“Look, Daddy!!!!” “Are you watching?” “Pay attention, this is important!” “DAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” My just-turned-three-year-old Maya is the best. She’s always up to something: dancing and twirling around, climbing on furniture and banisters and countertops to test her strength, or jumping from pillow to pillow on her makeshift obstacle courses. And she needs me to witness all of it. Maya is constantly calling my name and trying to get me to focus ...
Rachel recently ordered some choker necklaces. Why, you might ask? Because I absolutely love that look. It reminds me of my punk rock days, where all the emo girls would wear chokers with their heavy eye makeup and blue or black nail polish. <swoon> Don’t laugh, it was a long season of my life. It encapsulated passion, emotion, energy, angst, and a bit of rage and helped me through the ...
Rachel’s granddad passed away recently. His name was Cliff Davis, and he almost made it to the ripe old age of 91. He lived with Grandma on the second level of Rachel’s parents’ home, and I loved seeing both of them whenever we went up there to visit. I felt like I got to know Granddad Davis over the last few years better than even my own grandparents - who ...
I didn’t know if it would ever happen – me meeting someone who was everything I ever wanted. And then I did, completely out of the blue, while I was serving at a summer camp in North Carolina. Her name was Rachel. We dated for two years, tied the knot, and now five full years have gone by and I’m married with two kiddos. Geez. That happened fast. Over these ...
In every great story, someone is fighting for what they believe in. Something dear to their heart. Something that is much bigger than their own life. When we think about our favorite movies, we recognize that Frodo is fighting for the survival of Middle Earth. Wonder Woman is fighting to preserve human kind. James Bond and Ethan Hunt (from the Mission Impossible franchise) both fight for the lives of those ...
I recently saw this slogan on a t-shirt. It feels right, and is super inspiring. But is it a healthy mentality? Will it actually lead to the life I really want?
In my classes at the university, I sometimes give my students extra credit. Most of the time, it is specific to the subject matter I’m teaching, but occasionally I mix it up and ask them to do something that will stretch their brain and get them out of their comfort zone. For example, i've asked them to partner up with a fellow student and learn a hand-clap (or hand-jive) song. ...
Something has been weighing on my heart a lot recently, and I’m really not sure what the right answer is. Maybe there isn’t a right answer. I don’t know. A handful of my friends are very sad right now because of life circumstances. They put on a smile and they soldier on through their days, but you can see their pain behind their eyes if you look closely. And it ...
I fly on a regular basis for work, and I’ve dealt with all of the typical hassles that might face a person while on a plane. This includes turbulence, smelly people, inconsiderate seat-back-recliners, smoke in the cabin, and…kids. Kids on planes are challenging simply because they are kids and generally fidgety, but sometimes you have kids on planes who are not just challenging but who act absolutely insane. They cry ...
We just had a boy! Rachel and I are so thankful that he is healthy and beautiful and perfect in every way. We named him Ravi Gabriel. Ravi means “sun” and I believe he is called to shine God’s light and be a bright spot in the lives of everyone he meets and knows. Gabriel means “God is my strength” and I really believe he is going to need ...