Merry Christmas!

Innocence Lost? Not Yet...

Among the most priceless artifacts of this world, the one I treasure most is my son's innocence.

I'm fiercely protective of it.

It's more pure than any spring-fed stream. It hasn't been dragged through chaos, spray-painted by terror, or held hostage by the anger of others. His spirit is full of love, compassion and an over-riding desire to have his friends come over and share his toys.

We've been cleaning out houses and attics and basements over the past few months. I got back my 80's era Fort Apache play set. Its plastic figurines depict some of the history we Americans aren't proud to rehearse. Indian braves attack US Cavalry troops. Some hold scalps. One coon-skin capped defender holds his musket in a sweeping arc to knock down climbing invaders.

It's a violent, hands-on game that arrived long before the Grand Theft Auto coders were even born.

"Let's play Cowboys and Indians!"

It didn't usually end well for the Indians. It wasn't like the cowboys revoked their library cards or drained the camp swimming pool.

Cooper quickly spotted the box in the growing pile of inherited flotsam in our basement. It had horses and buildings... all new toys to him.

We pulled out the whole mess in the living room; the carpet becoming a vast, creamy, grassy plain. Somewhere along the way, I'd picked up some Green Army Guys. We added those to mix and, for an ironic twist, I gave the Native American braves the superior firepower of WWII infantry. I'm sure the blue cavalry boys were shocked to see a flame-thrower toting man-o-the-1940s future at the door of the stockade.

Cooper didn't have a clue what massacre was laid out before him. They were having picnics and sharing cookie recipes for all he knew. And that's the way we left it. I acted out no aggression and he was content to move the plastic monuments of bygone wars around like checkers.

Don't call me naive. I know this innocence will be lost one day. He will learn fear from some older kids chasing him down the alley. He will feel the rawness of revenge and the emptiness of its success. The world will open its box of evil and pour out the contents before his pure, bright eyes.

But with God's help I will stand guard in front of him as long as possible; censoring, shielding, unyielding to the onslaught of what I've come to realize is resident in the core of all of humanity. To keep that light glowing unburdened in his eyes. I would hope to introduce Reality to him gently, to lead him slowly, methodically. But I know it's not in my control... Life will bring it much too quickly.

Until then, the Green Army Guys have Lightning McQueen stickers to share with the Indians. And the Cavalry is just here to race their horses around the dining room, through the kitchen, and into the sunset of Innocence.

There's a Place for You...

Earlier this year, I was commissioned to build a promo for an overseas ministry. At its core, the clip is a call for workers in the Middle East... more broadly, it's promoting the Associates In Missions (AIM) program; one that Suzi and I have participated in over the years. AIM gives folks of all ages a chance to do ministry work outside of their natural habitat for one to twelve months at a time. This can mean everything from teaching and pulpit ministry to caring for onsite workers' children (no kidding... that's a ministry, too!).

Sometimes folks go on to work full-time overseas. Sometimes, like us, they hang out for a season of their lives and then go back home. You do have to be self-funded, so the finance aspect can be a little daunting for some, but we can certainly testify of God's provision every time we left home.

I hope the piece does what it's built to do... to reach someone who hasn't quite found their spot. Whether foreign or domestic, there's a place waiting for you...

Here are two versions... a long-form and a quickie piece... Enjoy!

ME AIM Short Form from The Carpenter's Studio on Vimeo.


ME AIM Long Form from The Carpenter's Studio on Vimeo.

Cooper Goes to Preschool

In what became a major turning point in my parental education, we've chosen a preschool, enrolled our son and have successfully gotten him there, on time, for several weeks. This is big.

I used to hear parents discussing moving into a community or across the city and having that wow-moment as they discussed pros/cons of different schools.  No one wanted X Teacher in X grade or there was some problem with testing at the feeder high school... it went on and my eyes glazed over. I didn't have kids and that process was totally foreign to me. Like changing a diaper.

Then Suz said it was time for Cooper to go to preschool and I said, "Great, where?" And the shopping began... how many times per week/hours per day, absence policies, curriculum, ad nauseum. She narrowed it down, did site visits, we went to an open house and then... it was first day.

The staff at Timber Lake Christian Preschool are just fabulous; from the first day when they met Cooper in the hall and called him by name. He's coming home with all kinds of skills and having great experiences.

So, here's a couple of shots from his first day going to school... he's so proud of his Spiderman backpack and the songs he learns... and the "Q" he can write and... the list goes on. We're pretty proud too...

United Way

Last year I was invited to join the board of the Randolph county United Way. I'm quite proud of what the UW does for our community and love the insight I receive into our agencies and partners.  In a world full of bad news, these folks are doing truly great work and I'm glad to be part of their support. Our board is full of wonderful people who are a blast to work with; who really believe in the difference we're making.

This year's fundraising goal is $290,000 and our theme is Find Your Inner Hero. I got the opportunity to collaborate on the scripting & shooting of the campaign's promo video with our executive director, Gina Fowler, and Shawn Ames, a local creative consultant. We set up at the College to do some headshots and then Gina & Shawn did some really nice location work with Gina's grandson. I think Shawn really captured the vision we developed in the final edit. Cooper's got a cameo and I think he did just fantastic... cape, mask and all!

Our kick-off party featured our board in red capes, all swooping around the conference facility; superhero theme music greeted arriving guests... it was all super fun. Here's the obligatory newspaper shot to prove it!

So, if you're local to Randolph county, find your inner hero and help us reach our goal to make a difference. If you're somewhere else, find your local UW chapter at www.unitedway.org and get involved.  Watch our video below...

Randolph County United Way 2013 from Corban Artist Studio on Vimeo.

Trading an Old Friend

In 2003, I was driving a 2-door Accord and trying to haul popcorn machines and giant inflatable cell phones in the back seat to area US Cellular stores.

Leather seats.

It wasn't working.

I was driving through Kirksville one day and noticed a yellow 2001 Ford Escape. The popcorn machine fit perfectly in the back and that began a 10 year affair with a truck that has been a wonderful friend to our family. It's literally traveled across the States, hauled any number of supplies, pulled plenty of folks from ditches and snow banks, and been incredibly reliable.

But after 180,000 miles, the maintenance list of need-to-do got long, and it was wearing thin in too many places.  It was time to trade.

I was determined to buy a vehicle locally and went to work with Moberly Motors to find exactly what we needed.  There aren't a lot of all-wheel-drive Escapes with less than 50K with dark interiors floating around, but they found a 2011 in Chicago.  

So, here are a few shots of the Yellow Escape in action and our last time in the driveway, before bringing the new guy home... Greg at Ford took an obligatory new car shot for us (Notice how he got both trucks in the frame).

We love the Grey Escape just the same. I added roof rails, painted the old rack and put it back in place; I (proudly) installed a new trailer hitch and wiring harness. It's not missed a beat and pulled our trailer with ease last weekend.  We're pretty grateful for the years of the old and the promise of the new... here's to more road trips!

Hoorah!

A Slide is Born

I'd like to say I documented every nut and bolt of this endeavor, but there's a few short of 500 of 'em... so I didn't.

To start, we go back a few years. Cooper was a li'l tike and we headed out to the Rothwell park for some family fun on the playground. He hiked himself to the top of the tallest slide at Candyland and, as I was sitting down to slide with him, tumbled down it alone. He landed, unharmed, at the bottom, head first, wailing like nuts.

He's never gone down it again. Or any twisty slide for that matter. Straight slides? Maybe. Wavy slides? Nope. Slides longer than Mom's arm? Nope. Slides just aren't this man's cup of tea.

Our narrative takes us to the Backyard Project in Question... the Pirate Ship. Since Jake and the Neverland Pirates have a slide on their ship, shouldn't we? And since we don't have enough room for a straight slide... we need a (cue dramatic music): 

TURBO SLIDE!

A full, 360 degree rotation from a 5' deck height!

Yep, it comes in a box that dwarfs large appliances.

And then you have to put it together. 

And don't be put off by those whose reviews claim to have installed it in only four hours! They're clearly amateurs. 

I spent Saturday afternoon bolting together all the individual pieces.  Then Suz came out and we wrestle each section until they mated into one hot, twisted mess of green polypropylene.  I built a frame on the side of the boat and called it a night. It was more than four hours, but who's counting?  

We're clearly amateurs.

Sunday afternoon, we hoisted the thing aloft and quickly realized that when the instructions said, "You will need two people to help balance the slide" it clearly meant THREE. As in two to balance and one to screw the thing in place. See, once together the slide felt like a wino hippo with hip dysplasia on a week-long bender, slowly tumbling right as you tried to pull it left... moaning about the yard and always landing just short of where you intended.

Thankfully, our dear neighbor, Phil, could be bothered to come help wrangle the incalcitrant structure into place. Once I got some screws in its hide, its will was broken and it stood proudly at attention along the ship's starboard side. 

Throughout this whole ordeal, Cooper's been running amok calling out for duties to be assigned in his name... Daaad, he wanted to help, too!  Once the last bolt was ratcheted tight and every screw was reviewed by a responsible adult, we opened the newest addition for a test run.

And he refused.

Yep, I had to lower him down the curve to Suz waiting at the bottom. Over and over. We threw cars, tape measures and swords down its gaping maw, trying to establish a sense of safety, of normalcy (!), of tacit understanding that this was FUN! To no avail.

I now have a recovering alcoholic hippopotamus strapped to the side of a Pirate Ship in my backyard. My son's response at the end of the day?  

"When are we going to get a sail for my boat? Huh, Dad? We need a sail!"