Survival Mode

My portion of the OAA is finished. That's both good AND bad. Good because the high stakes test is behind us. Bad because there are five and a half weeks of school left and the kids feel like they're finished with the school year. They don't understand the concept of "lots of learning to do yet!". Once the OAA is finished, teachers go into what we call survival mode. We do our best to maintain a "business as usual" atmosphere and keep a lid on what amounts to a gradually increasing pressure cooker. The kids know the end is near and can sense the let down the teachers experience after the big test. From now until June 6th teachers will try to walk the delicate line between teaching educationally enriching lessons while not boring the kids to death. We will try to have some fun while at the same time maintaining some modicum of order and control. Translation= Try to have some fun without having a five and a half week free-for-all. Wish me luck! It's going to be a WILD RIDE!

In the thick of it

As I type this, my students are taking the OAA. By all indications effort seems to be good. Thank you all for your prayers.

It's all in God's hands now. I trust in Him. I am not anxious or worried.

Pray for me

Tomorrow is the BIG day. My students take the OAA and the results determine if I've been an effective teacher this year or not. Please pray that my students put forth their best effort. There were rumors swirling today that some students were going to intentionally bomb the test. I am praying that these rumors are unfounded and the test results reflect the work I've poured into these kids this year. In the end I know it's in God's hands. I will follow Matthew 6 and will not be anxious about anything. Whatever happens... happens. I know I've done my best and that's all anybody can ask of me.

1,000

I can't believe it. This is the 1,000th post I've published on this blog. A thousand times I've written something and a thousand times somebody thought this drivel was worth reading. Thank you to anyone who takes their valuable time to read anything I've written. I am truly flattered and I thank all my loyal readers for checking in regularly. I love you all!

Outnumbered

Days like today remind me I am severely outnumbered in my classroom. Most good teachers can handle difficult and disruptive students 2, 3 or even 4 at a time. Rooms have four corners and students with discipline problems can usually be relegated to those corners (you're familiar with the concept--- Divide and conquer!). However, the two classes I teach this year have more problem students than my room has corners. When classes have 8-10 difficult students (each!), there is just no way to divide the class to minimize disruptions or avoid problems. When there are this many behavior problems in one classroom, there seems to be a sort of mob mentality that takes over. Pick your analogy... it's like herding cats, it's like trying to contain a swarm of gnats, or my personal favorite, it's like trying to put out an inferno with a squirt gun. I think you get the idea. There is just no way to deal with that many different discipline issues at the same time. As soon as you quell one problem, two more spring up on the other side of the room. Once those problems are contained, the first problem pops up again because your attention was diverted elsewhere. It's like watching a high-speed tennis match. My head swivels back and forth like a bobblehead doll. Are you getting the picture? There is just no way to see (and hear) everything that goes on. To be honest, sometimes it looks like carefully controlled chaos. Now visualize all this happening... every day... for hours on end. All the while I'm expected to teach a very challenging curriculum to needy, mostly poverty-stricken students who started school about 7 years ago at a severe disadvantage. Most never catch up and most fall further behind as the years pass. It really does sadden me, but I daily give it everything I've got... without fail. Honestly nothing ever improves and things seem to get worse and worse all the time. The photo below seems to represent how I feel sometimes. In a hopeless situation. Sorry to paint such a bleak picture, but it's my reality. I don't think most people realize how tough public school classrooms are these days.

The truth

As Americans, children are entitled to a free and public education. I have NO problem with that. I work in a public school and I have made a comfortable living teaching in a public school. What has bothered me for many years is the number of people who willingly throw this education away. Children and adults alike reject this glorious opportunity every year. I'm amazed at how teachers and schools are viewed as the enemy instead of people who are providing a golden opportunity for a successful future. Generational poverty is called generational for a reason. Treating a free and public education as a nuisance or even something to be despised is one of the causes of this generational poverty. There is a way out, but so many times people do not choose that path.

In my opinion, everybody has the same opportunities for an education. If some people reject those opportunities, that's on them. However, public education today seems to have a different outcome in mind. The desired outcome seems to be that everybody ends up with the same results... no matter what. I fail to see how everybody can can come out the same at the end if some people embrace their educational opportunities while others couldn't care any less. We all hold our futures in our hands. What we do with our opportunities is up to us.

This is it!

Well, folks... this is it! On Wednesday my 6th grade students take the OAA. The two hour, state standardized test that supposedly shows if I'm an effective teacher or not. The results of my many months of blood, sweat and tears will be demonstrated by a group of pre-teens who would rather be doing anything than taking this test. Everything I've done this year becomes inconsequential if my students decide the test is not worth their effort. I try to not let this bother me, but of all my hard work and the many things I do on a daily basis mean nothing if 80% of my students do not receive a passing grade on the test. That hardly seems fair, but I've been around long enough to know life isn't supposed to be fair. It's time to just suck it up and take it like a man (and pray that my students do their best on the test).

News Flash!

It's about time!

Mac now supports windows.

Haha!

What I'm talkin' about

Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! The weather today is as close to perfect as it will ever get. If you haven't gotten outside yet, quit reading this silly blog and get out there! I spent a nice long while engaged in one of my favorite activities today... yard work! I love being outside in God's creation while working to make my yard look nice. It's not there yet. Most of my work today was pulling weeds in preparation for mulching and cleaning up mounds of debris left behind from our dreadful winter. In the coming weeks I will get into the beautification process, but today was mostly prep work. This isn't my favorite part, but it is necessary if I want the job done right.

At any rate, enjoy the weather while you can. We are in for a wet, nasty week ahead. You know what April showers bring, folks!

Clarification

I thought this would have gone without saying, but I want to make sure I am clear about something. In yesterday's post I talked about my happy place. The photo contained two Adirondack chairs on a dock overlooking a tranquil lake. Obviously my happy place would include Tami being in the other chair by my side. I am an introvert and I enjoy time alone. However, that's only for short stints of time. Any place called my happy place would include my lovely bride. There really should have been no doubt about that :-)

My happy place

Retirement is a long ways off, but a guy can dream, right?

Add a cooler of beer and some fishing equipment to the photo below and you can see my happy place.

Some people picture a tropical island as their paradise. Mine looks more like the photo.

Too cute!

The Morton Family is on vacation this week. Apparently mom and dad needed some help with driving duties. Elliott was obviously glad to oblige.

CUTE!

Russian Sisters

As you know, my sweet little Sveta was adopted from Russia a little over two years ago. She spent the first 3+ years of her life in an orphanage in a town called Gus Khrystalny. As God would have it, Sveta is not the only child to be adopted out of that orphanage by American parents. Louba, another little Russian orphan was adopted by a couple in Nashville, Tennessee. Jessi and Barry connected with this couple and exchanged e-mails and has Skyped with them since the girls arrived in the U.S. Yesterday they went a step better than that. While on vacation, the Morton family stopped in Nashville and arranged a face to face meeting. For the first time in over two years, and for the first time since leaving the orphanage, these two girls got to see each other. I can't imagine what these two young girls must have been thinking after all they've been through in their short lives. I'm calling them the Russian Sisters although they are not biologically related.

Here are the Russian Sisters after a swim in the hotel pool:

Here we go again!

Spring is in FULL swing! Flowers are blooming, trees are budding and the grass is green and growing fast. I have already mown my lawn twice and have started getting my yard in good, warm-weather shape. Just when I think we're on the fast track to summer, we get the depressing news. Tonight temperatures will dip into the 30's, although there is no danger of going below freezing. There is no chance of (dare I say it?) snow either. With that being said, I couldn't help but think of myself in the following situation.

It's April! I'm going to mow doggone it!

I will never understand

As long as I live, I will never understand it. I will never understand how a 12 year old child can ignore a morning greeting or grumble in reply to a morning greeting. This happens to me every day. No matter how bad yesterday was or what kind of mood I'm in, I always stand at my classroom door in the morning and offer friendly, cheerful greetings. "Good morning!". "How are you this morning?". "It's nice to see you today!". You folks would be shocked at the number of students who completely ignore my greeting. I'm telling you they don't look at me or verbally acknowledge my greeting. I don't care who you are or what your upbringing has been, there is no excuse for ignoring someone saying good morning to you. Other students acknowledge my greeting, but growl or grumble at me. It truly is unbelievable. Some people might say I'm being unreasonable or have expectations that can't be met by pre-teens. Some people might say, "Kids will be kids". No. Kids will not be kids. I think returning well wishes in the morning is common courtesy. It's a simple matter of manners. Most of my students have no concept of courtesy, have no manners and possess very few, if any, social skills. I don't believe this is symptomatic of kids in general, I think it's a byproduct of kids coming from broken homes. Homes where there is no stability, no guidance, no rules, no expectations and no training in how to treat other people.

I'm writing this because I had a tough day at school yesterday. But after being at home with my supportive family last evening and after some prayer, I came to work this morning with a fresh, new attitude. This is the day the Lord hath made and I am rejoicing in it. Then I stood at my classroom door about 8:15 and was met with children either ignoring or growling at me. Not all of the children, but a vast majority of them.

No matter what I do today, I am going to try and glorify God with it. It is because of Him that I am living and breathing and physically able to come back to school for another round today.

Good Morning, loyal blog readers! It's nice to see you today!

Soli' Deo Gloria!

Creature of Habit

To say I am a creature of habit is a gross understatement. If you asked Tami if I was a creature of habit, she'd say, "OMG! I could go on for hours!". I admit I'm a bit neurotic about things being "just so". Ask me to sit in a different pew in church and it could ruin my day. Disrupt my schedule and routine at school and you'll find me in foul spirits. Heck, I even trim my fingernails on the same day every week. I'm a bit quirky and a self-proclaimed weirdo. I don't mind... it's who I am.

Along those same lines, I probably look at my watch 200 times a day (not an exaggeration). I also carry my personal items in the same pocket every... single... time. My wallet goes in my left rear pocket. My keys go in my front left pocket. My cell phone always goes in my front right pocket. There is never, and I mean NEVER anything in my right rear pocket. People who observe me closely probably think I have some sort of nervous tic. Many times a day I give my self a pat down to check for all those items. It might look something like this: Pat left rear pocket. Wallet is there. Check! Pat left front pocket. Keys are there. Check! Pat front right pocket. Cell phone is there. Check! Repeat as necessary (which for me is every few minutes). I know... weird! However, I can tell you I have never in my life lost my wallet, keys or cell phone. How many people can make THAT claim? I'm guessing not that many. I may be overly cautious, but I have never in my life had to replace my drivers license or credit cards.

I'm not always happy about being a creature of habit set in my ways, but it does have its advantages.

The Joy of Easter

There are few things that make me happier than being with my family. Yesterday morning Michael came to church with us for Easter Sunday (he recently started attending a church closer to school, so we don't see him as much as we used to). Then in the afternoon we went to Jessi and Barry's for Easter dinner. I was in heaven as I held my grandson while watching Sveta and the older kids hunt for Easter eggs. I'm not bragging or anything, but Sveta found the most eggs (or in her own words, "more than a dozen"). We had a delicious dinner and scrumptious dessert. I won't mention any names, but somebody snuck a few tastes of whipped cream to Elliott. By the way he smacked his lips, I'd say it was a nice change from pureed sweet potatoes and green beans.

It was the perfect Easter! The weather was as beautiful as ever. I got to see all my kids and grandchildren and most importantly got to rejoice in the resurrection of my Savior.

Disaster Averted!

We almost had an Easter disaster of epic proportions today! As we were driving to church this morning, a rabbit darted in front of the car and nearly met its demise. Thankfully Tami was quick on the brake and the bunny survived. We all agreed this MUST have been the Easter Bunny. What other bunny rabbit would be out so early on Easter morning? As a result of Tami's quick reflexes and skillful driving, Easter was saved for millions of children around the world. At the time of this writing all Easter baskets have been delivered in a timely manner and all Easter eggs have been successfully hidden. Thank goodness my wife didn't kill the Easter Bunny. She would have never lived that one down!  

He is Risen!

Christ the Lord is risen today- By Charles Wesley

1. Christ the Lord is ris’n today, Alleluia!
   Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
   Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
   Sing, ye heav’ns, and earth, reply, Alleluia!
2. Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
   Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
   Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
   Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!
3. Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
   Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
   Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
   Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!
4. Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
   Foll’wing our exalted Head, Alleluia!
   Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
   Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Happy Easter, everybody!

Happy Easter

Tomorrow is Easter. It's the day we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. More than 2,000 years ago a spotless lamb was crucified to pay for the sins of all mankind. He paid for  all the sins that ever were, are or ever will be. The debt has been paid in full. Hallelujah! Christ is risen!

The Secret Steak

I must confess... Tami and I eat more steak than I let on in yesterday's post. The reason is we have a secret steak. Secret in that many people don't know about it. Wanna know what it is? It's Flatiron Steak. Flatiron steak is a relatively inexpensive cut of meat. If you were to purchase a flatiron steak, season and grill it perfectly and eat it, you'd be disappointed. You can't just prepare it and eat it "as is". Here's the secret behind the secret. With a little bit of work and preparation, a flatiron steak can be just as good as a ribeye. Simply flip the flatiron steak to its backside and find the large, white tendon running the length of the steak. Cut out the tendon as best you can. It's very tough and difficult to cut. If left in, this tendon is IMPOSSIBLE to chew. Find also secondary tendons and remove them as best you can. Please note these tendons are different than the fat marbled throughout the steak. Some fat is good and it is not necessary to cut it out. You will easily be able to tell the difference between tendons and fat. Fat is soft and will squish between your fingers. Tendons are like steel wire. Trust me... you'll know. Once the tendons have been removed, I allow the steak to sit out and come to room temperature. Once at room temperature I season both sides with a little bit of Montreal Steak Seasoning (basically it's just salt, cracked pepper and garlic). Sear the steak on high heat to seal in the juices, move to medium/low heat and grill for a few minutes on each side. Remove the steak and let it "rest". The steak will continue to cook a little even after being removed from the grill. You now have an easy, delicious, relatively cheap steak dinner that will rival Longhorn or Outback Steakhouse. I'm telling you folks, if you are willing to put a little effort into it, you can have a top notch steak dinner for about the same price as ordering burgers or other sandwiches at a medium priced restaurant (Red Robin, TGI Fridays, Applebee's, Ruby Tuesday etc...). Granted, you have to do the cooking and do the dishes afterward, but to me, I'd rather do that than get sub-par food for waaaaaaaaaay too much money. Take my advice... Flatiron steaks + a little bit of work = a better meal than you will get in any restaurant.

By the way, here's a very important side note. A spatula or grill tongs weigh approximately the same as a bottle of beer. It's very important to have the tongs in one hand and a beer in the other hand in order to maintain perfect balance.

You can clearly see the long, white tendon in these photos:

Here's the Montreal Steak Seasoning:

Steak

There are few things in this world I like more than food and there are few foods in this world I like more than steak. Steak is a favorite of everyone in my family, but because it's so expensive we don't eat it very often. When we do eat it, we all savor every bite.

You are all aware that I know my way around the grill pretty well. On the rare occasion when we do splurge and order a steak at a restaurant, we almost always regret it. Not because it's not delicious (it is), but because I know I can grill a better one at a fraction of the cost. Not that I'm bragging or anything, but restaurants really have nothing on me when it comes to grilling steaks.

There are generally five ways to cook a steak. Well done, medium well, medium, medium rare and rare. In my opinion, if you order a steak well done or medium well, you should probably go ahead and grill yourself some shoe leather. You're just eating a glorified piece of charcoal. If you order your steak medium, it can possibly be acceptable, but you're coming very close to the line. The optimal way to order and eat a steak is medium rare. This gives you the best steak flavor while incorporating some of that smoky grilled goodness. I can eat a steak rare, but for me that's just not enough grilled flavor. The blood running all over the plate doesn't bother me at all (for some the blood is a deal breaker). Did you know there is yet another category for the cooking of a steak? It's called "blue". This is a real thing... you can Google it if you don't believe me. If you order a steak blue, it means it is more rare than rare. You basically wave the steak over the hot coals for a minute or so and serve it up. It's just this side of raw. I wouldn't order my steak this way. However, if somebody said they'd buy me a steak dinner, but only if I ordered it blue, I'd eat it in the blink of an eye.

I'm just starting a three day weekend and I am suddenly in the mood for a nice Ribeye, Porterhouse or New York Strip. I like the larger cuts of steak that you have to chew a little bit. Filet Mignon is fine, but it's too small and the melt in your mouth quality is not appealing to me when it comes to steak. I'm not saying I like my steak tough... just enough chewiness to feel like I'm eating a nice cut of meat.

In honor of steak, enjoy this nice photo of a steak shaped like the best country in the world.

You can call me Vincent

When you think of Vincent Van Gogh, what comes to mind? Perhaps the painting The Starry Night? Maybe the painting Vase with twelve sunflowers? How about the fact he chopped off his own ear? That's the one that comes to mind for me! Why am I telling you to call ME Vincent? Because I nearly chopped off my own ear this morning. Okay, maybe chopped off is a bit of an exaggeration, but I sliced it really good as I was shaving. I got in a hurry and made a hasty swipe with my razor. I now have 3 distinct slices in my earlobe (because I use a razor with a triple blade). I bled like a stuck hog for more than an hour. I drove to work with a tissue squeezed against my ear and it was still bleeding when I got there. I must have looked fairly ridiculous driving while applying direct pressure to my blood-gushing ear. It did eventually stop, but I spent the majority of my day answering the following question: "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR EAR?" My answer was simple. I did something stupid and cut myself shaving. My students have to call me Mr. Van Gogh, but you can call me Vincent.

The value of parents

As mentioned in my previous post, Abby's National Honor Society induction ceremony was tonight. Abby (along with her Junior classmates) was called to the stage to receive her membership card and to recite the pledge of the NHS. There were also approximately 90 Seniors recognized. Each Senior was called to the stage where a short bio was read. The bio included the names of the parents, the extracurricular activities the student was involved in, the scholarships he/she had received and the college he/she will be attending. Aside from some VERY impressive bios, one thing stood out above all else. When the names of the parents were read, almost without fail the student had two parents and those parents had the same last name as the student. I mention this because of the contrast of these students with those students I teach. Completely opposite of what I experienced tonight, my students almost without fail come from single parent homes, have different last names than their parents and often have siblings with different last names as well. Do you think it's a coincidence that the students from two parent homes are the ones going to places like Purdue and Indiana University? One student also received a full ride to Princeton and another a full ride to MIT. I don't think this is coincidental at all. My students on the other hand will mostly follow a completely different path. My students come from circumstances of poverty. Most receive some form of government assistance (welfare, free lunch etc...). Many will continue the cycle of poverty and most won't go on to any other levels of higher education (some will even drop out). All of this tells me one thing. A child growing up with two supportive parents stands a much better chance of achieving success than students coming from poverty. That's not to say some of my students won't go on to be successful (they will), but by and large these kids are born behind the eight ball and usually stand very little chance of ever catching up to their more affluent counterparts. Having loving, supportive parents is invaluable to a child and tonight's ceremony was concrete evidence of that.

Honor Society

Tonight is a special night. At 6:30 this evening, Abby will be inducted into The National Honor Society. Most quarters Abby achieves straight A's on her report card (with an occasional B mixed in). Her cumulative GPA for high school is somewhere between 3.8 and 3.9. If she continues on her current track, she will graduate with academic honors next year. Abby is an excellent student who pushes herself and has very high standards for her own achievement. Abby has taken and will continue to take AP and Honors classes in preparation for college.

I am so proud of my girl! There won't be anyone smiling bigger or clapping louder than Abby's dad tonight.

A serious post

As you folks know, this blog is generally light in nature. I don't often tackle serious or controversial topics. However, sometimes a story comes along that must be addressed by yours truly.

Did you hear about the woman in Utah who confessed to killing 6 of her own babies? The remains of those babies were found in her garage. The depravity and horror attached to this story is unspeakable. I just don't have words to describe what this woman did. She is now charged with 6 counts of murder. Thinking about this tragedy was bad enough, but then Tami made the following observation: If this woman had aborted those same 6 babies she would be a free woman today. Killing babies is legal as long as they are not born yet. Just let that sink in for a minute. This woman now faces almost certain life imprisonment (if not the death penalty) for killing 6 babies. Yet, had she committed the grisly act of abortion, she would not have a speck of legal trouble today.

What does that tell you about the state of our nation today? Killing babies is legal as long as they didn't pass through the birth canal first. Tragic. Just tragic!

It is spring, right?

I'm sure it has happened in my lifetime, but I can't really recall the last time it snowed as late as April 15th. On Sunday it was 80° and this morning I woke to an inch of snow. Tonight the National Weather Service has issued a "Hard Freeze" warning. I don't really know what that is, but it sure sounds worse than your run-of-the-mill frost warning.

I know the snow will have already melted by the time you read this, but the fact remains... we are two weeks from May and it SNOWED! The only thing that makes all this bearable is the promise of warmer weather in a few days. Things are different when you're staring down the barrel of cold weather for months on end.

Happy Spring, everyone... I think.

I've heard of frost on the pumpkin, but never snow on the Easter eggs!

Welcome Home!

After three and a half months in Florida, my mom and Cliff returned home yesterday. I have missed them so much and I can't wait to visit them. You'll have to forgive me, but I don't have much sympathy for them having to deal with freezing temperatures and snow upon their return. Welcome back to Cincinnati! Now maybe you'll see what we've been dealing with while you were down there basking in the sun! However, take heart, Mom. The temperatures will warm up later in the week. You'll be fine assuming you don't freeze to death before then!

In all seriousness... Welcome Home! We've all missed you!

Reds, green and white

Today's post has a theme... colors. The title, Reds, green and white says it all. Over the weekend temperatures reached 80°. I spent a lot of time outside doing two of my favorite activities (Listening to the Reds game as I mowed the lawn). That's the Reds and green part of this post. What about the white? I'm sorry you asked :-) What else could the white be? Snow of course. It's the middle of April. The grass has turned green, flowers are blooming, trees are budding and spring is in full effect. So why in the world are we talking about snow? Because we live in Cincinnati... that's why! I thought we were done with this nonsense, but apparently winter needs to rear its ugly head one last time. Gee! I can hardly wait! Sunday I was sweating to beat the band and tomorrow I'll be driving in the snow. Oh the joy of life in the midwest!

Who's on first?

Sometimes I yearn for the old days. I know I'm only 47, but I believe that's old enough to remember things from "back in the day". A couple of the things I yearn for are good television and good comedy. What I mean by "good" is clean. Comedians and television shows nowadays are filled with sex, potty humor and filthy language. None of those things are funny. Think back to people or television shows that made you laugh so hard your sides hurt. If you're like me, you think of people like Red Skelton, Tim Conway or Bill Cosby. You may think of shows like The Andy Griffith Show (Barney Fife, anyone?), I Love Lucy or The Carol Burnett Show. Totally hilarious and not a hint of sex or cursing. Just good, clean fun! If you want to go a little further back, you may think of Abbott and Costello. Who could ever forget their timeless baseball classic, "Who's on first?". You remember the routine, right? Who's on first, what's on second and I don't know is on third. The concept was simple, clean and utterly hysterical.

The photo below brought to mind the famous comedy routine:

Abby's Prom

Abby attended her Junior Prom last weekend. It goes without saying, but I will say it anyway. She looked gorgeous! Absolutely stunningly beautiful! As a dad it was difficult to believe my youngest daughter was headed out for the night and would not return until morning. She reported having a good time. I'm glad she had fun. I never enjoyed my proms in high school.

Our guy, Endry

This is the last post in the series featuring crew members we met on the cruise. Meet Endry. Endry is an assistant bartender and is obviously low man on the totem pole. He is by far the youngest of any crew members we met. I think he said he is 25, but he didn't look a day over 22. Talk about a baby face! Endry was also from Indonesia, but from a different island than Kadek. Kadek is from Bali and Endry is from Java. The culture on Java is totally different than on Bali. Unlike Kadek, Endry is a muslim. We were fascinated to hear some of the particulars of being a muslim in Indonesia. We had a lot of fun with Endry. He taught us quite a few phrases from the indonesian language. Tami had fun telling him how beautiful his skin is. I'm not into looking at guys and being able to tell if they're handsome or not, but upon closer inspection I had to agree. The man did have some pretty skin. Don't think differently of me for saying this, but I also noticed Endry had the blackest, shiniest hair I'd ever seen on a human being. It wasn't a man-crush, but I could see how he'd be considered a "pretty" man. Endry will have no problem with the ladies.

We didn't get any indication of Endry's financial situation. Either it wasn't as bad as some of the others or he just didn't volunteer the information.

Endry was just a fun guy and Tami had a lot of fun telling him how cute he is.

Endry was always hawking drinks in the dining room. We didn't buy any of his drinks, but Tami did buy a cool travel mug from him.

Here's his photo... you be the judge. Pay no attention to the fat, ugly guy on the left.

Mulch Madness!

It's that time of year. Spring! Otherwise known as Mulch Madness! Along with mowing season getting started, it's also time to start slinging mulch! I know it smells like manure, but it sure does spruce up the flower beds when first put down. I actually look forward to mulching every year. It makes my back hurt, but I love making my yard look nice.

I will be doing some mulching tomorrow, but not at my own house. As a Deacon at my church, I am in charge of planning the all-church work day. We clean out the flower beds, plant flowers, put down mulch and get the church grounds nice and pretty for Easter Sunday.

After all the work is done tomorrow I will stick around and mow the church lawn (no small task). It's going to be a great day and the weather is supposed to be nice. The sore muscles will be well worth it!

Vinko!

Tonight I continue my series introducing you to Carnival Fantasy crew members. Meet Vinko. Vinko is a bartender at a very small bar at the back of the ship. He is from Croatia and has been working on cruise ships for a long, long time. On the first day of the cruise I decided to strike up a conversation by asking him if Croatia is part of the former Yugoslavia. I knew it was, but it was a good ice breaker, so I pretended to ask a question when I already knew the answer. He said it was and asked how I knew. I told him I was a teacher of geography and had a pretty good idea where most of the countries of the world are. He asked if I could name the other countries that were formed when Yugoslavia broke apart. He was duly impressed when I spouted off Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, and Kosovo. In fact he jokingly called me a nerd for knowing such things. He then said if I thought I was so smart, I should be able to identify the location of Macedonia relative to Croatia. I smiled because I knew the answer immediately. I told him Macedonia was in the south of the region. He then bellowed, "Wow! You really ARE a nerd!". We laughed and laughed... and that's how I first got to know Vinko.

Further conversations revealed he is married to a woman from Thailand and she works on the ship too. They have a three year old son named Daniel. Vinko's mother-in-law keeps Daniel while his parents are at sea. Vinko and his wife have a house in Croatia and a house in Thailand. They seemed to be more financially stable than most other crew members we encountered. Vinko was a fascinating guy and was a talker. He even apologized and asked us to tell him if he was talking our heads off. He was, but we were enjoying it.

The highlight of our time with Vinko was the day the ship was in Freeport, Bahamas. Most people were off the ship and only us stragglers remained. We basically had the bar (and Vinko) to ourselves. Vinko's bar was immediately adjacent to the buffet and the ice cream machine. The restrooms weren't far away either. We essentially had everything we needed. We sat at that bar from about 9 in the morning until 5 in the evening. Before you start getting pictures of us getting intoxicated, I should tell you we spent most of our time talking and eating. We had a few drinks, but not as many as you'd think in an eight hour time period. We had neither the money for, nor the interest in getting inebriated. We were sitting at the bar, but we may as well have been at a table in the buffet area. This bar was also next to the deli and pizza stations. In fact there were only 4 stools and a small counter, so it was not really like a bar at all. More like a luncheonette.

That was a really fun day. We learned some Croatian phrases and learned a lot about the cruise industry from Vinko. He was more forthcoming with information than any other crew member we'd spoken to. He told us they made $300 a month (not a week, but a month). The only other money they made was when people tipped them directly. When asked how often people tipped them, he said not very often. We were disappointed to hear that. We also learned that back in Croatia he has neighbors (he called them idiots) who have incessantly barking dogs that drive him crazy. We howled with laughter because Tami and I have always had neighbors with dogs that drive us crazy too. It really drove home the idea that people are the same wherever you go. The Croatians have the same tribulations in life that Americans do.

Vinko was an intelligent, well read and well spoken guy. We really enjoyed talking and joking with him. In the end, he thanked us for taking time with him and for taking an interest in him as a human being and not treating him like a servant. He said it doesn't happen very often, but he does appreciate when passengers make an effort to learn about the crew rather being wrapped up in their own pleasure and enjoyment of vacation.

Just like Danilo and Kadek, I will never forget my friend Vinko.

Here's Vinko and me. Notice the windows in the background. That is the very, very back of the ship. You can also see the deli and the pizza station in the background.

Those photos!

The photos in the post below were taken by Tami with our own camera. Neither of us are photographers, but those pictures could be postcards! Gorgeous! Just absolutely beautiful!

To be continued

Time constraints prevented me from posting anything lengthy tonight. I will continue my series on crew members from the cruise tomorrow. Sorry, folks!

For now, I will leave you with this:

We visited Atlantis in Nassau.

There was no shortage of beautiful sights.

A happy boy

Elliott is not known as a good sleeper. He's more a fan of cat naps than extended periods of sleep. Here's a picture of Elliott after a rare 2 hour nap. Isn't it amazing what a little rest does for a person? Look how happy he is! Also note his two lower teeth. Cute!

My sunshine

Here's a picture of my sweet girl, Sveta. No reason... just because she's my sunshine!

Meet Kadek

Today's featured crew member from the cruise is Kadek. Kadek was one of the guys who roamed the deck selling drinks (kind of a male version of a cocktail waitress). Kadek was even quieter and more reserved than Danilo. His English was also much more labored and limited. He did fine and we were able to communicate, but you could tell it was a struggle at times.

Kadek is from Bali (one of the islands of Indonesia). He is quite young, not married and Hindu . We didn't get to talk with him quite as much as Danilo, but we did speak to him enough times to learn a lot about him. His family formerly owned a business in Bali. Almost all of the money that comes into Bali is from tourism (or at least it used to be that way). In 2002 and again in 2005 there were Muslim terrorist bombings near his parents' business. As a result of these bombings the tourism business all but died and they lost the business for good. To this day the tourists still have not returned to Bali and the locals have a lot of difficulty making any significant money.

Through our conversations we also learned that all of the islands in Indonesia (and there are MANY), have different cultures. In Indonesia there are mostly Hindus and Muslims, but also some Buddhists and a few Christians. Kadek described for us the teeth filing ceremony all people from Bali go through as a rite of passage (usually around age 17). For reasons that we still don't quite understand, the people of Bali file down (not all the way) the top 6 and bottom 6 front teeth. He described how after the ceremony they bite into a coconut to stop the bleeding and then toss the coconut into the ocean as an offering to the gods (notice the plural and lower case g of gods). He also described for us the many gods of the Hindus. He described gods of the ocean, wind, sky and many others. We explained that we have only one God and you could tell that notion was very strange for him. It's all just fascinating.

On the last day of the cruise, after a long conversation, I gave Kadek a cash tip (one that obviously looked large to him). He placed his hand over his heart in disbelief and was unsure at first of accepting it. At my insistence he took it and nearly cried. He went on to invite us to his home island of Bali and described in great detail how we would be cared for and our safety ensured if we ever visited. In short he said he would be with us all the time as our host. He also said we were now his "American Parents". We could tell he didn't just sling this label around as a means to gain a tip. He was quite sincere and we accepted him as our Indonesian son. I think we would have been able to see through him if it was a ploy to get money. It wasn't.

Much like Danilo, Kadek is a nice, kind, gentle, warm, sweet man. We had so much fun getting to know him and hope that our small tip in some way helped him. Also like Danilo, it was painful to leave Kadek (or should I say our Indonesian son? :-)

Since leaving the cruise, Tami and I did some checking and we discovered our church sponsors a missionary couple in Indonesia. We acquired their address and intend to connect with them in some capacity. Where things go after the initial contact, I really have no clue. It will be interesting to see what God may have for us.

I regret I do not have a photo of Kadek. However, we do have his Facebook information and maybe we can get a photo that way.

Let's meet the crew

This will be the first in a series featuring crew members we had the chance to interact with and get to know on the Carnival Fantasy.

Allow me to introduce you to Danilo (Dah-nee-low). Danilo was our waiter at dinner and also one of the people circulating around the lido deck clearing tables of dirty dishes and attending to the needs of the passengers.

Upon first meeting Danilo, we observed that he was a mild mannered, quiet, reserved man. These qualities are appealing to us because we are somewhat quiet and laid back ourselves. Initially we thought Danilo was going to be a tough nut to crack. We could not have been more wrong. The moment we showed an interest in his life (where he's from, his wife, his son, his language, his village, his time spent on the ship etc...) he lit up like a Christmas tree. It was one of those instant transformations I described yesterday. Subsequent conversations became longer, more detailed and more personal (personal meaning the conversation went beyond idle chit-chat). In fact, he was spending so much time with us, I was afraid he might get in trouble with his superiors.

During our conversations we learned Danilo is 42 years old and from the Philippines. He has a wife and a son (both had names we couldn't begin to pronounce). His son is 23. He is in his third month of a six month contract on the ship. Sadly, later in the week he was informed he would have to work two more months (8 months total) before going home. We learned Danilo is from a small village of about 8,000 people where most of the people are very poor. He told us elections in his country are corrupt and he thought American elections and politicians we on the straight and narrow. We had a fun time discussing that :-) We learned lots of other things about Danilo, but one thing remained painfully obvious. Any time he would talk about home or his family he would almost tear up. He didn't cry, but you could tell he was fighting the need to do so. The man was breaking our hearts! We asked him if he ever got any days off. In his broken English he said, "Never. No day off. We work. all time". He went on to say he worked from 7:00 A.M. until 4:00 P.M. Then he got an hour to eat, change clothes and maybe rest for a few minutes before reporting to the dining room to work from 5:00 P.M. until about 10:30 or 11:00 P.M. Danilo will do this 7 days a week until October. I don't care who you are... that's a grueling schedule. However, you must know that Danilo never once complained. He merely answered our questions honestly.

Danilo is a nice, kind, gentle, sweet man who loves his home and loves his family. It's obvious he misses both terribly. It only took a day or two to get emotionally attached to Danilo. The more we got to know him, the more attached we got to him. The last night in the dining room was not without hugs and tears. Danilo, again, did not cry, but I'm pretty sure I could detect a tear or two in his eyes.

Leaving the ship on Friday morning was painful. Not because our long awaited cruise had come to an end, but because we were leaving behind people who had touched our hearts during the short 5 day cruise. It's strange... you go on vacation to have a fun, carefree time, but you end up leaving with heartache. You make a connection with people only to leave with the knowledge you will probably never see them again.

I will likely never get to see my friend Danilo again, but rest assured I will never forget him. I will always pray for him and if possible, will find a way to send him some money.

Farewell, Danilo. You probably don't know it, but you had a profound affect on my life.

A sad day

Sometimes teaching is really hard. Today is one of those days. No, it has nothing to do with getting back to the grind after a wonderful vacation. It's because of sad news from one of my students. Remember a while back I mentioned a girl in my class (11 years old) whose mother was gravely ill? Well, that girl's mother passed away yesterday. Obviously she's not in school today and I'm not sure when she'll be back. At this point in the day (about 10:30 A.M.) the rest of the class does not know (we'll tell them at the end of the day). Please pray this girl, her family, my students and me as we deal with this tragic loss. In 24 years of teaching, this is the first time I've ever had a parent of a student pass away. This is new territory for me and it's going to be difficult.

Our Favorite Thing

We've been on five cruises and there are so many things we love about cruise vacations. The beautiful weather, the gorgeously decorated ships, the impeccable service, free room service, elegant meals in the dining room, beautiful sunrises, breathtaking sunsets, the seemingly endless opportunities for fun, free ice cream 24 hours a day, the multitude of activities provided for kids of all ages, the indescribable blues and greens of the ocean water, the pitch black of nights at sea, sheer relaxation... the list truly goes on and on. However, even though all those things are great, none of them are our favorite thing. What IS our favorite thing about cruising? This may surprise you, but it's talking with and getting to know the members of the crew. I'm talking about waiters, bartenders, room stewards and the bussing staff. None of these people are from the United States, many have very limited English, they all work six months and are off for two months. These people work from early in the morning until late at night and NEVER (and I really do mean never) get a day off. At first glance, many of these folks seem somber and glum. They will smile and greet you as you pass by (because that's what they've been told to do). You can tell they miss their families and in many cases think Americans are boorish pigs. I'm not proud of it, but all too often they're right. I have seen it time and time again where some haughty American is rude to a crew member. My guess is the passenger knows they have paid a lot of money for the cruise and feels entitled to get whatever they want by any means necessary.

Tami and I try to counteract that view of Americans by showing God's love and by having small interactions. Please understand we are not going around asking everybody if they know Jesus or thumping our Bibles. We simply hope they see something different in us and possibly realize it's because we're Christians. We don't announce our Christianity, we simply hope it speaks for itself. We know we can't single handedly change the way Europeans and Asians feel about Americans, but maybe they'll see something in us that causes them to see our country in a different way.

When we encounter a crew member, we always smile and greet them. Throughout our conversation(s), we ask where they're from, what their native language is, whether they're married or not, if they have children, what their home town (sometimes village) is like and other things about themselves. I mentioned how glum and somber the crew members sometimes are. However, when you engage them in conversation and show a genuine interest in them as human beings, it is amazing how they light up. They literally beam and life comes back into their faces. The transformation is incredible and almost always instantaneous. I think these people are so used to being treated like servants and not like people that they take on an almost machine-like persona. But when you realize these people are human beings with feelings, emotions and a life outside the cruise industry, you look at them a lot differently. These people are husbands, fathers, wives, mothers, sons and daughters. They are not robots and they certainly are not second class citizens as so many cruise passengers treat them.

This post has gotten lengthy and I want to stay true to my word to try and not bore my readers. In the coming days I will post specific stories about particular crew members Tami and I had a chance to interact and bond with. But for now I will just tell you that five days is plenty of time to get attached to a person. It doesn't take very long to make connections and it's not surprising that it was painful to leave some of these people. It wasn't painful because the vacation was over. It was painful because your heart goes out to these people and you really miss them when you leave them. There will be more on that later. These stories will tug at your heart strings... be ready, folks.

Just Because

A picture of Elliott. Just because I feel like it.

A few photos

Related to my earlier post:

As promised... photos in small doses.

My lovely bride relaxing on the Lido Deck.

Here's me in full cruise mode!

Recognize this? It's our long lost friend, the sun. It was good to see him again!

More than just the weather

Yesterday when we left Charleston it was 85 degrees and sunny. This morning in Lawrenceburg, Indiana it's, how should I say it? Oh yeah, it's cold! I'm not not going to blather on about the joys of warm weather versus the bone-chilling cold. You may think it will be a common thread throughout all my posts, but it won't. I will say this and then put the issue to bed. The weather on vacation was splendid and we enjoyed it to the fullest. The weather at home stinks. Period.

On another note, I've decided to post photos and details of our vacation in small doses. I don't care how good or interesting something posted on the internet is... if it's lengthy, the reader quickly becomes bored and will not view the post in its entirety. That's human nature and it especially holds true for looking at someone else's vacation photos. Admit it... you've looked at other people's vacation photos to be polite, but in reality you'd rather be spared the details. It's okay, you can admit it. I've done it myself.

Today I will say this. We have sailed on 5 different cruise ships. The first four were relatively new and very large. This time we sailed on the Carnival Fantasy... the oldest and smallest ship in the whole fleet. The newer, larger ships are fancier and have more amenities. However, this smaller ship was fancy enough in its own right and we lacked for nothing (except a hair dryer and refrigerator in the cabin... minor things). I'm not sure where Tami falls on this issue, but I think I prefer the older, smaller ship. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I just liked it better. Maybe it's because I'm a simple guy and this type of ship catered to my simplicity.

The Strangest Feeling in the World

Today I walked off the cruise ship and as I was basking in the glow of an incredible vacation, I experienced one of the strangest feelings in the world. I realized today I was EXACTLY 2 months past my 47th birthday. My dad died exactly 2 months after his 47th birthday. When I wake up tomorrow morning I will have lived longer than my dad. That is just mind blowing! I can't imagine my life being over at this point... I've got too much living to do yet.

Back Home!

Just like Jim Nabors sings every year at the Indy 500, Tami and I are "Back Home Again in Indiana".

We had a wonderful cruise and a truly glorious vacation. There was nothing negative about the entire trip... absolutely NOTHING!

I will be posting details and photos in the coming days. I promise I will try to not bore you. I will also try to keep things short, to the point and interesting. I won't post a million photos either. Just a select few.

Stay tuned folks.

It's good to be home.