The Fairview Experience (Part One)

Attempting to recap my past weekend is so daunting, it would be impossible to fulfill in just one post. So in the next few posts, I'm going to recall some of the many observations in my great urban camping expedition. In the first two installments, I'm going to go for the overview of the entire experience. Then, in following posts, I'll outline my refined public education philosophy, as well as the spiritual lessons I learned in this process. Since Kaelyn was in her mother's womb, I knew this time would come.

The big issue that many people have with living in the city is public schooling. In the Cincinnati Public School District, you are assigned a neighborhood school for your child to attend. This school is based on geography. For example, if you live in Walnut Hills (which we do), you are assigned to attend Frederick Douglass Elementary School. Over a century ago, this school (started specifically for the local African American community) was a national model of education success. Currently, however, the school struggles to perform and has numerous academic issues. While I would actually prefer that Kaelyn attend school in our neighborhood (we're fully integrated into the life of our community in practically every other aspect, so why not the school as well?) I just couldn't send her to Douglass. My involvement with our local community council has exposed the school's numerous flaws and they frightened me. Understand that I wasn't concerned about Kaelyn's safety; I know that she could exist just fine at Douglass. My fear was the educational philosophy of the school, namely, to merely prepare students for standardized testing. While I'm OK with taking stands for what I believe, such as fully embracing our community, I refused to subject Kaelyn to this in the form of a subpar education. We needed to explore other options.

And fortunately, in Cincinnati Public, there are other options. Even though CPS struggles in the same way that many large urban school districts do, there are superior schools to be found. Many of these are magnet schools. These schools act as a magnet from the neighborhood schools, attracting all sorts of students from various communities towards unique educational models. One of the more popular and academically successful schools for elementary education in CPS is the Fairview Clifton German Language School* (yes, children attending this school begin to learn German in Kindergarten). I became familiar with the school as many CCU faculty and staff have sent or are sending their children there to be educated. Everyone I have encountered who have been involved in the school speaks highly of the education provided there. Honestly, the presence of Fairview gave me confidence in moving back into the city, knowing that there was the opportunity to get my child a strong public education. We've always planned to send Kaelyn there.

Fairview is very popular, but its popularity presents some issues. There is a limited number of spots for students there and it is continually in demand. There are two ways to get your child into the school.

1. Have a sibling who attends Fairview. Once you get one kid in the school, the rest of your kids can attend. During the first enrollment period, all siblings of current students are awarded spots.
2. Apply for admission, which is done on a "first come, first served" basis, after the sibling enrollment.

This enrollment period, which used to happen in the dead of winter, now occurs each November. The school announces how many spots are available for Preschool, Kindergarten and First Grade (after First Grade, they rarely admit new students because of the German language requirements); the lion's share of open spots are for Kindergarten. Earlier in the fall, Kelly and I went on a tour of the school and were told by administrators that there were approximately 72 spaces available for Kindergarten. This is a fairly large number compared to other Kindergarten years at the school, leaving me somewhat confident for getting Kaelyn enrolled. But I was secretly nervous, fearful that I might have to camp out to get here in there.

Even though the official registration takes place on Monday night at midnight, people get in line early. I mean really early. In previous years, parents had camped out for a couple of nights before hand to stake a place in line. Camping out has almost become a rite of passage for Fairview parents. Although the district can't encourage this practice, the school won't ignore that it's a reality. The majority of questions asked during our tour was concerning the potential line and the possibility of camping out. During this presentation, I made an attempt to calm people's fears, encouraging people to refrain from camping out as long as possible.

Of course, no one listens to me.

On Thursday afternoon, as Kelly, Kaelyn and I were enjoying a picnic before I taught my night class, Kelly received a call from a friend and current Fairview parent. Already, at 4:00 pm, there were people setting up tents. We were angry, but I still maintained a positive attitude. "There are plenty of spaces available," I reminded Kelly. "And there's no way we're going out there to camp tonight." I taught my class that night but by the 11pm local news, local TV stations were covering the camping parents. Still, my Facebook post that evening was, "I love my daughter but will not abandon logic and camp out four nights to get her into the right school (especially when there are plenty of spaces this year). Now one night . . . maybe."

I know nothing.

As I left for work Friday morning, I assured Kelly that we were going to fine. Still, I couldn't resist: curiosity led me to drive past the school to see the scene for myself. As I turning the corner, I was shocked. There were nearly fifty tents set up and people were continuing to roll in as news vans were parked all along. I quickly parked and checked the list that had developed: it was already over 55 people. Seeing the people continue to pull up and unpack made me sick. I called Kelly and let her know that it was inevitable—I was returning home to grab some things and get in line. By the time I went home, gathered some supplies, and headed back to the school, I signed in.

I was number 68 on the list.

While some of those in line before me were interested in Preschool or First Grade, the vast majority were there for Kindergarten. Fortunately I still had some room to spare. I was somewhere in the fifties out of 72 Kindergarten spots. At the very least, I now knew that Kaelyn was guaranteed to get in the school as long as I made it through the weekend until late Monday night.

So as I set up my tent Friday morning, still overcome by anger, I started to accept reality. I knew that this camping excursion had been coming for over five years now. It was finally time. I had accepted that the next 80+ hours of my life would be devoted to waiting in a line just to get my daughter into school.

______________________

* Fairview was originally located in a neighborhood named Fairview. Located near the University of Cincinnati, the old school building was architecturally attractive but too small. Two years ago, CPS constructed a new, larger building in Clifton proper, but they continued to use the Fairview moniker as well. As far as I know, people continue to refer to it simply as Fairview.

** In case you missed it, as I was getting settled on Friday morning, I was interviewed by an Enquirer reporter. There was even a picture of me published in the print edition. Click here to read the article.

Another one of those . . .

. . . "I know, I know, it's been a long time since I've posted here." That's just life. I am unapologetic.

I'm very excited about all the cool things I'm getting to do right now, many of them involving immense amounts of writing. So when it comes to writing for fun, I tend to pass.

But I haven't forgotten this place. Maybe this week I'll get something new up.

Checking In

Sometimes I wonder why I still have a blog. I'm incredibly inconsistent in my posting, but I've finally become OK with that. Facebook and Twitter have severely neutered the popularity of blogs, but I continue to love the medium even if few read what I write. It helps me keep track of my life. Just the other day, I was wondering when a certain event happened. Since I knew it happened in the last six years, I was able to look in my archives and check the date. So even though you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Flickr, I'm still keeping this thing going. Sure, I'm using it more as an online diary now, but all is well. So for you who still check in from time to time, thanks for reading. I'm sorry I'm not contributing great content right now, but allow me to present a litany of excuses.

1. The house is still for sale. One month ago we made the decision to start. We've only had one viewing thus far, but it's only been on the market a couple of weeks and we have yet to host our first open house. We're still feeling good about things, though. You wouldn't believe how clean our house is.

2. Church is amazing. We had another good summer and are developing great community. I continue to feel pride for the people of Echo and how God is using them throughout our city. We're studying Exodus right now, and will examine the Ten Commandments this fall. October will mark our fifth year of ministry. I'm wondering if we can still be classified as a new church . . .

3. The day job keeps me busy too. We have a two-tiered fall admissions which means there's been no let-up. I'm still enjoying it. My job allows me the opportunity to meet some amazing people embarking on life change. It's a good gig.

4. I'm teaching again. I basically had the summer off, which I thoroughly enjoyed. But I do love spending some time in the classroom, so it's exciting to get back at. Right now, I'm teaching every week throughout the rest of the year so the break was a blessing.

5. Kaelyn is starting preschool next week. Needless to say, she's growing up. I think it's affecting me more than Kelly right now. But everyday with our little girl is a pleasure (even when she isn't at her best). She's more aware daily and I'm loving the person she's becoming.

6. Kiddie soccer is starting up again. This will be the third session I'll be coaching the Mount Adams kids soccer. It's just practice—no competitive games— but it's just another thing on the schedule.

7. I'm taking yet another class. I'm conditionally accepted into my doctoral program until I complete two more seminary courses. I opted for an online class this semester, but I'll soon be able to set my academic focus soley on doctoral work soon.

So, yeah, blogging takes a back seat. But even though things are a little hectic, I'm loving life.

And having a wife who is able to keep everything behind-the-scenes working seamlessly is the greatest blessing of them all. I couldn't imagine what I'd do without her. Kelly makes my busy life enjoyable. We've had some great family time over the summer. We're looking forward to the fall.

That said, here are five things that I'm excited about right now:

1. The Walnut Hills Festival is this week. Echo has been involved in it since the beginning, and it's been a great vehicle to establish our relationship with the neighborhood. If you're not doing anything next Saturday (September 11th), you should join us at the corner of Kemper and Taft for food, folks and fun.

2. Shawn and Melissa are getting married. I'm claiming this as our first official Echo wedding as Shawn was part of our core group before taking a ministry and Melissa has been with us since she graduated from college. I'm excited that I get to officiate and can at least say that if our church has done nothing else, it is responsible for a marriage.

3. My sister is having her fourth child. That'll make 14 grandchildren among my siblings. That's insane.

4. The Cincinnati sports world is alive. It's been 11 years since September baseball has mattered in Cincinnati. I'm not saying that the Reds are a dominant team, but once you get into the postseason, anything can happen.

5. Fall television is ready to roll. I know that sounds peculiar, but we're TV people. Our DVR will get a workout this fall as we get the most out of our cable bill.

If you need me, I'm around.

Making A Move

I've been somewhat off the grid the past week or so. It wasn't for a lack of ideas or comments. We're trying to sell our condo.

It's insane, really. We're satisfied with where we live and it has served us well. But as we look towards the future, and our desire to spend the rest of our lives here in Walnut Hills, it feels like time to transition from a condominium to a house. Even the market is a bear right now, we're thinking that there's not going to be a significant upswing in the next couple of years, so why not now?

This decision was a significant one for our family, but we decided to go all out. In this market, it isn't enough to just list your home—it means making your home attractive to the buyer. Our constant HGTV watching has been helpful in this process because we believe that we now know the common selling mistakes. Despite having a beautiful place, there was a list of projects that we had been thinking of for a while. I made a spreadsheet (an obvious sign that I'm a dork) and it numbered over 80 different tasks. I took some vacation days last week in order to work the list. By Monday of this week, we made it completely through.

Among other things we rented a storage unit, decluttered, made multiple trips to Goodwill, and painted practically the entire home, cleaning it from top to bottom. I'll admit that because of the working conditions and stressed involved, Kelly and I had a couple of arguments. But when it was all over, we were happy and pleased with the process. For you voyeurs out there who are curious to see the finished result, I posted some of the photos the realty photographer took of our place. To peek at them, click here.

We've been really appreciative of friends who have offered support. Multiple people have told us that they're praying for us. It seems kind of peculiar; there are much greater needs in this world than us selling our place when he don't have to. But that's why we're not sweating it. It if happens, praise God. If not, we'll be content to stay where we're at . . . and we'll have a practically new place.

I'll keep you posted.

Midsummer Night's Melee

Now that I've had a week to digest it, I've decided to record the events of last Friday night that resulted in damage to my Ford Explorer. It's a long story, but I've repeated verbally so many times this week that I thought a written record would be helpful.  And, yes, it's so long that I broke it up into sections to make it easier to read. INTRODUCTION

As a preface, I should note that I didn't sleep well last week. I think it was the heat. I tend not to get the most out of my sleep during the summer (I sleep best in cold weather). Combine my bad sleep with a loud bang at 3am and I immediately woke up.

It sounded like a large dumpster hitting the pavement. I was aggravated that Rumpke would drop off a dumpster in the middle of the night, but I then heard a motor burning up. That's when I realized there was something more here. For safety's sake, I grabbed my collapsible metal baton and headed out toward the street. Still half-asleep, I could only tell that there had been an accident and my African-American neighbor from up the street was yelling at a guy in a wrecked car.

SIDE NOTE: I established the guy's race because it will come into play later. It reminds me, however, of how bothersome the identification of race in a story can be when it's trivial information. Many times I'll hear people say, "So this black guy came by. . . " when the guy's race had no bearing on the story whatsoever. If you're in the habit of doing this in your stories, it's about time that you stop.

SURVEYING THE SCENE

So, anyway, my neighbor was yelling at the driver in the car who was very, very drunk . . . and also black (reference the previous note and stick with me here). So drunk was this driver that he had clipped the median with his car and crashed into my car. Two other neighbors were out there (their race is unimportant to the story) and told me that the driver had rammed my car and was trying to escape. Unfortunately for the drunk driver, his front tire was shredded and he wasn't going anywhere. Still, that didn't deter my neighbor from opening the car door and yelling at him. The drunk driver kept hitting the gas, but all it did was drive his bare rim into the road.

I immediately tried to defuse the situation by identifying myself as a pastor. I know this sounds silly, but there's still some respect for pastors out there. At least, I figured, that might keep anyone from getting too crazy.

I called the police, but it was a busy night; there was the Jazz festival downtown, in addition to a sold-out Reds game which we had attended earlier. As the police were nowhere to be found, I told the drunk driver that he should step out of the car. He was incoherent and not paying attention to me.

A NEW CHARACTER

Then, a dude came running up the hill. He yelled out, "That's my cousin! He dropped me off down at the corner. I told him not to drive!" After yelling at his drunk driver cousin, he came over to me to talk.

"Is this your car he hit?"

Yes, I responded.

"It's O.K., he has insurance."

I was reassured. But then he told me something else.

"Well, I have a couple of felonies on me, so I'm going to get out of here before the cops come."

Brilliant. I can't blame him, really. And since he wasn't in the car at the time of the accident, I told him to have a good night and refocused on the scene.

TALKING DRUNK

You see, at this time I realized that my neighbor, the one who happened to be black, was also drunk. He kept going back to his house and coming back to the accident scene to talk. He, however, was making more sense than the drunk driver who, at this point, was sitting down on my front steps. So my neighbors continued to survey the scene, talking and wondering how the cops hadn't arrived in twenty minutes.

At this point, the drunk driver was on his feet, claiming that he wasn't actually driving the car. This made my drunk neighbor angry, causing him to start cussing at the driver. In the midst of some adult language, to which I wasn't particularly paying attention, something caught my ear.

It was the N-word.

The drunk driver (who was black) called my drunk neighbor (also black) this slur.

This is when I started to pay attention to the conversation, specifically as my drunk neighbor said, "I dare you to say that to my face again."

CONFRONTATION

At this point I moved towards them as the drunk driver, yet again, dropped the N-bomb. I had grabbed my neighbor's left arm but he used his right arm to deliver a fore-arm shiver.

The drunk driver, standing on the curb, was knocked back, lost his footing, and landed with his head to the pavement.

I grabbed my drunk neighbor, telling him he couldn't do that (despite the fact that he just did). My neighbor has a good house, nice car, great job— a lot to lose for an assault to a drunk driver. My neighbor yelled at me, telling him that he'd hit me too if I called him the N-word. Duly noted, but irrelevant, I told my neighbor to get out of there.

It was then that I turned to look down at the drunk driver. He was lying in the road and blood began to pool up under his head. He was totally still, so I feared that he might actually be dead. I stood over him and saw that he was breathing—always a good sign. I felt a little better.

Still, since he had been drinking and knocked unconscious, he urinated himself as I stood over him.

But at least he was alive.

And still, no police.

REMEMBERING WHERE I LIVE

I failed to mention that all this took place on a busy night on our street. People were returning from the jazz festival. And (invoking race again) since the festival attracts mostly African-Americans, and there is a high density of African Americans in my neighborhood, it was a constant flow. As I stood over the drunk driver, pools of blood and urine underneath him, the cars driving by slowed down to watch. People asked if he was OK and I could only answer that we called the ambulance (something my sober neighbors did after the confrontation).

Then, as I stood over the drunk driver, a car full of four black young men stopped beside us. They said nothing but just stared. I'm thinking that they were wondering what this white dude was doing hovering over a knocked out black man. I (somewhat confidently) yelled out, "Don't worry. He's breathing. We called the ambulance," and looked back. They continued to stare, and then drove off.

I was glad they did.

FINALLY THEY ARRIVE

Still not hearing sirens, I ran inside to tell Kelly to grab a towel for the guy; I didn't want him to lie bleeding in the street. By the time I came back out to the street, the police had finally showed up.

Twenty-five minutes later, mind you.

The first office on the scene was assessing the situation and could tell that there was an altercation after the accident. He asked me what happened and I had to tell him the truth; no matter how much I like my neighbor, I wasn't going to ignore the fact that he had assaulted the dude. Upon hearing the story, the officer said, "Well, I'm not even going to worry about the assault."

Alright, then.

In the same vein, another officer came up to me and asked, "did you punch that guy for hitting your car?"

"No ma'am," I responded.

"Well I would have," she said.

And now I know.

CONCLUSION

So my car will finally go into the shop next week. The damage almost totalled it. I still haven't heard whether or not the drunk driver had insurance.

I've told this story a few times during the last week. Some people have viewed it as yet further proof that city life is crazy. And I can't really refute that.

But this is my neighborhood. This is where I live. And regardless of the craziness here, I absolutely love it. And I'm going to continue to love it despite all the imperfections it displays.

It's a broken world. I'm just doing my little part to fix it. And I can't do that unless I live in it.

Deconstruction of the Urination Situation

I was peed on. I can freely admit it. After a long day of set-up at the North American Christian Convention in Indianapolis, I was unfortunately saturated while walking back to my automobile. And, yes, the offender was female. As a simple Tweet cannot properly explain this situation, and because many have doubted that this is a true story, I've decided to relate the story in detail with the assistance of visual aids. You see, as I waited for our moving truck at the end of the convention, I took the opportunity to return to the crime scene and snap some photos on my phone. Sometimes, seeing is believing. So journey back with me, won't you?

At approximately 4pm on Monday July 5th I was walking south from the Indianapolis Convention Center towards a parking lot adjacent to the Lucas Oil Stadium. This path took me underneath a set of train tracks. Image 1 will give you a view of the trek back to my Explorer.

Note the large building in the right side of the photograph. It is a power plant that is very loud, and passing underneath the bridge meant that I couldn't have heard my attacker even if they were brazen about their actions.

At the time, I was searching for directions on my iPhone; I was spending the night with my sister and her family and I've only been there a few times. Thus, I was both walking and typing in my phone and my eyes were focused downward. This is why when I felt some wetness on my arm, I originally thought nothing of it; all my city marathon training has ingrained in me the fact that underpasses usually drip water. But I noticed that I was no longer under a bridge, but at the separation point between two bridges, as you can see in Image 2.

It was at this moment that I was again sprinkled. Noticing that I was no longer under a bridge, and thinking it could actually be starting to rain, I glanced up.

And a saw a moon.

But it was the afternoon.

And therefore it wasn't THE moon.

No, it was a woman in her twenties using the bathroom.

On me.

I will refrain on going into further detail as to why I know this was a young woman. I'm just asking that you trust me on this one.

For the remainder of this retelling, I will refer to the woman as Cynthia Story—Cindy for short. Why, you ask? Because the following graffiti was etched into the bridge where the crime was committed. In my mind, this is Cindy's regular restroom spot and she has claimed it by engraving her name into the nearby steel.

The question that looms large here is why was Cindy using the bathroom in public and, specifically, on me? As I revisited the scene of the crime, I think I have figured this out.

Cindy really had to go. We've all been there, right? It's usually much easier for men to participate in public urination and Cindy was faced with a problem: where could she go where she wouldn't be seen? Somehow, she made her way to these railroad tracks and took solace in the space between two bridges. From ground level, she would have been obscured from sight. No one would have known. And to fully understand this, observe Image 4 and her perch:

Cindy was facing a concrete wall with barrier to the right and left on her. While she thought she was hidden, her rear end was fully exposed to the sidewalk below. I'm sure when she first began doing her business, she looked to the ground seeing only roadway. I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

When I finally realized what was happening, all I could think to do was yell "HEY!" at Cindy. She was obviously startled and fled immediately. I didn't bother to chase her down; what would I have done anyway? I drove the entire trip to suburban Indianapolis with my arm extended. Upon arriving at her house, my sister insisted I take a shower immediately. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY

Believe it or not, I wasn't that angry about the entire situation. Sure, there are moments in life where we feel like were getting . . . well . . . that we have our own personal Cindy's who are doing their business upon us. In the past few years of my life, I've felt this way many-a-time. So when this happened literally, all I could do was laugh. I've been milking this story for a week now.

It was just a good reminder for me not to take things too seriously. I tend to do that more than I usually admit. I'm not sure if I'm completely reformed, but I'm getting there.

And no matter how much some of you reading this dislike Cincinnati, I've never been peed on here. Thanks, Indianapolis.

Quick Thoughts

Packed weekend. We've been enjoying it. A few things as I recap:

• Our city is pretty awesome. Things are looking up all over the place. Our Friday evening on Fountain Square was great. Good food, great vibe; I love that our daughter can grow up in the midst of some incredible times for Cincinnati.
• I thoroughly enjoy our men's group on Sunday. Our discipleship at Echo is intentionally structured to let the men and women learn from each other (a la Titus 2). This gives us dudes the opportunity to discuss things that probably aren't appropriate for mixed company . . . yet we meet at a restaurant . . . in public.
• The US's performance in the World Cup was pretty depressing. It's not that they lost, but who they lost to and in what fashion. This was our best team ever, but our team wasn't really that good. What really kills is that the bracket will never get much better than this. And what's even worse is that I feel that our coach put our team at a disadvantage. Using two subs by halftime is an admission that the starting line-up was flawed and, as commentators continue to excuse the loss as our team was "exhausted," understand that it is our coach that contributed to this exhaustion. I still think American soccer is improving, but it has gone as far as possible under Bob Bradley. By the way, I'm pulling for the Dutch now.
• Nice night down at Great American Ballpark. Embarrassingly, that was my first game of the season. I've practically watched all of their games, however, on television. I know this sounds lame, but I almost prefer watching at home. It's crowded, hot and sticky, and despite a huge HD scoreboard, they rarely show replays. Still, our Redlegs are looking good. We're a little shaky in parts of our roster, but I think they'll keep us interested in baseball until the fall.
• Sidenote on tonight: Justin Bieber was in concert tonight at the same time as the Reds game. Both events let out at the same time tonight and chaos ensued. I ended up walking home from downtown. While moving through the crowd a dad, who looked about my age, asked who won tonight. After I responded, I asked back, "And did Justin Bieber win tonight?" He meekly answered yes and I knew that I had emasculated him.
• Because of our busy weekend, I had to wrap up my sermon prep before the weekend started. I'm absolutely loving preaching through Exodus. You might have to check back with me when I have to preach on provisions for the tabernacle but, until then, it's pretty cool. Teaching about the first plague tomorrow night. If you don't have anything happening, swing by and join us at Echo tomorrow night.
• Finally, my daughter has officially hit her stride in cuteness. She's very huggy and kissy on me right now and continues to say the sweetest things. I'm doing a little traveling during the next couple of weeks and it will pain me to be away from her and Kelly.

In short, life is good.

Wrapping Up May

I have certainly been MIA here on the blog; my last post was a month ago. I knew there'd be a posting famine, but let it occur naturally. So here's my little May recap: 1. Marathon Recovery. I healed up rather nicely after the marathon. The only lingering issue is that pesky Achilles Tendonitis but I totally rested it the past thirty days. I think this has helped immensely, and I plan on finally going on a jog next week. I'm going to make an attempt to do some regular running throughout the year to see if I can set up for a personal best in next year's marathon.

2. Class Obligations. I took a course in Genesis in Seminary this past term and I wrapped it up in May. It was an excellent course. I had actually avoided taking Mark Ziese classes while an undergrad at CCU because he has a reputation as a professor who requires a lot of classwork. Well, this was my penance and it was well worth it. I thoroughly enjoyed devoting some extended time in Genesis as it's, by far, one of my favorite texts. I also taught a course in the College of Adult Learning concerning ministry trends of the future. I had a great class and am actually looking forward to grading these finals. I'll next teach in late August, so I guess I get a summer vacation.

3. Church Stuff. Echo has been great. We continued to have solid attendance and participation throughout May. Take out Memorial Day, when the vast majority of our folk are out of town, and we had one of the strongest months in church history. This summer, my focus for our congregation is reorganization of structure. I'm going to work with our leadership on revisualizing the way we conduct ourselves.

We also said goodbye to Sam Waldron, who has led worship for us since Tye left. I knew what we were getting when Sam came and he surely did not disappoint. Sam is moving on to an internship and probable staff position with his home church. He's going to do some great things there and throughout his life. I knew we'd only have Sam for about a year but was confident God would provide someone to replace him. Sure enough, Dillon Hamilton and his wife Kathy joined us near the end of last year and have become an integral part of Echo. Dillon led worship for a church plant in Cleveland and, when a job brought them to Cincinnati, they connected with Echo. I'm confident that he's our guy and looking forward to what the next months will bring to our ministry in Walnut Hills.

4. Our Vacation. I don't like telling the cyberworld when we're going to be out of town for an extended period of time, so we kept it low-key except to those in our immediate vicinity. We've never done a big just-the-three-of-us vacation, so we decided to take a trip to Walt Disney World. Kelly meticulously planned our vacation out as we stayed in a Disney hotel and were on their meal plan. I enjoyed it because there was little for me to worry about except getting from place to place. Obviously, Kaelyn had the time of her life as evidenced by these pictures. Remarkably, I returned from our break rather rested. It was an unforgettable time. I'm sure I'll have more to write about it in the near future.

5. Our Illnesses. The weekend after we returned from vacation, I started feeling bad. Assuming it was just allergies, I plowed through but a series of nighttime fevers led me to see that this was more than allergies; it was a sinus infection. And, as expected, I passed on the cold to Kaelyn so we basically spent Memorial Day Weekend lying around the house. I finally went to the doctor at the beginning of the week and got some antibiotics, so I've been on the mend. Kaelyn, on the other hand, appeared to be improving but then had a really bad time. She woke up in the middle of the night Tuesday coughing and struggling to breathe. We recognized that it was croup, as she had it when she was two years-old. We took a trip over to Children's Hospital's ER and she received a steroid to work it out. While she still had a rough night last night, I'm thinking she'll be over it by the weekend.

So all of this is why I didn't get any posting done last month. I'll try not to let the famine continue.

My Coke Addiction

It's no secret that I drink cola.Lots of cola. Specifically of the Diet/Coke/fountain drink variety.

There's just something about a fountain Coke that makes me happy. I'll admit that I'm somewhat addicted, but it doesn't control me. Last week, I had just one can of caffeine the entire day and I didn't get headaches. And, as of late, I'm mixing some caffeine-free in for good measure. Still, whether I'm going to work or preaching or lounging at home, I like to have a drink handy.

Five years ago I wrote a post about my favorite places to pick up a beverage. I figured it was time to revise that ranking as 1) I live in a different part of town and 2) there have been technological advances in the Coca-Cola field. The advent of Coke Zero has changed the game.

Growing up, I loved regular Coke. The problem with the beverage was two-fold: 1) the sugary residue from drinking it and 2) the high calorie levels. Coke Zero gives you the same taste with no calories. While I'm not a huge fan of the non-fountain version (Cherry Coke Zero reigns supreme in two-liter form), the tap version is a golden. Unfortunately, it's still difficult to find in many places, so I find myself going with the old faithful option.

So in no particular order, the best places to get a fountain Coke here in town. Realize there's preference for those places where you can get fountain Cherry Coke; I like to mix it in and that new syrup shot is not a good option. Note that, unlike my previous list, this list does not include restaurants. Only those with get-your-own refills could make this list, and while there are plenty of them that are stellar (Five Guys, McDonalds, Wendys) the increased cost means none are worth frequenting just for the drink.

Thortons. STRENGTHS: Coke Zero and Cherry Coke on tap, nice cups. WEAKENESSES: nowhere near our home, price. COMMENTS: I'm glad there's not a Thortons near our house. I love the mixture you can get there, but they're the highest price convenience store price. It's great to hit up occasionally.

Sams Club. STRENGTHS: Coke Zero and Cherry Coke on tap, price. WEAKENESSES: location, cup size. COMMENTS: The price is the best in town. It's not convenient (you can't make it a daily stop unless you have considerable time to spare) and they only have 32-ounce cups.

UDF Mount Adams. STRENGTHS: price, location, friendly staff. WEAKENESSES: no Coke Zero or Cherry Coke. COMMENTS: I go here everyday. I have tons of UDF cups because they offer cheap 44-ounce refills (under a dollar). The mixture isn't stellar, but it's become like my home brew. I will still hit up other UDFs because of the refill price, but none is as good as our home store.

Speedway. STRENGTHS: Summer pricing, rewards card. WEAKENESSES: Three-season pricing, no Coke Zero or Cherry Coke. COMMENTS: In the summer, you can't beat Speedway. The problem is that they jack up the prices the rest of the year. In a month or s0, I'll hit up Speedway a lot more.

BP, Hyde Park. STRENGTHS: Ice. WEAKENESSES: Price, No Coke Zero or Cherry Coke. COMMENTS: While this place doesn't seem redeemable, they have a pellet ice option that makes any beverage fantastic. So it's not the price, it's the ice.

Currently, there is but one game-changer left: the invention of fountain Cherry Coke Zero. On that day I will rush to the tap, fearing the end of the world.

Feel free to chime in with your own suggestions.

What We Watch

I'm kinda in a blogging funk right now. I have a few things on tap that I'd like to write, but nothing I feel like knocking out tonight. In baseball, you sometimes need an infield single to break a slump, so maybe that's what I need. So to get a ball in play, here's the current list of television shows we watch. It might seem like a lot, but we're paying for cable and the DVR optimizes our viewing experience so . . . judge not and stuff.

SUNDAY NIGHT

• Amazing Race— By far, the best reality show going. Although this season is a weak season (one where the competitors are more lovable than competitive) it's still worth the investment. It's our after church tradition.

MONDAY NIGHT

• How I Met Your Mother— Been watching since episode one. Consistent comedy is hard to find these days. Plus, we're their demographic.

TUESDAY NIGHT

• V— I had great memories of the first series back in the 1980's. It's a little slow, but it's kinda a nostalgia thing.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT

• Glee— Even though it's not on right now, it's become one of Kelly's favorite shows. Don't let the music fool you: they have some great writers.

THURSDAY NIGHT a.k.a. THE NIGHT OUR DVR BEGS FOR MERCY

• Community— Perhaps my favorite show on television right now. It's taken the baton from The Office. We're constantly rewinding to catch jokes we've missed.
• Parks and Recreation— They were struggling after Season One but had a great comeback. The show has some interesting characters and a good future.
• The Office— It's Old Faithful. They've had a rough season, but I think they can squeeze out one more.
• 30 Rock— If you remember, it was exactly where Parks and Rec was. I had faith in Tina Fey, but the first episodes were rough. It turned the corner making the payoff way worth it.
• FlashForward— The best show that no one is watching. We're hoping that they at least wrap up loose ends before they cancel it.
• America's Best Dance Crew— We are so cool. I'm not sure anyone beside Kelly and I watch this show.
• Taking the Stage— Filmed locally at the SCPA, the storyline is teeny-boppish, but I enjoy looking at the Cincinnati scenes. They make our town look gorgeous.

FRIDAY NIGHT

• The Soup— Reminds me how pathetic the shows that we don't watch are.

SATURDAY NIGHT

• Saturday Night Live— Been watching it since Junior High. I'm not gonna stop now. Loves me some sketch comedy.

And since I'm at it, here are the shows we've dropped:

• Celebrity Apprentice— It's altered the definition of celebrity and has become unwatchable.
• American Idol— Adding Ellen, subtracting Paula, and losing both Simon and any talented performers— A.I., meet the Shark. Care to jump it?
• 24— Just couldn't do it anymore. I might turn in to the last episode.

Feel free to chime in and compliment/criticize our selections.

My Achilles Heel: My Achilles Tendinitis

My running update: Less than six weeks out from the marathon, and my training has been going . . . well, just OK. This year has been much different than last year. My training has been tougher since my flexible time has evaporated. I was hoping to shave some time off my last year's finish, but my pace is still too slow.

The weather was brutal throughout January and February, resulting in my current hatred for the treadmill. The warmer temperatures drew me outside, specifically to Eden Park, where I started a regimen of running up the hill to the Twin Lakes overlook. I was starting to feel good, but my last two long runs were disappointing. The one before last, the weather was gorgeous but my time was lacking. And, at the end of that run, my leg felt a little tight. The tightness continued throughout my last couple of runs. And then came last Saturday's run.

The weather was pathetic. I checked the radar before I left the house and it appeared the rain would let up. Little did I know, it started to move in a swirling pattern and continued through my entire run (also, the temperature dropped eight degrees in a couple hours). About ten miles in, my leg felt really tight. At one point a felt a sharp pain. Thankfully, Kelly had hopped in the car with Kaelyn and tracked me down, granting me a reprieve. But I could tell something in my leg was definitely not right.

After consulting with Susan, a lady in our church who's doing doctoral work in physical therapy at UC, we discovered it was most likely achilles tendinitis. It occurs when the tendon is overworked, especially when doing strenuous hill work. In some cases, it takes months to heal.

I don't have months.

Reluctantly, I knew I'd have to take it easy this week. Of course, with the amazing weather and the time change, this has been the best running week of the year thus far. This and the injury made me mildly depressed. I'm doing my best to heal: stretching, icing, and taking anti-inflammatory meds, but nothing is guaranteed. My leg is feeling much better, so I'll take a little jog this weekend. And, as I continue training, I'll need to steer clear of the hills and do some flat ground running.

I'm not quite sure what's going to happen. There's a distinct possibility that this could be the demise of this year's marathon. I haven't given up hope by any means, but my focus now is merely on completion. But, ultimately, I find it incredibly humbling. I love conquest—adding accomplishments to my portfolio. But the one predictable thing in our world is unpredictability (for proof, tell me how your NCAA brackets look at midnight on Friday). Even though I can train by the book, I couldn't predict what would happen to my body. It reminds me of what James wrote in his epistle, "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."

Who knows what tomorrow holds? Not me. So we'll see what happens.

Tasty

Not that any still uses Delicious, but I actually have an account where I bookmark interesting things I find on the interwebs. It was easy to set up and, with the Firefox pluggin, I can bookmark on the fly. Back when I changed over my WordPress theme to a basic look, I added some special features to the home page at www.houseofcarr.com. There you can not only see my latest posts, but you can see my latest status updates (via Twitter/Facebook) and my Flickr accoount. Since it had a pluggin for Delicious, I signed up for the service. This way, I don't have to write an entire blog post with hyperlinks to interesting articles.

So if you're interested in what I find interesting: first, get a life. Second, you can track my Delicious Bookmarks.

Over the River and Through the Woods

We drove down to Lexington this afternoon for the grand celebration of my daughter's birth. I've made the drive from Cincinnati to Lexington dozens of times over the past thirteen years, but still consider it a pleasant one. Slightly rolling hills plus tree-lined pastures make for a scenic drive. Still, a ninety mile trek can get monotonous. It's almost right at the border of being both too short and too long. I mean, at sixty miles, it's a trip that lasts less than a hour- a glorified commute. At two-hundred miles, you know it's a longer haul, so you can even schedule stops. So ninety is more of an annoyance. And it was even worse when we live on the northern side of town, which left us another twenty miles from the Ohio River.

But the state of Kentucky must love me, because they've made two changes to Interstate 75 that has made it a better trip. First, in the past couple of years, they upped the speed limit to 70MPH; yes, that extra five makes a huge difference. And second, they've added a third lane all the way through between the two cities. Gradually, over the past ten years, they've worked on getting that extra lane in there. And now that it's there, it's fantastic. The trip is that much better now, despite the fact that the outlet mall in Dry Ridge is now a shanty town.

So thanks Kentucky, not just for a speedier trip, but also for switching things up. It's like a brand new journey now.

The Latest at the House

The layers of snow have sapped much of my creativity. Ironic, eh? I finally have a little downtime to write yet I have no spectacular topic to offer. My deepest apologies, but I doubt anyone but me cares. But just so I can remember what's been going on in my life, some bullet points:

• Even with the late season snow, I've done well getting through the winter. I'm marathon training again (well, not in the snow) and I think getting back into shape has helped with my attitude. Still, I can't wait for a little Spring action.
• Church has been very good lately. I feel like we're hitting on most of our cylinders. I'll probably have more to say about this in the next day or so, suffice to say, I love our church.
• Sermon prep has been going good as well. We're wrapping the books of 1&2 Thessalonians. I've been preaching out of the New Testament for all but two months since the summer of 2008. This was by design, because starting on Easter we'll begin the book of Exodus. It'll take about a year for us to get through it, and I'm giddy about it. I love the Old Testament and thoroughly enjoy presenting its relevancy to our modern lives.
• Speaking of the O.T., I'm taking a seminary class on the book of Genesis. I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Dr. Mark Ziese is a professor I avoided as an undergrad because of the amount of work he assigns. I guess this is my penance.
• We were in Lexington last weekend to watch the Wildcats play at Rupp Arena. They have a very good team this year. As for my Bearcats, I have serious doubts about Coach Cronin. It makes me sad: I really like the guy, but his teams have never gelled and they lose as the end of the season. Since the re-upped his contract last year, I think he'll keep his job at least one more season.
• Less than two weeks until pitchers and catchers report. Am I a homer because I like this Reds team's chances?
• The Winter Olympics are coming this weekend. My wife has Vancouver issues (that's a story she can share) and I'm not as into them as the Summer games. I will, however, try to DVR curling. I love that stuff.
• No "24" or "American Idol" this spring. All I have to do is scan Facebook and I get the gist.
• Speaking of Facebook, I actually like the new look, but it seems like the news feed refreshes less frequently. Anyway . . .
• We watch too much HGTV. And I like it. Maybe I should start chewing tobacco.

Will we get back-to-back snow days? I doubt it, but I wouldn't turn it down.

Everybody's Going Off The Deep End

Kelly has told me that I always function better when I'm busy. I'm not sure I believed her, but I looked back at this past week and began to believe it. Just this past week, my slew of activities looks almost impressive: I worked full-time at Cincinnati Christian— recruiting students and preparing an ad campaign, I parented my child, I conducted multiple counseling sessions, I did some repair work on the church building, I spent time with my wife, I trained for a marathon, I went to a preschool open house, I prepared my sermon, I participated in a community council meeting (of which I'm a board member), I participated in numerous meetings (both online and real-life), and I found time to read a book.

And starting this week, I'm taking another seminary class.

And starting next week, I'll be teaching a college course.

And I'm functioning quite well, thank you.

There's a reason why I'm sharing this list, and a vocational one like that: there's a tendency among ministers to keep each other accountable for overworking. True, many ministers have ignored their families for the sake of church work; these people need to understand that God's calling to their family is their greatest responsibility. A larger problem, I'd suggest, is that many of us ministers are lazy.

There, I said it.

A recent survey revealed that clergy are the people most satisfied with their jobs. Many will suggest that this is because they get paid to help people. I would counter that perhaps because it's a sweet gig. While there is some hard work involved with this job, it's no more than any other vocation. Because so few people understand what we actually do, it's difficult to relate to this job stress. My opinion: it could be way worse.

Look, work is work. It's the curse of Eden. But many of us (not just ministers, mind you) loathe it to the extent that we don't see that value in it. While our work doesn't need to define us, it can forge and refine us into stronger people.

I witnessed this firsthand throughout my life. I was reared by a father who was a blue-collar worker who grew up in poverty and by a mother who was an impoverished farmer's daughter. I witnessed first hand their hard work: waking up before dawn, moving from the start of the day until the end of the night, even weekends were devoted to work. They served without ceasing. My parents found pleasure and accomplishment in working hard. My generation is content to outsource.

Sidebar: I wonder how our country will survive when my generation is finally in charge of this thing. Will it be odd when the President of the United States is a gamer?

Now that I'm at the end of this, I'm not quite sure there's a point to my Sunday night rambling. Perhaps it's as simple as this: as you face yet another work week that was the potential for sucktitude, embrace it. Give it your all. Find something redeemable about it. The apostle Paul suggested, "whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

My Unforgetable Aughties

It's been an interesting ten years. We lived in four different dwellings. We lost loved ones. We expanded our family. And after starting the decade employed by Cincinnati Christian University, I end it working there as well . . . with a couple of stops in between.

As we close the door on this decade, we're still not sure what to call it. I'm thinking that people will just reflect back on this decade by referencing groups of years (for example, "sometime back between 2005 and 2007 . . ."). So if we don't know what to call it, how will we remember it?

I've read a few decade-ending retrospectives calling this "the forgotten decade," but, as for me, there was plenty to remember about it. So for my last post of the year, I offer to you, the top ten unforgettable moments from my life past ten years.

10. Buying our first home (September, 2002). I distinctly remember the moment I knew we were going to purchase our place in Deerfield Township: I felt almost ill. The responsibility seemed overwhelming. And God blessed us on the back end, helping us sell it on our own in just three days. We miss that home, but love our current urban abode.

9. The starting of this blog (November 23, 2004). I know, this seems a little vain, but blogging has been a significant part of my decade. I've built relationships with people through this thing. And considering that I've kept it going over five years now as other blogs lay dead along the roadside, I'm thinking this thing will last even longer than I imagined.

8. My academic pursuits (2000-2009). I can't nail down a date for this one, but it was a good decade for adding letters after my name. I never thought I'd be an eternal student, but what I've learned through this schooling will continue to impact my life and ministry throughout future decades. In keeping with this theme . . .

7. My collegiate teaching experience (July 7, 2008). Again, I'm not sure I ever imagined that I'd be an adjunct professor, but I absolutely love it. Well, actually, I love everything but grading papers. I feel almost at home in the classroom. I look forward to the opportunity to teach more in the years to come.

6. My first marathon (May 3, 2009). I use the word "first" because I'm planning on running it again; this is ironic as I swore at mile 26 that I'd never do this again. But the sheer sense of accomplishment I felt after crossing the finish line is something I'll never forget and it's what's motivating me to do it again.

5. My hepatitis (February 2006). Look, it was absolutely horrible. I wouldn't wish it on anyone else. But those two weeks (just after the birth of my daughter) hit me harder than any sickness I've ever had. I wasn't fully recovered for four months. I didn't like it, but I won't forget it.

4. My mission trip to Venezuela (February 2004). I had never really been on mission trip before and yet I was leading this one. Fortunately, my high school Spanish classes were still memorable and I was able to communicate with some of the locals. Caracas was a beautiful city and I hope to make it back there one day.

3. Our vacation to Jordan/Israel/Paris (February-March 2005). This was the trip of a lifetime. Two-and-a-half weeks where all we had to do was soak in the big wide world. It was non-stop memories, with some serendipitous moments thrown in for fun. Israel almost felt like home. We're definitely hoping to make it back there in the decade to come.

2. The founding of Echo Church (October 16, 2005). I really believe that this is the journey that will define my life. It's been a non-stop lesson in faith, patience and perseverance. But the past four years has been an immeasurable blessing. I'm excited to see what the future holds as Echo emerges from infancy towards adolescence.

1. The birth of my daughter (February 12, 2006). I remember it was after a few weeks of hospital waiting; I never took to sleeping in that hospital lounger. I remember snapping a picture with the clock just after 10pm. I remember seeing the doctor holding a gangly leg. And I still remember the wonder that lingers with me still today. Even when she drives me crazy, she makes me smile. Hands down, Kaelyn's the best thing to happen to me this decade.

Important News Concerning My Birthday Wish

The advent of Facebook has made my birthday public knowledge. OK, I can live with that. But I get bored watching the same "Happy Birthday" greeting time after time on Facebook walls. What I need is for you to exhibit some creativity. Last year, I asked well-wishers to contribute a birthday haiku and they responded in force. This year, I'd like for you to get creative once again, but this year I'll make it a little easier.

This year, I only want ONE WORD— your favorite word. Either in the comments on this post or on my Facebook wall, leave your favorite word for my birthday.

Now let's keep this civil. Perhaps your favorite word is a profanity. Congratulations. Feel free to keep it to yourself and use an alternate. Otherwise, just think about the word and let me know.

Maybe it's a long word. Maybe it's a short word. Maybe it's a word from your childhood. Maybe it's a word from another language. I don't care. I just want to know it.

This way, my birthday gives us the chance to learn a little bit about each other. And that would make me happy.

I Declare [Email] Bankruptcy

Finally getting finished with all our web changes. My friend Brian has been a huge help to us (and our church), giving us constant attention throughout the changeover to new servers. He is my go-to guy on all tech needs. The final key was switching over email. The new server was spammed constantly, so much so that I was dreaming of Viagra ads. We finally changed over to a Gmail set-up, so I've spent the evening getting organized. I imported all my previous emails into my new account on Mac Mail and deleted my old accounts. I should have thought this out better. Dragging the emails into the new account merely copied them. When I finally deleted the accounts, the emails were gone as well. Fortunately, I've been backing up my hard drive, but I haven't done so since December 1st.

In short, if I haven't responded to you, I might not be ignoring you. Email me again and, if I don't respond, then I probably was.

Me VS Tiger [Rivalry Renewed]

As I have frequently admitted in the past couple of weeks, I have missed regular blogging. Transferring all of my old posts to the new blog reminded me of things I have overlooked during my writing famine. One of those was the gauntlet I threw down last year to one Eldrick Woods, known better to the general public as Tiger; as we were born on the exact same date, it's only logical that we compare our lives to see who's doing better. With the last scoreboard, it was a dead heat, but we now have to go back and tally things up to get the newest standings. Since last we checked in, Tiger had his second child. While I'm going to talk smack and say that my one child is better than his two combined, he still owns scoreboard. Congratulations, sir, you have procreated more.

This one point lead will be stretched because last week Tiger had a traffic accident. No biggie, as I had an accident in 1992 when my Ford Escort got in the way of a Camaro, and I was t-boned on Tylersville Road in 2004, but I did not hit both a tree and a fire hydrant. Nor did I have to go to the hospital. Again, El Tigre pads his lead, now up by two. So the current scoreboard:

ME = 1

TIGER = 3

But now we have to take account of the events that have transpired since this accident. The facts surrounding the issue are hazy at best, because none of it seems to make sense. Why are you leaving your house at 2:30am the night after thanksgiving (I'm suspecting the Woods don't need to shop Black Friday)? If you're not drunk, how do you hit both a tree and a fire hydrant? And, seeing the pictures of the accident, why does the wife have to bust out the windows of your vehicle with a nine-iron? Apparently, it's all due to the fact that our opponent has a girl at every port; as Glen Frey lyrically shared, "you can't hide those lyin' eyes."

I'm not taking pot shots here, because I know there's now pain surrounding this family, and the innocent (his wife and children) will have to bear the burden. But it's yet another reminder why we need to keep things in perspective. Sure, celebrity life has it's perks, but I wouldn't trade it for the beautiful simplicity of the life I own. When things are so bad that you have to cheat on your supermodel spouse, something is jacked up. Now for the rest of his professional career, this episode will always be remembered. It's truly sad.

I'm hoping this whole situation will be a warning to spouses everywhere: no matter how crafty you are, you're going to get caught. If you don't think you have it in you to be faithful, then why get married in the first place?

Look, it can be done. For eleven plus years I've found full contentment in my spouse. She's been there through thick and thin, and has constantly supported all of my endeavors. She's absolutely amazing. Why would I ever think of screwing it up with a fling? Believe it or not, there's more to satisfaction than sex. What we have is worth far more than anything I could ever imagine. So my free advice, specifically to the gents, is to love your wife. Respect her. Make her feel beautiful. If you do that, you'll never have the need to search for anything else.

But we must revisit the game. In the category of fidelity, I'm going to claim victory. And since I will neither have to buy jewelry to compensate for my cheating ways, nor will voicemails to my mistresses make national websites, the point totals should skyrocket. It might sound arbitrary, but I'm going to say that this is a five-point category, and I'm taking them all to the bank. The current scoreboard now reads:

ME = 6

TIGER = 3

Tiger has a lot of making up to do.

Now I'm Ready

A week after promising a return to regular posting, I'm finally going to jump back in. It wasn't really sloth. I'm teaching a class right now, tried to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday, and have been struggled with a cold. Plus, I was still in the midst of some web design work, formatting not only the blog, but our church website too. After three plus years of the same design, the Echo Church website has a new look that will be much easier to edit. Big thanks to Brian Coates for helping me take care of everything. Take a look at it and let me know what you think.

If you're an RSS'er, you can find my feed at http://houseofcarr.com/?feed=rss2

So I'm back. Seriously. Get used to it.