the craig life

The Big Ocotber Snow

2009-11-02T07:53:00.000-08:00

Here's some pics from the crazy big snow we just had. Then, two days later it was 75. Figure that one... Our family is doing great and we just recently celebrated the girls birthdays in late September and my (David's) birthday in late October. Drew has only a couple more soccer games left and everyone is excited for Thanksgiving & all the other fun holiday experiences to come.

2008-10-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hey there everyone! (translation of everyone = 'mom') Sorry I've been so totally lame in never updating this blog. But here's a quick synopsis of our summer & fall. We had a fun June va-ca to Ohio & PA and saw family and everyone had a blast! We had family come visit out here on a trip we took to Glenwood Springs- very fun. The Springs are a big destination spot out here in CO. We did a huge amount of landscaping this summer and the house is finally looking like a home- inside and out. (Although there's still the prerequisit trim & molding left to put up in places inside the house). The kids are finishing up soccer and having a good time with that. The family is good and healthy and we are excited about fall & winter. Here's some pics!

Grandpa Huggins with us in Glennwood Springs. Hiking up to Mirror Lake.

GH at the Landis' in PA. Nice going Grandpa!

Grandma Craig at home in Ohio. Go Buckeyes!

Mowing with Bop in Ohio

At Uncle Harvey's Farm in Ravenna, Ohio

Our front yard on the side facing the park... Angie's pretty cosmo's.

Grandpa Craig came to visit. We went horseback riding in Morrison.

The girls' b-day on Sept.20th.

G&G Huggins came to visit. Here's Glennwood.

A summer day in our backyard.

A daytrip to a fourteener- didn't make it all the way up. Near Beuna Vista.

Angie & Tonya (in Ohio)

Uncle Kyle (in PA)

Landscaping... ( ugh )

Brought the kids on a 20-something event to WaterWorld.

the kiddies in PA

Funny Stuff

2008-08-27T07:55:00.001-07:00

Ohio Summer Vacation '08

2008-07-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

Our family had a really fun experience this summer: a big trip for all 5 of us back east to Ohio and PA for a big family vacation. Here's some pics from Ohio, the first leg of the trip. Then we'll throw up some pics from the PA part. Good times. All the best to you and I've got a bunch new material coming up in the next weeks.

Summer Times

2008-06-15T13:40:00.001-07:00

It was a beautiful summer day and I couldn't resist grabbing some quick pics of the kiddies playing in the yard. Things are growing like crazy now and Angie and I are putting (hopefully) the finishing touches on our landscaping. Last year we did the grass, put in beds and mulch and so forth; this spring we're putting stuff in the beds: trees, grasses, shrubs, etc. Its starting to look nice. I messed around with starting the drip line on our sprinkling system. Its actually pretty cool. Coming Soon: pics & stories from our Ohio & PA trip!

2008-03-01T11:50:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics from when Daddy and the kids went for a Jeep ride one winter afternoon. We took an off-the-path road up into some forest area and found this secluded "open space" which is what the counties out here call a public use area. Fun day!

Fall Fun

2007-12-18T21:03:00.001-08:00

Have you seen cuter soccer pics? This is one of abby's soccer games from earlier this fall. It was her first year and she had a blast! Every Saturday morning she played and she would bug us all week to know when her game was, or 'how many more days until I play'?

2007-11-27T21:26:00.000-08:00

happy fall & thanksgiving everyone!
this was a recent trip to a farm up north a bit. it was freazin' cold be we had a blast.

more pictures of MEEEE!!!!!!

2007-09-11T21:03:00.001-07:00

ok, more pictures of me, how amazing. but the deal is, this friend, don omi invited me to come fly fishing with him. i'd never been and he is the consumate colorado fly fisherman so i couldn't turn it down. he was very gracious and made sure i had all the gear i needed. he was practically like an outfitter for me! he was patient and spent time teaching me how to do this. it was much more complicated and finesse oriented than i thought. but what a nifty experience. i could definately see if you became good at it, how it could be a really peacful and relaxing passtime. i'd like to try again for sure. this was at a small lake at about 11,000 feet about 2 hours away.

the top of colorado

2007-08-06T10:23:00.001-07:00

this is me on the top of mount elbert, the highets peak in colorado, or all of the north american rockies, for that matter. at 14,433 feet of elevation, i was quite tired at the top. i didn't think i'd make it to the top. lots of people do every weekend in the summer, but i was really out of shape, so it was still kind of a big deal and significant acomplishment for me. i really wanted to turn around and quit, so to keep going and actually make the summit was good- - for me! :)

amazing service!

2007-07-06T22:05:00.001-07:00

here's a group of us from our church that recently went to a world vision warehouse distribution center in east denver. we went to help them process humanitarian packages being shipped overseas. we spent saturday morning there from 9 to noon and the experience was awesome. world vision is the largest faith-based relief organization in the world. they focus on the poorest of the poor- they define that by people living off of less than 1 dollar a day. this represents about 1.2 billion people around the globe.

as i make my living working at a church it was hard as i stood there walking through a mock up aid camp right there in their warehouse complete with food, water filtration systems, staff tents, mosquitto netting, med stations and more, not to feel like they are really getting it done. they are really, tangibly making a profound difference in the lives of people around the globe; and i-- i'm spending much of my time trying to keep caucasion, upper-middle class, religeous people happy and feeling "churchy". wow.

anyway, check them out at worldvision.org. it was a great experience, maybe there's a center near you.

grass is coming!

2007-06-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

finally, some grass is starting to grow in our construction site yard... (its actually really going to look nice some day thanks to the landscaper we worked with).

drew has his annual "daddy-summer-buzz" haircut and everyone is healthy and happy; we had a busy week of helping out at our church's kids VBS. soon we'll be taking a week off and heading up to leadville where angie will have a race and we'll do some recreating, hiking and jeep exploration. all the best to you this summer!

MY NEW JEEP

2007-05-07T11:49:00.000-07:00

here's my new jeep. its a 2000 sport. its my dream jeep with a 100k miles! :) my mechanic said its super solid and well taken care of, so i'm very pleased. i took it up to a place called 'left-hand canyon' just north of boulder, very intense, but we stayed more on the moderate portions. for any SUV or off-roading enthusiasts out there, it has rancho 9000 shocks, a 2" tereflex lift, 32 BFG AT tires, a towing package, tow hooks, fogs, a dana 44 rear axle and the inline 6 cyl.

more yard progress

2007-04-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

here's some pics of the recent landscaping progress in our yard.
hooray for hours and hours of backbreaking labor!
its ok, i'm learning character...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DREW!!!

2007-04-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

drew recently had his 6th birthday party! we went to 'pump it up' and all his friends got to jump around and have a ball at a giant inflatable arena. he's getting to be such a big boy and his mom and dad are super proud of him!

landscaping gone wild

2007-03-13T17:16:00.000-07:00

here's some pics of the landscaping we're doing. pretty hilarious. i guess we don't "dabble" in anything, its hog-wild or nothing. anyway, not one blade of grass to be found on our property these days. its mudd city. it will all be worth it (i hope) when we actually have grass that grows, a yard without wires, cables, cracked pipes, rocks and brick with overgrowth all around. the kids are (gasp) loving all the dirt, mud and excavating thats going on. all in all, its pretty neato.

good times

2007-02-23T15:57:00.000-08:00

here's drewbie and i at a neat little "family" ski resort here in colorado called "sol vista". their website humorously says its the resort for those fueled by hot cocoa, not adrenaline! good family place. this was a beautiful day, warm and it was drews first time ever on the snow. he did great! he's having a tough time deciding if he wants to try skiing or snow boarding. today he chose skiing (like dad).

afraid of being board

2007-02-16T20:15:00.000-08:00

so you know how continuing learning is supposed to keep you young; to keep your brain active and so forth? there was an article on it today on yahoo's headlines even. well, my friend basically gave me his older snowboard to try out and see how i like it. i've been having some tempting, near heretical ideas of trying snowboarding lately. my true skier friends are laying down the punishment hard... geez i'm starting to see a similarity here...

anyway, the question is how much pain can i take? eveyone tells me you've got to just count on 2 or 3 times out on the slopes (thats days) of just torture before you start to get it. i don't know if i can last that long. then again, the other news is--- if i don't dig it, i'm going to pass on this board to someone who does. anybody interested?

and so the pic above is of these new snowboard boots i got at sports authority. man, they were crazy discounted--- probably because i got them in early february. 29 bucks i paid. not too shabby.

kid again

2006-12-13T20:34:00.000-08:00

wow.
nothing like renting out a place for children, bringing a bunch of twenty-something adults and jumping around & beating the smack out of each other for a few hours! i haven't laughed so hard in quite some time. we did this with our church young adult group. good times to run around and act like a little kid again. this here's the guys only pic.
this pace is called "pump it up" and there may be a location near you. i highly recommend it.

new craig fam foto

2006-12-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

here's a very recent pic of the fam at a christmas advent dinner at our church. yikes! the girls are really getting big! we wish you all a really wonderful holiday season, and some restful time to reflect and enjoy the important things in life.

princess playtime

2006-11-15T09:57:00.000-08:00

here's our two little girlie-girls. they're wearing their snuggly new pink hats that daddy got for them at target. they wanted to put them on and play, the next thing i knew they settled down to a nice game of cariboo in the living room.

thats pretty cute.

drew just finished up his second soccer season, he really enjoys it. man, talk about something that makes you feel like a dad thats getting older real fast--- watching your kid playing soccer. does that mean i'm a "soccer dad"??? i'm pretty sure i'm not a soccer mom.

thats all for now... just saying "hey". come out and go skiing w/ us this winter. i got some passes to winter park, a very popular resort very close by. http://www.skiwinterpark.com/index.htm

peace to all!

some fun recent pics

2006-10-27T21:37:00.000-07:00

here's the ralston creek that flows from the foothills as seen in our backyard. the park is just seen in the back to the right. also, our house dressed up with a recent early morning snow. we painted the trim a dark green. prior, it was red so the whole house kind of looked like a christmas present.

here's some amazing golden aspen right at their peek. this was from a recent jeep ride up in an area called the indian peeks wilderness. they were so bright gold it was dazzeling. also another pic from the jeep ride. i let angie drive some this time. not too shabby for a first-timer (that is, in 4 wheel drive in the mountains.

holy smack!

2006-10-23T07:31:00.000-07:00

wow... some of you guys still read this blog! ok, that does it- i hearby solemly swear that i shall henceforth be much more diligent in posting blogs. and not just any blogs. but they shall be fun, interesting, even thought provoking blogs. case in point:

wrangler nation... so i came out here w/ my old, classic wrangler and wouldn't shut up about it. my friend travis (pictured above) was going to sell his. after a while he changed his mind- said he had trouble buying the car he really wanted (i think this was just a smoke screen because he really wanted to keep his wrangler after hearing my amazing and compelling stories of wrangler renown). anyway... travis kept his, our other friends gordy and stacee got ones soon after and now we have a growing faction of wrangler loving, jeep trail enthusiasts.

useless fun side question: does anyone know what the akronym bfg-mtr might stand for???

the answer is pretty cool, as can be seen in the above picture.

ok, to all you ohio people:
no, i am not turning into some colorado, mountain man, unshaven, hillbilly truck lover with my front two teeth missing. rather, more so the rei, outfitted, hygeine-friendly, outdoor enthusiast who boldly yet responsibly explores the rugged high country in his trusty jeep. hmmm... i see a cheesy screenplay in my near future.

so anyway, thank you for checking into my poor neglected blog, and i shall not disappoint you. keep the comments coming back, too. madison peeps--- i guess some of you are coming out this december? sweetness!

akron peeps--- does kenton still have his wrangler?? ask him what he said about his new-school vs. my old school jeep-- even though a new-school jeep is sounding better every rust-filled minute.

peace out, yo!

new rides

2006-10-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

well, i finally got some new skiis. solomon foils. they suppossed to be pretty good. i haven't got new skiis since back in college. thanks mom & dad for the sweet b-day present! i can't wait to try 'em out at winter park this year.

if anyone from back in ohio wants to come out and visit, i'll take ya up for some serious rocky mountain skiing!

okay... so seriously. i know i've not posted much. but, should i still keep this blog up and running? i'm not sure if anyone's hittng it. holler at me and let me know.

in other news, i'm pretty excited about my young adults ministry's new site to be up and running soon. it will be thrive32.com. but its still got some bugs we're working on. bumm!

colorado adventure- finally!

2006-09-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

hey there everyone!

anyone???

man, its been a long time since i've posted stuff. i was just reading my friend derrak's blog and he was saying how he just got internet at his house and will be posting more and i thought "bingo" same here.

it feels good to have wireless again. if for no other reason than angie won't have to keep coming to use my computer at work to check her e-mail! *did i say that out loud???*

anyway... here's some pics of me and my jeepey finally getting out on some bonafide jeep trails out in the high country. yeah, i'd been out some just on some backroads but this is genuine 4 wheel drive only. like where you're climbing over large rock beds and you have it in 4WD low in 1st gear and you have to just let the engine rpm carry it over the rocks so you don't jack your undercarriage. dude... it was sweet!!!!! it had just snowed and we were up at about 9k feet. ok so i love being here in colorado, the mountains, climate, yada yada yada- 'nuf said.

the other major thing is that i'm super pumped about the young adult community we're launching. we started our small groups this fall and now in a couple saturdays we'll be starting our first ever worship gathering event. what a privelidge it is to be able to serve a community and lead them with passion and vision toward creating a new kind of community. its crazy to have twentysomethings--- some of the coolest and neatest people i've ever met, look to you for direction and trust you to speak into their lives. its such a priviledge and it makes me want to serve even better and not let them down. i'm excited, scared, apprehensive and more when i think of what lies ahead. but i feel such a certainty that God is on the move here and he is up to building something.

well, hope you all are well... if there's anyone who still reads this. sorry its been so long, but i'll be more on the ball now that i have internet at home! peace, friends!

2006-08-02T12:27:00.000-07:00

here's a pic from our camping trip we just did.
have you ever camped w/ little ones?
there's someone pretty much always who's falling, triping or just generally covered in dirt.
and then there's the little ones.

we did have serious fun, though. what a neat place. this is pretty far north. its just north of steamboat springs, about 30 min. from wyoming. (oh, yes! wyoming!)
really really really beautiful up there.

we're doing well... our house sold in ohio so thats a load off our minds. now we just have to find a way to pay off all the costs for remodeling our home in colorado that weren't covered by our equity because the market is stinky in ohio.

2006-06-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

hey friends! sorry its been so long since i've posted anything. as you know, we've been surviving the world's most protracted move. we've been here for 5 months kind of living out of suitcases as we looked for, bought and then spent three grueling months completely renovating a house. so, we've finally moved in, are unpacking and getting slightly settled, and starting to feel "at home" again.

anyway, just wanted to let you all know we're alive. yesterday, we took a trip up to mount evans. its the closest of the 56 "fourteeners" in Colorado to the metro denver area. a fourteener is a mountain over 14,000 feet in elevation. mt. evans is 14,263 feet high. the cool thing is, you can pretty much drive all the way to the summit. its the highest paved road in the U.S. its the wimpy way out-- but how else are you going to take your family w/ little kids? i bet abby and ashlyn are some of the few 2 year olds that have been to a mountain over 14k feet! :)

so, here's some pics for you of our little adventure. the mountain goats were a really cool surprise.

here's a pic of the summit that i didn't takehere's stuff i did take.

if drew looks a little cold here, he is! it was 99 in arvada
when we left, and 1 hour later it was 38 on the summit.

yum

2006-04-20T15:55:00.000-07:00

yum
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

ok... big, deep thoughts here.

i have a new favorite soda. yeah, ok, dr. pepper is still up there and no one could turn their back on classic coke. buuuuuut. "squirt" rocks. here's why: its not all nasty super sweet. its from grapefruit! its refreshing and really good when it's ice cold. ok, it still has just as much sugar as any other pop, i know. yes, i realize i've been saying i'm done with soda. and i'm doing ok... i try to drink water as much as possible and never buy soda for home. but still....

mmmmm... squirt.

jack bauer

2006-03-17T08:06:00.000-08:00

jack bauer
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

mmmmmmm... twenty four.

is there really anything more to say?

i'm sure this is stating the completely obvious- surely the whole civilized world must realize this, but 24 is the best television programming ever made. seriously, the dialogue, the production, artistry, the pacing, and of course, jack bauer. i finally started watching- i got tired of hearing friends talk about how cool it was. so i began (like any reasonably obsessive person) not at the current broadcast, but at season 1.

wow.

the dude shot his boss with a tranquilizer!?? oops- disregard that if you haven't started!

anyway... in compliance w/ broadcasting ethics i should state the following... do NOT begin watching this show if you meet any of the following conditions: you value your free time, have a heart condition, have to wake up early for a morning meeting, think you're only going to watch ONE episode (silly, silly) or have an aversion to sitting on the edge of your seat biting your fingernails and gasping in shock or exasperation.

ok. thats all.

new home

2006-03-07T06:57:00.000-08:00

new home
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

well... here it is. this is the home we're buying. we never thought we could get a house like this (housing is high here in colorado) but God is really taking care of us. it needs some work (this is becoming a theme for us...) but what a cool family home- right on a park, a cul de sac, even with a creek running through the back yard and bike paths that go all the way to the foothills. thanks, God for taking care of us, and thanks to all of you who are praying for us! now we're just waiting for our house in ohio to sell.

abby bath

2006-02-26T11:01:00.000-08:00

abby bath
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

yeah... you know how when you haven't heard your kids in a while and its a little "too quiet"??? well, i went in to see abby in the bathroom w/ a bottle of shampoo; and this is the outcome...

Mia Grace

2006-02-15T18:33:00.000-08:00

Mia Grace
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

This blog is posted by Angie...

This is my sweet neice. My kids call her "baby Mia"... but she is almost WALKING! I wish I could know her more and see that beautiful smile in person.

my to do list:

2006-02-11T21:42:00.000-08:00

- stop being sick (tired of the sore throat and achey-ness) is that a word?
- sell my house
- buy a house
- get out of my temporary house before i need to start paying rent here
- do all of this in such a way (i have no idea how...) so that i'm not paying rent and two mortgages
- start up a young adult ministry
- transform a worship service
- inspire lots of people with my obviously stellar leadership skills
- enjoy really cool moments of quality, memory building life experiences with my family here in the beautiful setting of the foothills and mountains of the rockies (wich can happen so easily since our kids are never cranky, whiney, incredibly needy, sick, in need of an "undergarment refreshment" (if you know what i mean) or hitting another sibling in the head with a "close at hand random object" )

Stuff O' Interest...

2006-01-31T20:46:00.000-08:00

some random thoughts in no particular order:

- 24 is the greatest tv i've ever seen. (and i consider myself a good jugde of quality media). its ridiculous. we started watching season 1 episode one and we just finished episode 12. 12 more to go. i finish each one (try watching only one, by the way) and wonder what compels me do this to myself... i'm anxious, stomache in knots, nervous, biting my nails. this is enjoyable!!!???

- there are some really cool places to eat in colorado. the fresh salsa is something i've never experienced before- it rocks!

- i can't wait to get my jeep wrangler out here.

- jack bauer is a stud.

- drew got the biggest black eye of his young life the other day playing / wrestling with a buddy. holy cow. getting some stares from strangers at the mall on this one!

- i think i'm a lot like jack bauer.

- i love the outdoor sporting stores here, they really mean business. there's this really cool headquarters of REI downtown. i was browsing their "hiking boots". wow. they have ice boots, mountaineering boots... these things are $450.00 bad boys for climing, well, the rocky mountains.

- there are 56 peaks in CO that are over 14k feet high.

- i can see Long's Peak in estes park to the north and Pike's Peak southwest of colorado springs from the road out of my neighborhood. they're like 180 miles apart. i'm not used to being able to see such wide open expanses like this in ohio.

- whats the deal with the christian community and coffee shops? maybe we should hang out in bars more often. i go to this one shop near my office thinking i'll get to read a bit and maybe get some conversations going w/ some unchurched folks and i walk into "bible-land". small group study over here. discipleship over there. then i hear one guy say to another guy in the corner... "ok, see you, pastor." good greif!

thats all for now. time for some late night breakfast cereal. :)

the watne's

2006-01-16T10:06:00.000-08:00

the watne's
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

ok, ok... i know i haven't updated my blog in forever! yes, i am a loser (blog-wise) i realize that! anyway, we're finally all here in colorado and things have been hopping! i've been busy and living out of a suitcase and just got in a temporary house w/ the fam. angie's excited to be out here and get things started. wanna buy our house? go to http://www.nexthome.com and search in canal fulton. its on cherryridge ave.

here's a pic of some very neato new friends- trent and laura watne. they have really welcomed us out here and are super cool people. God is blessing us w/ some great community and i'm really jazzed to get our young adult ministry up and going.

come visit us in colorado! great skiing out here!

me at winter park

2006-01-16T10:02:00.000-08:00

me at winter park
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

here's a very flattering pic of me at winter park!

continental divide

2006-01-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

continental divide
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

here's a pic from the highest point at winter park, "parson's bowl". this is looking out to the continental divide. they almost closed this this day because of high winds.

rockies

2005-11-02T05:13:00.000-08:00

rockies
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

We're off to Colorado!

Its unbelievable but true... I've accepted a postition to start a young adult ministry and to help w/ music at Arvada Covenant Church in Arvada (near denver) Colorado. I will be starting out there the very end of november and the family will move out with me shortly after.

It will be hard to say goodbye to all the friends and family here and yet we know that you all care for us and are happy for this great opportunity.

Much crazyness will now ensue as we begin trying to sell our house, pack and make all the arrangements to move a family across the country. Pray for us!

NFL: Nonstop Faith Learning?

2005-10-20T05:06:00.000-07:00

john gruden
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

ok, here's what God is teaching me through my bizarre addiction to all things NFL.

john gruden: have you seen this guy? i have. i've watched him in interviews, on the sideline on tv, in "behind the scenes" stuff on the NFL network, and one thing always stands out to me: this guy is so passionate! i mean, he is a fireball! you can just see his demand for 100 and ten percent effort, his absolute abhorance of anything mediocre- he won't stand for it. he's firey, passionate, strong willed, and yet there's a real fun side to him. on an NFL network program they let john view himself on footage they taped. he was cracking up, laughing and saying he had to find another job- he had a real sense of not taking himself too seriously.

so i see all this and my next thought is always... i wonder if the church allows men like this? are we allowed to be this passionate, this uncompromising? oooh, isn't that too offensive? isn't that too aggressive? what would author of "wild at heart" john eldrige say? probably that many of our churches foster "wimpism" in men. maybe thats why books are written on why men don't like going to church!

we need more guys like gruden; obviously his personality would need to be tempered with the Spirit, with maturity in Christ, that goes without saying. we all know a strong, passionate personality run amok could wreak havoc in the church- but what about the slow, insidious decay that is far less obvious that comes from the lack of any personalities so focused and passionate like john gruden?

God, make me bolder in spirit and a stronger man- passionately devoted to you!

Derrak & Jack

2005-09-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

Derrak & Jack
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

This is my friend Derrak. This is my friend who is leaving Akron and going to Detroit. This is my friend who is adventerously moving his family from the home he has known, trying to faithfully pursue his passion for following Christ, loving his family and loving people and engaging the world through the ministry of the local church. I will miss you, my friend and i will always think of the many things you taught me and how the intersection of our lives has been covered in the fingerprints of The One Everlasting. Your friend, David.

drew & meredith on quad

2005-07-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

drew & meredith on quad
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

this was hilarious... dave and i were running around with squirt guns getting these two as they drove around the yard helplessly trying to avoid our skilled barage of water! ha- they were no match for our masterful strategy and aquatic firepower!

ok... i know i have issues. it was really fun, though! they were cracking up and hooting with laughter!

tonya & sawyer

2005-07-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

tonya & sawyer
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

here's tonya and sawyer... ok, i think i spelled his name right (tonya will kill me if i didn't) : ) ok, maybe she wouldn't kill me. just maim.

this kid is so cute its not even funny! he doesn't walk yet, but you should see him scoot across the floor with his own patended "bottom-scoot" method.

robinson family

2005-07-06T07:08:00.000-07:00

robinson family
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

spending the day with friends is always a good thing! here's a sunny day with the robison's in madison, ohio. nice pool, dave!

can she build it? yes she can!

2005-07-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

can she build it? yes she can!
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

oh my gosh... is she stinking cute or what!!?? this is ashlyn with her tool belt and safety goggles on. she can say some words now and life is really getting fun around here. ahhhh, families!

jet-boy!

2005-07-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

jet-boy!
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

here's andrew at the akron air show a couple weekends ago. this guy LOVES jets, airplanes and all things fast and loud. go, wild-at-heart boy!

angie birthday

2005-07-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

angie birthday
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

happy birthday, angie! we love you!!! you're a great mom, a great wife, a great buddy!
---your husband.

cool bike

2005-07-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

cool bike
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

here's my crisis! do i sell this bike? i've been thinking of getting more of a "harley" type, cruiser. is this evidence of some larger life issue going on that i'm only vaguely aware of? hmmm... going from a fast, racy bike to a laid-back, cruiser. oh well, make of it what you will! :)

mow buddies

2005-07-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

mow buddies
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

ok... i haven't posted in, like 4 years, i know. but for all the hoards of you out there- here ya go! here's a recent pic of me & drew doing what he loves! this kid loves to mow! (yes, infer what you will, i know what you're thinking). i bought that piece of junk tractor for $200 bucks and its finally running, by the way.

silly drew

2005-04-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

silly drew
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

here's my boy, drew. he cracks me up. he recently turned 4. we were horsing around one afternoon and i said, "drew give me a silly face". on the spur of the moment, this is what he came up with... not too shabby!

we were playing football the other day... ok, mark this down, i said it first here: this kid can throw the ball! ee-gad! i'm thinking quarterback... just remind me not to be one of those "hyper-vigilant, cram athletics down your kid's throat-nazi sports dads". i don't think i'll be one. i think i'd like my kid to be normal. ok... as normal as you can be, being a kid with me as a parent! :)

ice trees

2005-03-31T18:03:00.000-08:00

ice trees
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

this one morning i woke up about a month ago and saw that everything was covered in ice, but it was a clear ice that had frozen. then there was bright sunshine that morning (a complete rarity here in NE ohio) and everything was absolutely dazzling. it was one of those things where it would have been hard to do even if the best hollywood effects guys planned all week on doing it. it was special. it made me think of the master artist that created it.

i thought how that moment was there for so many people around the region outside their windows but how many noticed it? how much do we stay incubated and innoculated in our cozy homes in front of our tv's with mahem blaring so we don't have to think, feel or reflect.

the irony is that the master's message is blaring. it screams at us from everywhere, we've just gotten so good at tuning it out. like, i wonder if the people that clean the greatest museums in the world notice the art anymore? just like in the book of romans how it says that its so plain from all of creation how evident is the hand of the artist.

ooff, now i'm tired. i need to go to bed.

rick&d

2005-03-31T05:52:00.000-08:00

rick&d
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

so i'm sitting here with my two friends rick and derrak as we have our routine tuesday moring "talk through the week" meeting at the coffe shop and i look up and they're doing this weird "m.c. escher" moment with their computers and such. i had to take a picture. its like one of those weird illusions or something. dont look too long... it will blow your mind, man...!

what are we doing with our computers these days? at the coffee shop, we all log onto AIM and then talk and do work, sometimes chatting online with each other while we're sitting right across from each other. whats up with that? is this some kind of new bizzare cultural dynamic taking place? or maybe there's simply a decades old term that could be applied to us... we're "nerds". but wait- isn't being a nerd cool now? this is all too confusing!

fall in gatlinburg

2005-03-21T20:17:00.000-08:00

fall in gatlinburg
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

this last fall we went to big ben's pumpkin palooza. ok, not really, we went to gatlinburg. that was the first time i'd been to tennessee that i can remember. very cool place. oh man, we had breakast at this one giant log cabiny rustic place that was so full of atmosphere... and the food was good too.

i love my family. families are fun. i mean, they can drive you nuts, too, don't get me wrong. but i think God knew what he was doing when he created this special kind of small group. how in the world do you try to have a healthy, well grounded and fun family in this day and age? i'm not sure totally, but we're trying.

this whole, life, experience, aging, kids, trying to stay healthy and eat less fast food, manage your schedule and still try to grow every day and be a better person thing is really crazy. life is an adventure and not for the faint of heart.

oh well. enjoy the pic.

the girls

2005-03-21T20:03:00.000-08:00

the girls
Originally uploaded by craigdude.

here's the girls in their "location re-direction system". it works great. they hang in here to watch their movie and have their sippies. i'm realizing they have these for adults too. they're called cubicles. i've been there. i don't have a cubicle anymore (thank God) because now i have an office. or a large closet is probably more accurate.

anyway, about the girls... i did the best i could, though, i painted my office and made it as cozy as possible. i actually get compliments on it now. thats cool.

oh yeah, the girls. i love the girls. i think a major part of maturity is experiencing things that you love but that have a huge cost. thats like the girls. i love them so much and yet i can hardly think of anything else that exhausts me, challenges me, or overwhelms me like having them. but of course i'd never trade it for anything. they're rich, wonderful and give me a huge taste of life. of course, that works out well because now i have no life! ha- just kidding. not really.

well, i'll post some more and see if i can get my intrepid wife to do likewise. good night.

the first post

2005-03-15T10:24:00.000-08:00

well, here's our first post on our new family blog site. this should be a cool thing, its always fun to try new stuff except for the part of not knowing how to do anything 'cause its the first time. did i just say that?

so i think i'll try and post this and maybe put up a pic or two and see what happens.