Florida Vacation 2009

It's been awhile since I've posted to this blog (Facebook is taking over, truth be told). But I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about the vacation we took a couple of weeks ago in Orlando. This was a great vacation and the weather was very nice (70s and sunny everyday - the last day was in the 80s). Some highlights of this trip:

• We spent the first day visiting my Uncle Joe and Aunt Deb in Vero Beach. We play on the beach and in the surf all afternoon and had a wonderful meal that Deb cooked that night. Joe has been very influential in my life - he was the one who first introduced me to Christ and gave the love and encouragement I needed to progress spiritually.
• We spent a few days hanging out at the condo. We swam, sat in hot tubs (Dad), played putt putt, rode bikes, read books, watched movies, and played shuffle board. These down days at the condo are my favorite part of the vacation.
• We did one day at Univeral Studios, Island of Adventure. This is a rollercoaster kind of park. The kids and Sandi love the coasters - I like to eat ice cream and read newspapers. They did get me to go on "The Hulk", and like David Bannester I ended up turning green...
• We did one day at a water park called "Blizzard Beach". This was a perfect day for getting wet as it was in the low 80s. It was a bit crowded, but the kids had a wonderful time.
• The real highlight of this trip was Cirque Du Soleil at Downtown Disney (please do not ask me to pronouce it!). This is something Sandi has wanted to do for a long time, and since she is turning 40 next week I decided this was the year. With some help from my Mom (we both took out Home Equity Loans) we bought tickets for the entire clan. It was truly an amazing experience. Sandi was thrilled and in the end it was worth every penny.

So, there is a little Blaylock vacation update. We are very thankful for the opportunity God has given us to enjoy these types of vacations - they are gifts to be cherished.

Merry Christmas!

The Blaylock family had a great Christmas celebration this past week. The gifts, of course, were wonderful. But we are most thankful for the gift of Christ and for our family. We wish you God's very best this Christmas and in 2009!

Gift to Grandpa - 8 point mount

This past deer season, despite seeing fewer deer, I was blessed to harvest 3 (one spike, one 8 point, and a doe during the late season). After Grant and I decided to mount the 8 point we both thought it would be a great idea to give it as a Christmas present to my Dad (who hunts with us on opening day each year out back - but so far with nothing to show for it).

We glued two pictures on the back of the mount and then Grant wrote the following note:

"Dear Grandpa, Marry Christmas! I hope you like this present. Maby we can get one together next year.

Love, Tom and Grant"

Isn't that just too precious?

Happy Birthday Megan!

Well, believe it or not, we celebrated Megan's 14th birthday the other night. Wow, 14 years old! (Don't tell Megan, but Sandi was 13 when we first called ourselves a "couple".) Thankfully, she is not boy crazy - in fact, I would have to say that she has a good head on her shoulders when it comes to boys. So far, she pretty much avoids them. This is a strategy that I will heartily support for at least the next 8 years...

So, Megan, this is what I want to say to you as you turn 14. (You most likely will not read this for months or years to come, and that's fine.) First, I want you to know that Mom and Dad love you very much. We not only love you (parents have to love their kids, right?) but we like you, we enjoy being around you. I look forward to coming home from work and having an hour or so to visit with you before the other kids get off the bus. One of the things I enjoy most about you is your sense of humor - you make me laugh just about everyday.

Another thing I appreciate about you is your desire to help people. Through TeamKid, the Impact Team, and helping out at Lighthouse you demonstrate this time and time again. We see God growing your heart for him and the people around you - and that makes us smile.

This will be a big year for you - no more Middle School come this September. Soon we will be talking about Drivers Education and college...My prayer is that we can slow down long enough this next year to experience all the blessings God has in store for you and our family. You are our first born and you will be the first child we send out into this world. I believe you will grow up into a godly, intelligent and beautiful woman. You are already well on your way.

Opening Day 2008

Once again my Dad came out for opening day of gun season yesterday. He arrived by 6 a.m. and Grant sat with us out back most of the day. In all I hunted 13 hours yesterday, and we did not see a single deer!

Fortunately I took this spike on the final day of bow season (two days ago) and we at least got to see one deer, albeit already dead and hanging upside down...

I look forward to Dad coming out again next year, and maybe by then we will have a better story to tell.

Impact Team Service Project

Last week we took our Impact Team (a group of students who have committed to serve, pray, and encourage one another's spiritual growth) to Spring Hill Camp in Evart, Michigan to do a service project.

As you can see, we raked leaves all day long. The weather was cold with a mix of rain and snow - mostly rain. I was very proud of these students as they hung in their for over 5 hours of raking in miserable conditions serving God and this ministry.

We also worked hard on memorizing Matthew 28:18 - 20 in which Jesus gives his followers the command to go and make disciples, baptize them, and then teach them to obey all he commanded. This is a great group of kids and my wife and I truly enjoy serving alongside of them.

Grant and the cheerleader!

Here are some pictures that will live on in infamy for our son Grant and his good buddy, Daniel.

Guys, sorry to say it, but you will be seeing these images at every important event for the rest of your lives. Graduation parties, weddings, and yes, even your retirement parties...

We just hope that when we show them at your wedding you are both marrying a girl!

Halloween 2008

Well, here is a photo of our beautiful children! For Halloween this past year Emily was Cleopatra (she was beautiful), Grant was a punk rocker (is this is a vision of the future, may I please be excused?), and Megan was the "5 minute girl" (this means she threw a costume together in 5 minutes and called it good - it's all about the candy when you are 13!).

It was a beautiful night to be out banging doors and demanding free candy! This year Sandi and I sat around a camp fire talking with friends while the kids made the rounds with a few other parents - very nice.

Upland game at Nettie Bay Lodge

Last weekend about 18 guys (several from our church - along with a bunch of friends) headed up to Northern Michgan for some waterfowl and upland game hunting. The weather was perfect and the hunting was pretty good. We hunted grouse, woodcock, duck and goose - and as a group shot a few of each (mostly woodcock and duck). I shot my first grouse - while grouse hunting anyway - and woodcock, and a friend, Ken, also shot his first woodcock and duck (his Dad shot the squirrel over his right shoulder - Ken is not claiming that!)
I always enjoy this trip and next year will most likely bring Grant along. There is something special about spending lots of time outdoors in God's creation - something that both cleanses and expands the soul. The camraderie and excitement of the hunt add elements that make this trip one that I wouldn't want to miss.

Family Bible Study

Last night we drove down to Sandi's Mom's house near Detroit and held our first family Bible Study. This was a very big deal to me because my Mom (third from left, in the front row) came out and because this was a key way God reached out to me over 25 years ago. Back in 1981, when I was 13 years old, our family got together once a week for a very similar Bible Study. In fact, the same guy who lead the studies back then (my Uncle Tom - second from right) also lead this study. Uncle Tom was very influential in my life as a young Christian and has continued to study God's Word with a passion and teach with a lot of energy all these years. Thank God for people like Uncle Tom and Aunt Wanda who have been so solid for so long...

Sandi also had some family members come out - and we were especially happy to have her Aunt Connie join us along with her cousin. We will be inviting others from both sides of the family for our next gathering (November 14). For those of you who are Christians, please pray that God uses this study to bless our families with the good news of Christ and the new life he offers.

Good-bye to Summer!

Wow, I can't believe we are already into mid-October! Our kids have been back in school over a month now, and it has been a whirlwind of activity. But, with the recent heat wave (80 degrees again today) I feel like it's still August and wanted to take one final look back at the summer of 2008.

This picture was taken on the shore of Lake Michigan near Saugatuck at a friend's birthday party. It was a chilly sunset, but very beautiful. Our kids ventured into the big lake for a few minutes that day, but came into the house blue-lipped and shivering in short order. It was one of our final adventures of the summer, and all-in-all last summer deserves a B+ or better.

We spent the first week of summer in Colorado on vacation - which turned out to be one of the best vacations we ever had. Then we did some camping all around the state and spent 5 days at Brown City Camp. Our kids also spent a week at Camp Barakel and we ended the summer with a weekend at Spring Hill Camp in Evart, Michigan.

Our biggest adjustment was Sandi's work schedule...We had less flexibility for travel and spent more time around the house than usual. But with the great weather we had this summer and my travel for work lessened, it all turned out just fine. The good news is that Sandi really likes this new job and that God is providing for us (as he always does) even in this tough Michigan economy.

I am now looking at the autumn colors in our back woods and am ready for fall. The weather should cool off in a few days and that means I will be doing some deer hunting soon...More on that later.

First Day of School

Here is Grant and Emily, getting ready to load the bus for their first day of school. Grant is in 4th, and Emily in 5th. We met their teachers and saw their classrooms last week, and we feel very good about all of that. Sandi and my Mom took the kids clothes shopping and we have all the needed school supplies, so "it's all good"!

I am feeling a little sad to be honest - it's a bittersweet thing. This is Emily's final year of elementary, and after next year they will all be in Middle School and High School. As I stood waiting for the bus this morning I had this flashback of putting Megan on the bus for the first time. Sandi panicked after the bus left and jumped in the car to follow her to school - much to Megan's chagrin. There is no way that could have been 8 years ago!

Time seems like pebble that slowly begins rolling and picks up size and speed as it moves along. I am now at a place in life where I would like to see that pebble slow down just a bit...I am in no hurry to send these kids out into the world as adults, (eventhough I know that is our job as parents).

My prayer is that God helps me to live in the moment more consistently with our kids while they are still young. I tend to get so focused on the project at hand or on future planning that I often miss out on what is taking place all around me. "Help me God to see and appreciate the gifts you have given me today with our family."