Memorial Day Weekend

We spent Memorial Day weekend at Long Beach Washington. A fantastic break and time to see Janice's family as well as let Espn swim in the ocean. That dog had such a fun time jumping all over the surf and waves.

The Golf Membership...

I got it again. I talked Janice into letting me get the golf membership at Canyon Lakes again. However, this year it came with more of a price. It now costs the membership + new patio furniture + her manicure/pedicure on Sunday...This was much easier last year when I was just able to get the membership.

So, tomorrow, I'll be on the greens while she's getting the manny/peddy. Then in the afternoon, we can enjoy drinks on the patio.

More good news...Espn hit her 2nd birthday May 15th. Janice got her a new bed and a new pink collar. I don't know why we can't get more of a cool collar, because the pink just doesn't say coolness when I take her to the park for some dock jumping.

Happy Easter!!! In mass today we were reminded that Good Friday is ALWAYS followed by Easter Sunday! Regardless of who we are, we can now approach His throne with confidence. Jesus' death and resurrection tore the veil from top to bottom and we have the ability to approach the Holy of Holies without fear. While Good Friday has perhaps resembled darkness, fear, loneliness in our lives....we can now receive the light, hope, and joy that comes with knowing Christ and what he has done for us! For in Jesus there is no darkness...NONE.

Our circumstances don't necessarily changed because of this, but our reaction to our circumstances does...we now have someone who is above all things and can help us navigate through all of life's trials...someone we can approach freely, lifting up prayers knowing there is a God who hears and feel the peace that is ours because of His sacrifice for you, me and the entire human race.

He is Risen!

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday. It's a special day, representing the core of our faith, the reason we get up every morning and are able to face the day.

There are moments of life we all face...dark, sad times that make us feel wobbly, uncertain of who we are and what our purpose is. Life takes us down roads we don't understand because we never expected to be there. We question the fairness of what we face, mourn over bad decisions, wonder "why them and not me?" We watch our world crumble around us or those we love. We cry and pray and hear only silence in return. The ground we walk on suddenly feels like shifting sand beneath our feet. Relationships fail and people disappoint us. The valley is deep and the shadows are long. All the while we long for a light and for peace, but it never seems to come. We're always searching, always longing, always wondering. Any room for hope is squelched by the fear that moves through our heart.

Yes....we all go through days like Good Friday, where the only sound that breaks through the silence is the sound of defeat and heartache....darkness settles over us. And all hope is gone.

Almost 9 years

On our great Disneyland trip, we realized that this year will be 9 years of Janice and I being married! Holy Cow! 9 years? What the heck happened? We were just on our honeymoon at Disneyland, and bam, 9 years later we're back visiting some friends on a business trip...When did we grow up? I might as well start telling stories saying, "Back in my day..."

Disneyland in the Rain

Janice had a convention in Los Angeles last weekend, so she had to fly down for the weekend. Naturally, she can't go alone so I went with her. The weekend started off fantastic as we got bumped into First Class. Even the water tastes better. I didn't feel bad at all as I watched all the peasants file by to ride in storage class. :)

It was the LA Times Travel and Tourism Convention in downtown. So, on Saturday and Sunday, she worked and I checked out all the places I'll probably never go, unless I win the Lotto.

It was really nice in Downtown LA and we ate at some great restaurants. We just lived it up.

But on Monday, we decided to hit Disneyland for the DAY!!! It rained like crazy, which was fantastic to keep the lines short. Disneyland must have a conspiracy with the weather because we bought the $138 for tickets, $15 for ponchos, and $40 for hats and we had just walked in the gates...I guess we were trying to recover the economy on our own in one shot.

We got to meet up with two of our fantastic friends from college, Derek - Hailey, and the cutest little girl in the world, Miss Vivian. She met Janice and asked her, "Are you Cinderella?" Then, after a couple hours hugged my leg and said, "I love Mr. Corey..." I have to admit, she is so cute that if she asked me to rob a bank I'd say, "Just a second sweetie, let me get my coat!" It's so great to see Derek and Hailey who'd drive 90 minutes to see us at Disneyland in the rain. Although it rained until they got there, stopped and turned into great weather. But as soon as they left it started raining again! Talk about incredible friends!

We hit all our rides and never waited more than 5 minutes. The walk to a ride was longer than the wait! In fact, at the end of the night, we stayed on Splash Mountain for three trips straight. The girl said, "No one's in line. Want to go again?" After that third time, the Brer Rabbit song kinda gets annoying though...

Dad-hogs Day

Every February 2 is Dad-Hogs Day. My Dad's birthday occurs on this famous day. Not every Dad gets his own holiday. He walks out in the morning and looks out his porch. If he sees his shadow it results in six more weeks of winter. Well, today, He saw it again. I tried to tell him to sleep in, but we must keep with tradition. Happy Birthday Dad! If you're still on dial up, this page may load by your birthday next year!! :)
Speaking of, here's a pic of my Dad when he was in the service and Darren's basic pick from a long time ago who is currently in the service and heading back to Iraq...uncanny. Apparently the looks ran out by the time I got here, so I rely on humor as a defense mechanism.