The Richmond's Adventures in Minnesota

Richmonds Go To Oregon

2008-06-24T18:55:00.003-06:00

All these pictures were taken by "Papa" (Bud, Brett's dad), we'll upload ours a little bit later. And no not "months later"!

April Showers..I'd rather have May flowers

2008-04-11T19:29:00.008-06:00

We got a big April snow storm last night/this morning. More than 8 inches fell officially...although I think we had about 11-12 inches. The snow drifts in our backyard were almost as tall as the kids. Here are some pictures from the kids playing in the snow today.

Here is the terrible job that the snow plow guy did on our parking lot, he plowed the snow up onto the sidewalk, after I spent 3 hours getting it all cleared off. Plus he didn't even show up until around 4-5 pm, when all the snow fell over night and was just sitting there all day. I don't like the job the snow plow guy does.

I'm driving down the...

2008-03-11T09:51:00.000-06:00

I'm driving down the street with my window rolled down. listen

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Upcoming Stuff

2008-02-29T13:51:00.003-06:00

We've got some exciting things coming up:

Spring
Warmer weather
Izzy's B-Day (March 2, send an e-card she loves them)
Brett's going on vacation from March 10-20
Bud and Sue are coming out for a week long visit
We'll be going to Ikea when we pick Bud and Sue up at the airport, Ethan thinks we should live there like Mark in Ikea
Our 12th anniversary
Did I mention Spring and warmer weather?

While on vacation we'll probably try to catch up on some blogging on this site.

Total Eclips of the Moon

2008-02-20T21:17:00.004-06:00

Lately our blog posts have been about as frequent as a total eclipse of the moon. And sometime they happen at the same time. You can see Saturn on the lower left and the star Regulus almost directly above the moon.

I'm Giving You All She's Got, Captain!

2008-01-15T09:17:00.000-06:00

There are seasons when I feel like Mr. Scott from Star Trek. Yesterday I found myself telling my captain, God, that I didn't think I could give Him warp speed.

I was thinking about the sermon from Sunday and also of my own teaching on Sunday, they were both about time. Pastor Mark had some great stuff to say about time management and how it is really life management. And I was talking to Elementary kids about the importance of giving God time in their lives.

Then I started to think about rest and sabbath. I have traditionally held to the belief that the sabbath and God's rest was more like the cessation of activity. So most of the time I think of using this time to sit around doing nothing, watching TV, playing with the kids, sleeping in, taking naps, or just not doing what I view as "work". That's when a thought hit me.

"What if the sabbath or God's rest was less about the cessation of activity/work and more about preparation?"

I don't know if this is true or not, BUT yesterday I spent time cleaning the house, doing dishes, making dinner, all so that today I could have all my energy free for creativity. What if God's plan for our rest is for us to prepare for the seasons where he's going to be asking us for warp speed. What if the sabbath is for us to take the time to put to rest our unresolved energies so that we can focus all our energy in attaining and maintaining warp speed.

Today I say to God, "Warp Drive at the ready Captain!"

Christmas Interviews

2007-12-24T22:10:00.000-06:00

Now that the kids are getting older we thought it would be fun to interview them on the subject of Christmas.

Ethan's Interview

Izzy's Interview

Kate's Interview

Brett's Interview

Christmas Greeting

2007-12-24T09:13:00.001-06:00

Here's a little Christmas Greeting from the Richmond children. Christmas Interviews coming soon..

No More Monkeys....

2007-12-14T19:34:00.000-06:00

....jumping on the bed!

So Izzy decided to jump on her bed the other day, below are the results.

She then had to spend the night on the floor. Kate said that we're one step closer to having pillows and cushions, my dream furniture. So today I fixed her bed, gave it a little bracing.

Now Izzy's happy cause she has her bed back, although she knows that she needs to be more careful.

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!

2007-12-02T15:51:00.000-06:00

Well the weather outside was frightful,
But my children found it so delightful(including Brett)!

Yes, it snowed almost 10 inches here in a day! Ethan and Izzy have enjoyed sledding down the plow hills. Brett and I have had the pleasure of doing some snow shoveling here around the apartment building. There's always something fun to do with this care-taking job.

Family update:
Isabella had a great report card sent home last week! The teacher said that she is "very respectful and liked by all her classmates." I can tell that Izzy is letting her little light shine brightly at school.

Ethan, 2 weeks ago amazed me by writing his whole name. Yes, I know he's 4 and should be able to do that. However with Ethan we are glad that he is finally sitting long enough to write his name. I seems the older he gets the faster he becomes at everything.

Brett and I are busy as usual at this time of year. We're getting a choir of children ready to sing before Christmas and Brett is finishing up his Mid-week program before the holidays.

Hope all of you are enjoying the season that is upon us! God continues to be good!

The First Big Freeze

2007-11-28T08:50:00.000-06:00

We had our first big freeze yesterday. The temp was at -2 when I took Izzy to school at 8 o'clock and warmed up to 11 for a high. bbbrrrrrrrrr

ELFED!

2007-11-24T16:41:00.000-06:00

We've been Elfed! Click on the link to check out what happened to us!

Check out the Journey North Community Church Staff.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9594326275

Floor Hockey Begins again

2007-11-13T00:03:00.000-06:00

We played our first game of floor hockey Sunday night. Brett played goalie again and went for 44 minutes without a goal being scored on him, then with 1 minute left in the game the puck got by him. Kate didn't play, she was home with Izzy who had an ear infection. You can continue to follow our team, the Brickyard Bullies, at the TJNsports.com website.

3 Weeks and counting

2007-11-12T23:56:00.000-06:00

Wednesday marks 3 weeks to my 33rd Birthday. Sometimes I can't believe that I'm this old. So if you are wondering what to get a 33 year old, here are two ideas:
Samaritans Purse Gift #27 Train a native believer to proclaim the gospel and #38 a brood of chickens.
We started participating in Operation Christmas Child last year and found that it's a great way to foster the compassion strengths in our children and in ourselves. So I thought why do I need more stuff when others don't even have the basics needs of food, water, and shelter.

Halloween 2007

2007-10-31T19:49:00.000-06:00

We started our Halloween fun on Tuesday night. We visited a local grocery store, Cub Foods, where there were games set up and the prizes were things other than candy. The kids got stuff like bananas, small pumpkins, Twinkies, half size cans of soda, string cheese, pint size cartons of milk, pepperoni sticks, popcorn, and stuff like that. It was great for the kids to get things other than sugary candy stuff. One great positive is that both kids saw the Kemps Cow, a person dressed up in a cow outfit, and weren't even scared.

Then we went for dinner at Perkins, kids eat free on Tuesdays, where the kids were able to decorate their own cookies.

Today we took the kids trick or treating at the local mall. It's the first time they have ever actually gone trick or treating. The mall is pretty small so we were in and out in about 35 minutes. We capped the night off with dinner, 2 pieces of candy per child, and the kids were in bed by 7 pm.

All in all it was a fun night.

Soccer is Over!

2007-10-27T17:11:00.000-06:00

Today we woke up to a chilly 29 degrees for our last soccer games. The children have really enjoyed Daddy being their coach, however Brett is not sure about coaching 2 again at once. We're excited to have 2 more nights a week back, soccer had become a big commitment.

We have been enjoying the crisp weather here. No snow yet! Kate's parents came to visit for a couple weeks and we all had a good time. Its nice to have family around.

Here are some pics of things we have done lately.

WE ARE WELL

2007-10-08T10:12:00.000-06:00

Finally.......
We have had a very tough last week. Our house was plagued by strep! Brett and Isabella missed all week of school and work. Ethan and I were lucky enough to avoid it till Friday. But then we became the next victims. Our family is now daily doing the medicine thing! Minnesota has had some warmer weather lately. Last year at this time we had already had a dusting of snow. I'm not complaining at all!
Ethan however asks every morning if its a snow day, he can't wait to play in the white stuff.
Next week my parents are coming to visit Ethan and Izzy can't wait. We are so Blessed with family that are willing to come out often to visit, makes being in a new place much easier!
Things at TJN are going well I'm looking forward to Women of Faith in a few weeks. We have a good size group from our church going. Brett is already getting next summer planned for Children's Ministry. Looks like we'll be doing some exciting things again this year. We're continually thankful for where God has planted us! We're always seeing fruit here and are growing ourselves.

Just an update, our...

2007-09-25T07:29:00.001-06:00

Just an update, our kickball team is now 2 and 1 after suffering our first loss on Sunday. The kids are doing great in school. Ethan(?) loves peaceful and Isabella(?) is loving going to Elementary school being in the first grade. She has even eaten hot lunch and now has asked us to drop her off to gate instead of [...] all the way into her classroom.
Click here to listen

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Duluth 2007

2007-09-14T08:11:00.000-06:00

Here's some pics from our Duluth trip we took in August. We went to the Duluth Zoo, the water front where the big ships come in, and took a train ride.

Ethan's First Day of School

2007-09-14T07:57:00.000-06:00

Tuesday September 11 was Ethan's first day of Preschool. He's really enjoying it and for the first time in his life the boys outnumber the girls! He's making some new friends and really is enjoying school. He doesn't go to school until noon and is usually ready a couple of hours early and keeps asking every few minutes if it's time to go to school.

Here's some pictures from his first day. If you look closely you can see his picture on the shelf behind him, the picture is how he knows where to hang up his stuff. I also included a picture of 2006's first day of school, it's amazing how he has grown!

Guess Who's Coaching Soccer

2007-09-06T20:59:00.000-06:00

Four weeks ago we signed Izzy and Ethan up for soccer. Today we found out what team they were on and who their coaches were.

Ethan's on a 4-5 year old team, would you like to meet his coach.....
Yes that's me...not only am I going to be Ethan's coach, but this picture is also my first Walleye.

Would you like to know who's coaching Izzy's soccer team?

Yep...my kids first sporting activities and I end up coaching both of them.

The season is only 6 weeks long, but is will be a fun one!

Jott Blog Post

2007-09-05T08:59:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to let you all know that our second day of school as he went really really well and he really is enjoying school, doesn't have a whole lot of anxiety.
Click here to listen

BACK TO SCHOOL

2007-09-04T07:34:00.000-06:00

Back To School

We started our morning off early today! Isabella started first grade at Baxter elementary. Izzy was very excited and when we dropped her off things went very well! We are so excited for her that many off the anxieties of last year have passed! Here are some pics form the morning. (we didn't let her wear the crown to school)

~Princess of First Grade~

Busy Week

2007-09-03T16:19:00.000-06:00

This past week has been pretty busy in the Richmond household. We were working on getting back into the school routine. Brett was busy getting things worked out in the kids area, while he was also preparing his sermon for Sunday. I think we barely made it through the week, but it was totally worth it.

Sometimes it seems like life is way too crazy. But at the end of things it's always worth all the work we put in.

This week is also going to be busy (what's new) as we have back to school for Izzy and Ethan next week, Brett has some evening things planned including a parent meeting for Izzy and Ethan's soccer sign ups. We also begin playing Kickball next Sunday, after the fall baptism and potluck. I love that we will baptize close to 30 people this summer.

We're Alive and Well

2007-08-27T16:06:00.000-06:00

OK so it's been a llooonnnnggggg time since our last post.

About a month ago George and Lois (Kate's parents) came out for a visit. It was very nice being with them and visiting with them. We went to the local 371 Diner for the first time, great place to go, it was a great 50's era style diner. Izzy, Ethan, Kate, and Lois all walked across the Mississippi River. We traveled up to the Itasca State park which is where the head waters of the Mississippi is located. The water came up to about the kids upper calf.

Two weeks ago we had Brett's parents (Bud & Sue) out for Ethan's Birthday. We had a great and crazy time with them. On the day they arrived we spent the night in Minneapolis and spent several hou rs in the MOA (Mall of America) where Izzy got her ears pierced at Club Libby Lu and also picked out an outfit for Puanani, (Brett's little sister, 1/2 shitzu & 1/2 terrier, i think).

The day after Ethan's B-Day we went and participated in Ethan's favorite new activity...Go Carts!! Ethan, Izzy, and their cousin Holland had a great time both riding in the cars and driving themselves in the cars. Both us and the Jone's (Holland's parents) decided that the kids need more practice before we hand over the keys.

After living here for a year, when family comes to visit it makes the interaction much more sweet. It's like if you lived in a gum drop factory it would be easy to get used to the joy of eating gum drops. But when you leave the factory and you aren't surrounded by it all the time you appreciate the sweetness more than you did before. It was great visiting with family and we can't wait until we get to see them again.

Sorry for being so quiet

2007-08-05T21:31:00.000-06:00

Today marks a calendar month since we last posted. Unfortunately we've come into a very busy time of life and have neglected to blog. I'm sorry that we've been so quiet, we will pick up our regular blogging soon.

4th of July Fireworks

2007-07-05T00:12:00.000-06:00

We had a great day hanging out at our favorite beach, Whipple Beach, had a nice little indoor BBQ, then ran off to do some sparklers, and capped off the night with an awesome firework display.

Here are some pics of the kids with their sparklers, for both of them it was a first time experience. We even got them to hold 2 sparklers at the same time!

Brainerd is the 4th of July capital for the stat of Minnesota, atleast that's what I've been Certainly it has the largest fireworks display in the lakes area. We setup our chairs about 2 miles away and enjoyed the display, here's a video I took on my cell phone.

told.

HUNTING FIREFLIES

2007-06-22T21:42:00.000-06:00

Ethan and I (Brett) went firefly hunting tonight, it was amazing. I had never seen fireflies before and was truely amazed at their beauty. We saw green lights, yellow lights, and orangish lights. They really looked like little LED lights that kept turning on and off.

We managed to catch about 7 fireflies in about 15 minutes before the other bugs forced us to retreat. We'll release the bugs after everyone has had a chance to see them.

Kate and Izzy were inside sleeping, we had a fun day at the beach (Whipple) with the Mills family for about 3 hours. So, they were pretty much tired.

Want to know more about Fireflies in Minnesota go here.

Here are some pictures and a video of one of the flies flying around in our jar.

Movie Review: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

2007-06-20T16:06:00.001-06:00

My review of the new movie "The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" has been posted on the Kidology website here.

The purpose and intent of my reviews is not to debate the merits of the movie making but to give parents, pastors, kids, and others some understanding of what is in the movie and how it might be used in dialaguing about life together.

My actual thoughts on the movie itself, it was entertaining. I wasn't looking for the movie to be an emotional roller coaster, a inspirational story, or even a really good story (or like "Big Fish"). I was just really looking to be entertained and I was.

Ethan's New Bike

2007-06-15T20:15:00.000-06:00

This past Wednesday Ethan got his first "big boy bike". He was very excited and has really enjoyed riding it. Here are a couple of videos I took with my cell phone of the kids "training".

Tornado...the musical

2007-06-07T20:15:00.000-06:00

We had our first "Tornado Watch" of the year today. As it turned out we didn't even have a thunderstorm! It was just a bunch of hot air and a little wind....literally.

Izzy thought that she would show you what to do in case of a tornado. It's her own little musical. Sorry about the poor quality I used my cell phone to record it.

And just so Ethan doesn't feel left out here's his song...with a little help from big sister off camera.

Minnesota Bug Competition 2

2007-06-05T20:24:00.000-06:00

So I found this bug in the grass outside the front doors of our apparment complex on Friday. On saturday the bug was sighted again by Kate, Ethan, & Izzy in the garage....smashed!

So who ever can give me the correct scientific and common name will get a special something from the Richmonds in Minnesota.

Here are the pics.

We've Moved

2007-06-05T19:35:00.000-06:00

We moved to a larger apartment in our complex this past weekend and are adjusting to all the extra room, also the kids are really enjoying the back patio and grassy area.

Go-Kart Celebration

2007-05-26T13:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Friday, we took the kids to ride go-karts for the very first time. We were celebrating the pay off of our Caravan. This month we were able to pay our car off a whole year early thanks to the generosity and provision of God.

The kids had a great time, especially Ethan who couldn't go fast enough. The kids started off driving some low powered karts that they could drive and control all themselves. Then we graduated them to the faster ones where they were passengers as Kate and Brett drove. Ethan loved it and kept wanting to go faster. On our his second lap he turned to Brett saying, "Next time can we just ride the fast ones and not ride the kids ones?" Izzy and Kate were lapped several times as they took a leisurely "cruise" around the track.

Go-Karts have definitely become a favorite activity of the Richmond family.

Here's a short slide show of our Go-Cart Adventure.

Our Latest Adventures!

2007-05-25T13:44:00.000-06:00

We are now getting ready for the Summer and many new things are on our plates! June 1st we'll be moving into a new apartment here in the same building. Brett and I excepted a care taking position in our building. This will help me to stay at home and we'll get to move into a 3 bdr. 2 bath on the ground floor. We are all ready for this excitement! Our address will stay the same but we'll now be #100. Izzy had her graduation yesterday from school and her last day is next week. The kids are going to be involved in numerous activities this summer. We have already had some 80 plus days at the beach up the street. After the long winter they're much needed. Brett will be speaking at a middle school camp for a whole week in July that is just down the road. Every camp in Minnesota is just in our backyard it seems.

Here are beach pics, dance pics, and graduation pics.

ENJOY!

Busy Weekend

2007-05-21T20:55:00.000-06:00

We had a very busy weekend...
We took the kids to see Shrek the Third on Friday (you can read Brett's review here -- link fixed)
Sunday Brett preached and Kate danced at both morning services (you can hear his sermon here)
Sunday night we had a Staff/Leadership Team get together

We are tired...

Izzy in the Brainerd Dispatch

2007-05-11T12:28:00.000-06:00

Izzy's dance class was featured in the local newspaper. You can check out the article and picture here. You will probably have to register but it's free.

Dance Pics!

2007-05-01T09:27:00.000-06:00

Isabella and I had a great time with our first recital together. This was also a first for Heart and Sole! Heart and Sole is the name of the dance group that is run by Cyndy Murdock. Heart and Sole just opened a studio in Franklin Art Center where The Journey North is located! Izzy and I are so glad to be a part of this growing ministry!

Izzy's Dance Recital

2007-05-01T07:27:00.000-06:00

Saturday, April 28th, Izzy had her first dance recital. It was a wonderful sight watching girls worship God through dance. Kate even danced in a couple of songs including the Mayim Mayim dance that's posted here.

This is the Mayim Mayim Dance:

This is the Flag Dance:

The girls all had a great time.

1..2..3..& to the FOUR

2007-04-20T08:48:00.000-06:00

First she lost one.
second she lost two..
then she lost three...
and today she lost the fourth!!!!

Izzy has officially lost her fourth tooth. She lost her first one while eating an apple at the Bjorlo's house. She lost her second tooth while eating at Taco Bell with Kate. She lost her third tooth Wednesday while sitting in the car. Today she lost her fourth tooth while brushing her teeth. She is now missing all 4 of her front teeth, 2 top and 2 bottom.

Here's her new smile....

Kids on Bikes

2007-04-17T18:03:00.000-06:00

The snow has melted and so has the kids patience with being inside. Well not really...but we were able to take the kids out to ride bikes this week. They had a great time and Ethan found out that he can peddle his trike this year.

The videos were taken on my cell phone as we walked.

Ethan's First Game

2007-04-13T10:27:00.000-06:00

Last night Ethan and Brett went to their first Minnesota Twins MLB ga me.

Ethan had a great time sitting in the upper stands, waling around the concourse, and watching the lady behind us throw her sunflower seeds on the ground.

We were able to watch the entire game and Ethan loved it..although he will tell you it was a little loud at times. We got some collector cups (wink wink scott) and they were handing out packets of baseball cards to the first 10,000 people.

We watched 3 home runs, the last one was a walk off home run by Justin Morneau. But the weirdest part was this double play that happened, I copied the explanation from the MLB.com website:

A little trouble might be the biggest understatement of the night as the play turned into what can only be described as a real mess. With Crawford legging out what looked to be a possible triple, Devil Rays third base coach Tom Foley held up the stop sign for Zobrist at third, but Crawford, who hadn't looked up, continued running to third as well.
With the possibility of two runners at third base, Zobrist started to run home. But Twins right fielder Michael Cuddyer had already hustled to get the ball back into the infield to second baseman Luis Castillo, who then threw it to catcher Joe Mauer. With the ball in hand, Mauer was able to catch Zobrist in a rundown to get the first out of the inning.
And that was just the start of strange things happening. Rather than remaining at third base, Crawford started running back to second, and Mauer was able to get the ball to shortstop Alexi Casilla before Crawford could tag the base. And what ended up was the not-so-typical 9-4-2-6 double play.

It was a great day and I'm very thankful that Ethan I were able to share this experience.

April Showers Freeze May Flowers

2007-04-03T06:57:00.000-06:00

OK So we don't have any flowers and it's not May yet, but we are having April showers. Up to 6 inches of April showers are supposed to fall today. So much for spring...it looks like Narnia is still in winter around here.

Here is the image we woke up to this morning.

Izzy's New Smile

2007-03-24T18:37:00.000-06:00

Today was an exciting day in Isabella's 6 year old world! She lost her first tooth! Something that Izzy has been very nervous and excited about. Izzy spent part of the day at The Bjorlo's house (our Pastor's Family), while we where at a class at Church. Izzy bit into an apple at lunch there and her tooth fell out. When we picked her up she was very excited and wanted to show us her new smile. So here it is. Oh, and I think a certain fairy will be visiting our house tonight!

Happy CRAZY Anniversary!

2007-03-16T20:50:00.000-06:00

Today marks 11 years of wedded bliss! We are now working on our 12th year together as husband and wife. We were recounting the "crazy" things that have happened in the past 11 years and thought we would share them with you.

Year 1 1996-1997: Moved into our first apartment (move 1) and had our first car break in. Two months later moved to Bend, Oregon for 4 months (move 2) then moved back to Keizer, Oregon with Brett’s parents for 2 months (move 3). Moved to Cascade View Apts. (move 4). Brett and Kate both worked 2 jobs.

Year 2 1997-1998: Lived at Cascade View Apts. and had our car broken into 3-4 times and gas bbq stolen.

Year 3 1998-1999: Moved into Brett’s Parents house in west Salem for 6 months (move 5). Brett went back to college to finish his degree; Kate worked at the YMCA childcare. Bought our house on Neef Ave (move 6). Brett started first Youth Ministry position at Liberty Christian Church.

Year 4 1999-2000: Brett finished his Bachelor's degree at Western Baptist College (now Corban College). Discovered we had a miscarriage of our first pregnancy on our fourth wedding anniversary.

Year 5 2000-2001: Brett worked at the Oregon State Capital as a "session Help Desk technician" then became the Youth Minister at Willamette Community Church. Kate stopped working and we had our first child on March 2 2001.

Year 6 2001-2002: Moved from Salem to Albany (move 7) and sold our house in Salem. Lived in a two bedroom on 2nd Ave across from the 7-eleven, AKA "The Hood". Moved again to 18th Ave, a little less of a hood (move 8). Took a paycut at the church after 9-11 that was later restored. Had our car broken into and had the church laptop, digital camera, and some other stuff stolen while parked at a restaurant.

Year 7 2002-2003: Still lived at 18th Ave. Found out we were pregnant with our second child, Ethan. Still at Willamette Community Church. . Purchased a new 2002 Dodge Caravan then 2 months later it was hit by a trick delivering trusses to the church.

Year 8 2003-2004: Year of Hell. Brett had an emergency Appendectomy cancelling his mission trip to Moldova. Kate's purse was stolen from inside the church and we had more than $2,000 in fraudulent charges to report plus the churches digital camera was stolen again. Brett's Mazda RX-7 was in a hit and run the week after. Then Ethan was born two weeks later. Then 2 weeks later the IRS let us know that we owed them more than $700 from 2 years prior. Moved to 20^th Ave, one of the more positive notes for the year (move 9). Went through a Senior Pastor change at Willamette Community Church.

Year 9 2004-2005: Went to Las Vegas for our anniversary. New Senior Pastor arrives at Willamette Community Church. Kate started school to earn a Phlebotomy certificate. Kate’s Granddad passed away, Brett performs his first memorial service.

Year 10 2005-2006: Kate finished school and started working at Corvallis Family Medicine 2 days a week. A stellar year compared to the past years.

Year 11 2006-2007: Brett started new job search. Moved to Baxter, Minnesota in late August (move 10). Brett became the Children's Pastor at The Journey North Community Church. Had a deer run into us while driving, had another car accident with a semi during the years worst snowstorm. Isabella was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder and has difficulty adjusting to new environments. Adjustment to living in Minnesota and new church.

Year 12 2007-2008: I’m sure the craziness will continue…

Look Who Is 6 !

2007-03-12T08:21:00.000-06:00

Isabella had a great B-day. On the 2nd we had lots of snow, so her school was canceled! That evening we had a family party with all the Grandparents from Oregon. Followed by a big party at our church with lots of her friends the next day! Oh and if you haven't noticed someone got a new pink cowboy hat!

Winter Storm of 2007

2007-02-26T07:50:00.001-06:00

Well that's not really what they're calling it here...they don't "name storms" here in Minnesota like they did in Oregon. But here's some pics of the 11" of snow we got from Friday night thru Sunday.

This is how much snow we had on our deck on Sunday morning and this was the shallow end.

Saturday night

Izzy playing in the snow

Here's the parking lot after they plowed. We now have mounds of snow taller than our Toyota Tercel!

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There is no chemistry with out F-U-N

2007-02-21T13:23:00.000-06:00

On my Children's Ministry blog I posted a while back about the importance of chemistry. Well....today I was able to tap into one of the real sources of chemistry...FUN. It think with out fun you don't really have chemistry you just have people who tolerate one another.

Sheila, the office manager, and I have had a feud going on for a while about the placement of a "men's restroom" sign. She likes to put it so the arrow points to the office space I use most. Hinting that's where the men's restroom is. So I started placing the sign so the arrow pointed to her office. And back and forth we would go. It was all fun and games.

Then she upped the stakes by T.P.ing my office space. I left for a little while and when I came back my office space had toilet paper strung all over...and the restroom sign was on the back of my laptop.

So today I returned the favor. I rigged a contraption that had a paper bag drop pieces of toilet paper and hole punch remnants on her head when she opened the door. I've been waiting for 2-weeks to do this. So, today I got to work before her and rigged up my contraption. You can watch the video below to see what happened.

Ethan's First...

2007-02-16T08:07:00.000-06:00

Today for Ethan's 1/2 Birthday he received his first ....TRANSFORMER!

We watched teh movie a few weeks ago and since then he's been asking for one, a blue one. He's pretty excited about it too.

2007-02-15T15:41:00.000-06:00

When is a current NBA or any other professional sports player going to come out of the closet and announce to the world that they are gay? Who knows. But if you have been following the John Amaechi news and the recent Tim Hardaway comments the fire is getting red hot.

But I do like what one espn writer, Chris Brousard, had to say on espn.com, you can read the whole article here.

Here is my favorite part...

Well, anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I'm not concerned with being politically correct. So here's where I stand:
I'm a born-again, Bible-believing Christian (no, I'm not a member of the Religious Right). And I'm against homosexuality (I believe it's a sin) and same-sex marriage.
But before you label me "homophobic," know that I'm against any type of sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman. That includes heterosexual fornication (premarital sex).
Some cats in the NBA run around, sleeping with different women in every city -- I don't agree with their lifestyles.
Some players run around, cheating on their wives -- I don't agree with their lifestyles.
It's all wrong to me and against the biblical teachings I believe in.
I'm saying all that to say that if I can play basketball with a homosexual, just about anyone can....
...I know he's gay, and he knows I believe that's a sin. I know he thinks I get my moral standards from an outdated, mistranslated book, and he knows I believe he needs to change his lifestyle. Still, we can laugh together, and play ball together.
That's real diversity. Disagreeing but not being disagreeable....
...Since Amaechi came out, I've read lots of columns about being "progressive." The implication -- or outright assertion -- is that anyone who believes homosexuality is wrong is not progressive or enlightened.
That's where this thing becomes problematic, because those who hold to that view are saying I must change my entire belief system/religion because of your belief system.
Where's the diversity in that?
Those folks don't want diversity. They want everyone to agree with their "enlightened" opinion.
Look, I'll accept your right to have your own belief system and to live as you please, but I'm not changing mine. Diversity is not just accepting alternatives to what has long been perceived as normal, but it's accepting the significant number of people who hold to long-standing "traditional" beliefs as well.
Millions of Christians who follow the Bible -- and Muslims who follow the Koran and Jews who follow the Torah, as well as many nonreligious Americans -- believe homosexuality is wrong.
That doesn't mean they're unenlightened. That just means their moral code doesn't fluctuate based on society's ever-changing standards. As long as we're not being violent toward one another, as long as we can be civil, everything should be fine. We don't have to agree."

Brett's Favorite American Idol

2007-02-15T09:31:00.000-06:00

Chris Sligh is my favorite American Idol this season. Mostly because of his personality, his vioce is great, and he's a worship pastor at Seacoast Church, Greenville.

When Fundamentals take over American Idol

2007-02-11T18:13:00.000-06:00

This is what I would imagine if Fundamentalist Christians took over American Idol. Enjoy :)

What's been going on with us?

2007-02-07T12:32:00.000-06:00

As you have read already, its been very cold here! We are learning that in MN you don't go out when its very cold. If you do, you make sure you are very bundled up.

This last week we had some very sick children. Izzy had strep throat again 2 weeks ago. Then this last week both children had a bad flu bug. Isabella had a fever for a total of 6 days! Izzy is now feeling much better! So we didn't notice the cold weather too much since we were in all day fighting the bugs!
Brett and I are planning to go visit Bethel University this next week in St. Paul. This is the school that Brett will start attending in the fall for his Masters. We still aren't sure what degree in the Masters program he'll go for. We are praying that talking with an advisor will help clarify this.

I have started dancing again! This is something that I never thought I would do! God is teaching me a lot about how I am able to give all to Him through my dancing as worship. It's been amazing how all my past dance experience is coming back so quickly. We have been learning some Hebrew dances, ballet, flags and tambourines. This has been a Big Blessing in my life!

Since we have landed our feet here in MN I've become good friends with an amazing woman of God. Her name is Sarah Lindberg, Sarah has just published her first book. The book is amazing! Here is the link to her book. www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/search.php?search=lindberg

Today Brett and I saw something amazing! To go from our home in Baxter we have to cross the Mississippi River to get to Brainerd(where the church is). The church is maybe 5 miles from our house. As we were crossing their were two bald eagles flying! For us this was very exciting, In Oregon you don't always see this beauty right in the middle of town. I was taken back by the full beauty of these creatures, and how graceful they fly even in the frigid weather. They are truly a creation of our Lord! I'm so glad that He thought to make such amazing animals for us to enjoy!

UPDATE

2007-02-05T10:07:00.000-06:00

Today my "coldest day alive" lowest temperature was broken. At 8 am the outside temp was -31 degrees F. BBBBBBBRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NEG TWENTY

2007-02-03T10:51:00.000-06:00

Today I woke up and checked the temperature and discovered that it is officially the coldest day I have ever lived. This morning it was -20 degrees F, and right now at 10:55 am it's -16 F.

Floor Hockey Week 3

2007-01-22T21:28:00.000-06:00

We had our third game of floor hockey last night. Brett went and played while Kate stayed home and took care of Izzy (who had strep throat). The Brickyard Bullies (our team) won our second game in a row. Brett played goalie and with the help of some great defense managed the first shutout of the season. He's even got the scrapped up knees to add to the glory. We are currently in second place, next week we play the first place team. It should prove to be quite the game. You can check out the website here, TJN Sports Ministry

-17 degrees!!!!

2007-01-16T13:26:00.000-06:00

Last night it reached our lowest temputure here -17 degrees! The kids and I have been playing many indoor games lately!
Brett and I have just statred playing floor Hockey on a team at church on Sunday nights. TJN has a great sports ministry for adults and currently have about 60 adults doing floor hockey. We felt very out of shape the first night but we had great fun. This has inspired us to live healthier!
We also just started up our Commuinity group again and are excited to become closer with the induviduals in our group.
Here are some pictures of the kids making ornaments at Christmas time.
Hope your New Year is off to an excellent start!

Before, Before they were stars

2006-12-27T14:32:00.000-06:00

Before, Before they were stars is a look at our children performing with Izzy's new guitar.

OUR WARM TRIP!

2006-12-18T14:24:00.000-06:00

Aloha!

What a wonderful time we had!

The fun started in Oregon with our stop over. We visited with a few families that we are good friends with. The Millers and The Bayers from Albany while at PDX.
The next day we flew out to Oahu. We stayed on Oahu with my Uncle Bob and his wife Mary in Kailua. While we were there we visited with my Grandfather who is a very healthy 90-years of age! We went to the USS Missouri with my Grandfather the day before Pearl Harbor Day. This is Pearl Harbors 65th year since the bombings. Ethan and Isabella enjoyed going to the Dole plantation as well as testing out the many beaches we saw. My mom was in Oahu at the same time as well. We also spent a little time with my Grandmother who has Alzheimer’s. So on Oahu we got to see all my side of the family including a brief few minutes with my very busy Aunt Holly.

December 7, 2006 we flew to Maui to meet up with Brett’s parents. We where there for 8 days and stayed in Kihei right across from the beach. It was beautiful weather! We went on a whale watch boat, snorkeling, up to Haleakala, to the aquarium, shopping and swimming of course. Ethan says the highlight of the trip was the "boat, train and the plane”! Isabella says she loved “seeing the whales “. Brett and I really enjoyed spending time with Bud & Sue and getting our own date time and having no schedule to follow!
On the way home we saw Brett's brother's family at PDX along with my family!

Overall we had a great time! Here are some pics.

24 Hours and Counting....

2006-12-02T16:57:00.000-06:00

In exactly 24 Hours (5:21 pm central) we will be on a plane and on our way to the west coast where, Monday, we will catch another flight to beautiful and warm Hawaii. Currently it's 11 degrees Fahrenheit in Baxter, MN. It will be in the low 70's at it's coldest and a nice 80 degrees the rest of the time. So...we're paradise bound...Aloha!

Hawaii Here We Come!

2006-11-28T13:04:00.000-06:00

ALOHA

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying the marvelous season of miracles that is upon us now.

We had a great Thanksgiving with my Sister's Family. Isabella, Ethan and their cousin Holly had fun playing and making homemade snow globes together.

Church has been very Busy. Brett is helping the church do their first advent this year. The families all made thier own wreaths to take home and were sent home with a daily devotional done by others at TJN. The children all recieved a small advent calendar. This was a big hit with everyone. So great to see families getting the tools they need to worship and celebrate this Christmas season.

So Brett is feeling very exhausted from all of this! We are so ready for Hawaii!

We leave on Dec 3rd and return on the 16th. Please pray for safe travels and lots of fun!

I Got Plugged!!

2006-11-20T14:00:00.000-06:00

Check out "My Adventures in Children's Ministry" blog for information on this posting. It's very exciting...check it out to find out what international group has plugged my blog!

Shalom!

Brett

The pics

2006-11-15T09:49:00.000-06:00

Trying to get the perfect Christmas Picture!

2006-11-15T09:08:00.000-06:00

Recently I took the children to our favorite lake park to take pictures for our Christmas card this year. I am finding that each year this is proving to be a harder task. So I'm sharing the ones that will not be in the mail this year.
Things are going very well here. We are always discovering new things about nature and weather.
Last Friday we had an interesting encounter with a deer. As you know they are very beautiful but not very smart(wow that sounds like some humans!). We were driving down a local highway and a deer ran into our car. Yes it ran into us! not us running into it. Brett saw it just in time so the deer was able to survive and so did the rest of us. The car got some very minor damage. We're thankful for Gods hand in this!
Isabella is having so much fun now at school and is excelling in her reading and writing. We are so glad that she is feeling at home now. Its taken lots of prayer and patience.
Ethan is Talking a mile a minute now and is very into all vehicles still and loves his BOZ videos. I'm so glad that I'm getting some great quality time at home this year with him!
Brett is continually being challenged in wonderful ways. A couple weeks ago when he shared from the pulpit he had so much fun. Brett thinks this may be the start of a new passion in his life.
We are praying for all of you and hope all is well!

Comfort In The Deep Freeze

2006-11-11T16:49:00.000-06:00

As of today we all have nice warm winter coats. And it's a good thing because it was wicked cold today. So cold that we went to a local lake and pond to throw some rocks on the ice. Here's a couple of pics of Izzy and Ethan out on a dock in an ice covered lake.

Warm days are ahead for the Richmond family!

What's Buggin' us in Minnesota

2006-11-11T16:38:00.000-06:00

Last Monday night we saw one of the largest bugs we have ever seen. We don't know what kind of bug this is but it was freaky looking.

You could actually see the shinny eyes.

If you know what kind of bug this is let us know.

To make matter worse we found another one today (saturday) under the ice in a local lake. It was actually swimming in the water.

The first person to get back to us with the correct answer will get an authentic Minnesota souvenir. Post your answers in the comments section of this blog.

Halloween 2006

2006-11-08T20:47:00.000-06:00

The kids had a great Halloween this year! We went to a local Church that was doing a Harvest party. It was about 20 degrees here so the event was packed! It was truly the best Harvest Party we have ever attended. This church did and awesome job and we saw many of our new friends from TJN there.

Isabella and Ethan had fun painting pumpkins, eating candy and many other great activities. They loved having my parents here to visit during this fun time as well.

Overall Halloween was an exciting time and we are glad that Ethan kept his costume on this year:)

Most the movie

2006-11-07T20:08:00.000-06:00

This weekend I had the great joy of showing the 2003 Academy Award Nominated Live Action Short film "Most" to our congregation. I followed it up with a short devotional about the "limitless love of God". If you haven't seen the movie follow the link below and check it out.

It is one of the most incredible illustrations of God's love that I have ever seen.

"Most" the Movie

The End of Community

2006-11-07T10:08:00.000-06:00

....at least for a couple of months. We ended out "40 Days of Community" Small Group last night. We had a fun time finally getting our plans in order for out commuity project and created our banner for this Sunday's "40 Days Celebration" at the local armory.

We have really enjoyed our group and how they have embraced us in friendship and extended love to us. We look forward to what God is going to continue to do in us as a group and in us as individuals.

Here are a few pictures from last night.

Paul, Kristi, Drew, and Camille

Dee, Caitlyn, and Corbin

Carrie and Sam

Making our Group Banner

Liberty adding her hand prints to our "hand cross"

Trinity getting her hand painted

Our Banner