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We’re Going Camping!
Finished with the hectic weekend wedding schedule (see some pre-wedding pics here; actual wedding shots to come), Sarah, her parents, and I are off to do a little camping for the next week or so. At least, they call it camping. I really can’t say much, since I have never officially been camping in the US. I have gone to camp, but have not gone camping. But in my humble opinion, this is camping. This is not camping. That being said, I much prefer a hot shower anyway, so whatever it should be called, I find our method much more to my liking. We are headed up to a place called Hat Creek. We’ll have pics and a recap of the events when we return…
Re: Chris Hitchens
I just read a good article, thoughts in relation to the recent wave of “new atheism” books. See it here.
My thought: I would be considered a fundamentalist, according to the article, and I find use in museums - but the point is still well taken, especially with the move toward theme parks. We need to read more, and Read Well
Wedding Weekend 1
The pace of lazy days of summer has sped up this weekend with birthday festivities and wedding activities. Here’s the lowdown:
Thursday Sarah took me out to play mini-golf (I love mini golf!) and play silly arcade games at Scandia funland. Lunch was my first trip to In-n-out Burger; I was trained how to order before going, so I got a 3-by-3 animal style with fries animal style hold the sauce and a neapolitan shake. Tasty! After this, a matinee showing of Ocean’s Thirteen. My opinion: better than Ocean’s twelve, but still not as good as the first one. The evening contained dinner with friends of the bride arriving for the wedding of Mary Thengvall, Sarah’s sister and Ryan Rotman.
Friday was filled with setting up for the wedding at a family friend’s home, the rehearsal, and subsequent dinner, which was incredible. It took place here, with a salad course, bruschetta course, ravioli course, New York steak, and apple pie a la mode. Two and a half hours, and every minute was worth it.
Saturday was filled with the wedding. It was a beautiful day - a little warm to be wearing a tux outside, but that’s alright. Everything went smoothly. I liked the decision to use the “sand ceremony” as part of the wedding. Rather than lighting 2 candles and combining them into one, two vases of colored sand are combined into one, with the pastor pouring some white sand in first. The resulting picture of the marriage is God as the foundation, and the couple being intertwined as one, though their individuality is still very evident. We threw rose petals as the happy couple left; that’s a new one on me. Pictures will be posted in the next week or so.
Sarah and I sang in church this morning, and are going to a King’s Brass concert tonight. Until later…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dana, Fathers, 2 years, and Antioch
Here’s some snippets of what has been going on in Santa Rosa…
Sarah and I went to a Dana Carvey concert on Saturday night, courtesy of tickets from Sarah’s parents. Dana was hilarious. His impressions were incredible. When listening to comedians I am consistently reminded of the intelligence needed to be able to pull off such a profession. Good times.
Happy belated fathers day to all fathers and all those who act like fathers to others. You are desparately needed in the world.
Today is our second wedding anniversary. We went to Bodega Bay for lunch and the views - a place on the coast we spent part of our honeymoon at. There we had some great fish and chips and clam chowder! The evening was a great dinner at a downtown Santa Rosa restaurant called Flavor. Definitely a place to check out if you’re in the area. Sarah was able to reconnect with some friends from High School (and get free desserts). I believe I love Sarah now more than ever before - because our love is couched in the experiences of the past two years. Easy or trying times, we have made it through together and are looking forward to many more.
I am a graduate of Cedarville University, so the news that Antioch College is closing its doors, perhaps for good, caught my attention. I found out here, by the way. I can’t say I will miss the college much because of its views, as seen in the article as cookie-cutter and therefore predictable. I loved driving through Yellow Springs though, especially the Gypsy cafe - where Sarah and I went on our first date. We’ll see if the city keeps going…
On Mormonism
Since getting back to the States, I have been struck by the increasing influence of Mormonism on American culture. In reading current events, hearing about the race towards November 2008, even walking around Santa Rosa, influences are clearly seen. I was aware that Jon Heder, the actor who became famous through his work on Napoleon Dynamite (great movie!) is Mormon, as are many from the movie; Presidential candidate Mitt Romney cannot get away from his religious stance, which probably will hurt him in the primaries; random people like the founder of Jetblue and a family of 5 classical piano players, all of which attended Julliard.
What’s the big deal? How are Christians to respond to the increasing influence of Mormonism? I find myself caught in tension here. The groupings of religious beliefs generally put Mormonism in with other beliefs of Christianity, whereas an examination of various beliefs shows that to be false. On the other hand, the similarities between Christianity and Mormonism are excellent bridges into further discussion, so to disavow any relationship between the two beliefs removes valuable opportunities for witness. It is a tough situation. I would note a book I found valuable on this discussion, among others. This book looks at hot topics of the day and presents responses to religious challenges to Christianity.
Any other books or resources to recommend? I’d appreciate some further reading on this topic over the summer.
Takin’ it easy…
Sarah and I are loving the relaxed week… not doing much, just enjoying our time. Santa Rosa, California is a great place. The downtown area is confusing to drive through, but very pleasant otherwise - mostly due to an archaic regulation allowing no building to be taller than the court/state house (I forget which). So though the city is a moderate size of 150,000, the downtown area is still pleasant to walk through.
We went shopping today - and at the risk of sounding like a girl, I searched out the good deals and was successful. I’m a big fan of Banana Republic, but most of the time it is out of my price range - so it’s thrilling to find good clothing on the clearance rack. Not a block away from a Barnes and Noble there is also a bookstore literally stuffed with books. I could spend hours in this place. I found a 1977 copy of A Severe Mercy that I picked up and Sarah promptly stole to wrap for my birthday next week. Santa Rosa also has a weekly outdoor market on Wednesdays - we had other plans for dinner and such today, but tomorrow we’ll have to try it out…
With the whole facebook applications craze right now, I should say that I probably won’t use iLike because I’m too lazy, though that may change during the summer… but I certainly won’t be installing the “superpoke” application, as I’m afraid of what my students might do to me.
Felicitations Facebook Friends!
If this was done correctly, than all posts written on my website will now be appearing on my facebook profile as well. So, if you are reading the blog for the first time facebook friends, welcome! Read more