Two Things Thursday

Suzi counts down to Item Uno for T3:

As adults we learn fairly early that filters are important for social activities.  We learn what to discuss in certain settings and what to leave off the table.  The fact that these filters are firmly in place for much of American culture makes it rather jarring when someone overseas congratulates you for gaining weight (that's a sign of prosperity for them) or pries noticeably into your financial status.

Of course, all bets are off when we encounter an infant under the age of three.  Thankfully, their little psychological make-up or comprehension isn't in place yet!  So, for your Thursday enjoyment, Cooper's Top Ten Body Commentary:

1. Your feet look like Incredible Hulk!

2. You weigh how much?
3. What a chunky monkey!
4. Look at those thighs!
5. Where are your shoes?

6. Where are your socks?

7. Did you just make that sound?
8. How is it possible for that little body to produce that (smell or, uh, deposit)?

9. "Smell him... I think he stinks."

10. "Whoa...you do stink." 

Scott shoots for Two:

When we left for Jordan in 2008, we either sold off or stored up everything we own.  We've got a storage unit, and crates in basements at both sets of inlaws.  When we're in the States, we bounce between our parent's houses.  This time around, we're at Sasha's house (Suzi's mom).  When I sit down to work, I need a minimum space of 3'x3'... and a comfy chair.  Out come the hard drives, mice, books... I'm not kidding, I spread out.  

Before I left for Jordan last time, I'd been camped out in my parent's basement.  All my gear is stored there in nice, neat racks so it's convenient down there...and I love the space.  But, it meant I was here while Suz and Cooper were over there.  It just wasn't working and people kept giving me grief about not being a husband, father, decent human, yada yada yada.

So, when I returned last week, I started digging around Sasha's trying to carve out a space for me to work.  Last night, I finally worked out something on the front porch that's simple & works.  Of course, this morning about 9AM, the sun cleared that white house across the street and blinded me, which lead to even more shuffling about.  I can't describe the deep-seated need I have for someplace to put my stuff.  I never need much, just somewhere my gear can rest between running.  It makes me happy AND productive... which, in turn, makes Suzi pleased as punch.  And that makes us a Pleasant Pack o' 3.

Check Ups = BBQ, kinda...

Friday, Cooper had his 6 month checkup with Dr. Misra and a quick cocktail poke from Nurse Jaci.  He's running a few ounces over 23 lbs and is 28.25 inches long.  All signs point to a very healthy, active kiddo!  And Cooper did great with his shot!  No prolonged, open-mouthed, silent screaming this time... for which we celebrated at Buckingham's by sitting down, ordering and then taking turns standing and rocking a wiped-out Cooper.  

Once we'd both tasted our food in its warm, natural state, Cooper decided he'd had enough of all things public and started yelling about injustices and unfairness in pediatrics world-wide or maybe the lack of clean diapers in some far-away place... we couldn't tell for sure since his diatribe was mainly in the form of industrial-scale raspberries.  Just before things went south we managed a quick shot (below) after which the socks came off... and we all know what happens then... Bill the Cat would be proud.

Thbbbbfttttt!

Photo Books Reviewed

Christmas is coming and we've got photo books on the brain.  These are great gift items for recent or far off events that need a little more than just a table-top frame.  We've got friends who annually do one of these professionally printed photo albums to chronicle the year.  I think it's ironic that we've come full circle on photo storage and display.  Back in the day you had a small selection of bound, three ring binders and archival quality plastic sheets.  Then came scrap-booking and the myriad of punches and colored paper options at Michael's.  Some of us skipped the scrap book and went straight to online albums... categorizing our lives in little boxes of 10-99 shots with a few "Mobile Uploads" thrown in to spice things up.

Now, we've come all the way back to albums, except they're hard bound with 115lb, lay flat paper and titling across the spine.  We can pick from leather, linen or soft copy.  It's a cornucopia of creativity out there in the digital frontier!  Anyone can whip off their trip to Cancun to the publisher, throw it on the coffee table 5-10 working days later and look like they just waltzed out of Borders!

So where to start?  What site gets your money shots with a wide variety of cover options? Lucy uses Shutterfly.  Jan used Winkflash, I think.  And Jaime uses My Publisher, plus there's a gizmo thru iPhoto that Apple gives you...  I know, I know!  My mind's spinning off its axis at the moment, too, but thankfully I've got Google and Google's got ZDNET and over there they've got a link to a dude named Jason who's done all the heavy lifting for us.  God Bless the boy... this Canadian had a bad bout of booking binding and decided to put out the goods on, count 'em, a dozen different online print houses.  Normally, I just breeze through reviews and am on my merry shopping way, but this one... THIS one... is worth talking about.  And not just  because he mentions Mpix... yes, the MPix of 10 billboards on eastbound I-70 Mpix.  He really did a dozen photo books of his son's birth.  It's well worth the read (he says it's 15,000 words) just for the effort he put in.  Don't want to wade through all that prose?  His summary is perfect.

So, my choice?  The jury's out, but I gotta move quick here... Christmas is coming!

This just can't end well #103

This seems to be an accepted practice at this business... and it just can't end well.

Two Things Thursday

Wow!  How is it time for T3 again!?

OK, Firstly, for those who live in STL or Columbia, Alpine Shop's got a sale going on and I'm always one to shop if it's cheap.  Click the coupon over there to print your own.  I'm such a sucker for clearance racks there.  Anytime I'm rolling through Broadway, it's like a siren call between them, Slackers and El Rancho.  Why not make it a threesome?  A trio of absolute auditory, culinary & geared out bliss.  BTW, my personal fave @ El Rancho is the Chicken Nachos... big enough to take some home.

Oooo... Second, I'm HOME!  Suz, Cooper & Jaime met me at the airport on Monday night to drag my grateful, and seriously beat, body back home.  It was more than 24 hours from door-to-door, but a totally uneventful trip.  I did get to see Ramona & Beezus on the plane and have to admit to tearing up when the family thought they were losing their house.  I am that parent now.

It also seems I have become that parent who can't wait to get back to see his kid.  I've traveled an awful lot in past years by myself, but never have I been so happy to get back home to see Cooper.  He started crawling and broke out his first tooth while I was gone to Jordan!

And in Cooper new... He's getting his food critic groove on... It seems rice cereal has fallen out of favor and carrots are currently overshadowing sweet potatoes by a shutter, gasp and immediate grab for the next spoonful!  Our baby boy is growing up!

Flat Stanley Project

Earlier this year, I got a curious request from the daughter of a friend of ours.  Her class was reading Flat Stanley and wanted to send him to me.  I first had to Google the guy to see what I was getting into and then quickly agreed to one of the coolest projects I’ve done recently.

See, Stanley got, um, flattened by a falling bulletin board.  This new identity lets him slide under, over and through tight spaces, including being mailed to new places.  The children's book, written in 1964, became an international phenom in the mid 90’s when a third grade teacher in Canada created a pen-pal project to allow school kids to practice literacy and track Stanley’s travels.

Abriah sent us her personalized Flat Stanley, along with a list of questions and a Flat Stanley to decorate.  We answered her questions and then took Flat Stanley out on the streets of Amman for a meet and greet.  The response was better than I could have anticipated.  Young and old were intrigued and excited about getting their picture with Stanley!

After an afternoon of touring, we dropped the two Stanleys, along with some brochures about Jordan, at the Post Office and wished them luck.  Abriah’s teacher got them in good form and they proved to be a hit at school!  We got a full description of Stanley's adventure from Abriah when we had dinner with her family recently and got to see our Stanley again... Drop by Flat Stanley's album to see his tour!

Two Things Thursday

Firstly:

Wow... crazy run-around... that's usually the pace in Jordan and this trip's been no different.  I'm rooming with Nathan, who has been an ideal roomie... perfectly happy to hang out in his space with his Mac and me in mine.  And he makes a mean banana bread or chicken fried rice.  Definitely a domesticated dude.  So, knowing that I haven't put in my time in Petra quite yet (insert heavy irony here), I offered to play guide and introduce him to the Rose Red City.  

This was to be, I believe, my sixth time to venture through the hallowed walls of the siq and stand before the majestic Treasury.  We kicked off at an ungodly 7.30AM and were on Abdullah's camels by 11AM (yep, I've got a Bedouin guy on speed-dial).  It was a GORGEOUS day with blue skies, cool breezes.  We explored up the mountain behind the buffet restaurant, rode the donkeys up to the Monastery and even got some time in on the Urn Tomb.  I'd not been up on that side of the park before and was amazed at the size of the rooms.  We were back in Amman by 9PM and gratefully collapsed into bed.

And Second:

So, the whole reason it's been crazy run-around is that our national conference wrapped up on Monday night.  This year we had services in Amman, Husn and Marka.  This required some schlepping of gear from one location to another, but overall seemed much less harried than previous years.  (This  is heavily influenced by the fact I arrived two days prior and thus had very little to do with the prep work).  Brad Reed did a fantastic job in pulpit and we had great services all around.  For an added bonus,  Adam came in to visit for a few days in the midst of it all.  I was especially happy with the turnout for Husn, which was held at the YWCA in town.  Four were baptized after that service.

This week I've been prepping to leave, cleaning out closets and running errands.  I went with Mylen and Nathan to OWWA (the Filipino woman's shelter) and had the opportunity to speak to them.  It was beautiful to see over 50 ladies worshiping the Lord.  There's over 120 ladies living in a 4-story building, with more coming every day.  The employees requested us to pray that they would have favor with the government to stop the illegal trafficking of domestic workers into the country.  It's a massive problem all over the globe.

I'll be preaching in Friday and Sunday's services, so I appreciate your prayers.  God's doing awesome things in the Middle East!