Lani Update

Lani always presents special challenges. It’s never dull moment when she’s around (Lani is our black lab).

During camp, Lani managed to break her choke chain while on her leash (cheap metal). She proceeded to enjoy her first leash-free moment on the ski slope terrorizing skiers, snowboarders and more with her amazing speed and chasing abilities.

Here are some video clips taken by “helpful” Lani “lasso-ers.” I hope you enjoy them because I didn’t. I came out of the experience with a 1/2 gash on the forehead (click for photo) created by a sniper-like sneaky poma lift pole that managed to connect with me as I pursued our leaping labrador Lani. Funny now, but not so funny then - but isn’t that the way it always is?

Eye update

Okay, the “eyes” have it, but I’m going to give you an update on the first few days of the 2nd half of the first century of my life! (Got that?!)

I received a call to re-visit my eye doctor as soon as possible - something about an anti-biotic that I needed to pick up.

During that visit, I had the “pleasure” of having my left eye’s tear duct flushed out. That was a new one!

I walked into the examination room, was instructed to sit down and tilt my head back in the chair. A nurse took another swipe of a cotton swab (for a culture) through the lower inner eye-lid region (fun!) and then squirted some drops into my eye that ran down my face, neck and onto my chest.

Another nurse scuttles in, tilts my head back, and says, “Keep your head back!” She puts some more drops in my eye and at least has some tissue to catch the overflow.

Approaches the doctor with some kind of needle in hand - YIKES! I’m thinking, “I’m out of here!” but before I can even get my feet to the floor, she’s got me in a headlock and says, “I’m going to flush your tear duct! Some liquid will enter your throat from the tear duct. You may swallow it. Please hold still.”

Right!

She grabs my eye lid and pulls it over my head (Bill Cosby style - if you’ve ever heard his “Birthing” story!) and sticks a needle-like pipe into my tear duct and opens the fire hydrant! I nearly drowned! Good thing I was thirsty!

Now, to add insult to injury, I leave with more stuff for my eye. Here’s my daily regiment:

I put a drop of Visine in my immediately upon awakening.

7:00 am - Special drops (some kind of sulfate)
11:00 am - Same drops
3:00 pm - Same drops
7:00 pm - Same drops
9:00 pm - Visine again
11:00 pm - Sulfate drops again
11:30 pm - Some kind of goopy, gluey stuff that glues my eye shut for the night

Oh, my eye surgery has been moved - thank the Lord - so that I can give a seminar at the National Youth Workers’ Conference. The seminar is for men only and deals with maintaining purity in today’s sex-gone-wild world!

Recovering from Camp

Big House Winter Camp 2008 is now a memory.

Hannah is sleeping on the couch with a fever of 101+ degrees. Nathan is still comatose in his bed. And Linda and I are trying to recuperate and catch up (emails, mail, laundry, etc.) from a week of skiing, snowboarding, sledding, fellowship, prayer & God’s Word.

Camp is always an exhausting event. But we trust the Lord for His strength & impact in the lives of the folks who are there - students & leaders alike.

Even Lani is lackluster - and that’s a rare moment for her!

I’ll be putting up photos & video clips soon. I’ll let you know when they’re up, but for now, here are a couple that I think you’ll enjoy.


This is our funny face group photo!