Mike Baker Reflects on Imagine 2007

Please read Mike Baker's blog as he reflects on IMAGINE 2007... very touching :)

It's all about the flowers

Savannah had her dance recital this past Saturday afternoon... she did wonderful!! She looked so beautiful in her Christmas outfit.

On about Wednesday of this past week she asked Laurie if Papa Sexton was going to be able to come to her recital (he was in the hospital this past week after his appendix ruptured). Laurie explained that he can't travel because of his surgery he just had. So she thought at least Mamo would be able to still come. But, Laurie explained that she needed to stay home with Papa Sexton to take care of him. (They weren't planning on coming anyway because they had made previous plans to see a niece of ours in her madrigals up near Chicago).

Savannah then said... At least Nanny and Papa (Kammin) will be able to come still. But, Laurie explained that because Papa had to work they wouldn't be able to come either.

She was heart broken... BUT... while talking with Savannah, Laurie discovered that it wasn't so much that they couldn't be here to watch her dance, but she wasn't going to receive FLOWERS from them like she did at her last dance recital.

But... she had a plan :') She instructed Laurie that she should receive two flowers from Andrew, two flowers from Mommy, and two flowers from Daddy... that should make up for not receiving any flowers from the grandparents. From there she continued to remind Laurie and I almost hourly not to forget to order her flowers. Thursday morning, I think that was the first thing she said to me, "Don't forget to order my flowers, Daddy." Thursday evening... same thing. Friday morning and evening... same thing. She even shared with Laurie Friday morning that she couldn't sleep at all Thursday night because "I can't stop thinking about the flowers."

Guess what... we didn't disappoint her...

She received a pink bouquet from Mommy, a purple bouquet from Daddy and yellow bouquet from Andrew :)

Savannah and her dance instructor, Miss Elizabeth

Extreme Giving

I'm at our church right now (Eastview Christian Church)... Andrew has Tae Kwon Do, and I have the opportunity to watch our church do EXTREME GIVING...

Hundreds upon hundreds of people/families are showing up to receive free coats (approx 1200, toys (approx 1800) and food boxes (approx 1000) collected by our church over the past three Sundays during our Imagine campaign. Food boxes would have been a greater number, but we had a nasty ice storm last Sunday that cut our attendance at church almost in half ... "only" 2000 rather than regular 3700 :)

This started last year with a four-week sermon series presented by our two teaching pastors

1. Imagine if no child went without a toy for Christmas
2. Imagine if no person was cold (coats given)
3. Imagine if no person went hungry
4. Imagine if no person went without Christ (baptism service... it was awesome)

It was extremely successful... so successful that they decided to repeat the campaign (no sermon series this year). It's an awesome way for Eastview to reach out to the portion of our community that is in need of assistance. It's neat to see our church reaching out in this way.

Through the years Eastview has been seen as "the white collar church for the eastsiders." But that is changing... we're becoming much more focused on reaching and serving our WHOLE community and their needs... physical and spiritual. We love our church :)

Home Improvements.... EWWW!!

I hate doing home improvements... HATE IT!!

I spent the greatest past of my day analyzing the wiring in our house, our WHOLE HOUSE, just to begin renovating both of our bathrooms. And the real frustrating part is... I'm STILL confused by it all!! I really must say... whoever rewired this house must hav been drinking something really strong before they started!!

The plan:

1. Install a new medicine cabinet with mirror and a new storage cabinet above the toilet (both need to be purchased still... Sunday hopefully)
2. Install a new light over the mirror (also not purchased yet)
3. Rewire for the new light and install a new outlet receptacle using a light switch box from another wall that has never been used but has two (yes 2!!) hot wires coming into it (???????)
4. Wire for a future exhaust fan (there's no way I'm installing THAT this next week with everything else I want to do... Actually I'm probably leaving it to surprise a future owner who will wonder what in the world I was doing) :)
5. Remove large storage cabinets and put into
6. Install new fixtures for the sink and tub/shower (of course, not purchased yet)... however this might be completed by someone else; i.e. a professional!!
7. Install a new ceiling with trim (believe it or not, this should be the easiest part of the project!!)
8. Remove old paint from trim
9. Prime and paint ceiling walls and trim
10. New simple decoratives replacing some butt-ugly large cabinets that won't let the door open all the way (this is Laurie's area of concern... at least she gets 1 of the 10... just kidding, she's concerned about all of it... OH IS SHE EVER!!).

All needs to be done by next Friday... Hmmmm... we'll see. Considering most all of my home improvements that I work on take 2-3 times the amount of time they're suppose to take...

There is alos the upstairs "closet" bathroom that I will be doing, too. But, that doesn't have to be done by next Friday the 21st. However, I do want it to be done fairly soon. It's a much simpler job than the downstairs bathroom. Now why did I say that?!?! That just jinxed me and now it will become more difficult and frustrating probably.

Ok, so... otherwise... let's see, what else is going on in my life? Ummmmm... nothing. Nothing at all. Work is done for the year.

However, the kids are keeping us pretty busy...

Andrew & Savannah had their winter music program at school on Tuesday night... it was so cute!! We video taped most of it, but no pictures :( The digital camera doesn't work very well in situations like that :( Also, Andrew's church choir performed their musical last Sunday evening. He LOVES doing that!! Savannah loves music even more than Andrew, but it's hard for her to be involved because of how late it goes on Wednesday nights. She is an early-to-bed type of girl, and with choir not getting out until 7:45 she wouldn't get to bed until 8:30-9, and that's WAY too late for her on school nights.

Laurie is pretty much done for the semester, except for a little grading here and there and posting grades. In all, she had a very good semester. There was one point that the traveling was a little out of hand, but it was short-lived. She's glad to have the next four weeks off and to be able to spend it with the kids and me (we're very excited, too!!).

Illini in Rose Bowl (So What!!)

Ok, correct me if I'm wrong, but... the only reason Illinois is in the Rose Bowl is because Ohio State has to be in the BCS championship game. So, in other words, Illinois was the alternate, the substitute, the backup, the other choice, the standin.

It just cracks me up that all of these "Illinois fans" are so happy that Illinois was "invited" to play in the Rose Bowl... HA!! Consider it this way...

You're looking for a date to take to the prom. You have already purchased two tickets and made the reservations for a very nice dinner. You've already rented the tux and even already made the corsage order and an order for a dozen red roses (have to keep with the "Rose Bowl" theme somehow). You have your eye on a cute girl... she's all you have been thinking about and you get so excited for the chance to be with her for a whole evening.

You call her up, have some small talk first then you finally ask... "Ohiostate, will you go to the prom with me?" You hear a giggle... "Oh, I really wish I could give you an answer right this second, but... I have to wait a see. There's a much larger more important dance that same day that I might be invited to. I'll let you know."

And of course she gets asked to the "more important dance." So... such a quandary, what do you do? Who do you ask... you already have the tickets, the reservations, the flowers, the tux. Well, of course, the 2nd prettiest girl in school... the backup, the second choice, the substitute, the alternate... Illinois. And the whole time you're at the dance with "her" you really want to be with your first choice... Ohiostate.

Will I watch the Rose Bowl... you bet... I watch as many of the bowl games as I can. Will I root like a made man for Illinois, just because I live in Illinois? You've got to be kidding!! That doesn't mean I'll be rooting for USC, though, either. It's just not in me to cheer for Illinois just because I live in Illinois. Growing up in westcentral Illinois, I knew many more Iowa fans than I did Illinois fans.

I've never been one that cheered for a team just because everyone around me was cheering for them or because my geographical situation put me close to a certain team. In the summer of 2002 I made a very important decision... one that I have not regretted or been ashamed. After getting to know an executive with the Chicago White Sox and attending a couple of games, I made the slow and difficult transition of becoming a White Sox fan. I grew up a Cubs fan, everyone in my family are Cubs fans. But, I just got tired of Cubs management having what appeared to be a lack of interest in truly managing a major league baseball team and having more interest in managing a "beer garden" for baseball lovers. So... I made the switch. And yes, that was well before they became world series champions. In fact, they weren't all that good in 2002.

So, back to my original point... the Fighting Illini playing in the Rose Bowl. So what... I'm sure USC isn't very excited about the matchup either.

Tebow Wins Heisman!! Woo Hoo!! Go Gators!!

From www.heisman.com

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow made history Saturday night when he became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy.

Tebow this season became the first "20-20" player in Division I-A football history
Dec. 8, 2007

Tim Tebow is the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. Tebow this season became the first "20-20" player in Division I-A football history: He both ran and threw for at least 20 touchdowns. He finished the regular season with 3,132 passing yards and 29 touchdowns (against six interceptions), and he also ran for 838 yards and 22 touchdowns.

His 51 total touchdowns were more than 87 Division I-A teams.
Tebow received the most votes from a nationwide panel and is the first Southeastern Conference player to win the award since Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel in 1996. Tebow also is the first player to win it whose team is not playing for the national title since USC quarterback Carson Palmer in 2002.

The other finalists were Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel and Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden.

Tebow and the Gators (9-3) meet Michigan in the Jan. 1 Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla. He will try to become just the third Heisman winner this decade to win a bowl, joining USC quarterback Matt Leinart (2004) and USC's Palmer (2002).

Tebow, a first-year starter, is the third Florida player to win the award, following Wuerffel and Steve Spurrier (1966).

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3146714

End of my season

With the snow and cold weather comes... the end of my work season. I was holding out hope that I would be able to work all this week, but... mother nature had other plans for me. I still have a little cleanup to do at a couple of houses, so if it warms up next week (they say it's suppose to) then I'll be back out finishing up.

But, until then... garage cleanup, laundry, grocery shopping, busing around the kids, home improvement work (both bathrooms, lots of trim painting around the house, duct work), woodworking projects to be started (bookshelf for Andrew, CD/DVD cabinet for family room, shoe cubbies for entry).

Speaking of woodworking... I've had a router for like five years and have never used it. With these new woodworking projects on my list, I'd like to use it finally. I bought a dovetailing kit to use with my router yesterday and set it up. I've never used one and have no idea how to use it. Of course, I could read the instructions, but... wouldn't that be the easy way? Needless to say, NOT reading the directions yesterday didn't get me too far :P. So... that's on my to-do list for today. I have a feeling they'll be helpful to me.

The Christmas production at church (eastviewchurch.net) went well last Saturday and Sunday evenings. The icy weather on Saturday kind of limited the attendance, but... it is December.

Tiime to get the kids breakfast and ready for school. It's a cold one this morning (7-degrees when I woke up and still only 10... BRRRR!!). We're suppose to get 1-2 inches of snow tonight... that will make the kids happy.

Wii Stress

We've decided to get a Wii for the kids for Christmas... YEAH RIGHT!!! I mean, we'd love to, but... let's see... Target - OUT, Walmart - OUT, Meijer - OUT, Kmart - OUT :(

SOMEONE HELP ME!!! If you see one, call me or text me ASAP.

Kmart has a "limited supply" available for Thanksgiving morning (they open at 7) and I'm sure I'd be the only one showing up to try and get one. HA HA HA HA!!! But, I'll go and try. We'll see what happens. Maybe I'll get lucky.

I just asked Laurie... why didn't we buy one back a month or two ago when we saw them everywhere??? But, then again, at that time we didn't know that's what we were going to buy them.

A little while ago I sat on Ebay and watched the price of one Wii located in Danville, IL go from $102 to $236 in about 10-minutes time... only about an hour left on the sale of it... who knows what that one will end up at.

Swim lessons

Getting ready for swim lessons - they love going to Happy Splashes :-)

Which one are you???

Returning to a Sin

Not sure if this comparison has ever been made before, but... here it goes:

Returning to McDonald's after a period of "golden arches abstinance" is like returning to a sin after a time of walking close to God... Both leave you with regret, guilt and a great heaviness in the pit of your stomach.

Yes, I fell hard this past Thursday and visited McD's - and I felt TERRIBLE that afternoon!! Tremendous guilt, regret and I think the quarter pounder with cheese expanded to a 10-pounder in my stomach!!

Oh... WOAH IS ME!!!

Fall Frenziness & Fun

It's been a busy fall for us all... Laurie has started her heavy traveling period for the school, which makes for very long days for her, and not a lot of time at home. I'm in the middle of fall cleanup at all of my customer's houses. The kids are full swing in school now and all of their extra-curricular activities: swimming for both on Tuesday & Thursday, Savannah ballet Monday evenings, Andrew church choir on Wednesday evenings, Andrew taikwondo on Saturday mornings. Andrew has home work almost every weeknight and Savannah is just now beginning to get some once or twice a week (I might be wrong, but I don't think I had homework until I was in junior high).

Soccer is done until spring for Andrew, which helped our weekly schedules a little. But, soon he'll start Friday evening indoor soccer at the church... but, that's just for fun; no games and just once a week (needs that time since he can't run around outside like he does spring/summer/fall). And, since he's involved in swimming and taidwondo, we're not going to do basketball this year. That would be one more evening a week and about 6 games on Saturdays. TOO MUCH!!!!

Now some hilights from the last few weeks...

Here's our "white belt"...



Andrew LOVES his taikwondo!! He goes every Saturday morning for a class at Eastview (our church). It's taught by a 6th degree master black belt who owns Victory Academy (taikwondo, gymnastics, dance and cheerleading) here in Bloomington. After signing Andrew up and visiting the academy a couple of times, we decided to start Savannah in ballet there, too. Much smaller classes and very professional instruction. She loves it and is really looking forward to her winter recital on December 15 (I think that's the date).

And speaking of Savannah... Her first tooth came out this past week :) Laurie and I actually pinned her down one evening and tried to pull it, but... THAT wasn't going to happen!! She finally lost it at school on Thursday... and, if I have the story correct... it basically just fell out and it was rollin around on her tongue. And, of course, the Toothfairy visited that night and left $1 (I think I got 5-cents).

Kids and I went pumpkin huntin' a couple of weeks ago...

I've never seen two kids be so serious while picking out pumpkins... they both felt very overwhelmed at times (so did I!!) but, they picked the "perfect" pumpkins. We also picked up some "decorative" things, that the kids weren't all that thrilled about. Although, they did have a fun time going through all the funny looking gourds and choosing some for me.

I had the kids draw on a piece of paper the face that wanted carved into their pumpkin... the results were pretty close to what they had drawn:

It's a jungle in here...

Started moving the plants inside a few days ago when the temperatures started to dip down... Not keeping as many inside this winter, though. Here's a sample of what's been moved inside:

This alamanda is one of my favorite flowering tropicals... beautiful bright yellow trumpet-like flowers. Hopefully I'll be able to winter it over successfully inside. Although, it can be a hard one to keep full as it is right now.

The jasmine has been moved indside also and it was full of buds when I brought it in... a few days later the house was filled with the scent of jasmine. I enjoy it, but it can become a little overpowering at times. I prefer night bloomington jasmine (not really a jasmine), but it's very difficult to get to bloom indoors... I still have one of these and will be bringing it inside early this next week, as well as my firecracker plant and orange bird of paradise. All others that are sitting outside still will be going to Eastview for the winter.

I have a gorgeous Key Largo Chinese Evergreen on the front porch, but it's too big for our house. I'm afraid that I left it outside too long and the cold has gotten to it. Many tropicals will survivor with temps dipping to the high 30's for short periods of time like we've been receiving lately, but... the chinese evergreen isn't one. Hopefully it wasn't hurt.

One spindle palm and several phoenix roebelinii are still outside and are all be going to the church (although, the spindle is a little tall... not sure how it's getting there, still. We'll see... it might have to stay somehow (???????).

Halloween...

Andrew and Savannah LOVE to play dress-up, so needless to say THEY LOVE HALLOWEEN. If you know Andrew very well at all you'll be able to guess what he went as. Savannah was planning on dressing up as a princess, but... that was until she saw the Barbie Pet Doctor costume and realized she could use Mr Tumnus as a "prop" for her costume.

This was the first year we didn't drive anywhere... Laurie just walked them around the neighborhood for about 45-minutes. They collected enough candy to last them until Easter - we don't let them have it very often... and, we keep it up high in the kitchen :)

Nature walks at Funk's Grove...

Every fall we take a Sunday afternoon and go to Funk's Grove where there is an old chapel, cemetary and walking trails through some woods. We take a picnic lunch, walk the trails, take LOTS of pictures, look at the old (and this time new) cemetary stones and have lots of good talks. This is has become one of Laurie's and my favorite annual events for our family. We started when Andrew was just a baby. Here are a few of the MANY pictures we took that day...