Category Archives: For Family & Fun

Share Your World 2014 Week 36

Posted on by under For Family & Fun

I missed Sharing my world last week because I was away in the Berkshires leading worship and caregiving for guests at the New England Special Touch Getaway! So this week I am answering question for two weeks to catch myself up. When you have finished sharing a bit of my world find out about other worlds by going to:

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/09/08/share-your-world-2014-week-36/share-your-world2

Let’s start with this week’s questions from Cee:

Do you prefer reading coffee table books (picture), biographies, fiction, non-fiction, educational?

My first book is the Bible. I read several chapters daily (that’s non-fiction in case there might be any confusion) After that I am a big fiction reader. I am currently fascinated by anything to do with the English royal lineage and I am particularly stuck in the War of the Roses.

What is your biggest fear or phobia? (no photos please)

I dislike new things and change. That means currently I am being HUGELY stretched because everything in my life is new experiences.

What is your favorite cheese?

I love Gouda.

What is your favorite month of the year?

I like November. It is my birthday month and Thanksgiving and  this year we will have my daughter’s wedding in November!

Now as to last week’s questions:

Have your blogging goals changed?

When I started blogging on “Reinventing the We’ll” I thought I would be talking about the empty nest. I ended up doing a whole lot with photography and of course sharing the Christian message. I also never expected to get so involved in the blogging community. That has been a happy surprise!

If you were to perform in the circus, what would you do?

I think I would be a clown.

If you could go back and talk to yourself at age 18 what advice would you give yourself?  Or if you are younger than 25 what words of wisdom would you like to tell yourself at age 45?

I think I would tell myself to take better advantages of the opportunities that presented themselves. To be more proactive and less reactive. Time passes quickly and some things only present themselves for a brief period.

What is your favorite comfort snack food?

I have to have my daily nutty buddy with a hot cup of coffee.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to help my friends at Special Touch Ministry. The work we did there will last into eternity. I was privileged to baptize three of our camp guests. The joy each guest expressed coming out of the waters of baptism is not something I will soon forget.100_4726

The chapel and gymnasium at Eisner Camp

The chapel and gymnasium at Eisner Camp

I am looking forward to planning out the Toy Town Fall Festival this week. It is my next big project and now I can put my full attention to it!

Share Your World 2014 Week 34

Posted on by under For Family & Fun, Uncategorized

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This post was created for Cee’s Share Your World forum. When you finish here check out how others are sharing their world at

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/08/25/share-your-world-2014-week-34/

Here are the five share your world questions for the week.

What is your favorite smell? What memory does it remind you of?

I love the smell of cilantro. It reminds me of my grandmother for some reason. It is not like she ever cooked with cilantro. I didn’t even know what cilantro was until I was a grown up but the first time I smelled it I got the strongest mental picture of her.

Name a song or two which are included on the soundtrack to your life?

Do you play video/computer game?  Which one(s) or most recent? 

Oh Heavens no. I am so bad at them; Playing video games is bad for my psyche.

Which of Snow White’s 7 dwarfs describes you best?  Plus what would the 8th dwarf’s name be? (Doc, Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey)

I always wanted to be Doc. I think the eigth dwarf would have to be Lumpy a chronically clutzy dwarf.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am so grateful that last week I got the opportunity to do the communion service at the Gardner Visiting Nurses Dayhab. This monthly service is so full of life and hope. And to think a year ago I was going to stop volunteering there. God stopped me from quitting at the midnight hour.

I am looking forward to Special Touch Ministries New England Getaway next week.

Share Your World 2014 Week 33

Posted on by under For Family & Fun

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Once again it is time to share my world with Cee. Every week Cee asks four questions (and a bonus). We her readers answer and by this everyone has a chance to know us better. A few weeks ago everyone learned I like spaghetti sauce with my peanut butter. This week you will learn:

Do you believe in ghosts? 

I answer with a qualified yes. I believe there are evil spirits that roam the earth (that is biblical by the way see Job 1:7, Rev. 12:9) and I believe they masquerade as the spirits of our dearly departed (2 Cor. 11:14,  1 Sam. 28) for the purpose of deceiving us and drawing us away from the One true God. This is why we are commanded in Scripture not to consult with those who speak to the dead (Deut. 18) . That is perhaps a longer answer than you were looking for but there you go.

Irregardless of your physical fitness, coordination or agility:  If you could play any sport professionally what would it be?  Or if you can’t picture yourself playing sports, what is your favorite sport?

I would be a professional snowboarder or maybe an acrobat.

 

Do you prefer long hair or short hair for yourself?

I prefer short hair on myself. It is getting shorter (or more non-existent) with every passing year.

If you were on an small island, who would you want to be with? And where is it?  How big is it?

My island is big enough to get away from a tsunami but not so big that I can’t get to the beach easily. It is in a zone where the temps stay 75 all the time. I would love to have my family with me on the island. Friends can come and stay for up to two weeks but I need my privacy in between visits.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am so grateful to have gotten my sister all settled in at our house for the next year. The office is set up so she can work.  Now I am looking forward to our dogs transitioning in with each other which will be a lot easier once the female is out of heat!

Now learn a bit about Cee and her other contributors:

Share Your World – 2014 Week 33

Share Your World 2014 Week 32

Posted on by under For Family & Fun

Every week (or almost every week) for the last three years I have been skipping over to Cee’s place in Oregon  to answer four questions she poses to all her readers. In the process I have gotten to know Cee and her readers and they have gotten to know me.

This little exercise is a great way to make connections here in the blogosphere; So let me encourage you, when you are done here why don’t you skip over to Cee’s place too and read some of her other contributors and then take the plunge and answer her four questions for yourself.

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/08/11/share-your-world-2014-week-32

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Do you prefer ketchup or mustard?

I am not a ketchup or mustard fan. I prefer to mix them together with a little brown sugar and soy sauce to make BBQ

If someone made a movie of your life would it be a drama, a comedy, a romantic-comedy, action film, or science fiction?

I think my life would make a great comedy/drama. I have had plenty of both but I like to focus on the laughter. We do tend to take ourselves a bit too seriously most days.

If you could be given any gift what would it be?

I would be a trip around the world because then I could travel with someone! 🙂

For potlucks or parties do you cook it yourself, buy from a grocery store, or pay for catering?

Oh I wish I always had time to cook it myself but most times I am the guy buying potato salad from the deli on the way to church potlucks (I buy a lot of potato salad)

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up.

I am grateful my sister made it to my home from her home in the Netherlands. I am looking forward to getting her State-side cell hooked back up tomorrow with no problems (fingers crossed)!

 

 

 

Share Your World 2014 Week 31

Posted on by under For Family & Fun

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We have been sharing our world with Cee Neuner now for 31 weeks. Every week Cee asks her contributors four questions. We answer and ‘ouiala our world is shared with you, our readers. If you would like to join in the fun just take a hop and skip from my place on the East coast over to Cee’s place on the West coast via this link

Share Your World – 2014 Week 31

and you too can begin sharing your world.

The questions are….

If you had your own talk show, who would your first three guests be? (guest can be dead, alive, famous or someone you just know)

My daughter and I actually discussed this over a dinner of spinach salad, goat cheese and chicken last night. Which means Cee has reached a new level of iconoclasm. She is dinner conversation around the world!

Anyway my daughter’s choices are: Stephen, the first Christian Martyr; Mary, the mother of Jesus; And Paul the Apostle. I imagine if these guests were seen all together one question asked would have to be, “How did you do it?”

My choices were: Ignatius of Loyola and Francis of Assisi. I would like to have them in together and ask them how two such different men could serve the same God in two totally different ways and yet still come away from the experience with such great success.

I would also like to interview missionary Jim Elliot and ask him to explain the exchange between things of earth and things of Heaven.

What can you always be found with?

My planner and my canvas bag with my computer, notebooks, lots of pens and other junk I probably should clean out.

What is the most fun thing you did in school?

I was a complete nerd and really just like classes. I also really liked concert band and chorus. I remember this one trip we took into Boston to sing at a homeless shelter. I was singing Maria from West Side Story. People were swearing at us and trying to steal our coats and stuff. It was maybe not fun but it certainly was one of those high school memories that makes for good storytelling into the future

What’s something you know you do differently than most people?

My daughter and I were discussing this last night at dinner too. The life we live as born again Christian ministers sometimes makes us stand out in the crowd. I think one of the things that makes people look a little sideways at us is the fact that we do go to church every Sunday and our lifestyle is a little different than most people’s. My daughter’s co-workers for instance are literally appalled at the fact that she is 24 and doesn’t drink alcohol.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am very grateful that I was able to gather all of the documents I need for my new passport and the money required (losing your passport is an expensive pastime). I am looking forward to getting the application sent off this week so I can have my new passport in a few weeks. Ireland is just eight weeks away!

Share Your World 2014 Week 30

Posted on by under For Family & Fun

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Once again it is time to answer Cee’s questions and to share a little bit of my world. When you are done here take a jaunt over to Cee’s place and see what her other contributors have to say about this great wide world we all live in.

Share Your World – 2014 Week 30

Now on to…

THE QUESTIONS!

List 2 things you have to be happy about.

Oh, I have so many things to be happy about! I am blessed that God found me some thirty years ago when I was lost and on a very dark path, And I am blessed that He placed me in a wonderful church family with whom I get to share life! I could go on about the wonderful family he has put me in or the adventures he has sent me on but since that entails more than two happinesses and since I am trying to keep this post under 1,000 words I will stop there.

List at least 2 things in nature do you find most beautiful.

I will limit myself ,again, to two things  for the sake of brevity…

 

 

The everchanging sky

I love the ever-changing sky

And the running of water

And the running of water

Show us a 2 of your favorites photographs. Explain why they are your favorite.   If you are not a photographer (serious or otherwise), think of a two favorite scenes in your life and tell us about them.

This is a really hard one. I am tossed between choosing a photo for artistic value or for the memory it inspires. I guess I will choose one of each though I have lots of both.

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I am still playing with the incense  photos I took at my son’s home on my last trip to PA but I am pretty pleased with this one and might even hang it at our upcoming art show.

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These are my three wonderful children. From left to right: Melanie (gets married this fall she and her future husband are children’s ministers soon to be credentialed), Joe (planning to teach English over seas when he is finished with his masters) and Amanda (just graduated from Bible College and plans to become a credentialed minister serving the disabled population of the U.S.)

List 2 of your best personality traits.

I think two of my best personality traits are patience and contentment.  I consider neither of these to be personal attainments but gifts from God!

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am so thankful that my sister’s car is finally registered (in preparation for her return from Holland for her year of intineration) and I am looking forward to our mechanic being able to fix all the car’s little issues so that it will be ready for Brenda when she arrives.