1 Thessalonians 2:11, 12

S - Just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:11, 12 NASB)

O - One of the most important phrases in this passage is "so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you...." How often do I fit the bill for that. How often am I worthy? How often do I walk in such a way that God is proud of me? I can honestly say . . . not often enough!!!!!

A - If I am to be call a son of God, a child of the Creator, then I need to act like it. I need to represent the name of God by my actions and speech. Not just on Sundays and when I am around those people who are also Christians but especially around those who believe differently or have different values. Thereby they KNOW who I believe in and am a child of!!!

P - Lord, help me to strive to be worthy of the calling to be your child. May those around me me you and your name written on all that I do and say. Selah


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My Otter Day

This is how my day started.

I came home from work and found that Cindy had planned a full "Otter" day.
Now let me explain. Otters love to play. They are all about fun. They are a little weak on responsibility, organization and structure, but if given the chance will play all day long . . . I love these days!!!

Anyway, here is how it went. . . .

First to Kaiser to pick up my new glasses, then to a watch store to get a new watch for work (my other one broke).

Then to Best Buy for some "gadget" purchasing (an Airport Express)

Off to the beach, Corona Del Mar, to be exact, where we laid on the beach talked, played Crossword puzzles, fed the birds and watched dolphins.



Off to dinner at Kings Fishhouse, where I had Sushi and then to the movie Act of Valor (total dude movie)

It was an awesome day, a total awesome day!!!

All because my wife wanted to do that for me!!

Am I lucky or what!!!!!!!



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The Twins and How My Day Started!

This was how my morning started. I drove to work and on the way there I stopped by the local grocery store and picked up a few things for breakfast. Not alot just some eggs, turkey, a tomato and an avocado. Not much but just enough to start the day with. So when I get to work and crack the first egg this is what I see.....




TWINS!!!!!

Believe me, I was surprised. I have never seen that before. I asked around and talked to my kids to see if this was a bad omen or sould I go out and buy a lotto ticket. The consensus was that it was a good thing, but we have to see what the day holds.

I think it is going to be good....How do I know????

Well my twin yolk egg, turned into a pretty awesome breakfast for starters!!!



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An "A"

Today Zachary found out the results of his interview for the OCFA Wildland Hand Crew position. Out of 400 applications, they narrowed it down to 105 individuals that ended up participating in the interview. From there they were "banded" with 61 in the "C" band, 10 in the "B" band, and at the top were 34 individuals in the "A" band. Zachary made this group. This is the group that they will be hiring from.

Another interview and he has a great opportunity to enter into the OCFA as a wildland firefighter.

Well done Zach, Dad is way proud!!!!!!!


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Sleeping teenager

Sometimes I am baffled by not only the amount of sleep a teenager can get, but also the position a teenager sleeps in.

This cannot be comfortable!!!!!


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40 Days of Fasting

At church on Sunday, the pastor has challenged the entire church body to forty days of fasting. Now it is not 40 days of not eating or drinking, but 40 days of giving up something that you will miss. Now I would love to give up broccoli or vacuuming, that would be easy. The purpose is that when you come upon that time of the day when you would be partaking, you turn that desire from "you centered" to "God centered". Very interesting concept. I had not thought of fasting that way.

Anyway what I am giving up for 40 days, soda for one (but that will be easy). The harder one will be . . . . COFFEE!!!! This will be a tough, very tough.

I love coffee

I'm easily a three to four cup a day person . . . all day . . . everyday . . .

40 days.

ps If you see me in the next 6 weeks and I am grumpy, agitated and on edge, just know that I am working on my "God centeredness"!!!!!!!




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State of the Union

I have wanted to write this blog entry for some time but it has always eluded me in one way or another. But I think that it is important. One because it gives me goals to strive for and two because it is a record of my expectations for this year and whether I achieved any or not.

So here are some of my expectations for 2012

To love more. Cindy, the kids, those around me.
To be intentional and purposeful with the people above and those I come in contact with.
To be intentional in my Christian walk, having a purpose in what I believe.
To be more organized in every way; thinking, home, work, life (this will be hard for me).
To be a better Captain and example to those I work with.
To be humble before those whom I have wronged or hurt.
To ask forgiveness more, and hurt those around me less.
To stifle pride and think of others more important than myself.
To teach as many people as I can the joys of wake boarding.
To enjoy the accomplishments of others.
To sing more and play more music (well... play more music!!!)
To rock-climb again.
To have Fun.

This list is not exclusive. There are many other things that will cross my path. And I hope that 2012 allows me the opportunity to rise up to meet these challenges.



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Hope

Sometimes I feel like everything is going in the right direction, kids are doing good in school, older kids are moving closer and closer to  careers that will eventually carry them throughout their lives, there is harmony at home and harmony in relationships.  

Other times my life feels like a tornado, everything going every which way, no order, no harmony, hurting relationships, nothing seems to be going right.  

But.....

In the middle of every tornado is the eye, the center, where there is calm, and peace, and hope.....hope.... 

Hope that somehow the kids will "get it"

Hope that we will gain control of home and hearth

Hope that relationships could be restored.

The only thing bad about the eye of a tornado is that you have only brief moments before you're back in it.  

Big Bear

I love to ski. I mean I really like to ski and there are not many opportunities to go when the slopes look like this......



Or this......



Nobody there but me and my shadow. It was a great day of skiing. :)

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Wicked

Last night I got to go see the play "Wicked" with my sweet wife. Cindy and the girls had gone back when it had first come out and for the last few years they had sung the songs, explained the plot and told me everything that I had missed.

So for Christmas this year they all pooled their money and bought two tickets for the show.

First of all . . . . . My kids are AWESOME!!!

Second . . . . Cindy looked wonderful

And lastly . . . . . The play was . . . everything my kids had explained, and sang to me for all those years!!!!




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Location:The Pantages

Happiness

Being happy can be very important. What things make me happy??? A good relationship with my wife..... A healthy, loving family..... A good job with security..... A warm, home cooked meal..... A warm blanket straight from the dryer on a cold day???? On Saturday night I was able to see real happiness. It might have been fleeting for some, or a normal everyday occurrence for others, either way it was there and it was exciting to see. Let me explain....


We were waiting for what seemed like forever for the fireworks to start at Disneyland, sitting on the ground, at the end of main street, looking past the statue of Walt Disney towards Sleeping Beauty's Castle. It started out with just a few hundred people around us to what seemed like a few thousand, to being shoulder to shoulder, wall to wall people. Literally thousands. Everyone standing, staring at the fireworks display about to begin. And it did.... believe me Disney does it up right. It was amazing. And then you could look around and see the faces of my family and all. . . those . . . people and see amazement and wonder, smiles and laughter. We watched as firework after firework exploded right up to the finale.


And the finale was huge, even to the point that we lost sight of Sleeping Beauty's Castle.


And then there was quiet. I do not know who in my family noticed it first, but someone said "Dad, it's snowing!!!!!" That's when I saw happiness. True happiness. I looked around and there was not a face without a smile. Some people could not contain their happiness. The moment made you forget about the worries of the day. It made me wonder what it would be like to live in that kind of happiness and amazement every day.


Walt Disney did it right. For a moment that place is truly "The Happiest Place on Earth!!" - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Happiest Place On Earth

Yesterday we went to Disneyland. I cannot remember the last time that we went together as a family but for some reason all the stars aligned and Cindy and I were not working and all the kids did not have plans.


Disneyland is a awesome place and it was an awesome family outing. We find ourselves doing more and more of these kink of trips. I never would have thought that as my kids get older that they would want to hang out more and more with their parents. But they do!!! And it is fun.


This trip worked for all of us. I enjoy and love my family more and more each day.


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Location:Disneyland

This Summer

This Summer is shaping up to be a great summer!!!!

Trips planned

Dear friends are staying with us.

And to start it all off, a brand new Ronix wakeboard for 50% off.

This Summer is going to ROCK!!!!


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The Cook

Recently Jenna and I have become more adventurous when it comes to cooking dinner. We will go online and flip through recipes until we find one that we like and rush off to the store, buy the things we need, then come home and pick our way through the recipe. We are definitely not Chef Ramsey, more like Chef Boy-R-Dee. But it is fun It is a time I get to spend with one of my girls and that alone makes it all worthwhile.


This weeks meal . . . Chicken with cream of Broccoli lemon sauce and lemon slices over a bed of pasta!!!!! It was good!!!! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Home Sweet Home

Family Time

One of the most important things in the world is family and I have a few. I have the firefighter family (I've written about them before), immediate family, and extended family. I love all of them.


My brother and his family were down over the holidays and as luck would have it we were able to hang out with my sister. The whole brood!!!


It is always fun. There are so many personalities.


It is fun to see the next generation of Talberts and Radcliffes grow up.


We also were able to see the newest generation . . . Aria!! And she's a doll !!!


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Location:Dana Point

The Harley

This is the exact Harley that I would love to have. I just happened to walk out the front of the station and saw it here in the parking lot next door. I went and drooled over it for an hour.


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Christmas Day

As luck would have it, I was scheduled to work on Christmas Day. At any other job in the entire world that could be devastating. Away from family and friends, slaving away, nose to the grindstone, keeping the wheels of industry moving . . . not at the Fire Station!!!!! Family came down, we ate, we laughed, talked, ate, ran a few calls, watched football AND basketball, ate some more, played cards (my family loves cards), watched a movie, laughed some more and ate a whole lot more!!!


They really do love the games . . . And when it was all done the "Monks" of Fire Station 34 A shift wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.


(Snuggies, with our names and station logo, "Das Boot", provided by our Hawaiian connection, Rance Row) - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Fire Station 34

Christmas Eve

In this Christmas season, I realize that I have much to be thankful for and there is much to show that I am very blessed . . .


A beautiful wife . . .








A great family . . . And . . . I got another Harley this year!!!!!!!!


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Location:Home Sweet Home

Retired Firefighters

Last monday I had the opportunity to attend the retirement party of two of my friends. Jim Shook, who I have known since I started this job and Greg Brinkley, who has been a source of friendship and fun for many many years. I got to watch them both, in some form, ride off into the sunset and start the next phase of there lives. It is awesome to see my friends make it to that level. Having run the race and running it well. Reaching the end and moving on. They are both awesome friends and I will miss them . . . here at work. But I will most assuredly see them off-duty and when my turn comes to graduate to retirement.


I love these events also cause I get to see friends that I have not seen for a while. (T-34-C, The Boys) - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Testing

Testing the new update - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone