charlieDEAN’S Blog

We’re in St. Louis, today (Sunday) and tomorrow (Saturday). We’re hanging out with my family.

8 adults vs. 7 children (ages 5,4,3,3,2,1,5mo.)

Right now I’m sitting in our hotel room trying to get our older boys to sleep, so I can go play some Texas hold ‘em with my dad & brothers.

Tomorrow, (heat index of 105) we’re going to the zoo for the day. It should be a real treat!

PS… My sister-in-law has been asking for “video blog shoutouts,” so until I do another video post, this will have to suffice…

THIS BLOG GOES OUT TO ANDREA & MY NEPHEWS & NIECE.
PEACE OUT! YO!

Good: Finally getting on my bike…I haven’t really gotten to ride very much this summer.
Bad: We decided to go on at 11:15am, saturday morning…I think it was about 95 degrees
Good: We got muddy, really muddy. That’s always a sign that it was a good ride.
Bad: Chris used my spare bike and the rear brake finally crapped out, and the crank fell off.
Bad: I was embarassed by how out-of-shape I was. Hats off to Ganschow…he’s a stud!

Can’t wait to get out some more! Hopefully I’m more disciplined this late summer/fall.

We’re in St. Louis, today (Sunday) and tomorrow (Saturday). We’re hanging out with my family.

8 adults vs. 7 children (ages 5,4,3,3,2,1,5mo.)

Right now I’m sitting in our hotel room trying to get our older boys to sleep, so I can go play some Texas hold ‘em with my dad & brothers.

Tomorrow, (heat index of 105) we’re going to the zoo for the day. It should be a real treat!

PS… My sister-in-law has been asking for “video blog shoutouts,” so until I do another video post, this will have to suffice…

THIS BLOG GOES OUT TO ANDREA & MY NEPHEWS & NIECE.
PEACE OUT! YO!

Good: Finally getting on my bike…I haven’t really gotten to ride very much this summer.
Bad: We decided to go on at 11:15am, saturday morning…I think it was about 95 degrees
Good: We got muddy, really muddy. That’s always a sign that it was a good ride.
Bad: Chris used my spare bike and the rear brake finally crapped out, and the crank fell off.
Bad: I was embarassed by how out-of-shape I was. Hats off to Ganschow…he’s a stud!

Can’t wait to get out some more! Hopefully I’m more disciplined this late summer/fall.

Some stuff regarding Caleb (our oldest). Man is he growing up fast…in four weeks, he starts kindergarten.

Last night he stayed over at a friend’s house for the very first time.
He finished his 1st summer of T-ball
He took swim lessons for the first time
He’s excited that sometime before school starts, we’re going to “skicago” on a train to go to the aquarium.
Converstaion:
Caleb: Daddy, why don’t let me get on your back like Chris & Eric?
Me: I do let you get on my back.
Caleb: No, I mean, why don’t you let me get on your shoulders and run around like Chris & Eric?

ME: Cuz’ you weigh a lot, and you’re dad’s a wuss.
Me: Do you think Chris & Eric are cool because they let you ride on their shoulders?
Caleb: YEAH!
We took the training wheels off his bike this summer.
Seemingly overnight he learned to actually swim (before it was mostly doggy-paddling).
He told us he had a dream, and in his dream, I shot him. (and we don’t even let him watch violent movies!)

Anyway, I was looking through some old picture, and while I know this sounds cliche, I can’t believe how fast he’s growing up!

Some stuff regarding Caleb (our oldest). Man is he growing up fast…in four weeks, he starts kindergarten.

Last night he stayed over at a friend’s house for the very first time.
He finished his 1st summer of T-ball
He took swim lessons for the first time
He’s excited that sometime before school starts, we’re going to “skicago” on a train to go to the aquarium.
Converstaion:
Caleb: Daddy, why don’t let me get on your back like Chris & Eric?
Me: I do let you get on my back.
Caleb: No, I mean, why don’t you let me get on your shoulders and run around like Chris & Eric?

ME: Cuz’ you weigh a lot, and you’re dad’s a wuss.
Me: Do you think Chris & Eric are cool because they let you ride on their shoulders?
Caleb: YEAH!
We took the training wheels off his bike this summer.
Seemingly overnight he learned to actually swim (before it was mostly doggy-paddling).
He told us he had a dream, and in his dream, I shot him. (and we don’t even let him watch violent movies!)

Anyway, I was looking through some old picture, and while I know this sounds cliche, I can’t believe how fast he’s growing up!

First, I had a pretty full day (it was a good day, but full).

Oil change @ 8am
In the office by 8:45
Premarital Counseling @ 11:00-12:15
Lunch with JR @ 12:30-2
Counseling appt. @ 4:00-5:15
Swimming Lessons (the boys, not mine) @ 6:00
New Community @ 6:45

In the middle of all that, returning phone calls, emails, cleaning up my office, etc.

So New Community got over and a bunch of Nexurs were going to Chili’s afterward. I wanted to go so badly. And then Steve Wilmert and the guys from the worship team were going to a movie and asked me to go along, and I really wanted to go.

But I went home. I had seen my wife for 1/2 hour at swim lessons (you follow Caleb, I got Gavin, and I’ll take Jaxon for now) and the only time I saw my kids was at swim lessons. So I went home, and tucked my boys into bed, and told them that I was proud of them at swim lessons. And I tickled Jaxon for a little bit and talked to him (mostly coooing noises), and then watched a movie with my wife.

I’m such a socialite, that it’s hard to go home sometimes — I hate missing out on the fun, but I also miss my family when many days I leave the house before seven, when no one is up, and sometimes don’t come home until after five.

Yesterday, I had the privelege of meeting JR Dakin. JR is the new college & young adults pastor at Riverside Community Church. I’m so excited that they’ve filled this position, and JR is the real deal!

It was fun, we have a lot of the same background (former PCSers) and have similar thoughts about ministry. It’s so good to sit down with fellow “ministry types” where you can talk real “heart stuff,” and strategy and philosophy and hopes and dreams…

I’m looking forward to partnering with JR!