By Request...The Bear Island Iron Man...Brandozzy Ermanbourne....

Ok, since it was requested, here is a great example of how NOT to spread out sunblock on your face. :-) The pictures are now posted in the picasweb page for the trip too.

Brandon wasn't the only one. His dad forgot to reapply sunblock to his feet after he took off his sandals, and somehow missed and entire calf. It just itches a little.

Various blisters from sandals and swim trunk chaffing are healing nicely. No colds or bronchitis from being in the mud and cold water. No hypothermia from the cold at night. One scrape that I have no idea where it came from. The swelling in the bottom middle of my left foot is going down. I have no idea how that happened other than stepping on plant needles here and there. Hopefully some good rest tonight will make everything better!

Emotional Unvailability....

Is a book I borrowed from a dear friend. It is written by Bryn C. Collins, McGraw Hill, 1997. I started reading it tonight. The first couple of paragraphs kind of hit home for me right away....

"That's what an emotionally unavailable relationship feels like. You're just never quite good enough to get admitted to the party. You get seduced by the clear, often indirect and unspoken, message that something is just a little wrong. If you can fix that, the implied promise goes, you'll be the guest of honor and win the door prize: love.
But when you fix what was wrong the first time, something else is a little wrong. And when you fix that, something else will appear.
...
What's so unsettling and painful is that you end up with the clear belief that this is somehow your fault and that it's your responsibility to fix it by being perfect. If it ins't fixed, you're not perfect enough."

I will be finishing this book pretty quickly, and probably looking into some more. I just can't seem to get relationships figured out. I will post a few more excerpts from the introduction to this book. Insightful and healing is how I can best describe it so far.

Emotional Unavailability

~Mike

Sometimes...

I wish desperately for things I know will not come true. A friend has a cat with cancer. I wish desperately that the cancer will just go away, but I know it will not.

I was also just told that a friend just had her baby two months early. The baby 2.5 lbs, is breathing on her own, and has teratoma. If only we could wish bad things away. Please pray for her and her family.

There are many other things I wish for that I know will not come true. Is it that way with everyone?

~Mike

Bear Island

What a weekend! Did you know that Kayaking could be considered another form of hiking? Me either. However, try kayaking out to Bear Island from Hammock's Beach State Park at low tide. The interesting thing is that you get to see a lot of shell fish, like conch. We saw a lot of conch on the way out. The boys got pretty excited when those things started squirting water at them.

The weather was warm and pretty much stayed that way. We stayed covered and sun-blocked for the most part, but there were still a few sun burns to report.

The island is full of shells. We brought back a lot of sand dollars, parts of conch shells, clam shells, scallop shells, and lots of shells we just don't really know what they are. Most were amazing and beautiful. Pictures of the shells coming soon. We did a lot of hiking and exploring around many parts of the island. The way the sand has moved, Bear Island has almost joined Emerald Isle to the north.

To end out the trip, we passed a pod of dolphins on our way back in Sunday morning.

Fun was had by all.

Bear Island Trip Picasaweb page

~Mike

Challenge 24

Well, Brandon represented his class, along with three other students in Challenge 24! All of the fourth graders were there cheering their respective classmates on in this Math Marchmadness month! It was exciting to see the kids so pumped up about math. They all did fantastic!

~Mike

News, some good, some not....

Well Good News first...not THE Good News, just good news...

Brandon was selected with three other students in his class to represent them in a school competition called challenge 24. The object is to take four numbers and add, subtract, multiply, and divide them to equal 24. An example is 8 6 6 2. 8-6=2. 2*2=4. 4*6=24. :-) He has been doing this for a while now and loves the game. The competition is Friday morning.

We are also going camping on Friday through the weekend. We are going to Bear Island. It is about a mile kayak trip out to the island. We are both really looking forward to this!

Not so great news is that Brandon is beginning to have temper tantrums again. In school and at home. I am out of ideas and options in this. Looking for help from doctors and anywhere I can find it. Keep us in your thoughts.

~Mike~

Happy St Patrick's Day!

The St Patrick's Day Parade is always fun. It sure was cold today though. Brandon had a fantastic time and never complained about being cold once. He wanted to stay through the whole thing, and we did. So much green, so much excitement, and so much joy. The kids get some candy and other trinkets. It was a great time.

There are more pictures at the picasa web page on the right!

Or click HERE

~Mike~

Sunsets....

I love this photo. I took it at Cape Charles a little over a year ago. The sun sets everyday, and the sun often sets on phases of our lives. Sometimes, if you are like me, you desperately do not want the sun to set. You wish it and you pray it with all you have, but the Universe does not run on whims of mere mortals. There are a few people that the sun has set on I would give anything to have back. They are my mom, my mother-in-law (If you knew her, you know), my Grandfather and Grandmother, and my great grandmother. There is this idea of a person I want desperately back too. When the sun rises tomorrow, all I will have are the memories of these people. That has to be enough for now. For those suffering with loss right now, you are not alone. My thoughts are with you, even as I contemplate my own. I wouldn't wish suffering on anyone and I pray that yours is short.

~Mike~

Some clean up...

Just finished cleaning up some posts....if perchance you had read any, you would know why. Looking for brighter skies....

~Mike~

Just a hug...

I had an interesting dream just before waking up this morning. My brother and I were driving up to a hospital to see our mom. This hospital looked like it might have been in Central or South America, that is the feeling that I had. I saw two angels floating down to the hospital from a distance. I didn't say anything to my brother about them. I had the feeling that it meant someone had died.

We were very excited about seeing Mom. She was supposed to be getting out the next day. As we walked up, we saw mom coming out of the lobby. I ran up to her and gave her a huge hug. She said she needed to go back upstairs. My brother went with her as the elevator was very crowded. I stayed and talked to some people around the elevator. My brother came back, but Mom was not with him. He said she had to go. I was not surprised as she had actually died in 2001. It was nice to get a hug when I needed one though. Thanks Mom.

~Mike~

Picasa....

Picasa has just increased their free storage to 1GB! Ok, it is big news to me if not to the rest of the Universe. Right now I'll take every bright moment I can scrape up.

I love photography. I love sharing my pictures. I love seeing other people's pictures as it helps me learn and I get to see new perspectives on this world. My picasa page is listed in the links on the right. Check it out!

~Mike~

Totoro

My Neighbor Totoro is a Miyazaki film. Miyazaki is an amazing story teller and animist (animation artist?). Totoro is a film about a family moving to the country and the adventures that find them there. The mother is in the hospital and it is just the father and their two daughters. It can take you back to the imagination and wonder of your childhood, so becareful, you might get hooked. If you like it, check out the rest of his films. They are all great.




You've probably seen pictures all over about this, but this is one I took of the Red Lunar Eclipse last night. Enjoy!
~Mike~