Ready, Set, Go...

I am at the place in my wife's pregnancy; where its time to get a bit more focused than I am. Its EASY to just be tired, and not get much done from day to day. But there are some things that must get done in the 5 (almost 4) weeks left. I was reading in 1 Corinth chapter 9 today. He talks about running the race. Sometimes, I so EASILY forget how much life is not about me. Since I said "I Do". Maybe I am releasing too much personal information, however its true. My wife knows it- I told her also already. Time to get focused. Tie both shoes extra tight. And start running... Jasper - Here I go.

need. (I have a lot to say).

I have had an interesting last couple weeks of observing people on my way to and from work. I am seeing how the Economy is affecting many around us. Don't get me wrong, I feel completely blessed. I have everything and everyone I need. Sure there are ALWAYS things I want; but I believe those will come in time.

I am surrounded during my commute of people in need. People are continually both getting more creative and more desperate.

The Corner Cats.
This is a group of what portland generally classifies as Street Punks. You know who they are. They are loud. They are sometimes crazy. They ride the max from stop to stop and do not get off. They are often dressed in torn up clothes or lack there of. Some have dread locks, some have tattoos, some have dogs, and some have piercings. I know nothing of this group of individuals. But have noticed in the last few months the population of these groups has nearly doubled. It is really hard for me to not be annoyed or to instantly judge this group. I believe their need is deeper than I know. I think they long for and thrive on relationship. They seem to be so content with either little or nothing. They seem to enjoy most no agenda. I am sure some if not all would love a financial boost. I think they need and miss so often; real GRACE.

The Change Gang.
This for me is an even harder group to not ignore. To pass by and pretend to be changeless. Most the time though- Really all I am carrying is my debit. They are multiplying and creatively finding ways for asking for money. One asked me if I had a spare 10 laying around. One mentioned needing a dollar for a max ticket. Then I saw him circling the block. Of course I am not happy with my quickness to judge instead of love. I have a couple that often comes to my work a few times a day asking to exchange their change for solid bills, if even a mixture of two dollars in change. I had another ask me for spare change because she was trying to buy a birthday gift for her friend. What I believe- though really don't know for sure is that this group needs; real LOVE.

The Lost.
I don't mean in salvation. I mean the mentally challenged. There a few of these from time to time. People that come to the desk asking how much for the nicest room that reaches to the sky. People that come in mumbling various statements. People that come to the desk yelling for nothing or no apparent reason. This group of individuals sometimes is intimidating. Sometimes scary. Sometimes standoffish. What I believe- or am guessing is what this group needs; is real peace.

The moral of the story is- People's needs are always rooted deeper than I may ever know.

Annoying Songs... 101.

For whatever reason today I have been singing both outloud on the max, and in my head an annoying song from days of old. Back in the days of the long awaited free disney previews on t.v. Not sure if you remember shows like, "Kid's incorporated", "Winnie The Pooh" (non cartoon), or this one pictured below "Zoobilee Zoo"? The "Zoobilee Zoo Chorus has been stuck in my head for quite some time... Gah! Though listing, "Kid's Incorporated" now that one is also in my melodic memory.

Heart Rate- 153 (head, body, leg).

Today... We saw our baby boy. The heart beat. His legs, back bone, head, arms, hands, feet, kidneys and so on. It was far more moving than I thought it to be. I never know what to expect at these appointments. Here I was thinking- I really think it will be a girl. I thought this because I knew in my head- it would be far more difficult to raise a girl. The minute it became evident it was a boy though- I thought the same thing. Its going to be difficult to raise a boy far more than it would to be a girl.

Erin has always wanted to grow kids with the first being the older brother. Once she got used to being pregnant- at least the idea of it she was more ok with whichever sex. It is the chinese- Year of the boy though... Apparently this prediction was correct.

I have wanted a boy from pretty much the start. I love that we can carry on the family name. I love that I can bestow the things that I have learned. The things that I know. I am so excited. We are startin the name game... and will keep everyone posted.

Blessed.

Here I stand at work on an extremely slow night. Occasionally getting a mouthful from guests about the issues they have... Things I would complain about. I would be upset about. But also things- MY TRUEST counterpart would help me rationalize as NOT IMPORTANT.

Yesterday was my wife's (XX) Birthday. I was told to never disclose a woman's age. She may tell you if you ask her. We often celebrate our birthday's together with both families. We had first celebration at my inlaws. We made out with great special requested food, plus an additional cake made by my crazy uncle in law. We had great company. (Extended family also). We got the traditional card with monetary value which is always nice, as a combo gift we got wii fit, and wii from the sister in law and new bro in law. Pretty sweet gift I must say. We also got two kind of retro style schwinn bicycles! Her's pink, mine Red. Quite awesome!

My wife is 15 weeks preggo- with our soon to be not so mystery sex baby. Thats definately exciting. I don't always even know what to think or expect- but as I have also been counseled numerous times- I will when baby comes.

I got some time with my church friend Brandon today. A quick few minutes- but he is so positive about life, so focused on the goal, and a great new friendship is forming. I will be walking the giant hill to his house soon.

I also got time with my friend Colin. He is smart. He has experienced a lot of life... and I look forward to every time we hang out...

For these things and so many more- I am blessed.

Should I Ever Wash My Hand...

Desmond Mpilo Tutu (born 7 October 1931) is a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. In 1984, Tutu became the second South African to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Tutu was the first black South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, and primate of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (now the Anglican Church of Southern Africa). Tutu chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and is currently the chairman of The Elders. Tutu is vocal in his defence of human rights and uses his high profile to campaign for the oppressed. Tutu also campaigns to fight AIDS, homophobia, poverty and racism. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, and the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2005.[1] Tutu has also compiled several books of his speeches and sayings.

And he paused long enough to greet me with a hand shake.

The Shamrock 5k. (pictures to come).

For those who didn't know... Which really shouldn't be too many of you that are ACTUALLY reading my blog... Erin and I have been training for a couple months prior for a 5 k run- (3.10 miles). Kind of for us a goal that became something we wanted to accomplish and focus on. Erin now vegetarian for quite a few various "skinny bitch" reasons. And no thats not what I call her when writing blogs... That was one of the resources that helped fuel her newer vegetarian kick.. (which will last her lifetime.) She and I both focused on running the distance, and also just plain old working out. Since Jan- my beautiful love- has lost I think just over 30 pounds! Pretty amazing her willpower and focus. Really its about becoming more holistic in the many different areas of our lives- and physical health is one of those. I have lost at this point- just under 30. I have a hard time saying no still even when by myself- usually at work- when the occasional croissant or scone floats by. Or my manager brings some killer cookies.. Anyways- the fact that I am struggling in only a few parts of my life- is still quite a difference of who I used to be. I also dont plan to ever see that specific 3 digit weight I was. lol.

The 5k. Thanks be to Shannon our official photographer, Tom our gleaming and super smiley proud father, and Jan, the rain and wind warrior. Maybe I should start this story with this... It was early in the morning, the clouds were highly present, as well as God's tears (or so I have heard it said- maybe of joy?), and crazy cold wind. The announcer was chipper, cracking jokes, the Richards (the almost not Richard) and Sutten clan were up and ready.

The race began. The hundreds if not thousandish runners were separated into groups of mile time status. We weren't sure how far the signs went back, but picked a spot. The race began and the herds moved forward. I took off pretty motivated. Erin found her steady speed. Some amount of time went by. Erin caught up. I paused to walk a couple of short times, as did she. There was a climbing hill - which unfortuneately the flat treadmill had not trained us for. We separated. I figured she would have wanted a cup of water- so I tried grabbing both of us one. after running a few blocks, carrying two open cups of water. Kinda difficult. Anyway i gave up trying to be a good husband. Later she had said she purposely had passed up the water station. Still separated we reached the final stretch. With so many runners, we lost sight of each other. She actually beat me by about 40 seconds or so. But we both got great times. each under 43 minutes. We hope to do another run soon, as its great to have something to work towards, and we also have found it was fun to donate to the cause. Plus we got a free long sleeve tshirt.

Afterwards, our rents, treated us to lunch at our favorite irish breakfast restaurant downtown, called Dulins. Though, we had been here one other time- with our great friends Kevin and Mel. We love them too. I guess Dulin's is only a place we go with people we love. For those that read this- the 3 of you. Thanks. Comments can be left by the way if you wish.

The nameless Pup... UPDATED: "Rugby" is his name.

He is about 2 months old. He is ours as of last night (02/27/09). My mother and two of my sisters are a bit concerned- because he is part Pit Bull. Valid concerns yes. We will love him, train him well, and be very cautious and focused- as we should with any dog. We are nervous. We are excited. An adventure has begun. He seems to be slowly adjusting just fine. He will be introduced to MOE today. We will get more pictures up soon... This one is not as flattering.. He has much better features now.

Almost Purple Salt...

Last Sunday at church was a very special message about marriage. It highlighted a couple that had issues. A couple that had to battle for eachother to show their love to one another. It showed that sometimes marriage/love is a challenge. It showed that sometimes, it seems, the best option is to either settle or give up. It showed that it takes sacrifice. It shows hard work is worth it. It shows that Love is possible. It shows that there is value in the pursuit. That there is value in making every effort. That there is effort in putting yourself aside- for their gain. Not every couple has SIGNIFICANT struggle- however- I think there are phases in which most at least cross that bridge. Every couple has a different experience. Best friends. Roommates. Enemies. Lovers. Pals. At the end of the service the couples, and single people, were urged to partake in creating purple salt. Each male grabbed a container of blue salt. Each female a container of pink salt. The symbolic challenge of calling the couples forward to combine their "salt", equally, which created something almost beautiful. I say almost beautiful because the mixture just ALMOST created purple salt. That was the goal. That was what was intended. Thats what was desired. Here's what I thought about though. Marriage before the fall... Yes gettin a bit spiritual on ya- Was intended for genuine and faltless beauty, for unity, equal worth it, desirable, precious, delicate. Of course, though there is beyond great significance in the power of love, unity, and genuine whole-ness; Our world has often distorted this true picture.. I am greatful for such an amazing wife whom I truly have been blessed with. Her love is so strong. We are both striving towards each other. Its not always easy. But it's always worth it. (and it will be ALWAYS).


Plus- we are almost at our 2 year mark. (nice anniversary drop there.)

Dreams.

I have had quite a series of dreams through out my lifetime. Goofy kinds. Sad kinds. Scandalous kinds. Frightening kinds. Completely realistic kinds. Abstract kinds. I think all kinds... I decided the other day it would be fun to write a song about the randomness of my dreams. A lot of times famous people are in my dreams as best friends. Characters from movies also often make appearances. Old friends houses, old bedrooms, old people, young people, people I don't know- but in my dream I know. The random list would consume the entirety of the world wide web. (WWW). So I literally sat down, and within about a 30 minute time period my song about dreams came to be. It will go thru some more edits, and changes, but the first draft- is quite exciting. YAY! I love the hype of new songs. For me its almost refreshing. I look forward the opportunity to share it with all of you. I also found this website... for some dream defining... www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/ . I am not as savvy as a fella's wife's blog of my favor of putting the word you click on to take you to the site... What are some of your dreams that you have of memory.

I think I am still learning patience...

In the process of the "waiting" that occured with the house purchasing process- I began to think I had truly learned all that patience was. I wrote some thoughts down on a napkin. I reflected often on the patience that I portrayed and had to be. As I sit and blog today, I am starting to think, though the word patience seems simple enough, the act is much more complex. There are multiple levels of patience. For the longest time I was hot on the trail of finding a better job; hours, pay, company, benefits etc. The hilton has been a blessing. Lots of future potential is much moreso easily accessible. However, with the economic slowly dragging a long, hours are being significantly cut. I am now "waiting" on recieving reduced hour - unemployment. My wife is going thru the stages of recieving a settlement from accidents that are well past due. Both of our cars are past due on Tune-ups. Calls into unemployment are racking up cell phone bills. There always seems to be something going on. I think really mastering patience involves an overall confidence and attitude amidst these things. (and I don't think it ever ends.) One day maybe debt free comes along but there is bound to be something else. A child on the way, retirement etc. It becomes then so easy to live in the future. But why not just live in the now. One day at a time. Makes it a heck of a lot easier to do so- when you are focused on MUCH less. Its not bad to dream. Its not bad to hope. But to realize that nothing really is amidst our control, that there are some circumstances that are out of our reach, that we are sometimes powerless; though slightly hard to swallow- especially for me- its in most cases true. Welcome the art of learning patience. I think a one word definition of patience: BE.