Engagement Pictures

Sean did some fantastic work! Thank you!

Katy and I had some pictures taken by Sean, "probably one of the best photographers at Target" according to Katy. I'd bet-how someone can have us sit in some random long grass and get as many great shots as he did is why he's so good. (Among the other sweet shots we got)

I guess I'm not sure if I should release these to the public but I don't care-here they are-enjoy them. Life is meant to be enjoyed and shared with, not left on a computer to share at the random right time.

Vote for your favorite! 1-11. Top to bottom.

Dinner Date

Dinner with Uncle Warren last Thursday night.

Finally!

Summer Wedding #1 Dave and Nikki

Katy and I went to Alexandria for Dave and Nikki's wedding on Saturday. It was a long day of driving which got even longer now that my car doesn't have AC now either! Boo for hotness! We got there at 3:30ish, left at 10 and drove about an hour and a half back in sight of lightning and then pouring rain!


There they are! Dave and Nikki Borner


Nick and Becca and Katy and myself hanging out in between the ceremony and the reception.


Chelstrom, Me, Borner, Nick and Josh Tschetter-all former Bethel CC and T&F greats!



Another great BU runner and new graduate, Erik Bostrom. What a guy! He can run and run and run and have fun all while running circles around you in the classroom! He's going to take UMD by storm and become a small town Doc! What a guy!

A Rout... finishes a Celtics Championship!

Here is my best Bill Simmons, the columnist from ESPN, impression.

The Celtics are dominating. They've got a 30 plus point lead right now.

10:06 PM Kevin Garnett has had a very good game despite every time I've seen him play, he's missed a shot or a rebound. To this point, 21 points and 10 rebounds. However, I can't be any happier for this man. Very few are more deserving than him. He is truly doing what his passion is in life.

10:07 PM 84-54 with 2:57 left in the 3rd quarter. Celts with 13 steals in the game-the record is 17. Welp, now 14 with Rondo's theft right there. He's got 6 steals, the last from "the great" Kobe Bryant.

Rondo's favorite player as a kid was Isaiah Thomas.

10:09 PM 2:16 left in the 3rd and Kobe is still whining about getting a little contact on an aimless drive to the hoop. Whatever Kobe-you're a whiner-like MJ.

10:10 PM Havlicek steals the ball! Havlicek steals the ball! NBA Finals MVP in 1974.

10:11 PM Gasol cuts it to 25 with 1:04 to go in the 3rd quarter.

10:12 PM Haha, Kobe got blocked by 380 year old PJ Brown! Then he hits the jumper down court! Ouch Lakers. OUCH!

10:13 PM KG genuinely happy for the guys in the game right now congratulates them on the execution of 3 quarters against the Lakers.

10:16 PM Michelle Tafoya asks Doc Rivers what he tells his team. He responds with "just keep playing." Nothing more true. Unless you get outscored by 30 points in 12 minutes of game play you really should "play." Play like you were just learning how to play. Play like you played in high school or college. Play well, execute but enjoy your "play."

10:19 PM You know when Trevor Ariza gets in the ball game in the 4th quarter Phil Jackson knows something. 30 points is probably too much to come back from, even with Kobe.

10:23 PM 95-65 with 10:23 to go.

10:23 PM 10:04 to go and Ray Ray hits a 3! Sets a record with 19 threes in the finals. Tied with Derek Harper and "Thunder" Dan Majerle.

10:24 PM Where's Kobe? My thoughts, I think that's actually what the crowd is chanting.

10:25 PM Ray Allen out of the University of Connecticut hits another 3!

10:30 PM Sheesh, a KG dunk puts it to 36 points out. Lame. Anti-climactic.

10:33 PM Gosh, Ray Allen again from 3. His 7th of the game.

10:38 PM Pierce waves for the ball...gets it...hits a three. This is becoming a clinic. The Lakers are getting pounded and didn't even want to play this 4th quarter.

10:39 PM Na na na na na na na na hey hey hey, GOOD BYE!!!

10:39 PM With 4:01 to go in the game coach Doc Rivers takes out KG, Pierce and Allen. KG, Pierce and Doc Rivers embrace. That is what sports is all about.

10:41 PM Wow, the Timberwolves traded KG away and now they'll all watch him win this. I bet tomorrow on the air waves KG will get some credit but will still be maligned for the player he "wasn't" or the things he didn't "accomplish" in Minny. (Right, like he was supposed to win a championship with Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell-possibly the best players KG's ever played with? ha. Right Minny press, right.)

10:46 PM Ha, even Brian Scalabrine gets a ring! Good for him.

10:49 PM There's the excamation point! House oop to Tony Allen-129-89 is the score with 1:04 to go. It's now a....KG huge smile...131-89. a 42, now 39 point lead.

10:53 PM Family on the sidelines. When that happens with 30 ticks left in a game you know the game is over. There's the Boston Three Party as Scott Van Pelt would say.

10:54 PM Eddie House, a former 60 point scorer at Arizona State, dripples the basketball out.

10:55 PM THE BOSTON CELTICS ARE NBA CHAMPIONS!

10:56 PM KG jumping around like a kid! A passionate kid! A kid who has worked so very hard for so long! A kid who plays hard 100% of the time.

Wow...shouts Anything is possible! Must have over come some tough stuff to proclaim that! Amazing to see that passion. It's refreshing.
It's for so many people...'Sota as he put it, Chicago, his roots in HS, everywhere.
"Top of the world!"

He looks into the camera and says "I made it ma!"

KG is an NBA Champion. Hugs Bill Russell. Do you see that? A man with 11 championships with the Celtics gives the man who just won his first a fantastic hug.

Gotta close this thing out. I work early tomrorow morning. Ah well! It was worth it documenting this Boston Celtics NBA Championship!

All of the main sports websites...ESPN, CBS, Fox all have KG on their main page.

Celtics vs. Lakers

Ok, here is my short but sweet observation about NBA Basketball.

In game two the Celtics were up by 20 plus late in the third quarter. The Lakers came all the way back to make it a close game in the fourth quarter.

Last night the Lakers were up 35-14 at one point and up big in the third quarter. The Celts worked and worked, played some D while the Lakers were shooting a little bit cooler and losing aggressiveness from Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol.

The Celtics came all the way back to win 97-91. And they came back from 21 or something at halftime.

I know this is the NBA Finals and things should be played more crisply and efficiently than the regular season...

but has everyone forgotten?! Basketball is a game of runs, a game of spurts. Hello!? Any game in the regular season with a team down 20 in the third to win would be a big deal story! Here, because it's the NBA Finals it's the greatest collapse or comeback in history.

Now, since I want the Celtics to win I don't want to discount their comeback but do we not remember that it's basketball!? I go on a 10-2 run and suddenly the lead that was "big" at 16-18 is down to 8-10. And an 8-10 point lead in a basketball game is not that large. Hypothetically, you would, could, should make up a 10 point deficit in just a few minutes of game play.

It seems that analyst and commentators alike are so stunned when something like this happens. Have they not watched basketball? It's completely, fully a game of runs and spurts-like I said before. When was the last game you saw that both teams "traded" baskets and it wasn't until a great defensive stand where the game was won by a late bucket after one defensive stop.

To me, was it an impressive comeback? Yes.

Should it have happened to the Lakers? No. (with plenty more coaching, motivation and strategy talk could happen after that answer.)

Did it completely surprise me that a team with KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce come back with key role players help? Not really!

The key is when will key analysts and commentators realize that basketball is not a game of trading buckets, it's a game of runs and spurts.

Wedding Progress with Reuben!

We met with the harpist tonight, Reuben Correa.

Katy and I were with him for about 40-45 minutes as he wrote down the songs that we chose before playing them all. He played the 4-6 songs for the wedding ceremony and they were done very well! Tonight was the first time I put the music to this marriage and now it makes me look forward to it even more!

Here's what we have:

Prelude- It is Well With My Soul-Traditional Hymn

Sheep May Safely Graze JS Bach

Processional- Bridesmaids—Jesu Joy of Man’s Desire JS Bach

Katy-Canon in D Pachelbel

Unity Candle- Be Thou My Vision

Recessional- Bridal March-Felix Mendelssohn

He apparently grew up in Torrance, California before skipping around the country because he was in the service. He had heard of Bethel from a music ministry that came to California but he didn't go right away. He was the only harp music major there, and probably the only one that's ever graduated as such out of Bethel, and graduated in 1989.


Let's just say I think it'll be very nice!

6.4.08

Thank you for your birthday wishes!

This is what 25 looks like!

Auntie Naomi-Thank you very much for your BDay card! You won out as the first one I got and opened this year!

Grandma D's came with $20 bucks! She must have collected some casino winnings or something! :) Thanks Grandma D!

Umm, immediate family? I haven't gotten anything from you. I guess that's what I get. To me a birthday is mostly just another day. Em, I'm still looking for something for you. ;) Meg, you have an excuse. :) Now, Mom and Dad? I think you just forgot! :)

I had a relaxing day for the most part working until 4pm before going to Panera and Indiana Jones with Katy in the evening.

Movie Review
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was ultimately an entertaining movie. It was well done in the sense they kept it similar to the first three from twenty years ago by giving you places and dates and panning out to a map while they were traveling, letting you know where they were without it being in the script.

One thing I did not like was that it gave off to a sci-fi movie in the last 15 minutes or so. You kind of knew it was going to go that way but, in my opinion, I kept wanting it to stay away from that area.

I never looked at my watch signifying the entertainment value, though the last 15 minutes went by a little slow and predictable.

Mattingly Robert Thibodeau
Also, my prediction of June 4th came true for Mattingly Robert Thibodeau! Welcome, it's about time! Check it out though, I predicted it on May 12th on Megan's blog!

So here are the similarities!

I was born on June 4th and so was Mattingly!

Mattingly's middle name is Robert and so is mine!

He weighed 7 pounds and 14.5 ounces and I was 7 pounds 15 ounces!

Sad News
Though, Katy didn't have some great news to share before dinner and the movie. Her best friend, Ashley, who is in the wedding party lost her dad. He had a couple of troubling incidents with health on Friday and Saturday of last week so they had the hardest decision to make in their lives. Unfortunately we won't have Mr. Marinke at our wedding. :(

However, Ashley, James and her mom will still be able to come and I think James' mom is going to come now too. I guess it's time to just pray for them in their loss.



There is James, Ashley and Katy in June of 2006 in Cali for Chris' wedding.



There is Ashley and Mr. Marinke. To someone new he was so personable, nice, friendly, smart, knowledgeable about the real estate anywhere in CA it seemed and definitely fun as you can see with his dancing! I appreciated chatting with him, Ashley and James on this particular evening while Katy was tied up at times. Keep dancing Mr. Marinke!

Future Playing Itself out in the Present

Katy and I had a bright idea to head to the Minnesota History Center this Sunday for a free day to see what it looks like on a beautiful 80 degree day and gather photo ideas. Here's how they turned out!

Enjoy!



Welcome!


There it is!


Free day at MHS!


I like this picture!


Could this be our thank you post card?


Get a great shot of the Cathedral in the background!


Reflections.


New angle.


Picture us with the wedding party of family on the pillars.


Cathedral again.


It's a plane! We'll be sitting below.


You'll be looking out to the capital.


One of Joel's Ultimate Interests! A speech! With corrections! It was great to read his actual copy! It was Hubert H. Humphrey's Democratic National Convention address in 1948. So interesting to read!


Stair shot.



Umm, this is just one of our favorite places to go eat with Josh and Laura. It's fantastic food!

One Quick Observation/Media Rant

Well, for those of you who do not know I watch the news very often. Whether it is the local stations or the national ones, ESPN news-SportsCenter, or an actual news program I watch some of it.

It comes from middle school and high school where there was nothing else to watch after school so I'd watch the hour and a half to two hours of news in the early evening. Well that formed a habit of watching the news to which I carry now, though I mostly watch it on Paul's TIVO.

With that being said Paul and I have a great time some nights critiquing NBC's national news followed by KARE-11's local news. We have a great time critiquing lighting, clothing, set design, studios, news worthy stories, how stories are produced but especially Mike Pomeranz and Randy Shaver. They're characters.

Finally, here is my point for today.

Celebrities are covered excessively on national and local news. In my approximate 17 minutes of watching the national news programs this morning, NBC's Today Show and CBS' Good Morning America, TWO!, TWO!, TWO! stories were about celebrities! One was about celebrities drinking problems featuring Danny Bonaduce and the other was about how Angelina Jolie will now talk to her dad as not father-daughter but friend to friend.

And the worse part of all of this is now it's on my blog complaining about it! It's pathetic. You know what, I want NEWS covered-significant happenings for a majority of America-should be on these programs, not the latest celebrity drunkard or his sobriety or even a father-daughter or "friend" relationship. That's not news, that's an actual problem that these two people and their families need to tend to, not us as Americans.

So, news directors and producers everywhere take note! Cover the news, cover the significant, cover what will progress society! Oh yeah, and society, turn off your TV's when you get a stupid insignificant story!

I must now go to work or I will be late.

Make it a good day! :)