Day 92

It's over. Done. 92 of 92 days complete.

Most of this week I spent the morning working on siding with Kyle, would eat lunch and then sleep for a couple hours. Beside some trinkets and a tan, seems I brought a little something extra home from the DR. And it wants out.

But, we got the garage done. OK...the siding is done. Still some electrical and the approach to the garage to pour. We'll paint in the fall to match the house.

DAY 1 (Sunday): It's good to be back at church. Our youth group hosted Flip Flops and Flap Jacks during the SS hour. That is always a lot of fun. I was pretty nervous getting back in front of everyone to lead Sharing Time. Don't know why I get like that, but whenever it has been awhile since I have been in front of people, I get on edge. I missed everyone and am so happy that God has us here in Hesston. I look forward to what He has for us.

I will have one more entry for this blog later in the week to recap The SabBRADical.

Day 89

Sorry for the lost days. I was on the far side of the moon.

Little recap of how the trip to the DR ended:
FRIDAY: went to resort
SATURDAY: enjoyed resort
SUNDAY: went to Hotel Lina in Santo Domingo
MONDAY: flew home

Got to Wichita at 10:30 pm. Wasn't sure we'd get out of Atlanta. The weather had been stormy and a bunch of flights were cancelled. We left a 1/2 hour late and got in a 1/2 hour ahead of schedule. Not sure how that works, but we were home.

TUESDAY: Our anniversary! Sal and I have been married for 19 years. We got married in Huron, SD. We drove to Yellowstone and Jackson Hole for our honeymoon. Lived in Huron 2 years while Sal finished up teaching degree and I was part time youth pastor and part time construction. Went to Alaska for 8 years. Had Cass in '95 while living in Juneau and Carson in '98 while living in Ketchikan. Spent a year in Huron before transitioning to Hesston. September 1 will be 8 years in Hesston. This is the longest anyone has put up with us as a married couple. :) For supper we went to Sal's favorite, On The Border. We always get the same thing, chicken fajitas. We share. The food is awesome. The check is cheap ($15). We're both happy.

Then walked around Bradley Fair. Hit Banana Republic, GAP and Eddie Bauer. Found a shirt, some Teva flip flops on mega discount and 75% off women's jeans. I would have been losing money not to buy them for her!

WEDNESDAY: Kyle and I continued our quest to finish the garage. Got siding on 1 1/2 sides. Should be able to knock out the rest tomorrow. After that there is just pouring the ramp and then the pad in the back. Yeah, there's also the painting and the work bench. Guess I'll have to do those on my own time.

Tonight mom and dad are coming over for supper. Chicken Taco Casserole. My fav. My stomach has been wiggly so probably won't eat much.

End of DR Trip

Spent yesterday and today at the resort in Santo Domingo.

For 8 years we lived in Alaska as missionaries. We spent 2 of those years in Ketchikan. During this time we became close friends with Josh and Lorna Murdock. They are our age and their oldest kids are Cassidy and Carson's age. Plus they have two others. Josh owned and operated a float plane business.

Found out today via Facebook that Josh was killed Friday in a plane crash. He was the only one onboard. Words can't express how sad I feel tonight. He was such a great guy, husband and dad.

Please pray for Lorna and family in the coming days.

Day 83

DR Day 12 (Wednesday): Off to Barahona today. 2 1/2 hours. Joe and Shannon in the front. Cass and Tiffany (nurse) in back seat. Olvi (translator) and I in the bed of the truck. We had a great time. Talked about "Grey Matters" the whole ride there. "Grey Matter" refers to our brains and also to where we live most of our life- New Testament tends to talk about general principles which we have to use our brains to make choices. Humans tend to want black and white. Example- don't go see movies because movies are bad rather than I must think about what movie I am attending. Hot topics tend to be alcohol, music, movies, but really each of us have areas of our life that get out of balance because we want black and white. Life is about living within the pendulum of God's truth.

Ok. Enough preaching.

Got to Barahona, went to the beach. Had PBJ on the beach. Then drove a couple more miles up the road. There was a place where we could hike up a river thru a waterfall. We hiked mostly through water, so I didn't take my camera/phone. You'll have to trust me, it was beautiful. Then back down to where they have made pools where you can swim in the freezing cold water.

Time for supper. Got changed and headed to Casa Bonita. Beautiful site for a meal.

Great pictures if you follow the link to their website.

I had garlic shrimp and rice.

About 6:30 started trip back to San Juan. It had rained in the mountains during the day. About 1 1/2 hrs into trip came to a puddle that had turned into a roaring river.

So back to Barahona to take another route home. By this time it was pitch dark and raining. I sang 80's tunes from my phone to Olvi who was cold and huddled in the back of the truck. His "favorite" was Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. I was belting out "Good times never seemed so good" as we came to a speed bump in a little town. People hang out at the speed bumps since everybody has to slow down. Not sure what they thought of my vocals. But we won't ever forget that trip.

Day 82

DR Day 12: We started Tuesday with an 8 AM breakfast. Usually includes things like boiled eggs, fried ham, scrabble eggs, baked oatmeal or an egg bake of some sort. And of course mangos or pineapple. Shannon (missionary) does a great job with the cooking for all the meals. There is no such thing as 2% milk. It is of the powder variety. I haven't eaten any cereal here. Just use it to make cafe con leche.

Then Joe and I went to the market. Its a fun place to go. Very busy and get to see lots of the DR culture all in one place. When I got back, Cass and I worked on painting a side of the clinic. She worked on the bottom and I started with some of the overhang at the top. Slow going. She got a bunch done and mine looks like not much. Very hot and humid out there. Should have started earlier to avoid some of that.

Stopped for lunch and then a siesta before going back to painting. However the clouds came in and we had a beautiful rain all afternoon. Umm, I slept.

About 5 pm we had a meeting with some students. The first was a boy that Jared Redding sponsors on a monthly basis at the Lucille Rupp school.

Some info about Ezekiel: comes from a single parent home; is the oldest with 1 brother and 1 sister; loves music and plays the drums; favorite subject is math and Spanish. His favorite sport is basketball, which is cool since Jared sent with me a nerf bball hoop set to give him. Ezekiel was very excited.

Shortly after Ezekiel left, Cassidy's student came. Her name is Albia. She goes to the Christian school on this side of town, CCED, started by Jim Smith.

Albia also comes from a single parent home. She has 6 sisters and 1 brother. Her oldest sister is 26. Her brother and one sister are younger than her. Albia was shy at first, but boy, once she got talking, she was something else. She loves to go to school. Is ready for the bus at 5:30 AM, but it doesn't come until 7. Works hard at school and likes to get on the internet. Kids are the same wherever you go. Not sure where she has access since they don't have at home. Probably school. Cass gave Albia some of her clothes, shoes and a cloth bag. Pretty neat to be able to provide an education and a future for just $26 per month. If you are interested, go to the Solid Rock Mission website and click on "Child Sponsorship". Very, very easy to sign up.

In the evening an American Holderman Mennonite missionary family came over for supper. They had 4 girls and 1 boy. Their grandpa was from Hesston and they still have an aunt that lives there. Small world. Had a great time hanging out with them.

Cass and I closed our day with Gin - the game. I dominate, but she's catching on.

The Rooster and the Crickets: The clinic sits right next to a barrio. On the other side of the wall lives a rooster. Pretty sure its not the same one from every time we are here since they eat them, but there is always a rooster over there. Sometimes at 3 AM he will croak out a couple crows and go back to sleep. Other times at 5 AM that guy will just starting a crowing his heart out. When the rooster shuts up, the crickets take up the quiet with their chirping. Some years ago I had surgery on my right eardrum and have better hearing in it. If I lay on my right side with my right ear in my pillow, I can't hear the crickets. They must chirp at a frequency my left ear is deaf in. In this case, I wish the same could be said about the frequency of the crowing of that rooster.

Day 80

Wow - 12 more days until sabBRADical is over. I must spend them wisely.

DR Day 11: Late breakfast and then headed to the market. Joe (missionary) took good care of us and slowed down so we could do some shopping. We enjoyed the morning there.

When we came back Cassidy continued her quest to capture a lizard. This time she caught one. Carson would love it. Don't think we can bring it back for him though.

Ate late lunch and then went searching for our maid/nanny. When my folks were missionaries here they had a lady who helped with cleaning, making food, watching the kids. Her name is Yolanda. She is 81 now. First we had to find her nephew (Pastor Wilson). We picked him up and then he showed us how to get to her home in the barrio.

Yolanda was doing well. When we visited her last she had been sick and things weren't looking good for her. She was very excited to see us.

She went and dug out some pictures of when I was a little kid. She had like 5 or 6 pictures that she saved of our family. Even one of Tiffany, Jonathan and I hanging on her wall. Sorry Candice. Don't think you had been born yet.

I had brought along an indoor solar light that I gave her. Only $20 at Sam's Club and I think it will benefit her a lot. The power is very unreliable, especially in the barrio. It has a solar panel that you attach out your window to charge the battery/light. Hope they can hook it up correctly and then I hope no one steals the solar panel.

Then later we went by Pastor Epolito's house. We hosted VBS at his church the two times we have been here as a youth group. Also painted his house. Two cordless mikes that had been discontinued by our church had been donated for me to distribute. I was able to provide one for a gal who travels the DR as a rep for CEF. The other one I gave to Epolito's son (Neftali) for the church. Neftali is a very good friend and brother in the Lord.

Day 79

DR Day 9 (Saturday): The main thing I don't like about blogging is I don't know how honest to be. :) I mean, anyone in the world with internet can read this. But if you know me, you also know I tend to be WYSIWYG. What You See Is What You Get. Not all the time, but a lot. With that in mind, I hated being here Saturday. The group was gone. The missionaries were gone. The power from the city was down. The generator wasn't working. It was hot/humid. Nothing to do. I didn't see it coming, but all I could think about was what I could be doing if I was at home and how bad I had it here.

Long story short, the missionaries came back. The power came on. I realized how much I was just feeling sorry for myself. Did take the opportunity to make these mental lists:

What I Miss-
* Sal and Carson
* Consistent electricity/water
* Yo querro Taco Bell
* Ease of communication
* Drinking from a faucet
* Sweet tea, milk, cereal, BBQs
* Cadie, our Terrier

What I Don't Miss-
* Cell phone
* TV (OK, its not football season so I can put this down)
* Pressure for "more" ("More" anything- money, things, keeping up with the Jones)
* The pace of American life

What I Like Here-
* The food
* The friendships
* The sun
* The lizards
* The beach

But all in all, I'll be ready to go home next weekend and ready to be back at Church. Can't replace my families- First fam being Sal & Carson and second fam being everyone at Church.

DR Day 10 (Sunday): Went to Central Mennonite Church at 9. Service lasted till 11:30. Couldn't understand everything, but I know the Pastor spoke out of Revelation about everything we do being worship. Then the kids did a recap of their week at Bible School. The country of focus was Ecuador. They recounted the story of Jim Elliot and how he gave his life to reach the tribes there. For each day of the week they had a kid get up and share what the Bible story was. Focus was the early life of David and his relationships with Saul and Jonathan.

This afternoon played basketball with the older guys. A lot like noonball in Hesston, but not quite as organized. They had some guys that could play pretty good.

Couple random stories before I go:

LIZARDS- They are like squirrels around here. They chase after each other. Jump from tree to tree. The missionaries' dog chases after them like our Cadie gets fired up about squirrels. Main difference is the dog can catch lizards. Cadie hasn't caught a squirrel...yet.

DOLL- Last week one of the gals on the medical team bought a stuffed doll from a local merchant. She had been told to microwave the doll to make sure it didn't have bugs in it. After microwaving the doll, she took it back to her room. Shortly after, someone was walking by the room and smelled smoke and looked in. She microwaved the doll for a minute and the stuffing in the middle started on fire. Now that's a hot babe.

TRANSLATORS- It is so cool to come back to San Juan and see the translators from previous years. Some of these guys are language professors (French & English) at the the Christian School. They work with the mission to continue to improve their conversational English. And they return the favor by helping us with our Spanish.

L to R - Moises (Joshua's brother), Olvis, Marino, and Jhonny

EXERCISE- I didn't get a picture today of the gym, but they have a pretty nice complex. The picture below is where we ran in the mornings. Rubber surface. +100 people there each day. There was a group of people that jogged slowly and would grab the walkers and "force them" to join the group. I dubbed them the "Track Bullies". One day they even took my lunch money. JK The complex also includes the gym where we played basketball and a couple baseball diamonds.

BUGS- This gets its own topic since Cassidy counted her mosquito bites last night and she has 47 from her knees down. I've got a ton too. Each night we go through the room and swat as many as possible. This afternoon I grab one out of the air with my ninja skills. Cass was very impressed. Another surprise we had took place last night when she found a wolf spider in our window sill. This comes under the topic of bugs for two reasons: #1 spiders bug Cass and #2 I talked her into letting the spider live since it eats bugs.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE- Last random topic for the day. Saturday night when everyone was gone and there was no power and I was feeling sorry for myself, Cass and I ate rice and beans at the counter. The cool part was that a lot of times at home we eat at 6:30 pm and watch Wheel as a family. Well it was about 6:30 here, so we got a sheet of paper and made up puzzles for each other. I pretended to spin the wheel (which by the way she thought I was rolling dice. Geez.) It was a ton of fun and I think is part of what turned my attitude around.

Day 78

DR Day 6 (Wednesday): In the evening we went to the Central Mennonite Church. It is where Dad used to pastor. Cal Rychner from Northwood Church preached which meant we could understand the message as it was being translated to Spanish. Sanctuary is only one year old. Very nice.

DR Day 7 (Thursday): Last day of VBS. Kids did a craft with glitter. We had more on ourselves than the paper, but it was a blast.

Cassidy made some new friends who were also Sophomores in high school.

Also found some time to help a gal with her craft.

In the afternoon we walked to the Christian school. Found a penguin that would work awesome in our youth room. Just not sure it will fit in carry-on.

On the walk home came past this meat market. Not sure what the government regulations are here.


Went out to eat in the evening. The food was awesome! Pretty much just ate a ton of beans and rice, but that's what I love. Mom used to make it for us for our birthdays. She hasn't been able to do that recently, so this was a real treat.
DR Day 8(Friday): The medical work team leaves today for Santo Domingo. We had breakfast together one last time. Had the chance to lead the devotional thought for the day. Spoke on being "infected" rather than "immunized". Caring for others and sharing Christ isn't something you just do on a missions trip. It should be who we are as Christians every day, wherever God has us. This trip should "infect" us, not "immunize" us to doing God's work.

Slept from 11-noon and then from 1-4:30. Either was not feeling well or really tired. Maybe a little of both. Went to bed early as well.

Day 75

DR Day 5 (Tuesday): Cassidy was again assigned to VBS while I was in prostetics. One of the ladies that tried to "storm" the exam room was first in line to be seen be the ortho doc. He sent her to us. She is diabetic and Dr. Paul fitted her for ankle braces to help with her walking. We also explained to her granddaughter how to help keep her grandma's legs clean and healthy.

Then there was a break and I went to the Operating Room. I put on booties, hair net, mask and scrubs so I could go in and watch. They were repairing an injury to a man's hand.

After lunch Cassidy and I ran errands for the clinic and OR. Also got to meet some more friends of my parents. This time it was some pastors from the Northwood Church in Peoria, IL. Way back, Dad encouraged Steve Schafer to get into ministry and now Steve heads up mission teams that travel all over the world. Steve and the pastors had been in Haiti checking on an orphanage they support and now were visiting sister churches in the DR.

DR Day 6 (Wednesday): Got up at 5:30 and ran at a local track with a group from the medical team. Only had 30 minutes so got in about 3 miles. It was already getting humid.

Cass and I were both assigned to VBS today. Cass wasn't feeling good so I went with the team. She was disappointed, but the sleep did her good. I went and had a great time. It was much more manageable with 150 kids as opposed to the 250+ we worked with on our trip.

Also got to visit the church Dad pastored at. As we prepared to go we noticed we were getting a flat tire. Went to a local repair shop.

Jordan should appreciate the garage he gets to work in.

My driver saw a guy he said I might know. Stephen was the son of a deacon in the church many years ago. Seems we used to shoot baskets together on the church hoop back in the day. Said I was a little shorter back then.

This afternoon I took an hour nap. Then Cass and I went to the clinic to run errands and check out the surgery. She'll make a great doc someday?

Dary 74

DR Day 2 (Sunday): Here we go again. It's 3:40 AM and we are on our way again to the airport. The chaos has already started when we get to the Delta desk. However, the supervising ticket agent prints our boarding passes and we are on our way. Way to easy compared to yesterday. Unbelievable. We obviously weren't suppose to go on Saturday.

We arrive in Santo Domingo at 2 pm. On the flight in we have been praying about our bags (which we put on the plane Saturday) and about making connections to get to the bus station and then to San Juan. I go directly to the luggage claim desk. They check for my bags and tell me the bags were on the plane with us. Seems they held them in Atlanta till we caught up with them 24 hours later. Nice. We collect them and head out the door.

The first thing you notice as you walk out of the air conditioned building is the humidity and then the heat and then the Spanish. A Dominican man walks up to us and asks us in English if we need a ride to Santo Domingo. He is not a taxi driver. He is wearing a resort shirt and name tag. The cautious side of me almost turns him down. However, a voice inside me reminds me that I have being praying for a man to take us. So, we bravely go.

Dario is a crazy driver. He tells us about his family and shows us pictures as he drives. You would think this would make his driving bad, but he is still better than most of the drivers around us that are cutting across lanes and going the wrong direction up the exit ramp. We get to the Caribe Tours at 2:55 pm. They tell me there is a bus to San Juan at 3:30. They won't take my American dollars. It is Sunday and the bank is closed. I run back out to my taxi driver, leave Cass with our luggage (sorry Sal) and Dario takes me to Hotel Lina where they exchange the money for me. Thanks Dario!

We get our bus ticket and sit down for the 20 minute wait. I look again at the ticket and it says, "Rio San Juan". It occurs to me that I want San Juan de la Manguana. I go back up to the information counter and the gal there speaks some English. I find out Rio San Juan is in almost exactly the opposite direction. They exchange my ticket, give me $100 pesos back and we sit back down for the 5:30 departure of our bus. During the 2 hours we watch Spain win the World Cup, hand out some of Cassidy's gum to local kids and makes friends with 3 gals who are seeing their grandma off.

The bus is very nice and we arrive in San Juan at 8 pm. Joe, our host, is there to pick us up. We go to bed at 10 and sleep till 6 the next morning. The earplugs work great to block out the loud music, crowing roosters and motor scooters.

DR Day 3 (Monday): The medical team has added us to their group. Cassidy is assigned to the VBS crew for the morning. She paints the outside clinic wall in the afternoon. Then showers and takes a nap before supper.

I am with the prostetic crew. They have brought 10 legs along to fit patients.

We have to attach the limb to the sheath.

The first gentleman is 80 years old. We teach him how to not only use the new leg, but also how to daily fit it, clean it and protect it.

After lunch I help a little bit with the group painting. Then there is a doctor seeing orthopedic needs. He is swamped with people trying to get into his room. My job for the next few hours will be to try and keep this people happy. I become the Medical Bouncer. I can understand and communicate enough in Spanish to ask them to be patient, settle down, give us time, have a seat. These old ladies are mad and speak so fast I can't understand them. They have no idea I'm not understanding 90% of what they are saying. Probably better that way. What a blessing! One of the ladies posed for the camera, though.

I meet the clinic director. His name is Canario. He is a very good friend of my father. He tells me if I am a son of Jerry, then I am his brother and gives me a huge bear hug. I feel welcomed. That was cool.

Day 71

DR Day 1:

SATURDAY
12:01 AM- Bags are packed. Excited to go to the DR. Can't sleep.

2:00- Dog wants up on the bed. Wakes me up.

2:30- Can't fall back asleep. Alarm will ring in 1/2 hour. I get up and start getting ready to leave.

3:45- Leave for Wichita.

4:25- Arrive at airport. Drive in is amazing at this time in the morning. No stops to speak of.

4:30- Delta's check-in area is crazy. Long lines that don't move. Seems there are 4 people working, but only one guy knows what to do.

4:55- Kiosk won't let me finish the check-in process. The one guy who knows what to do helps me. He gets our baggage tickets printed and our bags on the conveyor to the plane.

5:00- He can't get our boarding passes to print.

5:10- He can't get our boarding passes to print.

5:20- He can't get our boarding passes to print.

5:35- Our plane left at 5:30. He finally decides to call someone. I bought our tickets back in February. Since then I was assigned a new credit card. Even though I had a passport, driver's license and credit card, he said the computer wanted my old credit card and wouldn't print boarding pass. He put us on the same itinerary for tomorrow (Sunday).

Unbelievable. Our bags are in Santo Domingo and we are in Wichita. I told him with a smile that I would swear at him if I thought it would do any good. We laughed.

At the time, for some reason, I didn't get mad or yell or even stressed. Not sure why. It was just so bizarre and there was really no one competent enough working to be mad at.

9:00 PM- Now the disappointment has set in. We were suppose to hang out by the pool in Santo Domingo this afternoon. Have supper with the group we are meeting. Go to the Prince of Peace church tomorrow. Now there is no one meeting us at the aiport tomorrow. We will have to take a taxi from the airport to the bus stop and ride on our own out to San Juan. Guess it is adventure. But my reality isn't meeting my expectations which makes me sad. In the big picture of life, this probably isn't a big deal, but it sucks right now.

At 3:00 AM we'll try this all over again.

Day 68

I feel like I have to start by apologizing. Compared to when we were on vacation, I really don't have much to tell you about my sabBRADical over the past few days.

I tried to sleep in a little, but that hasn't worked.

Had coffee with my good friend Jay.

Went on a walk with my dad. That turned into an interesting talk about faith and healing.

Played basketball with Carson.

Went to Wichita as a family and picked up supplies for Cassidy and my trip to the Dominican Republic. Got some tops for the Compassion International child we support in the DR that we will go see.

Still working on my 4 miles every day or so. I need to figure out how to make this work during the school year. It has made me feel much better.

About it. We leave Saturday morning at 5:30 AM for the DR. I'm sure I'll have a little more to tell you about then.

Day 65

Saturday: Took Cassidy to her baby sitting job in North Newton. She has her restricted so I thought I might get out of having to get up at 7:30 to take her there, but it would have been her first time and she didn't know how to find the place, so I took her there.

Sal and I worked in the afternoon on putting a rim on the basketball goal. Her father taught her well. She works hard and knows her way around a wrench. Truth be told, she can make me look bad if she wants. :)

In the evening we went to Braden and Lisa Deckers. Grilled with the Wedels, Brennemans, Brubachers, and Kauffmans. Russels made a brief appearance. Had brats, burgers, beans and salad. And each kid had a bag of fireworks they shot off. No injuries. But we had Jay and Sharon there just in case.

Sunday: Slept in. Not sure what I will do in August when I have to be at church at 7:30 again. This is almost like summer break back when I was in high school. A man could get use to this. Went to Whitestone Mennonite Church at 10. Loucks greeted us and made us feel very welcome. They also went the next step and asked us to sit with them. That was very much appreciated. Got to hear their new pastor preach. He spoke on II Kings 5. Story of Naaman. Couple of things I took from his message- all the stuff we have=pride. Pride=slow learner. Hence if we have a lot of stuff, we tend to be slow learners; not very teachable. Encouraged us to listen to those around us like Naaman listened to his servants. It is easy to be like an unweaned child who sees themselves as the center of the universe. When we are proud we don't ask for help. Most of what he said hit a little too close to home for me. Guess I needed to be there. :) Another blessing from the morning was getting to see Liisa Siiki before she heads back to Finland.

Took a nice nap and then watched some baseball this afternoon while it rained. Guess we got anywhere from 3-4 inches. All I know is it was consistent. When there was a break in the rain, Sal rode her bike and I ran/walked my 4 miles. 4 miles on the road are more difficult than 4 miles on a treadmill. I'm getting back into road shape.

Had a fun evening. First went to Newton to see Xavier. He was back from Denver. Love that guy. Wish he was closer.

Then had supper at Wendy's. Pretty good hamburger and fries. You'd think we would be sick of eating out by now.

We tried driving around a little bit to see fireworks, but it was so hazy and dangerous we gave that up quickly. Instead walked a few blocks to Art Toziers. Those guys know how to blow stuff up. Though we weren't officially invited, they treated us well and made us feel a part of the "family". Best firework show in town.

Vacation Review

Days Gone- 18
Miles Driven- 3,302.5

RATINGS (based solely on my experience. * = worst, ***** = best)

St. Louis
~ The Arch- ****
~ Union Station- **

DC
~ Arlington Cemetery Changing of the Guard- *****
~ Mt. Vernon tour- *****
~ Memorials at night- ****
~ Union Station- ****
~ Smithsonians- ***
~ Capital building tour- ***
~ Holocaust Museum- ***
~ White House tour- **

Baltimore
~ Inner Harbor- ****
~ Ace of Cakes- ****

Philadelphia
~ Toy Story 3- *****
~ USS New Jersey- ****
~ Liberty Bell- ****
~ Elipher's Alley- ****
~ Betsy Ross house- ***
~ Federal Reserve- **

New York City
~ Times Square- *****
~ Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island- *****
~ Central Park- ****
~ TODAY show- ****
~ Ground Zero- **

Driving & Transportation
~ DC driving- ***
~ DC Metro- *****
~ DC cabs- ***
~ Baltimore driving- ****
~ Philly driving- *
~ Philly-NYC Amtrak- ****
~ NYC Subway- ***

Food
~ Phillip's Seafood (Baltimore)- *****
~ Hard Rock Cafe (NYC)- *****
~ Lamb gyro on NYC street- *****
~ Virgil's BBQ (NYC)- ****
~ Lititz Family Cupboard- ****
~ PBJ sandwiches, by the Washington Monument, around a table, under an umbrella, while it was sprinkling, with the pigeons watching, after pulling a used DC souvenir pop cup out of the trash- PRICELESS

And the least favorite place to visit:

Quick Trip just off I-70, right outside of Columbia, MO on the last day

Day 64

I gotta take a sabbatical from my sabBRADical. It's wearing me out. Here's what I've been up to since we got back from vacation:

Wednesday- My word. I am so tired. I went through mail and paid bills. Sal did loads of laundry. The kids vegged. In the evening took Cass and some of her friends to Toy Story 3. Went and picked them up afterward and had ice cream with them at Braum's. Those gals are great!

Thursday- Coffee with my man Joel this morning. Great to see him again. I missed that guy. Then it was off to Newton to help Cass get her restricted driver's license. It is cool to see her growing up.

Also snuck in a trip to the dentist. That was no fun. Since I brought it up, I hate going to the dentist. Not just my dentist. Any dentist. Never liked it. Never will. Started when I had braces and every time I went they made my mouth hurt. Why couldn't God make our teeth like our fingernails? Just clean and clip them every once-in-a-while and we'd be good.

I finally have the energy to mow my yard! Man, it's good to be home. Thanks to the guys who mowed for me while I was gone. My yard missed me. Told me so. In fact, while I was mowing, I decided when I "retire" someday I will start my own lawn mowing business. I'll call myself the "Lawn Whisperer". Yeah. I can't wait. While in Bluffton, Kyle Gratz taught me about the Double Diamond-Cut Yard. I'm gonna trademark that phrase. If you wanna see what it looks like, come on by.

The weeds thought they could take advantage of me being gone to invade as well. Amazing how in just a short time those little boogers shoot right back up.

Swam at the King's for a little bit and then came home and grilled chicken.

Friday- A week from now is DR Eve. Head to Santo Domingo on the Saturday the 10th. Can't wait!

This morning I went out to Jim and Chris Roth. We picked up bales and put them in the barn. I love doing that. Only did like 80 which is good for an old man like me.

Got home in time to watch the second half of the Dutch/Brazil soccer game. Later saw the last few minutes of overtime and shootout of the Uruguay/Ghana game. It was cool, but I'll take college and pro football any day over that. All the whining and faking in soccer just reminds me of the NBA. Just play ball.

Had mom and dad over for supper. Sal made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and watermelon. Buttermilk brownies for dessert. She is amazing.

Later went running. Ok...tried to run the 4 miles. Kinda slacked off at the end of vacation and after the meal mentioned above, it was half run, half walk. I'll do better Sunday.

Day 60

Vacation Day 18: Traveled from Bluffton to St. Louis. Holiday Inn Express was OK. The personnel behind the desk seemed less than knowledgable of what it takes to work in customer service. We ate at the local Cracker Barrel. Never gone there as a family, but we enjoyed the Peg Game and Checkers.

Vacation Day 19: Got up at 6, got ready, packed, ate breakfast and were on the road by 7 AM. Cass was ready to get home. And so were the rest of us. Made pretty good time and pulled in the drive at 3 PM.

A Sad Ending: Well, we talked as a family as to whether I should blog about the topic to come and decided I have been telling you about the vacation of a lifetime we are experiencing and all the great things that took place on the trip so you need to know about the bad stuff too. At about Columbia, MO we stopped for gas at a Quick Trip. There was some miscommunication, differing expectations and lack of security which led to the vehicle being left unlocked and unattended for about 10-15 minutes. In that time two bags were stolen out of the back seat- my computer bag and Carson's LEGO bag. Some good news- I may have had a computer bag along, but I didn't have a laptop with me. So they took a bunch of my youth leader magizines, a journal, a GPS, & several hundred dollars cash. Not too bad. Carson's bag had his Wii, his new Toy Story 3 game and our video recorder in it. Ouch. He was pretty upset about the Wii and the recorder had our trip memories on it.

But...about 25 miles down the road it led to an important discussion about the situation: everything taken was replacable; we had each other; no one got sick, lost or injured on the trip; we still have so much that God has given us; there was so much more in the vehicle that could have been taken- phones, iPods, purse, wallet.

So, it was a sad ending to an amazing trip. And though we ache a little for the "things" lost, they are still just "things" and we had a super time. They can't take that from us.

Day 59

Vacation Day 16: On Saturday we made the longest drive yet of our trip. 8 hours from Lancaster, PA to Bluffton, OH. If you like PA, my apologies, because we were happy to be out of it. Might have something to do with the long trip and the long day.

Got to Bluffton by supper time. We stayed Saturday and Sunday nights at John and Kristi Kohli's. We were missionaries with the Kohli's in Alaska. Very good friends. It was wonderful to see them again. Hadn't been together since we took the job in Kansas 8 years ago. Besides our kids growing up, they now have two of their own (Jaden and Owen). We had a blast throughout the weekend with their kids. Did a lot of reminiscing about camp and catching up on life.

Vacation Day 17: Went to Ebenezer Church on Sunday. Since the last time we were there they had added a new gym which they use as a sanctuary. There was a baptism so the candidates shared their testimonies. As they talked of how God used this church in their life, made me think of my time living in Bluffton growing up. Bluffton and Ebenezer Church are very special to me. Many of the people I had a chance to talk to there have invested time and energy into my life and I am so thankful for that. It was great to come back "home".

After the service our family drove down to the land where we had a mobile home. Had a Collie (Tray) that was killed by a car there. Then went over to the farm where we lived for three years when I was in grade school. I remember mowing that yard by hand. And it is still huge today! What was my dad thinking?!?

Rest of the afternoon involved swimming in someone's pond, meeting with Pastor Potter and talking with Bonnie Spallinger. Seeing Bonnie was a great surprise as she is a missionary in Germany. Home for a while I guess. Bonnie worked for me in the Program department at Echo Ranch. She is awesome!

For supper went to Kevin and Mary Gratz'. They are very good friends of my parents and somehow they decided to like us too. Had some delicious home-made stromboli. Got to hear about Kyle's home renovation project and Kara's meal with the "blind". They treat us too good. But I ain't complaining! Great friends. Great memories.

Day 56

Wow.

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Have been crazy busy. I'll try to cover the days I missed.

Vacation Day 11: Went to downtown Philly. In the morning Carson and I toured the battleship New Jersey. The gals weren't interested so they sat in the park and talked.

The afternoon involved deciphering the intricacies of parking in Philly. Once that was conquered, we saw the Liberty Bell, walked past Independence Hall, visited Betsy Ross and snuck down Elipher's Alley.

Vacation Day 12: Went downtown Philly again. This time it was to catch our train to New York City. Left our vehicle in the parking garage by the station. The station was huge and had that mystique. Got on the AMTRAK at 11 and were in NYC by 12:30.

First time riding the train. Kinda like riding in an airplane without the seat belts and long delays from the gate to the air. I liked it.

The only way I can describe walking out of Penn Station onto 7th Avenue in NYC is that it reminded me of getting off the plane in Santo Domingo when going to the Dominican Republic. New sounds, smells, faces, speed of life. Amazing.

Our Holiday Inn Express was two blocks away so we just hoofed it. 15 floors. Kids were disappointed there was no pool, but we wouldn't have time for it anyway. After dumping our luggage in the room, headed toward Central Park. Sal and kids grabbed Chinese food from a hole in the wall and right next door to them I found a guy selling lamb gyros. Delicious. Sat on the second floor and watched the world stream by.

Some of our favorite spots on the way to Central Park were: Hershey's shop, M&M store, Quicksilver, Late Show with David Letterman. The Park is like 30 blocks from our hotel. Sal said 12 blocks equals a mile, which if true, meant we walked like two and half miles to get there. Didn't tell the kids that. Then had to go back. :)

Rested up and then met Sal's cousin Brent for supper. Brent works for Daktronics. Daktronics builds the huge marquees in the Times Square. Daktronics has an office and apartment on Times Square and Brent travels during the week to NYC to service boards and take care of clients. Had supper at Virgil's BBQ. Very good.

Then we hung out with a few of our new "friends" in Times Square.

Vacation Day 13: Late start in the morning. Took the subway downtown to Ground Zero. Not much there yet. Kinda disappointing from a tourist attraction. Walked to Battery Park. My brother warned me to get tickets ahead of time for Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island. Taking his advice put us in front of an hour long line. Still had security and loading lines to go through. Amazing to be so close and see the Statue.

It was late afternoon by the time we took the subway back uptown to our hotel. Took a short nap and then headed two blocks over to Madison Square Garden. The NBA draft was being held there. My brother has a friend from LA who is an agent for Kobe, Boozer and Hardin (to name a few). This guy also was representing some of the guys in the draft. He had a ticket for me to attend, but with Sal's help I was able to make a very wise decision to spend time with my family rather than leaving them huddling on a street corner, on a dark night, in downtown New York. Yes, she's a good woman. And very patient with me.

Instead we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for supper. Had a great time eating, talking and hanging out as a family. Very good food. Ordered a cup of coffee at the end. A $4.50 cup of coffee I found out later. Food wasn't that expensive, but they nickel and dime ya with the little stuff.

Vacation Day 14: Woke up at 4 AM. Still don't know why. So I surfed the web on my phone for a while. We all got up early anyway as we were going to Rockefeller Plaza to watch the taping of the TODAY show. I must have been giddy with excitement to see their concert in the plaza...wait for it...Maxwell. Yeah, I hadn't heard of him either. Last week was James Taylor and next week is Maroon 5. I get Maxwell. Thanks. Kevin James was there promoting his new movie. Sal and Carson got to shake Meridith's hand. I talked to a cop about what he was doing on 9-11. Pretty amazing.

Walked back down 5th Avenue to our hotel. Got our bags and headed to the train station. As we were walking in, walked past Kevin Durant. Crazy. No. No autograph. Didn't even ask.

Picked up car in Philly. Drove to Lancaster, PA. Took some back roads to the little town where our hotel is. Beautiful country side, farms, valleys. Ate at the Lititz Family Cupboard for supper. Great food! "Home Cooked" meal.

Day 54

Vacation Day 10: Sunday was moving day. Headed up the road to Baltimore. A friend from high school (Sheryl Goering) lives in a suburb just a couple miles off the interstate. She gave me good directions but instead of turning left at the bottom of the exit ramp, I went right. So I just did what any tourist would do- went to the next intersection and turned around. No sooner had I started a U-turn than a black Suburban with its lights on pulls up and ask me what I think I'm doing. Seems I picked the NSA driveway. For those of you who don't know what the NSA is, NSA stands for National Security Agency. They coordinate the FBI, CIA and a bunch of acronyms I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Needless to say, no one turns around in their driveway without special permission. I explained I was from Kansas and that seemed to clear everything up. He politely pointed me in the right direction and we got to Sheryl's place without having to give up a child or do any jail time.

The rest of the way to Philly was uneventful. Today we went 80 in a 55 to keep from getting run over. Don't know if we have hit the limit yet. Took the west by-pass around Philly and the PA turnpike going east on the north side. Our Holiday Inn Express is in a suburb called Warminster. This hotel ranks right up there with Zanesville's. Very nice and very helpful staff.

We watched some TV before going to bed. Some shows we have grown to love on this trip are "Pawn Stars" (they run a pawn shop in Las Vegas), "American Pickers" (they travel the country-side looking for antiques), and "Top Shot" (reality show to find the best shooter using a variety of weapons).

Monday- We planned to have a lazy morning and then head to downtown Philly. We enjoyed being lazy so much, we changed it to Lazy Monday. I've been trying to keep up with running my 4 miles on the treadmill so I got that out of the way first thing. Then Carson and I had the pool all to ourselves. This afternoon the kids played some Wii while I napped and Sal took a walk. This evening we went to "Roman Delight" for pizza and then saw Toy Story 3. Great movie. I would highly recommend it. As good or better than the first, if that is possible. Carson laughed and laughed. On the way home we were already quoting lines.

Day 51

Vacation Day 9: Saturday in Baltimore is very relaxing. The drive up the Washington/Baltimore Parkway is fluid. Again, posted speed limit is 55 but driven speed is 70+. Cass just finished driver's ed, so justifying the blatant excessiveness is difficult. She is also happy to be done with the Smithsonians. Her quote of the week was, "I'd like museums if we didn't have to walk around and look at so much stuff." Really.

But back to Baltimore. After 10 minutes of searching for a parking spot I retraced my steps to a place I saw on the way into downtown. Had to walk a block and it was a 4 hour parking meter, but it was cheap.

First order of business was lunch since by now it was 1 pm. In the Gallery at Inner Harbor we settled on Phillips Seafood Diner. Delicious.

Then we hit the Best of Baltimore. The girls needed their Charm City Cakes shirts (based on "Ace of Cakes", more to come on that).

Next it was over to the Game Stop. Carson used some of his mowing money to buy the new Toy Story 3 Wii game. A must have for every summer vacation.

Cass picked cheesecake for dessert, so we conveniently went to the Cheesecake Factory for one slice of Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake. Wow. Highly recommend.

Walked around the pier looking at boats, people and birds. Then headed just north of downtown to the Charm City Cakes shop. No tours, but we took a picture to show we were really there.

Back to DC for supper at a two-story McDonald's and evening driving tour of the memorials. Got to see Thomas Jefferson and Iwo Jima.

Today is Sunday. Slept in. In a little while we will head to Baltimore and then on to Philly. That means it is pack up day. It's amazing how much stuff ends up all over the room when you have four people spending 6 nights in one spot. So we throw it all in the suitcase only to know we will be pulling it all out tonight.

Day 50

Vacation Day 8: One week ago today we left on vacation. Seems like a lifetime ago. I think our kids, especially Cassidy, would like to be home and hang out with friends and go to the pool. But I keep reminding her that we won't ever be doing this again in her lifetime, so "enjoy".

It's Saturday morning, so we slept in. Yesterday was a big day. Up at 5 AM to get ready and grab breakfast before grabbing a cab to the White House. $17.50 one way. That's why we ride the Metro I guess. Had to be in line for the WH at 7:15. They checked our IDs like 3 times before we went inside. Honestly, a lot of hype for nothing. I guess I can say, "I was in the White House" but beyond that I should have been sleeping. I got the customary photo in front of the building...

...but I could have slept in and done that at 10. Oh well, I hung out with Obama.

We were out of the WH by 8:30, so we went to Starbucks and got a hot chocolate (Sal & Carson), a mocha (Brad & Cass) and a blueberry muffin. Then just sat there for an hour or so and talked and watched people. Very relaxing. One of the best things we did on Friday.

By then it was almost 10 and so we headed to the Museum of American History. First part had a Spark Lab. It was an interactive room for kids to play. Carson didn't want to leave.

Also had a chance to see Dorothy's slippers. Cassidy tried to steal them (see why in first paragraph).

Carson did enjoy the rooms that recounted WWI and WWII.

He's a handsome little sailor.

The plan today is to go to Baltimore to visit a friend from high school. The gals want to get a picture in front of the business "Ace of Cakes" or some cake show from the Food Network that originates in Baltimore. We'll see what kind of magic dad can do. Sunday we head to Philadelphia for 3 days.