a new blog of cuddles whilst going to Baw Baw, should this be a business?

I combined all the titles for this post into one sentence. So you can skip everything below if you don't have the time to read it.


Brandon has started a new blog along with Josh M. for Sunday school class. The class is considering how Christians should engage the media. Looking at different world views, what is a world view, what it isn't, etc. Check it out if you are so inclined

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Earlier this week I took the girls on a walk and we found some "cuddles" (puddles). We hadn't been out for a while b/c of the yucky weather so I let them go to it. Clothes can always be washed.

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We are going to the mountains in a week and a half with friends from church. I won't be doing much but Lord willing B will get some snowboarding in and the girls will go sledding. The other night Brandon said "I suppose we should have a plan in case the labor starts while we are up there"....hmmmmm guess he is right. I don't really know what that plan will be other than driving very quickly to some hospital. But really, I'm sure nothing will happen. I will still have 4 weeks to go. I'm always late anyway :-)

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So I am rolling around in my brain the thought of starting a business. There is a definite IT need that I could be offering as a service to others. Questions to consider...

how to start?
do the consumers really want it?
how to work out the logistics (pricing, taxes, abn, etc)?
what should the business be centered around (need a name and a sentence that captures the business concept easily)?
website? (this would be the fun part for me)
and most importantly, do I have the time? (probably not, but I am really excited about the idea and want to try it out. It would be an adventure)

so more on this later once I have hashed my idea out with a few people.

Creating

I didn't have anything pressing to do last night and decided to try and replicate some art I had seen somewhere.

Just simple lines with a marker on some paper. Trying to make the lines look like animals. I think the kanga looks the strangest. I suppose if I would have spent more time trying to draw it the neck wouldn't look so weird.

I like cheap art :-)

The Doulos

Growing up I remember praying for this ship ministry many times during our Missions Prayer group.

The Doulos is a ship that continually sails around the world visiting various ports and ministering to the people groups found at those ports.

This is the mission statement off their website...

"Doulos visits port cities throughout the world, supplying vital literature resources, encouraging inter-cultural understanding, training young people for more effective life and service, promoting greater global awareness, providing practical aid and sharing a message of hope in God wherever there is opportunity."

The cool thing about living in a port city is that these types of ships come visit!

So coming this September the Doulos will be docking in our city's (Geelong) port!

When our pastor told us about it I was very excited. Pretty cool to possibly go and visit a ship that you have prayed for as a young child.

We are thinking about how to arrange a visit for our churches youth group. Brandon and I lead the youth group and between us and our pastor we thought it would be a great opportunity for the youth to go on board and visit. So Lord willing in September we will get to visit.

Of course the baby is due Sept. 6th so hopefully we can go later on in their visit so that I can go to. We shall see...


Just had a thought. I think it would be really neat if as a family sometime down the line we could serve on the ship together for a two year term. Wouldn't that be an experience?! Who knows what the Lord has planned?

The Breakfast of Champions - finishing up all the good times with a great meal

My dad left this morning to head home. We are sad but happy/thankful for the last three weeks filled with good memories.

Leaving the airport is never fun, but when your daughter (Adele) keeps yelling "papaa, papa where are you?" as you leave it makes it a gazillion times worse. Some of you reading will understand the feelings I am speaking of.

Anyway, good times were had. I think overall dad experienced a well rounded Aussie trip. We saw all the normal wildlife (koala, kangaroos, wallabies, echidna, galas, sulfar-crested cockatoos, etc.). Visited Melbourne a couple of times. Walked along Barwon Heads beach, drove the Great Ocean Road, and many more fun filled activities.

The girls enjoyed having another person around for reading, playing, walking to the park, etc.

Brandon and I enjoyed the good conversations and just showing dad all the places we see from day to day. It is so helpful on both sides when we can visualize what the other person is talking about.

Anyway, to send him off we decided to treat dad to a real Aussie meal. We call it the "breakfast of champions" (it really has nothing to do with breakfast). See the pic below for a description!



And one last pic of us on top of the You Yangs, or as Jolene calls them the "whoo hangs"