fogparty

photo op...

since i'm an equal opportunity photografather... and since both musicals have had their final performances... i thought i'd seize the jpegs.

which means...

...you'll find more pictures of "state fair" on the sidebar.

...and just below you'll find the short youtube video i took with my "flip" on opening night of "babes in arms"  (directed by greg ganakas & choreographed by randy skinner).   it shows a few clips from various scenes that jenn was in.

...and finally... here's a random collection of movie clips from ian & emma in "state fair".

the interesting thing about the collision of these two musicals with my midwest past is how they both remind me of a bit of my personal history.  no... i wasn't around when they were first written.  but i did spend a "fair" amount of time each year at the county 4-h fair.  mostly in the barn playing cards with my friends & cousins between groomings for their prize-hopeful, four-legged, soon-to-be-butchered-and-bring-them-lots-of-money friends. 

i think i only remember heading to indy for the state fair once though.  probably because those purple "grand champion" ribbons never seemed to find their way to any of my boards displaying my brownie hawkeye black & whites, instamatic color prints... or variety of fish or fowl on the list for my wild-life project that year. (i won the "instamatic with the cool flashcubes by selling magazines to all my relatives!)

 

lots of good memories.

and... strangely enough... those county fair experiences encouraged some good stuff that to this day add special seasoning to my life.

so... even though some might look at these musicals as reminders of a hokey-pokey time in america's history... sure, i can laugh at the good old days... and sure, all of them weren't that good.  but... i often find myself wishing my kids had a bit more of those hometown experiences to season their lives as well.

so... maybe my pictures will help my kids some day remember a bit of my history... woven into a bit of their own.

chutes & ladders...

last week was one of those up & down weeks.

surgery & the next couple days were better than i expected.  i really didn't feel bad at all and told "lolly" my night-shift nurse not to bother waking me to give me any pain-killers.  but i should have clued in that i was starting down "cocky lane" when she replied, "mr. shafer, it's been less than 24-hours since your surgery and these meds aren't habit-forming. sooooo... if you really want to stop taking them now, that's your call.  but you might consider at least waiting until you've been home a day or two before you go off of them."

and you'd think by now that i'd have learned to listen to my wife's warnings that i might be over-doing it... needed more rest... shouldn't be driving... and "why in the world are you pulling weeds from the flower bed!?!?"

but i felt great.

even when the bon-voyage package my surgeon hand-stitched to my body began to malfunction on wednesday... i still managed to convince my lady that i'd be fine driving myself to ann arbor for that spontaneous thursday appointment to get things back in working order.  and i was!

and of course, i couldn't miss opening night of the play...

and i had to return the next night to video tape our fabulous kids.

sure... maybe i was starting to feel a bit punkish... but... i wasn't doing anything that felt that uncomfortable... at least initially.  "is it hot in here or is it just me?"  "hmmm... maybe i'll just stay until the big "i-o-way" number after the intermission." 

of course... later that night... "honey... where's that number for the after-hours surgical oncologist?" 

so... an all night trip to the e.r., and as we're driving home around 5 the next morning... (beth want's it made clear that i spent the time in a bed... while she got the chair)... and after the "you-need-to-at-least-act-like-you-had-surgery-this-week" lecture... i kinda began to think maybe she had a point.

did i get this skull density from the shafer side... or the campbell side?

makes sense that just maybe part of the reason this surgery didn't feel anything close to the last 4 was because it was the 5th one in the same area and all the nerves in that area left for vegas a long time ago.

anyway... the antibiotic seems to be clearing-up whatever internal infection was attacking my body...  my drain-buddy is working fine again... and life is good.

"yes dear.  i promise i'll behave."

i will say this.  that trip to foote's new emergency room proved once again that i've got a golden wife.  as if i needed more proof.

watching her walk across the room to help an elderly lady with an injured hand who was struggling to open a bottle of water... watching her love on the baby of a young mom who was waiting for her child to be seen... finally in a room and waking up to the sound of her voice outside my door, thanking the head nurse for the special 4 a.m. tour of the entire new facility (whom she just happened to run into as she was stretching her legs... after sitting in that dang chair for so long).

that's my wife.  no such thing as a stranger or someone unworthy of a little love.

yep... i guess i'll keep her.

peacocking in parma...

ian & emma have been tearing up the stage at western high school this week.  they've been part of the cast of "state fair", an old musical set at the 1937 iowa, you guessed it... state fair. 

ian scored one of the leads... and plays the part of "wayne", a farm boy who becomes enchanted by a showgirl and temporarily diverted from his life-long love waiting for him back home.  there are a lot of students from westwinds in the production... which makes it even more fun.  and ian's girlfriend plays the role of his sister.  kelsey has a lot of songs and does a wonderful job.

the musical is a lot of fun... and the kids all worked very hard; but i must say that ian was the surprise for me.  he's a natural. emma too for that matter.  she knows how to spice up a freshman chorus part better than most i've ever seen.  i'm sure she's got a lot of high school performances ahead of her.  but watching ian on stage for his first production was like watching him climb into his own skin.  he seemed so comfortable.  his character didn't feel forced or contrived.  it was just him.

and his singing was great too.  some of the songs had quite the range... but he nailed the notes, whether low or high.  i was so proud.  i'm not sure he's got acting in his blood like his older sister, but i'd be surprised if the bug hasn't bitten him on some level.  i guess as a parent, we never know how these experiences translate into life.

ian's had quite a spring... and i'm proud of him for hanging in there with all he's had going on.  he's learned some hard lessons about appropriate levels of commitment and life pace. 

maybe he should teach me some of them.

which reminds me of a thought i had a few months back during a time in which things had been a bit strained between me & ian.  we're usually very close.  but it just seemed that i couldn't do anything right... and he couldn't make me happy either.  then i remembered that tension was strangely like what jenn & i experienced during the last semester of her own senior year.  hmmm. 

since then things have been a bit better... or at least we better understand some of the dynamics going on... him wanting to get away from mom & dad... and us wanting to hold on to our baby-in-a-man's body.

shortly after that realization... a thought came to mind while i was driving.  (i wrote it down because i knew i'd forget it if i didn't).  it's actually kind of a prayer.

may i never expect his young heart to carry all the wisdom i've gained through my many years and experiences... ...but may i also remember that he is learning things i have forgotten or have yet to grasp.

our babes...

last night was opening night for 'babes in arms' at msu.

jenn was excited to get a small role in the production since it was being directed by broadway director, greg ganakas... and choreographed by two-time tony nominee, randy skinner.  she loves musical theatre, but hasn't taken dance lessons since "the clippety-clop" in cleveland.  so, getting into the cast at all was a surprise... and guaranteed to be a lot of work.  they've been working on the tap dances for months and months.  and last night it all paid off. 

the show was great fun in that old cheesy musical kind of way!

i've uploaded photos onto the side bar album (but not as many as i did for pygmalion!)

i must admit that i hadn't heard of the musical itself.  i guess that's because it was originally done in the '30's.  but i did recognize a few of the songs from it, like... "blue moon"... "the lady is a tramp"... "the most beautiful girl in the world"... and "johnny one-note".  one more confirmation that i'm older than i'd like to admit.

i was especially amazed with the dancing .  they all were fantastic... if i do say so myself. 

if you're interested... performances continue through april 20th.

of course when you're a theatre major, there's never time to rest.  if you're not in a production, you're working on sets, costumes, and on and on.  and as auditions come up... you're required to try-out.  as this production was about to hit the stage... msu held tryouts for the 3 productions scheduled for the fall. 

jenn was called back for all three... and won the lead in cabaret! 

we're so proud.  not only because she got the lead... again, but even more so because of the way she handled herself in the auditions.  it's a long story.  let's just say mom & dad were proud to see her faith coming through in self-initiated tangible ways.

but jenn isn't the only one we're proud of these days...

both ian and emma will be in their high school's spring musical in a couple weeks.  (april 24-26)  w.h.s. is doing an old musical too, "state fair".  ian is one of the leads (wayne) and emma is in the chorus.  the fact that ian even auditioned kind of shocked us.  we always knew he had it in him, but he's never shown that much interest.  we know he's going to do a fantastic job.  and emma will no doubt add her own special touch... as she always does to everything.

so you can look forward to more proud papa pics very soon!  lucky you!!!

thank you G*D for great kids.

(as always... click on any picture to see it larger)

st. jude jazzed...

a few months back when i told beth i'd take emma to st. jude for her appointment in memphis, i really didn't think through what i was just getting into. 

we got bumped from our 3:16p.m. flight out of detroit. 

okay... i'll admit it... we missed it because i thought the flight was at 3:40 even though i looked at the tickets 2 times. so we checked-in too late to get through security and to the gate at the very end of northwest's huge terminal.  and yes.. i was the one who refused beth's offers to drive us over and drop us off in plenty of time instead of insisting i drive myself and save moolah by parking in the $9 per day "big blue" and take the shuttle to the terminal. 

and yes, i was the one who stayed too long at westwinds and then had to stop by the atm... and the gas station... and grab something to eat on the way instead of buying the higher priced food in the airport terminal. 

okay... i admit it... it was all my fault... and i'm a cheapskate!  i'm sorry!!!!!!!!

anyway... enough groveling.

we ended up on standby for the 5:04 flight.  but when it looked like we were going to be bumped again and be on standby for the 7:04... and possibly bumped to the overbooked 9:04.  well... when that single seat came available for the 5:04... it just made sense that emma should take it. 

she's 15.  she has to get there.  and she can handle it.  she's not afraid.  st. jude will pick her up at the airport and safely deliver her to the memphis grizzly house.  no problem.  she'll be fine.

why does "dad-sense" seem so reasonable at the time? that is until the plane is pulling away from the gate at which point "mom-sense" kicks in... and i suddenly remember that i should have given her some money.  and why does "mom-sense" come packaged in beth's voice which is now clearly ringing in my ears?  or is it "wringing"?

aaaahhhhhh!!!

dads... you already know how the rest of the story goes. 

before i got a chance to make the call home to tell beth that her precious "baby" is taking a plane to memphis by herself... my cell is ringing and it's "you-know-who"... who somehow sensed that something wasn't right in the universe. i considered letting it go to voice mail in order to give myself a minute or two to think through how i'd spin it to sound like it was totally the right thing to do.

but... i hike up my pants... take a deep breath... answer the phone and say... "she'll be fine."

"really... it's okay honey.  she'll be fine.  no... a... i forgot to give her money.  (wince)  it's okay, i told her to call me the moment she lands and i'll stay on the phone until she gets to baggage claim and on the shuttle to st. jude. 

oh... you're right... i'll be in the air when she lands.  a... a... a... i'll leave her a message to call you when she lands.  i'm sorry schnuckums.  i'm sure she'll be fine.  what?... you're never letting me take her anyplace again?  i understand.  no... you're right... you're right.  if she gets kidnapped it will be all my fault.  i know... i'm a terrible dad.  (okay... i only imagined her saying that last part.)

thankfully all went well... she arrived safe and sound to the hotel... and i arrived 2 hours behind her.

enough excitement for one day!

emma's appointments the next day went smoothly... we thank G*D that her tests came back great.  now being 5 years out from treatment... she's placed into the hands of the after-care staff and will only return to memphis once a year.  they'll follow her for another 10 years, but they don't anticipate any problems.  thank you, G*D!  it's amazing to think about all she's been through and how much she's grown over the years since we first walked that scared little 8-year-old through the doors of the hospital.

all glory to G*D.

one of my warren grade school friends who now lives in memphis with his wife.  (ted & robyn gibboney)  we got caught up on each other's families (poor emma!) and they gave us a tour through some parts of memphis we hadn't seen... and we got a glimpse of the motel where m.l.k. jr. was shot.  it's now a museum and i'm thinking it will definitely be on our tour list for our next visit.

it was indeed a good day.  no... it was a great day!

we like great days. 

we like even good ones!

a "relative"-ly wonderful weekend...

emma and i had another road trip yesterday.

a few weeks back, one of my brothers had the idea to see a butler game in indy where our cousin, pete campbell, attends and plays basketball.  and as it turned out... all five brothers decided to jump on the opportunity to absorb a bit of hoosier hysteria.

on top of seeing family on the court... and in the seats... the chance to sit in hinkle fieldhouse made it irresistable.

everyone in indiana is a basketball fan.  it's just part of the requirement.  i'm actually kind of surprised the state song doesn't at least mention basketball.  if you didn't grow up a hoosier... i'm guessing it's hard to comprehend how one sport could serve as glue for a state for so many years.  but it did.

the warren 'lightning five' (i still love that name) packed our little gym back in the days... and no matter how small of a school we were... each year held the door open for the possibility of making it past sectionals to regionals through semi-state and all the way to filling the stands at butler fieldhouse as one of the final four.  the story in the movie 'hoosiers' is real.  if you watch it and look closely... you'll see me and my brothers and my grade school friends.  we weren't in the movie... but we lived it every year in one form or another. 

my dad put up a lighted basketball goal and a little indiana limestone gravel court behind our house where my little brother and i played game after game of 'pig' or 'horse' as kids... where we'd watch our bigger brothers sweat away the summer evenings with their friends.  and then in the winter we'd move into the barn to cut the wind's sting and play on the cement floor where the tractor would normally rest...  the center part that separated the chickens (nesting among the milking area) from the sheep and the hay.

hmmmm.  no wonder my asthma was so bad as a kid.

i tried my hand at 6th-grade basketball... but quickly turned in the towel to the ted's, joe's, mark's and brent's who actually had some talent... or at least more than i did.  although i rarely played after we moved off the farm in 7th grade... there was no escaping the energy of march madness.

so... even though i'd never physically stepped foot onto the court of butler fieldhouse... in my mind i'd clearly heard that familiar squeak coming from my shoes many times as i peered into our little black and white rca to watch the state finals... or was it a zenith?

and when our little school was consolidated... after a tinge of awkwardness... we rallied as the new 'huntington north' hoping to be the ones to make our voices hoarse cheering on our vikings to victory at state finals.  and we did.  become hoarse, that is... but not at the finals.  the men's cheer block at h.n.h.s. was both creative and brutal as i recall.  we hated them when we were warren.  but when our school joined the huntington ranks... after working through some bitterness, we quickly assimilated into the black cauldron spewing venom at our opponents.  resistance was futile.

rah, rah, ree...  ...kick 'em in the knee!
rah, rah, rass... ...kick ''em in the other knee!

our family monopolized a row in the stands where we could look upon the slightly balding heads of our 'campbell' cousins a few rows below.  (i can't figure out how they've retained more hair than the shafers even though we shared a completely bald grandpa!)  like us... they came from the corners of the nation for this day too.  many of my first cousins i hadn't seen in over a decade.  my parents and uncle alan & aunt barbara had kids the same years.  not sure if that meant they attended the same parties or what.  but heading to their house in marion not only meant that we each had a cousin of similar age to play with... it was a guaranteed blast.  let's just say they enjoyed more "permission" that we did.  good times.

after the game, i briefly took emma on a little bus tour of indy.  i showed her the boarding house i lived in a short time...  and drove by 2 of the 3 burger chef's where i was robbed as a manager.  those were the days!

this weekend's game wasn't a nail-biter or anything.  but watching pete play... seeing my brothers... watching my cousins do their crazy campbell cousin thing... sitting in butler ('hinkle' now) fieldhouse... seeing some sights with emma... i definitely have some more great dvd's to play in my head.  i couldn't help but think how much my parents would have enjoyed the day.

and standing center court with my brothers... i realized the warren "lightning five" lives on.

 

crown him...

have i mentioned that i have the best family in the world?

they're all wonderful.  but i must say... ian's been stepping up to the plate quite a bit lately.

i've been telling the kid for centuries that he has a great voice and should use it more.

but he's been content to simply blend-in with the 'select choir' rather than go for any of the solos offered him.  he keeps saying he's waiting for the 'right" song.

maybe so.  a few weeks ago he surprised us all and entered the school's talent show to do a michael buble' number... and did a superb job!  no coaxing... or prodding.  he just did it.  and did it like he'd been doing it for years.  (click this link to see a clip on youtube.)

he's been crazy busy finishing high school... plus taking 'micro-economics' and 'ground school' at the community college in the evening... plus working part-time at spring arbor university's caf.

then the other day he comes to me and says... 'dad, do you think we could start having devotions together again in the mornings?'  (i'm not sure who he thought needed them more... me or him.)

then last week he was nominated by his fellow seniors to the 'snowfest court.'  i've watched his attitude since then and haven't noticed an ounce of nervousness, competitiveness or pride.  he's just been having fun.  all the guys on the court are great... and his buddies... so he's simply happy to be doing it all with his friends.  and that's worth more than any title... in my book.

today beth and i attended a school assembly where they played a little speech from each candidate.  i was proud to hear him mention how important G*D was to him... and that his youth group at westwinds was "the schiz". 

later at the pep assembly, he and alyssa dressed up like luke skywalker & princess leah.  i think ian was more excited about the light saber than anything.  then the whole school voted for who would be their king & queen.

and guess who.

last night... he was crowned the 'snowfest king' of western high.  and his good bud, kinney (last year's king & recent 'sky brother') was there to hand him the scepter.  perfect.

how could i be anything but thankful? 

truth be known... through my papa pride, i hate these things.  i think it sends the exact opposite message we should be giving our kids.  it has... however, led to some good conversation in our home.

on the other side... these things serve as reminders to me of G*D's faithfulness to help our kids through the many transitions and sacrifices they've endured at the decisions of their parents to move them from city to city.

it doesn't take a scepter, crown, or anyone's votes for me to know that each one of our kids are amazing... and that i'm blessed beyond measure.

b-day to last a lifetime... (part 2)

after 'the jump' you'd think the rest of the trip would be a bust.  but it wasn't.

quickly we realized the 4 of us shared a unique bond that would last forever.  we were now 'sky-brothers'... and the next few days would only serve to marinate the experience.

but what do you do after stepping out of a plane at 18,000 ft.?  drive home and watch tv?  nope!  having tapped into my son's dreams for the future... i now drilled for oil in his dreams from the past.

after a quick freshen-up back at our hosts, we headed out for a bite to eat.  but not just any greasy joint would do.  the rental pumpkin took us to 'the pirate dinner adventure' where we met up with his cousin, lindsey, and her fiance, marty.  the tables circling the ship/stage, we jeered as the plot unfolded... cheering on our green pirate in hopes he'd be the one to rescue the captured beautiful maiden and win her hand.  the voyage fare flavors mingled with our childhood fantasies as pirates swung on ropes, tumbled across the deck, and dangled from the mast.

then ian's lifelong dream became a reality when he boarded the ship and was sworn in as a forever pirate.  it was great... even though he was a bit older than the other blokes joining the ship's crew!  he hesitated to go up... but he dared not arrrrrgh-ue with his dad.

it was a great cap to an amazing day.

the next morning, we met up with disney cast members, lindsey & marty, who got us into the park and shall we say enabled us to sustain a magical pace for our fun.  we discovered that kenny had never been to florida... an nba game... or disney.  so it was a double treat to watch him revert to his childhood years.  avoiding most lines, we were able to ride on everything we wanted... get our picture taken with buzz... conquer space mountain and spin the teacups faster than they've ever been spun... with time sparing to head to epcot... do the 'test track' and 'soarin'... and throw down some eggrolls in china.

it was a long day... and our bodies quickly transformed into cement the moment we hit the sheets.

our final 24 found us heading to daytona.  ian & i had an appointment to check out embry-riddle for aviation.  quickly determining it wasn't for us... we beelined to the shore to drive the beach and play away the rest of the day on the sand & waves.  but soon the clock began to strike midnight when we exchanged our chariot for a plane ride home and an airport shuttle that delivered us to corey's cold jeep waiting in the gray-toned winter michigan airport parking garage.

oh well.

the memories live on...

...and hopefully spark dreams of a different kind.

a birthday to last a lifetime... (part 1)

8:30 p.m. - thursday
the moment finally arrives.  after the candle is snuffed, ian opens the card with the skydive certificate.  he wasn't really surprised to see it.  he thought it was a given we'd go this summer.  but he was clueless that we'd be making the jump on his actual birthday in 2 days!

he freaked.

9:00 p.m.
corey's come to spend the night on his way to see some friends in ann arbor the next day... so, he can drive us to the airport.  wow!  what a coincidence!

ian's clueless.

4:45 a.m. - friday
corey, ian & i are scrounging for breakfast before we make the trip east to catch the plane to orlando.  ian's buddy, kenny, walks casually into the kitchen.  ian shifts from groggy to puzzled... almost that "oh-oh" expression... wondering what the heck is going on.  after a couple minutes of awkwardness... the pieces fall together in ian's mind as he connects with the reality that kenny is heading to florida with us. 

he freaks.

5:15 a.m.
packed into corey's car, we pick up joe on the way who happens to be catching a flight to l.a. about the same time.  he's in on the surprise... and the secret about corey coming too is safe until we end the hour trip to detroit metro and park in the garage and all the luggage comes out... including corey's. 

phase 3 of the surprise unfolds without a snag. 

there are few things better in life than surprising your kids.  the best.  the entire trip is filled with mental snapshots of ian's growing realization that he's actually getting to live his dream.

but there's more to come.

11:30 a.m. - orlando
a good friend hooked us up with a phenomenal couple who was willing to put us up for the 4 days.  unbelievable.  (thanks "morey!") the dietmeiers have a beautiful home, love Jesus... and had been matching my posts with their prayers even though we'd never met.  it's humbling to meet people who've prayed for you for a year!  new friends for life.

no sooner had we dropped off our bags, than we hopped back into the hybrid rental... grabbed a quick bite and headed to the game.  my neice & her fiance' had 4 tickets for us to see the magic play the houston rockets!

ian was pumped!

10:00 a.m. - saturday - january 5th - ian's 18th birthday
we arrived in titusville and began signing all the paperwork.  hmmmm.  over 15 pages.  should i be concerned?

all disclaimers read and 'promise not to sue' signed... we wait for the first 'load' to jump.  we were in the second.  the sky wasn't cooperating.  suddenly there was a break and immediately the plane filled... and before we knew it, the clouds were breaking out in parachutes.  but no sooner had they landed than they grounded us for another few hours. 

professional skydivers are a curious lot... not unlike how you might envision a cadre' of surfer dudes.  with the hold-up from the weather... one master said, "gee, if i'd know we were going to have to wait this long to jump, i wouldn't have stopped drinking at sunrise!"  we're pretty sure he was joking.

then after hearing our fill of skydiver war-stories, kenny & i skewered ian & corey in a game of euchre to pass the time.  i'm not sure the waiting made it easier or harder.  it certainly slowed the adrenaline rush to a crawl...  that is until the loud-speaker squawked in the hangar... ordering us to load.

and before we could have 2nd thoughts, our harnesses were tightened beyond comfortable... and we were seated in the plane... climbing to 18,000.

not every place jumps that high.  'skydive spacecenter' offers a 15,000' jump... the highest in florida.  but their 18,000 is the highest tandem jump in the world!  i checked out their ratings and they seemed to know what they were doing.  we weren't disappointed.

having had time to chew with the 'masters', i wasn't anxious in the least.  i got a fortune cookie over the christmas holiday.  we all laughed at the time... but a few of us laughed nervously.  ian had planned to jump first, but they loaded us so that i was last in... and the first to dive.  that also meant i was seated next to the door...  ...the thin... clear... plastic... door.  and as we crawled above the clouds, i could feel my body attempting to prepare itself for something my mind could not anticipate.  'shock' is what i think they call it.  why had i told my tandem master that i loved roller coasters and that i was up for anything he wanted to throw at me???  behind my back i heard them talking... "i thought his harness was supposed to go into the shop to be worked on.  is it safe?"  very funny guys.

reaching 18, the guy doing his 'accelerated free fall' went first... giving me more time to stare at the ground below... through the clouds below.  and before i knew it, we were backing out the door and doing a back flip off the plane... as we plunged toward the terra firma at 120 m.p.h.

free-falling for 90 seconds is a long time.  not at all like a roller-coaster ride or falling.  the only way i can explain it is to say that it was pure sensation overload...  and i loved every second.  (i hardly even noticed the guy on my back... but i'm glad he was there.  hmmm... there's a sermon illustration there someplace i'm sure.)

once the chute opened, the freefall roar quckly shifted to a peaceful, carefree glide in the sky.

we all landed safely... wishing we had the money to go again.  i can easily see why people get hooked on this stuff.  i'll let the video do the talking.  ian got his own... but i'm not allowed to post it until each of his friends have seen it.  his videographer also captured me jumping as they sat inside the plane.  it was all so amazing.

but even better than jumping... was feeling the excitment in my son... sensing that he'd remain above the clouds for much longer than the rest of us.  it was so worth it.

keep dreaming, son. 

G*D created you to dream.  it's his fingerprint inside your mind that invites you to the party.  for your dreams will give you a taste of the world he wants for you... full of life... full of beauty... full of wonder... full of everything he created you to enjoy. 

and never forget that dreams were meant to be lived.

the plane truth...

now that the cat's at least part way out of the bag... i can let some of you in on a little project i've been working on for quite some time.

i guess you could say it all started 2 years ago when jenn turned 18.  we decided to do something special for her birthday... so, she and beth took the train to chicago... stayed in a lavish hotel (for peanuts, thanks to hotwire)... and saw 'wicked'.  the only thing that could have made their time more perfect would have been if i had joined them!  (at least that's my version)

few people know this, but as the curtain lifted there in that chicago theatre... jenn was so happy, she started to cry.  and today she says that experience is when she began to allow her heart to dream of the possibility that she could one day be on-stage too.

dreaming is such an important thing for a person... no matter what their age.  it comes easier for some more than others.  but i think there are certain life stages when it's absolutely essential.  and in my opinion... the senior year is one of them.

anyway... ever since jenn's eighteenth... ian's been dreaming of what we could do for his 18th.

he's been exploring different schools for aviation... and one of those schools is in florida.  we'd heard it was a top of the line place for pilot training... so i decided i'd surprise him and plan a little getaway to orlando for his birthday... and mix in a visit to a school that he had only dreamt of attending.

but actually... that's the cover-up. 

the real thing ian wants to do for his 18th is to go skydiving with his dad.  which is what he's been dreaming about for the last 2 years.  of course... one man's dream may be another man's nightmare!

after his 17th birthday... when i became sick... i'm sure he kind of put the dream on hold.  he'd bring it up every now and then.  but he knew that jumping out of a plane wasn't exactly on his dad's top ten list of things to think about between chemo treatments.  however... secretly i hoped that no matter how things turned out with my health... that i'd be able to have the strength to pull the cord alongside the best son in the world.

and as my strength returned and i waited for the scan results... i determined that skydiving with ian would either be a great way to make a memory (if the results were bad)... or a great way to celebrate (if they were good).

so... tonight we told him that the flight we're boarding tomorrow morning (oops.. this morning!)... is not just taking us for a college visit.  and you would not believe how excited he is.

of course, i, on the other hand am wondering what particular drug is responsible for lowering my defenses and getting me into this mess!

but the surprise isn't over yet. 

in the morning he'll discover that 2 of his friends are joining us on the trip.  he is going to flip out!

so think of us on ian's birthday this saturday around 10 or 11.  that's when we'll be jumping at 18,000 for ian's 18th.  if all goes well.

that's when the dream becomes a reality... and hopefully explodes into a lifetime of allowing God to lift his eyes beyond what seems possible or probable.

oh... and prayers would be greatly appreciated for his old man.