A Good Time Of The Year

I suppose I need to get back in the swing of things and start writing on here more often but with spring getting closer & closer each day, it's becoming harder to focus on posting new blogs and staying inside. We've been very fortunate to have had some incredible weather here in NWA, considering it's still about 3-4 weeks until spring officially arrives. I only know this because my birthday is the first day of spring (March 20 for those of you marking your calendars).

I've been able to get out and start playing some more golf as well as begin some early POSSIBLE home projects like painting a couple rooms, rearranging furniture and planning what to do with the yard. Plus, with the weather getting nicer, the kids are getting more frisky when they get home after being pent up in school all day. I think with all the restlessness going on, some would say we've all got a bad case of "spring fever"!!

This year, we're all going down to Kris & Dave's house for spring break and to say we're all excited about going is an understatement. The kids are hyped about going to swim at Ryan & Thomas' house, Jennifer is excited to see her sis and I'm excited to get the kids to bed at night so Dave & I can once again prove our superiority over the women in Spades and Sequence, a cool game combining checkers and cards. Most times, we hold our own but the last few, the men have been beaten soundly by the ladies and we've still not heard the last of it. LOL

Last night, Jake was in heaven because the highly promoted and highly anticipated new season of Power Rangers began. It's called "Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive" and it was a one hour event. You should have seen how excited he was...he was literally shaking and squirming in delight as the opening credits and theme song began to play. Of course, he's heard the song before (Daddy found it on the internet and d'loaded it to our computer so we hear it nearly every day) and he began singing along with it. He even knew when the last note was about to fire off as he fired one off of his own and popped me in the arm with a roundhouse right hook. That kid's gonna be a real scrapper.

Kaitlyn is doing great with her new cheerleading/tumbling classes and has nearly mastered the skill of doing round-off back handsprings and numerous jumps. It's hard to see her doing all of this, watching her jump & flip around as her body contorts into various positions when I still can see her wrapped up in a hospital blanket in my arms, only a few minutes old. Ahhh, the old man is getting wistful about his baby girl and unfortunately for me, she's not waiting for my approval on growing up. She's such a beautiful girl, much like her Momma, and we are so proud of her accomplishments. It's a good thing that she's also enjoying and still doing well in school, which is a far cry from her Dad's attitude when he was in 3rd grade. LOL

Well, if you're reading this today, I hope you have a great day and that God is working in your life. He shows up when I least expect it yet He always reveals something amazing to me when He does. I'm so grateful that in spite of my weakness and my failures, our Heavenly Father continues to love us, bless us and long for that intimate relationship with us. As the seasons change and new life is beginning to be seen in nature, it reminds me how when God comes into our lives, He brings new life to us as well. He drives away the old and replaces it with the new, making us new, alive and created in Him!!

Thank you Lord for loving each of us that much and for showing Yourself to us today!!

Some New Family Members

Last night, Jennifer decided that for her birthday celebration (or cell-uh-bray-shee-ahhhn as they say on "King of Queens") she wanted to go take the family to Build-A-Bear.

Yeah, we're wild, party hard people for sure.

So we all hopped in the SUV and drove up to the Pinnacle Promenade for some quality family time and fun. I've never personally been to a BAB but Kaitlyn & Jennifer both have and our neighbor's brought Jake home a Spiderman Bear they'd built at the BAB location in Tulsa. So, I was fairly familiar with how the whole process was to go down and when Jennifer suggested we all go do it, it sounded like a cool thing for us all to go do together.

Jake and Kate were excited and beat us both out of the truck and into the shop. In fact, Kaitlyn already knew how to go find a bear, it's stuffing, clothes and accessories so she was raring to go. Jake was a little overwhelmed by all the choices but finally decided on who his bear was going to become. Jennifer & I found our bears but right before they began to stuff my animal, I changed my mind and replaced the bear with a spotted cow.

I don't know why but I've always loved black & white spotted cows. Perhaps it's my affinity for Chick-Fil-A or watching cows gallop across the fields when I was living in my apartment in Fayetteville. Maybe it was the way they were portrayed by Gary Larson and his "Far Side" cartoons but whatever the reason...black & white cows rule!!!

So, I got a cow and everyone else got bears.

And now, without further delay, I present to you our newest family members...













Buzz Lightbear...12 oz and 16 inches tall, perfect for taking Jake to adventures in space, to infinity and beyond!













Daniela...10 oz and 16 inches tall, ready to cheer us all on to a brighter day!! Go team!!













Jenny...15 oz and 18 inches and full of frilly, lady-bear fun.













and finally, I present Duff Heifernan, who came in weighing 11.6 oz and standing 18 inches tall. I told my wife this cow is a lot like me since I apparently also have 5 stomachs. As you may be able to tell, I did a play on "King of Queens" which I thought was pretty clever but didn't get much response from anyone other than my sister who, when I told her all of this over the phone, laughingly replied "you're such a dork."

Happy Birthday Jennifer

Today just happens to be my wife's "twenty-something plus" birthday and for the sake of harmony in the home, I shant reveal her age...only to say she looks more beautiful each and every day, regardless of how young she is.

For those of you who don't know our "story" together, we met while I was a senior in high school and began dating on my 18th birthday. We've been together ever since and it has been an absolutely incredible journey for me thus far. I can only imagine how the next 50 years of our lives together are going to be!!

Jennifer is so many things to me...wife, lover, our children's mother, best friend, confidant, encourager, soul mate, companion...I could go on and on. She has so many qualities that I don't often stop to appreciate in our busy, hectic lives. But today, as I do take time to reflect on how special she is, I hope she knows how much I love her and how fortunate I am that she is my wife.

She is quite simply the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. Period. I knew that the first time I saw her that the way I literally caught my breath that Cupid's arrow had pierced me deeply. Yet not only is her beauty evident on the outside, but it's magnified a hundred fold because of the beauty inside. Her spirit is so meek, timid, loving, compassionate, unselfish and loyal. It's because of those inner and outer characteristics that truly enhance how incredible she is to me.

Sure, there have been times growing up that I may have seen pretty girls and such but none of them (yes Sweetie...even my girlfriends before you...HA!) have ever had such an impact on my life nor have they had such an influence. I believe in God's perfect timing and looking back, I can see how He began to do a marvelous thing in my life in that Mountain Home High School cafeteria in 1987.

We've just recently celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary and in March, we'll have been "a couple" for 20 years. Truly amazing that over one half of my life I've spent with this woman and I'm reminded daily how blessed I truly am.

Proverbs 31:10-31 talk about how God blesses us men with capable wives and as I re-read these hallowed scriptures, I see my wife in each and every one of them.

10 Who can find a capable wife?
She is far more precious than jewels.

11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will not lack anything good.

12 She rewards him with good, not evil,
all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax
and works with willing hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from far away.

15 She rises while it is still night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her servants.

16 She evaluates a field and buys it;
she plants a vineyard with her earnings.

17 She draws on her strength
and reveals that her arms are strong.

18 She sees that her profits are good,
and her lamp never goes out at night.

19 She extends her hands to the spinning staff,
and her hands hold the spindle.

20 Her hands reach out to the poor,
and she extends her hands to the needy.

21 She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
for all in her household are doubly clothed.

22 She makes her own bed coverings;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is known at the city gates,
where he sits among the elders of the land.

24 She makes and sells linen garments;
she delivers belts to the merchants.

25 Strength and honor are her clothing,
and she can laugh at the time to come.

26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and loving instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the activities of her household
and is never idle.

28 Her sons rise up and call her blessed.
Her husband also praises her:

29 "Many women are capable,
but you surpass them all!"

30 Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting,
but a woman who fears the LORD will be praised.

31 Give her the reward of her labor,
and let her works praise her at the city gates.

God has indeed blessed me with the woman He chose for me to spend my life with. I am so grateful to Him for His mercy and vision for me as I sit back and see how He continually blesses, keeps and sustains us all. I could never hope for nor ask for a better wife, mother of my children or friend than Jennifer and I thank our God today for bringing us together.

Jennifer, I love you more than any simple words can express and more than any action could show. I am so grateful to you for all that you do for me and our family, for the way you love us all, the way you look after us in sickness and in health (yes...even when it's "viral"...HA!!), the way your eyes sparkle with that still child-like innocence when we're together at night, alone on the couch relaxing together and for how you continually give of yourself to us and others around you in your usual unselfish manner.

The love within you is truly a reflection of the real love that comes from the Father and I am so grateful and rejoice today that you are not only my wife but you are a child of the King. I pray that I will continue to be the man, husband and father you want me to be and that our love for each other will continue to grow and solidify in the years to come.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie...I love you.

Champions In Life

Well, even though I was apparently rooting for the wrong team last night, I'm as happy as I can be to see someone like Tony Dungy and the Colts wear the title of "NFL Champions" for the next year. I told a buddy of mine this morning during lunch that if it had been any other team facing either the Bears or Colts I'd have been more passionate about rooting for them (the Bears & Colts) than I was this year. Truth be known, all though these two teams were very successful in their endeavors this past year, what endeared me more to these teams were their leaders.

Head coaches Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith. Both men are devout Christians and live the life God intended them to lead. Sure, they stumble like all men do but they have such integrity and walk in such reverance of the Lord that it causes men like me to see how two godly men can be raised up for just such a moment. Even during the midst of all the celebrations and accolades, both men continued to be living examples for the One who lives within them.

A website called beyondtheultimate.org looks at both of these men's lives and how the Power of God has transformed them into the winners they are today.

Dungy once said "I think it's great to be able to show the world not only that African-American coaches can do it, but Christian coaches can do it in a way that, you know, we can still win. I want to show people that being a Christian and being successful are not mutually exclusive.

"When people ask me, 'How do you stay so calm on the sideline?' I have to tell them it is Christian maturity and Christ working in me. It's not natural. It didn't happen overnight. It was a process. I know how powerful God's spirit is. I know He can change people. And I know that He will do that if we allow Him to."

Bears' coach Lovie Smith also realizes it's not by his own abilities that he is able to succeed but because of God's presence in his life.

"Yelling and screaming, that's one of the most overrated [coaching] ideas out there," he says. "Maybe in the old days that's what you had to do. Nowadays, what I've found is that if you tell guys what to do ... they will do it. You don't have to belittle them, threaten them. I simply tell them what I want done. If they can't do it, there are other guys waiting for the chance to do it. I'm [also] not trying to be anybody's father, but I do accept the role as a father-figure."

"Everything that I am is based on my faith. It has been a big part of me," he says. "At a young age, I called on God to help me, and He was there as a comfort for me. That is something that I have leaned on ever since."

To me, a score on the field may have determined which coach won or lost last night but in the game of life, it's apparent that as these men run the race before them, their eyes are not on any earthly prize but one that awaits them in eternity.

What a testament to God, the One they serve, who is STILL able to use anyone to reveal Himself to a lost & dying generation. Today He has found favor, raised up and used a couple of head coaches in the NFL to further His cause.

But who knows...tomorrow it could be you.

Are you ready to become a champion for the Lord?

Super Bowl Weekend

Well, it's finally here...

the much ballyhooed and highly anticipated weekend in all of pro-sports...

Super Bowl Sunday!!

This year, in my opinion, we've got a pretty good match-up between Brian Urlacher and the highly touted Chicago Bears (my old stompin' grounds) and Peyton Manning the explosive Inidanapolis Colts. Urlacher heads the vaunted Bears' defense which has stifled nearly every opponent they've faced this year while Manning, the all-star QB for the Colts, is in a position to finally silence critics for his inability to win the big one.

To be honest, I could go either way. I love the Bears and their tenacity. I love their ferocious defense that harkens back to another pretty good Chicago Bears "D" which, oh by the way, lead their team to a Super Bowl victory against a clearly inferior New England Patriots' team. The Bears are in that "Black & Blue" division, consisting of Minnesota, Green Bay and Detroit, and they make you think back to the time when guys played outside in ANY kind of weather, rain or shine, hot or cold, snow or sleet...they didn't care. Bloody, bruised, battered and defying the elements...that's what football was all about.

I also like the Colts and how combustible they can be at times. With a receiving corps including Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison, who just happens to share the record of passing tandems with Peyton, and a back field of young running back studs like Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes, these guys can turn it on in a NY minute. In fact, if it were anyone but the Bears, I'd be pulling for the Colts in this one. But, my heartstrings have tugged too hard to not root for the "monsters of the midway".

Of course, not only am I looking forward to the game but the commercials too!! For once, the commercials are almost as highly anticipated as the game itself. Advertisers realize this and really bring their "A" game to the big screen for this extremely lucrative time where :30 ads can go for a couple million.

Yep...a few million $$$ gets your product on the tube. Or, if you're like a guy I just read about, you can let it all hang out and propose to your girlfriend on live TV for $2 million. Hope he kept the receipt on her engagement ring if she says no. LOL

As I leave today, enjoy this golden oldie from those Bears of 1985. Get your parachute pants on, spike your hair, put on a pair of Vans' tennis shoes and enjoy the ever-so-catchy "Super Bowl Shuffle".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS5cOAwSTS4

With The Snow Comes The...

sickness.

OK, maybe not "knocking on death's door" sick but enough of a head cold to feel like my head's been drop kicked by a mule. I noticed it starting up last night around 7pm. The urge to start sneezing, the gradual clogging of one side of my head, the dull thud of winter aches and I knew I'd be looking for the Vicks Vapo-rub very soon.

Out of courtesy for my wife, since she was on call and needed to get a few winks before the hospital woke her up again, I whispered to her that I'd stay up in the guest room. You know, to let her sleep peacefully.Actually, by the time I'd made it to bed she'd already taken up both spots on the matress so I kinda didn't have any other option. However, I knew she was tired and I wanted her to get some rest.

After all, I'd have plenty of time today to get some rest, especially as the wild kids in our home got hopped up on blueberry muffins and orange juice. Yep...plenty of quiet, restful recuperation time here. LOL

Of course, I'm not the only one who's clogged up today. Jake sounds even worse than I do but after giving him a Flintstones vitamin and some orange juice, he's suddenly impervious to any mild cold or discomfort and he's ready to do some pounding...on my head.

Thank you Power Rangers.

The roads are still icy and it's very cold out this morning. Gotta be in the 20's with a wind chill even colder so we'll be inside quite a bit today with the fire going and if I can wear these kids out today and even skip the nap, it'll be an early evening for me and the missus. We love sitting on the couch together with the fire going, watching some King of Queens DVD's and a couple cups of hot tea.

Yeah, it's a simple life but we love it.

I hope you have a great weekend and you stay warm, well and with family.

No School Today!

NW Arkansas got pelted last night with about 2-4 inches of snow, depending on where you live. Actually, some areas probably got a bit more but we have about 3-4" on the ground here. As a result, all schools have been closed today so I have the kiddies here...

and yes, they've already been outside. LOL

I'm not sure what got into my daughter but she decided to take our snow shovel over to our neighbor's home and clear their driveway. Here's a pic of her in action while her brother looks on in a supervisor's role. Maybe if I make her a plate of warm cookies and hot chocolate she'll do our driveway next time.

Actually, she saw me clearing our driveway this morning and wanted to help but I was close to being done. So being the independent 8 year old she is, she took her shoveling skills across the street and cleared away Jeff & Emily's driveway. Now, if she'll do that for the neighbors, why can't I get her to put her laundry away? HA!

Last night is when it all began. While I was out stocking up on a few groceries, Jennifer put the kids outside and got a few snapshots of them jumping on the trampoline as the snow fell and as they pounded each other's skulls with snowballs. You can almost hear them giggling in these pictures.

I guess Kate's been re-energized because she's now back outside for round 3 this morning. Jake, however, is in the other room watching Power Rangers and learning new moves to pummel me with later on. Guess I'll go make sure he doesn't become too deadly. LOL