Thanksgiving Day Parade

All semester I have been seeing a turkey or two on my way to class in the morning. This is strange because it is in a residential neighborhood that is literally 3-5 minutes from downtown Grand Rapids. I have been telling the kids about the turkey and Lydia has suggested that it was actually an illusion of a turkey due to being early in the morning. Wow! Turkey hallucinations? Could it be?

I tried to prove this to Lydia by taking this way to church week after week- but believe it or not, no turkey... ever on a Sunday. Am I in need of special medication?

I had an idea. I would take my camera in the car to see if I could capture, on film, the large bird. Nope. Twice without a turkey. How come when I am alone I see a turkey in the middle of the street almost EVERY morning- but when I am with another, or with a camera there is no turkey?

I must be under a lot of stress to see turkeys marching up and down Michigan Street while traffic slowly goes around it. Do I need help?

I thought I would try one more time for photographic evidence of the crypto-urban turkey. I got it! I am not seeing things!

If this first picture was all of the evidence, I am sure a case could be made for a large bird-shaped piece of West Michigan snow.

I pulled right up to her and she attempted to duck (turkey?) out of the way. I got this one of her going down. She stayed low and I refused to move my vehicle despite the line forming behind me.
Then she looked up and made eye contact, bird to man. I knew that this was enough evidence of the crypto-urban turkey!

Or it is a hood ornament? Nope. It is the real deal.

To My Critics

I have been criticized (in good fun) for wearing obnoxious ties and shirt/tie combinations to church. Rev. Lanning apologized to Owen for this and said that he would just have to deal with it because his dad was an art major. Owen will always have to put up with ugly tie/shirt combos. Huh.

One of my favorite obnoxious combos is the orange polka dot tie with a blue Oxford under a grey sport coat! Who wouldn't LOVE to wear that combo?

Well, the news has spread. I have started a new fashion trend amongst the rich and powerful. President William Jefferson Clinton wore this same combo to the Iowa Caucus today! Who would have thought that Billy boy and Nate had the same tastes?

So, to my critics: If President William Jefferson Clinton can do it... so can I!

What Thirty is Like

Well, I am now 30 years old. What is different? Well, not much.

I had a nice birthday. I got some cards in the mail and a Lowes gift card from my parents... I am sure that Lydia suggested it. She has been asking for me to repaint the bedroom for a number of months. Now it will get done. Heidi got me some coffee and a new Starbucks cup. I love it. Irma and Lawrence sent some cash. That is always appreciated.

Bill and Paige Kamp (who are expecting in May) volunteered to watch our 3 little ones on Tuesday so that we could go out for a birthday dinner. We took them up on the offer and went out to Olives in East's Gas Light Village. It was a great time. We had Martinis and Mushroom Crostini as an appetizer. For dinner I had Tenderloin Napoleon and Lydia had Garlic-herb marinated steak. It was wonderful! The conversation was adult and the company was splendid! It was a good way to bring in my third decade.

From there we walked to Starbucks for some hot chocolate. We talked some more and really did not want the evening to end. Of course, with small children you cannot be away for long! We picked up the kids and headed home.

On my proper birthday (Wednesday) we did not really do anything. I had class in the AM and prepared for Bible study that I was teaching in the evening. We took a short break for a Mangiamo pizza for dinner, and then it was time for me to go to Bible study. Lydia made a delicious blueberry cake and a chocolate cake to send with me.

At Bible study Ray and Linda sang happy birthday in Dutch and Ray and James sang it in German. We also sang the 30th Psalm in commemoration of my birthday. It was a good night there.

Today (Thursday) was class and writing as usual. I got the mail at 5:20 and to my surprise there was a package addressed to Lydia. I opened it and found a splendid birthday gift! She got me a book that I have been looking for for about a year. I have NOT been able to locate a copy and was hoping to not have to pay $100 for it! She got it for me! The book is Sketches of the Covenanter Ministers, 1888-1930 by Owen F. Thompson. She found a minister in Kansas (Rev. Ken McFarland) that had two copies and was willing to sell one to her.

This is the follow up book to Glasgow's History of the Reformed Presbyterian Church that Ray and I wrote the introduction for upon its reprinting. What a great gift! It takes a very special wife to search long and hard for a bibliophile's gift. What I could not do in one year, she did in one quiet month of searching and emailing. It is good to start my 30th year of life with a woman who knows and loves me so much. She loves books and fine food too, of course.

Five Blessed Years

Five Blessed Years

Five years ago today Lydia and I were married at the Chapel of Reformed Bible College. We sang Psalms, read Scripture, and were married according to the Reformation form written by Peter Detanus. Reformed Christians have been using this form for nearly 500 years. It was a blessed event in which the glories of Jesus Christ were proclaimed. We thank Him for 5 years and pray that the Lord would grant us many more.
In the past five years the Lord has blessed us in many ways. The greatest of which being Anna Grace and Owen Justice. We look forward to our new baby as well. The Lord is gracious and kind unto those that love His name.

Here is the prayer that was prayed as we were married before God:

Almighty God, Thou who dost manifest Thy goodness and wisdom in all Thy ordinances, and from the beginning hast said that it is not good that man be alone and therefore hast created him a helpmeet to be with him, and ordained that they who were two should be one, and who dost also punish all impurity; we pray Thee, since Thou hast called and united these two persons in the holy state of marriage that Thou wilt give them Thy Holy Spirit, so that they in true love and firm faith may live holily according to Thy divine will and resist all evil. Wilt Thou also bless them as Thou hast blessed the believing fathers, Thy friends and faithful servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; in order that they, as coheirs of the covenant which Thou hast established with these fathers, may bring up their children which Thou wilt be pleased to give them, in the fear of the Lord, to the honor of Thy holy name, to the edification of the Thy Church and to the extension of the holy gospel. Hear us, Father of all mercy, for the sake of Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son, our Lord, in whose name we conclude our prayer.

This is How Much My Daddy Loves Me

Man, it is SO obvious that he loves me!

Just wondering...

Should Nathan keep the beard or go back to the goatee?
	Keep the Beard
	Go back to the Goatee
	Grow a Hitler mustache
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Thanks for the vote Maggie!

If I were on Xanga

I have decided that if I used Xanga instead of Blogger this would be my image. For the greatest Xanga post ever click here.

Eulogy for a Friend

Sometimes one must learn to let go.

One must let those things that we love pass on to their next calling in life. One must make decisions concerning these times. When one lets go of a friend that has loved and comforted his feet for all of a decade- there are hard decisions to make.

Should one allow such a close companion go without giving him another chance at a new life?

Should another want to enjoy what life and love is left within his natural cork bedding?

Should another find satisfaction with his embossed buckles or his nubuck leather straps?

Should there be another to fit within the foot mold that has lovingly and dutifully formed over all of these years?

These my friends are tough and deeply-rooted philosophical questions.

May another one come to love and care for you the way that I have loved and cared for you. Goodbye my trusty companion. May another love you the way that I have... to eBay dear friend.

May 12th is the close of the semester. I will begin posting again that evening. The children are well as are we. Thanks for your prayers and concerns as the semester crashes to a close! I hope to enjoy the Springtime and a nice barbecue on that day.

Dimwhit and the dimmer-switch

At my work we have a room where patients have to sleep sometimes called a Think Tank. This room is the classic "padded room" minus the padded walls and other cliche' associations with psychiatric care.

This evening a patient was required to sleep in this room for reasons of his or her own safety. This room is not a very comfortable place to sleep; it has a large Styrofoam mat that is on the floor and there is a half moon mirror so that the staff can see the patient at all times. There is also a very bright, obnoxious light that glares down into the face of the one that is trying to sleep.

In my Christian compassion I found it necessary to turn down the lights for him or her so that he or she could sleep a little better. The dimmer switch (that is the same as the one to the left) was not dimming. Some of these industrial switches require that you place a paperclip or other such item into them for the purpose of dimming the light. I attempted this with my restraint key.

For this compassion I received a shock that ran down my arm, knocked my backwards, and caused my tongue to go numb for a moment. I was totally embarrassed as well as 'shocked' that this had occurred. This, my friends and faithful readers, was not one of the such afore mentioned dimmer switches.

The joys of psychiatric care.

Spring Fling

Our first act of spring was to trim our front tree. The tree is one of those Japanese Maples that are supposed to be about 5-10 feet tall and nicely shaped like a little umbrella. Ours was taller than the house and was not trimmed by the previous owners. We have trimmed the lower branches but the taller ones were unreachable with my pruning equipment.

I went to Alger Hardware and rented a super-long chainsaw-on-a-stick. It reached the top branches nicely and I am quite sore. I now need someone to remove these huge branches.

A Week Behind

I know that I usually blog at least 4 times a week for all to see what a fun filled life we have here on Union Avenue. Sometimes the time flies due to schedules and not being home too much. Sometimes all of the time in class and writing of papers leaves a full headache for a day or so due to the flashing of an LCD monitor in my face. Sorry folks.

I decided that I would ride my bike this week. I rode through Victorian Grand Rapids and accidentally hit a set of stairs and ripped it off of the building! Oops!

We had a snack over the Grand River and watched "icebergs", as Mrs. P called them, float on by.
Anna danced to the sounds of a player piano while we clapped and laughed.
Sadly, oh so sadly, Anna could no longer afford to pay the rent on the land on which her corrugated bungalow rested. We had to turn it over to the Grand Rapids recycling commission.

An exciting, and oh so sad week.

Mein Kampf mit schwester, fraulein Heidi

In the previous post my lovely sister-in-law referred to me as Hitler (she wrote Hilter...but we can forgive that.) The reason that she calls me that is not because I am evil dictator who lords over my home with expectations that uberhumans could not perform; although that sounds nice.

The reason that she called me that is because on a certain Tuesday this past summer the family from Chicago was going to come to Grand Rapids and we were all going to go to Frederick Meijer Gardens for a nice afternoon. In my haste to get groomed before they arrived; I shaved with a razor that was a few shavings past its usefulness. I butchered my face...but only under the nose and around that crease that connects the upper lip to the center of the nose. Needless to say I walked around the Gardens with a ridiculous looking bandage that covered that region of my face. Heidi thought that it would be fun to refer to me as Hitler!

Too bad Hitler ruined that great piece of facial hair history though. I think I may try that moustache sometime in lieu of the goatee.

Highlights from Anna & Nate's birthday party

Anna and Nathan had their birthday party last evening. It was quite an event...many....many people filled the rooms of Union. With the basement completed we were able to filter the kids to the basement and have the adults (and a few of the kids) on the main floor of the house. Lydia baked a beautiful cake for Nathan and Anna....not our Lydia...Sam's Club's Lydia.
Anna got this sweater and hat from her grandmother in Pennsylvania. She really loves it. She wore it to the party. (Of course her baby was there too.)
Anna said, "O-poo fisss" She wanted to open the one with the fish paper on it first.
She thought that the stack of gifts was impressive enough without even opening one.

People filled the rooms of our beloved little English Cottage. We enjoy having a lot of people over. (We also enjoy the quiet at the end of an evening like this....but don't tell anyone...it will be our little secret.)
Here is a pack of Pickerings or a lot of Lannings depending on which end of the photo you start from. Linda enjoyed holding the babies, while James yelled in German at his lovely sister.
Here is a friend that shall not receive a name since Google can pick them up. Let's just say that he is writing up a legal disclaimer saying that he is not responsible for any of these children.

The Vedra family was there as well. Seth was snuggled in his sling and Noah played with all the boys that were here. As a side note, Emily, you left your nappy bag here.

We sang Psalm 2 as well as Psalm 28 before we sang the birthday song and cut the cake. Anna did not seem interested in blowing out the candles. I was.
Anna thanks everyone for coming on behalf of her and her baby. She hopes that you all had a great time.

The tricks of the trade

There comes a time in every father's life in which he begins to really enjoy his children.
(Gasps from all around...What a jerk!...But wait....)
When children reach the age of three months or four months they begin to do cute things that set the attachment hormones in high gear. Baby will coo more, smile, respond to your goofy faces and noises, and even begin to take on more human characteristics such as extended limbs. (Don't get me wrong: babies are human when Mr. Sperm meets Mrs. Egg).

Owen has begun to do some of these cute things. His latest trick is that he rolls over all the way. Exactly like Anna, Owen gets agitated at the fact that his arm gets stuck under his body and he cannot remove it. He also gets stuck on his side at times, but is able to put his weight into it.

This is all really cute...But Owen has not learned how to go BACK onto his back. He gets very frustrated with this. For all who have children or have been around them you know the scene. Baby rolls onto stomach...Baby is cute and proud of him or herself....Baby's neck gets tired and begins to flop around like Notliberal's Ronald Reagan bobble-head doll which graces his kitchen counter. It is very funny.

Here is a series of action shots of Owen doing the roll-over. He loves it!

Step One: Throw your weight towards your dominant side.

Step Two: Complete roll using combination of gravity and good ol' ingenuity.


Step Three: Look around to make sure that everyone saw you.

Nate starts his 9th year of college

Classes started today at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. I was glad to back and am looking forward to another full semester towards the title of Master of Divinity.

This semester I have the following classes:

1. Exegesis of the Gospels. In this class we read the gospels in the original Greek. We translate them into English, discuss alternate translations, and talk about the meaning of the text.

2. Archaeology. Here we go over the various discoveries that archaeology has unearthed that is related to the biblical narrative. We also talk about manners and customs that were prevalent in biblical times. In this class I have to give a presentation that deals with literacy in the ancient world. (I have to give it on Anna's birthday).

3. Homeletics. Here we will discuss the ways in which you preach/teach at special services. We will discuss weddings and funerals and other joyful/not so joyful events.

4. The Christian Minister & Ministry. In this class we will discuss the various ways that a minister is to conduct himself at home and in ministry. I am sure that we will talk about the importance of family worship, seeking counsel and accountability and other things. (Maybe they will get my big rear end in a suit after this class....naah!)

Not all of the men that attend the seminary want to be ministers that have churches. There are those who want to do missions, chaplaincy, teach, counsel, and other things as well. So the classes such as the last two will also have sessions that deal with these career paths as well.

I hope that the semester goes well. Keep me in your prayers as well as Lydia who becomes a "grad school widow" for the next couple of months again. Also if anyone wants to help pay for my education they may. Send the checks to:

Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary
c/o Nathan Eshelman's tuition bill
2695 Leonard Street NE,
Grand Rapids, MI 49525 USA

You can also pay by credit card by calling them at:
p:616-977-0599

I look forward to being back in school and I look forward to adding one more semester to my nine years of post-highschool education. The life of the forever student is never done!

Lazy Bones, Sleepin' in the Shade, How Ya Spect To Get Your Corn Meal Made?

Nathan had to go to a class from 8:30am until 4:00pm that dealt with some real exciting stuff:

1. co-concurring illnesses
2. lessening the use of restraint as a non-theraputic tool
3. principles of compassionate care
(There is more, but you will stop reading out of boredom!)

Let's just say that I got tired.

When I got home I had to mow the yard and water everything that grows. Anna was outside with me and helped me to see how the mundane can even be turned into play. It was nice.

Lydia is currently transcribing dictations.

When Anna and I completed our yard chores, we sat on the bed and looked through magazines together. Anna looked through Mothering and I looked through Old Schoolhouse.

We fell asleep. (Not from lack of intellectual stimuli, but due to built up exhaustion. )

Lydia then discovered that Anna and I were not the only characters in this house that had passed out on a warm, breezy August evening. The whole family was asleep, but she continued to type. And to type. And to type.