A new fence for the front yard...

Thanks to the help of Chris Sexton, Danny K, Ricky Rick, and Jon Halfway I was able to get this sweet fence up before I leave to go to Africa. My wife and Emily Alden also get props for driving to Lowes with a trailer to pick up extra pieces...

I was worried about it looking like "stay away from my stuff" but i think it looks rather pleasant. With Jeff's kids and the new puppy it should prove itself very useful.

The only glitch was when I kinda, ahhmmmm, cut the cable, phone, and Internet line with a chainsaw (while removing a stump out of the line of the fence.) But Jon Gould had one of his employees come over today and hook it back up. Jon Gould has magical powers!!!! I even got the line buried back (if I can only remember next time I am using a chainsaw where I buried it...)

Thanks fellas for the help. Couldn't have done it without you. I finished it up today around 11:15am. No way I could have done it by myself.

Here's some pics of the final project.

view #1
look at that straightness...

from straight on... (yes that is my finger in the top left)

the doggy area...

the view from the front porch...

other direction...

Mr. Gould even assisted my in getting the bannister back up on the porch...

Okay.. that's all for now. It is now time to pack for Africa.

peace,

-J

Well the house is pretty much finished being painted... here are some some pics. I am very pleased with how it came out. As they were finishing up the job i was thinking... "I wonder if the people who built this house over 80 years ago would by happy with what we've done to it. Even with as much work as we've done to it we have tried to keep it true to original form... Anyways, just something cool about living in something that has been shared by many a person.

Here is some shots...
Front of house...

Front porch...

Right side of house... (kinda)
Right side of house... up close...


Left side of house
Left side of house from the back...

back of house... straight shot...

Back of house... side view

Hope the Ramseys like it when they get back in town... :)

peace,

-J

Tanner Update

He is now 9 weeks and 2 days old. He is growing. His ears are standing higher. He is a stud. He also has a white spot on his fur on his right side (left side of picture) that he recieved while walking into the freshly painted cement on the side of our house ;)

Diana and I like him alot. You can tell he misses chasing the kids around the back yard.

peace,

-Jason

A lot happens in a day

Still have to do windows and trim but here is what things look like so far...

front of house...

close-up of front porch...

right side of house...

close-up of right side of house...


left side of house
back of house...

more later,

-J

our house is being painted over the next few days...

a lot of work has gone into this house over the last 6 months... We have torn off siding, replaced siding, replaced trim, replaced some roofing... and now the painting (which we have someone else doing. We thought about getting our friend Nate to do it but we also didn't want to inject business into our relationship... so we decided not to.

I will be posting over the next few days as things progress...


front of house...
back of house... The newer stain at the top is the reddish color...

left side of house...
right side of house (and some of the front)...

more to come tomorrow. They are moving really quickly.

peace,

-J

a healthy blend...

So I was reading a friends blog here and he was talking about how right it felt to have someone else leading worship with him in a given "corporate worship environment". It just got me thinking about how amazing it is to have so much leadership in this area within our church. As a worship leader I have long felt this "uneasiness" regarding worship leading when it comes to one person in the spotlight. That uneasiness is not because I feel it is bad or wrong (leadership is necessary) just because it seems it should be more community oriented. I believe it is impossible for me (or any one person) to have the life experience, relational ability, or giftedness to lead each person in our community more specifically than anyone else in any given moment. We all can lead differently and probably have our own consistent ways of going about it. I am willing to bet communities benefit from a fresh perspective on things. It's also good to help keep pride from jumping up if there is more than one person leading on a consistent basis.

I couldn't imagine our "corporate worship" without any of the folks that are around right now. Each person brings so much to what we do and their hearts for seeing our Church connect with God in those moments are beautiful.

just some thoughts... any others?

-J

Young Tanner....

Well we are now the proud parents of a little baby German Shepherd who we have named - Tanner. We got him last Friday and he is 8 weeks old. He is growing like crazy and it seems like he is getting bigger every day (prolly cause he is.)

For those of you who don't know, I have wanted a German Shepherd since I was a kid (my dad used to raise them when I was younger) and the timing has never been good. My Lab that I had since high school (which my mom wouldn't let me take when I moved out ;) died last year in May an we just bought a house a couple months ago so the timing seemed right (this is true due to a small statement my wife made when we first got married - "we can get a dog when we get a house with a yard" ;)

I have definitely been the one driving the idea of getting one but I think she is falling for him pretty fast. After being around him for 5 seconds you could see why...

So here are some shots of the little stud.

After his first swim in Lake Johnson...

Exhibit 2 of previous mentioned caption...

After a long day... snuggling with Diana (he is moving in on me already)

I am sure there will be many updates here on this subject matter. For the majority of you who bring no concern for this subject... my apologies.

But seriously... He is a stud...

peace and love,

-J

A small hike we took...

While away on our anniversary Diana took me on a tiny hike in her hometown.

Actually ended up at about 6.2 miles of hiking but totally worth it...

Another shot of the view from the top...

For now... good evening.

-J

4 Years!!!!

So today is our 4 year anniversary. Seems like time has flown by. We have so many memories... a few tears, some smiles, and way more laughs. I feel we are living an adventure far greater than I could have written out 4 years ago. Thanks to all of you who have played a role. You probably know who you are (if you don't I hope you'll know someday.)

More appropriately... thanks also to the beautiful girl who has shown me unconditional love, given me hope, and believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. You are a true picture of God's grace in my life. You are the reason I am a helpless romantic and why I hate being away from home. My heart still warms up and feels funny when you walk in a room. I want to love more because of you. Thanks for loving God with all you have... thanks for living what some would call a crazy life... I pray we continue to find love beyond our wildest dreams.

I love you Diana. It is an honor to love you and live life together with you.

-J