It's been a fun week!

I like weeks like this on the internet.  All the neat and weird stories that have popped up, it's fun!  It's a nice break from the heavy (and often negative) stuff that can often be in the news, and that can sadly make up our world today.

But this week was different.  I've smiled and laughed a lot the past few days, and my curiosity has been peaked.  It started off with the mystery bunker found in Toronto.  What is this bunker, who built it, what was it for, when was it built, etc...so many questions and no answers.  Crazy!  (It's too bad it's been filled in now...)

Then it was the story of the llamas on the loose in Arizona.  Police, bystanders, people in their cars - no one could catch these for about 20 minutes!  A fun video to watch (here's the shortened version):

Then there came the story of the giant catfish.  Dino Ferrari reeled in this monster - 280 lbs, almost 9 feet long! (He released it.)

And then of course, the one that has completely boggled my mind - "The Dress".  The dress that has polarized the internet.  Some see it as white and gold, others and blue and black.  For me, it so CLEARLY was white and gold all morning, and I emphasized that on the air and to all callers today...and then five hours later I looked at it again and now all I see is blue and black...  It's messing with my brain!

I can see both variations now (it's all the lighting and the angle).

Hopefully one or all of these stories made you laugh too!  If not, look one of them up and enjoy!

Birthday

I turned 33 yesterday.  It was my birthday, meaning I could do whatever I wanted.  My wife kept asking, "What do you want to do?  Anything you want, it's your day!"  But I worked in the morning, and had a 2.5 hour meeting that I had to go to in the evening...so there were only a few hours in the middle of the day that were 'mine'.

So what was my choice for 'whatever I wanted to do' for those few hours?

I took a nap.  A wonderful, magnificent, almost heavenly, nap.  My wife took the kids, and I had some one-on-one time with my pillow.  I woke up feeling so refreshed.

For those of you who think I'm lame, I understand.  I too used to be so naive once.  Then I had kids.  And started working at 5am.  And everything changed.

It was the best birthday ever.

It's about time

Our new washer arrives today!  Finally!

Our washer broke about two and a half weeks ago and we called a repair man in to fix it.  He said it was a write off and we should get a new one.  We were finally able to order one at the beginning of this week, and it'll be delivered today.  Whew, just in time, our bedrooms are literally full of laundry. With a two year old who doesn't care about his clothes and a baby who still spits up, laundry piles up FAST.

Over the past couple of weeks though, I've been reminded again of how great it is to have good friends.  Since our washer broke, we have done about eight loads of laundry at three different people's homes...and we easily could have done more.  In fact, if the new washer wasn't coming today, we'd be calling on our friends again this weekend.  But all the friends just jump in right away - "Of course, you can use our washer and dryer anytime!"  One person even folded our laundry for us, lol.  Too sweet.  The hassle of carting laundry back and forth in a small car is nothing when compared to how great your friends can be.

So I am beyond grateful for our friends...but I can't wait to not have to rely on them anymore :)

Bed pan race!

I had the opportunity to do the bedpan race at Mash Bash again this year.  This is the second time I've done it.  It's a lot of fun!

Let me give you the run down in case you don't know what this is.  Mash Bash is a big event put on by Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, and it happens every year at Snow Valley in Barrie.  It's a huge fundraiser for the hospital and a lot of fun.  And every year, they have bed pan races, where you sit on a bed pan and see who can get down the hill the fastest.  It's very difficult.  VERY.  Bedpans are small!  I compete in the media race against other radio personalities from the Simcoe County area.  Both times I've done it, I've ended up wiping out.  This time though, I got a lot farther down the hill!  I ended up with a lot of snow down the back of my pants though...it was a cold few hours afterward...

I also had a GoPro strapped to my chest, I'll upload that video as soon as I get it downloaded onto my computer.  You'll see just how hard it is!

Fun Christian music

I have to say, I'm impressed with the calibre of Christian music coming out these days.  Specifically, new styles of Christian music.

We've always been good at the worship music.  That's a given.  And the music that you wouldn't quite classify as 'worship' (as in, you likely wouldn't sing it on Sunday morning), but you can just tell by the style that it's Christian - Casting Crowns is a good example.

But this new 'fun' style of Christian music that's coming out, I'm loving it!  It's...well, it's just that - fun!  It gets you dancing!  Forgive this description, I'm not trying to sound negative here at all, I'm just not sure how else to describe it other than...it's music that you might hear on a secular radio station if it didn't have lyrics about God and Jesus.  Not because other Christian music is bad or poorly done, but simply because of the style.  These songs have a fun sound.  A bit like Mumford and Sons, but the Christian version.  Songs like:

Tim Neufeld, I'm Free

Mercyme, Greater

Rend Collective, My Lighthouse

Chris Tomlin, God's Great Dance Floor

One more Mercyme tune...Shake!!

This is not by any means a knock against any other style of Christian music.  I like lots of artists that don't fall into this style.  But it's just nice to see this newer, upbeat, fun music.  Often Christian music is serene, worshipful, melodic, soul-searching, which is fine.  But it's great to dance, move and shake to music with good lyrics that praise God!  In fact, Mercyme said that in creating their last album, their goal was make music that you couldn't sit down to while listening - it was just too much fun :).  What a great goal!

Alright, get your dance on!  Have fun!

This is how you do Facebook!

I'm not a big Facebook user or social media guy.  I see their importance, I know how to use them, I DO use them...but for the most part, I just couldn't be bothered.  BUT, when something like this comes along, it changes everything.  It inspires me.

This guy is awesome.  No one knows who he is.  His identity has not been revealed yet.  But his Facebook profile pictures are amazing.  Where he gets the props, how and where he takes the shots, it's all a mystery.  But whoever he is, he's going viral.  Have a look at some of his profile pictures:

Here's the recipe that I'm realizing from watching people like this who become global sensations.  Find something that's unique and that you enjoy doing, and do it well.  Like this guy.

Out of the ordinary.

Super-creative.

Fun.

And now, viral.

Could be a good recipe for church outreaches, no?

2015

Here we are at the beginning of a new year.  The dawn of a new day means you look ahead.  You look at what's coming next, and how you can better yourself.  But to do that, you have to look back too.

2014 was a great year, and a challenging year.

Great because my second son was born.  Great because my wife and I saw God's hand leading us in several different ways.

Challenging because for the life of me, I could not stay healthy.  I used to be the iron-horse, the guy who never got sick.  My 'sick' has always been a bit of a head cold that's usually gone within 1-2 days.  But in 2014, I had laryngitis, strep throat, several long-lasting colds and coughs, and even a pulled muscle.  It was a long year.

So how do I look ahead and make changes (if possible)?  One thing my doctor said was to get more rest, and that would help with not getting sick so often.  It's hard when you have a full time job where you're up by 4:15am, are a full-time dad of young children who don't always sleep through the night, and have other responsibilities that keep you busy during the day.  So this year, my wife and I are making a concerted effort to help me get more rest through a couple of lifestyle changes.

Additionally, I've picked my verse for the year.  Mark 9:24,"Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”  You see, I am a doubting Thomas.  Yes, I believe in God and Jesus.  But my faith could use some help sometimes.  I want to believe more.  I want to believe that when I pray, God hears, and can - and WILL answer.  And I'm quoting a verse right from the bible in calling out to God - I need God to help me overcome my unbelief.

That's what's ahead for 2015.