Free advice

Free advice. If you ever sprain your ankle and happen to be in Seattle, do not spend an afternoon walking around Pikes Place market, Westlake Center, and the Seattle Center. Your ankle will hurt for the next 48 hours.

Fire season is upon us

A couple of days ago, Dave at HBO posted a snippet about a CdA councilman proposing a ban on smoking at Tubbs Hill, a popular downtown park. The whole purpose of the proposed ban is to reduce fire risks.

Now that I can understand. I don't necessarily agree with banning smoking in public parks, but I understand the fire danger that surrounds the Couer d'Alene area. It has been a long, hot, dry summer. Are our parks and neighborhoods around the area at risk of fire? Yes. And I have first hand experience to testify to local fire dangers.

There was quite a bit of excitement around my neighborhood when I came home from work Tuesday afternoon. I didn't quite believe my wife when she told me that there was a forest fire in our back yard, but she spoke truth. There was a fire in our back yard. Well, not our back yard, but the woods behind our house. The small forest on the east side of Ramsey between Canfield and Wilbur was on fire.

We couldn't quite see the flames from our back yard (too many other trees in the way) but we could see where the fire was because of the smoke.

The woods back there were "ripe for this kind of thing" as one of my neighbors described. Several fire personnel responded to our street as well as the Ramsey side of the forest. I could hear chainsaws cutting away trees and brush to gain access to the fire.

Christian was thrilled to see so many of CdA's firemen in the neighborhood. He kept saying "firetuks go WOOOWOOO!" He wanted to see all of the trucks, so Bekah and I took the kids on a short walk down the block and back to see everything.

I counted the emergency vehicles while walking around. No idea how many fire trucks were parked on Ramsey, but there were several within eye shot of my living room window. I counted: 1 ambulance, 1 paramedic truck, 2 fire engines, 1 ladder truck, 1 fire department extended cab pickup, and 2 fire department SUVs. A bit of overkill for that size of fire? Possibly. Really freakin' cool for a kid a month away from his third birthday? Absolutely.

The Emerald City (Pt2)

In this first of four posts exploring all of the Seattle-ish places I want to take my kids, I'm starting in the southwestern corner of the state of Washington working my way North to the east of Seattle. Some of these places are great family get-aways. If you go and anyone asks - just say you got the idea from nic. Many of these locations are a treasured part of my memories. Some of the best times I had while growing up were spent in one of the following destinations.

Long Beach. Situated on the southern end of the peninsula that protects Willapa Bay, Long Beach is the main destination for a week along the southern Washington coast. Miles of beaches and scenery stretches from Cape Disappointment to Leadbetter Point. From lighthouses to wildlife, there is plenty to keep the kids busy, including a boardwalk on the Pacific Ocean and two museums in town (World Kite Museum and the Cranberry Museum). If time allows, the historic city of Astoria is just a short drive away, along the 101.

Ocean Shores. Further north, but not much further, is the town of Ocean Shores. Not only are there several great parks there, but they also have one of the best go-kart tracks in the nation. Much like Long Beach, Ocean Shores is home to great beaches, but it is also apart of Grays Harbor. While in Ocean Shores, we can visit other Grays Harbor towns: the old logging towns of Hoquiam and Aberdeen. History lesson: Aberdeen is were Kurt Cobain was born and raised. I also helped paint and remodel a church next door to the YMCA in Hoquiam; it would be nice to go back and visit sometime.

Mt. Rainier. This mountain is somewhat of an icon in western Washington. I once heard a joke about using Mt Rainier to forecast the weather: if the mountain is visible - it will be sunny, if the mountain is not visible - it will rain. Other Cascade mountains have more significance and attraction in my life, but Rainier is one of the most majestic and recognizable peaks anywhere in the world. It would be a disservice to my kids if I never take them to Mt Rainier. Let them wander the trails around Paradise, hike to the glaciers near Sunrise, and chase any manor of furry woodland creatures from marmots to mountain goats.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Granted, this zoo is far inferior to the zoo in Seattle, and there is a foul aroma that hovers over the city of Tacoma, but I like zoos (even crappy little zoos like the ones in Boise or Sioux Falls). And as an added bonus, the zoo and aquarium are in the same location; you get the best of both worlds. And they have beluga whales. How cool is that?

Tacoma Narrows. Galloping Gurdy is legendary. It was impossible to grow up in the Seattle area without hearing about Galloping Gurdy. The footage showing the bridge's collapse is equally captivating and horrifying. The rebuilt bridge is beautiful; it is a wondrous display of engineering genius.

Wild Waves. Roller coasters, water slides, thrill rides, concerts. It's like Silverwood, but better.

Mount Si. Rising straight up from the valley floor above North Bend, the top of Mount Si holds some of the most stunning panoramic views I've ever seen. And it is only a short drive east of Seattle. The final rise (lovingly nicknamed the"haystack") is a challenging near vertical scramble, but well worth the effort.

Snoqualmie Falls. When I go hiking, I generally prefer to hike up first, then down. Snoqualmie Falls is one of the few exceptions to that rule. The trail begins near the lodge and goes straight down into a canyon carved away by the river. As you hike along the river, you get showered by mist from the falls - perfect for a hot summer day. There is plenty of boulder hopping both in and out of the river to keep any kid (young or old) entertained for a day. Granted, one can enjoy Snoqualmie Falls without the hike; there is a lodge and a phenomenal viewpoint at the top of the falls. But to truly experience Snoqualmie Falls, you have to get wet. And if you're particularly brave, you can hike right up to the base of the falls.

Feel free to take these ideas for your next family trip. Provided you are travelling in that direction.

The Emerald City (Pt1)

I miss Seattle. Having grown up in and around Seattle, that city is very much a part of who I am. I will never want to live there again, but I will always love the city of Seattle. There are events, places, and activities that are so ingrained into my person that I cannot escape to longing to return again and again.

My dad had two common day trips for our family. These were trips we took when friends or family from out of town came to visit. The first trip was driving up to Whidbey Island to see Deception Pass and picnic at Fort Casey, followed by the Clinton/Mukilteo ferry and drive back home. The second trip was taking the monorail from the Seattle Center to Westlake Center to shop, then walk down to the Pike Place Market - often continuing to the waterfront to eat at the Sourdough Bakery. I want my son to take those trips someday. Not only those two excursions, but so much more.

As my kids get older, I want them to experience the same Seattle that I did: the sights, the sounds, the smells. We got to take Kylee and Christian to the Woodland Park Zoo when we were in Seattle in June. And we will be taking the kids to a Mariners game this weekend. But really, Christian is not quite three and Kylee has not yet reached crawling age, they're not going to remember whether Seattle won or Boston won. At their age, I don't think they even care who wins.

So over the next few posts, I will be listing of my favorite places in and around Seattle. The places that I want my kids to experience and enjoy in wide-eyed childlike wonder.

That being said, I'll be in Seattle for the next few days. Hopefully, it doesn't rain. Our trip to the zoo in June was during a downpour. And I hate umbrellas.

It's official

I have sprained my ankle and torn the ligaments. The bruising is horrible, but it looks worse than it feels. It only hurts when I walk. Too bad walking is a part of my job duties. Hmmm.

Well, that's what I get for walking backwards down steps.

Why are drunk people so stupid?

Our kick of party for Remnant Found was highly successful. We had far fewer guys than we had hoped for, but that's what we get for starting our guys group the same weekend as Creation Festival.

The dozen guys that did show up burned through two and a half bags of lays, a large salad bowl filled with M&Ms, two 24 packs and three packages of hot dogs. There was Halo, Guitar Hero, and Burnout Revenge playing almost all night. I woke up about 6 this morning and stumbled out of my bedroom and saw video games going on both TVs. I asked the guys in the dining room if they'd been up all night. Indeed, they had. There were five guys who managed to fall asleep on the floor in the living room. One of the guys who did not sleep thought it'd be hilarious if he wrote all over those that slept. Twiggz got the worst of it; he managed to sleep through some one writing all over his chest, arms, face, and the inside of his ears.

The only hiccup came about 9:15 last night when my usually nice neighbor came over demanding to talk to the owner. He told me that parties were not allowed in the neighborhood and they kicked out the last group that lived here for the same reason. Now I knew we were not that loud. All we were doing was playing video games. No loud music. No alcohol involved. A few periodic shouts inside (reaction to something cool happening in Halo), but no shouting outside of the house. I said I was planning on shutting down the noise level at 10:00pm, but he interrupted me and said it didn't matter what my plans were. By that point in time I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.
Proverbs 26:4-6

Realizing there was no sense arguing with a drunk fool, I told him "Fine call the cops." He got this bewildered look on his face and threw the Jesus card at me: What kind of example are you - your supposed to be setting an example of Christ - you're an idiot - aren't you supposed to be some kind of counselor or something - what are you teaching these kids... Yada, yada, yada.

"Or should I call the cops? I have their number." I proposed. He said he had their number too, but I had my cell phone on me; he did not. So with my drunk neighbor standing in my drive way, I dialed Cd'A blue dispatch and requested an officer to call me back. My drunk neighbor mumbled some threats at me, drew a finger in a slicing motion across his neck, and stomped back to his house.

My understanding of city ordinances were that 10:00pm was the noise cutoff time for private citizens. The Sargent that called me back let me know that no such ordinance existed in Coeur d'Alene and that your peace can be disturbed at any time of the day. He said that noise levels were more or less a judgement call, one that defaulted to the police if an officer is dispatched to a noise complaint.

I described the nature of our party to the officer and he responded in bewilderment - You're just playing video games! It was as if that was the most ridiculous noise complaint that he had ever heard. I explained my encounter with my neighbor to the officer - he came over, drunk and belligerent, and made some threats. I let the officer know that I told my neighbor to call the cops. The officer said no one had called in a complaint yet, and by the sounds of things, we were doing nothing wrong.

Ahhhh, the validation. So our nice neighbor is no long the nice neighbor. That kinda sucks because we really enjoyed having nice neighbors. And to answer his question, not that he deserves an answer but.. What kind of example was I showing these kids? You can still have fun with out getting drunk - diversity is a good thing - that a bunch of guys can find common ground and that unity is possible despite our differences. Sometimes, it takes a bit of noise to accomplish that.

Happiness is...

My wife is determined to help me find my happy place. She insists that Christian does something incredibly cute or laughably ridiculous at least once a day. That is her happy place. So, when Christian is throwing the toddler tantrum, she remembers that the kids lying on the floor - screaming and limbs flailing - is the same kid who smeared Crisco all over the kitchen.

I found my happy place for the day much earlier than I anticipated. Bekah was up when my alarm went off this morning, so I figured I had the bedroom and bathroom to myself while I got ready for work. While shaving, I heard a strange rustling sound followed by a short exhalation of breath. I thought the dog might have been curled up at the foot of the bed with out my noticing. But, no. Nothing but rumpled blankets tossed and falling off the bed. Psuchen must have been out with Bekah, and I was imagining things.

The sound of short breaths and movement began again as I finished shaving, so I thought that Psuchen might have curled up in one of his other favorite places to sleep: our pile of dirty laundry. I poked my head out of the bathroom, but no dog. I looked around the room. No dog within sight.

By then I was thoroughly confused. It was before 5am (earliest I've been up in a long time), but I knew that sound was not a product of my imagination. A little exploration revealed the sources of the noise. On the far side of the bed, next to the door to the living room, I discovered a little arm and leg protruding from under the bed. Limbs belonging not to the dog, but of my sleeping son.

How Christian ended up asleep under my bed, I will never know. Regardless, that is my happy place for the day.

Koocanusa skies

We have returned from houseboat camp, equally exhausted and revived. The first half of the week was beautiful and undeniably hot. I was lucky to snap this picture Tuesday evening.

Unfortunately, that is a storm cloud invading our previously blue skies. We went from bright & sunny to wet & wind swept in less than an hour. Shortly after this picture was taken, we were scrambling to clear the beach and secure the boats. The storm tore three of our seven boats away from our anchors and created four foot waves that rocked all of the boats enough to make us feel like drunken pirates.

Off the Grid

As of tomorrow morning, I am off the grid for a week: out of cell phone range - no internet access.

"Why is that?" you ask.

Because I am spending the next week in Canada, on a houseboat, beached on the sandy shores of Lake Koocanusa.

"Sounds great," you say, "I wish I could go!"

Why thank you. It should be a blast. This is the only real vacation Bekah and I get during the summer. The two of us, a small hand full of other adult leaders, and seventy some odd high school kids...

"What?!?!? You're spending your vacation with high school kids."

Of course. I am a part of my church's youth staff, and every year we do our high school camp up in the Great White North. (Although, this time of year, it is warm and green.) I'll be sharing my boat with a couple other leaders and 17 high school guys.

"Are you CRAZY????"

Quite possibly, yes. But it is one of the only times during the year that I get to relax.

"How can you relax with all those kids running around?" you ask.

Easy. There' no babies waking me up at seven o'clock in the morning.

"But the high school kids might wake you up that early."

True, but they can feed themselves.

The most hypocritical unprecedented event ever!

Live Earth has come and gone. The concerts are over and the people have all gone home or shut off the live streaming video on MSN. Only problem now is that MSN can’t get over their smug selves enough to admit that Live Earth really wasn’t that cool.

Don’t get me wrong, it was cool. There were several phenomenal performances and the list of performing artists was stellar. I enjoyed watching the live broadcasts on A&E, and TiVo’d whatever I couldn’t watch live. (Although, my DVR went wacko and cut out half of AFI’s set.) Yet, there were a couple of minor details in the broadcast that disturbed me.

First, the commentary was provided by a bunch of eighties era MTV washouts. Not that their presence was a bad thing; after all, they still need to make a living. But the girl in the brown dress (no idea who she was) that was providing studio commentary on A&E was a complete moron. She seemed star-struck and acted like she was every band's biggest fan. Yet, her remarks about artists’ performances truly revealed how little she really knew about (or payed attention to) each of the bands she pretended to like so much. This observation showed itself clearest after the set from Black Eyed Peas, who opened with a rocking version of ‘Let’s Get Retarded.’ When that song was released as a single the word retarded was not politically correct enough for American airways, so BEP re-did the lyrics for the radio and changed the song to ‘Let’s Get It Started.’ For the Live Earth performance, BEP retained the original lyrics in the chorus, “Everybody, let's get into it, get stupid. Get retarded, get retarded, get retarded. Let's get retarded, let’s get retarded in here.” Between the BEP set and the band that followed, the girl in brown proceeded to express how awesome their show was by singing her favorite song… Let’s Get It Started.

The next thing to bother me about Live Earth was their self-proclaimed title of “unprecedented” early in the broadcasts. According to Merriam-Webster, unprecedented means having no precedent - novel, or unexampled. So, according to concert promoters, Live Earth had no precedent; it was a novel idea with no prior examples. Hmm. That must mean that nothing like Live Earth has ever happened be for, right Bob Geldof? Ten concerts in ten different cities, all across the globe, on a single day, televised, to raise awareness, and asking people to make pledges. Yup… That’s never happened before. I will give Live Earth some credit though. They managed to have a concert in Antarctica, something that Bob Geldof would not have been able to accomplish with Live 8. But who are we kidding. Several artists performed for both Live 8 and Live Earth. In fact, one could easily argue that Live Earth is Live 8 with a different mission; but more people watched Live 8. (And in my opinion, Live 8 had a cooler logo.) ATTENTION MSN: LIVE EARTH WAS NOT AN UNPRECEDENTED EVENT. Quit pretending like it was.

The final thing that bothered me was the hypocritical nature of such a massive event. To pretend that such a show is going to make a difference in our environment is asinine. Live Earth was NOT an eco-friendly event. Points to ponder: how much fuel was spent jetting these artists to the events (many of them traveled overseas to get to their venue); how much electricity was consumed by the massive sound systems, reader boards, lighting, and projection screens; how much energy was spent preparing food for concessions; how much trash (waste) was generated from those concessions. Now, I realize that event organizers are going to try and recycle as much trash as possible, but every shot of the crowd included several plastic cups filled with beers raised to the sky. I can guarantee that most drunken idiots can not tell the difference between a trash can and a recycle bin after a day-long concert under the hot summer sun. Yes, they do recycle, but there was still probably as much (if not more) trash collected at each of the Live Earth events as you would typically see at a major sporting event. Furthermore, I fail to see what Madonna’s f-bomb, Shakira’s contortionistic dancing, and Ludacris' rapping about booty has to do with the environment. Yes, Live Earth is looking at a worthy cause. We all know our environment is fragile and we should take care of our planet, but the fate of planet earth is in debate. Environmentalists can not agree if the impending doom of climate change is leading to a new ice age, or if it will cause all glaciers to melt and raise existing sea levels to unlivable heights. Some scientists say global warming will cause the next ice age, and some scientists say global warming is nothing more than pseudoscience. At least Live 8 had a theme that no one could dispute: poverty in Africa.

Chara {R.I.P.}

Today was a sad day in our house. Chara is the first pet that I've lost (except for a hermit crab I had in 5th grade) and she's the first pet that Bekah's lost suddenly.

The hardest question to answer is Christian's: "Where's Chara?"

How do you answer that? How do you explain to a two year old that a family pet has died? My first thought was that she's gone away. But what two year old is really going to grasp that concept? We could say that Chara is no longer with us, but that's what we tell him when Bekah's daycare kids finish daycare. And we don't want Christian thinking that all of Bekah's daycare kids are dead.

So, each of us are mourning in our own ways. Bekah is blaming herself. Psuchen is wandering around, lonely. Christian is doing what toddlers do. And I am wrestling with how to answer Christian's big question. Where's Chara?

My ultimate goal in life

My classes take a survey every Friday to rate how well class is going - whether or not the like class. There are four sections: what they think of the curriculum, what they think the trainer (me), what they think of the classroom, and what they think of their own participation. The surveys are completely anonymous to ensure that the agents are comfortable expressing their opinions.

Some of the responses are typical. One agent will say that the pace is too fast; another will say the pace is too slow. One agent will say that the room is too cold while another says it's too hot.

I do receive negative feedback, but it is rare. One agent this last week said he/she felt ignored during large group discussions, but the rest of the class gave me positive comments.

There are occasionally comments that make me laugh. Like this one: "Nick is my hero!A+++++++++ and his shirts are awesome"

Ah, yes. That is what I aspire to - to have awesome shirts.

Organizing Chaos

There comes a point when you realize you are too busy. I’m kinda there. Now. So, before I go crazy or do something I’ll later regret, I must attempt to impose some measure of order on my life. I’ve created for my self one of my least favorite things: a schedule.

This posting is for those of you that KNOW ME PERSONALLY. For those of you who don’t know me personally, unless you are desperate for entertainment, stop reading. Check back tomorrow. If I stick to my schedule, I’ll have something posted.

For those of you that do know me personally, help me out. I tend to be an unstructured individual. If I attempt to stick to my schedule by my own volition, I will inevitably give up. Please keep me accountable to what I need to do – make sure I’m following this schedule.

Now, I fully understand that as a father and a youth leader, there are some things that are and will be out of my control, but to the best of my ability I want to abide to the following schedule.

Monday – Friday
*Work …. This may be overstating the obvious, but I have a job, I need the paycheck.
*Personal devotions… Keeping in touch with God.
*Spend time with Bekah… I did marry her for a reason.
*Some sort of “chore”… whether this is mowing the lawn, doing dishes, or taking out the trash, I want to feel like I’m contributing to the house. And it is one of the ways I can show my wife that I love her. (She’s kinda weird like that.)
*Write for my blogs… Doesn’t mean that I’ll post something, but I do want to spend some time writing. After all, it’s what I do – I write. Worst case scenario, I at least get some practice.
*Spend some quality time with Christian… and Kylee… Spending time with my kids is healthy. Especially for Christian. As he approaches his third birthday, he really needs some individual attention from his daddy.
*Walk the dogs… They need the exercise, though probably not as much as I do.
*Homework… I’ll admit it. I am a horrible student. If I plan on earning my degree, I need to devote some time to school every day.
*Watch a movie... I have gotten into the habit of watching a movie while trying to fall asleep. I'd normally read, but Bekah doesn't like having the lights on. I'd watch TV, but Bekah is addicted to Discovery Health - not my ideal choice in late night programming. I don't necessarily have to finish the movie, just watch one. I've fallen asleep while watching Bridge to Terabithia at least five times over the last month. I'll finish it someday. As a story teller, I am constantly looking at how others tell their stories, and I love movies with a good story. I am also looking for movie clips that I can incorporate into the Guys Nite Out Bible study that I co-lead.
*Youth group... Every Tuesday and Wednesday, as my work schedule allows.

Every Saturday
*A family walk... Bekah. Me. The kids. Fresh air. And the dogs. Can't go wrong.
*Devotions with Bekah... Our relationship with God is a huge part of our lives. It is what has held us together for the last four years. It is what will keep us together for many more.
*Play with Christian... This is much more than just spending time with him. This is play time - boy stuff. Hopefully I can wear him out enough that he takes a long nap in the afternoon.
*Work in the garage for at least an hour... When we moved in, we planned to put all of the boxes of stuff in the garage to keep the clutter out of the house. Then, as time allowed, we would unpack the boxes and get the stuff out of the garage. Since moving, time has not allowed. I want to use that hour to unpack the garage and slowly empty out space to use for music - a place to jam with AJ and anyone else who wants to come by and play.
*Homework... Not to say that I'm excited about doing school work on Saturdays, but if I don't work on it every day, I won't get anything done.

Every other Saturday
*Guys Nite Out... Ryan and I will be leading a Bible study for high school guys. Starts mid July. Not only will I be helping lead it, but I will also need to spend time preparing to speak, play worship, and do whatever else is involved in leading the group.
*PreGNO meeting with Ryan... Time to plan, prepare, and pray for the night's Bible study.

Sundays
*Church... A must. Unless I am ill. But still a needed part of my week. I've got to get fed.
*Youth staff meetings... Most of them are on Sundays.
*More homework... This is the downside of doing college online. You usually have assignments due on Sundays. It sucks.
*RELAX... I don't get to do it often, and it is the Sabbath.

Aside from that, our doors are always open. Unless we're not home, then they're locked. But when we're home, the kids from the youth group are always welcome. And in the grand scheme of things, my ministry is more important than any schedule. Homework can wait. Kids cannot.

OK, now that I've got it all figured out - don't let me slack!

why babies cry

With out overstating the obvious, I realize that babies cry because they do not know how else to communicate their needs. They need one of four things: to be fed, to be held, to sleep, or to have their diaper changed. (And if all else fails, sometimes they just need to scream for a little while... for no apparent reason.)

I understand those needs, but there is something about the sound of a crying baby that drives me to the brink of insanity. The noise... I just want it to stop!

While discussing this topic the other night, my friend Dave proposed a interesting theory about the nature of a newborn's cry. Dave believes that God intentionally made the sound of a crying baby to be just annoying enough to compel you to do something about it.

An appeal to CL Butch Otter, governor of Idaho

Mr. Governor,

Recent media coverage has included a story of Kendra Goodrick being sent to prison for a drug charge after receiving a probation sentence due to some sort of error in timing.

I do understand the difficulties our state has combating drug use in our area. I would normally be an advocate of jailing drug offenders.

However, Ms. Goodrick's case is different. The judge originally granted leniency. While probation is not always the best option for an addict, in this instance - it worked. Kendra Goodrick has kept herself clean and has become a productive member of society.

There is another aspect of this case that complicates the issue; Kendra has had a child since she cleaned up her life. As a foster parent, I understand the effect that a drug addicted parent can have on their child. I also understand the trauma that can be inflicted when that parent is removed from the child's life.

The question here is not about what is technically the correct procedure. This is not about whether or not the judge's ruling was within his powers of authority. The question is about the right thing to do. While I have great respect for the law, sending Kendra Goodrick back to prison is not the right thing to do.

Sentencing Ms. Goodrick to a prison sentence after she has proven her intent and capability to stay clean during her probation accomplishes nothing. It is a waste of taxpayer's money. It is discouraging to a recovering addict, not to mention other addicts looking for options to turn their lives around. For common citizens like myself, my confidence in our judicial system is destroyed.

Please do whatever you can to ensure that justice, not a technicality, is served. Please grant Ms. Goodrick clemency. Keep Kendra Goodrick out of prison.


For more information on this case please read: Dave's first post about Kendra, Mom Faces Prison article in Spokesman Review, Kendra's appeal to HBO readers, and Bayview Herb's letter to the governor.

If you are an Idaho resident and you are compelled to do something to help Kendra and her family, please write to governor Otter at his website.