McKinnley Museum & Monument

Today was a wonderful day!! We had two snow days Thursday and Friday, and then we had today off for Martin Luther King day. I encouraged Nate to take a personal day so we could do something as a family! While the snow days were fun... it was too cold (-20 or so) to go outside and do anything. I figured the kids would likely kill each other if they had to spend another day cooped up inside. So we began to plan a mini road trip!

When we had Toby's finalization last March, my parents purchased a membership (which is an amazing deal, by the way) for us to the McKinnley Museum and Monument as a gift. Unfortunately, we had not yet used it. So I thought what a great opportunity to take a day and do something fun like that. And boy am I glad we did. The kids really enjoyed themselves and look forward to going again soon!

The three kids inside the Indian "Hut"

Nate had to get a photo of the Anvil... "GO SMITHIES!!!" (The "mascot" of our High School for those that may not know)

Taylor having fun inside a dinasour head!


This was Toby in front of the dinasour, before he realized it MOVED... then he wouldn't come within 10 feet of it without attaching himself to me...


McKinnley Museum... Canton Ohio...Highly recommend it...

God is good

Drew's Cavs Game

Drew and Nate got to go to a Cavs game Friday night! We got tickets for Drew for Christmas through the Upward program. Part of the package was that he got to go down on the floor before warm-ups and give the player's a Hi-5! He was so very excited. Literally counting down the days for about 2 weeks!

Here is Drew waiting in the "tunnel" before the Hi-5's were handed out. He is the one in the white turtle neck. He even got on the big screen! (once during the tunnel, and once during the game!) All of the players "walked" through to make sure that they got to slap each child's hand. Drew told me that LeBron Hi-5ed everyone, but he gave Drew a Pound (or rock)! He thought that was way cool!
Here is Wally Szczerbiak coming through the line.


And Anderson Verajao going through the line!

Nate and Drew really enjoyed the game! The Cav's won their 20th straight home game, remaining undefeated this season at The Q!

Drew got to watch some of the best players in the NBA!
Including the One and Only LeBron James!

After the game, Nate and Drew hung around to see about getting some autographs. Nate said LeBron's mom was there hanging out and she was so funny and personable and chatty with everyone. Chris Paul, All-Star Point Guard for the New Orleans Hornets stuck around and signed a few autographs and Drew was lucky enough to get one! He was thrilled!

I thought this was a fun shot of Drew... I think he could walk under Z's legs!

Nate got a pair of tickets for he and I to go in a few weeks on a date night! Should be fun! Now we just need to find a babysitter on a school night... funny how the guys don't think all that through! But what a nice idea, and I am looking forward to it!

God is Good!

Happy Birthday Paps

Okay, since my dad's birthday was yesterday, it may appear as if I forgot.. but honestly... I DID NOT FORGET YOU DAD!!!

It just turned into a crazy evening, and by the time I remembered we hadn't made his video, the kids were in bed, well 2/3rds of them anyway.

So, here's your video dad. And your favorite song is on your cell voicemail for you to play over and over all year!

We love you Paps!

God is Good!

Circle of Relationship

More from The Shack

And so why did God create man first? I know there are lots of biblical explanations, but I thought this was pretty good, regarding relationships between man and woman...

Page 148 in my book talks about the "circle" of life, in the sense of Men and women..This is Jesus talking about the differences in Men and Women and why each of them turned from God at Creation. About the "roles" that they have given themselves, not the roles God gave them. Here is what Jesus says (the "we" being the trinity)

"Power in the hands of independent humans, be they men or women, does corrupt. Mack, don't you see how filling roles is the opposite of relationship? We want male and female to be counterparts, face-to-face equals, each unique and different, distinctive in gender but complementary, and each empowered uniquely by Sarayu (The Holy Spirit) from whom all true power and authority originates. Remember, I am not about performance and fitting into man-made structures; I am about being. As you grow in relationship with me, what you do will simply reflect who you really are."

Then Mack asks "But you came in the form of a man. Doesn't that say something?"

"Yes, but not what many have assumed. I came as a man to complete a wonderful picture in how we made you. From the first day we hid the woman within the man, so that at the right time we could remove her from within him. We didn't create man to live alone; she was purposed from the beginning. By taking her out of him, he birthed her in a sense. We created a circle of relationship, like our own, but for humans. She out of him, and now all the males, including me, birthed through her, and all originating, or birthed, from God."

God is Good!

What is Evil?

As I said in my previous post, I have really enjoyed reading The Shack. The beginning of the book is difficult. As it states in the notes on the back of the book... Mack's youngest daughter Missy is abducted and brutally murdered. While it is not graphic, it is still not easy to read. But it is necessary to understand where the remainder of the book takes Mack.

When you read this book, you have to do so with the understanding that it is FICTION! As Christians, we can so easily take a book like this and tear it to shreds because of the biblical inaccuracies. I, however, reading the book as it was intended, enjoyed the insight I gained through the story.

For example... there is a text, on page 136 of my book, where Mack is struggling with The Holy Spirit over Good and Evil... Here is the response he gets from Sarayu, The Holy Spirit...

"... evil is a word we use to describe the absence of Good, just as we use the word darkness to describe the absence of Light or death to describe the absence of Life. Both evil and darkness can only be understood in relation to Light and Good; they do not have any actual existence. I am Light and I am Good. I am Love and there is no darkness in me. Light and Good actually exist. So, removing yourself from me will plunge you into darkness. Declaring independence will result in evil because apart from me, you can only draw upon yourself. That is death because you have separated yourself from me: Life."

Did you get all that? Are you struggling right now? If so, can you see what the is Good in your life? Do you think you're in darkness? Why not look for the Light!

Are you separated from Life?

God is Good

The Shack

Have you read it?

It's all the buzz!

I had heard from different sources that it was the book to read, at work, at church, friends, etc. So I was chatting with Nate's Aunt Teresa about it and she mentioned that she had the book and wanted to read it as well. That was at Thanksgiving. Well, over Christmas Break, she got the book to me to read. What great timing. Things at work were VERY slow, as in I was the only one in the office, and who thinks a school office is open over Christmas break? So I had plenty of time to read!

I read The Shack in about a day and a half! I could not put it down. I have talked to several people since who are in process of reading it and have been putt off by the beginning of the book... if you are one of those, let me encourage you to KEEP READING!! It is so worth it.

So here's the overview...(From the back of the book)

"Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in teh Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book!"

I'd love to hear from you if you've read it... I'll post some excerpts and personal reflection in the coming days...

God is Good

Happy Birthday Rudy

Happy Birthday Papaw Rudy!

Christmas 2008

Well, if there is one thing about Blogger that I can't figure out, or don't like, it's that all the photos are posted backward. You would think that as you add photos, they would be added to the bottom, but they are not... the add the new ones at the top! Usually I rearrange them, but I'm not up for that tonight, so you will get the events of Christmas Day, then Christmas Eve!

Here is Drew on Christmas Day opening a gift from Grandma and Paps Tucker. He got a Clone Wars DVD. Yes, it was another Star Wars Christmas for Drew! I am amazed at his continued interest in it. More on that later...

Here is Taylor opening her big gift of the year. She got a new digital camera. It is not something she asked for, but something I knew she would enjoy. She was thrilled, and has already gone crazy taking photos. Aunt Katy got her a memory card and a case for her camera as well.
And on Christmas morning, daddy got a little spoiled. Mom got a great deal from a co-worker on a gently used iPod. Nate had been wanting one FOREVER, and all I ever heard was how sad it was that his GRANDMOTHER had one and he didn't. Well... now he can enjoy his! (You will notice, when mom is the photographer, and the blogger... there are no beautiful Christmas morning photos of her :))
Here is daddy and Toby first thing in the morning. Drew woke up around 6:30 and I quickly informed him that we were not getting up until at least 8:00... is that terrible? I'm not sure exactly when Taylor got up, maybe 7:30. Then they woke Toby up at 8:00 as well as us. I think Drew just sat in the living room by the tree the entire time, admiring his gifts. Then once we all woke up, we allowed the kids to open their gifts from Santa and their stocking gifts before breakfast. Here Toby is opening his new Elmo video that Santa brought him. I can confirm that we have watched it at least 25 times since he received it. Way to go Santa!

Taylor and Drew got some MadLibs in their stocking... Love those! And Santa brought them a new Sleeping Bag each for Alive this year. I guess Barbie is out!
Christmas Eve we went to Church at 6:00 and then on to the Moser's for our annual Christmas Eve gathering. Everyone made it this year but Jeremy and Christina and baby Graham! It was a great time. Drew, back to the Star Wars, received the one thing he asked for over and over again. A talking Clone Trooper Helmet! As you can see from this photo, he was beyond words and nearly passed out!
Toby is showing off his Pajamas. Each year, the tradition is that all the kids get new PJ's. That is the first present they open on Christmas Eve and typically change into them right away before opening other gifts! It's a fun tradition. Toby has been into Monkeys this year, so he got PJ's with Monkeys on them! Drew got Star Wars PJ's (Go Figure)... and Taylors are the pretty Green ones with flowers!
And here are most of the kids around Grandma waiting to open their PJ's. Most of the older kids have figured it out, but the younger ones still aren't sure what is in their first present until they open it! This is Lincoln, Taylor, Averie, Kiley, Dawson, Braden, Grandma, Aunt Mer and Toby.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well! It is such a joyous time, and the gifts are just a bonus!

God is Good

New Years Eve 2008

Well, we had a pretty quiet New Years Eve. We went to Nate's sisters house and some other friends came over as well. We just hung out, watched TV at 11:45 for about a half hour, then headed home around 1. The kids had fun, too. Toby and Drew came with us, and Taylor went to a friends, as she did last year.

Toby found Kiley's Hannah Montana wig, and would not put it down all night. My one friend teased that we needed to make sure the Korean government didn't see this or they may reconsider. At first it was cute, but by the end of the night, I was ready to burn the wig!


And the kids had a lot of fun dancing to Toby Mac. Here, the boys were putting on a show. I know it's a little dark, but I think you can get the gist of it! They were really getting into it.

Hope you all have a blessed 2009!

God is Good!