Reason for the Season

Merry Christmas!

Amy and I finished up a busy week right before Christmas, did some shopping just in time and were able to enjoy the festivities with a calm, put-together manner. Well, most of that is true.

Oh hey! We got a new van. Actually, its the newest van in the fleet. We went from a Chevy Astro van with over 190k miles on it to a great Ford Transit with just 18k. We have named our new van Jesse 3 (Yes, that's a reference to Duck Dynasty).

The bad news is that our next semester may not be in Texas as much as we thought. Its hard to say exactly what our second half will look like. I'm reluctant to predict anything. It seems to change every month. To follow up that thought, I think I'll give a short review of our first semester as Camfel Technicians.

August: Flew in to L.A. by the skin of our teeth (that is an odd expression). Trained. Got awesome. Drove off. Crossed the Rockies. Started our shows at Ft. Riley...in Kansas (check my facebook profile picture).

September: Bounced around what Camfel Productions calls "Midwest" (which would eventually include New Jersey, Georgia, South Dakota and almost everything in between). Got more awesome. Mastered public speaking.

October: Amazingly, we got even more awesome. This was our busiest month so far (hopefully it stays that way). We had looong drives, tight schedules and very few days off.

November: While things started to lighten up, we continued to increase our awesome. Got to visit our home a little bit as a warm up to this month. But really we stayed pretty busy.

December: Though certainly not completely off, we have enjoy the fruits of our labor. This month has been much more relaxing. We decided that we can spread the awesome around this month.

Our first five months have been a whirlwind. I am very appreciative for the craziness of which we were able to be a part. It doesn't get said enough, especially here where I write a lightly censored version of my thoughts and venting, but we believe in Camfel's message. We have a unique opportunity to touch the lives of kids at critical moments in their worlds. We get to meet new people everyday. We get to see amazing corners of our nation. Our company, though it may have its problems, is doing good work. We get to be a part of that. Thank you Camfel Productions.

And in case you feel like I've not noticed you reading this...Thank you to my loyal readers. Spread the word. I'll keep writing.

Holly Daze

We are sooo close to Christmas break. Luckily Amy and I are already enjoying a little sneak peak. We have this whole week off, with pay, I might add. Everything but lodging will still be paid, but that works out for everyone because we are staying with parents (and eating their food). Our first semester isn't quite over, however. We still have a week coming up in Ohio. After a quick week in Lame-hio, we will have about two weeks in the great white north of Michigan. Then we will be starting our second semester in Texas.

Its amazing how much needs to get done when we get a little break like this. Taking care of business doesn't seem very vacation like. But hunting does! I slipped away for a little weekend with the boys (Dad, Noah and Dane). Aside from sleeping in the bathroom (due to unexplainable noxious fumes), I had a great time spitting, grunting and shooting things. Very manly. The highlight was shooting arrows at a squirrel about 50 ft up. Don't worry PETA. Your precious fluffy tailed rats were left unharmed, not due to lack of trying.

Good news! We will be getting a new van...well Transit. Originally we selected the Astro van we have because of its leg room. But Rastro needs to spend his last days on a farm in California. So we will be getting a new puppy for Christmas. Maybe I'll take votes for its name. Got any suggestions?

I was about to say "nothing left to do but enjoy the season". However, there is all kinds of stuff to do. Some of it I am very excited for (seeing friends, playing Catan, going to a retro video game party, etc.) and I am amazed at just how much stuff needs to get done...even when you don't have a home, car, child or serious responsibility of any kind. How do you parents do it? Kudos.

Lastly, I'd like to say God bless you all and merry Christmas. If you have other beliefs, well, that is just fine. I wouldn't be offended if you said Happy Hanukkah, Kwanza or whatever to me. I haven't heard too much bickering about all this junk so far...so I'd like to assume we are getting passed that politically correct nonsense. Agreed?

Sunset over the big water.

Want a Raisin? How bout a date?

Went to Dave & Busters today. So many pretty lights. We were a bit overwhelmed at first but soon we decided to dive right in. Because it was a Wednesday afternoon, all the games were half off. Oh, and it turns out Amy is a Whac-A-Mole master! She beat the high score...twice! Then, because pennies fear our pinching, we strolled over to Hardee's for an under $10 meal. Our dates are awesome.

We also set a new personal record. This La Quinta is blessed with our presence for the third time and fifth night. The fun part is that we didn't even pick this hotel. Priceline has express deals where you pick the price and area but you don't know what hotel you will get. Every time its been this one.

I looked into the idea of going to ITT Tech today. Then I looked up pricing info. $42,000!! That's what it would cost to go there...but here's the kicker....that's for an associate's degree! The bachelor's was over 80 G's!! (yes, I say "G's") How much does U of M cost now? I'm a little outraged. Anyone have any feedback/advice on this topic?

 Lastly, I'd like to thank you all for reading this blog. I know there are a lot of you that read because I see the back office statistics. With this entry we should hit over 1000 views! That means about 40 people out there think I'm at least mildly entertaining. Spread the word people. If you know someone who knows Amy or myself, ask them if they are reading our blog. If they say "no"...well, you know what to do. Thanks.

Rapid Fire

Yeee-haw! Jeremy's back!

We were able to get back home for Thanksgiving. We almost completely just vegged out. Food, at it. Games, played them. Naps, took them. Family, saw them. Sleep, caught it. Pounds, gained them. And fun was had by all. Hope you all had similar turkey days.

So, with all this free time to enjoy and just be still, I've been able to think about a few things. Rapid fire, here we go: I have an exceptional family. I think the "doomsday preppers" (on natgeo) are a little extreme...but not totally crazy. China is scary. I want a gun. Ten years out is really hard to envision. I have too many career options. I need to figure out how to lose weight while on the road. My wife is really nice to me. I want a house. Then I want to have my friends over.

December looks pretty fun. Basically its like this, we have a week of work around metro Detroit, a week off, another week of work and then two weeks off for the holidays. I'm glad we will be around so much because our next semester will be based in Texas. I'm thinking we won't be able to see people much, if at all, during our next semester. But then again, that's what we thought about this semester.

Shoulda Woulda Coulda

On Thursday, Amy and I went to Lowe's home improvement store. We looked at the little sheds on the outside. Then we started to go in. A man ran out of the store with brand new tools in his arms. My mind thought "why is a grown man running with tools?". Two people followed him out, one of which yelled "you better drop it boy!". A: It clicked and I understood that this guy was stealing. My arms immediately shot out football style and the "perp" went skidding on the pavement. Not letting go of the merchandise, the semi-athletic bad guy recovered and ran. Another man and myself began the chase. We caught up to him we ease (he had tools...and I'm fast). I threw my shoulder and wrapped my arms. Down he went, half of his body slamming against his SUV. Though he struggled and cussed, we held him there until the police arrived and took over. It was a great day. A few scratches and a slightly stretched out shirt but an immense sense of satisfaction that I helped bring justice to one moron shoplifter. Or B: I think to myself "Ok guys, stop joking around". The guy chasing the one with the tools appeared shadier and I assumed they worked together. They both run by followed by a Lowe's employee. I watch as they run around the "perps" car. I take a few steps in their direction thinking "seriously? Wait, is this really what I think it is?". The shoplifter hops into his Cherokee and floors it in reverse. Two people quickly memorize his license plate as he speeds off.

Unfortunately, "B", as you may have guessed, is the real playing out of that scenario. Ever since it happened I have been kicking myself for not reacting. I was literally within arms reach of the jerk. I could have easily helped the other guy chase him down. I know it is all could've-should've type stuff here. But I am quite upset that the guy got away with it and I had the potential to quickly shut him down. It is making me consider law enforcement more seriously than ever before.

Anyway, we have done much more since our last post. Liiike....we drove through fog so thick that the school we went to had a 2 hour delay. Or...hiked about the Lost River Cave. We are having a great time working a light to moderate schedule. Currently we are in Tennessee again to visit Brentwood HS...last month we went to Brentwood MS. Efficient. Next stop Georgia. That will bring the state count up to 22 (the last post was wrong: shoulda been 21 not 20). Gonna apologize for the writing tonight. Tired and distracted.

I hear bells!

Yes, I failed. I admit it. My week challenge turned into a few measly posts with some fun pictures. My failure to post everyday was due, in part, to the sketchy/lack of internet access at two of our hotels (one being a really high end place) as well as my choice to thoroughly enjoy our newly acquired time off at my aunt and uncles place. <<That's what we call a "run on" sentence :)

Before I go any further I must announce something of mega importance. My little brother found a rock. Then he put the rock on a hoop of metal. Then he put the hoop on a girls finger. Now they are going to be together forever. Congrats you two! Even if it is only half as amazing as Amy and I's marriage then it will be worth it ;) <<Count it! That's two emoticons already. Hat trick?

Today's show was very interesting...well, for us. We showed the EV (evangelical) version of our program for the first time. We were at a Catholic school. The staff seemed annoyed just to be there except for the secretary. The students were some of the most disrespectful that we've run into. But the fun part was that we had never seen this particular version. The more fun part was that this version had my beautiful actress wife in it. No words. But my o my what an expressive face. <(0.o)> <<Hat trick! ...hey Kirby.

Want some fun facts about our travels so far? Of course you do. You're greedy.

Total number of students that have seen our shows: 34,150

Total states visited: 20

October miles traveled: 5,102

Juggling balls purchased: 3

Amount paid to tolls: $105.35

State specific T-shirts bought: 6

New people that we met and have seen again: 0

Souvenir crushed pennies: 9

Ziploc bags full of hotel shampoo: 3 (the big ones)

Banks robbed: 4

Note: One of these is false. You get two guesses.

Mood: Silly

Ahh Cmon!

That is what I said when the hotel we crashed at last night said "uh, you can try...but the wi-fi comes and goes". This after we booked a hotel that advertised free wi-fi. So, sorry for missing a day...but its not my fault!

Except for the crappy hotel last night, we have had a decent couple days. Its been very standard in most ways. However, we are absolutely delighted to be sitting on a couch in my uncle Scott and aunt Kim's house. We were fed a delicious home made dinner and are currently relaxing with a little Big Bang Theory...and did I mention couch? Its funny what you miss.

We are off tomorrow and staying here again. Don't need to pack up and drive. Don't need to wake up early (like this morning 5am, boohiss). We also have zero shows to setup. My to do list, however, is quite a bit longer than it has been in some time.

Gonna socialize with the fam. I'll have something more substantial tomorrow.

Crazy World

You thought I forgot didn't you? Almost.

I think the world is getting crazier and crazier. I'm not going to get all political except to say this: No matter who wins this election, I think there will be some very mad people on the losing end. Honestly, I think both sides have crazies that worry me.*please keep comments politically neutral as well, thanks.*

Also, this weather is not fun. I don't like Sandy (its good to know my buddy Rick, in NYC, is ok though). We had sleet this morning and wind all day.

As for work today, well, it was quick and that was the best part of it. Our student "helpers" pretty much just stared blankly at us. I heard Amy ask them "so what grade are you all in?" (they were in 7th). None of them answered. They looked at her and then continued talking to each other. It was bizarre. She just said "oookay". Also, because they were worse than no help and delayed us so much, we were still setting up when the students all came in for the show. They also decided that the show would start a half hour earlier than what was scheduled. Ugh.

The best part of the day was Dundee! We got to see momma Lynn, eat a great lunch, explore Cabela's and enjoy delicious samples at both Russell Stovers and The Jerky Outlet. We did so much that I almost forgot it was a work day. (Got to see my parents last night for din din too) It was great to see some fam.

Finally, the end of the day ain't so bad neither. I'm headed to la la land with the knowledge that our first show isn't until 1pm. We get to sleep in.

Nighty night.

Good Good

Good school today. Teachers smiled. Principal and custodian were helpful. Things just seemed good.
We had a pretty long day. We started in Pittsburgh, jogged up to Dundee for dinner with my parents and now we are sitting in our hotel in Maumee. I'm hoping to go relax in the hot tub so I will make this quick. How about a few more pictures?!

Spam museum. Wife with spam. Randomly added now. Fun day.

More randomness. Henry Dorley Zoo. Very nice zoo.

HOTTUB! Later :)

Sunday Funday

Hurricane Sandy tried to catch us all day today. We had a 5 hour drive to Pittsburgh and it rained the entire way. But we are in high spirits after finally enjoying a day off. We were really feeling worn out and not so positive. Now we have a much better outlook and are excited to share our experience with you. I'm finally going to post a decent amount of photos from our adventures.

This is an average setup of our program. Note the three large screens. Thats 42 feet of beautiful viewing surface. Amy is a master at lining up the projectors. We have an awesome system down and I think we may have a shot at breaking the setup time record (I think the record sits somwhere around 17 minutes. We are given 1.5 hours for setup. Amy and I routinely have a half hour to spare without a sweat and have setup up in 20 minutes out of necessity).

I found this on the beach. Anyone know what the heck it is? It was living at one time.

The report on our Groupon extravaganza was kind of ignore because it was kinda lame. We went to the Cheesesteak Challenge. It was really busy. It took forever to get the cheesesteak entries. And most of the entries weren't remotely close to what I think of as a cheesesteak (i.e. Shrimp, Spinach and Sprout Eggroll). Glad we did it...mostly just for the check mark. Done.

Sorry for whining so much. Looking through these photos makes me realize how much cool stuff we have seen. This pic doesn't do justice to both the rainbow and the beautiful fall colors.

The Pledge

That is the name of the program that we show the most. Also, I am making a pledge to you all: I will post once a day for a week. From saturday to saturday. I can't promise it will be much. But its about time that I get into some kind of regular posting schedule. We also seem to have just passed the busiest part of our tour (hopefully). After the week of posts, I plan to steadily add stuff every day or two.

As for this post, well...there is too much to cover. I will have a fairly easy time coming up with content for the upcoming week. We have been thru Phillie, over to Jersey, a "quick" stop in Kentucky and then back to Jersey. I jumped in the ocean right where the hurricane is about to hit. And now we are enjoying our first real day off in quite awhile back here in Harrisburg PA. Whew. It really has been a whirlwind.

Today Amy and I were able to sleep in and have a lazy day. We went to a laundromat for the first time today. Don't worry, we stayed with people and did laundry for free at just the right times so far. Although, stink-free is not a descriptive term for our traveling life. We were also able to slow down and think about the future. It has me kind of freaking out. Being busy has its benefits...ei: no time to worry.

Lovyall!

Groupon Extravaganza!

Gonna experience all that Philly has to offer tomorrow. If you don't have Groupon, this is a great way to sign up for it: http://www.groupon.com/l/uu27813704 Plus it helps me out if you decide you want to do any of the deals.

A full report on Philly coming soon.

White Horse

She was beautiful, once. You can still see her elegance. In times now passed, this great beast carried her rider with confidence. Her brilliant white coat was like freshly fallen snow. Her stride was steady and true. She galloped with fervor and rushed into battle. She crossed mountains, rivers and distance with ease. The harshest winters came and went. The summer suns beat down. The rains poured in torrents. But her head never fell. She was victorious through it all. Her rider cared for her and she for her rider. Every step they took was a step taken together. Every mile passed was a solid bond formed. The days became months. The months became years. New riders came and went. Always, she did her best. Always, she was victorious. Some spread stories that she was immortal, an unwavering steed that just wasn't of this world. But she knew better. She new she was tired. Her hooves were warn. Her coat, now faded and scuffed. Occasionally, her knees would begin to buckle and her steps faltered. Her rider would let her rest. Her rider would pad her coat gently. Together they pressed on. Each relied upon the other. On a day just like any other, her rider saw something unbelievable. She couldn't rise on her own. She was awake and willing, but her legs would not hold her. Her rider brought food and water to her side. As the rider padded her coat, she rose once more. She was determined. She was a soldier. She had a final victory to achieve. They continued. Alas, she found herself weary at the end of each day. She began to drop her head slightly. She wandered along in a fog. Then it happened again. Her rider packed up and got ready to ride. But she would not budge. She awoke to her riders gentle prompting, but she was unable to rise. She hung her head. With her heart broken, she began to give up. Then she heard her riders footsteps. Her rider knelt by her head, placed a hand on her neck and whispered "You are still beautiful". The words found her ears. Her eyes opened. Her once heavy heart began to lift. Then she began to lift. She had to. Her rider needed her.

 The End

 Sorry. I was in a bit of a dramatic mood. We broke down for the second time. But "she" is back up and running. It actually happened right after my last post. It was a mess and then we were very busy. Today we finally got a rest. Hope you enjoyed :)

Fun And Games

Good grief Charlie Brown, we have been busy. As such, bloggy blog has suffered my absence. Fear not, I have returned. Right off the bat, I'd like to ask for prayers for my grandmother Elizabeth Swartz. She is in rehabilitation for a fall she suffered a few weeks ago. She is not doing so great. I would just say to pray for comfort. Thanks all. As for Amy and I, well, we are recovering and preparing. Recovering from an unusually exhaustive week filled with long drives and early shows. We are preparing for a crazy week again. This time it will have more shows, but a little less driving. Currently we are laying about in our Ramada Inn watching "Karate Kid" (the one with Will Smith's son). Our plans for the the weekend are as follows:_____________________________. <--That means nothing :) After a surprise show in Dearborn, MI, we were able to quickly see family, do some much needed laundry and grab some cider and donuts. I am seriously going to miss fall in Michigan. Bonfires, apple orchards (though I hear the orchard is a tragic story this year), Halloween Parties, caramel apples, cold football games, hot chocolate, beautiful strolls in the park and oh so much more. Oh how I hope those reading this make the most of your beautiful Michigan autumn. If nothing else, pick one of the above mentioned activities and do it for me. With fall being my favorite time of year, I find myself longing for home. I knew we would get sick of being on the road and staying hotel rooms all the time. I knew we would eventually drool at the thought of a homemade meal. I knew we would get tired with the job (and sometimes with each other). But I really didn't think it would happen so soon. I'm sure needing sleep is contributing...but I feel like a bit of a wimp. Have you ever had to hype yourself up into doing something you don't want to do? Well, I had to do that today...to go get food. ME!! I LOVE FOOD! It was kind of pathetic. This post isn't much. But its going to have to do. I need to ease back into things anyway. This magnificent brain produces masterpieces of blogging history. Art if you will. And art takes time. Now, I know the "fun and games" failed to make an appearance in this blog. This is simply because its NOT all fun and games.

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Happy Dragon

"Slaying the dragon of delay is no sport for the short-winded." 
        -ancient chinese proverb (probably) that I received in my fortune cookie

My darling wife was willing to go to a chinese buffet with me! It was actually one of the best I've ever been to...especially for just 7.99. To anyone traveling through Lexington, Kentucky, I would highly recommend The Happy Dragon.

Just like all my choices at dinner this evening, I have too many things to tell you about. So, with journalistic flow and structure out the window, lets get started.

Today we had a great show. We set up a beautiful display, spoke with energy and confidence, tore it all down with efficiency and all with smiles on our faces. Then we left...wondering if anyone even heard a word we said. We found that Kentuckians can't understand us unless we imitate a deeeeep southern drawl. It was as if we were showing our program to a garden.

Yesterday, we went to Mammoth Cave National Park. Our tour through the caves was absolutely amazing and should not be missed if you ever have a spare moment in KY. God has made some truly awesome things for us to see. My advice: go see them.

Over the weekend, we stayed with some of Amy's family (Thank you Len and Kathy, SOOO MUCH) and had a great southern meal in Tennessee. The suburbs of Nashville are officially on my list of "acceptable places I would move to if offered a decent job in the area". Best weather we have run into so far, although, my favorite season is fall so it only gets better from here out.

Amy and I are still being nice to one another. In fact, I'm still crazy about her....but I guess you have to be a little crazy to do this at all. Our conflict is only with the desire to see the best of each new destination and the desire to close our eyes at 8pm. Experience vs. Exhaustion.

Our time spent in the van has its benefits as well. We talk about all sorts of things, like life, and love, and happiness and sometimes even houseplants. Audio books are great for the the drives longer than an hour (Thanks Mayb!) and for those that know The Ender-verse, we have just about finished both Enders Game and Enders Shadow. It gets me my media fix while living this closely with someone who doesn't really like movies.

I wish I had more time for this blog. We do have an unexpected day off on thursday due to a cancellation. So hopefully I will be able to make some much needed changes and additions. Hope you all have a wonderful night. This happy dragon is off to get some much needed sleep.

Ooo Fancy!

Farfield Inn, Ramada Inn...uh...Super8...Budget Inn. These are just a few of the great places we have stayed. Some have been really nice. Others have been a place to crash and keep going. Now Amy has pulled off something incredible. She has booked us The Four Points Sheraton...AND The Hyatt!! All within the budget (well, literally $1 over for The Hyatt). I know I'm biased, but I got the best coworker.

Sorry, for such a delay in posting. Things have been busy. We were able to stop in Michigan briefly over Labor Day, but it required a 12 hr drive to not waste any personal mileage. It was wonderful to see the people we saw and we wish we could have seen everyone. Maybe we should sell tickets to see us for our next visit :) Juskiddin.

The shows have been getting better and better. My public speaking is becoming easier and easier. Yesterday, in Lisbon OH, I was introduced to start the show. As the clapping started to subside, I said "Thank you, thank you...However, I bet that is the last applause I will get. Hi! My name is Jeremy and I am from Michigan" Silence....laughter...a couple boos and a couple cheers. When I first started this my intros were strictly business. Now, I am able to laugh at myself and engage the audience. By no means am I a pro, (2-3 minutes is not hard) but its fun to see growth so quickly.

Its also awesome to see signs of the impact we are making. At a recent show, Amy and I were starting to break down the equipment when a young wheelchair bound girl rolled up to us and wanted to say thank you. But as she shook our hands she pulled us in for hugs. It was simple and genuine. Amy and I left with smiles.

We would love to hear how all of you are doing. Maybe if you're reading this you could jot down a quick update on you yourself and/or family (or message me on FB if you're shy). Lastly, on a more serious note, my Grandma Betty is not doing so well. She had a fall and went to the hospital. Now she is at a rehabilitation center, but her body is weak. She is still a spitfire as far as her mind goes. But it would be great to have prayers for her ailing body.

Thanks for reading. Anyone have questions about anything?

Sioux Falls

Sitting in our fancy hotel on Friday night...and loving it. I'm wiped out from the combination of work and sight seeing. After we got to the hotel yesterday, Amy crashed but I was wide awake. Today its  reversed. We'll see if I get much sleep. Usually when Amy is wired or has had some caffeine I end up waking up to her smiling face above me..."hey! Are you asleep?" she whispers after a suspicious poke in the side.

Last night we did some exploring of the falls, here in Sioux Falls. The water level is way down and you can almost get across without touching the water...but if you were to mess up and slip it could be potentially life threatening. I decided I'm not done traveling, so I gave up and went across the bridge. We ate at Chedd's which claimed to have the 4th best grilled cheese in the world (Royal Oak, MI was on the list as 6th place: Muse Cafe). I got a Ruben :)

This past week we had five separate shows in three different states.  I enjoy seeing the little towns (like Walthill, NE). I'm also glad to be back where people call it "pop". The work is good. For those that don't quite know, this is what we do:

-Arrive to school 1hr 45mins ahead of show time
-Setup 3 giant screens, 3 projectors and 4 speakers
-Wait for youth to file in, give intro "this is the most awesomest, bestest, radical movie...yada yada"
-Push play
-Watch 40 minute inspirational movie (Anti-bullying, anti-drugs, do your best, self-confidence, etc.)
-Give conclusion "you are awesome. I challenge you to be awesomer...yada yada"
-Pack it all up, thank administrator
-Leave

Well...I had my chance to sleep. Now Amy is pulling my arm to go sit in the hot tub. Ahhh....life is hard.

Rrrastro!

The Jetson's had a robotic dog named Astro. If memory serves, Astro would respond to a prompt by repeating his name much like Scooby Doo. We have a white Astro van that we affectionately refer to as Rastro.

Rastro made it over the Rockies! On our last 10 miles into Denver the "check engine light" came on. We stayed the night with Wyatt and Julie (Wyatt is Amy's brother) and have booked our hotel for the next two nights in Junction City KS. That will make six different states in just three days: California- happy to make your acquaintance but that is all you will ever be (atleast Southern Cal)
Nevada- Las Vegas is ridiculous and the rest of your state is uber-boring
Arizona- Pretty and fun to drive through, but maybe you could buy some trees
Utah- ZZzzzz, oh nice city, zzzz
Colorado- Almost as soon as we crossed in you gave us GREEN. I like CO and the Rockies.

Onward, to the bread basket of the world. I am anticipating rolling to flat landscapes with roads that my wife will feel more comfortable driving (20 hours in 2 days is taxing). From Kansas, we will be darting around to Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa.

We are in high spirits and have been laughing at the silly games we create to pass the time. From here on out things should be relatively normal....if there is such a thing on a Camfel tour. Gotta go.

Training II

Disaster! We got done with an exceptionally sweaty day and came back with a sweet little treat on our minds. Amy brought Fruit Pastilles from england (one of my favorite candies) for me. At the airport we shared half of a roll. But now they are no where to be found! They simply disappeared. I believe they got thrown out with the trash just minutes before we got back.

On a happy note, Amy and I were 2 out of 4 people to pass our setup test. 21 other people took it and just two couples passed. We were asked where we were hoping our tour would be (our idea of the pacific northwest turns out to be not real likely). After learning more about the company and how everything works, we decided to say western midwest. However, that doesn't mean we will get it or stay in any specific states. But it was nice to know we are doing well.

This passed weekend was nice as well. On Saturday we explored the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and the Fermin Point Lighthouse, followed by a trip to Huntington Beach for my first sunset over the Pacific. Sunday brought us to Venice beach to showcase the oddities of the human race (for those with a similar disposition I would skip Venice beach).

Now its back to training. Just four days to get ready for "game day". We have learned how to setup screens in countless variations, align projectors in any condition and master audio like no else. I think the hardest part will be introducing and concluding the show. Amy would like to know exactly what to say and when to say it. I, on the other hand, would much rather "wing-it" with just a few guidelines of what I need to say.

All in all, we are doing well. Our bodies are tough and resilient and yet so very fragile (food poisoning on friday night was rough). We are learning so much and yet need to know so much more. We are thrilled with the adventure we are on and yet we miss our friends and family.

P.S. Sorry for the lack of video and pictures. We have a bunch, but I don't really have the time to figure out how to add it. After training I should have a little more free time.

Training I

Quick update here from California. We are on day 3 of training. Starting to get used to the time change. Training is supposed to hit warp speed today. There are 3 other married couples that we are having a lot of fun with. The church we are training at is just a short walk from the motel here. Camfel is providing breakfast, lunch and dinner. The days here are pretty full. However, as we get more and more rest we will be able to take more and more advantage of our free time. Yesterday it went until about 7:30pm (10:30pm Michigan time). We will update photos and our first video soon. Thanks for being patient.

GO!

The whole idea of what I’m doing has suddenly hit me. I’ve got the good and bad butterflies, my mind is racing and I’m triple checking all my stuff. I’ve been very busy and I sold my truck. I’ve packed and repacked. But, I still feel like I’m forgetting something major. As if I will get to LA and someone will say “Where are your arms?” I’ll stare blankly as I remember exactly where I left them.

This new adventure is unlike any other I’ve had. I went to college, but that was close enough to drive, if need be. I’ve been to quite a few foreign countries (Canada excluded), but those were short trips. This is going to be both out of my known region and almost a year in length. Ultimately I am excited and look forward to the challenges. 

I’m guessing I won’t have much time to update in the next couple days. I’ll try to post some pics and more info about the job and company as soon as I can. I would greatly appreciate you all keeping us in your prayers.

GO!

Goat....Ahahah Gotchya!

Just messed around with the blog a little. What do you think? Also, get your vote in on what you think this blog should be called. If you have another great name idea, then share it in the comments on this post.

Get Set

Downtown Farmington has been a great first place. For those that haven't had the pleasure, this little gem has some fantastic restaurants, a great little theater and lots of fun city events. Our first little apartment will also be missed...sort of. I look forward to having a bathroom that I can't touch every wall all at once. We have been close to family, but not too close (wink). However, now we will be trading it all in for the open road.

We have packed up our little world and are getting ready to leave. Amy is headed to England for the Humphreys Lugsden wedding (because things aren't crazy enough). And I will have a few short days to wrap up all the loose ends. Anyone know what the going rate of personal assistant is? I could really use one.

Anyone have any crafty/weird/great/unique travel tips?

Get Ready

Find the love of your life, marry her and begin your lives together. Good job ol' chap. Now, get a good job, buy a house, have lots of babies and settle down....or not.

Most of you that will be reading this already know that Amy and I have accepted a job that requires a move. Actually, it requires a lot of moving. We will be travelling the country for a company called Camfel Productions. The good folks at Camfel have produced some great messages for our nations youth. Our part is bringing those messages to as many schools, churches and other venues as possible.

In just a few short days we will be packing up all our belongings and putting most of it in storage (thanks momma Lynn). I'd be lying if I said I wasn't stressed at all. But overall I am very excited for this new endeavor. We don't have everything planned out but who does? You may be thinking "That boy crazy" or "Really? Just you and your wife? For how long?". To you I say, pray for us. Or maybe you're thinking "awesome, I am so jealous". To you I say, yea...you should be...but still pray for us.

Thats it for now. Check back often. We plan to add more and more to this blog. Videos and pictures, unicorns and snapdragons, etc.