Ryan and I greatly enjoy a good flick… and while we haven’t been to the movies since we’ve lived in Maryland… We do pride ourselves on our extensive home DVD collection. We have noticed lately that there are some classic films from all genres that one or both of us has never seen (although we may have seen clips or even quoted these films). In an attempt to rectify this costly error in our film culture-ization process… we are compiling a list of “MUST-SEE FILMS” that we want to view on ”interactive DuhVuhDuh” in the very near future.

We would greatly appreciate your help in this effort. Please take a moment to review the list below… and then throw out some suggestions and recommendations to ADD to our GROWING LIST of CLASSIC FILMS that we’ve gotta see ASAP:

.: Animal House
.: The Godfather II and III
.: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
.: Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
.: McLintock
.: The Quiet Man
.: North By Northwest
.: Rear Window
.: A Streetcar Named Desire
.: The Bridge on the River Kwai
.: Red River
.: Casablanca
.: Patton
.: Life of Brian (Monte Python)
.: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
.: Dead Poets Society
.: Breakfast at Tiffany’s

As you can see we have a pretty well-rounded start… but we still need your help. Please post your thoughts (as a comment) on the films that you think are MISSING from our list.

THANKS!!!

We may live 1,455 miles (and roughly 22 hours, 47 minutes) away from Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium… but we will be catching a majority of our Oklahoma Sooners football games on the tube in 2007. We made a wise family decision today and purchased the ESPN GamePlan for College Football. Yahoo Billy!

Here is a quick-link to the schedule for your 2007 Oklahoma Sooners.

PRESS ON… and… BOOMER SOONERS!!!

-Weav

The following is a pictoral documentary of playtime with a thirteen month-old human named Ryland. These pictures were taken over the span of 15 minutes.  Only one camera was used. The photographer did interact with the subject… but only when necessary to prevent injury, distress, and for normal mother-son play. No Ryland’s were harmed in the making of this documentary.

The Subject

A Rare Sighting… The Ryland Wearing a Hat 

Refusing To Look At The Camera

The Ryland Becomes Curious About the Camera

Playing the Yell Game
(A game that features note duration, pitch change, and the “word” Ahhhh….
 can be played with 1-2 opponents)

Getting Tickled… Showing off Four of His Eight Teeth… and Clean Nostrils!

Taking a Break to Lean on the Mother

The Ryland Grabs His Favorite Book.

“Reading” is One of The Ryland’s Favorite Playtime Activities. He can sit and “read” books for double digit numbers of minutes. He loves to bring books to his parents… so they will read to him. He sits and listens as they read. After finishing he takes the book and prentends to read the book himself. Often he will then bring another book to be read or hand the same book back to the parent to read agian. It is not uncommon for the Ryland to read 5-10 books in one sitting.

Reading In His Head

Reading Out Loud

One of the many tough decisions that we had to make when we made the move to Maryland… was the decision to give away our family pets (Blackaby was Amanda’s black lab puppy who was just too “jumpy” and energetic for us… and Pistol Pete was a stray dog who wandered into our lives about a month after Chico was born while we lived on Oak Street in Bonham). Eddie and Heather Noga were gracious enough to take Blackaby back to their training kennel (Zion Kennels) and we were able to locate a good home for Pistol Pete through our neighbors. So we reluctantly ended our relationships with the little shitzu and the energetic black lab… and simplified our lives a bit for the lengthy drive, intense adjustment period to a new land, and the lease of our greystone. This period of petlessness was not intended to be an extended time… so we decided to get a pet for Ryland after he turned one.

On July twenty-fourth of two-thousand-and-seven (3 days after the BIG UNO) our family traveled to the PetsMart in Salisbury and rescued a 17-week-old calico kitten.

Out of all the kittens (at least 25-30) that were waiting to be rescued… we chose this little calico kitten because she was sitting to the side on the floor patiently and calmly observing all the other crazy kittens run in circles and freak out on one another. I went into the feline melee to rescue her and bring her out to meet Ryland. Amanda promptly named the kitten Landry (named after the great Tom Landry)… and we brought her home. Landry sits just as calmly with him as she did with those little kittens when Chico wants to try his best to pet her “softly”. He loves chasing her. Even today Ryland was in his room playing with his toys and “reading” his books by himself when he started to cry a little bit. I left the kitchen (where I was making an attempt at being a good husband by cooking dinner… snicker if you will… but those tacos were gooooood) to check on him. Just as I was about to walk into his room, Landry ran in ahead of me. Immediately Rylz stopped crying and said… “Yanhyeee”… and just like that Chico has a new best friend.

PRESS ON!!!

-Weav

Amanda, Ryland, and I have now called the Eastern Shore “home” for well-over six months… and we are just now beginning to carve out some time to see a few of the sights and visit a few of the attractions in ”The Bury”.

On the first weekend in July, we had an awesome excuse to check out one of the most well-known local attractions… when one of my students was asked to sing the National Anthem for a Delmarva Shorebirds’ Sunday afternoon home game. Mitchell has also been one of Amanda’s vocal students since “day one” of our relocation to the Eastern Shore.

The Delmarva Shorebirds are the Class A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They play in a charming ballpark (Arthur W. Purdue Stadium) that features lower deck General Admission seating (read: first come, first served) and a hot tub on the third base line (seriously… there’s a hot tub positioned twenty-five to thirty feet from the foul line in the lower deck… and there was even a foul ball that splashed into the tub among the handful of fans who were watching the game from their watery seats… McCovey Cove… EAT YOUR HEART OUT!). The stadium wasn’t over-filled and we were able to sit behind home plate about fifteen rows back in the shade. The stadium food was excellent… and we didn’t quite pay as much for our dawg, coke, pretzel, and ice cream as what we have paid at some MLB games. Sherman the Shorebird (the team’s feathery mascot) was always moving, roaming, and interacting with the fans… and especially the kids. But most importantly… the atmosphere was fun, energetic, and family-oriented.

We were very glad to be able to celebrate Mitchell’s first chance to sing the National Anthem for the Shorebirds… and to celebrate Don Melton’s (Mitchell’s dad and one of our ministry volunteers) birthday among a group of 15-20 friends from Allen Memorial. Mitch sang very well, the game was great (the Shorebirds won in dramatic fashion 7-to-6), Ryland had a great time, and Amanda and I were stoked to find another great place for our family (and student ministry) to visit during the summer.

Another note that is an important one to mention concerning the Shorebirds is their dedicated contribution to our community. They team works hard to be involved in many activities and projects that are ongoing in Salisbury. Our summer Vacation Bible School theme at Allen was sports-related (”GameDay Cental… where heroes are made!” hahhaa!) so our Pastor to Children (Velvie Banister… who is undoubtedly the greatest Kids Pastor that I have known… or worked with) recruited some of the Shorebirds’ players to join with Sherman the Shorebird to make an appearance on the final day of our VBS. The two players who joined Sherman were Chris Vinyard (Infielder/DH from Mesa, Arizona) and Michael Pierce (Catcher from Fresno, CA). The guys did a great job talking to our kids and signing autographs for a couple of hours.

In the weeks following our first visit to see the Shorebirds (and their visit to see us)… I have done a little research on the Salisbury area and its’ connection to baseball history. There have been numerous successful Major League players who have scuttled through the Shorebirds farm over the years… many of whom are contributing on MLB teams today. Here are few names that even an indifferent fan of baseball might recognize: Javier Vazquez, Orlando Cabrera, Michael Barrett, Daniel Cabrera, Brian Roberts, and Erik Bedard (the complete list can be viewed here).

It was also shocking for me to discover that Salisbury has been host to several semi-pro and MiLB (FYI: MiLB stands for “Minor League Baseball”) teams since baseball’s early beginnings. The team that achieved the most notoriety are the Salisbury Indians. The Salisbury Indians team of 1937 (Class D Minor League Baseball) were even recently tagged as the eighth-ranked team among the “100 Greatest Teams in Minor League History” by sportswriters for MiLB.com. Check this article out…

Anywho… we are pleased to be connected to a city that hosts such a prolific history in a game that Amanda and I love… and that our son is quickly learning to love. Here are a few photos from the day…

PRESS ON!!!

-Weav

Rarely does the fan of a last-place-pro-baseball team find himself smiling like Jack Nicholson in Batman and laughing like Pauly Shore in Biodome.

The oppression of losing (and losing, and losing)… and the stress of watching the rooks and newbs struggle… while the rest of baseball is preparing for their annual pennant run… is unmercifully painful.

Is that a whiff of hope, potential, and “Sweet Rangers Redemption” that I smell?

Then something like this happens… and it brings a warmth to the heart of a displaced Rangers fan. Living in the heart of “Oriole Country”… The fact that the Rangers achieved this record is almost (not quite… but almost) overshadowed by WHO they accomplished it against (only the Yankees could have provided more pleasure).

I will be wearing my last-place-Rangers hat a little more proudly… and have been gifted with the proud memories of my Rangers rounding the bases at Camden Yards like the horses on a carousel.

PRESS ON!!!

-Weav

 
1995 Honda Odyssey

Ryan and I have been a one car family for almost 6 months now. We got rid of the Mitsi to eliminate debt. It has been a very enjoyable time in our lives. Having one vehicle has caused us to spend more time together, communicate clearly about our daily plans, and lifted the weight of “the car payment”. However, the time had come for us to get a second car in preparation for Ryan’s increased office hours at the new church building. 

We began praying for God to give us wisdom and the means to purchase a reliable van without going into debt. We had only been praying for 48 hours when Ryan recieved a phone call from Mike Schofield, one of our youth’s parents. In that phone conversation Mike shared that he’d prayed about a price to sell their van for since they’d purchased a new vehicle. The answer Mike received was “give it to the Weavers”. So that is exactly what the Schofield family did.

Ryan and I are extremely thankful for the Schofield family, and completely amazed and thankful for God’s provision. His timing and plan is always perfect. Once again He has proven that His thoughts are not our thoughts… I love His thoughts!

All three of us are enjoying the van. I am glad to have a car with AC and 4 doors again. Ryland likes that his feet aren’t pressed up against the drivers seat. Loading groceries is quite a breeze. Scheduling our days is less complicated. I feel so much safer when Ryan is gone, knowing that I have a mode of transportation. The mom van is great!

Thank You Schofields!

Thank you Abba!

I am so thankful for each one of my family and friends who have been praying for me. Your words of love and encouragement have resonated in my heart.

My doctors appointment yesterday (8/8) provided little new info. Dr. Kirby put me on a different BC and said to come back in 6 weeks to check on the cyst. It should go away on its own, and cause no further problems. I am not in any pain today… hopefully I am done with that.

The Great Physician is our Jehova Rapha.

Love to all of you.

Press On!!!

Manda

Family and Friends…
Amanda and I would like to say “thank you” for your prayers today. At the risk of sounding cliché (which is always a risk that I am not unwilling to make) please continue to pray for the Lord’s wisdom in our hearts as we move forward from here. Your prayers, encouragement, and support are very important to us.

This has been (and still is) a nerve-racking process for us both… but we are thankful that we have received a couple of answers from the doctor’s appointment yesterday and Amanda’s tests this morning.

First… the ultrasound and x-ray revealed that Amanda has what appears to be an ovarian cyst. This is what has been causing Amanda so much pain over the past couple of weeks. Second… our family doctor (Dr. Whittaker) has scheduled Amanda an appointment with a gynecologist (Dr. Kirby) in Ocean City for tomorrow morning at 10:30 am. We should know more about the “plan of attack” after this appointment and we will give updates as we have them.

Again… thanks for your prayers…

PRESS ON!!!

-Weav

Amanda and I were doing a little re-conversation the other nite.

We tend to do this routinely… in order to re-revisit areas where we have been growing, and to re-register things that God has been teaching us, and to re-remember details of moments that should never be forgotten.

Somehow our re-conversation led us back to the memories of life leading up to Ryland’s birth… memories of prayers for our children when Amanda and I were still only children ourselves… memories of teenage dating while dreaming of the day when we would find someone to share our anythings and to entrust our everythings… memories of college busyness and personal loneliness that prepared us for the summer that our parallel paths would intersect and intervolve forever… memories of our pre-child marriage adventures… memories of pre-child pregnant adventures… and memories of our post-child family adventures.

Each memory… each adventure… is a gift for these two parents who have been blessed.

It was an amazing gift to spend my first Father’s Day with my son at his first post-womb-professional-baseball-game. Too bad it wasn’t a T-Rangers game… but I guess the O’s will do!

Another gift on this first Father’s Day was the opportunity to spend the day with an awesome team of AM/SM students and AM/SMvolunteers (here’s a shameless shout-out to DREW, SCHOFIELD, EDEN, and NAT) who sacrificed much to serve at Embrace Brooklyn this summer.

A HAPPY FATHER’S DAY INDEED…

PRESS ON!!!

-Weav