#1. I LOVE WORKING WITH WOOD.

My dad and I are going to be building some sheds to get the shovels and bikes and stuff out of my garage over Thanksgiving week. I should then have a wood shop again in our garage with some space to build. First up: a desk/wall unit for Billy and Jake.

But no matter how awesome I get at woodwork, I doubt I’ll ever have the time or devotion to make one of these. Crazy. Crazy stinking awesome! I bet Jesus is proud of this guy. I want a 700 horse power wooden car… sorta. Both scares the hell out of me and inspires me at the same time.

Watch these 3 one minute videos. The first is a description of this grad school project. The next two are the freaking building and splicing of a wooden loom they made for the exterior material of this project. Ridiculous. These guys are amazing.

#2. I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY.

One of the first things I ever bought as a child was a pentax changeable lense camera. I wanted one like my dad had, so we went to this camera swap meet thingy and bought this 1950’s camera with screw in lenses. I loved it. I used it all through high school and even developed my own film in a series of photography classes I took.

When I graduated from high school, I spent $1000 I had saved up (my parents were not happy with me- I did it while they were on vacation and I was home alone) to buy my first auto-focus SLR- a Minolta. I used it all the way up until about 18 months ago when I got my first digital SLR- a Sony a100 and have been addicted to digital photography and photoshop ever since.

I then walked past my friends computer today to notice a pretty sweet desktop background.

I asked him here he got it, and he said he’d send me the link. Yeah… well it was a photographers dream link. Check out this for some awesome pictures you can dump in your desktop backgrounds or on your mulitmedia slide shows for free. Stinkin awesome! I hope I become a photographer like that someday.

I think I might have to actually start uploading some of my pics to istockphoto. I just have to make myself make the time to do it. I’ll let you know if and when I get my some of my content live.

Confession: I feel fat most days. I have ever since my feshman year in college pretty much.

I think it’s a combination of the culture I live in, the proximity of my youth ministry to the beach, the skinny people I see, the fact that most of the high school students I work with have a metabolism that has no signs of slowing down yet, the truth, and yatta yatta.

Well, a few weeks ago for a DMV physical and an adoption physical combo dealeo, they drew some blood to take some tests to make sure I’m not a crack addict. After the tests came back, they said my cholesterol is great and I’m not doing drugs and that my liver was showing some readings they did not like and called me back in to take the test again.

Today they called me to tell my liver is working fine and something about copper is great too. However they want me on a “low fat” diet cuz evidently they think I might be storing fat on my liver which is making some other reading about something be higher than they want to to be. I don’t have diabetes, I don’t drink alcohol more than about 1x a month, and I don’t qualify as obese, but they say I’m slightly overweight and storing it on my liver.

WHAT?

I swear, I couldn’t gain a pound in high school if I tried. Now, if I eat a pound of food, 1/2 of it goes straight to my chin and the other half is evidently chillin’ on my liver. Which she says isn’t much to worry about, but they basically want to try this rat caught in a trap lab experiment on me.

Oh well, here I go. 2 months of “low fat diet”. I’m gonna get ripped too, just to show the doctor how freakin’ fit I am. Then I’m gonna walk the beach naked and get a tatoo of a skinny liver.

I went on my first field trip of the school year yesterday with Jake’s first grade class. We walked from his school down the hill to the library and the fire station and back.

Here’s what I learned:

#1. The library in our community has free wireless and lets you eat inside cuz they have a cafe too. I just might need to go there to study soon. They have some nice tables too. I kinda dug it. It surprised me.

#2. I know several firemen. Here’s what I’ve concluded about them over the years that I’ve also confirmed yesterday:

• they will risk their life to save yours
• they like it when stuff burns- they are kinda pyromaniacs in recovery. Don’t misunderstand, they don’t want you or anyone else harmed, but they secretly hope your dryer catches your house on fire and that they get to swing an axe and break stuff and make your house really wet.
• they are part prankster.
• they like to eat and excercise. Some more of one than another.
• they are neat freaks. For whatever reason, they love their stuff organized to the point of everything has a place and in it’s place at all times.
• they have a schedule that makes me jealous. I wish I could work “x” hours on and then get 4 days off. I think I would like to lobby for the whole world to go on that schedule. Let’s all work a grip and sleep in our office and then let’s go play at the beach for several days and do it all over again. Sounds awesome.

#3. Jake has a lot of energy.

Here’s the photos of me and my youngest son for like 3 more months. That’s weird to think about.

Not only did the cops catch me answering a 10 second phone call in my car, but the freaking thing is supposed to cost me $135!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! per the note from the court I got in the mail today.

The CA DMV WEBSITE CLAIMS THE FIRST OFFENSE IS $20.

I’m so FIGHTING THIS. This is ridiculous!

Here is the stupid legal record of what occurred. I copied this from my September phone bill:

• Call #13: Friday. 9.5.2008 8:39 am. TJ calls me at the office. 2 minute call. He’s worried he’s not going to get to school on time. It’s his first time home alone. Mom and Dad are at work.

• Call #14: Friday. 9.5.2008 8:41 am. I call his ride, can’t get a hold of her on her cell.

• Call #15: Friday. 9.5.2008 8:42 am. I call TJ and tell him I’m on my way home to get him and take him to school. I get in my car and start to drive home.

• Call #16: Friday. 9.5.2008 8:46am, TJ calls my cell phone to tell me that his ride just arrived and that I don’t need to come. I answered the phone assuming he was still panicked and at the exact time I pass a radar holding motorcycle cop who clocks me in at a whopping 55 in a 65 and gives me a ticket for holding my cell phone in my hand near my face as I passed him by.

Unbelievable.

I want to know what McCain and Obama think about this. I’m voting for whoever thinks this is the dumbest fine in the history of dumb fines. I could have been shaving or changing stations on my ipod instead and both woulda been legal.

Here are his 3 BIG QUESTIONS and the answers Shannon and I have come to for them:

#1. WHAT MAKES YOUR FAMILY UNIQUE?

THE BERRYTRIBE is an interracial family with 5 children. We strive to keep our faith in God in the center of our lives and to spend quality time together. We place a high value on personal responsibility, hard work, and integrity. We are active in our local schools, enjoy camping and day activities together, and intentionally serve Jesus’ church- both locally and globally.

OUR BASIC FAMILY OBJECTIVES:

• stay physically and spiritually healthy.
• continue both Dad’s and the children’s education.
• keep our finances in a place where they serve us in stead of us serving them.
• take the necessary steps to keep our marriage healthy and strong.

#2. WHAT IS YOUR FAMILY’S TOP PRIORITY- RALLYING CRY- RIGHT NOW?

THE BERRYTRIBE is focused on Adopting and Assimilating Becky and Billy into our family.

(the book recommends a goal that is 2-3 months long. Ours is more like 4-6 months of stuff, so we broke it down in more manageable chunks. We could have made each one it’s own rallying cry, but we chose this route instead)

DEFINING OBJECTIVES BY THANKSGIVING 2008:

• Define and refine our family budget

• Raise/generate 75% of the funds it will take to accomplish our immediate needs for adoption

• Sell extra items in Garage sale and over e-bay/craigs list.

• Complete our international home study.

• Buy plane tickets.

• Get Becky and Billy registered and ready for entry into the pre-k class at RSD.

DEFINING OBJECTIVES BY JANUARY 7, 2009 (when we plan to leave for Uganda).

• Get Billy and Becky the clothes and supplies they will need in our home.

• Set up the children’s rooms.

1. BECKY: touch up the paint, add her name to the wall, kid friendly decorations.

2. BILLY and JAKE: finish the desk wall unit, redo and organize their closet, fix shade.

3. TJ and TYLER: expand the desk, remove the shelves, organize their closet, get a dresser and a mattress for Tyler, fix the shade.

• Buy Becky and Billy a bike.

• Learn the necessary hygene and specific needs of black children.

• Solidify the plan for our 3 boys while we are in Uganda.

• Complete the raising/generating of funds necessary for our adoption process.

DEFINING OBJECTIVES WHILE IN UGANDA WITH BECKY AND BILLY:

• Bond with them as a family.

• Complete the legal international adoption process.

• Home school them for a smoother entry into the U.S. pre-k class

DEFINING OBJECTIVES BY MARCH 14, 2009

• Plan the twins March birthday party bash.

• Find a solution to Brian’s truck for taking 7 people and a dog camping.

#3. HOW DO YOU TALK ABOUT AND USE THE ANSWER TO THESE QUESTIONS?

• We will post them in our kitchen so they are clear and visible

• We will discuss them weekly with our children.

• Brian and Shannon will assess them every Monday morning in our family planning time.

Well, there you have it. Our family process out there for the world to observe. Hopefully it will encourage you to consider a process like this in your marriage and family. I’m hoping and praying that it helps us say yes to the right things and no to the wrong things in the coming months. I’m also praying that it becomes a regular part of our family, re-evaluating our collective “rallying cry” every time an old one is completed and a new one is needed.

Wish us luck… or better yet. Pray Hard.