We left Anchorage this morning(Sunday) at 8am local time and arrived in Fairbanks around 3pm local time. We finally made it "home" after two weeks in California and 1 week in Anchorage.
Fairbanks is our summer home and is nice to be able to unpack our bags for awhile. The two weeks in California and 1 week in Anchorage were great, but it is nice to call a place "home" for a short time.
I will have more updates later, but for now here is a short video of our roadtrip to today. It begins early this morning with Kaylee finding a sleeping place in the van and ends here in Fairbanks. The video is nothing special in terms of special effects, so don't get too excited. Who knows, it may not even work!!!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Things you learn in an airport...........
What do you get when you mix 23 college baseball players, a nine year old kid and too much time waiting in an airport? Well................check out the video below.
It seems that we breezed through the unloading, bag check and security checks as we left San Fran for Anchorage last week. This allowed us some extra time to sit and wait at the gate. This also allowed time for some practical jokes to be played. Let me give you the setting.........
Some of our guys got the idea to set up "dollar man", modeled after the "bush man" in San Fran. I have to admit it was funny to watch.
The guys would tie a dollar bill to some dental floss, place the dollar in their back pocket, then walk across the floor in front of oncoming people. Someone would then pull the dollar tied to the floss. It would fall to the floor as the person kept walking. The unsuspecting person walking would see the dollar fall out of the person's pocket and either keep walking or try and pick it up. The person on the other end would then pull the dollar away.
Well, you really just have to see it. Here is video of Kirkland playing the part of "dollar man".
It seems that we breezed through the unloading, bag check and security checks as we left San Fran for Anchorage last week. This allowed us some extra time to sit and wait at the gate. This also allowed time for some practical jokes to be played. Let me give you the setting.........
Some of our guys got the idea to set up "dollar man", modeled after the "bush man" in San Fran. I have to admit it was funny to watch.
The guys would tie a dollar bill to some dental floss, place the dollar in their back pocket, then walk across the floor in front of oncoming people. Someone would then pull the dollar tied to the floss. It would fall to the floor as the person kept walking. The unsuspecting person walking would see the dollar fall out of the person's pocket and either keep walking or try and pick it up. The person on the other end would then pull the dollar away.
Well, you really just have to see it. Here is video of Kirkland playing the part of "dollar man".
Anchorage Day Five......
Not a good day for the Fire......we took a beating tonight as we collected just one hit, no runs and made five errors as we lost 10-0 to the Pilots. This was the same team we beat earlier in the week 9-3, go figure that one out.
We slept in this morning, a first for us as a family. It was a weird feeling waking up at 10:00am, but the time changes, late nights and sun all the time has took a toll. We had more energy and enjoyed the day otherwise.
Tomorrow(saturday) is our last day in Anchorage before we travel to Fairbanks. The day will begin in the morning as we will try and grab some tourist action before discipleship begins at 3pm. We will then play our 5th game in a row as play the Bucs at 7pm.
Kirkland and Kaylee have been doing great and they have had fun getting to know Ryan, Jackson and Ty Beck. The players have also been great in getting to know all the kids. Tammy is getting along well also. She gets tired a little quicker now that our baby(December 11 expected arrival) is growing each day, but enjoys being together with everyone each day. Our life pretty much consists of family, discipleship sessions and baseball. All this in a land we have never been before is a great experience for all of us.
I am still one of the last to not see a moose in the wild. Five days and counting now.
We slept in this morning, a first for us as a family. It was a weird feeling waking up at 10:00am, but the time changes, late nights and sun all the time has took a toll. We had more energy and enjoyed the day otherwise.
Tomorrow(saturday) is our last day in Anchorage before we travel to Fairbanks. The day will begin in the morning as we will try and grab some tourist action before discipleship begins at 3pm. We will then play our 5th game in a row as play the Bucs at 7pm.
Kirkland and Kaylee have been doing great and they have had fun getting to know Ryan, Jackson and Ty Beck. The players have also been great in getting to know all the kids. Tammy is getting along well also. She gets tired a little quicker now that our baby(December 11 expected arrival) is growing each day, but enjoys being together with everyone each day. Our life pretty much consists of family, discipleship sessions and baseball. All this in a land we have never been before is a great experience for all of us.
I am still one of the last to not see a moose in the wild. Five days and counting now.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Anchorage Day Four
Day four in Anchorage is slowly coming to a close as most people we know our sound asleep right now. It is 11:22pm local time, 3:22am on Friday for most of our family and friends back home in the Southeast. Back home on Poinsett Ave the night has grown old and I am sure Dexter(our lab) is snoring away amidst the humid June night. Here in Anchorage, the sun is starting to set, the weather is cool, but not cold and I am wide awake!!
I don't know how the local people make it up here. Don't get me wrong, the scenery is incredible and the weather is really good right now. However, I don't think I could get adjusted to the long summer days and the darkness that never leaves in the winter. It is truly a different place to live. Animals like moose and bear are all over, in fact, I am one of the last on our team to have not caught a moose in the wild. Most of the players have had the privilege to see one in the wild. I am going on four consecutive days with no moose sighting.
We just finished playing our third game here in Alaska and won tonight 3-2 in 10 innings. It was a wild game. We had 13 hits while the Anchorage Bucs only had two hits. It took us ten innings to win and would have been a very tough loss had we not pulled it out. Hard to swallow a loss after you outhit your opponent 13-2. Our guys stay focused and pulled it out.
We have started a new series in discipleship. Chris is talking about LSD.........love, sex and dating. It is a powerful series with young college men opening up like they are during the sessions. We have some really strong young men in terms of their faith and we have some that are questioning their strength and others that are looking for answers involving their relationship with Christ. Keep this team in your prayers as we continue this summer developing and fostering relationships.
We had some time this morning to travel down the Seward Hwy and take in some of the beauty of Alaska. I have updated some photos, click here, to view.
We traveled down the Seward Hwy and viewed some snow capped mountains along the water. It was a great stretch of land.
Well, it's close to midnight here and time for a quick snack before bed. It will soon be time to start the day back over with discipleship at 2:30pm and then our 4th game in a row at 7pm. We wrap our first week up here in Anchorage on Saturday night with another 7pm game and then it's off to Fairbanks. A seven hour drive on Sunday will put us "home" for a stretch of time and allow us to unpack our bags.
I don't know how the local people make it up here. Don't get me wrong, the scenery is incredible and the weather is really good right now. However, I don't think I could get adjusted to the long summer days and the darkness that never leaves in the winter. It is truly a different place to live. Animals like moose and bear are all over, in fact, I am one of the last on our team to have not caught a moose in the wild. Most of the players have had the privilege to see one in the wild. I am going on four consecutive days with no moose sighting.
We just finished playing our third game here in Alaska and won tonight 3-2 in 10 innings. It was a wild game. We had 13 hits while the Anchorage Bucs only had two hits. It took us ten innings to win and would have been a very tough loss had we not pulled it out. Hard to swallow a loss after you outhit your opponent 13-2. Our guys stay focused and pulled it out.
We have started a new series in discipleship. Chris is talking about LSD.........love, sex and dating. It is a powerful series with young college men opening up like they are during the sessions. We have some really strong young men in terms of their faith and we have some that are questioning their strength and others that are looking for answers involving their relationship with Christ. Keep this team in your prayers as we continue this summer developing and fostering relationships.
We had some time this morning to travel down the Seward Hwy and take in some of the beauty of Alaska. I have updated some photos, click here, to view.
We traveled down the Seward Hwy and viewed some snow capped mountains along the water. It was a great stretch of land.
Well, it's close to midnight here and time for a quick snack before bed. It will soon be time to start the day back over with discipleship at 2:30pm and then our 4th game in a row at 7pm. We wrap our first week up here in Anchorage on Saturday night with another 7pm game and then it's off to Fairbanks. A seven hour drive on Sunday will put us "home" for a stretch of time and allow us to unpack our bags.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
First day in Alaska..........
Our first day in Alaska is coming to a close. The coolest thing about today was finishing up our first game in the League around 10:00pm and still wearing sunglasses.
No matter how much people tell you about the days being long and the sun being up at midnight it is something you have to experience for yourself.
Alaska is different, a different style all its own. From the people to the long days to the landscape its different.
We won our first League game tonight, defeated the Pilots 9-3. It was good to get that first League win under our belt. We are now 4-2 overall and 1-0 in League play.
We get back at Discipleship tomorrow at 1pm then travel about 45 minutes for a game against the Miners. We play every night this week and then head out to Fairbanks on Sunday.
No matter how much people tell you about the days being long and the sun being up at midnight it is something you have to experience for yourself.
Alaska is different, a different style all its own. From the people to the long days to the landscape its different.
We won our first League game tonight, defeated the Pilots 9-3. It was good to get that first League win under our belt. We are now 4-2 overall and 1-0 in League play.
We get back at Discipleship tomorrow at 1pm then travel about 45 minutes for a game against the Miners. We play every night this week and then head out to Fairbanks on Sunday.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
We made it............
We left San Fran on Monday evening at 7:55pm and landed in Anchorage around midnight. We picked up another hour so we are now working four hours off our eastern standard time we are used to.
A bus delivered us to the Anchorage host Church where host families picked up the guys. Two things really stood out as we waited in the parking lot:
1- It sure was bright to be 1:00am
2- Mosquitoes are big as birds here in Anchorage
We got in bed around 2:30am local time and slept great. It was a long day, but we are now entering our second leg of the journey. Hard to believe it has already been two weeks.
We open League play tonight here in Anchorage at 7pm local time, 11pm for any folks back home in SC/GA keeping up.
I am working on a slideshow, hope to have it up soon. I will try and post tonight after our game.
A bus delivered us to the Anchorage host Church where host families picked up the guys. Two things really stood out as we waited in the parking lot:
1- It sure was bright to be 1:00am
2- Mosquitoes are big as birds here in Anchorage
We got in bed around 2:30am local time and slept great. It was a long day, but we are now entering our second leg of the journey. Hard to believe it has already been two weeks.
We open League play tonight here in Anchorage at 7pm local time, 11pm for any folks back home in SC/GA keeping up.
I am working on a slideshow, hope to have it up soon. I will try and post tonight after our game.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
3.2 and counting.......
I have had a good number of firsts to happen here in California and had my first experience with an earthquake on Saturday night. It was a 3.2 and registered about 20-30 miles from where we are staying in a town called Aromas(I think).
I was standing up stairs trying to figure out a fax machine and a real quick rumble and sway occurred. My first reaction was "who slammed a door?" I was then told we just had an earthquake. The 3.2's are the best I imagine, a quick jolt with no damage. Now that I have felt one I am good for a lifetime.
Today started off with our last service at West Hills, the host Church in the Gilroy/Morgan Hill/San Martin area. We had the rest of the day off and my family and I ventured off to Monterey for the last time. We had fun spending some quality time together at the beach and then walking around Cannery Row.
Kirkland put together some documentaries for you, the video is below.
Well, this might be my last post for a few days, not sure. We fly out to Anchorage, Alaska tomorrow around 7 pm and not sure when I will have internet access again. Keep checking back soon.
This leg of the journey has been great. The weather has been incredible, the host families have made everything much easier for all of us and West Hills Community Church has been great in providing us with accommodations.
Our team has grown on the field and off. It has been rewarding watching these guys come together for discipleship. Their training over the last couple of weeks really paid off yesterday in the prison and the other times we have met with opposing teams after playing them. I am looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead.
Here is the link(click here for photos) once again to the photos I have uploaded. I wish I had some photos from Soledad prison, but for obvious reasons we were not allowed to take cameras in with us.
I was standing up stairs trying to figure out a fax machine and a real quick rumble and sway occurred. My first reaction was "who slammed a door?" I was then told we just had an earthquake. The 3.2's are the best I imagine, a quick jolt with no damage. Now that I have felt one I am good for a lifetime.
Today started off with our last service at West Hills, the host Church in the Gilroy/Morgan Hill/San Martin area. We had the rest of the day off and my family and I ventured off to Monterey for the last time. We had fun spending some quality time together at the beach and then walking around Cannery Row.
Kirkland put together some documentaries for you, the video is below.
Well, this might be my last post for a few days, not sure. We fly out to Anchorage, Alaska tomorrow around 7 pm and not sure when I will have internet access again. Keep checking back soon.
This leg of the journey has been great. The weather has been incredible, the host families have made everything much easier for all of us and West Hills Community Church has been great in providing us with accommodations.
Our team has grown on the field and off. It has been rewarding watching these guys come together for discipleship. Their training over the last couple of weeks really paid off yesterday in the prison and the other times we have met with opposing teams after playing them. I am looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead.
Here is the link(click here for photos) once again to the photos I have uploaded. I wish I had some photos from Soledad prison, but for obvious reasons we were not allowed to take cameras in with us.
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