Welcome

Who: Rick

What (typing tunes): Brendan James

Where: So Cal

Fluids: Water

Hello all,

As many of you know we have been contemplating, discussing, planning our trip for almost a year now ... actually we did very little planning really. Ready, Fire, Aim is more like it. But in any case we are on the road and beginning our adventure. I was on a pedal (bike ride) today and was reflecting on our adventure thus far and realized I would greatly regret not capturing this year with a few words, a few pictures and a few quips about the "Team" each day. So with that being said I hope you will forgive the journaling of our life in front of you ... I am not good with grammar or spelling ... but oh well .... These moments need to be captured.

My favorite author is Donald Miller. He released a new book last year entitled "A million miles in a thousand years". I read it in the October - November time frame. We had just begun the process of changing the direction of our life and then I read this book. It is my favorite book ... I purchased a bunch and gave them to my very best friends ... If you got left out be nicer to me next year :-). I even gave away my personal highlighted copy. Who got it? I don't remember ... Anyway, Kristen just got me another copy and I started reading last night.

Here is the intro:

If you watched a movie about a guy who wanted a Volvo and worked for years to get it, you wouldn't cry at the end when he drove off the lot, testing the windshield wipers. You wouldn't tell your friends you saw a beautiful movie or go home and put a record on to think about the story you'd seen. The truth is, you wouldn't remember that movie a week later, except you'd feel robbed and want your money back. Nobody cries at the end of a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo.

But we spend years actually living those stories, and expect our lives to feel meaningful. The truth is, if what we choose to do with our lives won't make a story meaningful it won't make a life meaningful either.

Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

And that pretty much says it all for us ... That is why we are involved in Young Life, why we LOVE working at Washington Family Ranch each summer, and why we are on this adventure, this sabbatical, this timeout with our family.

Expect more quotes from Donald Miller :-) and thanks for being part of our story.