Monday, March 31, 2008

Take me out...


As I write Ordonez is 2 for 2, Verlander has a no hitter through the third, and I should be working... Bless You Boys!!!!

Empty baseball field
— A robin,
Hops along the bench

Baseball Haiku by Jack Kerouac

Friday, March 28, 2008

Los NINOS LAMPI and best buddy etc

Hey, had a fun spring break with the kids and fam ...here's a sneak peak at some good random times I through together quickly...Isn't awesome being a mommy and daddy?!! Go State! Highlights: Braydon's sleepover...trip to Midtown to see S2 + Grey's Anatomy, and just kickin' it with the kids at home... in 2 feet of snow. Nice...jk


Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Yoder's Sugar Bush

1/2 mile walk out to the bush (where the tree line is).

Mr. Yoder explaining how the evaporator boils down the sap into syrup. He was born on this farm, and when his son-in-law takes over some day, he'll be the 5th generation to run it.

Wes and Cash watching some log sawing
(the evaporator runs on firewood collected on the farm.).

Wes flippin' some griddle cakes.

Family portrait, courtesy of our friend Scott.

The weekend before Easter we headed North of town with our friends Scott and Catherine and their kids, to Yoder's Sugar Bush to see/learn about/eat some maple syrup. Cash had a great time in the hiking backpack we borrowed, I "helped" saw a log, and we all left with bellies full of pancakes. It was pretty cool. Thought you might enjoy some photos.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Jackson at 2 months!






Here are the latest pictures of Jackson. He is doing great! His favorite pass time is watching the ceiling fan.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday is a day for waiting, being patient, expressing sorrow, and lamenting. Christians have traditionally read from the book of Lamentations on this day. I think its worth remembering that even though Jesus had told his disciples plainly that he would be raised on the third day, it didn't seem to sink in. The disciples on the road to Emmaus said "We thought he was the one..." The cross was an end to those hopes. Here's another poem for Holy Saturday...Wendell Berry again (of course).

What hard travail God does in death!
He strives in sleep, in our despair,
And all flesh shudders underneath
The nightmare of His sepulcher;

The earth shakes, grinding its deep stone;
All night the cold wind heaves and pries;
Creation strains sinew and bone
Against the dark door where he lies.

The stem bent, pent in seed, grows straight
And stands. Pain breaks in song. Surprising
The merely dead, graves fill with light
Like opened eyes. He rests in rising.

Friday, March 21, 2008

A Poem for Good Friday


THE WAY OF PAIN by Wendell Berry

For parents, the only way is hard.
There is no help.
Yet we who give pain give love;
By pain we learn the extremity of love.

I read of Abraham’s sacrifice the Voice required of him,
So that he led to the altar and the knife his only son.
The beloved life was spared that time, but not the pain.
It was the pain that was required.

I read of Christ crucified,
The only begotten Son
Sacrificed to flesh and time and all our woe.
He died and rose, but who does not tremble for his pain, his loneliness,
And the darkness of the sixth hour?

Unless we grieve like Mary at His grave,
Giving him up as lost,
No Easter Morning comes.

Monday, March 17, 2008

For The Educators in the Fam... (Norm especially)

Here is an inspirational story to push you through the last few months of this school year:
Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock, AK, did something not to be forgotten.

On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks out of her classroom. When the first period
kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks.

Looking around, confused, they asked, 'Ms. Cothren, where's our desks?'

She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me what you have done to earn the right to sit at a desk.'

They thought, 'Well, maybe it's our grades.'
'No,' she said.

Maybe it's our behavior.' She told them, 'No, it's not even your behavior.

And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom.

By early afternoon television news crews had started gathering in Ms. Cothren's classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.

The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the deskless classroom.

Martha Cothren said, 'Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.'

At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it.

Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall.

By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.

Martha said, 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.'

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Shea Meets a Legend (Maybe?)


So my wife, being the sport addict she is, not really, tells me today that she and Grey ran into an old guy named Ernie at Glenn's food market here in Midland. She talked with him for 10 minutes in the yogurt isle about politics and how hillary dresses so weird. After that they ran into each other a second time to talk about his son and ours and how Grey is bald just like him. A little while later, they ran into each other again. This man told Shea he should introduce himself and he did. ERNIE HARWELL! Shea knew that sounded familiar as well as his voice as he talked to her and she almost asked him if he was a golfer that's on tv because she recognized his voice and name. Shea managed to avoid every question I would have all asked him. I was a little mad to find this out because I would've liked him to come over for dinner or something. They talked about his son, whose name is Gray I found out, but Shea failed to mention our son's name is Grey as well, missed that opportunity. That could've been the kicker to a friendship with the greatest tigers legend ever. I love my wife even though she is not down with the sports scene. I showed Shea a picture of him on the internet and she started laughing because she really wasn't sure if it was him, but it was she said. Wow, even in midland, the legends wander. Just letting you all know that your dream was fulfilled by Shea Lampi of talking to the voice we all remember from when we were little. So why was Ernie in Midland and why did Shea not ask him at least one question that I could've shared with all of you and was it really Ernie? The world may never know.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Is there any MAGIC left in him for another run....


Alright,

So like I have a break in the heat while my wife and I enjoy a lil R & R in south FLA sans ninos....

So like, MARCH MADNESS looms in a week, so I took it upon myself to get it goin' again and get us hooked up with a BRACKET...so guys and gals....here's where you go:

http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/frontpage

and if you don't already have an account create one, then...

search "join a group" ...which is Gaines-Lampi

and the password to join is "jackson" in honor of the new lil dude


NO MONEY...just PRIDE this time; and may be a free night out for person + mate with babysitter(s) during Gaines-Lampi reunion 08 (we need to get oin that too soon)


Pick your teams, Cinderellas and Horses and have fun. Invite all (ex. Jake get Stu in this, Steve --Bill Stelter, kith and kin alike)


Love,

Jeffrey

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Charlie bit me

I wouldn't normally post YouTube videos here, but...