Men's Hand Lotion

I love winter. No surprise there. But my knuckles always crack and bleed which leads my wife to say my hands look "gross". Fair enough and I can't disagree with her. But the only hand lotion we have in the house came from Bath and Body Works. So if I want my knuckles to heal, I have no choice but to use it.

Now I'm not the most manly of men but come on. I had to suck it up and come to work smelling like Cucumber Melon. Nice. So that got me thinking. I know there are "odor-less" lotions but what about lotions designed for guys. You know "guy smells". Not a huge market I can imagine but none-the-less, I'd rather smell like one of the following:

(Please excuse my shotty quality of work. Being I'm at work, I didn't want to take a lot of time with this.)






So who's with me? I'm mean, who wouldn't want to smell like dead fish? ;)

—b

Trophy Vaccum

I don't know either.

—b

Happy Birthday Grandpa Johnson!

We all love you Kevin/Dad/Grandpa Johnson!

—b

A Martyrs Purpose

A 29 year old missionary in the Middle East was killed late last night due to his faith in Jesus Christ. He was living in a small community quietly serving the Lord. Although he stood out, he fit in. He had many friends, most of them were not Christians but loved him just the same.

Approximately 2:27 am CST, a militia group (not in affiliation with Al-Qaeda) attacked the community this young man called home. There was no apparent reason for the attack except to "steal, kill, and destroy." The majority of the residents of that community were able to flee with nothing but the shirts on their backs. The dozen or so who were captured were being taken as captives to the militia's compound.

As the other future victims were yelling, cursing, and crying during their death march, the young man calmly obeyed his captors instructions. Not only that, but he would casually attempt to strike up a conversation with them as well. He would ask about their religion and whom they believed in. His questions weren't answered but almost demanded respect for him as he was respecting them.

As they reached the camp, all of the captives (men, women, and children) were set on fire while not only the militia watched, but their family and friends as well. All of the captives except for the young missionary. While he did fit in, he did stand out. The militia soldiers immediately called to attention not the color of his skin, but the peace that had engulfed him.

It wasn't he didn't know the eventual outcome of the early morning raid. He knew his fate would be the same as those around him. This "peaceful difference" screamed at the soldiers. So much so that his demeanor demanded attention. Amidst the blaring sounds, smells, and feeling of fresh death, a few of them asked if he was scared to die.

He told them he didn't want to die but if this was God's will, he knew he would see Him soon. "Who is your God?" was inquisitively brought up by a soldier a bit younger than the missionary. Without a second thought "Jesus Christ" came from the 29 year olds mouth.

This set into motion a fury of anger, hate, and abuse towards the missionary. Although, not everybody was taken back by his answer. In fact, a few of the soldiers didn't seem surprised.

What appeared to be the leader of the militia stormed over to the young man getting within an inch from nose to nose. "Who is your God!?!" the man shouted once again.

In the same calm and peaceful tone, the young missionary spoke "Jesus Christ". The leader in turn struck the back of the Christians legs forcing him to his knees. "Crawl to me!" shouted the leader.

The man obeyed only with each painful advance, he quietly said "Jesus". The Christian didn't know what to do, the only thing he did know was Jesus. As the leader continued to taunt this follower of Jesus, a large crowd had gathered around the incident.

Loud chanting ensued. "Crawl, crawl, crawl!" But the young man kept saying quietly "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus." Amidst this he was praying, "Lord help me know what to do. Lord forgive them for they know not what they do."

The obedient Christian finally reached the antagonistic leader. He took the man by the arm forcing him to stand. "You believe in baptism do you not?" They both knew the question was rhetorical. "Well here we will baptize you with fire!"

The leader commanded the same young soldier who had earlier asked "Who is your God" to attach the Christian to a well burnt steel frame. As the young soldier strung up his captive for his final moments on earth, he looked into the Christians eye's and saw what he didn't expect. Nothing. Nothing scared. Nothing hateful. Nothing remorseful. Nothing. Only peace and what also looked like the love of a brother. The soldier knew he would never forget the look in his prisoner's eyes for as long as he lived.

At that moment, the young missionary knew why he was going to die for his faith. The soldier. The young soldier who would not only witness this final moments, but was responsible for his death. As the flame was lit, he had his last earthly conversation with his Heavenly Father. "Lord, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Please meet this young man and take him into your care. May you be glorified in his life. May my death lead him to life. I love you Lord."

"Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." —Romans 6:8–11

--

That young missionary was me in a dream I had last night. I woke up at 2:27 am this morning and new I wouldn't forget that dream. I want to have such a strong relationship with and love the Lord so much, the previous would be me. To love my captors. To have peace with my fate. To remember it was God's will and love Him for it. That would be my martyr's purpose.

I usually don't remember what I dream about. And when I do, it's about being Spider-Man or joining the rebellion against Darth Vader, but this time it was obviously different. I usually have the honor of leading devotions here at work on Tuesday's and what you just read is what I presented today. I just felt the Lord leading me to write out my dream and share it with others.

I also feel I must give a disclaimer. I didn't remember every detail that I relayed. The majority and overall message was conveyed but I don't remember all of the details. I had to add some creative liberty in my story.

The reason for the "Persecution.com" banner is it's a great website put on by Voice of the Martyrs. Most of you have probably heard of them. They are a great organization and share sobering and truthful stories of followers of Jesus around the world. Check it out when you have the time.

—b

Subscribe to Inconsistancy

Due to my inability to achieve my own low set goals, I thought I'd point out a feature that some of you may not have known about. Underneath the PacMan game on the right hand side is this Subscribe feature. If you type in your email, every time I update this blog, you'll get an email sent to you so you don't have to check in wondering if I did indeed create a new post.

Pretty simple and no spam. You can also unsubscribe whenever you wish. The only thing I'm not sure of is the automatic emails get sent to your inbox vs. your junk mail folder.



—b

Dedication Weekend

(For more pictures of the weekend, click here or the link at the bottom of this post.)

This past weekend was busy in a good way. We had both sets of parents here (and of course Naener as well) for Brevin's Dedication. (Do Baptists capitalize "Dedication"?)

One thing Erin and I always take for granted is how well both sets of parents get along with each other. In fact, I dare say "like" each other! ;) Besides the whole Viking/Packer rivalry, they are quite similar. The biggest factor should go without saying in how much both sets of Brevin's grandparents love Jesus. This boy better not turn out "emo". He's got too many loving people around him.

(On a side note, I also had more people loving me when I went through my "black period". I'll love him no matter what he decides to do.)

Anyway, last week Erin asked me to write up something for the bulletin as a bio for Brevin. I think it's funny that we have to come up with something to write about him. What am I supposed to write about? He's 7 months old, he hasn't really accomplished a whole lot. ;) So I came up with a bio I figured would be appropriate for the Sunday. The following is what I wrote and submitted to Erin for her approval:

She said, "Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the LORD. For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD" And he worshiped the LORD there. —1 Samuel 1:26-28

Just as Hannah prayed for Samuel, we prayed for Brevin Isaac. The Lord knew all along He would bless us with a son, what we needed to have was a continued faith in a loving God. Not only did God know about Brevin before we did (Psalm 139:13), God also knew his name.

We wanted a family name for our firstborn, but who does he get named after? Bernt's family? Erin's family? Why not both? Just as husband and wife became one (Mark 10:8), our firstborn son would follow suit. Bernt's father is Bruce, while Erin's is Kevin; hence Brevin.

As we live under grace and raise our son as he should go (Prov 22:6), only God knows what is to become of Brevin. It is our job as parents to make sure Brevin's main source of nourishment, comes from that which gives life, God our Father (John 6:56).

Not five minutes after I IM'd it to Erin, she called saying "That's nice...but...it's to churchy. Can you make it funny?" Hmmm...k. Sure. The following is my second attempt:

Brevin Isaac Eidsmoe. Circa July 20, 2007.

Immediately this little guy hit the public eye with questions concerning his name. Why "Brevin"? Is it marketable? Are the Erik's, Chris', and Steve's of the world ready for a Brevin? When the questions from the marketing department arose, Co-creator's Bernt and Erin Eidsmoe held a press conference to disclose the origin of the name. The following is a portion of the complete transcript:

"When the honor of naming anything is given, especially a gift from God, Bernt and I take the responsibility with the utmost of care." Said the mother Mrs Eidsmoe. She continued with, "Both Mr. Eidsmoe and I wanted to carry on a family name and due to the fact we could not choose one of our father's over another, we decided to combine the two. For those of you who haven't been informed, my husband's father's name is Bruce while my father's name is Kevin. I believe you will find the resulting name to be most pleasing and agreeable."

Mr. Eidsmoe then stepped to the microphone and yelled "Yeah!"

She said, "Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the LORD. For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD" And he worshiped the LORD there. —1 Samuel 1:26-28

Not knowing what my more down to earth wife would think, I was already mentally preparing to write a third draft. But as soon as I submitted it, I got the approval to run with it. Wow. I was not expecting that. So, Sunday came and that's what ran.

Thanks honey for letting me be me.

—b

FYI, Click here for a bunch of pictures takes by my dad. Thanks dad, they turned out great!

"Sky Angel Cowboy"

Hey everyone,

It's been a while since I wrote and my new goal is to at least get one new post up per week. We'll see. Anyway, I stumbled upon this and just had to share it.



—b

Erin's Owie

Greetings true believers!

(Ok, so I stole that greeting from Stan Lee but if you have to copyright infringe on someone, it might as well be him.)

Anyway, after a long Christmas/New Year's break, it seems as though I'm no where near getting caught up again. It sure doesn't take much for me to fall behind. Despite my never ending task list, I thought I'd share Tuesday's adventure.

At about 3:30 I got a call at work and at the other end was two babies crying along with my wife. From what I could make out in between sobs, Erin was peeling potatoes (with a brand new serrated peeler mind you) and had sliced off a chunk of skin; the tip of her pinkie to be more precise. She continued between pain bursts to tell me she was in a tremendous amount of pain, couldn't get the bleeding to stop, and both Brevin and Haddie (the little girl Erin babysits) were both bawling.

I had a new found appreciation for 911 phone operators. I did my best to calm her down and tried to help her get the bleeding to stop before I left the office. Thankfully Haddie's mom Arika had left STEM 10 minutes prior and should be at our place anytime.

By the time I arrived home 15 minutes later, the scene was completely different from what I heard over the phone. Arika was entertaining Brevin, Haddie was walking around playing by herself, and Erin had stopped crying and had her pinkie wrapped in paper toweling and ice. The bleeding still hadn't stopped but the situation didn't seem so dire.

I'll admit I initially was skeptical as to whether or not we needed to seek medical attention or not. But that quickly changed when I looked down at the kitchen sink and saw Erin's finger tip chunk-o-skin. EWW! EWW! EWW! I wasn't nearly as squeamish when I saw her actual finger though. Where our pinkies curve was now flat and bloody.

Again, thankfully Arika was there to watch Brevin as we headed the few blocks to the hospital. We had to wait 10-15 minutes in the waiting room (which of course seemed much longer). Erin's finger still hadn't stopped bleeding as I had to get more toweling from the men's room. But when we were able to be seen, it had stopped. As they unwrapped our home-made suture, the doctor said there would be no stitches since there was nothing there to stitch, but they would clean the wound, make sure the bleeding had truly stopped, give her a professional bandage and send us home.

What was cool was what they put on the owie help with the bleeding. They said it was pretty new and that it looked like cottage cheese. They were right. The "cottage cheese" came in what looked like a sweet and sour container from McDonald's and when they put it on, it immediately only adhered to the blood only. Like I said, pretty cool. There was even another EMT in there just to see the cottage cheese go to work. Before they sent us on our way, they said to soak the owie a few times a day and in a few months, her finger tip would look normal again.

Looking back, we definitely saw God's hand (pun intended) in it all. The fact that Arika was on her way, the location of the hospital, my availability to come home from work, and that I didn't have freelance that night.

Speaking of freelance, this month should hopefully be the last of a very busy freelance period. I'm gone about three nights a week which leaves Erin a single mom for more than I'd like. I'm not complaining though since working with John at City Vision is crucial to get bills paid.

Having said that, I obviously haven't been able to spend the time with my family that I'd like. So one can't help but wonder if Erin didn't slice her finger tip off just to get some attention. You know kids these days. ;) Just kidding honey. I love you!

—b

UPDATE: Erin's finger is looking much better. To even quote her and stick with the food theme "It looks like a bloody raisin." Yum.

Erin's Owie (Teaser)

Well, as the pattern has been recently, I ran outta time. I need to leave right from work to head over to work with John at City Vision. Anyway, some of you all ready know the story, but for those of you who don't you'll just have to tune in tomorrow for the scoop on Erin's Owie.

—b

Merry Christmas From McDonald's

Since the Eidsmoe family will be in Peshtigo for a while, I'm not sure how much, if any, I will be able to blog. So having said that, here is one of my favorite Christmas commercials. Vintage 1980s.

Enjoy.



Merry Christmas from McDonald's! :)

—b

Bicuspid Aortic Disease

The day of Brevin's birth, we were told he had a heart murmur. "Most of the time it goes away as the heart develops" said our pediatrician to reassure us. Sure enough, at one of the following appointments, there was no trace of a heart murmur. But when Brevin's 3 month checkup came around, the murmur was back.

Twice a month a heart specialist visits our clinic so Erin set up an appoint for this past Monday. Upon further review and a few hours in the hospital, Brevin was diagnosed with Bicuspid Aortic Disease (BAD).

So what does that mean?

Anytime you hear "heart" and "disease" in the same sentence, you immediately put the two words "death" and "sentence" together. But hold your horses! For a quick answer to contain any panic, "two-thirds of people that have a bicuspid valve, it functions well for life."

What is a Bicuspid Aortic Valve?

According the American Heart Association:

The term bicuspid aortic valve refers to the leaflets of the aortic valve. This is the valve that leads out of the heart to the aorta, the big blood vessel that delivers oxygen-rich blood to the body. Normally, the aortic valve has three leaflets. A bicuspid valve has only two leaflets.

Because of this, patients with a bicuspid valve may develop a narrowing or leakage of the aortic valve. Narrowing or leakage of aortic valves do not necessarily develop in childhood, but may occur in adulthood. On rare occasions these problems require repair, either with a balloon (cardiac catheterization) or surgery. To determine whether narrowing or leakage is present and related to the bicuspid aortic valve, the cardiologist follows the patient with non-invasive tests that may include: electrocardiograms, echocardiograms and stress tests. If narrowing or leakage of the valve becomes severe enough to require intervention, your doctor will explain this to you in more detail. In many cases, bicuspid aortic valves do not require any intervention in childhood and children with them may not need activity restriction. A pediatric cardiologist will make specific recommendations for activity restrictions for each patient based on the severity of the valve narrowing or leakage. Restrictions may be put in place to assure that a normal amount of oxygen gets to the patient's heart muscle at all times.

So what does this mean for Brevin?

Brevin's next "heart" appointment is when he turns one. I'm assuming they will do the same thing to him they did Monday which is put those stickers on him with cords attached to monitors and then look at his heart via an ultrasound. We will have to monitor his heart, at least for now, on an annual basis.

Initially the heart specialist said we would have to monitor his "strenuous activities". ie. football, weight lifting, hockey. But that's only if his valve starts to become "insufficient". So for those of you who thought Brevin couldn't try out to be a Packer, fear not. As long as his valve is handling the blood flow normally, he could be the next Brett Favre. (Ok, so he won't achieve that status with my genes, but you get the picture.)

Other than that, Brevin should have a normal life with no restrictions.

If you'd like more info, eMedicine.com is a great website that has helped me and where I got the majority of my stats.

Bottom line is anytime you hear your child has a heart disorder, you are obviously concerned. And being that out of Erin and I, I'm the more relaxed one, Erin took the news extremely well. I was so proud of her! She didn't get worked up but just wanted all the information she could.

After we found out, Erin called both sets of parents and explained the situation to them. I'm not sure how they took it but let me just reassure them that Brevin is loved by God and when Brevin is old enough to understand, I know he will love God as well. The big picture is easy to forget, but ultimately, that's our only hope in this life.

If you think about it, would you lift up Brevin in prayer every now and then? Pray that we would keep this disease in the back of our heads and not dwell on it. Pray for healing concerning his valves and that God would open the third up. Pray that Erin and I would be wise in how we monitor this lifelong condition (that is unless God intervenes).

Thanks again everyone and Merry Christmas!

—b

Love As Jesus Loved

(Insert Vikings fans reading level joke here.)

Dagnabbit, I'm making time to write today! I don't care what is on my plate!

This is why Christmas is fun. Dad's and daughters get to dress alike and read the same books; the mom's get together in the kitchen to make holiday candy; the dad's relax in the family room while discussing open dates to travel to the boundary waters. That's what makes Christmas fun. Being together with those you love. In this case, immediate family.

For us, Christmas truly did come early this year. And the best part, we get a second Christmas in the same year! God is good.

At the same time, don't think we don't have our "tense" moments as well. Unfortunately no ones life is always a Norman Rockwell painting. We take the good with the not so good. The highlight of every holiday is spending it with family. Period. No green grinch can ever take that away. But at the same time, the lowlight of every holiday seems to happen while spending it with family. Question mark. Being born into sin sucks. I don't need to even go into specific examples of how families fight during the holidays. That seems to just as much of a tradition as the gifts.

Now please don't read anything into this post. We had a great time with no "family fights". But God has put it on my heart this morning to encourage anyone who reads this with family tension to love as Jesus loved. After all, that's the origin of this holiday anyway.

I was convicted this past weekend of not loving as Jesus loved. I ran through the motions of visiting my grandpa in the nursing home all the while looking at my slowly ticking watch. The thing is, I love my grandpa. I can make all the excuses I want for not enjoying my time there. But ultimately, I didn't love him like Jesus does. And unlike a 30 minute sitcom, this problem won't be solved after the last commercial break. But what I do know is I was thinking of myself first.

The point of this rather depressing tale is to, again, encourage you. If you have planned events with family that you aren't looking forward to. Will you please learn from my mistake and think of them before yourself? I went into that nursing home with the wrong attitude. I love my grandpa but I loved myself more.

I'll end my soapbox special with a passage from 1 Peter 4:8-11:

Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Now, just so I don't leave you with a heavy heart, here is the highlight of Christmas in Moorhead 2007.

It was time to start opening gifts. My dad was under the tree and literally tossing the presents to everyone. (Yes, I am my dad's son.) As we were all sitting in a semi-circle catching the gifts, my dad tossed one to me that didn't quite make it. Instead of hitting me, it hit the lamp next to me. As the gift made contact with the lamp, my mom who is sitting on the opposite side of the room, jumps up with a full cup of coffee in hand, trying to stop the collision.

The end result was her dumping her entire cup of coffee on herself, kicking Christmas presents everywhere, and causing the rest of us to burst out laughing. We, including mom, were all laughing so hard not one of us had a dry eye. What mom thought she could do to prevent the errant gift from hitting the lamp from the other side of the room, we'll never know. What's even better was the only fatality of it all was a 50 cent lightbulb and mom's now coffee stained outfit. Thank you mom for being who you are!

Merry Christmas everyone!

—b

I'm Trying!!!

Aargh! I'm trying to make time to post, really I am!

—b :(

Baby Fish Mouth?

In honor of my freelance friend John Mayer...enjoy bud. I'm still laughing at this.



—b

A Cop-Out Post?

First off...stupid priorities!

Ok, sorry about that.

I think gravity must have been a little off that day.

I was going to try and give a recap of the past few weeks but then reality, having been jacked up on Balco products, punched me in the face. So here's hoping I can start afresh tomorrow.

At the risk of turning this thing into a Brevin-only blog, click here to see an updated photo album of Brevin and his older cousin Kayle. (Yes, people have been asking for some. And when I say people, I mean Naner.) ;)

—b

Sense

Aargh! It's 4:30 already! Today flew by. I have a picture of Brevin and Kayle I'd like to use from Thanksgiving so if I don't get that picture tomorrow, I'll just find something else to use when I give you our Thanksgiving recap. But in the meantime, I'll leave you with a picture that doesn't make any sense, I just thought it was funny.

—b

BEing Snowed

(Click for full size)

Since I was off last Wednesday and this Monday, I have to catch up on a few things so I didn't get to give you our Thanksgiving recap. But as an attempt at a consolation, I updated the BEing Designed background (although I think it's too busy but it's only temporary so I won't worry about it now). If you like, you can also download it as a desktop picture for your computer.

See ya tomorrow!

—b

Adults-Only Sesame Street?

“These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.”

I realize I have been on a media-suitable-for-Brevin-kick but this is one I would have blogged about even if I wasn't a new dad. As reported by the New York Times, the first volume of Sesame Street is "intended for grown-ups". (You can read the complete article here.)

What?

Yes this is the same Sesame Street that had Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Bert and Ernie. I know that the Muppet Show was initially more popular with adults due to it's guest stars and humor that only adults would appreciate (not adults only humor either). But this is Sesame Street! You know, the program that was brought to you by the letter "M" and by the number "8". The one where we sing a song about cookie starting with the letter "C". The same one where the two headed monster sounds out "truck". And even the same Sesame Street where we got to learn that "one of these things is not like the other". That Sesame Street is not suitable for "today's preschool child".

Hmmm...ok. So what about the original episodes of Sesame Street is "not suitable"? Here are some answers according to Carol-Lynn Parente, the executive producer of “Sesame Street”.

Oscar the Grouch:

• He is "chronically mood-disordered." “We might not be able to create a character like Oscar now”.

Monsterpiece Theater:

• Alistair Cookie and the parody “Monsterpiece Theater.” Alistair Cookie, played by Cookie Monster, used to appear with a pipe, which he later gobbled. “That modeled the wrong behavior” — smoking, eating pipes — “so we reshot those scenes without the pipe, and then we dropped the parody altogether.”

Snuffleupagus:

• Only Big Bird could see him until 1985. "Big Bird’s old protestations that he was not hallucinating came to seem a little creepy."

Cookie Monster:

• "...in the early seasons he comes across a Child’s First Addict."

...and finally...


Rural Environments:

• In spite of the show’s devotion to its “target child,” the “4-year-old inner-city black youngster”, the first episodes join kids cavorting in amber waves of grain — black children, mostly, who must be pressed into service as the face of America’s farms uniquely on “Sesame Street.”

In looking for this warning label, I checked out a couple websites to hopefully see a picture of it. When I got to Wal•Mart's website, I was surprised to see that you have to be at least 17 years or older to purchase Volume 1! You would think a DVD they are selling in the "Preschool" section of their website, Wal•Mart would know it wasn't selling "Mature" content.


Wow. I'm glad I found out about this before subjecting Brevin to this kind of tomfoolery. I wonder if I suffered any lasting, oppressive repercussions from having been force fed that show? Hmmm...oh well. I guess I'll never know. ;)

—b

By the way, this post was brought to you by the letter "E" and by the number "4". And because I feel sorry for Cookie Monster due to his bad rap, here he his singing "C" is for Cookie! (Kids, get your parents permission before pushing "play".)

Mom Appreciation Saturday

How you doin'?

This past weekend reinforced my appreciation of Erin (and all mothers for that matter) when it comes to taking care of young kids. I have told Erin in the past I don't understand how she is able to accomplish anything with Brevin around; let alone when she is babysitting.

Saturday Erin got a haircut so it was just us boys and Bella hanging out that morning. Erin has him on a pretty good schedule so I knew he would be tired and go down for a nap. But I was hoping to be productive during that time. But of course Brevin had other ideas in mind.

We are traditionally safe to put him down 15-30 minutes after he is asleep. Saturday was the exception to the rule. So instead of picking up a few things around the house or doing dishes, Brevin, Bella, and I sat in the recliner watching Tora! Tora! Tora! (It was the first time I had seen the classic flik and I was impressed.) I should say, Brevin and Bella took naps while I lost feeling in my left arm and right leg as they were being used for beds.

When Erin got home, it was time for Brevin to eat and me to take a shower. My "freedom" was short lived though as Erin got a much needed girls night out with some friends from church. I knew the night would be the same as the morning being Brevin's fussy time is typically the time I usually come from work.

He proved consistent. He didn't really want to play all that long and I could tell he was getting tired. So I held him till he fell asleep and waiting for my magic window of time before trying to put him down. Sure enough, his attention alarm went off as soon as I laid him down. This time we watched the Robert Zemeckis/Steven Spielberg animated film, Monster House. (Which, by the way, is a movie I'd make Brevin wait til he's older to see. Definitely not a movie for younger kids.) Thankfully by the time Erin got home, Brevin was out and I could have had a lightsaber battle with my imaginary friend right there in the living room and he wouldn't even known.

Having said all that, my main point was my first one, this weekend really made me appreciate the mom's of the world. What a gift God has given to Erin and others. While Brevin is still at this stage, I'll do my best to enjoy the time I get to spend holding him, but at the same time, I'm anxiously awaiting our future lightsaber battles together. Besides, my imaginary friend Alessandro doesn't really put up much of a fight. ;)

—b

Technology & Brevin

Click the image to see it larger

Just recently I vented my frustrations concerning "technology". But there are definitely some advantages. Take for instance video chat (the picture above). I love the fact that I can talk with Erin and actually see her as well. It's fun also to see Brevin looking intently at the screen in front of him. It makes me miss them all the more while at work.

I could pull up a soap box and rant at how things have been changing even since I was younger. But I'll spare you the obvious conclusions and just say how Erin and I have already talked about monitoring what Brevin sees and plays with as a high priority. Whether it's TV, video games, or even the content on his future cell phone, we will be the mean old parents making sure nothing is on there that will be a temptation for him.

Yes I realize I'm probably coming off as the new parent who has delusions of grandeur when it comes to parenting, but this particular issue is dear to my heart so it is one that won't be going away anytime soon.

—b

A "Low Key" Family Visit

Grandpa Johnson had no problems entertaining Brevin.

This past weekend, grandpa and grandma Johnson came to visit. Thankfully it was a pretty low key weekend.

Saturday consisted of a hair cut for me, a nap for grandpa Johnson, the Gopher basketball game for J-Bone, and a good Michigan vs. Wisconsin college football game for us all. Meanwhile, Erin and grandma Johnson headed out to Cantebury Park for some horse racing. (Just kidding.) They did go to Cantebury Park but there was a huge craft show that helped us make a dent in our Christmas gifts for family.

Sunday morning, Erin dawned her Brett Favre jersey while I represented the Vikings in grandpa Eidsmoe's Chris Carter jersey. As for our son...he was politically correct. He had a Vikings onesie and a Packer bib on, topped off with one sock of each team. We all looked like a fun family but we didn't get a picture taken since the Vikings must have had a high school team show up in their place and I took it personally when they lost. (God has been working with me in this area.)

Anyway it was a fun and, like I said earlier, a low key weekend. With the holidays coming up, it will be a weekend we longingly look back on and say "Remember when..?"

—b

A follow up story concerning my interpretation of the word "cereal".

Last night, Erin asked me if I told her dad that Brevin would be eating Cheerios at 4 months. I answered in the affirmative and said "Well our pediatrician said Brevin would be eating cereal at 4 months." Erin burst out laughing and explained the meaning of cereal wasn't "cold" cereal, but the mushy kind of cereal.

"Ohhh...that kind of cereal."

When she asked me how I thought Brevin was going to eat Cheerios without any teeth, I told her I just thought for as much as he's drooling, the Cheerios would basically dissolve in his mouth and he wouldn't need to chew them. She continued to laugh and thanked me for it.

I learned two things last night. 1. Brevin will not be eating Cheerios or any other General Mills product anytime soon and 2. Though I will always have a lot to learn when it comes to taking care of Brevin, at least Erin can enjoy my learning process.

Silent Recycling

What do you notice about this picture?

• There are 5 Coke products and 1 Pepsi?
  —No, but you are very observant.

• All the cans are facing the same direction?
  —Your getting warmer.

• If you said the cans are organized, you are correct.
  —But why blog about it?

The story behind the picture: I had just come home from work and was mulling around the kitchen looking for something to eat. When I looked down to see what was in the bag I was tip-toeing around, this is what I saw. Six empty pop cans, all facing the same direction, ready to be taken out to recycling.

Did Erin get bored and decide to have fun with recycling?

When I asked her about it, she said Brevin had fallen asleep in his swing and she wanted to get some house cleaning done. But because our son had just fallen asleep, she knew it wouldn't take much for him to wake up. So cleaning became a chore. (Ha! I bet you didn't see that pun coming.) ;) When she got to putting away the pop cans, she couldn't just throw them in the bag. And if she were to just gently put them in without any order, they would rattle and it wouldn't make any difference how gently she put them in the bag. Her only solution, creating a base for the bag so when she picked it up, the cans would remain silent and sturdy.

Funny, yet ingenious. Ah the things we do accommodate a sleeping baby.

Enjoy your weekend!

—b

"I Love Technology"

"...I love technology. But not as much as you, you see. But I still love technology. Always and forever..."

Good ol' Kip, the loveable dork from Napoleon Dynamite. As much as Kip loves technology enough to sing his "song" to his wife at their wedding, I on the other hand, am finding it to be a nemesis.

Yesterday I mentioned it was a tough day. Can you guess the reason? Huh...? Speak up, it's OK. I won't tell anyone you're answering me audibly. THAT'S RIGHT, TECHNOLOGY! Very good. I'm so proud of you! Even with a "new" laptop, an upgraded internet connection, and better software, I was getting frustrated how inconveinient "better" was. Make sense? We (Steve and I) were supposedly making headway, albeit ever so slowly, but progress nonetheless. Then Monday hits. OWIE!

Being that my emotions are often louder than my t-shirts, people couldn't help but notice. (Sorry everyone.) I did all I could to fix/help the situation but there were some issues that were outta my Minor League pay grade.

Thankfully God's grace is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-24). In settling down to spend some time with Him before work, I prayed as I always do before reading His word, that the Holy Spirit would reveal what He wanted to me and that I'd have ears to hear. (Any non-Christi followers are now lost due to my use of "Christianese".) Translation: I'd learn something new and follow it.

I'm in Luke chapter 10 right now (Yes, even though I haven't posted my daily devotion since...well...the blog archives know, I'm still spending regular time with my heavenly Father.) and this mornings reading was the story of Jesus sending out 70 of His followers "to every city and place where He Himself was going to to come" (10:1). Jesus told them to take no money, bag, or extra shoes (10:4). They were to go relying on God the Father to provide for their needs.

You would have thought having no supplies would hurt their ministry. They'd have to worry about finding food, a place to sleep, and even the weather. But the 70 people obeyed. (At least they didn't have to worry about being robbed. They didn't have anything to steal!)

Upon returning from their mission trips, you would have thought the results were less than satisfactory due to lack of supplies. They could have probably been more productive with at least some money. But the results were completely opposite! "The seventy returned with joy, saying 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.'" (10:17)

Jesus goes on to encourage them but brings them back to the big picture by telling them, "Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven." (10:20)

They weren't to rejoice in the power Jesus had temporarily given them (even though it was good and used for God's glory) they were to rejoice in what was truly important, eternal life with God! THE BIG PICTURE!

Takeaway

To often I become frustrated because I feel my resources are inadequate. My computer is too slow, email isn't working properly, or just plain lack of funds. But I need to to step back and look at the big picture. Will the Good News of Jesus Christ not be spread because my email isn't working properly? Ha! God always has control even though I'd like to think I do as well.

Does that mean I won't do my best and use all my resources to fix the problem? Of course not. But I need to work on remembering to keep what's important, what's important.

—b

Ummm...?

It was a tough day today so what better way to end a not fun day with some fun!?! Work purchased a refurbished (like new) MacBook for me and it has a camera installed with it. I'll have to try my hand at a video blog one of these days.

If you want to see more of me being stupid, click here.

—b

Oh yea, I also asked a new question on my poll. "When do you start listening to Christmas music?"

Introducing Evelyn Grace!

Congratulations to my cousin Jason and his wife Kelly on the birth of Evelyn Grace Sykora! She was born Sunday morning at 10:00 and weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. They have already given her the nickname of Evie.

We can't wait to meet her!

—b

Giraffes, Lady Bugs, and Baby Cows. Oh My!

On Thursday night, Erin, Brevin, and I spent the evening at Hiawatha church's Fall Festival. It was set up as a outreach to the community where parents could come with their kids in costume, play some games, win some candy, and hear a Bible story.

There was a costume contest according to age group that both Brevin and I entered. There was giraffes, wizards, hippies, lady bugs, and army guys to name a few. Brevin went as a baby cow and I was some guy from the 70s. (Erin went as a mom.) Brevin lost to a baby Yoda. And I lost out to Zam Wesesl (another Star Wars character.)

By the end of 2.5 hours, there must have been over 50 parents and kids and some of those were fresh faces. Hopefully we'll see them again come Sunday morning.

Anyway, I wanted to post this yesterday but Erin was going to post some of those pictures on her Facebook profile and I wanted to wait 'til she uploaded them. To see those pics, click here. For those of you who don't want to follow the link SHAME ON YOU! (Just kidding.) Let me start again. For those of you who don't want to follow the link, below is what I looked like dressed up.


Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

—b

Happy Halloween

Have a safe and enjoyable Halloween. And if anyone see the "The Great Pumpkin" let me know. I'm still believing he exists!

—b

Journey Into the IT Realm

More and more I'm realizing that my position at STEM continues to evolve. Four years ago, it was upgrading STEM's 20 year old "look". But now that has all-but been accomplished, we are realizing we are extremely behind in the IT realm. We don't have adequate back up, computers that are sufficient, and basically, an overall plan for our technology needs. It's quite scary knowing how vulnerable we are.

So, partnered with our new COO Steve Miller, the two of us will be the blind leading the blind not knowing what's in store. For you Lord of the Rings fans, picture Frodo and Sam stumbling into Shelob's lair (The big spider). We know we need to go through it to emerge victorious but we are terrified of the darkness that awaits. (Can you tell I'm currently listening to the LOTR audio books?)

Anyway, Steve is a great guy to work with. He knows where we need to end up and is good at putting one foot in front of the other. We also have help from a couple of my Mac friends. One is a fellow comic book fanboy (Stego) and the other is also a graphic designer (Jay) who also happens to work at an Apple store.

God has given Steve and I help. Albeit not in the form of elves, dwarfs, or wizards but even better help as Stego and Jay are serving God and not "the one ring". Thank you Father! (Who knows, maybe when this is all done, Peter Jackson can direct a trilogy about our adventure.) :)

I'll leave you with a humorous take on IT according to the wisdom of Dilbert. Enjoy.

click to enlarge

—b

Slump Busting

Since starting this blog November of 2005 (yes almost 2 years ago), this blog has been kept fed on a near daily basis...til now. Sure I've had some slow times but never like this. And unlike the past two years, I haven't had a son, the amount of freelance projects, and overall amount of responsibilities like I have now.

Last night I was trying to put this all in perspective. When struggling to describe anything, you're always safe using a sports analogy. Ie. "You hit a homerun with this latest project!" or "It was a bottom of the ninth, two out scenario." and everyone's favorite "You gotta just step up to the plate." So in continuing with the overused baseball analogies, I'll use one of my own. I'm just going through a blogging slump.

When trying to get out of slump, there are several ways to try and combat this. But for this purpose, I'll use Dr. Alan Goldberg's 10 Sports Slump Busting Steps and try to apply them to blogging.

Step 1: Ruling Out Non-mental Causes: Not all slumps are in your head. The 4 key training areas of athletic excellence. Eliminating the causes of the slump. Testing your performance awareness. Are you burnt out?

Am I bernt out (Get it? I used bernt instead of burnt. Creative huh.) ;) Yes, I am burnt out but I'm on the other side of it. So if I were a fantasy player, I would say "buy low" cause I'm gonna get better.

Step 2: Establishing Self-control: Stopping the Slide. Determining your mental strategies. Getting back in control. Mastering the "uncontrollables." Using the uncontrollable as your competitive edge. When the uncontrollables are people.

Well, my "uncontrollables" are becoming "consistantables" (yes I realize that isn't a word.) My work routine is becoming more routine again and I realize that freelance and Brevin will dominate my nights. As for using them for a "competitive edge"...ummm...well I know they are coming/here.

Step 3: Developing a Championship Focus: The Here & Now Rule of Peak Performance. Staying in the Here & Now. Controlling your eyes & ears. Using the pre-performance ritual. Staying focused during performance. Developing & using concentration focal points. Testing & evaluating your concentration ability.

Ok. Staying focused is always an issue for me but I have been doing the blog for nearly two years so it's just a matter of hitting priorities.

Step 4: Dealing With Your Fears: The single biggest cause of choking. Recognizing fear. Understanding fear. Defeating fear. Move towards fear. Break up the fear. Reframe the fear. Change the focus of concentration. Challenge the fear's logic. Create distance from the fear.

I guess my fears would be I would never get back to blogging since I really do enjoy it. So in this case, I just need to make sure I do what I want...blog!

Step 5: Expecting Success: The power of belief. Success & failure cycles. The structure of belief. Breaking down negative beliefs. Change the experience of the belief. Change self-talk. Change the time frame. Reframe negative beliefs. Use adversity to boost your confidence and intensity. Stop negative thoughts. Developing positive affirmations. Ignore the "experts." Associate to past successes. Learn from others.

Expect success huh? Well, since I don't make money on this blog, that's not a measure for succeess. I guess as long as it's a fun and creative outlet for me, that would be considered a success. If people enjoy reading it, that's a big bonus.

Step 6: Developing Positive Images: What movies are you watching? The quality of your internal imagery directly pre-programs your performance. The power of mental images. Developing slump-busting imagery. Check the accuracy of your images. Pick the proper perspective. Mentally rehearse in vivid detail.Begin your rehearsal with relaxation. Keep your sessions frequent & brief. Have a specific target/goal for your imagery. Anticipating problems. Seeing your way out of the slump. Copin g imagery. Mastery imagery. Relaxation script. Coping imagery sequence. Mastery imagery sequence.

(This author seems to be all about the power of the mind.) A positive image? Ok he's starting to get a little too "New Agey" for me. Does anyone remember in The Natural when the NY Knights were losing and they brought in some quack who kept telling them "loosing is a disease" and Roy Hobbs walked out? Well, I'm starting to thing that guy is the author of this book.

Step 7: Setting Slump-Busting Goals: The importance of the goal setting process. The road to success. Creating the "big enough why." The principles of winning goal setting. Make the goal yours. Eat an elephant. Set deadlines for your goals. Use outcome and process goals. Make your goals specific. Keep your goals flexible. Frame your goals in a positive way. Make your goals measurable. Write your goals down & post them. Sample goals. Working towards your big enough why.

Setting a goal is a good idea. As long as I keep the people who want to know what's going on in our lives, that would be a good goal. If I can continue to have fun with the blog, that's even better.

Step 8: Building Self-confidence: Physical preparation. Taking responsibility for your training. Strengthen your weaknesses. Set up your training environment to boost self-confidence. Use your weaknesses as strengths. Remind yourself that you've paid your dues. Catch yourself doing things right. Work with a coach who believes in you. Develop & use rituals.

Ok, this one is just a rip-off of Saturday Night Live's Stuart Smalley (aka Al Franken). "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!"

Step 9: Becoming Mentally Tough: The stuff of mental toughness. Mastering failure. Viewing failure. Knowing the road. Explaining failure. Onward to mental toughness. The ABC's of mental toughness.

Yea, I don't think this one applies.

Step 10: Insuring Against Future Slumps: Reading pre-performance nervousness. The feelings, thoughts and actions of optimal and over-arousal. The feelings, thoughts and actions of under-arousal. Lowering over-arousal. Creating and using a resource room. Raising under-arousal. The slump meter-Developing an early warning system for spotting slumps.

This is another good one. Avoiding future slumps. I'll just try and keep everyone up-to-date even if I don't get the time to make it look "pretty" or have some fun with it.


Well, there you have it folks. A top ten slump busting post. Who knows, if it works, maybe I'll buy Dr. Goldberg's book...Naw! If anything, I'll purchase Stuart Smalley's book over this one. Just remember, "Your good enough. Your smart enough. And doggone it, people like you!"

—b

Vikes vs. Pack — Year 3

Wow do I have a lot to catch up on concerning the blog! So before I get overwhelmed, I'll share some pics with you. It's easy to do and it's always a hit with Brevin's grandparents. ;) The pics of Brevin are from a few weeks ago, but since Erin and I attended our third Viking/Packer game (all three have ended with the same result by the way), I figured this would be an appropriate time.

You can find the pics here.

Despite the poor performance by the Vikings, I had a great time. We picked up my brother J-Bone and his friend Snake and we all headed to a parking lot outside the Dome for some tailgating. It's amazing the price hike from one year to the next just to tailgate. Last year it was $25 (which was spendy enough). This year, try $40! Oh well, it was worth it.

Brevin did not attend his first Vikes vs. Pack brawl and looking back, we're glad. Thankfully his grandma Eidsmoe and aunt Emily came down and babysat. The amount of swearing (on both sides of the ball) was tremendous. Erin thought it would be nice if there were a "Family Section". I wholeheartedly agreed.

It was funny how the stereotypes remained true to form. The Vikings fans behind us had the worst mouths and cursed their own team as much, if not more, as they cursed their opponent. Meanwhile the Packer fans next to me were drunk before they got there and didn't stop drinking during the game. If I never hear a slurred version of the phrase "Yea baby!" again that'll be fine by me.

Despite the initial disappointment by Vikings fans, when Brett threw the now famous #421, 98% of us stood and clapped in honor of his accomplishment. It was neat to see almost all of the sold out Metrodome on their feet recognizing Brett. Shortly after the celebration, we were greeted with a pre-recorded video of Dan Marino giving a half-hearted congratulations to Mr. 4 for taking away his last unbeaten record.

All-in-all, we had a great time and can't wait to go next year. And just so I make myself clear after giving the Packers so much love...

GO VIKINGS!!!

Thankfully Mission Maker 2008 is done. We finished the loose ends this morning. That always feels good. I didn't put in nearly the amount of time at home like the past few years. It was only one week of late nights. Having a son made it 100 times harder to work. Erin was basically a single mom last week. (Thanks again Erin.) It's an experience I never want her to have to go through again. Thankfully there is always room for improvement and next year I'm confident the mag can be completed on work time, not family time.

When you get the magazine (if you don't, let me know and I'll get you a free one) take a look and see if you can tell I did the last half and STEM's other designer did the first half. I personally don't think so and think we make a great team. (Great job bigD!)

Thank you to everyone who prayed for us during this. Hopefully the magazine will be used to glorify God in ways we couldn't even imagine!


...Last but never least...


—b