Canada!

Last week I went to Canada on vacation with some friends. It was an awesome time. Just being able to get out and enjoy God's amazing creation, spend time with friends, go hiking, kayaking, running, swimming..... Here are a few pictures of the Wathen's cabin and Horn Lake that is near the cabin.

The Cabin!


Back side.


There is an island straight out in this picture.


The sun sparkling on a glacial lake!








Birch Crest Resort


Sunset on Horn Lake.

A Quote For Thought...

I heard this quote on a commercial the other day and it has just kind of stuck with me so I thought I would share it with you all to ponder!!!

"The more you know, the less you don't know." -Anonymous

Quite profound ehhh!!!??

Mom's/Aunt's Birthday Celebration

Today we celebrated our mom's and aunt's birthday. It was a good time and rare opportunity to get together with most of the cousins and such. Makes me remember some great times with all of them!

Uncle Darrell and Aunt Judy


The birthday gals!


Cousins: Joanna, Mary, Kate


Kaitlyn and Noah


Kara and Kaitlyn


Dale and Jonathan uncomfortably full!

Canoeing!!!

A couple of weekends ago I went on a canoeing trip with some friends. It was a great time. We went down on the Driftwood River near Edinburgh, IN. The weather was perfect. Sunny but not too humid. The river wasn't too busy and there were several great spots for swimming and generally just enjoying the trip! Thanks to Ben Hess for the pictures below.

Back Row L to R: David, Me, Rich, Jonathan, Micah
Middle Row L to R: Matt, Tina, Sarah, Regan, Ben, Joy, Samantha, Kaylie
Front Row L to R: Barbara, Bob, June, Susan, Chris

Goofy shot!

The Zoo...

Shortly after Regan got in for his summer he and I took Dylan, a kid from the Dominican Republic that was coming to visit friends in Ohio, to the Indianapolis Zoo. Dylan was only with Regan for about a week so he was trying to keep him entertained and from thinking about missing home!


A cool Parrot!


The Shark touching area. This was Dylan's favorite place.

Sticking its tongue out at us!

Regan and Dylan.

Playing with the seasonal stone in the sand.

Regan and Dylan. Background Downtown Indy.

Regan's Arrival

Earlier this summer I had a friend, Regan, who got home from the Dominican Republic. He is a third grade teacher at Jarabacoa Christian School in the DR. He is home for the summer, which unfortunately is coming to an end for him shortly. Here are some pictures of a few of us going to greet him when he came in.


Waiting...
L to R: Bob Hess (Regan's dad), Kaylie, Sarah, Rachel, Me.


Regan arrives!!!


We finally got to go home and go to bed!!!
L to R: Back: Me, Micah Front: Dylan, Regan, Sarah, Kaylie, June, Rachel

Point/Pointlessness of Life

The other day I went out to dinner with a friend, that I hadn't seen in awhile, and we got talking about life. He was telling me how God was working in his life and how he was really beginning to have a closer walk with God. This was really cool to hear as I have been praying for him and encouraging him. Once we got to talking about life we got to discussing the point or meaning of our lives. What do we want to be known for? Where do we see our lives going in the future? This discussion caused me to really ponder the meaning of life. I have people that come in the store all the time that make comments like "another day another dollar", "I can't complain because nobody would listen", "I'm just living", etc... I realize that these are just pat responses but many times it seems that they truly believe them. In my mind "life" should be so much more than that. As Christians we are to live for Christ as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:15. We are to strive to follow Christ and to become more like Him everyday out of the joy that we have for what He did for us. I see many people in life striving for the next raise/promotion, the bigger house, better car, and not looking to what truly matters in life. In America we are working more and more hours for that elusive dream that we never quite reach. I think that many people are just trying to fill the void that is created when not living for Christ. As my friend and I were discussing this we were thinking about what was important in our lives. We both have decent "careers" but to us that isn't that important. I find that I am more concerned about living my life as an example of what Christ has done in me. We as Christians have all heard the Great Comission and to me I believe that it applies to all of us no matter where we are. We might not be out on some faraway mission field working with natives but we are in our homes, jobs, churches, neighborhoods, schools... If we don't reach out in those areas who will. The guy who lives next door? That other student who seems more put together? The coworker who is always working? I want my life to be remembered for how I cared for others and how I allowed Christ to work through me for His purposes. I don't want to be known as oh he was good at business had a nice house and drove a nice car. I want what I do to have eternal signifigance rather than fleeting enjoyment. How do you want your life to be remembered???