A New Spot

Yesterday the Mrs. and I went and scouted out a new spot to pick agates.  It turned out great!  Here are some of our better finds.  Sorry for the picture quality, as the iPhone camera isn't great.

The Mrs. found this one - the biggest and best one of our exclusion.  Look at those bands!

I found this guy - probably the best one I found all day.  Not as big, but the banding is fantastic. 

A smaller paint.  You can't see it in the picture, but some of the bands have a blueish tint to them. 

There were several more besides these, but these few are the definite gems of the excursion.  I can't wait to go back!

Preschool Problems

Something happened today at my son's preschool that didn't sit well with me, and it's still not settling this evening, almost 12 hours later.

A few weeks ago we received a flyer in Ferg's backpack inviting our family to a preschool picnic after class one day.  All the students were invited to go to the local park with their parent(s), have an outdoor meal, and then play on the playground.  The Mrs. determined to take the day off from work so we could all attend.  Before the event, she told me to ask the teachers if siblings were allowed to come to the picnic too, in which case we would bring Hanburger too if it was OK.

The next time I picked up Ferg from class, I asked his lead teacher if it was OK that Hannah come to the picnic.  She looked at me with a blank stare, as though she had no idea what I was talking about.  "Uh, the picnic?" I said.  "We received a flyer in Jamie's backpack saying that there was a picnic scheduled for this Thursday."

"Oh!" she said, as though the light finally clicked on in her head.  "That's not a school function.  One of the mom's from the class decided to schedule a picnic with the kids, so she sent home the flyer."

"Oh, OK," said I, knowing then that Hannah could go to the picnic too.

Now cut to a week or so ago.  For the past few years my family has hosted a Backyard Bible Club (ByBC) in our home for a week in the summer.  We try to invite as many neighborhood kids as we can to hang out at our house, do some fun stuff, and learn about Jesus.  This year, since Jamie was in preschool, we decided it might be good for him to take some ByBC invitations to school and pass them out to his friends.

This, we thought, would be OK since something of a precedent was set by the mom sending home flyers for the picnic.  But we knew that it would most likely be inappropriate to ask the teachers to insert an invitation into each child's backpack.  So we made sure to stress with the Ferguson that he should pass out the invitations himself to his friends.  We were not asking the school to pass them out - he should pass them out himself.  That way, even though it is a religious event sponsored by a church, the school would not be endorsing it, and it would be completely student-led and initiated.

We planned for Jamie to pass the invitations out earlier this week, but the day he was going to do it he forgot the invitations in the car.  So we had to wait until today, Thursday, which also happens to be his last day of school for the year.  This morning, as I dropped Jamie off at school and put his backpack in his locker, I made sure to point out to him that the invitations were in there, and that when class was over he should pull them out and give them to his friends.  He was all set to do it, and he was excited to do it.

At the time for pickup, I was standing outside the classroom doors, waiting for Jamie to be excused.  The way they excuse the kids from class is to get them all ready (coats on, backpacks on, etc.) and then call them out one by one when their parents arrive to receive them.  I was standing outside the room, looking at all the kids through the window in the doors.  Then I saw Jamie with his backpack.  He looked inside and picked out the invitations, holding them up for one of his co-teachers to see.  He handed them to her, and she looked them, and then handed them off to the lead teacher.  The lead teacher then looked at the invitations, and proceeded to make a phone call to someone, presumably regarding the invitations that Jamie had produced.  After a few second call, the lead teacher handed the invitations back to the co-teacher, who proceeded to come out of the classroom and gave the invitations to me, saying, "He can't pass these out in the classroom, but he can pass them out when the kids have left class."

This was strange, I thought.  Why?  What's the difference?  "Oh well," I thought, "no reason to make a big deal out of it.  I'm sure they will let Jamie out first so he can stand by the door and hand the invitations out to the other kids as they exit the room."

But this was not the case.  Jamie was not the first to be excused.  Nor was he the second, or third, or fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh.  I didn't keep an exact count, but there were at least seven kids to leave the room before him.  By the time he got out of the room and I gave the invitations to him, more than half of the kids in the class had left.

But the bigger problem was that, by this time, he had become so frazzled by all of the drama surrounding the invitations, that he had completely lost all of his gumption for handing them out.  In fact, he refused to do so.  He wanted me to hand them out.

By this time, I was starting to get perturbed - not at Jamie, but at how the whole situation was unfolding.  Here was a kid who was excited to invite his friends to his Backyard Bible Club - of his own volition - and he was being thwarted and discouraged from doing so at every turn.  By the time we left, I was an unhappy pappy.

As I have reflected on the situation throughout the day, I have some questions regarding the situation.

First, was I wrong to assume that my child could independently hand out invitations to something at his house?  I know that some school districts don't allow any children to distribute any literature for any event or reason.  This could clearly not be the case at our school, though, since we were invited to a picnic by a mom from the class.  And more than that, that invitation came in our child's take-home folder.  Why is it OK to invite kids to a picnic via the take-home folder, but it's not OK for a kid to independently (not via the take-home folder) give out invitations to a Backyard Bible Club?  I would submit to you it is that the invitations Jamie was handing out contained four peculiar words: "Bible," "Jesus Christ," and "God."

Second, who did the lead teacher call?  And why did she feel the need to consult the higher ups?  I don't know.  I'd like to assume the best in this situation, but that's getting harder to do the more I think about how all this went down.

Third, why is it OK for Jamie to hand out the invitations outside the classroom but not inside, as the co-teacher told me?  How does a change of 10 feet make it permissible to invite people to a private religious function?

Fourth, how does a father explain this to his child?  This is a particularly tough situation, because Jamie really wanted to pass out the invitations, and he is wondering why his marvelous teachers (really, they are great) wouldn't let him pass out his invitations.  It's a sticky wicket that I'm still working through.  I'm sure we'll end up talking about it for a couple more days.

It would appear that my experience was not peculiar, as a quick internet search reveals several news stories and forums that talk about this same issue.  Take this one, for example, and be sure to read the comments.  It would seem that the majority of those commenting believe that as long as a religious flyer is distributed by the student and not by the school then there's no issue.  Hence the reason we told Jamie that he should be the one distributing the invitations and not giving them to his teachers to stuff into backpacks.

But it was not to be for us.  What a shame.  I feel bad for my son.

Unrelated Things (That Are Somehow Related)

Today was an interesting day.  Most days are, but this one even more so.

Thursday is one of our "school days," which means that Ferguson goes to preschool for two hours and fifteen minutes.  This morning, as we were getting dressed and ready for school, I got a call from the Mrs.  She seemed a little verklempt on the phone, and she quickly explained that one of the students in the special ed. department where she works had passed away suddenly and unexpectedly from what appears to have been a seizure.  The student was not in her class, but was one that she worked closely with on a regular basis.  Knowing that I am a police chaplain for two different local departments, she asked if there was anything I could do to help the family, and I told her I could look into it, but probably wouldn't be able to until some time after noon.  More on that in a minute.

So the kids and I finished getting dressed and we went to school.  After dropping the Ferguson off at his class, Han and I made our way to church for Ladies' Morning Out, where I teach a class of ladies about the names of God.  This week's name that we were studying happened to be Jehovah Rophe - "The Lord My Healer."  A part of my lesson was about the difficult truth that God chooses sometimes not to answer our prayers for healing in the ways that we would like.  Sometimes he allows the ailment or injury to continue and linger on.  While this may be the case, it is also true that whatever God does is for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose.  So if God doesn't answer our prayers for healing, we can take heart that God is doing something good for us.  We may not know what it is just yet, but it is a reality that we must trust.

Also, I told the ladies about how God sometimes heals people through death.  There are some prayers for healing that God does not answer this side of the grave.  Instead, he heals a person by allowing them to die and go to be with him, where there is no sickness, no cancer, no injuries or ailments.  This is the ultimate form of healing, as my friend Al Ahlquist told me one time before he died of pancreatic cancer: "Death is the ultimate form of healing."  It's a difficult truth, but one that we must come to terms with: sometimes God heals through death.

After lunch the Mrs. called and asked what I could do as a police chaplain to see what was going on with the family of her now deceased student.  I've been on a death notification call before and have a bit of experience with some of the processes around how the police and coroner's offices handle sudden deaths.  The Mrs. relayed that the child's father had been in contact with some people at the school and had implied that he could really use some counseling.  I ended up calling the city's police department and getting ahold of the chaplain that was assigned to the case.  He assured me that he would get in contact with the father and talk to him and perhaps even point him to a local church or ministry that could minister to him in this time of need.  I was glad that someone was able to help him, and that it turned out to be the same chaplain he had worked with when it was discovered that his child had died tragically.

The day before all this happened I had told the kids that we would go to the church to practice riding bikes in the parking lot.  We told the Ferguson that we were going to start trying to ride his bike with the training wheels off - a proposition that he wasn't necessarily excited about, but seemed willing to try.  Needless to say, the kids were looking forward to when Mom would return home so we could go bike riding.  The Mrs. returned home from work after an understandably long and heavy day, especially after telling the other students about the tragedy, but she sucked it up and we all piled in the car after loading up the bikes.

We got to the church and immediately had the Ferguson start trying to ride without training wheels.  He had the usual difficulties that kids have doing such a thing, but after a while he got the hang of it.  Pretty soon he was riding long distances like a champ, although he was still a little shaky.  His pride and joy were overflowing as a result of being able to ride his own two-wheeler!  It was a blast to see him get the hang of it, and then to really enjoy the fact that he was able to do what he was doing.  What a privilege for a parent.  We celebrated with supper at a local restaurant.  Below is a a short video record of the process.



In many ways, our day today was a dichotomy between the difficulties of death and the joy of life.  Combine that with the fact that my head was already full of all kinds of thoughts about death, sickness, and healing.  All of the news about death in our day today, combined with seeing the triumph and joy in my child's eyes as he learned to ride his bike presents a stark contrast that can make your head spin.

One family in the city mourns the tragic loss of a seemingly healthy teenage child, while another (mine) celebrates a new experience and triumph in the life of their child.

The Blessing of a Burglary

A couple weeks ago The Mrs. and I both had busy days.  It was a Saturday, and we were both running here and there, doing errands, taking the kids places, grocery shopping, going to church, and so on and so forth.  By the time we were both home, we had both parked our cars outside the garage, assuming that there would be more errands to run later in the day.  As it turned out, neither of us ended up going anywhere for the rest of the day, and neither of us remembered that our cars were parked outside.  We almost always park our cars in the garage, and very seldom leave them outside overnight.  We figure we have a garage so we might as well use it.

The following morning, which was a Sunday, I sped off to church at about 7:30 AM.  The Mrs. came later with the young'ns.  As I met her at church, she said she was "having issues."  What were the issues?  It turns out that, sometime during the previous night, someone had jimmied her car door open and went through some stuff.  They ended up taking a purse-like bag that was on the seat (which, oddly enough, was filled with her Children's Church materials).  But other than that, nothing else appeared to be missing.  We counted our blessings and went on with the day, contacting the police that afternoon just to let them know of the break-in.

At lunch that afternoon, The Mrs. asked me to purchase some 1X8 boards for a craft project she had for her kids at school.  She asked me to cut the boards into one foot sections, which I said was no problem. After lunch, I went to the lumber yard, secured the wood, and took it home.  A quick change of clothes after arriving at home found me out in the garage with the wood set up on my sawhorses.  I went to the shelf that held my circular saw, but noticed something strange: it wasn't there.  Neither was my jig saw. Neither was the case for my cordless drill.  I spun around and looked throughout the rest of the garage.  Huh.  My table-top bandsaw was also missing from its perch.  A quick perusal of the rest of the garage revealed that there was other stuff missing too - a lot of stuff.  In addition to the missing power tools, two of my toolboxes were gone, one containing miscellaneous hand tools, the other containing all of my socket wrenches and sockets, which are probably my most commonly used tools.  Needless to say, the thieves walked away with quite a haul.  Over $500.00 in tools.

After doing all the necessary work with police, and finding out that my homeowner's insurance deductible was more than $1500.00, the words of Matthew Henry came to mind: "Let me be thankful, first, because he never robbed me before; second, because although he took my purse, he did not take my life; third, because although he took what I possessed, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed."

I've used this quote before in some of my sermons.  Now I got to live it out.

As I pondered Henry's words, I began to realize how much of a non-event this robbery was to me.  I really didn't care.  It's not that I enjoyed being robbed, but more that I realize that the stuff that was taken from me is...well, just stuff.  I don't judge the value of my existence by the stuff that I have.

This morning my mom brought up the burglary to me again in conversation.  It wasn't until she mentioned it that I realized I hadn't even thought of the event pretty much since it happened.  I also realized that I'm not really bitter about being robbed, nor do I necessarily miss the stuff that was taken.

It should be noted that this would not have always been my typical reaction.  In the past I most likely would have responded in anger and resentment, wishing to exact vengeance upon those who would dare to steal from me.  This time, I'm just kind of like..."Meh."  What's happening to me?  I suppose one option is that I'm just becoming increasingly cold and calloused as I get older.  The other option, and what I think is actually happening, is that I'm growing in holiness.  God is increasingly growing in me a desire for eternal things, and as a result, I value and desire temporal things less and less.  This is the process of sanctification.

I'm glad I got to have this experience.  In a very real sense, the burglary was a blessing.

Thoughts on Turning 32

Today is my thirty-second birthday, or as I like to put it: I'm thirty-two years closer to the grave.  The Mrs. always gets on my case for putting it this way, presumably because it focuses on death rather than life, which I guess I can understand.  It's interesting to think though, assuming I live to the average male life expectancy - 72 years of age - that I am only four years away from having lived half my life.  Aging adds perspective.  Or as I've heard it put, birthdays are reminders to get busy.

What's it like to be 32?  So far it's a lot like being 31.  In fact, the thirty-second anniversary of the day of my birth has been rather uneventful, and that's fine with me.  I woke up at the usual time and got the young'ns some vittles, then brought the oldest to preschool and dropped the youngest off at her play date.  Then I went home and did some cleaning up around the house.  Went and got the kids and had lunch.  Now they're napping and I'm posting.  Pretty normal.

I was made aware today, however, that the date of my birthday is 10-11-12.  So that's kind of neat.  On the other hand, I also learned that the day of my birth is National Coming Out day, so I guess that's pretty special too.  

As far as the spiritual implications of turning another year older are concerned, I was doing some reading this afternoon and came across Psalm 71.17-18.  Seems like a pretty good prayer for my thirty-second year: "O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.  So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come."

These verses have been increasingly played out in my life up to now in one way or another.  I have definitely learned of the glorious deeds of the Lord, even from my youth.  And so now, with an increasing number of gray hairs, and an ever-increasing experience of the faithfulness of God, I pray that he does not forsake me, and that he might extend my life for the sake of his glory amongst the next generation, particularly my children.

Thinking About Bullying

This video has gone viral, and several of my Facebook friends were posting it in their feed as recently as last night, all with positive comments for the woman in the video.  It got me and The Mrs. thinking about the topic of bullying last night.

The focus on bullying as a social behavior is a more recent trend.  Certainly bullying is not new, nor has it just recently come into existence or into the general knowledge of the public.  Bullying has been around as long as there have been people on earth, and everyone has known about it.  In recent years, however, the topic of bullying has garnered more and more attention in the public realm.  We hear about it on the news, and there are even movies and documentaries being made on the subject.  I think it's safe to say that the level of attention bullying has been given in schools and even in the public square has increased dramatically since I was a kid.  While I was taught to respect others and their differences when I was in elementary school, kids nowadays are going through all kinds of education on bullying and its sometimes devastating results.  Why the shift?  Why has bullying become such a prominent and public issue?

First I think we need to know what a bully is.  The online Merriam Webster's dictionary defines a bully as "A blustering, browbeating person; especially one habitually cruel to those who are weaker."  By this definition, everyone in the United States of America either is, or at least has been, a bully.

Think about it: did you ever make fun of kids when you were a kid?  I certainly did.  I was even "habitually cruel" to some kids.  Maybe you're even a bully now.  Ever experience road rage?  Ever yell at a driver for doing something you think is stupid and then retaining that anger for a while?  Is there a co-worker of yours that is nerdy and weird, and you and other co-workers talk about him or her behind their back?  Do your kids ever irritate you so much that you are irrationally angry with them and give them a punishment they don't really deserve?  If you've answered yes to any of these questions, then you, my friend, are a bully.

But if the definition of a bully is so broad as to encompass all people in the country, and if we all either have been or currently are bullies by definition, then why is there such an intense focus on bullying at the present time?  It can only be that the type of bullying that is being brought into focus through the news media and in schools is something different than what I've just described above.

In one sense, bullying has become an issue that has been brought to the forefront for the simple reason that the way people (children and teenagers in particular) respond to bullying has changed drastically.  Rather than crying, being a loner, or enlisting the help of friends or adults to take a stand against a bully, kids nowadays respond to bullying with measures of their own violence, cutting, or even by taking their own lives.

Furthermore, the things that kids are bullied for nowadays are different from even when I was child (which I like to think wasn't that long ago).  When I was in third grade, I was made fun of quite a bit for wearing a Super Man belt.  I told my dad what had happened, and he told me kids were making fun of my belt because they were jealous of it.  That explanation worked for me at the time, and I wore my Super Man belt with pride.  In my later elementary years I was teased more for my size.  I was larger than most other kids (horizontally and vertically) and they pointed it out to me quite a bit (although not too much, as size does have its advantages!).  And let it be known that I did my own share of teasing as a kid, even on into my teenage years, and the objects of my scorn were those who were different, dirty, weird, or undesirable in some way.  Nowadays kids can not only be bullied for the same things I was bullied for, but also for sexual orientation, weight, race, etc.  The stakes seem to have been raised, and kids (and adults, for that matter) are responding differently.

But while this may be true, and I do agree that bullying is a serious issue worth addressing, there are also some elements of the current conversation around bullying that I think need to be thought out, spoken about, and taught more.

1. Bullying can be a two-way street.  It's perhaps not surprising (at least not to me) that those who are victims of bullying can also become bullies themselves by the way they respond to bullying, and often times their bullying is directed toward those bullies who bullied them (wow, there's a lot of bullies in that sentence).  That is, while I believe it is right and good to stand against bullying, I think we need to have a careful and measured answer for how to respond to bullying.  The proper response to a bully is not to disparage him or her publicly, or to return the bullies actions or words in kind.  I even wonder if the newscaster in the video linked to at the beginning of this post was crossing the line by addressing the issue publicly on television.  Obviously she was using the occasion as a spring-board to launch into a speech about how bullying is serious and detrimental, but at what cost?  Did she become what she was speaking against by calling out the man who bullied her in front of thousands?  Or was it really wise for her husband to post the letter on the man's Facebook page?  I'm not saying she did become a bully by doing these things, but I think it's something worth thinking about.  I just wonder if it wouldn't have been a more effective stand against bullying if she had simply deleted the email as soon as she received it.  If we are teaching kids (or adults) to respond to bullies with scorn, disdain, and general hatred, we are doing a disservice to our children, and are, in fact, teaching them to be bullies.  What we need is a good dose of Matthew 5.21-22 and 38-42 taught to our kids, but let's not hold our collective breath.  If nothing else, I think there needs to be some careful thought about how we respond to bullying.

2. The negative impact of bullying is directly related to the victim's propensity to be bullied.  In other words, bullies only have as much power as is given to them by their victims.  When my dad told me that other kids made fun of my Super Man belt because they were jealous of it, I couldn't have cared less about their derogatory comments toward me and my belt.  I refused to let them bother me about it.  Now, it would be too simplistic to say that we can cure bullying by instructing kids to not take offense at the words and actions of those who wish to do them harm.  There are some bullies that will be relentless in their bullying, even if no acknowledgement is given by the victim.  But I think this is an important point to consider in the conversation: bullies are only as powerful as we allow them be.

3. We need more thorough definitions of terms.  In one sense, the anti-bullying campaigns are somewhat unsettling to me - not because I endorse bullying, but because I'm not really sure what bullying is.  As homosexuality and other issues become more culturally acceptable and mainstream it will become increasingly unpopular to oppose them.  As schools and other public forums increasingly embrace a "tolerance" mindset that prohibits any dissension from pro-gay norm for example, will my children be labeled as bullies if they speak out about their belief that homosexuality is wrong (see point number one above)?  In a world where Christian organizations are openly labeled as hate groups for being "anti-gay," is it really a stretch to think that my kids will some day be labeled as bullies for supporting the biblical view of marriage?  Again, something to think about before we jump on the anti-bullying bandwagon.  In a lot of ways, the anti-bullying message sounds a lot like the tolerance nonsense we hear in media and in culture.  This is why we need a better definition of terms before we go about branding people with the bully label.  Who is a bully?  And what must one do to be a bully?  Physically harm someone?  Verbally or emotionally harm someone?  Disagree with someone?

It should be noted that in order for me to watch the video that I linked to at the beginning of this post, the website the video is hosted on popped up a window on my screen that had a survey question on it.  The site wouldn't let me watch the video without looking at the question.  It said this: "I support equality for all.  I believe everyone should be treated equally, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation."  Below the statement there are two options to choose from: either "Agree" or "Disagree."  That's the most loaded question I've ever heard.  I, for one, absolutely agree that everyone should be treated equally, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation.  But I do not agree that "treated equally" means allowing homosexuals to marry.  So I can either agree with the statement or disagree and be labeled a bigot (bully?).  Take your pick. I just hope the current conversation about bullying doesn't go the way of the tolerance insanity that we're currently dealing with in our culture.

So how should we think about and respond to bullying?  I'm certainly not saying I have all the answers, but I am saying it's something we should keep thinking about, as it is a topic that has far-reaching implications - both for me as a person and also as a parent.

The End of a Hard Week

This is always the week that I look forward to least in the whole year.  Why?  Because it's the week my wife goes back to working full time.  She's a teacher, so she gets the summer's off, and I get spoiled by having my help mate around the house full time, taking care of the home and the kids.  It's not only quite a shock when she goes back in the fall, but it's also much more difficult for the both of us to pick up the slack that's left over when she's working full time.

Our financial obligations at this time don't afford us the luxury (and it really is a luxury) of having her stay home with the kids, even though that's what she'd prefer to do.  We bought our house at the climax of the housing market, right before it crashed.  At the time, we got what we considered to be a deal on this house.  Now it's worth a bit more than half of what we paid for it.  We refinanced the mortgage, but it just didn't save us enough money.  So off we go to work.

We've never wanted to put our kids into daycare, so our mothers have graciously picked up some time caring for the kids each week, but that's not an ideal situation.  We want to spend time raising our kids, not have someone else do it - even our mothers.  Don't get me wrong, we're very appreciate of the time, effort, and love they put into our kids, but there's no substitute for being around your own parents.

By the time we all get home from work and play, we're tired, frustrated, and our tempers are short.  Sometimes it seems like the only time I get with my kids is spent yelling at them because I'm tired after work.  To top it all off, our oldest is beginning preschool this year, which is a prospect that is enough to cause young parents to worry.

For now we're looking for ways to make it through this school year while we consider ways that we can at least minimize Betsy's hours at work and increase her time at home.  Whether this means a different job (or preferably no job), we've got some thinking and praying to do.  I've personally been feeling God pull us this way (toward having Betsy stay at home) for more than a year now.  I guess now I just need God to show us how to do it!

God certainly knew what he was doing when he created men and women, and how perfectly they work together when their roles are clearly understood and adhered to.  Things just work better when men can be men, women can be women, dads can be dads, and moms can be moms.  It's the way God designed it, and it works.  Our family is slowly moving toward this picture, but in the mean time, it's tough making it through.

Till then, I'll just appreciate my wife and all she does for our household, and trust in God.

Kids Make Dad Smile

This has been a rough week.  I've been sick and mostly out of commission since Saturday, and this is one of the busiest weeks of my year.  Next week I'll be at camp for almost the whole week, so needless to say, there's lots of work to be done.  I've had to work weird hours so as to not infect my coworkers while still be able to actually get some things done.  I haven't been home much, and I feel continually ill.  Ugh.  Like I said, a rough week.

Cut to tonight.  I get home from my meeting, and I found the following video, made for me by my wife and kids.



I've got a great family.

Florida Trip: Day 3

Today marks our third day in the great state of Florida, and the second day of the Triennial Conference.  Lots of interesting stuff happened today.  Allow me to share a few things.

The day started out with the second session of the Triennial Conference, where Francis Chan once again brought the message.  You can read more about that here.  After his message there were some breakout sessions, and the one I attended was less than good.  Not that there was anything wrong with the topic or the speaker, though.  This has been the case at almost all the conferences I've attended.  The breakout sessions tend to be a little weak.  Usually the topic is something that is way more than one could ever address in the hour or hour and a half that is allotted.  It's just not possible.  Then the speaker spends 20 minutes giving his biographical information, and there's just not enough time to cover what needs to be covered.  You tend to leave a breakout session feeling like you've just scratched the scratch that's on the surface of the topic.  Today's breakout session was no different.

There was an NAB business meeting scheduled for 1:30 today, which I fully intended on attending.  This was not to be, however, as The Mrs. had to take The Hanburger in to urgent care.  On Monday night before we left, we noticed that Han had a loud, painful sounding, seal-like barking cough. She's had this kind of cough two other times in her life, and both instances were confirmed cases of croup.  But since she is a year older, and the cough wasn't that bad, we decided to just go with it.  She seemed fine Tuesday morning and on into Wednesday, still with a cough, however.  Today it got worse, though, and her breathing was starting to be affected.  Short, shallow, wheezy breaths.  So after a bit of looking online and a call back to our insurance provider in Minnesota, we brought her into a local Orlando clinic.  They confirmed an ear infection in her, and the possibility of either croup or pneumonia.  Either way, we caught it early so that it wasn't severe, and a good dose of antibiotics should clear it up, post haste.

Anyway, while The Mrs. and Han were figuring this out, Ferg and I stayed back at the hotel.  Since I couldn't bring him to the two and a half hour long business meeting with me, we decided to hit the pool (bummer!).  Check out the swimming picks here.  So after an afternoon of swimming, and five hours after they left, Han and The Mrs. returned to the hotel with a whole bunch of medicine and groceries (hotel food is crazy expensive!).  Soon after they returned I had to go to the next general session.  You can read more about that session here.


Also included in tonight's session was a brief performance by Mandy Harvey.  My mind was blown by this young lady and her incredible story.  I strongly encourage you to watch this video of Mandy's story, and then prepare to have your own mind blown when you listen to her sing.  She's having a concert tomorrow night that I will not miss.

Tomorrow brings a "free day" where conference attendees can do whatever they like.  This means, much to my chagrin, that we will be going to Disney World.  Why does the notion of my family going to Disney World not excite me?  That's another post for another time.