Change...Growth Takes Place
14 years ago
Friday, February 27, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
a birthday plate
Rachel had a really amazing birthday idea back in November for me. We went to a place called All Fired Up in Lynchburg. Many of you probably have a place like this in your local towns, but ours plays a ridiculous Oldies radio station and is not what we consider to be the most comfortable creative environment. However, we were still able to produce this:
It's a birthday plate! For whomever to use on their birthday. This project in all took us 3 trips out to Boonesboro and 5 cups of coffee (there's a Starbucks just around the corner) just to finish it. But, there were 4 different dates involved (one to pick-up the plate and another stop at the Starbucks), so it was a (or four) relatively inexpensive ($13 plate) date idea! Here's the back:
SIDE NOTE: Every family has traditions. Our family had a lot of unique ones, Rachel's had a lot of spontaneous ones.
Perhaps Melissa remembers this. We used to have a record player that would play a special birthday record every time it was our birthday. The records we special and had our name in the song. I think that picture had a man riding a rocket or a crescent moon on the front, probably with stardust flying off the rear of his vessel. I really like the song. It went something like this, "Hey Kevin, it's your birthday... [enter other rhyming text here]"
Traditions... hmm. After years of using this plate, I have a feeling that our kids will try to hide or shatter it. We love it, it's better than we had in mind when we started. We're starting traditions early in the Mahan home.
It's a birthday plate! For whomever to use on their birthday. This project in all took us 3 trips out to Boonesboro and 5 cups of coffee (there's a Starbucks just around the corner) just to finish it. But, there were 4 different dates involved (one to pick-up the plate and another stop at the Starbucks), so it was a (or four) relatively inexpensive ($13 plate) date idea! Here's the back:
SIDE NOTE: Every family has traditions. Our family had a lot of unique ones, Rachel's had a lot of spontaneous ones.
Perhaps Melissa remembers this. We used to have a record player that would play a special birthday record every time it was our birthday. The records we special and had our name in the song. I think that picture had a man riding a rocket or a crescent moon on the front, probably with stardust flying off the rear of his vessel. I really like the song. It went something like this, "Hey Kevin, it's your birthday... [enter other rhyming text here]"
Traditions... hmm. After years of using this plate, I have a feeling that our kids will try to hide or shatter it. We love it, it's better than we had in mind when we started. We're starting traditions early in the Mahan home.
Guess what Kaleb's thinking
I just stumbled on these pictures today and thought that I'd share them with you. Rachel likes to pretend to say what Kaleb is thinking. Any ideas about what he's thinking here:
How about this one. Comment on this post with your best caption and we'll come up with a grand prize. That means you have a 25% chance of winning between all 4 of our readers!
How about this one. Comment on this post with your best caption and we'll come up with a grand prize. That means you have a 25% chance of winning between all 4 of our readers!
Our Three Nephews
Last week we had the best time with Kevin's parents, sister, and nephews! My sister made it over a few times so we ended up seeing all three of our nephews in one place. They loved each other. I loved thinking of what was going through there minds at different moments, one of my favorites being playing hide and seek with Jayce. He was tense and anxiuos as Unlce Kevin was trying to find us and "here he is!" seemed constantly on the tip of his tongue. During the encounters when Kaleb would crawl up to Jayce and try to climb on him we were pretty sure Kaleb was saying in his mind, "I want to eat your face," but instead said "aww, Jayce he wants to be friends with you!"
Since our pictures were fewer and of lower quality, is it cheating to say, check out my sister-in-law's blog for a picture recap of the weekend? Okay, I said it...take a look.
Since our pictures were fewer and of lower quality, is it cheating to say, check out my sister-in-law's blog for a picture recap of the weekend? Okay, I said it...take a look.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
a bad food idea
Last night at The Rot, our dining facility at LU, Rachel and I had one of those "What?!" kind of moments. First of all, our main dining facility looks like this:
No, that's not us.
We walked into The Rot and found something different in the cheeseburger/grill cheese line. We found "S'more Quesadillas." Seriously. Someone in the back had the idea to take the extra tortillas shells, lather them in butter - twice - then spread approximately 0.3 ounces of marshmallow and 0.4 ounces of chocolate paste with a smidgen of crumbled graham cracker to top it off. Slide that puppy through the pizza oven and you've got a "S'more Quesadilla." Unreal. We fell for it.
One happy customer said, "Usually this would have been a good idea, but I think they put sea salt on the outside."
Against our better judgment, Rachel and I each took one out of the hot window. Mine was gone by my third bite of pollock. Rachel daintly ignored my gagging and gasping to finish the guts of the treat without subcombing to the over buttered edges of crips quesadilla.
This may sound like a negative post, but it wasn't all that bad of an evening. We ended up getting our friend Grace one before we left, and Rachel said, "Your gonna like this." :)
No, that's not us.
We walked into The Rot and found something different in the cheeseburger/grill cheese line. We found "S'more Quesadillas." Seriously. Someone in the back had the idea to take the extra tortillas shells, lather them in butter - twice - then spread approximately 0.3 ounces of marshmallow and 0.4 ounces of chocolate paste with a smidgen of crumbled graham cracker to top it off. Slide that puppy through the pizza oven and you've got a "S'more Quesadilla." Unreal. We fell for it.
One happy customer said, "Usually this would have been a good idea, but I think they put sea salt on the outside."
Against our better judgment, Rachel and I each took one out of the hot window. Mine was gone by my third bite of pollock. Rachel daintly ignored my gagging and gasping to finish the guts of the treat without subcombing to the over buttered edges of crips quesadilla.
This may sound like a negative post, but it wasn't all that bad of an evening. We ended up getting our friend Grace one before we left, and Rachel said, "Your gonna like this." :)
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Our Saturday mornings...
If you've heard us talk about CampusSERVE on Saturday mornings and want a better glimpse, you can click on the link to see our new CampusSERVE blog. Kevin worked for hours on it! As his wife and a graphic desinger I am so proud of him...not to mention that I couldn't be more thankful for a husband who pours himself into the leaders and this community.
Kaleb and his family are back in town!
We are so excited to have my sister, brother-in-law, and little nephew back in town. This post is especially to fulfill the request of Uncle Nate. They were all three ready for some sleep after about a 25 hour trip. They said Kaleb did really well!
Kaleb is a pro at moving these days.
I love to stlye his hair!
Kaleb is a pro at moving these days.
I love to stlye his hair!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
our first - or second - house
Shortly after getting married, Rachel and I temporarily moved into what is called "East Campus" at Liberty:
Knowing that we would move to our second house shortly after we moved into this one, we didn't settle in too much. Our second house is what follows here:
I hope you've enjoyed a short visual tour of our second home. Rachel and I are also projecting that we may have many homes in our lifetime, so we're taking a picture in front of each one. One day we'll create a collage of all the wonderful "front step" pictures of us unconventional homes. There's no telling where we'll be next. Perhaps here:
Knowing that we would move to our second house shortly after we moved into this one, we didn't settle in too much. Our second house is what follows here:
our front door
from the inside
living room 1
living room 2
living room 3
kitchen 1
kitchen 2
dining room
hallway
prayer room
spare bedroom
office 1
office 2
master bedroom 1
master bedroom 2
master bedroom 3
our free blessings
what keeps us sane
I hope you've enjoyed a short visual tour of our second home. Rachel and I are also projecting that we may have many homes in our lifetime, so we're taking a picture in front of each one. One day we'll create a collage of all the wonderful "front step" pictures of us unconventional homes. There's no telling where we'll be next. Perhaps here:
Monday, February 2, 2009
Rachel Marie
I would like to take this moment to brag on my wife. If I had pictures it would make this post more entertaining, but my words will have to do for now:
In the beautiful month of late-January a cold wind begins to blow through the halls of Liberty University and it enlivens the hearts of hundreds of would-be Resident Assistant applicants. Some envision fame and glory, other ministry and enhanced responsibility. The genuine ones are refreshing and those that are faking it soon crumble in the daunting task of staying alert through little rest and intense sessions.
At the core of the RA selection process are the beautiful people that faithfully serve as Resident Directors. The RDs are full-time paid staff that have the job of... whatever their boss deems important that week on top of the responsibilities already listed in their job description which may or may not consist of anything except the phrase, "Whatever needs to be done to keep the Pax Liberti."
To describe her job a little better, last week Rachel dealt with mice on a couple of her halls. Mice, simple creatures, hard problem. It's cold and their house (an old basketball court) was recently destroyed. They found refuge in the adjacent dorm and have since been creeping around at night through the ceilings of the building. Who gets involved in a mice problem? Dads that care about their little girls. Moms that are grossed out by the thought of it. Housing that is in charge of the safety of the building. Pet Control with their little devious poison boxes. Resident Assistants that must hear the screaming at night. Office of Student Leadership that has to administrate taking care of the issue. Female students that want to bait the mice by using peanut butter on a spoon because they haven't seen them in a couple of days. And, my lovely wife keeping the orchestra all singing in perfect harmony as the mice go marching on oblivious to their obvious annoyance.
RA selection has been on hold in this story while dealing with the mice, but in Rachel's life they were simultaneous instances. Mice be gone. Rats have come (Resident Assistants in Training was the older, less politically correct name of RA Applicants).
Every applicant has multiple RDs that see them for a brief time and evaluate their performance. Rachel is a "home" RD to the girls on her halls, a "retreat" RD to the girls she had this weekend, and a "host" RD to the girls she'll have this week. All decisions are made mid-February after this confusion is complete and all applicants have successfully fallen behind on all classwork and social gatherings.
Rachel was required to work 27+ hours from Friday morning to Saturday night this past weekend. After a Sunday filled with a friend's birthday party, Super Bowl party, and typing up all comments made during those 27 hours, Rachel is back at it again today in RD meeting. I came home from lunch today to see her pouring over her notes typing frantically as if she writing The Shack 2. She's incredible making this all work, but this was only what was required of her.
This is where I really get to brag. Not only is my wife gladly doing all the above mentioned work, lovingly serving me as an insecure husband, serving with CampusSERVE, and every thing else involved, but she has also tried to go above and beyond that. She e-mailed every girl in her "retreat" and "host" week groups to see if they would sit down one-on-one with her for a cup of joe and a get to know. Above and beyond. She's gotten to see their individual personalities upfront and person without having to only see it in the scheduled times of the crucible.
Such a small token of genuine love for people is not a small task. Balancing her schedule would take a tandem of administrative assistants, but she does it all herself. She recently turned down the chance of hiring a personal assistant against my support. We've been toying around with getting her an intern or at least a stress ball! My wife deserves an award. I'm not sure which one, probably all of them.
Here's the end of the story. The last two years I've received calls from Rachel after the war room. Neither of them have been positive. The war room - my term - is like this (I'm struggling to come up with a good metaphor). People with diverse opinions and obvious agendas deciding who will and who will not receive thousands of dollars in scholarship and priceless responsibility. When these women get together and decide, it's a fight for what each person believes. Rachel is a lover... not a fighter. She has for two years been stepped on, disregarded, and insulted in the process of the war room. She's had some victories too and really made a good push for what she believes. Her response this year? Meeting with more applicants, taking more of her precious time, ignoring the mice for these precious r.a.t.s. She's absolutely amazing. Her comment to me went something like this, "I'm not even sure if my opinion will count, but I just wanted to get to know these girls outside of that structured time." Instead of being embittered, she has taken even more steps to set herself apart.
I think my wife is Jesus sometimes, but then she puts her cold hands on my bare skin and she makes me want to curse. Jesus wouldn't do that!
In the beautiful month of late-January a cold wind begins to blow through the halls of Liberty University and it enlivens the hearts of hundreds of would-be Resident Assistant applicants. Some envision fame and glory, other ministry and enhanced responsibility. The genuine ones are refreshing and those that are faking it soon crumble in the daunting task of staying alert through little rest and intense sessions.
At the core of the RA selection process are the beautiful people that faithfully serve as Resident Directors. The RDs are full-time paid staff that have the job of... whatever their boss deems important that week on top of the responsibilities already listed in their job description which may or may not consist of anything except the phrase, "Whatever needs to be done to keep the Pax Liberti."
To describe her job a little better, last week Rachel dealt with mice on a couple of her halls. Mice, simple creatures, hard problem. It's cold and their house (an old basketball court) was recently destroyed. They found refuge in the adjacent dorm and have since been creeping around at night through the ceilings of the building. Who gets involved in a mice problem? Dads that care about their little girls. Moms that are grossed out by the thought of it. Housing that is in charge of the safety of the building. Pet Control with their little devious poison boxes. Resident Assistants that must hear the screaming at night. Office of Student Leadership that has to administrate taking care of the issue. Female students that want to bait the mice by using peanut butter on a spoon because they haven't seen them in a couple of days. And, my lovely wife keeping the orchestra all singing in perfect harmony as the mice go marching on oblivious to their obvious annoyance.
RA selection has been on hold in this story while dealing with the mice, but in Rachel's life they were simultaneous instances. Mice be gone. Rats have come (Resident Assistants in Training was the older, less politically correct name of RA Applicants).
Every applicant has multiple RDs that see them for a brief time and evaluate their performance. Rachel is a "home" RD to the girls on her halls, a "retreat" RD to the girls she had this weekend, and a "host" RD to the girls she'll have this week. All decisions are made mid-February after this confusion is complete and all applicants have successfully fallen behind on all classwork and social gatherings.
Rachel was required to work 27+ hours from Friday morning to Saturday night this past weekend. After a Sunday filled with a friend's birthday party, Super Bowl party, and typing up all comments made during those 27 hours, Rachel is back at it again today in RD meeting. I came home from lunch today to see her pouring over her notes typing frantically as if she writing The Shack 2. She's incredible making this all work, but this was only what was required of her.
This is where I really get to brag. Not only is my wife gladly doing all the above mentioned work, lovingly serving me as an insecure husband, serving with CampusSERVE, and every thing else involved, but she has also tried to go above and beyond that. She e-mailed every girl in her "retreat" and "host" week groups to see if they would sit down one-on-one with her for a cup of joe and a get to know. Above and beyond. She's gotten to see their individual personalities upfront and person without having to only see it in the scheduled times of the crucible.
Such a small token of genuine love for people is not a small task. Balancing her schedule would take a tandem of administrative assistants, but she does it all herself. She recently turned down the chance of hiring a personal assistant against my support. We've been toying around with getting her an intern or at least a stress ball! My wife deserves an award. I'm not sure which one, probably all of them.
Here's the end of the story. The last two years I've received calls from Rachel after the war room. Neither of them have been positive. The war room - my term - is like this (I'm struggling to come up with a good metaphor). People with diverse opinions and obvious agendas deciding who will and who will not receive thousands of dollars in scholarship and priceless responsibility. When these women get together and decide, it's a fight for what each person believes. Rachel is a lover... not a fighter. She has for two years been stepped on, disregarded, and insulted in the process of the war room. She's had some victories too and really made a good push for what she believes. Her response this year? Meeting with more applicants, taking more of her precious time, ignoring the mice for these precious r.a.t.s. She's absolutely amazing. Her comment to me went something like this, "I'm not even sure if my opinion will count, but I just wanted to get to know these girls outside of that structured time." Instead of being embittered, she has taken even more steps to set herself apart.
I think my wife is Jesus sometimes, but then she puts her cold hands on my bare skin and she makes me want to curse. Jesus wouldn't do that!
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