20 Questions

I'm trying something new on the blog today.  You ask me any question you want and I will answer to the best of my ability.  So...fire away.  I will take the first 20.

I'm Cleansed!!!

I have finished the Master Cleanse!   Sorry I did not update more but there really was nothing different than the previous post.  Drinking...cleansing...Drinking...cleansing...wanting to eat...drinking some more...cleansing some more (to put it politely).  

So now I am done and here is what I have done since:

1)  The next day I drank fresh orange juice all day.

2)  Day two I drank orange juice in the morning, vegetable juice in the afternoon and vegetable soup at night.  That was my first solid food in 11 days!!

3)  Day three was last night and I started the day with oatmeal and yogurt.  Then yougurt, banana and almonds for lunch and a good wholesome Don Pablo's for dinner.  That was the true test for my stomach.  It held up.

So now I am eating whatever I want again.  I will try to maintain a healthy diet but I'm sure the sweets will sneak it's way in there somewhere.  

It was a good experience overall.  I lost about 10-15 pounds and feel great!  

Day 4

Well, I have reached Day 4 of the Master Cleanse.  I have learned 4 things.  

1) The combination of lemon juice, maple syrup, water and cayenne pepper really isn't that bad. 

2) The warm 32oz.  Sea Salt water that I have to drink every morning is horrible.  

3) It is actually possible for someone to poop 6 times in one day...oh yeah...that was today.

4) I am not as hungry as I thought I would be.

Only 6 more days to go.  I am really looking forward to some solid food.  I will keep you posted.

 

Master Cleanse

How does the mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, water and cayenne pepper sound to you?  Well that is what I will be drinking for the next ten days.  I am doing what is called The Master Cleanse.  Basically what this process does is cleanse your body of all toxins that are currently in the body.  It also helps to break up mucus inside of you and clean out your digestive tract.  I will also be drinking a herbal laxative tea every night to help regulate the process if you know what I mean.  First thing every morning I will be drinking sea salt water to flush out the system.  That should be fun.  I hear you visit the throne 4 or 5 times within the hour.  I will keep you posted on the progress.  

If you are interested in joining me in this process the recipe is:

2 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp. grade B maple syrup

1/10 tsp. of Cayenne Pepper

8 oz. of water

This is to be taken 8 to 12 times a day every 1 to 2 hours.  Let me know if you decide to join.

Once a Year

It is that time of year again to tackle Summit Adventure.  This is our ropes course at Manowe.  Every year we have to get certified so we are able to facilitate the course.  It is an intense 2 1/2 day training and it is a blast!  I get to do this with my team and I love these guys.  Perhaps the best part of the weekend will be our traditional Friday night run to Dairy Queen.  Mint oreo blizzard...you know what that's about.  So this weekend will be full of fun.  The only downer is I will miss my wife like crazy.

Matthew 5:4

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."  Tom and Karen, I pray that the God of Peace would comfort you and your family in this time of great loss.  Hayley and I mourn with you.  We also praise God with you that Brian is now with Jesus.  That is the miracle in all of this.  We love you and may you feel the presence of God's strength and comfort.

For Me and For You

How deep the Father's love for us,

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the chosen One,

Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed I hear my mocing voice,

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that helf Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I knoww that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

Iron Sharpens Iron

This weekend Darin Keim came to the area to check out Five Star and he stayed with Hayley and I.  We went out to eat and talked about the memories of our High School days.  There were some great individual moments that we revisited.  Those were marking days for me.  Life changing days.  The guys that were and are in my life were and are an incredible blessing to me.  God put me smack dab in the middle of a bunch of "iron" men that have encouraged, inspired, challenged and loved me.  Thanks guys for the great memories of our high school and college days.  Those were just the beginning.  The next generation is now entering and God only knows what lies ahead.  I'm sure more great one-liners from Sturm and girly, high pitched noises from Combs.  Whatever they may be, I'm just glad I get to make them with you guys.

The Return of the Kings

Hey Everyone who still visits this blog!!!  I have been having some serious trouble lately trying to access my blog.  Apparently Fire Fox will not allow this site to accessed on my computer.  Something about cookies not being accepted or something.  If anyone knows how to possibly fix this that would be helpful.  

As of now I will just use Safari to access the blog and update.  And since there is so much to update in the last however long it's been, I'm going to give you a quick top 5 things that have happened.

1.  Five Star moved in to our new office that was completely donated to us.  It's nice to have your own home.

2.  Hayley and I had our first married Christmas together.  We spent some time in Lansing with her parents and then went up to Boyne City to spend a few days with my parents.  It was a great break.

3.  God has continued to bless Five Star and Manowe.  There will be around 1,000 students who will have attended at least one season of Five Star this year.  Last year at this time we had 4 or 5 students with some money turned in for Summer Camp.  This year there are already 135 kids with some form of down payment to Summer Camp.  It's going to be quite the summer.

4.  Manowe has just recently put together a sweet winter package for couples to come to the ranch for a weekend to relax, reflect and renew together.  Hayley and I are putting together a weekend to hang out with some of our married friends (sorry if you are single but this is an overnight thing).  If anyone reading this is interested let me know and I will get you more info.

5.  Finally, Hayley and I have started talking about getting a house.  Not sure when or where for sure but hopefully in will happen within the next year.

So there is just a quick update.  Hopefully I will be updating more often now!!!

Welcome to Verizon

I have switched cell phone companies. If you would like to call me, my new cell phone is 574.361.1064.

What If...

Sorry about the ridiculously long absence for the blog here. As my journey continues I am learning a great deal from my experiences and my time spent with Jesus. Here are a list of questions for you to think about.

What if...you put yourself in a position where only the power of God could help you move forward?

What if...instead of waiting for someone to love and accept you, you started loving and accepting everyone around you?

What if...you were obedient to God and started taking steps not knowing the final outcome?

What if...you just stayed where you are?

What if...you lived with others interests in mind?

What if...you lived selfishly?

What if...when you are standing before God and he asks what you did with what he gave you, you had no answer?

What if...you had an answer?

What if...instead of trusting money, jobs, materials, people or ourselves we put all of our trust in the plan that God has set before us?

These are questions that have developed throughout this journey that I have been on for the last year and a half. I am learning some valuable lessons and they will help me as I continue to press on.

Five Star Weekend

This past Saturday we had our first Five Star Day Trip of the year. We had a record number of students attend. We bussed 130 students up to our ranch, Manowe (ma-no-way) in Sturgis, MI. Students were put into groups according to their school and we had seven different stations that they rotated through. They were horse riding, fishing, high ropes, low ropes, archery, potter's hammer (crafts) and table time (meal prep). It was an incredible weekend. There's nothing quite like inspiring students to face their fears and watching them do things they have never done. Gotta love getting paid for that!!! Hopefully I'll start adding pics here soon!

It's That Time of Year

Tonight Hayley and I spent some time making our first ever caramel apples.

Here are the victims.

Hayley prepares the caramel pellets.

I got the fun part.

Hayley is making sure we did everything right.

It was a fun night. Now it's time to eat.

Happy Birthday Kaylyn!!!

Last weekend our niece Kaylyn turned one. Here are some of the pics we were able capture of her celebration.

Uncle for a Year

It's hard to believe but I have been Uncle Otis for one whole year already! This weekend Hayley and I are heading to Mt. Pleasant to celebrate with the family the first birthday of Kaylyn. It should be a good time!

I am also going to take my wife to out on date tonight to the same place we went on our first ever date. Bennigans!!! Turkey O Toole sounds good to me!!

And so it Begins...

I love this time of year. Especially when the Lions start with a win. Hopefully it is the start of the 10 promised wins this season made by Kitna.

Our World - Reality

What is happening in the world we live in? Check this out

Summer Photography

Just a few shots I took over the summer.

New Album 8/30/07 12:22 PM

6-8-07

Here is a small sampling of our wedding pictures.

New Album 8/30/07 12:15 PM

Recap

It is a Saturday morning and I finally have the time to sit and bring this blog up-to-date. So here we go. This is what Hayley and I have done in past 2 months.

We went on our honeymoon of Playa Del Carmen, MX. We went to the Mayan Ruins and relaxed at our resort...

From July 4-8 we went up to my parents in Boyne City, MI to watch fire works and celebrate my birthday...

From July 11-16 we traveled to Vermont for my cousin Christian's wedding and stopped by Niagra Falls on the way...

Then for the next two weeks I was working at Manowe for Five Star summer camps...

When summer camps were over, Hayley and I left the next day for India for a mission trip with our church. Check out the blog here...

When we returned home Hayley started a new job and I have been trying to get caught up with Five Star.

So needless to say, we have been a little busy but through all of this our marriage has continued to grow and become stronger. I love being married. Life would have been a little dull if I had to do all of the above things alone. I will do my best to continue to keep this updated. I have lots to share.