Grad School Bummer

Proverbs 16:9 says “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” (NIV). This morning I am reflecting on this wisdom with a little bit of a sad heart. You see in my human nature, it is sometimes hard to understand when your plan is not His or when He gives you such a strong desire and then changes your path, but that has happened today. The truth of the proverb is real but sometimes that does not make the change in course any less painful.

I have been praying in hopes that I would get accepted to graduate school at USC. After 12 stressful weeks of waiting, the news came last night that I was not accepted. I do not have any further information than is contained in the letter which says not accepted and probably never will. It does come as a bit of a shock after having been invited to orientation, receiving a student number and even receiving some sense from my admissions officer that the decision would be different, but there is not much I can do at this point.

So what’s next? There has always been a “plan B”. Understanding that this was a possibility, I have also applied to the Masters of Organizational Leadership program at Biola University. I am waiting to hear from them now as well with hopes that this is the change in path that the Lord has for me. It would be a blessing to be back at Biola, where I did my undergrad degree and in a program that is led by one of my friends as I do love it there and know that I fully support their mission.

So thank you for your prayers and support. Please keep them up but with a shift in direction. Thanks also in advance for your understanding of me being in a little bit of a funky mood for the next few days while I work through the questioning of why. I am looking forward to seeing what path the Lord has in store next with great trust in Him.

Perks

One of the benefits of having a wonderful wife with a great job is that there are some fantastic perks that go with it.  If you don't know, one of Sandy's jobs is that she is the ticket master for her firm.  She controls a suite at Staples Center (Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Sparks, Avengers, Concerts, etc), court side seats to the Lakers, dugout seats as well as others at Dodger Stadium, two boxes at the Hollywood Bowl, third row seats at the Disney Concert Hall and seats at the Home Depot Center (LA Galaxy aka Beckham, Chivas USA).

Over the years this has meant the opportunity to do some rather fun things.  Groups of friends in a suite for a game or concert, sure.  First choice to buy concert tickets, yep.  But one of the fun things we have gotten to do is the special events for the suite holders/administrators. We've been to a closed Universal Studios, Rod Stewart concert and many, many dinners.  They have all been tremendous blessings and allowed us to do for free what we could never have afforded to do ourselves.

Sandy's run as the ticket master may be coming to a close soon.  We are both sad and glad about this.  Sad that a great perk is coming to and end, glad that she deserves a break from what is probably the most stressful part of her work life.  So it was time to BLOG about it and share a photo from dinner last night.

The dinner was on the floor of the Staples Center.  They boarded over the ice.  Great food and drink.  A chance to shoot some hoops on the Laker's court. A tour of the locker room. Free stuff.   Another great night.  

Teenagers

As of yesterday morning, I became the father of not one, but two teenage girls. Happy birthday to Courtney who turned 13 on September 30th. I am really wondering where the time has gone. Please stop growing up. Love, Dad

Season Ticket Day 2008

From previous posts, you know that we are football people.  Not just football people, Trojan football people.  The Clark family bleeds cardinal.  Every Saturday during the fall you will find us either in front of the TV or in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum watching USC play. We root for our team and whomever is beating UCLA.  You also know that we are very traditional and in this area, tradition is strong.

It starts with season ticket day.  That special day when we arrive home to see the overnight delivery package on our doorstep.  Slowly we rip open the envelope wondering what this years season tickets will look like and where we will be sitting.  This year, we will be sitting in section 14, row 86.  The tickets, well, they look like victory!

When game day arrives, we gear up in our cardinal and gold and load the car.  We head for breakfast at The Pantry in downtown Los Angeles where we dine in a sea of USC football fans.  After breakfast we head to campus, Heritage Hall to be specific.  For my UCLA friends, that's where we keep all of the National Championship and Heisman trophies.  Yes, we need a building for all of them.  We meet my friends, the Freemans at Heritage Hall 2 hours before game time for band warm up and the halftime show run through.  It is moving when the band echos throughout the campus halls as they begin to play "Fight On" and "Conquest."  As the band marches to the alumni quad, we head for the Colesium, the band will catch up and overtake us with the drum cadence pounding.  We follow the band off campus, kicking the lucky flagpole as we go and march ourselves to the stadium.  Once in our seats, we await the bands march to the field and the sound of the "Pre-game Sequence" followed by the "Star Spangled Banner."  The kick-off comes, game on!  When the game is won, we head to the student section for the final band concert, our car and dinner.

We love USC football.  Go Trojans and Fight On!

What a blessing!

It has been an extremely blessed summer for me.  If you have followed my blog, you have watched as for the last five weeks, I have been able to jump around the U.S. doing some fun things.  That is because I am a very blessed man.  I have worked at the First Evangelical Free Church of Fullerton for almost nine years now.  I love my job!  It is of course not without its challenges, but I love getting up and going to work and those whom I work with.  As a matter of fact, I have missed my friends for the last five weeks as I have been on sabbatical.  The church has blessed me with five weeks off in which to rest and refresh.  Thank you to our elders for this wonderful gift.

My sabbatical has consisted of a trip to New York, a week camping and surfing in San Diego, scuba diving in Catalina, taking the GRE, a trip to Las Vegas and time with my family.  There has been a lot of reading, reflecting and just hanging out with friends and family. 

Most of the pictures of my time off are already posted on this blog.  Here is a last couple of pics as I get ready to head back to work.

Dive Buddies

In 2005, I was trying to finish college by any means possible.  Well not really by any means, but when you are down to needing only a few units to graduate you start to get creative.  I found myself needing one unit of P.E.  21 years after graduating high school, taking a PE class seemed pretty silly but what are you going to do?  After some research, I found out that something I have always wanted to do, scuba diving, could get me the unit I needed.  So, off to dive class I went.  Megan, then only 12 years old, also loves the water and I was able to talk her into going along.

Megan is the best dive buddy ever!  In class, we learned how to handle every mis-step you can have when diving.  Megan almost drowned me during buddy breathing regulator passing.  She got hit by a rogue wave and lay floundering in the surf at Laguna.  Her tank came off in Catalina.  We have had a lot of laughs.  Watching her try and get a wetsuit on is pretty hilarious too (sorry Megan, I am laughing at you not with you here).  Believe it or not, they actually gave us certification cards.  We actually did pretty well. Megan being only 12 was amazing!

Now even though we don't get a chance to dive very often, we love to dive. On almost any vacation, you will find us underwater at some point. I have dove Cozumel, Maui, Catalina, Shaw's Cove (Laguna Beach) and my favorite, The Big Island of Hawaii.  We hope next year brings diving in Grand Cayman.

The picture is from this past weekend when Meg and I dove off Catalina Island at "Sea Fan Grotto" and "Dynamite Shack".  The diving was only fair.  We saw lots of kelp, garibaldi, blue banded goby, sea stars and urchins and even a very nice lobster.  We had a lot of fun.  No mis-haps this time.

Yankee Stadium Trip Report

As promised, this is the follow-up post on my trip to New York.

Ken and I arrived in Manhattan on Monday, July 28th at about 9:30pm. Flight delays, a confusing air-train map and switch problems on the E subway train along with Joel having problems getting in from Minneapolis through our plans for dinner at Lombardi’s off a little bit. We checked in, and walked: Times Square, Carnegie Hall, The Russian Tea Room, The Plaza, Broadway, etc., etc., etc.

Once again I sing the praises of my iPhone. With the new Google maps app and subway system app, we found everything easily. We were like a walking Apple commercial, mapping, linking to websites, finding hours of operation, etc. When we wanted historical info, there it was. How late is the Carnegie Deli open, we were on it. BTW, the Carnegie deli is open until 4am in case you find yourself needing cheesecake or a sandwich as big as your head at 2:45am in Manhattan.

We did finally connect with Joel on Monday night at about 11:45pm at the Carnegie Deli. You know the Carnegie Deli, the place where $20 buys you a sandwich big enough to feed an entire country in Africa. No joke here, my brisket sandwich was absolutely the biggest I have ever seen. Don’t ask the waiters the difference between matzo and kreplach, they don’t know and we still don’t know. It’s a fun challenge though watching them try to explain. What better to wash it all down with than a trip into Gray’s Papaya at 2am?

Tuesday found us on the town. Breakfast was pizza at Lombardi’s. Excellent! Lombardi’s is in Little Italy and is recognized as the first pizzeria in America. Their over was first lit in 1905 and has made great pizza ever since. The folks there were great, even inviting us to the kitchen for great photos with the cooking staff and a peek into the oven. We walked to Washington Square, through the village, down Mulberry Street, into Chinatown, to Central Park to the Dakota and Strawberry Fields to see the Imagine memorial. We shot up to the Cathedral of St. John the Devine, started in 1822 and still nowhere nearing completion. One interesting note is that there was more reverence at the John Lennon Imagine site that in the cathedral. Then we jumped on the 4 train and headed to the Bronx.

I could sense the excitement building as we rode closer to the stadium. I remember being in NY a few years before and stepping out onto the subway platform only to be turned away by the driving rain. Not this trip. It was sunny, low 80’s, very humid and hundreds of fans all in Navy or pinstripes exited the train with us. We were steps away from the ballpark. From under the subway platform, you could look to the right and see the future, the glistening new stadium, to the left, the cathedral of baseball, the old Yankee Stadium. All along the exterior of the stadium are businesses that cater to the Yankee faithful. Restaurants, bars, souvenir shops, stretch all in a row for a city block. It is a block long tailgate party without the cars as everyone comes to the stadium on the subway; the Yankee faithful united. I bought peanuts and Cracker Jack. I wanted the whole experience as it was intended when the game was invented. We geared up at a local shop and headed into the stadium.
Walking into the stadium I paused and said to Ken, “we are really here.” It was very surreal. We headed to Monument Park only to be denied by a security guard. We were 10 minutes too late. A major disappointment, but we were still inside Yankee Stadium. We were at the home of all of baseball’s greats and arguably one of the greatest sporting venues ever in the United States. It’s not just about the baseball, since 1923 Yankee Stadium has been the representative arena for all sports in America. Gene Tunney & Joe Louis won heavyweight title boxing matches here. Graziano fought here as well as Sugar Ray Robinson. Muhammad Ali fought Ken Norton to defend the title here. This is also where Knute Rockne gave his “win one for the Gipper speech” in 1929. Three Popes held mass here. The baseball stands out however. It is hard to not think that by being here only for a few moments that you were in the words of one of the great players Lou Gehrig “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

The Yankees lost to the Orioles 7-6 that night. They came from behind with 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th. We all thought they had them. I say “we all” because at Yankee Stadium, all 57,545 people in attendance are rooting for the Yankees. The new greats were all there: Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon perhaps on their way to World Series title number 27 and immortality in the new monument park. When it was all over, I didn’t want to leave. I took some last shots of the scoreboard to freeze it in time. There were some last photos to capture the memory of my first and last trip ever to Yankee Stadium. It was a memory to last a lifetime. We crowded back on the 4 train to Manhattan. We grabbed a slice at Ray’s to end the night after a long walk around to say goodbye to the New York icons; St. Patrick’s, Prometheus, Central Park, Times Square.

On Wednesday, we got a little bit of a late start. We grabbed a bagel at H & H Bagel Company. New Yorkers call it the best bagels in all of New York City. There is some documentation of that on the walls. We shopped a bit and got on the E to JFK. We missed our flight. Oh well. We grabbed another slice, sat, waited and shared our thoughts about the great trip.

Yankee Stadium

I have great respect for tradition. That respect approaches sentimentality on numerous occasions. Next Monday will be one of those occasions. On Monday, July 28th, I will have the opportunity to travel with friends to New York City. These days, folks call it a "man cation". A vacation for the guys without our wives. The reason for this trip; a pilgrimage to the cathedral of baseball, the house that Ruth built, Yankee Stadium. 2008 is the final season for the original stadium. Sadly, at the end of the season the oldest surviving baseball stadium will be torn down to make way for a new ballpark across the street.

I am not a baseball fan per se, but I do love the tradition of baseball and particularly of the Yankee organization. In this stadium, the greats of baseball are immortalized, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Micky Mantle, Yogi Berra Casey Stengle, Roger Maris and the list goes on and on. There is something about Yankee tradition and the stadium that is exciting to me. So more in another post.

I'll be there for the Orioles vs. Yankees on July 29th with my friend Ken Bascom & his son Joel. Good pizza in Little Italy. Maybe a cannoli. Bust mostly baseball with respect for the tradition.

Boston Concert 2008

At some point in life you go from listening to children’s music to grown up music. The change is drastic and immediate. You put away the old, never to be listened to again and the new takes over. For me, that happened when in the early 70’s listening to AM radio, I first heard the band Boston. It was different from anything else I had heard. Incredible dual guitar riffs split by an octave. Great lyrics with incredibly tight harmonies.

In those days you could by a “45” at the record store for $1 including tax. You’d get two songs; one a hit and one more obscure. My first “45” was of Boston’s song Don’t Look Back the “B side” was the song Party. I brought it home and put it on my record player, closed the door to my room and played it over and over until it was worn out. I would sing along with the great Brad Delp and played air guitar with the genius behind Boston, Tom Scholz. Later, I would even learn to play drums and would always play along.

As I got older 45’s would turn to into albums, albums to eight-tracks, eight-tracks to cassettes, and cassettes to CD’s. Finally, the CD’s have been imported to iTunes and then synced with my iPod and iPhone. Boston is one of the few bands of which I bothered to convert my old stuff into each new music format. I have every “album”. By the very nature of the digital music age, Boston is with me everywhere I go.

As I got older and had the means to go to concerts, I went to see Boston every time they were in Southern California. Places like The Forum, The Greek Theater, The Universal Amphitheater, The Pond and The Pacific Amphitheater were always sold out when Boston came to town. Tom would casually walk onto the stage in his shorts, tank top and knee brace looking like a roadie, pick up a guitar (a Gibson, Les Paul, Gold Top) and start playing the Star Spangled Banner. The show had begun. With everyone already on their feet they would remain there for the next two-plus hours. A confession, on one tour, the band played 3 nights in a row, sold out in three different venues in So Cal, I was at each of three nights. It was awesome. I even got to start taking my kids to see them passing my love of the music on to Megan and Courtney. They rocked along with me. Megan’s favorite song is Peace of Mind; Courtney’s is More Than a Feeling.

Last year when Brad Delp passed away, Boston lost their lead singer. I thought the band was over. Certainly over the years the albums have been sparse. They’ve only put out six albums since 1975. Brads death seemed a final curtain call. Then news that Tom had chosen two new singers and the band would be on the road in the summer of 2008. Of course I would be there. Then a friend of mine, Brian Mayes called. Brian is a PR guy in Nashville. He remembered my love of Boston and said hey, I represent the new lead singer (Michael Sweet) so when they come on tour, you’ve got tickets and I’ll get you in to meet the band. What? I thought they were done, now I had an opportunity to see my favorite band again and meet them backstage. Incredible!

Last night was the night. July 3, 2008, location Del Mar, California. Megan and I were there in row eleven (great seats). Free tickets provided by the lead singer of Boston and backstage passes. We even sat with the Scholz family and we stood for the band and sang along with every song. Thanks to Brian and Michael for making this happen. The concert was great. As a matter of fact, it was better than ever. There is new energy in the band. They played all the favorites as they always do. Kimberly Dahme sand lead on Hitch a Ride, which I have never heard in concert before. When the last bow was taken, we headed backstage for drinks and photos.

The pictures tell the rest of the story. We got to meet each band member and get photos with most. The band was as gracious and friendly as I could hope which endears them even more. We’ll be there next time.

DCA June 2008

It has been a while since I have posted.  It has just been very busy.  This past week I was on vacation.  I guess we now have to call it a "staycation" thanks to a recent Orange County Register article.  I got to have some fun with the girls at Disney's California Adventure.  We went to ride the new Toy Story Midway Mania Ride.  A 4D virtual game ride based on midway games (popping ballons, ring toss, etc.  all with Toy Story characters.  Pretty fun.  It was extremely hot that day but we had a great time.  

Courtney the Athelete

Courtney is my youngest daughter. They say that your children often take after one parent more than the other and if that it so, Courtney is more like me. Somehow my competitive nature has been passed down to her. Since we share a love of volleyball and football, this is a great thing. You've seen in previous posts that we are a volleyball family. The fall is filled with both girls playing at their respective schools. The winter and spring is filled with club volleyball all over southern California. Summer is camps, tryouts and school practices leading to another year long cycle. This year Courtney has developed so much. She has always been a strong player but she is becoming a star athlete and a leader wherever she plays. This season she has switched to setter and still plays outside hitter occasionally depending on which offense they run. She sets, well, hits strong, and who knew but that age 12 she has developed an awesome jump serve! So here's to Courtney the Athlete! I am a very proud dad!

Pastor, Mentor & Friend

I don't know exactly when I met Joe Davis. I think it was when I became a part of the Next Step committee at Ev. Free Fullerton in about 1997 or 1998. In 1999 he became my boss when I transitioned from the secular workplace into full-time vocational ministry. More than a boss could ever be, Joe became my pastor. He began to teach and shepherd me always believing in me and allowing me to lead. He encouraged me to continue in my studies at Biola. He became my mentor in regard to all things about business but particularly in areas of non-profit organizations. He promoted me. He taught me and shared his heart and love for what the Bible says about money, stewardship and possessions. Then at the end of his career, he stepped aside and recommended me as his replacement. My relationship with Joe has always been a joy! It has been more like two friends with shared passions working towards common goals. Our love of the Lord and how we can help people grow closer to him unites us. I don't know what I've done to earn his respect or trust but I appreciate it greatly. Joe has finished well and this is my salute to him. Congratulations and Happy Retirement!

Easter Dresses 2008

Every year the cry calls out from Megan and Courtney; "Dad, it's almost Easter, when can we go shopping for new Easter dresses?" It's a fun family tradition that everyone gets something new to wear to church on Easter Sunday. Here are this years selections by Megan and Courtney. I got a new tie!

It is Finished!!!

The playground is now finished. What a fun project to get the privilege to work on! Since I'd shown you the preview, here is a couple of photos from opening day. Enjoy!

Work Is Exciting

My role as the business administrator at Ev. Free is always exciting and challenging. Whether it is working hard on the budget or a financial seminar or getting to put my fingerprint on the church campus, there is always something fun going on.

In the 8 years of my being on staff there have been a lot of joys; remodel of our youth building and chapel, building of a massive parking structure, just to name a few. But none has brought as much fun and excitement to me as getting to design and see built a new playground for the children and young families of our church. As I am writing this BLOG, it is rising from the dirt and will be completed in about three more weeks. Here is a photo of what it will look like.

I can't wait for opening day to see the smiling faces as the kids come running through the gates! There are weekly video updates on the church website so check them out at http://www.evfreefullerton.com/

Oscars 2008 - Film versus Movie

I love going to the movies but I have a problem. One of my theories is that there are two classifications for this form of entertainment: movie, and film. It is often hard to define and it is very subjective to the whim of this writer. Message plays a huge part. Cultural significance plays another. Whether or not the movie makes you think or just entertains you is a qualifier as well. Perhaps I should develop a matrix to help me decide. As an example: Schindler's List is a film. You've Got Mail is a movie.

Having just watched the 2008 Academy Awards with our friends (an annual tradition). Here are my selected classifications for the movies I saw that were nominated for best picture:

• There Will Be Blood - Film (based on message)

• No Country for Old Men - Movie (just an shoot 'em up guys movie)

• Atonement - Film (based on message and production quality)

Chime in and let me know your thoughts. Like to know what I think about a particular movie/film just post and I'll let you know.

Getting Older & Not Liking It!

The heading for this rant is exactly what I hope to communicate in this BLOG. I am getting older and I am not liking it! Not only that, but my children are getting older and I am not liking that either! Maybe even less!

I have realized more and more lately how unprepared I am for my children being teenagers. I have had years to prepare for this time and have even enjoyed watching them grow and mature into the beautiful young women they are becoming, but that does not make it any easier nor do I like it any more. Not to mention that I am a dad of two beautiful young ladies which adds additional anxiety. I am very proud of them and what they are becoming but it is all happening too fast and I long for the days when they were daddy's little girls who needed me and whom I could hold tight and make things better (for both of us).

So what has changed all of a sudden that has brought this realization? The photo to the right. Megan's first high school dance. A disco dance, which makes this Abba fan feel even older as I realize that her school's oldies dance is now music from my generation. Sure, she just went with friends and she is a great kid who is making good decisions but I think this is the first step in this dad's realization that more and more he will have to let go of his little girls. Did I mention that I just don't like it?

The Green's

Sandy and I have come to love spending time with our friends the Green's. Funny how God works things out sometimes. I met Richard 8 years ago when he was a volunteer helping me learn everything I could about carpet and flooring. Six years later...Leslie became my assistant. Somewhere in that time, they became some of our closest friends. If there is fun to be had, we are usually with them. We have had many parties together including celebrating anniversaries, birthdays and graduations. The last few New Years Eves have been together. We love music and have seen Jimmy Buffet, Norah Jones, Hugh Masekela & Rod Stewart together. There is always great food when we are together. We love movies and will dance the night away when challenged by Leslie. Most of all, we just love to hang out and be with them and be ourselves with them.

The photo is a little outdated but is from a once in a lifetime experience; dinner at the exclusive Club 33 in Disneyland. A fantastic evening. So this post honors our friends Rich & Leslie. Our next BIG event with them will be a trip to Hawaii in October. Since I love Hawaii, there is a photo of that as well taken during the Queen Liliuokalani Outrigger Canoe Races in 2006. Aloha!

Club Volleyball 2008

From November through June, our lives revolve around one thing: volleyball. Club volleyball, and to be more precise the Smack Volleyball Club. Megan plays on the 15's black team while Courtney is playing on the 14's black team and sometimes fills in on the 15's blue team. Megan is a middle blocker and Courtney is a setter and outside hitter. Club volleyball means practice multiple nights a week and a couple of tournaments a month. This past weekend Courtney's team placed third in their tournament playing at the 15's level. Megan won their tournament going undefeated and winning in 6 straight games. Both girls did great! Megan wins this weeks MVP award for scoring 7 straight service points in the final game and 3 kills in a row. Mom and dad were exhausted after having to pick Megan up in Big Bear (from camp) for her games and then driving her all the way back after the tournament. Six hours of driving for the tournament. Boy are we dedicated parents or what?

USC Football

Again this year, we enjoyed a season of great Trojan football. While the season didn't live up to the hype, we still won the Pac 10 championship and the 2008 Rose Bowl.  Who would have thought Stanford would stand in the way of another national championship anyway? What the heck!  We still ended the season as the best team in college football.  

 

Dogsledding in Skagway

One of the highlights of my life happened this year.  While in Skagway, Alaska, my daughter Megan and I went dogsledding.  We lifted off from a heliport in Skagway for a 30 minute flight over some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen.  We landed on a glacier and spent the next hour mushing along the glacier, holding puppies, seeing what life is like for Iditarod racers and having the most exciting experience ever, before another 30 minute flight back to our ship.  

Alaska 2007

This year our family vacation was to Alaska.  We took a 7 night cruise on Royal Caribbean's ship Radiance of the Seas from Vancouver to Anchorage.  Stops were in Ketchikan, Juneau, Icy Straight Point & Skagway.  We took train rides, whale watched, dog sledded, saw totems and eagles.  It was a fantastic time and incredibly beautiful.