Happy

When I picked Roxy up after class today at our friends house, she saw me and ran about 15 feet into my arms with a big smile on her face. Melted my heart! She can make us so happy. We have been quite proud of her and showing her sign language ability off to our friends. I think she is up to 17 signs.

Gap

In case you were wondering what Roxy's teeth look like...
Taken by Jenn Clark
Doesn't she look old here? Well, today she is 15 months!

Paul Log

June 2: school, Thai lunch with Trish, all-you-can-eat sushi dinner with Clark/Sinclair families, evening at Closson's house with friends, turn 28

June 3: school, fly to St. Louis

June 4: Cardinals vs. Cubs with Trish (free tickets), meet-up with JM and Jim

June 5: dinner with Don and Jessi

June 6: zoo


June 7: accompany Trish to Lasik surgery, watch Poiseden with Jason

June 8: breakfast with Mark Lanker, lunch with Kim, back to Seattle

Spent lots of time with Trish's family the rest of the time. The Long family was there from Springfield so it was great for everybody seeing Michael and Roxy together.

June

I did not get the job. I am a little disappointed. I am not used to rejection so maybe a little humbling is in order.

Trish is going to St. Louis tomorrow for her cousin's wedding and getting a touch-up on her Lasik surgery. They didn't get it right the first time, but they're (her eyes) are still under warranty. She is taking Roxy and then I am going to fly there Saturday night after class. I am taking Old Testament Genre all day today thru Saturday. We're flying back together on Thursday.

Ghost

I had a load of clean laundry on the floor. In the mix Roxy found what she must have thought was a magic sheet. She put the crib sheet over her head and proceeded to walk fifteen feet straight toward the door. Bonk, her head discovered the sheet wasn't magic after all.

This is the very same sheet Roxy barfed on last night (I washed it first). She threw-up four times Friday night. In case you want a play-by-play, once in a friend's (Jocie) pac-n-play, once in the foyer (thanks for cleaning it up Sam and Tucker), and then twice at home on the bathroom counter. She has been acting okay since except for a lack of appetite. Then last night (Monday) she threw-up at 3 am. As you can tell from the above story she is acting okay though.

In other Roxy news, she is signing more. She does flower, thank you, please, water, bath, and ball. She is also combining sometimes, "more please." I think "uh-oh" is the only word she has added to her vocab (my first word). She babbles a lot though like she is saying multiple sentences and expects a response. It is too cute, especially when she sticks her little tongue in and out while she is "talking." I haven't really been around too many babies so all this is very interesting to me. It feels like she is developing so fast and does the smartest baby things. Like she points to her nose when asked and signs milk when I say it in Korean.

Videos

Check out this video clip for hopefully a good chuckle.

And this viedo clip to be amazed.

Job posting

I applied for a job today. Click on "job" to see the posting. Sounds exciting to me and seems to fit well with my life right now. I was taking a break from school writing and browsed through part-time, non-profit jobs on craigslist. Kind of random, but I came across this posting. So I'll let you know what happens.

Monday Tradition

I have a new tradition. Roxy still goes to day care on Mondays and we are both enjoying this time apart. I found an awesome place to run after I drop Roxy off. After the half-marathon in Nov I have hardly exercised at all and put on about seven pounds. Of course, I am not worried about putting on weight, in fact, I welcome it, but I don't like what it is a symptom of. Anyway, I've started running regularly again and found a beach to make the experience a lot more enjoyable. Let me describe...

Three miles from our home is Picnic Point, my starting point. There are few access points to the shoreline in this area so there are few other people around. It is 60 degrees and the sky is clear. I run on the hard packed sand enmeshed with river rock that absorbs my pounding. On one side I see the Puget Sound. From here it looks like a bay. The water and one-foot waves are comparable to a lake. In the background is a snow capped mountain range. I see a crane at the waters edge and seagulls swooping in the shallow water. On the other side, large rocks ramp up to a railroad track, and beyond that a few million-dollar homes and a reserve lush with tall firs and inhabited by chirping birds. To keep it interesting, I high step over the occasional driftwood and rocks scattered on the shore. I pass by a series of ancient posts in the water that must have held up a dock decades ago. Around a bend a train zooms by and I come to a no trespassing sign protecting a grounded barge that looks as old as the posts I passed and a home that is accessible only by crossing the tracks. I run on the nuetral tracks to skirt by the private property and get a closer look at the mysterious old 150 foot ship. It has vegetation on the top and looks like a monstrous plant pot. I want to press on, but I've been running 25 minutes already. Just to the next bend. I turn around then get to a point where the tide has come up to the railroad rocks. I had to scale the rocks to run on the tracks. Inevitably, a train comes and whistles at me from behind. I rush to the side and in 15 seconds watch the engine fly by up close and personal. Another hundred yards and back to the beach I finish off a beautiful Pacific Northwest run.

Opposites do Attract!

This past Thu-Sat I had my first class this summer, all of which are "intensive" format, Spirituality of Leadership in Org I. It's hard to summarize a course, but I will say I feel it was impacting as well as enjoyable (if you're okay with entering the pain of leadership). Our professor, Ron Carucci, started us off with an interesting definition for leadership, "the ability to disappoint people at a rate they can absorb."

As for the title of this entry, we took the DiSC Classic, a behavioral personality profile test that has been around 41 years. I have an Objective Thinker Pattern. Anyway, Trish took the test at home and without seeing my answers didn't choose a single one the same as me out of 56 possibilities. Needless to say, we were opposites in every category. Her pattern is called Inspirational.

So what does all this mean? I don't know, do you?

I like this story...

Roxy says mama a lot now, and it sounds a lot cuter than dada for some reason. This morning after her daily breakfast of a whole banana and three strawberries, I got her out of her high-chair and she starts pointing and walking towards the bedroom and passionately repeating "mama." After reaching the side of the bed where yesterday morning she found mama sleeping, I told her mama was at work. Apparently she didn't believe me because she kept saying "mama" and looking up at the bed. So I put her up on the bed to quell her disbelief. She still didn't believe me so she lifted up the covers and finally realized mama wasn't there.

Our Mother's Day

We ate lunch with the families of Trish's Mars Hill spouse's group. Also my friends. Eleven adults, four infants (mothers ate free). Then we went to the park on Greenlake for a beautiful, sunny time.

Sam and Carol and Jocelyn: Hooligans

See Roxy at Sam and Carol and Jocelyn: Hooligans.

Moody

Caught on tape: Roxy demonstrates her moodiness. From happy to whiney in no time... Here is the video clip.

Dreaming

Lately my thoughts have been saturated with plans for the near and distant future. I have come across or formulated some ideas that have excited me.

I think I will start with us first coming to Seattle for me to go to MHGS. I felt drawn to the school, it felt so right. I loved and love the vision and emphasis. The school has met my expectations. I applied to the Master of Arts in Christian Studies program, but by the time I registered for classes, I switched over to the Master of Divinity program track because I was attracted to the Global Engagement concentration. I still desire to do foreign missions and this seemed to fit. The MACS is 48-hours and the MDiv is 90-hours.

Now I am considering if that extra 42-hours will best prepare me for my calling. Or, if I could spend that time and money on another degree that would better prepare me for my calling and open up opportunities overseas. I believe missionary work has to be more and more innovative in our postmodern, globalized world. I want to be effective. I want to make a real, significant difference for people’s life, especially the poor and marginalized, not only for eternity, but for the here and now. I want to create communities that foster faith, hope, and love where there is little to be found.

I want to make sure my education is not an excuse for inactivity. However, I do not think it is, but is a means of better preparing me to be an effective change agent. So I have been looking at other options, namely in the Seattle area, and have three on the top of my list:

1) A MBA in Sustainable Business from Bainbridge Graduate Institute, http://www.bgiedu.org/. This is what I am most excited about. Sustainable business as I understand it focuses on social, ecological, and economical wellness as opposed to just profits. I could write about this for a while, but I will write what I believe this degree would prepare and facilitate for me, a hope, a dream. A factory or business in China that trades internationally and would provide its workers with excellent working conditions and treatment, vacation time, and fair wages (this is the opposite of most factories in China). I believe this would open up many evangelistic and humanitarian opportunities. Profits would be used to go back in to the communities where the businesses are located. Part of the dream would be for such a place to serve as a model for others. Also, if and when North Korea opens up, I would love to do such an endeavor there, a place where such a community undertaking would be much needed.
2) A Master of Arts in Organization Design and Renewal from Seattle U., www.seattleu.edu. This is a one-of-a-kind degree program. It is geared more for people to become consultants. It has classes on social responsibility, but that is not the emphasis. I could still do the above, or I thought I could be a “Corporate Social Responsibility Consultant” and help other companies accomplish the above. A problem I see is not being able to let the beneficiaries know it is for the sake of the gospel these things are being done.
3) A MBA in with a concentration in International Business from Argosy U., http://www.argosyu.edu/. This could perhaps open up the same opportunities as BGI. The attraction here is that I could complete it in one year versus two for Seattle U. and BGI, and still have enough Montgomery G.I. Bill to pay for it. Also, it is located one block from MHGS, allowing me to stay close to that community.

There are still so many factors involved in deciding: timing, money, working, family priorities, MHGS is revamping there MACS next year towards something more suited for my desires, etc. I am not one to make rash decisions so my plan right now is to give these thoughts the test of time.

I have come across two businesses that I believe are doing great work around what I am writing about. Pura Vida Coffee, http://www.puravidacoffee.com/, and Ten Thousand Villages, http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/. Both have volunteer opportunities here in Seattle, and I am thinking about doing an internship with Pura Vida if I go this route. Also, I highly recommend buying coffee and international goods from these two companies.

I am still thinking, researching, and praying about how to best serve the North Korean situation. I am willing to help the refugees in China “on the ground” full-time, but I am thinking I could better serve their cause in other ways: advocacy, working to change policies, or perhaps through business. Since they are underground in China, as white people, we might bring unwanted attention to them.

Please dream with and on behalf of me. Please share your counsel or feedback and if you know me well enough, please share with me what you think my gifts, talents, or calling may be. I believe a community can help its members realize their gifts.

Deep Breath

I stayed up till 4 a.m. finishing my last paper for my second semester. Deep breath. Trish gave me a gift certificate to celebrate finishing my first semester, but I just got around to using it today. So I celebrated finishing both. Deep breath. I hope to get some more relaxation this summer, but the twelve books sitting on my desk say "no way."

Roxy Log

• Stood up unassisted first time April 26th - now officially a walker
• Sign language performed with accuracy to date (also understands verbally): more (Roxy's definitions include feed me and give me something else to eat I don't want this), milk, diaper, and done
• Commands audibly recognized: kiss (gives opened-mouth), hug (prefers hugging stuffed animals over us), peek-a-boo (elicits slapping her own face), and unfortunately she does not understand "no" YET
• Words spoken (in which she knows what she is saying): dada (debatable), what's that, cat, dog, duck, sock, and she combines many syllables which sound like sentences but are just baby talk

Boating Break

Classes are over for the semester, and one more paper to turn in. I start back May 18th, but I have a lot of pre-course assignments so no real break. Last night we had a Spring Banquet with the school, and we had a co-worker of Trish watch Roxy. They invited us out on their boat the next day, today. And so it was a lovely, relaxing time for us on Lake Washington with not a cloud in the sky and Mt. Ranier towering in the background. We road to a park, docked, and ate (restaurant) burgers for lunch. We haven't done much outdoor stuff since we've been here so it was a refreshing time.

Discovered

Roxy found her belly-button!

See, there it is!

In other noteworthy news, Roxy can now do sign language! We tried teaching her for a while, but weren't too consistent. She finally does "more" but for her it means give me food or drink. I think she may know diaper change. We'll confirm later. Anyway, this should cut down on her and our frustration. Hopefully too she has caught on to the concept and we can teach her more and then show her off to the world as the smartest baby in the world! Oh wait, we have to learn sign language first...

Updating

I think I am going to stop with monthly updates on Roxy and just post as things happen or come to me. With that, as of today the most steps Roxy has taken is 17. She has about 13 teeth which is a lot for her age. She adorably babbles a lot and her latest phenomenon is pointing usually accompanied by "wuzat" which sounds like "what's that." Her eating habits are changing for the worst. She has been picky. Oh what a frustrating thing - trying to feed a hungry baby that gives a tight-lipped whine and turn of the head to something you try to feed her that she has enjoyed many times before. She is very passionate and I like that about her - except when she is passionate about doing things she shouldn't. Anyway, here are some good pictures from the past month.

Stroll in the park. Roxy and I both need to get our more. We enjoyed our outing.

She got herself in this predicament. So you don't think I am cruel, she was laughing when I starting taking the picture.

We do take good care of her, I promise.

Fire!

I almost burned the apartment down. I had a candle on my desk and was printing something. The paper flew off the printer onto the candle which caught fire and inflamed a folder on my desk. I was in the bedroom when our loud, trusty fire alarm went off. I ran to the scene and carried the flaming folder to the sink. After ventilating the alarm went off and we surveyed the damage: burnt head phones, charred spots on desk, melted printer cable, some paper, travel wallet melted, and lots of ash to vacuum. Pretty fortunate! My computer inches away is unscathed.