RED BULL FLUTAG - THIS WEEKEND

This has to be the best event on the PDX calendar for the year. It is an event where people build flying machines and crash them into the Willamette River. It's sponsored by Red Bull and it sounds like the most exciting thing to hit P-town since we got Greg Oden in the draft.

It takes place this saturday August 2nd in the waterfront park just outside downtown. Here is the website http://www.redbullflugtagusa.com/Portland2008

I was looking at some of the teams that have entered this year and the competition is thick. It will be interesting to see who wins. Come one come all and did I mention there is free red bull! It gives you wings!



WHAT IS A FLUGTAG?

Red Bull Flugtag challenges teams of everyday people to build homemade, human-powered flying machines and pilot them off a 30-foot high deck in hopes of achieving flight! Flugtag may mean "flying day" in German, but all these crafts ultimately splash into the waters below. They are judged not only on their flight's distance, but creativity and showmanship as well.

Garage Sale

We had a very successful garage sale yesterday and we're amazed at how much stuff we sold. One of the great things about getting ready to sell your home is that you purge everything you don't need and it has been a very successful process for the both of us. I talked Melissa into getting rid of 90% of her books that she was holding on for dear life. We have decided that the library provides a wonderful service and they can hold the books for you when you are not reading them. One of our friends gave us this idea and it makes sense. We also had a lot of items that have been given to us by friends and family to sell and that has worked out well. We have our garage sale up again today but have not had the steady stream of people like we did yesterday. If you are bored today and want to swing by please do - we are sitting in the sun!

N

4th of July

For the 4th of July we made our way down to Medford for a celebration with family and friends. It was quite the crowd with several family members from out of town including Todd & Tracey with boys, Uncle Glen & Aunt Dorothy, Jacob my brother and his daughter Aislynn, and of course our two precious Grandma's June and Gerry. We had a wonderful time soaking in sun, playing games, singing by the campfire, riding dirt bikes, talking walks, running, and bike rides. No 4th if every complete without some fireworks and several varieties we're in attendance. We had a celebration of fireworks on the 4th and a final show on the 5th because they went on sale and we we're able to pick up a boat load for cheap. Melissa and I also made our way over to Applegate Lake for a day outing. We sat in the sun and read books and went swimming in the lake. It was hot and we both soaked in some sun.

My parents home is such a wonderful retreat and we enjoy our time down there in Medford every time we go. With our trip south we also go to spend some time withe Melissa's Uncle Curt who married us up at Timberline. Curt is always a wonderful example to Melissa and I and our conversation revolved around our walk with Christ and catching up on life and events. Curt's daughter Whitney is getting married towards the end of this year and we are excited for her celebration. Wedding's are always a joy because we get to see family and friends.

I did not take all that many pictures but I will post some of the ones we do have. Enjoy........

M & N's

Baby Belly

With the onset of pregnancy Melissa has a belly that is now getting larger by the day. We took some pictures for all of you to see how she is progressing. We are still working on names for the little girl and are open to suggestions.

With Love,

N

WOOT

I think I might have found the koolest website on the web! It's called "Woot" - www.woot.com and you should most definitely check it out. They only sell one item per day and the shipping regardless of that item is only $5. Today they are selling a miniature remote control helicopter and yesterday their was a wireless router for sale. I love the idea and they always have fun stuff to buy. Happy hunting! They have also recently released shirt.woot - http://shirt.woot.com/ & wine.woot http://wine.woot.com/ this one sells out a bit faster then the woot.com so be ready for some fast dealing online.

N

It's a Girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have found out that our little baby inside Mel's tummy is a girl. Baby Sackett will be a little beautiful princess and we are very excited! If you can think of any good female names please let us know as we are now in search of a good one. Aislynn my niece thinks we should name baby Sackett Isabella Rose, but we are not quite sold on that one yet.

Hope all is well with you on the this hot sunny day in June!

Warm regards,

M & N

Where are all the men?

I was listening to KLOV the other day in the car and heard a statistic that our American churches have around 60% woman and 40% men in them. I went searching for some good information and I found a good article written by a website called "Church for Men". Below is the article.

You’re not just imagining it: Christianity is short on men. Here are the facts:


• The typical U.S. Congregation draws an adult crowd that’s 61% female, 39% male. This gender gap shows up in all age categories.

• On any given Sunday there are 13 million more adult women than men in America’s churches.

• This Sunday almost 25 percent of married, churchgoing women will worship without their husbands.

• Midweek activities often draw 70 to 80 percent female participants.

• The majority of church employees are women (except for ordained clergy, who are overwhelmingly male).

• As many as 90 percent of the boys who are being raised in church will abandon it by their 20th birthday. Many of these boys will never return.

• More than 90 percent of American men believe in God, and five out of six call themselves Christians. But only two out of six attend church on a given Sunday. The average man accepts the reality of Jesus Christ, but fails to see any value in going to church.

It’s not just a lack of presence; most of the men who do attend our worship services just aren’t “getting it.” Every week the gospel bounces off their souls like bullets off Superman’s chest. Here are the facts:
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• A significant number of churchgoing men attend out of habit, unaffected by what they hear.

• Quite a few men go to church simply to keep their wives/mothers/girlfriends happy.

• The majority of men who attend church do nothing during the week to grow their faith.

• Relatively few churches are able to establish or maintain a vibrant men’s ministry.


This gender gap is not just a U.S. phenomenon; churches around the world are short on men. No other major religion suffers such a large, chronic shortage of males. In the Islamic world men are publicly and unashamedly religious—often more so than women. Of the world’s great religions, only Christianity has a consistent, nagging shortage of male practitioners.

Jesus had no trouble captivating men. Fishermen dropped nets full of fish to follow Him, but today’s church can’t convince men to drop their TV remote controls for a couple of hours a week.

NEW CAR

Yes, I know we had owned three cars in two years but our last vehicle purchase was not the best one we have made. It only had two doors and was very difficult to get into the back seat and it was very low to the ground. Now that we have a baby on the way we needed to get a four door vehicle so that Mel can get the baby seat in the back. While we have purchased the vehicle we don't actually have it yet. The woman we bought it from needed it for one more week while her son is home for college. We are excited about our new car and will put some pictures up here when we pick it up and Melissa gets it waxed up and cleaned =) It's an Acura RL 4 door sedan that is a dark green color. The RL is the flagship car for Acura and this car has everything but the kitchen sink. It will be the nicest car I have ever owned and I think Mel is in the same boat.

It was really a great find. The woman we bought it from was the daughter of the man who owned the car since it was brand new. He passed away last year and she ended up with it in the will. It has been garage kept and meticulously maintained since it was brand new. It drives like a dream and I think it will be a fabulous car for us and our new family!

N