Road Trip to New Jersey: Day 4

We went to South Bend on Saturday for the Notre Dame football game. It was there home opener for the year and it is hard to describe. It was absolutely amazing and Craig and I showed up around 10:30 in the morning and walked around the campus taking in the sights. We saw the gold dome and the Grotto and of course "Touchdown Jesus". The whole day was so much fun and it made it even better to have Notre Dame win in the 4th quarter. I'll let the pictures speak for our experience.

Road Trip to New Jersey: Day 3

Today was a tough day of driving. We knew that we were trying to get near South Bend, IN for the Notre Dame game on Saturday so we were going to have to drive 15 hours. We woke up right by Mt. Rushmore and were on the road by 7:30. We first had to stop by a crazy town in South Dakota called Wall which has Wall Drug. It is an odd city but has some fun things to take pictures with. I'm including pictures from our time at Wall Drug. Friday I only took pictures from Wall Drug. The rest of the day was pretty boring and when we got into Minnesota it rained the whole time. Not a hard rain just more of an annoying rain. We got into Wisconsin and it was about the same as Minnesota and then once we made it to Madison it stopped raining. I had never been to Wisconsin before and I have to say it was kind of a nice state. Once we got into Illinois the only thing we could think of was Chicago and it was very late so we drove right through and didn't even take any pictures. I will be back in Chicago next week for work. I will update the blog tomorrow with our pictures from Notre Dame. Since I'm doing these blog updates a day behind I can already tell you that Notre Dame was amazing!!!

Road Trip to New Jersey: Day 2

Well we had another successful day of driving. We started out at Craig's mom's house in Spokane and left around 4:45am. We knew that we were planning on going to Mount Rushmore by the end of the day which was going to be a tough task. The driving was pretty good except for Montana. I'm not sure I like Montana much and don't ever plan on visiting. I guess the only place I might go in Montana is Glacier up near the Canadian border.
I do have to mention that Craig and I had to stop for gas in Montana and we just happened to stop at what is called the "Testicle Festival." We were very dissapointed to find out that it occurs in mid September. We took a few pictures and were back on the road.









We finally made it to Mount Rushmore about 9pm and had the whole place to our self as the last tour had finished up. It was a very peaceful place and I had know idea what was going on back in Washington. While Craig and I were marveling at the awesome artwork of stone, my Grandpa Verne breathed his last breathe. I really feel that God placed Craig and I at Mount Rushmore at that very moment because the last time I was at Mount Rushmore was with my grandparents on a roadtrip with my brother. While admiring Mount Rushmore I couldn't help but think of our trip and all of the good memories. My grandfather was a wonderful man and I will miss him a lot! He is up in heaven and looking down on us with no more pain. I love you Grandpa!

Road Trip to New Jersey: Day 1

Well today Craig and I set forth on a cross country road trip to Princeton, NJ. In case you don't know Craig is my best friend and he is a very smart but nerdy Christian who loves to talk about things such as exegesis and Thiselton's book on Hermeneutics. He even brings his Greek bible to church because it's "fun" and gives him a challenge. I can barely understand what the bible is trying to say to me in English. He is going to be starting at Princeton Theological Seminary in a few weeks in September and will be getting his Masters in Divinity. He is amazingly smart and sometimes I am kind of jealous of the talents he has.

Craig loaded up everything in his Blazer and mounted his motorcycle on the back. I looked out at the car and was a little unsure that it would be able to withstand all of the weight in it. I was pleasantly surprise that we made it safely to Spokane for the first leg of our trip.

Craig has been an amazing friend to me and is even responsible for Mandy and I being married today as he is the one that introduced us that wonderful day at the Ascent conference. He has become another member in Mandy and my family and we have spent many nights with Craig BBQing and hanging out. I know I speak for Mandy in saying that we are both very sad to see him leave.

Craig leaving for Princeton is bittersweet. On one hand I know this is what God is calling for him and his life but on the other hand it sucks because I won't have my best friend around to come over for a beer or scary movie night.

I know it's a different kind of long distance relationship but I am entirely convinced that God can keep friendships strong. Mandy and I are a living testament to that as we spent the majority of our relationship away from each other.

Well it's 11pm and we are getting up tomorrow at 4:00am to start Day 2 which consists of us driving from Spokane (or as Craig always calls it: Spokanistan, Spokompton, Spovegas) to Mount Rushmore. Google tells us 13 or so hours but I guess we'll see how that turns out. I'm excited to see Mount Rushmore again but am most excited about Saturday.......the home opener of Notre Dame football. Craig and I will be there in South Bend and will publish another post with some more pictures.

Golf: Loving it amongst the frustrations

Mandy and I went out for a round of golf with our friends Bart and Brian at the Golf Club at Newcastle. It was a great day for golf but it was a little muggy. Golf is a sport that both Mandy and I love but we play two different games. Mandy plays golf and it doesn't matter what she shoots. She is just happy to be outside with friends and playing a sport she loves. I on the other hand play golf and expect to play well every time. When I don't I get frustrated and very negative. I get down on myself and have a tough time putting the last shot behind me and focusing on the next shot. I know this is a problem but it is something I've really been working on and trying to get better at. I have made great strides but still have a lot to figure out. I love spending time with my beautiful wife and friends and I love golf. It can be so frustrating but yet so rewarding. How do I have fun no matter what? How do I laugh off a flubbed chip or a hooked drive? Or a missed 2 foot putt for an eagle? I only pray that God would help me concur this problem of mine. I know I can't fix this on my own.

Camping - Kitsap Memorial

Mandy and I went camping to Kitsap Memorial State Park this weekend. It was a great weekend of rest and relaxation. With the popularity of camping during the summer we didn't have much of a choice on where to camp.
We spent Friday and Saturday night there and we had a couple of nice fires with smores, good conversation and relaxation. I'm not sure if Flip Flop liked camping since he got cold quite a bit at night. He ended up sleeping in Mandy's sleeping bag the first night and mine the second. It wasn't very comfortable considering we both had mummy bags. We thought there was some hiking until we get to the end of the "trail" about 200 yards from the start. Overall it was a good weekend. Unfortunately we've got to get back to work tomorrow!

Flip Flop's Second Birthday

Well it's been two years and we've loved every day that we've had our dog, Flip Flop. I still remember the day that Mandy and I bought flip flop. We had played golf that day and had been talking about buying a dog and Mandy suggested we look for a pet shop. We didn't know of any places so we called our good friend Craig and he gave us directions. We went to Absolutely Puppy (which has subsequently closed for puppy mill practices) and looked at all of the dogs. We saw the litter with flip flop and there were about 6 that all looked like him. We weren't sure how to pick from the six and Mandy decided to pick the one that was the shy one not jumping up. We laugh now because he's a wild dog that always jumps up on people. I can't imagine a day without our dog. He still likes to chew on everything, especially Mandy's flip flops. He's been a great dog and we celebrated his second birthday with a bratwurst for our favorite dog.

Grandpa Pierce

This last weekend was a tough one for us as Mandy found out that her Grandpa Pierce passed away on Memorial Day, May 26th. Grandpa Pierce was an amazing man who served so many people. He served in the Korean War, volunteered for 20 years with Habitat for Humanity in the Bronx, NY, Boston, Baltimore and Kansas City.

After talking with Grandma it was evident that God had taken Grandpa the way that he wanted. Although sudden, in the end I think it was the best for him. As Mandy put it in her letter to be read at the funeral, "Grandpa's body just couldn't keep up with the things he wanted to do."

One thing that Grandpa loved were hats. Every time I saw him, he was wearing a hat. He had quite the collection from a hat that was "Half a Bubble Off" with a level on the bill, to a "Chief Executive Officer: In charge of diddly squat" So the family sat down for a Grandpa hat picture. I think he is in heaven laughing at us.

Although death is a hard thing for anyone to accept and know how to deal with, it is something that provides a chance for family and friends to come together and share the good memories. I spent a lot of my time in Kansas City wrestling with the thought of death and what that would look like in my life when God decides to take my grandparents, parents and God forbid, me. What will happen at my funeral? What will people say? Who will show up? I contemplated this quite a bit and tried to remember that I only have one shot at this life. There are no do overs.

Mandy's letter for Grandpa Pierce's funeral

Mandy Fiechtner (grand-daughter)
Before I start this letter there are a few things you need to know about my grandfather and I. Let’s just say my blue eyes are not the only thing I got from him. As a warning you must know that some have even had the audacity to call us “long winded”, but what they didn’t understand was that we are storytellers. And I can’t think of a better tribute to my favorite story teller than to tell the story of his life as experienced through my eyes. Of course all of you know my grandfather was the master and I his mere apprentice, but I will try my best to make him proud.
This is by far the hardest thing I have ever written, not for the reasons you may think though. It is just that trying to condense the story of the greatest man I ever knew into a few pages is not easy. But this is what grandpa would have wanted. So here are a few of my favorites of the man, the myth, the legend, my grandpa.
I think the conversation started, “Man grandpa when I got my license gas only cost 89 cents.” Then my dad promptly replied, “It was 50 cents when I got my license.” And in true form grandpa retorted with, “Well when I got my license they paid me to get gas.” That was typical grandpa.
Another of my favorite grandpa moments involved a large chocolate ice cream cone. And if you didn’t know my Grandfather, he did not like chocolate. I was about 8 or 9 and we where in Massachusetts visiting. We were all sitting in the van, each of us holding an ice cream cone and outside the van stood grandpa with a cone in each hand. It quickly became clear that grandpa had somehow ordered one too many cones. With a bit of frustration in his eyes and his least favorite ice cream in his hand, in one fail swoop he ate the top right off the cone. He didn’t think it was so funny but me and Amie and Grandma sure did.
There is of course the infamous swordfish request that I have not lived down to this day. We were at a seafood restaurant and grandpa had ordered swordfish for dinner, so of course I order swordfish for dinner. And in all sincerity I looked grandpa in the eye and asked him if the waiter was going to bring us the sword with our dinner. I still love swordfish and have never eaten a piece without calling to tell him about it, I am still waiting for that sword though.
I could tell so many stories about my grandpa’s legacy, like the time he licked every snicker doodle in the batch and everyone still ate all of them before he got home. Or the stories of how he was one of the shortest guys on his basketball team. Or the trips we took to Walden Pond. Or my favorite, he would always tell me “you have to put the sugar on before the milk or you’ll shrink and be short like grandma.” There are just too many to mention.
But the stories that really stick out in my mind have to do with the thing my grandpa loved the most, helping others. How many people can say their grandpa laid tile with Jimmy Carter. How many are privileged enough to know that their grandfather was a part of providing housing for thousands of people? How many are lucky enough to have their grandfather teach them how to build a rabbit trap, and a table and a house? How many people can say that their grandfather taught them how to love others more than yourself, taught them the greatest legacy that you can leave this world is to help others? I know that my grandfather was a rare breed and I count my blessing everyday that I had the most amazing example of how to live my life to its fullest.
From the day I saw my 60 year old grandpa walking across the rafters of a church 30 feet in the air I knew that he was something special. From that day on I thought, man if my old grandpa can do it than so can I. From before I can remember we were building things together, or should I say grandpa was building and I was learning. When the day final came that I could put my learning to the test I relished every moment of the experience. I stood on the site of my Habitat build and I knew that every action I took was a reflection of my grandfather’s legacy. Of course I wasn’t on the site more than a few days and I had grandpa on the phone begging him to come out and help me. And of course he came and of course he taught. The moments when I was able to stop and watch him in action are the ones I hold onto the tightest. Because it was in those moments that I saw most clearly all the people my grandfather touched; I saw how his actions had and continues to touch so many lives. His single minded focus to serve God and further His kingdom was evident in everything he did. He served not for his own benefit, but because that is what God called him to do.
The greatest lessons I learned from my grandfather were not how to build stairs, or fix a leaky faucet, or how to supervise a crew of volunteers. The greatest lesson I ever learned was how to use the abilities God has given me to help others and to further the kingdom of God. That is how he always lived his life; he was defiantly a man on a mission. I can only hope to do half as many things as he was able to do in his lifetime.
As I reflect on all these things I have been trying very hard to make heads or tails of why this had to happen so suddenly. At first I thought maybe God was in need of a new set of steps to get to his throne and he needed your help. Then I thought maybe Jesus was in need of some new stories, if that’s the case, be sure to tell him the one about Uncle Joe trying stuff his dog into the butter churn, I always loved that one. But I think maybe it is that your spirit just out grew your body. It just wouldn’t let you do all the things you wanted to and so God thought you would be better off in heaven. And as hard as it for me to understand, I think He was right. I asked grandma how many friends she thought you had already made in heaven, we both concurred it must be a lot. Be sure to tell Grandma Ruth hello for me and that I missed her ice cream cones. And tell my Grandma Dorothy that Luke has her cute little button nose.
And don’t worry about us too much; I’ll check up on grandma for you from time to time, we both know how ornery she can be. And when Luke is old enough I’ll be sure to teach him how to build a rabbit trap, maybe this time we’ll actually catch a rabbit. And Amie and I will be sure to keep Dad company at the basketball tournament. And most of all Grandpa don’t worry about me. Because as long as there is someone to listen, heck even if there isn’t anyone to listen never stopped me before, I will tell your story. I’ll be sure that the world knows just how amazing you were. To me you’ll always be grandpa but to the world you will be the man, the myth, the legend.
Love,Your blue eyed angel

Mandy in Boot Camp and M:08 Recap

Well today was the first day of boot camp for Mandy. Mandy and my mom have decided to endure 4 weeks of grueling workouts at Lincoln park with about a dozen other women. All at the hands of a tyrant. Ok I'm sure the guy is nice and based on what Mandy says....he doesn't yell at them. I think he should just a little! :) Mandy has been "practicing" getting up early and I think the first day today was a good one. Right when she got home....I woke up. I'm not sure how easy it would be for me to get up that early.



This weekend I went to M:08 otherwise known as Mantasia. A weekend with the guys from our church, Union. The weekend was a chance for the guys at the church to meet one another and connect in a fun atmosphere. I left this weekend very sore but with some good friendships in the works. I can't wait to get back to church on Sunday and actually have a few people I can say hi to.
My best friend Craig and I had a good time. On another note, I think I'm starting to realize that I am getting old and I can't throw a dodge ball as hard as I probably would have in high school. I've got one more year before I hit 30! Uh oh that's coming up soon!