Wanna Get Away?

Check your local Community College! It appears that our local community college's across the nation have become travel agencies along with their normal title of learning centers. Our local CC has a wonderful travel catalog with destinations across the globe. You can build a school in Honduras or learn Italian in Italy or just take in the sights and smells on a 10 day tour of China - it's all here right at our local CC. I was very impressed not only on the travel options but on the price of travel. The CC because of their school status get great deals on plane tickets, hotels, and transportation in foreign lands and why wouldn't you check out some alternatives when a plane ticket to a foreign land can run you in excess of a $1,000 us dollars.

In my MBA program we have the opportunity to go to China for 14 days this next spring, however because of the severe price and cost to travel I have decided to take a rain check on this trip. It made me quite frustrated to find that Portland Community College runs a 10 day tour with airfare included at half the cost of my MBA program trip...... again it's always good to look around before booking flights overseas. I am a strong proponent of travel and God has blessed me that I have had the opportunity to see many far away lands from Cuernavaca Mexico to The Highlands in Scotland. One thing I have witnessed in my travels is that we live like kings in the USA and we should be grateful for all that God has given us in our free land. Having clean water, shoes, coats, and three meals a day is much more than a large portion of the globe gets everyday.

So next time you are looking to get away - check out your local CC and you might be pleasantly surprised of the options you have to travel right from your backyard and with people that live where you live.

World Clock

World Clock
Click here


My friend sent me a link to the world clock today and it was intriguing enough that I thought I would publish a little piece about it on our blog. I can't speak for the credibility of the site but the statistics and numbers were very scary. It tells you how many cars are produced, how many barrels of oil, how many abortions, world population, and the list goes on. Some of these statistics are very sad to me - abortions, species extinction, forest cut, military expenditures, etc. etc. The one positive I noticed was that there is more bycycles being produced than cars per minute in the world and that makes me feel pretty good!

This site really brings in the fact that we really need to be pressing into the word and trusting that God has a larger plan than this earth will ever offer. The site is being serviced and produced by a gentleman name "Peter Russell".

Peter Russell is a well educated man hailing from Cambridge in the UK and now sitting as a fellow on the think tank "The Institute of Noetic Sciences". He has some interesting views on life and I can't say that I agree with a whole lot of what he writes about, however it is always good to have perspective.

A brief bio is as follows:
Peter Russell is a fellow of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, of The World Business Academy and of The Findhorn Foundation, and an Honorary Member of The Club of Budapest.

At Cambridge University (UK), he studied mathematics and theoretical physics. Then, as he became increasingly fascinated by the mysteries of the human mind he changed to experimental psychology. Pursuing this interest, he traveled to India to study meditation and eastern philosophy, and on his return took up the first research post ever offered in Britain on the psychology of meditation.

He also has a post-graduate degree in computer science, and conducted there some of the early work on 3-dimensional displays, presaging by some twenty years the advent of virtual reality.

In the mid-seventies Peter Russell joined forces with Tony Buzan and helped teach "Mind Maps" and learning methods to a variety of international organizations and educational institutions.

Since then his corporate programs have focused increasingly on self-development, creativity, stress management, and sustainable environmental practices. Clients have included IBM, Apple, Digital, American Express, Barclays Bank, Swedish Telecom, ICI, Shell Oil and British Petroleum.

His principal interest is the deeper, spiritual significance of the times we are passing through. He has written several books in this area -- The TM Technique, The Upanishads, The Brain Book, The Global Brain Awakens, The Creative Manager, The Consciousness Revolution, Waking Up in Time, and From Science to God.

As one of the more revolutionary futurists Peter Russell has been a keynote speaker at many international conferences, in Europe, Japan and the USA. His multi-image shows and videos, The Global Brain and The White Hole in Time have won praise and prizes from around the world. In 1993 the environmental magazine Buzzworm voted Peter Russell "Eco-Philosopher Extraordinaire" of the year.

The one place on this website that was very interesting to me was the "Life Expectancy Calculator" - click here life expectancy that will tell you your age and life expectancy by filing out a series of questions related to your history and lifestyle. My virtual age was 15.62 years of age and Melissa is 1 years old - even though I am 28 and she just turned 32 in real life? I guess I will grow to be an old man and she will be at my funeral..... I know that God's timing is perfect and I will live my days on earth serving him for as long as he has me here. Hope you find the website interesting.

Cheers,

N

Charity Navigator

This time of year I always start to think about charities and if we have some extra money we can give away. I found a really kool website called Charity Navigator - tis the season for giving! This website is very important because it tells you exactly how much of your donation goes to the cause that they support. Navigator also rates charities by a star system and lists the financials of the organization and how much is spend on administrative costs and executive salaries.

A couple of my personal favorite charities in the Portland Metro are as follows:

Northwest Medical Teams

The Belmont Foundation

Dogs for the Deaf (I actually raised one of these dogs)

Melissa 32nd Birthday!

Yesterday was Melissa's 32nd birthday and we made a day of it! I had class in the morning so Mel made her way over to see her friends over in the Couv for lunch and had a nice time visiting while I was studying. Afternoon came around and we made our way over to the rock gym in Beaverton "Stoneworks". I think it had been over 5 months before I even looked at my harness and rock shoes but we made a go of it!



The gym is perfect and it is a shame that Mel and I don't make it over there more. They have a great bouldering course that wraps around the whole facility and then have multiple selected routes that you can lead climb or use the existing rope system that they have hanging down from the top. Overall we had a great time. About 5 of us where there climbing and bouldering for around 3 hours. The forearms got pretty pumped out in that time and everybody was ready to go.

After climbing for 3 hours we headed back to our house for the real celebration. We had a good size group of 10 people who came over for food and games. Laura and Dwayne brought over the scrabble and card games that where a total hit with everybody. We played "Take Two" "Mafia", and "Nerts". Don't ask me where the name came from, apparently it has been around since the great depression. Melissa and Tamara ruled the winner's circle of the Nerts game until we realized they were cheating! Melissa got two lashes with the wet noodle and we went back to playing by the rules. We have wonderful friends and feel blessed to have so many of them join us for Mel's special day.

Story of Hope

Stop Junk Mail

I don't know about everybody else but Mel and I get about 10lbs of paper advertisements and credit cards offers every week. It drives me nuts and with the amount of paper that accumulates in our home I went out looking for answers and came up with a pretty sweet solution. There is a website call ProQuo http://www.proquo.com/ the website is to help you reduce the amount of paper trash and junk mail that comes into your house. You can electronically opt out of some of the offers and others you actually have to mail in a stop letter. The site is very user friendly and it offers just about every possible solution to stop getting junk mail.

Hope it helps - we will have to report on how it works for us as I have opted out of just about everything we can opt out of!!!

Praise the Lord!!!

RESIST

by Jeanne McKinley

About a year ago I woke up to a strange hum. I was disoriented by it at first, didn’t even know what the sound was, so I got up, looked out the window and saw a steady line of cars driving down the hill.
What in the world?
Are they evacuating the neighborhood and nobody told us?
I looked at the clock, it was 4:45am, then it hit me – it was the day after Thanksgiving.
Black Friday.
I remember being blown away by the fact that my entire neighborhood was on their way to be the first ones out for the store buster prices, free socks or scarves or whatever other item the store would be dangling to bring us in, and then I had a moment of panic,
“Oh no, I’m going to miss it!”
I was missing the sales that would help me save money on Christmas presents!!
And then I remembered…
I had done that before, joined in the throng, jumped in the fray of craziness at 5am, I thought I had been missing something by not being a part of the American ritual of day after Thanksgiving sales. I realized, as I was standing in a line that wrapped around to the middle of the store that I had fallen for it, the idea that I needed to buy these socks at a great discount and that my family would be really excited about these fleece coats that were the “hottest thing” - though I wasn’t saving money because I had grabbed about 7 other things not on my list, but that I just Had to have.

I’ve been thinking about resistance today, the idea that this is my chance, as the holiday shopping season heats up, to resist. It’s not easy. Resistance is a word that you feel, as I choose to not buy fun looking, sparkly junk that will put a momentary gleam in my children’s eyes or make my house look pretty, I can feel that at times. As I choose to create things that will be meaningful and relational but will take effort and my time and frustration when it’s not looking like I wanted it to, I feel that.

Here’s something else- I admit it-maybe it’s a girl thing but I love to shop. I love to spend money and buy things and I love to buy other people things and there’s more- I love to find the Perfect gift for someone, the thing they will absolutely LOVE. I love that feeling of “AH HA!” this is IT, and I’m going to be awarded the giver of the year award because I found THE present that will bring the most joy and happiness to that person, the gift that shows I know them best and have found the thing that resonates with them perfectly. The gift that they’ll tell their friends about, “Jeanne got me that!”

Not pretty is it?

I can justify that feeling with the fact that I want to show my loved ones how much I love them by finding that perfect present but there’s something I’m getting out of it as well, strokes, appreciation, people pleased with me.
No, not real pretty.

These are some things that God is redeeming in my heart this year as I refocus and rethink Jesus’ birthday. The way I’m going to buy gifts and the way I’m going to give gifts. To give of myself as Christ gave to me. To hold my friend’s and family’s faces in my hands, look deep into their eyes and tell them how much I love them. And most of all to worship Christ in a beautiful, uncluttered way and to be free to love Him with all of me.

It’s different, it’s transformational and it feels really good.

Friday when I wake up to the hum of traffic, I’m going to roll over, pull the blankets tighter and cuddle with my hubby and I’m going to resist.

Resistance doesn’t sound so bad after all does it?

http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

"What Would Jesus Buy"

Hello Family and Friends,

At church this morning we talked about preparing our hearts for the Advent Season and celebrating the birth of Jesus. As an American I get frustrated this time of year because our cause and "reason for the season" has been high jacked by the vast consumerism that takes place. It is estimated that over 400 billion was spent last year on Christmas alone in the US. One of the ways that Imago Dei and our family has changed the way we celebrate Christmas is to give relationally and also give to our church who has entered into several partnerships across the globe to help those less fortunate ones during this season.

Rick also spoke of a new movie that just came out called "What Would Jesus Buy" http://wwjbmovie.com/ directed and produced by Morgan Spurlock who produced the hit documentary "Super Size Me". The movie follows The Reverend Billie from shopping malls and Wal Marts across the country to try and get people to stop shopping and spending money. It looks like a hit and something that is long over due for our culture of consumer's.

I am not advocating anyone to change what they are doing in their lives already for this Christmas, however I think we all have more than we need and there are still kids all over the world who don't have access to clean water. Jesus came to the earth and gave of himself relationally and this Christmas season when we celebrate His birth I want to give our money to those who don't have clean water or to a great non profit that is making a difference in our local communities.

More about Advent and Preparing your heart for the celebration of the birth of Jesus is here - http://www.adventconspiracy.org/ I highly recommend you all visit this website and get your local church's plugged into the program of giving a special donation this time of year. It's changing lives and whole communities in places like Liberia and Chile.

Merry Christmas


With Love -

Nathan and Melissa

George Carlin's Wife

What a difference a sad event in someone's life makes. GEORGE CARLIN
(His wife recently died...)

Isn't it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write
something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate.

A Message by George Carlin:The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the w ay to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just forget about it... Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

George Carlin

Happy Thanksgiving

The turkey is in the oven - the cowboys are on the tube - God is on the throne - life is good!

Have a happy thanksgiving everybody!!!

Love Melissa and Nathan

Pics from Noel's Wedding

Noel and Kristen's wedding was fabulous and probably one of the nicest wedding we have ever been to. We have some pictures that captured the evening from the club house to the festivities. Enjoy!

Bailouts in Disguise

Bailouts in Disguise
November 9, 2007

Irvine, Calif.--As we witness large numbers of defaults on subprime loans--loans extended to those with no credit or bad credit--many are calling for the government to do something to stop the suffering. At the same time, many recognize that a bailout of struggling homeowners would be wrong. Those proposing a government solution claim that they can save the day without a bailout: "borrower assistance" programs to refinance defaulting mortgages, crackdowns on "predatory lending" practices, or laws restricting mortgages the government deems too risky.

"In fact," said Alex Epstein, an analyst at the Ayn Rand Institute, "regardless of how these proposals are described, all embody the essence of a bailout: they absolve individuals of responsibility for their bad decisions--and force those who did nothing wrong to pay the price.

"The government is not a savvy lender or mortgage expert able to contribute innovative financing strategies or new knowledge to the mortgage market. Its sole power, which all the proposed 'solutions' would utilize, is the power to forcibly compel some people to give up their money or freedom for the sake of others. This applies, not just to 'borrower assistance' (read: borrower bailout) programs, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per 'assisted' homeowner, but also to measures to target 'predatory lending'--an undefined term that gives the government license to extract huge fines from any innocent lender it retroactively deems should have given better counsel to borrowers. The government is also punishing the innocent when it attempts to 'protect' future borrowers. For example, proposed prohibitions on future mortgages that the government deems overly risky punish individuals who manage risk well, many of whom will not be able to afford new homes without these vehicles.

"The proper response of the government to subprime problems is simple; commit to no new interventions in the housing market, and cease all existing intervention designed to influence home ownership--from programs like Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to artificially low interest rates. Such a move would send a message befitting a free people: a message of responsibility. The current proposals in Congress send the exact opposite message."

### ### ###

Mr. Epstein is an analyst at the Ayn Rand Institute. His Op-Eds have appeared in such publications as the San Francisco Chronicle, Philadelphia Inquirer, Canada's National Post, and the Washington Times. He is also a contributing writer for The Objective Standard, a quarterly journal of culture and politics. Mr. Epstein has been a guest on numerous nationally syndicated radio programs.

A Christmas of Relationships 2007

A Christmas of Relationships
21st Annual Christmas Luncheon Our hope and commitment is to grow in our love for God and in our love for each other. Jesus teaches: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is: Love your neighbor
as yourself”
- Matthew 22:37-39

INTERNATIONAL EVANGELIST
This year, for the 21st year in a row, we are privileged to have Luis Palau as
a featured speaker. His message will move people from despair and aloneness to a life built on strong relationships. Portland Business Luncheons Portland Business Luncheons are designed for businessmen and women who desire to see the Person and principles of Jesus lifted up in the greater Portland area. In addition to monthly meetings, we endeavor to create an opportunity to become a part of one of the many small groups centered on Jesus and built on relationships, with the purpose of growing closer to God and to each other. After our luncheon there will be a time of meeting and fellowship among the Portland Business Luncheon family of friends. You are welcome to join us.

The Christmas Event takes place on:
Thursday, December 13, 2007
11:30 am - 1:15 pm
Portland Waterfront Marriott
1401 SW Naito Parkway
Portland Oregon

Here is the Palau website = http://www.palau.org/



Our Monthly Meetings for Westside PBL is:
WESTSIDE LUNCHEON
on the second Wednesday each month at: Portland Golf Club
5900 SW Scholls Ferry Road
Reservations: 503-629-8441, 503-614-1500
Email: p.tucker@palau.org
t_gutz@juno.com

Timberline Lodge

Melissa and I joined our friends Eric and Dalene Stasic and their family at Timberline Lodge this last weekend. Eric and Dalene had rented a bunk house that has 8 bunk beds in a large room. The space was perfect and we had a wonderful time at the lodge. Both Eric and Dalene and Melissa and I were married at Timberline and it has a special place in all of our hearts.



Melissa and I both love spending time with the Stasic's and appreciate their commitment to raise their family under God's principles. Their children: Gideon, Mikale, and Jordan are a joy and we always enjoy getting the opportunity to be a part of their life. We can only hope that we do as good a job as the Stasic's have in raising their family and we appreciate their generosity in inviting us to join them in a wonderful weekend.

On our way home we stopped at Trillium Lake as this is the spot I proposed to Melissa. The sun was streaming down from the sky and it was just gorgeous to be outside. We had a clear view of the mountain and soaked in some sun before returning home.

Invest Wisely, End Poverty

One of my fellow grad students Andres introduced me to a new website called MicroPlace. https://www.microplace.com/ The purpose of the website is for everyday people around the world to make micro loans to people who have no means of obtaining money. The loans are typically small in amount (less than $200 US) and the loan is repaid with interest in 3-5 years back to you. The loan is used by the working poor to purchase a sowing machine, seeds for a garden, goats, cows, pigs, or equipment that is needed to open a business or build a revenue stream. The website highlights several wonderful stories of how microfinance has helped many people get back on their feet and provide a life for their families.

This is just one of the stories below:

"Consider the story of Puja Patel, a single mother who lives with her four children in a village in India. With a $50 loan, she bought a sewing machine. She made clothes, sold them for a profit, and repaid the loan with interest. She was also able to save some money to buy books and send her children to the local school. This is microfinance in action." https://www.microplace.com/learn_more/microfinance

I love to hear stories about business's that are helping the less fortunate around the globe. Instead of putting your money in a savings account throw a couple hundred dollars into an investment that can change a life for someone who really needs it - and when it is all said and done you get your money back! God is good and has blessed us beyond our means and this is just one small way we can help and give back. I am a banker and lend money to business's in the Portland Metro area and I love to see a good investment that is working to help our friends overseas.

Seattle - We're Off

Were heading up to Seattle this morning for a good friends wedding Noel and Kristen. We are looking forward to getting out of the city and up to the bigger city! We always have a good time up in Seattle and it's so close the drive is not all that bad! Be praying for Noel and Kristen and their special day. We'll take lots of pictures.

Newest Member.....

We now have a new member to the Sackett family. His name is Mr. Rags. We believe that he may have some Philipino in him, but are a bit unsure of his decent. Somewhere in southeast Asia has been our best guess. Mr. Rags came to us from my mother in law Barb. Barb has two dogs and they were not getting along with each other so we have decided to adopt Mr. Rags. We will see how it works out with our Philipino friend. Melissa and I are both allergic to pets - especially dogs and cats. Mr. Rags has been staying outside and has our fenced in yard to run around and play. He Also has a special dog house under our deck for when it rains. We might keep him and we might find a new home for him. As of right now he is our dog and we are enjoying having the furry little guy.

Godspeed Rick and Faye

Our friends are leaving tomorrow for Africa on a journey to Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan with another couple from our home church Imago Dei the Tyson's. As they head out on their mission we want to make sure we are all praying for their journey and what God has in store for them in this far away land.

I was reflecting today on what Jeff shared with our congregation this morning on why he and his wife have chosen to go to Africa. His first response was that Jeff, Michelle, Rick, and Faye are going to Africa out of love and in so they are modeling what Christ modeled for us. God loved us so much that he sent his only son to die that we might have everylasting life here on earth. The calling that we all have as God's children is to love first and model our love after the love that Jesus himself shared with the earth. To care for the folks in the margins of life and the least of these. We will be praying for Rick and Faye and for the Tyson's as they embark on a new journey and a place that does not have a lot of hope. Our prayer is that God will be the hope and the rebuilding of community in this war torn country.

Take Your Vitamins

I got sick this week and it seems to be going around. For whatever reason I seem to always catch a cold in the fall when the weather goes from sunny to rainy. Such is life! I got to catch up on some sleep and learn more about the sinus cavities in my head.

""The frontal sinuses sit above the eyes, behind the forehead. The maxillary sinuses are behind the cheekbones, the ethmoid sinus is a small area within the ethmoid bone between the eyes, and the sphenoid sinus is in the sphenoid bone under the pituitary gland. The sinuses are linked, and are lined by mucous-producing goblet cells. Mucous, although considered "gross," is quite important in maintaining a clean and infection-free sinus. Air comes into the sinus passages through connecting passage-ways, and if any of these passages become blocked or narrowed, infection of the inner spaces can occur since the mucous inside can't drain out. For example, allergies can cause inflammation which would lead to narrowing of passages.

The lining of the sinuses are covered in cilia, small hair-like protrusions into the air- and mucous-filled space and serve to move mucous (and the pollutants/debris/etc they catch out of the air). These cilia can be damaged by all sorts of things, from air pollution to cigarette smoke to a lack of humidity. Damaged cilia means stagnant mucous, and thats not a pleasant or healthy thing (easy infection target.)

A counter-intuitive piece of info is that a sinus infection (sinusitis) can be a follow-up to a viral infection. The virally-damaged tissue becomes vulnerable to bacterial infection (Haemophilus influenzae, Strepococcus pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Staphylococcus aureus are most common). Other causes can be a fungal invasion, which are most often seen in immuno-compromised patients and can be quite serious if left unchecked."" (http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle/2007/03/aaaachoooo_anatomy_of_a_sinus.php) 2007

Priest Lake Idaho - Summer Vacation

Melissa and I took a vacation in the second to last week of August and headed out on the open road. We had 10 days off and figured it would be nice to get away and get some rest and relaxation and stop in and say hello to a few friends. Our first stop was in Seattle and it just so happened to be our 6th month anniversary. We stayed at a very nice hotel in downtown Seattle and went to a very fancy restaurant in the infamous hotel "The W".


http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1154

I would highly recommend the W hotel in Seattle to anybody. We could not afford to stay there but we ate at their restaurant called "Earth and Ocean". It was the first certified organic restaurant in the nation and they only serve organic veggies and free range meats. It was a very special meal and was worth every penny. Great food, good service, and a wine server on staff to tell you about their wine selection.



After having our wonderful meal we met up with my friend Noel and his Fiance Kristen for some drinks at a local jazz club in Capital Hill. From Seattle we were on a mission to find a beautiful lake and lots of blue skies. Our summer has been a downer to say the least this year in Portland and we were hungry for some warmth on our skinny bones. Our first stop was in Post Falls Idaho to see our friends Sean and his wife Chelsea and their two dogs Dixie and Roxie. Post Falls in just outside the beautiful city of Coeur d'Alene and a hop skip and a jump from Spokane Wa.

Sean has a boat and just upon arriving we were swept up in Sean's truck and put the boat in the water on the Spokane River that leads into Lake Coeur d'Alene. The river is just breath taking with beautiful homes all along the water front. Some of these homes had to have been 10,000 sq ft + with private dock and beautiful landscaped yards. I felt like I was on an episode of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous". As you make your way up the river it eventually open up into Lake Coeur d'Alene. The lake is huge and and the boat activity is very hectic. Sean drove us around the lake looking at John Elway's home and the famous floating hole on the local golf course. We had a wonderful time with Sean and Chelsea and were very appreciative of their hospitality and showing us around their city.



From Cour d'Alene we took the advice of one of Melissa's co-workers and headed north to a lake called Priest Lake. Sean was able to join us for half day and pull his boat up to the lake. We set out on the lake and within minutes were in complete bliss as to how amazing this lake is. The water is so clean and clear that it resembles the Caribbean. It is a beautiful aquamarine blue color has about 25-30 feet of visibility. The lake was not crowded, the weather was hot, and the water was perfect temperature. Sean stayed with us for the day and then headed back to Post Falls. Melissa and I loved the lake so much that we decided to stay for 6 days and finish out our trip at this beautiful spot. We are certain that the lake is a repeat destination and hope our friends and family will join in next time we get over there.


We really enjoyed the camp site we stayed at. We had our own 50 feet of beach frontage on this amazing lake. Everyday we rolled out of bed whenever we felt like it, at breakfast, drank tea, lubed up with the sunscreen, and set out for the day of activities. Most days we soaked in the sun and read our books. We went exploring on some trails, played Frisbee, looked at real estate magazines, slept in the hammock, took naps, and went swimming. It was a really hard place to leave after 6 days of rest and relaxation but we are certain we will be back to this amazing place! Our hope is to organize a camp trip next year for a week or so at Priest Lake and get everybody we know to come and join us. More to come on the summer destination for 2008.

WE HAVE A NEW CAR - YEA YEA YEA

As many of you know we have been driving around a little itty bitty green Daywoo car for the last 9 months. The car was very cheap, however it was not very safe and it started to leak some fluid from the air conditioner and the defrost was not working at all. While we loved the "lost Korean child" he was becoming a nuisance and we had to part our separate ways. We put him on craigslist and he was gone in less that 24 hours from the time of posting. Praise God!

We have been looking around for about three weeks for a replacement vehicle and had not found exactly what we were looking for. There is probably about 2k postings for used vehicles in the Portland marketplace on craigslist everyday and it can be a daunting task to find what you are looking for. I called on about 50 adds before we found our little car. The car that we bought is a Saturn SC2. It was a good value at $3K dollars and it only has 85K miles on it. We feel we got a good deal and it was in our price range. Next time you see us we will be rolling hard in the SC2!

We're Bloggers Now

Greetings,

Melissa and I have been married now for over 6 months and have enjoyed just about every bit of it. Our lives have seen many changes since February and we have begun to slow down a bit in the last couple of months. One of the ways we thought it would be fun to share our lives with all our friends and family is to start a blog! My coworker and friend Jeremy got me introduced to Blogger and I have watched his for a month or so now and think it is a wonderful idea. With that being said Melissa and I are going to begin posting our blog and hope that you all will sign up to see what is happening in our life as time moves forward.....

Blessings and Love,


Nathan & Melissa