A shot of each of my children from the weekend! Precious.
Grace,
Brian
Three of My Most Favorite…
Author Brian Aaby
Ahhhhhhhh!
It’s one of those weekends! One I can really say, “ahhhh.”
First, last nights daddy-daughter date with Audrey was a blast. I let her make the choice of restaurant. Giving her several options she wanted, “to go to one that has high tables and high seats.” So she chose Quiznos (she almost went Round Table). Keep in mind, Red Robin, Applebees, Stanfords, etc. were all on the table, but these places didn’t have high tables and chairs! We ate and then went to “the spinny park.” This park (Petrovitsky) has some high-tech equipment (most of which spins, thus the Audrey given-name). Fun times with Audrey, great conversations, good time at the park and okay food!
Today is a hodge-podge day, doing a little of this, a little of that and a little resting in between. Have several things that NEED(ed) to get done by the end of the month (emissions, license tabs, PO Box renewal); a few things that could get done (work out, weeding, bank deposits) and a few things that won’t get done (garage organization, study for next weeks talk), but I’m okay with not getting it all done, that’s why it is an Ahhhh day… I want the relaxation to be mixed with the task direction.
The other Ahhhh-factor is the return of Football! Today, college football is providing the nicest break between the small tasks! Some down time on the couch with Will goes a long way to making a daddy feel pretty relaxed. We’ll see if that carries through the night– I don’t think the Dawgs will win, but man, wouldnt’ that be cool?
So, here’s to the Ahhh!
Grace,
Brian
Looking Forward… Audrey
One of my favorite shots with Audrey!
Several weeks ago I started a blog series entitled, “Looking Forward.” This series will be a semi-regular post. Today, I am posting about my youngest daughter, and middle child, Audrey!
In the next…
…hour I look forward to arriving at home to most likely see her looking out the front window and waving at me. We are going on a daddy-daughter date tonight, just the two of us. I think we’ll grab a bite-to-eat and hit a park (as long as it isn’t raining). I love this special time with my kids, and when I told her today we were doing a date tonight, she quickly ran out of the room to talk to Halle. She proclaimed, “I’m going on a daddy daughter date tonight… and you can’t come.” So… glad to see she’s excited, but we’ll have to work on the tact side! (side note: Halle has something special planned with Mommy tonight).
…day I am excited for the date tonight and some time at home with Audrey (and the family) over the weekend.
…week I can’t wait for Audrey to start her second year of PreSchool. She excelled in her three year old class last year and can’t wait to see her interact, play and make new discoveries this year in “F0-Yee-Old Pre-schoo.”
…month I can’t wait to hear her amazing stories from her PK class. She talks openly about what she did that day and who she played with. I am also excited to see how she transitions into an eventual “home church” (which could take place this month). She was the more courageous one last week as we visited a church. Halle sat with us during church (which was fun, she did great) but Audrey went ahead and attended the class for her age!
…year I am excited to see her develop in so many ways. The four year old year is such a year of growth. She’s taken a big interest in books recently. She is very physical and loves to climb. I can’t wait to see her develop friendships with some kids in her class. In the past she has played with anyone around her very well, but I would anticipate that this year she’ll develop an interest in friendship too, not just a play friend (it’s funny but I see her doing this in the way she treats her dolls, she seems to give them more character now and they are less of a “toy.” It’s fun!).
Father, thank you for our Triple-A. Audrey is so fun, so sweet and a blessing to our family. Thanks for her spiritual interest (talking a lot about heaven right now). Would you guide and direct her steps. May she come to know you and bless you with her very being! Amen!
Grace,
Brian
Tell Me About My Day!
Several years ago Elisabeth and I started a new tradition at Christmas (though it only lasted 2-3 years), it is one I would like to resurrect here on my blog. It’s Aab-libs. Like Mad-Libs, we created a Christmas letter with a fill-in-the-blank style, your-participation-needed, letter. Since we sent them out we can only assume our friends and family had fun with them. Well, here we are in blog-land, where you can now comment back, I can now read your responses… So, here’s Youthmark’s Aab-Lib #1.
Instructions:
1. Type/write out out a list of words that will be used for this Aab-lib (your “blanks” instructions are provided below).
2. Copy the “Aab-Lib” below into a word/pages doc and replace the blank with your pre-set words.
3. Copy and paste your now completed “Aab-Lib” into the comments on this blog for all others to enjoy.
4. No cheating and changing things to make the story better. Also, don’t cuss or write bad stuff.
5. The one that I like the most gets the prize.
The Blanks
1. Time of Day
2. past tense verb
3. Adjective or Noun
4. Food
5. Beverage
6. Noun
7. A city
8. Mode of transportation
9. A number
10. A Name
11. Noun
12. A dollar amount
13. A place of business
14. A beverage
15. Noun
16. A Meat
17. something you grow
18. A household object
19. Adjective
20. Salutation
The Aab-Lib “Brian’s Day”
This morning I woke up at _________. As soon as I ____________ out of bed I exclaimed, “_________ is it good to be alive! For breakfast I had ________ and _______. Running a little late, I decided not to kiss the kids goodbye, instead I just gave them a __________. I had a meeting in ______________, so I jumped into my ________ and drove at speeds of ________ mph. I got to the meeting and introduced myself to __________, the person in charge of sales. She took me on a tour of the __________. After the tour we spoke briefly and she told me it would probably cost about ________ to make my event happen there.
After the meeting I went to _________ to get a cup of _______ and to spend some time surfing the __________. Upon returning home I had a quick dinner of ______________ and ____________. Elisabeth and I then drove to an appliance store because we are researching the purchase of a ________.
All-in-all it was a ___________ day.
___________,
Brian
Latest Prayer Requests
I am very thankful for those of you who continue to lift us (the Aabys) and Youthmark up in prayer. We see the things on the horizon, but truly are propelled by the strength of your prayers. Things are moving along nicely, this last week has been extremely productive. I look forward to seeing what happens next; could you lift up these important requests this week?
1. Wednesday I have an important meeting which pertains to a leadership training time.
2. Meetings over the next ten days with several key players in the mission project.
3. Finish production of the mission project literature/brochure.
On the family side: We certainly are looking forward to the beginning of the school year to settle into a routine and to see the churches we are looking at in “school year” mode. Please pray for wisdom and direction for our family.
Thank you once again!
Grace,
Brian
The Gushing Wounds
I have been putting a lot of time into the missions program Youthmark is about to launch. I have been thinking through a lot of memories from trips to the likes of Rockaway Beach, OR; Pine Valley, CA; Unity, OR, Council, ID; Skagway, AK; and many others. These trips have been a hoot and I have learned much from our students. One of the things that stands out, students on a mission are not much different than adults in church. We/they often focus on matters that matter little rather than the matters that matter the most!
All have sinned. People are dying w/o a Savior.
He has provided a way to life eternal, yet people are dying w/o a Savior.
We want behavior change in people we befriend and reach out to, yet people are dying w/o a Savior.
We want people to stop cussing, stop looking at porn, and improve their character… yet w/o Christ they are dying without a Savior.
Read the small print at the bottom
When we approach people to share the greatest love we have we need to look past the sharp edges of his quirky personality, her quick temper, his foul mouth; we must understand that the bridge is out in his or her life. Improving personality, temper and mouth may help a person look better, sound better and appear more civil, but let’s not forget the deep wounds of sin w/o a Savior.
It is my hope/prayer that the students on the missions we provide will be quick to see the soul of a person and not the behavior. It is my hope/prayer that I can live that way now!
Grace,
Brian
Going… going… gone?
This is certainly not a “normal” post on my part. However, we’re desperate! Two years ago one of them caught fire. 18 months ago another one quit. 6 months ago one decided to work whenever it darn well pleased. Then the door stopped working and the front glass recently shattered. Any clue as to what I am talking about?
That’s right, our stove/range is almost dead! We are down to one burner and no oven. It’s time to replace the junker! Anyone who helps us find a fantastic deal on a new (to us) slide in downdraft range is entitled to the fantastic “first meal” from said stove (and we make a great meal!). Seeing as how the summer is almost over (as you can tell outside) we will not be grilling as much, a new stove is needed for survival. So, basically, you can look at it as saving our lives!
Because it is an “island” stove, we do need it to be a downdraft (but we will contemplate duel fuel, though we’d have to install the gas line, so electric is preferred). As I stated above, this is a very strange request, but you never know what networking will do? We have scoured Craigslist for the last two months only to be denied the pleasure of purchasing by not being the first ones in the electric (mail) door.
So, what do you say? Wanna come over for dinner? Now you know the ticket!
Grace,
Brian
death!
The Tube
The television is a pretty phenomenal item. I have a love-hate relationship with TV. Sure, I love it for watching a good game; but I hate commercials. I like being able to to just relax and laugh, but I hate being sucked in for hours on end (this rarely happens). We limit the amount our kids watch because with more than a 30 minute kids show or two we see their attitudes changing. Perhaps I don’t even recognize this in my own life?
With all this being said, I have enjoyed watching some of the Olympics this summer (not very impressed with all the tape-delay of NBC though). And I am looking forward to a couple shows coming back this next TV season. Here is the complete list of the shows I will probably watch this next year:
1. 24 (doesn’t come on until January, but am looking forward to it)*
2. Prison Break (got hooked because 24 wasn’t on).*
3. Survivor (yep, it is still on, season 17 or something!)
4. The Amazing Race
5. The Office… I think I have watched one or two episodes, but the frenzy has gotten me interested and I’ll give it a shot.
Okay, I’m done writing, I think I’ll go watch some TV, afterall, it’s a perfect sunny and 78 degree day!**
Oh and this!***
Grace,
Brian
*Denotes shows I watch w/o Elisabeth (she would want you to know!)
**Denotes a total joke, in case you have no humor.
***Denotes a desire for you to read previous post and help me with some opinions!
Opinions Needed
In just a couple weeks I will be guest speaking at a Parent of Teens Sunday School class. I’m thankful for the opportunity to meet with a great group of eager parents. In preparation I am re-reading Barry St. Clair’s Parent Fuel. The Pastor of this class has eluded to a question asked in the book, “How do we connect with a disconnected generation ?” So much we see teens who have isolated themselves from parents, through media or peers. Conversely, we see parents who have isolated themselves from their teens, thinking they’ve lost the ability to relate with them anymore, or that they just selfishly want to live their lives without interference.
Here is where you come in. Regardless of age, you probably have an opinion; pick one (or a few) of the following questions to answer. I will use some/all of these answers in my presentation.*
1. How do parents connect with their teen? What are the keys?
2. How do parents reconnect if they’ve lost connection for a period of time?
3. How do parents rightly discipline and still retain the relationship?
4. What are the major contributing factors to broken relationships between teen and parent?
5. What do you fear the most for the next generation of teens (those 5-10 right now)?
If you don’t mind, please list your status (students, parent of 3 teens, parent of grown children, etc.) and age (yes, you can be very vague if you’d like…i.e. “Fifties”).
Thanks for your help, I look forward to hearing from you.
Grace,
Brian
*I will not use specific names.
Youthmark Prayer Requests
I am trusting most of my readership is the praying type. I would truly appreciate your ongoing prayer support. From time to time I hope I can remember to write out some specifics for you to be praying. So here goes!
1. Praise God for the Youthmark Fellowship Gathering on Monday night!
2. Pray for the mission brochure to be done in a timely manner so I may begin getting teams/youth groups signed up in the fall of 2008. Pray in advance for those youth groups/leaders too!
3. Pray for two meetings I have coming up in regard to 360ºParenting.
4. Pray for God to open doors and hearts of pastors/boards I will meet with to be receiving towns for the mission project.
5. Pray for our writing. May everything we write about be founded in His Word, guided by His Spirit and bring honor to His name!
Thanks so much for your prayers/praises!
Grace,
Brian
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