever since. And lets be honest here, that is one clever use of a last name!! I still don't really know what Luke does for a profession, although I know he did start a new job recently. What I do know is that Luke works with the youth at River Valley Church in Clovis. I continue to follow Luke's blogs because I can see his passion for ministry and I love reading things from people with passion. I like reading his posts about that ministry also because jr/senior high school students are a fun bunch of students that make for great stories. Luke also has a "Positive Post Tuesday" series that is a good read each and every Tuesday.


To all other bloggers that read Wide World of Mike; you are greatly appreciated and I look forward to more amazing content!


Here's to a great weekend!

Mike

Thirsty Thursday: Solitude

I must start today with a quick confessions. I have really enjoyed the way that my blog has given me another avenue to write down my thoughts on life. I have a journal that I try to write in everyday, but the blog has a different feel to it. It is a place where I can write about my victories or my defeats as I keep walking with Jesus. It is public so everyone has the opportunity to read it. I appreciate the words of encouragement my friends give me through this form of communication. And I love reading about whats going on in their lives as they blog away.

A while back I was in a small group with some guys at FPU. Dave Obwald was the point man with Bryan Feil and myself as his back-up. It was really neat to get to know some of the guys that were students at FPU since I have been out for a couple years. We used the study guide for 'Celebration of Disciple' by Richard Foster as a launching pad for our discussion. I want to share a few bits of that about the disciple of SOLITUDE.

"The less we are mesmerized by human voices, the more we are able to hear the divine Voice. The less we are bound by other's expectations, the more we are open to God's expectation"

"In time, however, we found that solitude did not give us power to win the rat race; on the contrary, it taught us to ignore the struggle altogether."

"God takes this 'useless' Discipline, this 'wasted time,' to make us His Friend"

Enjoy your solitude today!

p.s. The red and blue text is my simple way of saying BULLDOGS ARE NATIONAL CHAMPS!

Comedy Post

Here are a few comics that made me chuckle today. Enjoy!



How Guitar Hero/Rock Band are influencing music



This a "Wikipedian Protest"

Life Group

I am excited about this evening. Do you know why? It is because tonight is the start of a life group I am joining at The Well. It is a study through the book of Romans. I am super excited because I have done this study before and it never gets old. I am also excited to be in a life group again. During the spring I was not able to be in a life group because of my schedule with baseball and work. But, you gotta love spending time in the word with other men.

God Bless

Mike

Expensive Monday

Yesterday, Monday, marked a wonderful day. It was the day that Fresno Pacific started the summer 4 day work schedule. Yes you heard that right. Fresno Pacific being a forerunner in something. So Monday was my scheduled day off for the next 8 weeks and this is how it was spent. Those of you following me closely on twitter have a heads up, but for the rest of you; enjoy my ramblings.

My day started with me getting up at 9am. Man did that ever feel good after a long weekend camping. I made myself a tri-tip and colby jack omelet for breakfast. I then proceeded to head to my local DMV office to apply for my motorcycle permit. This was exciting! Somehow, the DMV is a gathering place for the redneck, oakies and all other interesting people of every race, color and background. I waited for the automated lady to call my number and I went up to the counter. There I paid my fees to add the M class to my license. And then once again I waited in another line to get my picture taken and receive the tests I needed for the permit. (Side note: I did not think I would be taking a picture so I rolled out of bed and put on a hat. My new license picture I waited 10 years to take is going to be hideous!) As a I finished taking the tests I waited in the correction line. The girl in front of me that was taking the class C test for the first time missed 20 out of 36 questions and could not pass the vision test. To my surprise I passed the motorcycle test with flying colors; missed 2 of 20. I also had to take a 20 question class C test and am happy to say I passed with 100%. Long story short, I now have my motorcycle permit and the picture above is what I am thinking about buying!

I know you are thinking to yourself right now...how can this day get any better. Well as I was driving to Reedley, with the intention of getting my car fixed, it decided to not make it. My car overheated and so I pulled over along highway 41. Oddly enough, when I was sitting on the side of the highway a government convoy with police escorts drove by. I believe it was Senator John McCain. So I waited there for a little over an hour for the tow truck to arrive and take me to Reedley. Ended up I had a cracked radiator. With towing my car just cost me about $490 yesterday.

To finish the day off I watched the Fresno State baseball game. As you all know, they blew a 3 run 8th inning lead in game 1 of the college world series. Hopefully they can pull it together and come out swinging again today!

Hope you enjoyed my update. Until another time.

Mike

Thirsty Thursday: Convenience or Obedience

Today I took a look back through my journal and read some entries that really shows where I have been the last few months. I will be the first to tell you that there are many gaps in my journal, but I was really challenged by one in particular this morning. Here you go.

Every choice we make has 2 options. You can choose convenience or obedience. With that in mind I share with you my journal.
I know what it feels like to truly see Jesus. He is all around in every little moment that passes. He is constantly revealing himself to me if I am willing to seek him. It is such a wonderful mindset to 'see' the invisible God everyday. Life takes on a whole new meaning and outlook when I am constantly seeking the face of God. God becomes more then the thing I pray to when I am in need. Rather, God is a presence with me every step of the way.
God is too powerful to simply be a parachute when I am falling. God is more like a glider that will go up when I am up and float down with me when I am down. God must be present in all situations for himself to be revealed. It can't be just when it is convenient to me. What it all boils down to is this. Am I choosing convenience or obedience?

I would like to end with the lyrics to a song that has been on my heart.

Jesus, be the center
Be my source, be my light
Jesus

Jesus, be the center
Be my hope, be my song
Jesus

Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus

Jesus, be my vision
Be my path, be my guide
Jesus

Weekend Reflection

I just wanted to tell whole blogging world about my weekend. As you know it was Father's Day weekend and I hope all of you had the chance to spend some quality time with your Dads.
On Saturday, it has been a family tradition to go up to Pinehurst where my Aunt's parents have a cabin and celebrate over ribs and BB guns. It is a unique thing because it brings together sometimes 3 different sets of families. My mom and dad's sides, and then my aunt's side that own the cabin. This year we had ages represented from 6 weeks to 65+. So to say the least there is a lot of experience to draw from.

As I mentioned before we dine on ribs! I don't have ribs very often and these ones are just so good. The meal is definitely a quality part of the day. So we sat around shooting the wind for a while, then decided we would go on a nice hike. We walked through some small meadow that was just buzzing with thousands of lady bugs. I really don't mind lady bugs, but they were all over the place. Later on during the day we went up behind the cabin where they have a horse shoe pit. Let me tell you, playing a little horse shoes is some great relaxing fun!

Sunday came around and I was able to have family over at my house for a bbq. This is one thing that is really fun about my extended family. We always jump at the chance to get together and break bread. We bbq'd sirloin burgers from Costco and went swimming. Just a grand ole time with the family.

Thats my Fathers Day recap for you all. Hope you have a great week!

Mike

Thirsty Thursday: The water is right there

I know it is not Thursday, but here are my 2 cents. This is not going to be a encouragement through direct scripture, but just something I have been processing.
I have been trying to be healthier with what I eat/drink. I have been drinking a ton of water and it has some unique affects. The days that I don't drink at least 100 ounces of water I can feel it in my body. It is a feeling that something is missing and my body is trying to make up for it on its own. This is many times the catch 22 I find myself falling into with my "thirst" for Christ. God gave us his word for a purpose; to quench our thirst. Yet I try to quench it myself too many times. It is something that is a constant frustration because the answer is so simple and clear cut. Yet, I still have a way of not seeking God for my thirst.
There is a reason that drinking water rather then soda is better for you. It is because water is a natural source to quench your thirst and cleanse your body. Without the water in your system you will still function, but your body has to work so much harder to process the soda into something it can use.

All this to say that God's word is the living water that will naturally cleanse us. We need to be in the word every day and continue to drink it up. This will allow our spiritual bodies to perform at a highly efficient level instead of straining for each step.

I hope that you can draw some encouragement!

Drink it up.

Mike

Hard to believe

Yesterday Fresno Pacific announced a new 'optional' summer work schedule. It goes as follows. We will work 4 - 9 hour days which will mean we are in the office 36 hours a week. The university will then comp the additional 4 hours. We then have to choose whether we want Monday or Friday off. I am super excited and am proud that the university actually looked at this.

Peace out

Mike

Coming Home

What a trip it has been so far. We have toured the historic streets of Boston and learned many new things at the conference. But I guess all good things must come to an end right? Funny thing just happened while I was typing this message. A businessman sitting behind me was talking on the phone about his flight. It just happened to be going to Fresno; to him that was not a good thing! In his words, ''I am flying to Fresno and that sucks.'' Can't say I can blame him.

Well we had a wonderful time last night at a banquet at the Crane Family Estate. We arrived to a wonderful assortment of hour'dors (sorry don't have spell check on m phone) and drinks in the Italian Garden. After a welcome and awards ceremony in the garden we moved up to the Great House where we sat down to dinner outside overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The food was very tasty; I had the butternut squash ravioli in a alfredo sauce. We then took some group pictures up at the Great House with the bay and castle in the background. In the pictures I posted last night you saw the rolling hills; we waked to the end that opened up to a beautiful landscape that looked into the nearby towns boat port and the Atlantic. It was well worth the walk! (pictures coming soon)

We were so happy the weather cooperated during our time here. However, when we woke up this morning it was raining. I guess it is just good timing! We are excited to be coming home and gain 3 hours. See you all soon.

MSHS

More Mansion Fun!

Can't you just see this being the mansion that was in Great Gatsby!

There are rolling hills going away from the mansion that roll right into the Atlantic Ocean.

Wow!!

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

What a view

This is the view of the atlantic from the mansion. AMAZING!!

Crane Family Mansion

This is the estate (castle) that we are having the NACCAP banquet. This picture doesn't do justice, but gives you an idea.

Boston Day 3: In Sam's words

So today I’ve decided to put my (little overdramatic) spin on the days activities. So read it with my enthusiastic tone of voice and insert my sarcasm and pessimism as you will.

Sunday night we all decided that we would skip Monday’s breakfast, as we were still having difficulty with the west coast to east coast time change. So we began the NACCAP conferences with a little chapel sesh in Gordon’s new Science Building. (I have bittersweet feelings about attending these NACCAP conferences on different campuses. I am SO jealous of their location, buildings, amenities, and weather) We then had about an hour break as Dunkin’ Donuts sponsored a breakfast break. Since we’ve been here I’ve seen almost 2000 (my overdramatic-ness) Dunkin Donut places. It’s insane.
We all were still in the “west coast time” and decided to skip out on this and head back to the room for more computer time (which has taken up a lot of our free time since the conference started). The sessions then began for the day which really made us do a lot of self evaluation, as far as what FPU is doing and how we can improve on it. I know my first session has been my favorite. The guy that was presenting is a consultant for college campus tours. He shared a lot of really great information on the effectiveness of campus tours and really gave some really great (and cheap!) advice. I’m looking forward to sharing this information with everyone at the office.

Lunch came and went. The Gordon cafeteria reminds me of the Old FPU caf with the rows of chairs and tables backing into one another. We tried to avoid the high traffic areas and sat on the outside. The food selection was BARE and the set up and flow of the food getting areas was AWFUL. I think I cut off a few APU-ers (which we think are DB’s) and chatted my way in front of the CBU-ers. Whatevs. We all ate and were back in our rooms on our computers, sitting in silence, and laughing to ourselves.

Another afternoon of sessions were ahead, that were somewhat interesting nonetheless. By the end of the day we were pooped out. We had decided to not participate in the NACCAP games because…I guess we just didn’t want to. I haven’t been feeling all that great, Silvia isn’t one for games, Mike and Heidi were fine with just hanging. We decided to head on down to the nearest Target (a little farther away than we are used to in Fresno) to pick up a few essentials for the remainder of our stay. Because the weather hasn’t been as “chilly” as had been the forecast, Heidi was in need of a short sleeved shirt that would provide her much needed heat relief. She was successful in her endeavor and found a cute top, right in her budget J. Silvia and I were looking for chapped lip/cold sore relief and also were successful. I’m not sure what Mike was looking for, but he did make a purchase at the counter. Whatevs. ON THE TRIP, somehow we found out that Silvia only owns 1 pair of flip flops. WHAT THE HECK. How does she live in California and only own 1 pair of flip flops?!? If there weren’t “standards” in our office, I would only wear them. She was going to purchase them at this particular Target, but forgot. I guess Silvia will just have to wait until we get back. I’m still amazed.

We headed back Gordon College for Club NACCAP, which is a night of entertainment (usually an event to make fun of all of the colleges in attendance). This year, they had an awards show theme, where they researched YouTube videos from all of the schools and awarded them based on different categories. There were some really interesting videos, but one that I couldn’t stop laughing about was one provided by Houghton College’s students. They did a spoof on Homestar Runner’s Teen Girl Squad. You can play on the Homestar Runner website here. If you have extra time, watch this video. It is a really, well thought out video, that describes the “dating life” on a Christian College campus. I know I appreciated it and since you’re reading this blog and showing some interest in our thoughts, you will too! I’m actually still laughing about it…..

After Club NACCAP, Mike and I hung around and chatted with our LeTourneau friend, Karl and made a new friend from Dordt. It’s really cool to connect with people who love the same things about their job, have the same frustrations, and just have a common bond. I know we are all having a great time learning and hanging out with everyone here and can’t wait to get back to share what we’ve learned.

Right now, we are headed to downtown Boston to have lunch and get some goodies for all the peeps back in the office. Right this second, we’ve missed the turn for the freeway and are searching for downtown Boston and if you know where it is, let me know. This trip has had more adventure and good luck than I’ve ever experienced. I guess it’s just one of those things where you know God is present and taking care of you in an unfamiliar place.

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed my perspective on the ins and outs of what’s been going on with us. I forgot my camera cord, in which we could have shared all of the pictures we’ve been taking, but look forward to sharing them with you!

Have a great day, bbl (be back later J)

xoxo.

Old Man @ Fenway

Remember how we (Mike, Sam, Heidi, Silvia) told you yesterday about the tour guide we met at Fenway yesterday? Well I just realized I forgot a great line he told us. This is how it went down.

For this monologue:
Old man = Bob
Mike Sam Heidi Silvia = MSHS

Bob: How you folks doing today?
MSHS: Great! How are you?
Bob: Doing fine, you guys need to get somewhere?
MSHS: Nope, just sitting on the steps waiting for the next tour.

Narrator: This part I can't remember the exact dialogue, but Bob, mentioned something about going somewhere he didn't want to; then asked us another question

Bob: So where you guys from?
MSHS: (said with a California accent) California

Now for the money line

Bob: (gasping as he commented) Oh man!! I guess we all have problems! (old man chuckle)


There you go. I just wanted to make sure you got the full experience of our encounter with Bob. If you ever get a chance to tour Fenway Park, make sure you ask for Bob. Although, now that I think about it you can't request Bob because that is not his name. Sorry, I guess you'll just have to sit on the steps across from Fenway and hope his car is parked in front of you!

Boston Day 3 intro

Hey y'all. I am giving you a peek into what our day was like today. Sam will be coming to you tomorrow from WWofM with an in dept analysis for our Tuesday at NACCAP.

NACCAP @ Gordon
1. Went to 3 sessions which inspired me to blog, blog, blog!
2. Ate lunch
3. Got jealous that my roommate (Jim from Whitworth in Spokane, WA) is going to a Red Sox's game on Wednesday when we are flying home
4. Ate dinner and laughed
5. Got even more jealous when I found out half of the people here are going to Red Sox's games later this week!
6. Went to Club`e NACCAP`e (you will understand when Sam explains) and watched funny videos
7. Ran about 3/4 mile through Gordon's campus
8. Wrote a teaser for Sam's blog entry tomorrow

So you all must come back tomorrow (or later today) to read Sam's full description of day 3 in Boston. Sam is pretty excited so you can bet it is going to be amazing!!

Until then, stay classy California!

I love Google

I am trying google analytics going on my page so I can track how people are finding me...not sure if it is working yet, but if you have tips let me know.

Thanks

Wordpress + Domain name

Hello fellow bloggers. I just got out of a couple sessions at the conference I am at that dealt with technology in recruiting. One of the big focuses was the use of blogging. Tim Cox is the media coordinator at Biola University and Palm Beach Atlantic U, and presented on what he has done to implement blogs, social networking and media sharing into admissions. This has got me thinking about my own blog and what I can do to improve it. Tim really pushed the idea of moving to a web host so you can publish all types of content and have your own domain name. It got me thinking about doing a trial run with my own blog.


This brings me to the question of doing it. Tim suggested site5.com as a good web host. For those of you who have a web host, what do you think? Also, I would need a domain name. So I am opening it up to all of you to submit domain names. I am thinking I will take the top 4-5 and have a poll to decide what to use and the winner might even get a prize!

FYI, I am also interested in any and all tips you have because I am not exactly what you would call a web genius.

I look forward to your responses.


ps. On a side note, what are your thoughts on wordpress compared to blogger?

Boston Day 2

Well the night ended very late last night and we did not really sleep well because we were still kinda on west coast time. But here are the details from Sunday in Boston. If you don't want to read the whole thing make sure you at least read numbers 2/3 under 'We need to tour Fenway!'

Enjoy!

Getting up at Gordon:
1. The plan was to leave the campus around 9am and go to a world famous steakhouse called, Hilltop Steakhouse. Then go to Logan Airport to pick up Silvia. I got a call around 8:30am from Sam asking, "would you want to skip breakfast and just leave at 10:45am to pick up Silvia?" My reply was a quick, "absolutely" because we were dog tired.
2. We finally started our day and headed to Logan Airport. We made it without much a problem; that was the end of our travel without issues.

On to save Heidi's cell phone
1. Next step was to travel to the Prudential Center to pick up Heidi's cell phone from the Sky Walk. I knew we wanted to go south on one of the freeways, but that was easier said then done. Make a long story short, we started to head into Cambridge, but ended up taking the U-turn back to Boston. We finally made it to the Prudential Center and got Heidi's cell phone. Did I say thanks Bostonians? Well thanks!
2. Our next step was to make our way to Fenway Park to tour. We took the T down there and made it pretty easily. We decided that since we were at Fenway we had to eat at the Bleacher Bar in center field. We sat and watched Fenway in all its glory as we ate. Pretty sweet! Check out the pictures in my previous post.

We need to tour Fenway!
1. We finished eating and looked at our watches. The time read 1:55pm. I know the tours started on the hour so we rushed up and around the corner to the team store to get our tickets. We arrived at 2:03pm and missed the 2'o clock tour. That ended up being a big mistake. See number 2.
2. We ended up buying tickets for the 3'o clock tour and then proceeded to sit on the steps outside store. An old man came walking down the street to get in his car that was right in front of us. He asked us if we needed to get somewhere and we told him we were just waiting for the next tour. This is why it was a mistake missing the 2pm tour. The old man was a tour guide for Fenway and had a 2004 Red Sox's world series ring. We looked in amazement and Sam took a picture. The old man responded, "This thing is really a chick magnet!" We laughed and still looked in amazement. He then told us a story about the ring and its powers. He was on a tour and towards the end a younger woman pulled him aside and asked, "What do I have to do for that ring?" The old man replied, "What are you willing to do?" The young lady responded, "ANYTHING". He told us this with a devilish grin. He said he felt he needed to get out of there ASAP because he could get fired!
3. We really enjoyed the short lived company of this old man. He then went to get into his dinged/scratched/dirty 2001 Honda Civic. He started the car, put the transmission in reverse and started backing up. Mind you, his head was faced forward the whole time and there was a car about 3 feet behind him. He did knock into that car and just looked over at us with a 'OH WELL' and drove off! It was pretty amazing; we laughed as left us.

Heading back to Gordon College
1. We made it back to the parking garage and yes I had rolled up the window this time. We had got our parking ticket validated earlier that day, but the validation expired at 5:00pm. We got to the pay booth at 5:11pm and the lady made sure we knew we were late. We were pissed and paid the $34 for 5 hours of parking!
2. We left the garage and were on our way. Of course we went the wrong way, but we got to see another side of Boston we didn't expect to see. We did make it back to Gordon where the NACCAP festivities started.

Pictures in Boston

Enjoy these few pictures from Boston!

Eating lunch at Fenway

We are eating lunch today in center field at Fenway Park at The Bleacher Bar.

Lost in Translation: Boston

Well as many of you know I am going to Boston. I am traveling with 2 other friends, Sam Weatherly and Heidi Elizondo. Here is a quick play by play of what has gone on from leaving Fresno to arriving at Gordon College; the site of the 'conference'.

San Jose Airport:
1. McDonalds in Santa Clara had curb-side pickup and catered breakfast, lunch and Dinner. Probably the nicest McDonalds we have been to.
2. On the bus from long-term parking to the San Jose Airport terminal there was a lady that asked about 5 times if this was the stop for Alaska Airlines. After the loud speaker in the bus told us where to go the lady asks, "I did not hear a word that said. Are you gonna drop me off here?"
3. Saw San Jose Earth Quakes at the Delta ticket counter. (Major League Soccer team for those who don't know)
4. As mentioned in prior post; stood 2 people behind Jerry Rice at the security checkpoint. No we did not talk to him, we were scared. But when we asked the guy at the counter if it was indeed Jerry Rice his response was; "Duh, he was only wearing his ring around his neck!" Side note: Sam bet me $2 that it was Jerry and I didn't believe her. She won.
5. While going through security checkpoint Heidi got yelled at because she put her computer, backpack, sandals and contents of her pockets in the same bin. Sam thought she was getting out like a bandit till the guy asked I need to inspect your bag for a blade. She had her athletic tape cutter from volleyball in her bag. He offered to return the cutter after removing the blade, but Sam responded in her disgust, "it's no use to me anymore, I don't play volleyball anymore" and walked away [of coarse in a non-snobish way].

I know you are thinking to yourself right now our trip could not get any better, but just keep reading!

Logan International Airport
1. Flight was hassle free, however Sam came down with something and slept pretty much the whole way! She didn't even eat her $8 sandwich she bought in Salt Lake City. In Sam's terms, "you know I am sick when I don't want to eat".
2. We have rental car reservation for AVIS. I call AVIS and they say that we can "take the Budget shuttle because AVIS is right next to it". This was bad information.
3. While on the Budget shuttle the driver, who was named Joe and had a wicked comb-over, asked where we were headed. I replied, "Winthrop". Joe Comb-over proceeded to give us step by step directions to Winthrop and none of us really listened because we were too tired and had directions already.
4. Joe Comb-over gave a ride to the AVIS station and we got the car and drove to Winthrop, got to our hotel and went to sleep.

Winthrop to Boston
1. When we woke up Heidi realized she had left all her make-up in Fresno, sitting on her bed. However, she did have her mascara & eyeliner in her purse.
2. Our first stop was a grocery store 'Shaws' in Winthrop to get some essentials: HEIDI - things she left @ home SAM - nasal unclogger (remember she got sick on the flight) MIKE - nothing (typical male who remembers everything!)
3. We then made the trip towards Boston. Went along the Atlantic Ocean where we got on the 1A South to the Rt. 145 to Mass Pike. When we went into the tunnel I said "hold your breath"; I didn't realize it was about 6 miles long. Don't worry we didn't hold our breath that long!
4. We finally made it into Boston and got off the Mass Pike in the financial district. We drove by the Hay Market, Feneuil Hall and countless other landmarks trying to find parking. We finally found parking in a garage.

Boston in a Day
1. We made it into Boston around 12 noon because we wanted to sleep in. That meant we had half a day to see Boston. We first had to make a stop at Kinko's to fax Heidi's drivers license to her fiance in California.
2. Next stop was Quincy Market. This is probably one of the things I remember most of the times I visited my sister in Boston not because of its historical value, but because it has one of the most amazing food courts. I'll get back to that in a second.
3. We went to the 'fake Cheers' gift shop and bought some souvenirs for people at home. My main focus was the food. We then went to get some food. HEIDI - Bowl of Clam Chowder SAM - Clam Chowder in a bread bowl MIKE - Kielbasa Sausage & Fries.
4. We then set off on the Freedom Trail:
--Paul Revere's House (to escape the 20 minutes of rain we got)
--North Church (Where the 2 lanterns were shown in the Steeple during Paul Revere's Ride
--Saint Steven's Church (Where Rose Kennedy's Funeral took place)
5. Stopped at Mike's Pastries in 'Little Italy' to get Canolis...mmmm....canolis.
6. Walked around trying to find the T station to ride to the South End to see the prudential building and Fenway Park.
7. We went to the Sky Walk at the Prudential Center on the 50th floor. While on the audio tour Heidi happens to leave cell phone doesn't realize till we are on the T going to Fenway Park.
8. Didn't realize the Fenway stop on the T does not exactly drop you off at Fenway Park. It was about a 5 block walk.
9. We made it to Fenway and first went to the team store on Yawkey Way to buy some tourist essentials. SAM - A Boston Red Sox pint glass for her boyfriend "OF COARSE its $20", she said, when told the price by the unassuming employee HEIDI - Red Sox hat for her fiance MIKE - Nothing
10. Walked around the park and took pictures. I had a moment where I was disappointed with Sam's boyfriend, Matt because she asked "what is the green monster?"
11. Wanted to go see the 'Original' Cheers. Had an idea where it was, but had no idea where to get on the T to get there. So we had legs and walked; it was a solid 15 blocks!
--Heidi decided to wear little Old Navy sandals and by this point she was hurtin'. But she was a trooper and we finally made it. The key was to keep talking because then we could not focus on how much further we had to walk. BTW it was about an hour walk from Fenway to Cheers.
12. Once at Cheers we sat down for a lovely pint of Sam Adam's Summer Blend, amazing buffalo wings and burgers.
13. We asked the waiter at Cheers the best way to get back to the Government Center was. He said it would be about a 10 minute walk and we just rolled our eyes at him and said OK.
14. We made it into the vicinity of our parking garage, but had not idea where exactly it was! We walked in the direction we thought it was with our big tourist map in had. Standing at a corner not really sure which direction we should go an older couple asked where we were heading. Our response, "to our car that is in a garage we don't really know where." We did know it was by a big post office. From that information the couple directed us right where we needed to go.
15. As we are walking to our car Heidi is feeling "injured." Sam and Mike are laughing!
16. We approach the car and I notice there is not window up on the drivers side door. I immediately looked on the ground for glass, but there was none. I then realized I had left the window open with my Ipod and backpack in clear sight. Nothing was gone. Thank you Bostonians for being nice!

Boston to Gordon College
1. Driving down Rt. 128 towards Wenham and I get a call. I look over at Heidi and say, "you're calling me" from the phone you lost. I answered and it was a lady from the Sky Walk that had found her phone. Once again, thank you Bostonians!
2. Heidi relieved, but still injured! Sam and Mike still laughing!
3. Made it to Gordon College and hanging out in the dorms as Sam asks, "Milanos anyone?"

So this is a quick (um detailed) recap of our trip so far. We have had a lot of fun seeing Boston together and have definitely had some good luck to boot! We will definitely keep you updated on the happenings in Boston!

Mike (Sam and Heidi)

Thirsty Thursday: On Friday

I am coming to you today from the San Jose Airport. I am flying to Boston for a work conference, or that is what I am telling everyone.

Before we get onto more pressing matters I must start by saying I just stood behind Jerry Rice in the security line at the airport!! And no I did not talk to him. I wanted so badly, but felt I would try to be respectful and not bug him. That is also another excuse for saying I was chicken! But we did get this paparazzi picture.

No that I have that behind me I may proceed. The last week has been one of turmoil and really seeking God's will. Over the last few weeks I have been going through the struggle of knowing I need to seek after God with all my heart, but not really having the desire to. I have been really trying to follow along in my life journal reading plan to keep me consistent. Over the past week I have done well following that and it has really encouraged me. I have been reading through Proverbs and Romans with the reading plan.

From Proverbs I have been reading about seeking wisdom. All through the passages I have been reminded that if I truly seek after God's wisdom He will grant it to me. One passage that stood out to me is Proverbs 3:7-8 "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."

In Romans I have been encouraged by God's promise that I am His own and free from the bondage of sin. It is very easy to fall back into the cycle of feeling overwhelmed by the sin nature in me. It is here in Romans that God uses Paul to remind me that God died and overcame the power of sin. Romans 8:1-2 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

Well I am about to board the plan so I hope you find this encouraging today even though it's a day late!

Global Warming: Reality - Hogwash

Gene this one's for you. I miss being around your cinical self. Oh good times in EAH 3.