1. To make memories, and eliminate regrets.
2. To lose 43 pounds.
3. To read more books. I have a list.
4. To pick up my guitar again.
5. To worship openly with all my gifts.
6. To make all around me better.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
New Year's Resolutions
I am fastly approaching the age of 43. Here are my goals for 2009:
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Christmas 2008
Christmas 2008The Perkins Family
(from 2001)
We have been in the habit of summarizing our year and sending these letters out at Christmas time. It seems like a lot of focus on us. Here’s the reason we do this…YOU are a very important person in our lives. When we think about our blessings, and the events in our lives that have helped make us who we are today, YOU fill our hearts, our thoughts, and our souls. So we write YOU each year to share our blessings, and to thank YOU for your impact on our lives!
Our family continues to move through life and evolve. As you can see above, we tried to recreate a family picture from seven years ago but just could not quite squeeze everybody in to the same pose. J So many new adventures, so many important milestones, it is difficult to keep track of all of them. We try to affirm accomplishments each day and gently work through the rough spots. Mary continues to enjoy her work with Starbucks and was promoted to shift supervisor. She has learned that her store will be closing as part of Starbucks closing 600 stores, but is hopeful that she will be able to transfer to another store close by. Mike continues to work with WesBanco and has experienced a year unlike any other in banking and risk management. The entire family vacationed in Ocean City, Maryland this year and had a most wonderful time. We continue to involve ourselves and our family in Church and community activities.
Brittany finished up her high school years with a variety of band activities and enjoyed her 3rd year as a member of the McDonald’s all-star band for OVAC (Ohio Valley Athletic Conference) football activities. She played softball for the high school and enjoyed another playoff appearance by the football team. She finished high school with wonderful grades and we had a great graduation party at our Church. Brittany is attending West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, WV and pursuing an Education major. She has a great room-mate, enjoys the family nearby and time with her cousin Amy, and is adjusting well to being away from home for long periods of time. We miss her greatly but are very proud of her new adventures!
Kelsey is a Freshman in High School and continues to balance an active schedule. She participated in the high school marching band for the 2nd year. She played softball and played Freshman High School volleyball. She is active in Church and participates in the Church Youth Choir and Bell Choir. Her involvement in a competitive drum-line (www.elementsensemble.org) took the family to Dayton, Nashville and other locations for competitions.
Aaron is now in the 6th grade. He loves many sports and plays basketball (in which he played on a traveling all-star team), baseball (in which he made all-stars) and his tackle football team which won their league’s Super Bowl this year. Aaron loves playing receiver and had many fine catches and runs during the season. Aaron is playing drums and will have his first concert with the Middle School Band in December.
Christian has moved to Middle School and is now in the 5th grade. He enjoys many sports including baseball in which he made all-stars, and football in which his team won the Super Bowl for their league. He also is interested in getting in to soccer, and enjoys chess anytime someone is willing to challenge him to a match. He loves legos, Star Wars and video games. Christian is also learning how to play the trumpet.
Both boys are participating in Destination Imagination this year (Mike is trying to be both team’s managers) and Christian’s team made it to the state level in that activity last year. Both boys also continue to be active in Church and the LOGOS program at our Church.
Muffin, Maya and Max also continue to be the animal friends to all of us that only dogs can be.
We hope that this Holiday season finds you healthy and happy. The dramatic economic times that we are enduring give us pause to focus on the truly important things in our lives. We are blessed to have you in our lives.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Our family continues to move through life and evolve. As you can see above, we tried to recreate a family picture from seven years ago but just could not quite squeeze everybody in to the same pose. J So many new adventures, so many important milestones, it is difficult to keep track of all of them. We try to affirm accomplishments each day and gently work through the rough spots. Mary continues to enjoy her work with Starbucks and was promoted to shift supervisor. She has learned that her store will be closing as part of Starbucks closing 600 stores, but is hopeful that she will be able to transfer to another store close by. Mike continues to work with WesBanco and has experienced a year unlike any other in banking and risk management. The entire family vacationed in Ocean City, Maryland this year and had a most wonderful time. We continue to involve ourselves and our family in Church and community activities.
Brittany finished up her high school years with a variety of band activities and enjoyed her 3rd year as a member of the McDonald’s all-star band for OVAC (Ohio Valley Athletic Conference) football activities. She played softball for the high school and enjoyed another playoff appearance by the football team. She finished high school with wonderful grades and we had a great graduation party at our Church. Brittany is attending West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, WV and pursuing an Education major. She has a great room-mate, enjoys the family nearby and time with her cousin Amy, and is adjusting well to being away from home for long periods of time. We miss her greatly but are very proud of her new adventures!
Kelsey is a Freshman in High School and continues to balance an active schedule. She participated in the high school marching band for the 2nd year. She played softball and played Freshman High School volleyball. She is active in Church and participates in the Church Youth Choir and Bell Choir. Her involvement in a competitive drum-line (www.elementsensemble.org) took the family to Dayton, Nashville and other locations for competitions.
Aaron is now in the 6th grade. He loves many sports and plays basketball (in which he played on a traveling all-star team), baseball (in which he made all-stars) and his tackle football team which won their league’s Super Bowl this year. Aaron loves playing receiver and had many fine catches and runs during the season. Aaron is playing drums and will have his first concert with the Middle School Band in December.
Christian has moved to Middle School and is now in the 5th grade. He enjoys many sports including baseball in which he made all-stars, and football in which his team won the Super Bowl for their league. He also is interested in getting in to soccer, and enjoys chess anytime someone is willing to challenge him to a match. He loves legos, Star Wars and video games. Christian is also learning how to play the trumpet.
Both boys are participating in Destination Imagination this year (Mike is trying to be both team’s managers) and Christian’s team made it to the state level in that activity last year. Both boys also continue to be active in Church and the LOGOS program at our Church.
Muffin, Maya and Max also continue to be the animal friends to all of us that only dogs can be.
We hope that this Holiday season finds you healthy and happy. The dramatic economic times that we are enduring give us pause to focus on the truly important things in our lives. We are blessed to have you in our lives.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
2008 photos courtesy of Dewayne & Ginnie Lowther
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Peter King
If you don't already read Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback, you need to...
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/writers/peter_king/archive/index.html
Quote: This game will be dissected for days in Dallas and celebrated like few other Steelers wins ever -- and I mean that, because in neo-natal units across western Pennsylvania, nurses coo babies to sleep by cursing the Cowboys.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/writers/peter_king/archive/index.html
Quote: This game will be dissected for days in Dallas and celebrated like few other Steelers wins ever -- and I mean that, because in neo-natal units across western Pennsylvania, nurses coo babies to sleep by cursing the Cowboys.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Cleveland Cavaliers
Every now and then you have one of those evenings...where everything just seems to fall in to place. Last evening was one of those. Thanks to my Dad, my wife, my family and my brother for making it all work. Amazing.
I took my son Aaron to a Cleveland Cavaliers game; the first one we've attended. I picked him after school and headed North. Kelsey and Christian were unloading band fruit and then heading to the Church, and Mary changed her work schedule to make it all work. The tickets were a gift for Aaron for his 12th birthday which was the day before (12/2/08).
- We arrived at the Q right before 5 and parked in the adjacent parking building (thanks Doug). Our parking spot was about 50 feet from a bridge that went directly in to the arena!
- Gates opened at 5:30 so we went in search of food. Aaron wanted to eat at Quaker Steak & Lube (a decision that would come back up later). The restaurant is actually part of the arena so we got our Lebron James bobbleheads as we went in.
- We went in to the arena at about 5:45 and went straight to the gift shop. Aaron brought his birthday present money with him and bought shorts, a t-shirt, a basketball hoop and ball and then got a Lebron head band and wrist bands. He also bought a hat and pin for Christian.
- We walked down to the floor and Aaron got Daniel "Boobie" Gibson's autograph!
- Our seats had a great view and we settled in for the game.
- It was all Cavaliers immediately. The sell out crowd was loud and the game was quickly out of reach. The only bad part -- Lebron only played 28 minutes. But they were good minutes as he put in 21 points and the team won by 36!
- Back to the wings...late in the 2nd quarter Aaron starts to get sick and ends up yacking twice. I had to get a janitor to clean up our area and while we were waiting a Cavaliers guest services person comes up and asks if we want to upgrade our tickets to the first level! Of course!
- In our new seats we have a great view of the Cavs bench and floor and Aaron ends up getting on the Q tube (jumbotron). Of course.
- Then he catches a fumbled plastic basketball thrown from the floor in to the crowd. Of course.
- After the game, we leave the parking building and get to the interstate in less than 10 minutes. We got home about 12:30am.
Just a great time, a great birthday gift for Aaron, and a great blessing for me.
~~~
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