in stereo

I've moved...

2007-08-17T12:14:00.000-07:00

5 years today!

2007-08-17T03:15:00.001-07:00

then...

now...

Who knew they could have been so fast?
Who knew they could have been so good?

one more...

2007-08-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

...take note of the boxers :)
My eight-eyed tan combat boots, un-laced, with the pant legs tucked in are missing becuase I had already changed into the bowling shoes when this was taken. Trust me. They were AWESOME!

so my wife's a gangsta

2007-08-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

It was 80's 90's night for Cosmic Bowling.
Yeah, everyone else went with florescent pinks and greens.
Lacy went with Ghetto-Gangsta-Hip-Hop.
It was awesome.

pics from south dakota

2007-07-23T23:55:00.000-07:00

road trip with some air time

2007-07-16T03:11:00.001-07:00

We're off to South Dakota today for a week of camp with THE CAUSE band.
I'll let you know how it went when we get back.
If you're in or around Rapid City, come say "hi".

a time to sit

2007-07-06T16:18:00.000-07:00

update on my mom

2007-06-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

I'm lagging, I know. It's been a crazy week. Mom had a nine hour surgery on Tuesday and the Doctor was able to remove ALL visible tumors along with some other bits and pieces. She's doing very well. I'm bedside with her right now and she's alert and not in too much pain. We're all taking shifts at the hospital with her. There's a full report on our church's website www.skylinechurch.org, but I thought you might want to hear it from me. She's still got a long road of chemo ahead, but stage one is behind us.

Your prayers and support have been overwhelming.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

tough week

2007-06-24T22:45:00.000-07:00

The week started with my mom having a fairly routine female-related operation, and ended with the startling news of ovarian-like cancer. A jolt to say the least. I feel comfortable writing about it for the first time tonight because the news was shared with our church family this morning. I won't go into a ton of detail now, but there will be surgery this week, followed with chemotherapy.

Our family is doing OK, not great, but OK. We all feel it at different times. We've all had our moments of reality setting in. We remain optimistic about the outcome, yet overwhelmed with the process. The next few months will most assuredly be different. My dad is living with this the most. He's gaining information as quickly as he can take it in, and determined to be along side for the entire ride. My mom seems to be doing well. I can't imagine what's she's feeling, but her spirits are high.

Our church has been wonderful to us this week. I'm SO grateful to be where we are and have an extended family that loves us. Both my dad and I were absent for this morning's worship, but I hope to be back next weekend. I was able to lead at THE CAUSE last night, and being there ministered to me more that words could express.

Thanks for your prayers. We'll probably be opening a new blog to update you on her progress. I'll post something when that's up.

Josh

A Night At The Park

2007-05-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

Luke and I went with Nick and Nate (Lacy's cousins) to the Padres game tonight. We had a great time despite the loss in 12 innings. There is NEVER a bad time had at Petco Park. It's one of my favorite places to be on any given night.
Thanks Uncle Ben for the tickets.

D.C. with DAD

2007-05-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

My dad took me along to D.C. Last week for a pastors political briefing. It was a quick trip, but we managed to cram a lot in.
lots of fun. Here's some pics...

mark suhonen

2007-05-06T01:03:00.000-07:00

Mark has been playing drums for us at THE CAUSE.

enjoy!

quote that laughs

2007-04-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

My friend, Patrick Norton, said this today in regards to eating healthy:

"If I were rich, I'd just have a chef...

...or a wife"

encounter

2007-04-03T23:20:00.000-07:00

I met a man the other day who's reason for knowing that God exist and that God watches out for him was this...

"I know that God watches out for me. I see him moving around me all the time. I'll be freezing cold in the middle of the night and I'll find a blanket that someone left on the bus. This kind of thing happens too often for me to not believe in God."

This put life into perspective for me.

San Diego Mud Run @ Skyline

2007-03-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

I ran in the mud yesterday with Lacy and My dad. It's a 5k or 10k run (we did the 5K) which goes through several mud pits and up and over our mountain (WAY STEEP). This is the second annual run that our church has sponsored, and it was a huge hit again. We had over 2,000 runners and probably another 1,000 spectators. This was my first year to run it, and it killed me. I wisely paced myself with my dad becuase he knew the course well and is in much better shape than me (sad). Lacy finnished only a couple of minutes behind us.
Luke ran in the Mini-Mud run (1k) and had fun on MOST of it.

here's the links to the event:

www.sandiegomudrun.com

MudRun Slide Show

now on myspace

2007-03-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

check it out www.myspace.com/joshgarlow

Congrats

2007-02-04T22:33:00.000-08:00

Congrats to the State of Indiana, the place I once called home (sort of). I'm happy for all my friends who are celebrating tonight.

Enjoy it, because next year the BOLTS are gonna run all over the BLUE!!!!!!

A Day In The Snow

2007-01-28T09:05:00.000-08:00

We were able to hit the slopes in Big Bear, CA last Tuesday with the Benoits and the Davis Family. It's been over two years since Lacy's been able to ski due to having two kids in two years (bless her heart), so FINALLY we were able to ride the lifts and carve the mountain together again. We love our kids, we're EXTREMELY greatful for them, but it was so nice to be without them and "just be us" for a minute.
So, thanks to mom-in-law for watching the kids. Thanks to Mark for the accomodations. Thanks to Nick for driving us up in his "posh" van and for the pics. And thanks to Lacy for being my wife :)

O, Did I Mention...

2007-01-22T18:24:00.000-08:00

We're back from Georgia...
And we're off to Big Bear!

We're off to Georgia

2007-01-09T02:42:00.000-08:00

See you when we get back!

thanks for stopping by, Jenn

2007-01-02T00:06:00.000-08:00

They Say We Look Alike...

2006-11-30T23:33:00.000-08:00

I'm just not seeing it.

A Weekend @ Hume Lake

2006-11-27T01:56:00.000-08:00

It's Cold Out Here

2006-11-24T14:52:00.001-08:00

From Hume Lake...

At The Bounce-Bounce

2006-10-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

Some friend of ours are aerial acrobats. Their daugher turned three last week, so what do they do? They throw an acrobatic party. It was perhaps the most fun we've had in a while.
Here's our horrible attempt to properly capture the event in visual media form. We were too busy having fun.

THE CAUSE

2006-10-08T01:47:00.000-07:00

It's been six months or so since we started THE CAUSE, an outreach-based young adult service which focuses on Worship, Community, and Ministry. This project has been nothing but fullfilling for me and those I'm honored to work with. It has become our lifeblood. I wish you ALL could experience it in person.

Here's our new web site: www.TheCauseSanDiego.com

Take a look around and keep us in your prayers.

A Race. A Beauty Queen. A Layup.

2006-09-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

I've not been an Amazing Race fan, ever, but for some reason I decided to give it a shot this season. Lacy, the boys and I all went to the Benoit's last night for the season premier, and much to my surprise, Miss California 2005 was a contestant along with Miss New York. Here's why I say "much to my surprise": I taught her how to shoot a layup in a benefit basketball tournament about 6 months ago. I'd never met her up to that point and I have had zero interaction with her since. I almost blogged about it at the time cause it was so wierd/funny, but for some reason didn't. Glad I waited. Root her on for me, she's on Team Beauty Queens (he he he). Her name is Dustin (on the left) and she still can't shoot a layup.

In Stereo: Track of the Week

2006-09-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

All I Need Is You

I'm Not Quiting... I Did Buy Pads

2006-08-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

quarter life crisis

2006-08-16T00:49:00.000-07:00

So... I went skateboarding tonight for the first time since, well, the eighties. Lacy bought me a new board for our anniversary. She's the BEST.
Tonight I hit the streets of suburbia S.D. with my buddy/neighbor, Gabe. We got honked at three times by frustrated motorist, and Gabe wiped out hard once. The thing with skateboards is this: there are no brakes. You either have to jump off before you crash, or pray that the hill you're bombing flattens out. I wasn't willing to wait for the hill to flatten. Gabe was. It was kind of awesome. After cruising the local supermarket parking lot, we walked our boards back uphill home and called it a night.
Anyway, that was my night. It rocked.

A Cell Phone Drowning/ A Cell Phone CPR

2006-08-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon, we were all sitting in the living room watching 24 when tragedy struck. Lacy looked over and Lukas was playing dunkin donuts with my cell phone and a glass of water. It was awesome. This comes after a year of two cell phone incidents: one being when Lacy dropped my cell into a hot tub, and two, when I dropped the next one on the floor of the Fish and Chips place, cracking the screen. Needless to say, the insurance carrier has said its adieu.
This phone (treo 650) was now uninsured, yet very valuable to my life. I live by this. It's calendar and address book keep me afloat.

IT WAS GONE.

We tried blow drying it. Taking it apart. Shaking the living day lights out of it.

Nothing was going to revive it.

Monday comes. I spent a good part of the day trying to figure out if I could switch carriers and get any good deals on another smart phone, but to no avail. It was cost WAY to much to drop Sprint at this point.

SO... I walked past my wall charger and decided to just PLUG in the phone. As soon as I did, WHAMO, it came on.
It works perfectly. I'm so confused, but at least I can love my son again :)

Here He is blowing on the phone, trying to help.

In The Movies

2006-07-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

In the movies, why is it that when someone is about to kill someone else, they always do a long explanation of WHY they are going to kill them? It's not like the person being killed is going to remember the reason. I say keep your mouth shut and shoot. You'll save your time and mine.

Not Much Happening

2006-07-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

We just took a week off (sort of). My dad gave us their beach place for the week. It was great.
I just finished caring for our lawn. It had been 3 weeks. A total disaster, but OK now. Only once broken sprinkler pipe. I guess you're not supposed to use an ax in the area of an underground pipe.
I'm heading to L.A. bright and early for a conference tomorrow.
We've been having fun as a family, watching a TON of 24. Catching up.
I'm sure my lovely wife will post pictures of our adventures on Luke and Jack's blog.
OK, Luke just destroyed all the papers in my work bag.
Awesome.
gotta go.

Pics From The Fourth

2006-07-06T23:55:00.000-07:00

My 4th

2006-07-05T00:17:00.000-07:00

I'm still not sure how or why it happened, but I just played perhaps the biggest gig of my life. It was a short moment, but truly a great one. Miles Ahead Ministries and The Rock Church put on a 4th of July bash at Coors Amphetheatre called REVOLUTION featuring Kirk Franklin and P.O.D. The Rock Church's House Band was kind enough to ask me to join them for the event. It was great to meet some new friends and reconnect with old ones.
We just got home a few minutes ago. There was roughly 20,000 people there. I have no pictures as of yet, but I'll work on it. We played a short worship set at the end of the message and then went into a rockin version of the National Anthem (yes, I used the words "rockin" and "National Anthem" in the same sentence. Very strange).
Way fun tonight.
Good night America, on your birthday.

Paradise Has Left Town

2006-06-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

I don't know where it went, but it's gone. Long gone. Feels like a nasty day in Marion (no offence to those still there, we're currently praying you out of pergetory). Good news is: It ALWAYS cools down at night.

a story about a speedo...

2006-06-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

The pictures will assuredly be seen in following posts, but I wasn't about to pose just for the sake of a laugh this time.

Here's the story:

Lacy and I have taken to body-boarding with our friends Nick and Karen. We started this last summer and at first warmth, we hit the waves again this summer. The following is a series of problems and solutions that will tell the real story...

Problem 1: When body-boarding in San Diego, rarely is the water warm enough to tackle without a wet-suit.
Solution 1: Wear a wet-suit.

Problem 2: Wearing a wet-suit requires a strategic on-the-beach change of clothing (a COMPLETE change of clothing)
Solution 2: a BIG towel.

Problem 3: Sometimes the wind catches your towel and Karen and HER MOM see more of you than they should.
Solution 3: A form-fitting Speedo to wear under your boardshorts so when you change, you don't have to sans EVERYTHING, leaving your fate to a towel and the wind.

Problem 4: Purchasing the Speedo without feeling like a guy who wears a Speedo.
Solution 4: Act cool, remain calm, don't spend too much time browsing in THAT department. Most importantly, DO NOT make eye contact or small talk with the cashier, male or female.

Problem 5: In the world of Speedo, a size 34 fits like a size 24, forcing a return trip to the Speedo place and an exchange. Now I not only have to deal with the cashier once, but twice. Once for the initial exchange convo, then again for the transaction.
Solution 5: Same as Solution #4

Problem 6: A multi-person small talk conversation begins at the register:
Cashier Chick: "So... do you swim on a team or for recreation"
Me: totally not into talking about it, "Oh, it's just for under my wet-suit"
Cashier Chick: "That's a good idea"
Me: "Yeah, it works"
LADY IN LINE BEHIND ME: "my son used to wear those under his board shorts just in case they came off"
Me: "huh" (I can't believe this is now a three person convo)
Cashier chick: "So where do you surf?"
Me: "Oh, I just body-board"
WHAT I SOUNDED LIKE: "Oh, I'm just a Speedo-wearing guy who's not cool enough to be a REAL surfer, so I just grab my boogie board and hit the shallow waves with all the tourist, as long as it doesn't get too rough."

Solution 6: NONE.

comming soon

2006-06-18T00:43:00.000-07:00

OK, I've got a post about a speedo on it's way...
Just need the pics and the time to write.

Chicken

2006-06-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

You know the game that we've all played a thousand times?
The one where you're driving in a parking lot and you swerve to "act" like you're going to hit someone you know.
After the swerve, you swerve back, smile and wave and go on your way.
Meanwhile, said pedestrian acts surprised, then smiles and waves back.

Yeah, I'm over that game.

Memorial Weekend in the Sun

2006-05-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

Me and my boys: Red Einstein and Sleepy
A cute foot, a nasty hairy leg (not mine), a hot mom, and the cute foot's face
"Hey Lace, remember when it was just the two of us and we'd come down here alone?"
"Hey Josh, remember when you used to care what you looked like and didn't wear wetsuits all the time?
"Mom, I found Wilson... I mean Franklin..."
I'm the pansey who hurt my hand in WATER.

*all pictures courtesy of nick benoit, who's camera is muchos grander than mine.

The Week Accoring to Lacy

2006-05-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

The pics of the week are now featured with full comentary at garlowboys.blogspot.com (lukasgarlow.blogspot.com no longer exists)

Jackson Blake Garlow

2006-05-18T04:51:00.000-07:00

Born 3am.May18.2006
Weight: 6.5lbs
Length: 19.25in

Josh Garlow Podcast Series 1

2006-05-17T15:11:00.000-07:00

The world of podcasting is upon us and it's not pretty. I have yet to hear or see one that's not completely awkward.

That is until now. I'm proud to introduce to the world...
"The Josh Garlow Video Podcast Series"
This is the best in content, uses the most advanced of technologies, and the farthest reaching in an effort to change lives.

Enjoy

The Zoo and a Game

2006-05-10T00:20:00.000-07:00

We've been trying to spend some family time together. I'm not great at it. I love it when I get the chance, but getting the chance is often the problem. Yesterday, Lacy and I were sat and tried to decide what we would do with the day (my day off). We could have worked on the yard or finished up some painting around the house, but we didn't. We decided that the best thing we could do with our day was to take Luke to the Zoo. So we went down for a couple of hours of uninterupted, cell phone free family time. It was well worth our efforts. Luke loves it. Lacy and I are intrigued by so many things there, and for family, nothing's better.

Tonight, we hit the Padres game. All was well until luke decided to throw his sippy cup over the balcony (we were in front row of the upper deck). Fortunately, no one was hurt and we weren't ejected from the game. A couple of innings later, we peeked over the wall and saw a kid holding Luke's cup in his glove as if he had caught a foul... cup? Hilarious!

When I Grow Up...

2006-05-05T01:03:00.000-07:00

If you had told me 4 years ago that I would be where I am today, I would have laughed at you and said "That's impossible." The world as I knew it didn't allow for such a scenario to exist. That being said, if you had explained to me what this place ACTUALLY looks like, I would have said that's even more impossible.

I used to think that the further you get in life, the easier it is. I thought that experience was the cure-all for everything. I thought that once you were established, you could go by your own rules and everyone else would have to follow or bug off.

To some degree I was right. I can do more, say more, and decide more than ever before. My vote is more valuable.

Here's where I was wrong: No matter how far you go, you can only go there with the help of other people. PEOPLE MATTER. it makes no difference how good I am or how much I know (which isn't very good, and not very much) if I don't take into consideration other people. People I work with, people I serve, and people I live with.

Here's the cool thing. On this journey, I've really learned to love people. It's been easy to care about feelings because I care about the person who has the feelings. I'm not sure what's come over me. For those who know me well know that I'm not a loving person by nature. Correction: I WASN"T a loving person by nature. I am becoming one.

"When I grow up" used to have a different ending.
I'm not the first baseman for the Oakland A's.
I'm not a business man.
I'm not without chest hair.

I am a becoming a loving person who cares about people.
This is not easy.
It takes more energy.
It makes my job harder.
Being a jerk used to be so easy :)

Go love somebody.

The CAUSE

2006-04-29T23:47:00.000-07:00

Tonight we opened THE CAUSE.
If you've been around me at all in the last month or so, you know that my heart is burning for this work. You know that my days and nights have been consumed with one mission: to reach people through THE CAUSE. Tonight, my adrenaline finally let down. I walked off the stage after the worship set and came close to tears. Part of it was me forgetting how draining it is to lead worship, but the other part of it was the satisfaction that God was being honored with our efforts. We had no idea if anyone would even come and the anxiety that comes with those thoughts can be haunting. Our fears were calmed when the crowd arrived. We had a variety of technical features that were untested in a live application, but they all ran smoothly.
It is a pleasure serving with the men and women I call friends first, coworkers second.
Now, on to next Saturday night when we do it all again and maybe I'll get a non-work related post in here somewhere. (possibly about our new house?)
(Oh, did I mention the band? Yeah... I'll have to talk about them later. These guys are amazing.)

Easter 2006

2006-04-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

We went outside for Easter this year.
Here are some pics of the band, the production, and the venue (In the "round").
We all had a blast.

A Midnight Ramble

2006-04-08T00:04:00.000-07:00

Tonight ends a week of vacation. Well... by vacation I mean a week away from the church, but not a week away from work. We've been hauling tail to finish our move-in. I'll have pics soon, but I haven't even seen my camera or the internet in a week. Kind of nice, actually. It's weird how the blogging community can change in seven days. I've noticed some additions in the community. Glad to see some fresh faces.
It's midnight, Pacific time, and I'm catching up on the Padres game from earlier tonight. Luke's asleep after a long day of helping me patch a fence so the dogs can't escape, clean up painting supplies, and a first lesson in hockey (No, I don't know how to play hockey, nor do I even like it, but I thought we'd work on some motor skills. He needs a few more days). Lacy is in the other room watching "House" and will probably be passed out by the time I make it to bed.
We're REALLY enjoying the new pad. [O... Giles just went for a double and got thrown out at second. Oh well. Fast forwarding to the next inning.] Anyway, back to the new pad, we're making sure we put the place together right the first time because we want to be here for a while.
Well I'm going to finish the game that we're now losing.
..goodnight friends

Last Week of Condo Living

2006-03-27T10:43:00.000-08:00

Today we begin the last week of condo living. We've been in escrow for two months on a house and will finally close on Friday. We can't wait. I'll post pics of the new place once we're there, but here are a few pics of where we've spent the last year and a half. This is where we brought Lukas home from the hospital to... Where we completely remodled to make our own... Where we've watched countless movies by the fire... Where we've had two Christmas mornings... Where grandma lives right down the drive... Where Uncle Keat and Aunt Judy live even closer... and where we still REALLY NEED TO SELL.

Good Job Dad!

2006-03-23T00:16:00.000-08:00

Slim Jim on MSNBC Tonight

2006-03-22T15:01:00.000-08:00

My dad is scheduled to be on MSNBC's Scarbourough Country tonight.
Thought you might want to know.
We'll see if it happens.

The World Baseball Classic (and a couple of P.S.'s)

2006-03-21T01:30:00.000-08:00

Just got back from the championship game of the World Baseball Classic where we watched Japan defeat Cuba. I'd never been to a game of such magnitude. What a thrill to watch Team Japan rush the field with their giant flags after the final out. The confetti fell, the fireworks exploded, the crowd went wild. Words can't describe and camera's with dead batteries can't take pictures.

P.S. My dad and Brock are both off of probation for not posting. Their links on my page were going to go away if they didn't post within the next 10 days.

P.S.S. The whole link thing is kind of silly, isn't it? I mean, what if you want to UN-link someone? Sidenote: I don't. I'm very happy with my link list. But what if one day you realize that you're no longer friends or even care about someone in your link collum? What if their site no longer interests you? What if you only put them in your link list because you found your link on their site and you felt obligated? How do you get out of that relationship? Do you talk about it? Do you have a mutual friend let them know? Do you go to linked couples theropy? Do you do it and hope they don't notice. Do you get rid of ALL links ala Nate and Julie Lamb? Do you say, "It's not you, it's your blog?" I WANNA KNOW!!

P.S.S.S If your'e in my link list and worried that you're not welcome, DON'T. You'll know when you're time is up :)

This is like That...

2006-03-19T14:52:00.000-08:00

My relationship with the alarm clock is comparable to a boxing match featuring Mohammed Ali and Bugs Bunny (I'm Ali and the clock is Bugs).

Every morning Ali (me) toys with Bugs (the alarm) with a repetitive left jab (pressing the snooze button over and over again) when all of the sudden Bugs (the clock) breaks out the toxic cartoon explosives (the realization that I'm late) and blows Ali (me) out of the ring (bed).

Jake and Josie Stay The Night (or two)

2006-03-14T22:20:00.000-08:00

With my parents in Phoenix for a few days, Jake and Josie need a place to crash at night. Enter our house. It's been brief, but fun.

Tomorrow Won't Be The Same

2006-03-11T23:00:00.000-08:00

For years now, I've been saying "I dread the day I have to play without Paul Bleifuss." Paul is a rock in our band. His skills behind the kit are unmatched, and his heart is irreplaceable. When I came on as Skyline's band director, there were a group of guys, "THE GUYS", who had been doing this gig forever without me, and doing just fine without me. They didn't have to welcome me in. I was just a punk kid who thought he was better than everyone. But they did take me in, and to this day, they're all still here, and they're all still better than me. I remain the weakest link. But I'm fine with that. I consider myself blessed. These guys mean the world to me.
Tomorrow I'll get up at 6am, take a quick shower, get in my frozen car and drive to work with the windows down because my defrost isn't fast enough. This is the same routine that I follow every Sunday Morning. Tomorrow will be different, though. When 7am rolls around and THE GUYS show up, Paul won't be there. He'll be at home working on getting better. We've known this day was coming for a few months now, but I'm still not ready for it. Tomorrow won't be the same. My thoughts will be with my friend who is not there.
Tomorrow I start a new job, a job without Paul. We have drummers who can and will fill in, and this isn't meant to take anything away from their skill. They're great. But the guy who has laid down the back-beat to my career thus far will be sadly missed. My wife and I love him dearly,
Paul, We're praying hard for you.

This is Like That...

2006-03-03T00:19:00.000-08:00

Going to bed before midnight is like leaving a bad party early.
You're afraid you'll miss something good, but deep down you know that it will only digress to falling asleep on the couch and waking up 3 hours later to an abnoxious episode of The Golden Girls.
(It's 12:19am. I'm officially in harms way)

Walking Man

2006-02-28T22:45:00.000-08:00

This blog is normally an adult swim couples skate only zone, but I broke the rules for this.

click HERE to watch

I'm a proud dad.
Can you tell?

my week in .com

2006-02-25T23:09:00.000-08:00

sunday morning: church
sunday afternoon: drove to victorville with lacy & the benoits
sunday night: 7 service @ High Desert church
monday morning/afternoon: snowboarding @ bear mountain
monday night: drove home (arriving at 10:45 pm)
tuesday morning: drove back to the mountains for our district’s “minister and mates” retreat @ Forest Home camp
wednesday afternoon: drove back to SD
wednesday night - friday morning: attended National Pastor’s Conference
friday afternoon: ran into Jared in the Target parking lot
friday night: play in College Area Pregnancy Service’s charity basketball game
saturday night: church with special guest Tim La Haye

This is Like That...

2006-02-07T01:21:00.000-08:00

Listening to music in your home is like going downtown.
You never do it, but when you do, you ask yourself:
"Why don't I do this ALL the time?"
Then you go on with your life and don't do it again for a long, long time.
So sad.

to my friends spouses...

2006-01-28T19:16:00.000-08:00

Nice job Nate.

Way to go Esther.

Karen... um...

Thanks for sticking with em Cammie and Rosie.

Ideas

2006-01-23T23:07:00.000-08:00

A thought has been haunting me for months, no years.
The thought is this: What if all the good ideas run out?
Scary, huh. Well maybe not for some, but for those of us who depend on new ideas on a weekly or monthly basis in order to earn a paycheck, it’s terrifying.
This question, or horrible panic in my gut when I give it time, has lead me down a road of analyzing where ideas come from. The results of my studies are conclusive...
I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE IDEAS COME FROM.
I’ve sought council on this topic from people who are praised for having great ideas on a regular basis, and they say not to worry about it, as long as there’s a desire to improve, the ideas will come.
I’m not buying it. I currently have NO new ideas and I have no reliable proof that I’ll ever have a good idea again. I don’t know where it will come from or what subject it will address. I do know where I was when my last good idea struck me, but there’s absolutely no rhyme or reason as to why it came or why I deserved to have it. It just showed up, and I went with it.
OK. I know that things are God-inspired and we have to rely on Him to guide us, even if it means doing it blindly. So I really do know who the source of ALL ideas is. But it’s still an interesting thought and my lack of faith keeps me in a terrified state.

Ever Had Someone Sit TOO Close in Church?

2006-01-16T14:21:00.000-08:00

I Did

Click on image below to watch video.

If I Smoked Cigars...

2006-01-04T00:15:00.000-08:00

If I were a smoker, I'd go to Cig's-R-Us and buy a box of "Itsaboys" and share them with my friends.
But I'm not a smoker, so I'll settle for a cheezy balloon.

Click on image below to watch the video!

Thanks Marybeth Meek for the help today!
You're the best!

Back to the Norm

2006-01-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

After more than a month of craziness, tomorrow begins MY new year. I'll head to work and conduct business as usual for the first time in who knows how long. With the prep and production of Night of Light, Christmas Eve services, one Christmas Day service, and a weekend of Comedy for New Year's Eve, along with all the family celebrations and get together's, business as usual is a welcome sight for me. It's been a great month. One of the most rewarding months I've ever experienced, but I'm glad it's finished.
Lacy and I spent the better part of last week watching movies every night and sleeping in every morning. Lukas was kind enough to sleep in with us (in the other room, of course). I feel refreshed and recharged and ready to go back to what I really love, preparing quality worship experiences on a weekly basis.
As far as pics of our season, check Lukas's blog. Lacy's been kind enough to put some work into it.
Well, on that note, I'll leave you with one of the funniest inventions I've ever seen. Apparently Apple and Kohler have merged to create the world's first...
artwork compliments of nick beniot

A Season of Light

2005-12-13T11:01:00.000-08:00

So sorry it's been so long. We've been busy. Beyond Busy. WAY past busy!
Tonight kicks off the last weekend of Night of Light, and the response has been overwhelming. I'll post better pictures when it's over and I can collect them from better photographers than myself, and even some video (we'll do a 4 camera shoot of the show tonight and tomorrow night)

Here are the 2 quick facts:
-Already over 11,000 people have seen the show
-500 have raised their hands to accept Christ

Nick Benoit's blog has a much better description of the show than I could ever put together, so go to his page if you care to learn more about the show.

Click HERE to view an article in the San Diego Union Tribune, a very secular paper, which brings to life some pros and cons of the show (the "cons" are all pros in our minds, but never the less, they can have their opinions). I hesitate posting this, but it shows the local attention we're generating. Kind of cool.

Opening Night!

2005-12-03T00:54:00.000-08:00

Night of Light opened tonight. After a year of planning and a month of no sleep, we launched one of the coolest Christmas experiences I have ever seen.
The most important thing is this: 25 people accepted Christ tonight, and we have 16 more opportunities to reach the lost.
I'll post more pictures later, and I'll share more about the show soon, but here are a few of my favorite shots. There's no way to do the event justice from a still shot camera, but I'll do my best describing over the next few weeks.
Thanks to all who have been praying for this event. Keep it up!

The Red Light

2005-11-20T22:36:00.000-08:00

So...
We played Roxanne in church today.

A Week in Review

2005-11-17T19:25:00.000-08:00

Christmas is here!

OK, not for the rest of the world, yet. But here in San D., it's smothering us.

We're producing an outdoor Christmas Show, Night of Light, and we're less than 3 weeks from opening night (18 shows over 3 weekends).

This week has been full of light installations, thus the name, Night of Light.
From over ten thousand Christmas lights throughout the property, to the giant light grid that hangs above Bethlehem on the side of a cliff (By giant, I mean 6 stories high, and 64 feet across. 3600 lights, each a foot apart).
Today and yesterday we hoisted the grid up the cliff face and tried not to die in the process.
TONIGHT, we turned it on, and it... was... AWESOME!!!!
You can see it from the freeway. In-freakin-credible!
So tomorrow, we'll work out some of the bugs, and I'll post pictures soon (even though they won't do it justice).

Aside from Christmas this week, I bought U2's Vertigo Tour DVD, Live from Chicago, and relived the show. Lacy and I went to opening night of this tour, and I went to the second show two nights later. It's great to see how the show has progressed. It's also great to have a wife who can sing along to every song, especially since she knew nothing about U2 before we met. She's the best!

That's all for now.
I may not see you till after Christmas, but I'll try.
If you can get out to see the show, we'd love to see you.

There Ain't Nothin' Like...

2005-11-08T23:23:00.000-08:00

...a handlebar mustache
...a blown-over comb-over
...a new guitar
...finding out that your dad's been wearing unmatched shoes for months and months
...a late night recording session
...an NFL superstar getting kicked off his own team just for being an idiot
...having Arnold as your governor
...sitting on a bench, making fun of people who walk by
...asking when the baby's due only to find out she's not pregnant
...explaining to grandma how the iPod works
...explaining to grandma how the FM transmitter for the iPod works
...LOST
...wrapping your co-worker's desk with hundreds of Christmas lights
...IKEA
...catching your little sister doing anything she's not supposed to be doing
...a night in drag
...my 1991 Camry’s tweed seats
...wanna-be rock stars who work at Guitar Center
...finding out that "the pill" didn't work
...dreams that involve being naked in public
...dreams about winning the lottery (a regular one of mine, and I've never played)
...dreams that involve one leg being significantly shorter than the other
...a first post on a new blog ("I'm finally giving in to this blog thing...")
...a fake chuckle from the local news anchor
...thinking that your shirt AND your pants were black, until you got to work and realized that blue and black both look black in your dark closet
...calling a co-worker by the wrong name and having them correct you in a really, really sad tone
...getting a refund check in the mail that you didn't realize was coming
...not being able to turn your steering wheel all the way to the right because your new tires are TOO BIG!
...having a brother-in-law with a handlebar mustache (poor guy)
...grabbing used souvenir cups from the Chargers game off the ground after a game (we now have a complete set)
...going to the Chargers game with your wife with full intention of watching the Charger's Girls and not the game
(To clarify, Lacy's good friend is a Charger's Girl, and she gave us the tickets. Good fun for all.)
...driving 25 minutes to a storage unit, then realizing you don't have the key
...sitting around and thinking up meaningless lists like this one

I'm open for more "There Ain't Nothin' Like's..."
Send 'em my way,

That is all

My Feet Are Killing Me

2005-11-01T13:49:00.000-08:00

CLICK ON VIDEO ABOVE TO PLAY!

Stranger in Church

2005-10-30T21:16:00.000-08:00

I was walking from the stage to the sound booth this morning to have a chat with Brian, our tech director, when I noticed someone I thought I recognized, but couldn't place. We caught eyes and I slowed down as she waved and said, "Remember me?" Of course I did. It was Kayla Rotz. The only problem was that I hadn't seen her in close to four years and her hair was way different, so it took me a second. She said, "It's me, Kayla" before I had a chance to respond. Bottom line, I felt like a donkey. She should never have had to remind me of her name. She's even come up in conversation within the last few months. I just wasn't quick enough to make the connection.

So Kayla, if you're out there, you must think I'm a jerk. I'm sorry. Can we still be friends?

Thanks

Josh (Donkey-of-the-Century) Garlow

p.s. Blogging friends, if you can help me get this message-in-a-bottle to here, that would be fantrific!

Warm Up Licks

2005-10-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

Every musician has a go-to lick that they play when they pick up an instrument. They may have two or three, but no musician lacks one. I know this because I hear the same licks every week at the start of sound check. I'm guiltier than anyone. I have one for each instrument. Whether it's at Guitar Center and I'm trying out a keyboard, or if it's in my office and I'm just gearing up to arrange something, of if I'm at home watching TV with a guitar on my lap, I always have to play my lick(s) first. I have yet to meet a musician that doesn't have on.

So here's my challenge/request: Record your licks and send them to me at joshg@skylinechurch.org

I'll do something with them. Not sure what, but something cool.

OK,

I'll be waiting...

She's 23 and she ROCKS!

2005-10-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Lacy!
Click on image to view film

A Midwest Fall in S.D.

2005-10-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

Quickly, if you didn't understand the last post, it was our way of announcing that we're having another baby. This was a definite surprise to us, seeing as how Lukas is only 7 months old, but we are getting excited. This does, however, not help the EDGE factor. I'll have to work extra hard to keep that in tact. Seriously, we feel blessed that we are able to have kids, so we're running with it.

On another note, it feels like Indiana in San Diego. The weather is always good here, but strangely enough, we can get sick of it. The last few days have felt like Fall in the Midwest. More so than it ever has before. For IWUers, remember when the season would change from summer to Fall, and you'd make a midnight run to Handy Andy and realize that you didn't wear a strong enough jacket, but it felt great anyway. The crisp air with the smell of a fire. Not snow/freezing weather, but Autumn. Sam Bills had a theory about love in the changing of the seasons, and I think he was dead on - "It's easy to fall in love when the seasons change". There's just something about it. Lacy and I couldn't wait to get home late last night and start a fire. We put on a movie, opened the windows (too keep the smell of the air in the house), bundled up and fell asleep in the living room. With the changing of the season came a romantic evening. It was great!

Don't be afraid of romance in the turn of the season, It could be God's design.

iLukas 2.0

2005-10-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

W

2005-10-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a clip that played at my brother-in-law's church in Victorville, CA.

Click on the clip to view

Another Video I came across today...

Click on clip to view

Click HERE for the entire show

A Funny Thing Happen on My Way To Work The Other Day...

2005-10-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that I drive a scooter to work most days (I have a car, but the scooter is fun and great on gas). I know it's not as cool as a Harley, but it's very European/edgy and it get's 100 miles to the gallon.
Well, yesterday, I got ready for work, walked outside to finde the bike missing. I normally garage it, but the night before, I just forgot. So I walked around to my garage just to make sure wasn't in there, and it wasn't.
I was really, really mad at my self for not putting it away, knowing that it would be easy to steal.
So...
The police came out and did a report. The insurance company was called for claim purposes. My wife told me she was really sad for me, and that I could get another one.
And then! As Lacy was driving me to work (2 hours late) she looked to her left, and there it was. MY SCOOTER!
Somebody had moved it to another part of our parking lot. Why? I have no idea. My guess is that they started to leave with it, then had second thoughts. It could have been a prank, and I'll laugh the hardest if that's what it was, but I'm thinking it was something else.
The good news is that she's back.
The bad news is... well, there isn't any.
I'M BACK IN THE CLUB!

Kinder's Birthday Present

2005-10-10T20:19:00.000-07:00

Friday is Kinder's Birthday (Lacy's sister).
Today we picked up her present from her mom.
Tonight I'm posting pictures of ME and the gift.
Does Kinder know about it? NOPE
Will she read my blog and find out about it? Who knows.
Will she read this post BEFORE her birthday? She better.
So, I'll wait with the beautiful Taylor 314 until she finds this post.
Is Kinder getting a better guitar than I had at her age? Heck yes.
Let's all cheer her on!
I'll be waiting for a call.

The 70's

2005-10-10T01:07:00.000-07:00

The past few Sundays, at my dad's request, we've closed out the service with a tune from the 70's, and surprisingly, it's been a blast.
Two weeks ago we did "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and this morning we played a tune I had never heard until recently, but you probably have, "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother".
I've really enjoyed studying these recordings and trying to imulate their tone and tamber, instrumentally. It was funny, but I told our drummer that he should loosen up his drum heads to give them a nice, flappy tone. I also told our bass player to turn down all the bass in his EQ, and he would have the tone nailed. (These guys are great and they've been playing long enough to know how these songs are suposed to go without studying for one second. They're amazing.)

Anyway, I thought you might want to listen to what I've been listening to for the past few weeks in preparation. They're great tunes.

Enjoy...

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother (The Hollies)

Bridge Over Troubled Water (M.W.Smith Version)

U2 on Conan O'Brien

2005-10-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

Click on picture to play!

Two of My Favorite Things...

2005-10-05T21:52:00.000-07:00

Review of Episode III

2005-10-05T00:02:00.000-07:00

"Just when I think it can't get any worse, you go and do something like this...

... and TOTALLY REDEEM YOURSELF"

- Lloyd Christmas

(Correction. After further research, I found that it was actually Harry who said this in the movie Dumb and Dumber. Click HERE to listen)

Doing Good Church

2005-10-03T07:58:00.000-07:00

This is for my worship leading friends, but open for anyone to read.

There’s a phrase that gets tossed around my world every once in a while when we don’t have any tricks up our sleeves. When a production is not in the works. When a guest artist or speaker isn’t booked for a while. When our focus is simply on preaching the gospel and providing a place for worship. We call it “Doing Good Church.” These are the best of times for me. The worship tends to come alive. The preaching isn’t forced. The congregation has the sense that all is well, and Jesus is here.

It’s not the songs or the sermon that fire me up. It’s the anointing that falls through them. I can’t explain it.

Sometimes, we go into a weekend saying “we just need to have good church” And we do.

Other weekends, it’ll blind-side us. We’ll be sitting around on Sunday afternoon, and someone will say, “You know? Good church happened today.”
The satisfaction that comes with that statement is priceless. Not because WE did anything right, but because God moved, and we got to watch it.

I fully understand that programs and events will always be a part of a community. People love special treats, and there’s nothing wrong with that. And it’s not that I’m lazy and want to get out of pulling something big off (doing good church can be harder than planning something out of the norm). I just know the power that can come from getting back to the basics of church, and doing it well.

We’re going into a season of what I hope will be 2 months of “doing good church.” The only thing planned is a sermon seriese about meeting Jesus. In my worship planning, I’ll be looking to do one thing over the next few weeks. Get people one step closer to Jesus.

To me, that’s doing good church.

Your thoughts?

Review of Episode II

2005-09-27T23:38:00.000-07:00

I didn't know if I should laugh or ask forgiveness for endorsement, viewing, or even being in the same room with the TV.
I'm pretty sure I should ask forgiveness.

WOW!

Your thoughts?

The Bolts are BACK!!!!

2005-09-26T23:42:00.000-07:00

San Diego Super Chargers (Theme Song)
NY Giants 23
SD CHARGERS 45

Tonight...

2005-09-21T01:36:00.000-07:00

Ocean (click here to listen)

After 10 years of being based in San Diego, California, I have finally taken up a Californian sport, and I'm loving it. No, it's not surfing, it’s body-boarding (some would refer to it as boogie-boarding, but I find the term "body" to be much more edgy than "boogie", so, we'll go with that. "Sponging" is what the true die-hards call it, but I'm not there yet. That would require that I know how to fully operate the flippers, and I don't).
I have not conquered the waves alone, however. My daring wife and I, along with the Benoits have all sold out for the sport. I can't believe I've missed the last 10 years of doing this.
We all ran home right after work, grabbed our boards and wet suits, piled in the car and drove down to Pacific Beach (Shown Above). The sun was hitting the horizon just as we arrived, but that didn't stop us. We road the waves well past dark, and it was amazing.
The only top off to a perfect night in the water could be watching The Office with friends. So that's exactly what we did.
This night will not be forgotten

P.S. Your thoughts on The Office?

Set Your TiVo's, It's Almost Here!

2005-09-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

Some Bad News...

2005-09-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

My sister found these photos:

After embarassing all my friends in Master's Praise, I figured I'd slam myself for your enjoyment. (Note the tight-rolled suit pants, and the rolled up sleeves on the wanna-be basketball jersey)
Thanks Jane.

A Few Things To Talk About...

2005-09-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

1) The Taylor T5. Bob has been so gracious to loan me and two of my friends a T5 prototype for a couple of months. I normally play piano for our Sunday A.M. services, but this week I had to give the new toy a good, long test drive. So, for 7tunes X 4Services, I played the snot out of that guitar. Bottom line... I'm not giving it back! OK, I may have to give THAT one back, but I can no longer consider my arsonal complete without one. It revolutionized the way I play guitar. It turns a single guitar player into two guitar players. It is the best guitar I've come across for worship leading. The trick is that you can be playing it in acoustic mode, then, with a stomp of a footswitch, you can trigger your electric amp on, and be playing rhythm acoustic and electric at the same time. Infreakingcredible!
2)We spent the day (Monday, Labor Day) with my parents at their beach unit along with my brother and sister, aunt and uncle, and grandma. Last week, I took a surfing lesson with Jake. Although it was full of usefull information, it turned out to be a lot of work for little return. Today, we hit the waves on body boards. It was GREAT! Jake and I could catch the same wave and ride it in together. I found it much more rewarding. I'll stick to snowboarding and wakeboarding as my go-to "stand-on-a-board" sports. I also had an inaugrual game of SmashBall with my dad. A sport he could not have played one year ago. Well, back to the grind. Summer's Over. Goodbye O fleeting sun (Even though I know you're sticking around until December, I'll say a theoretical hasta la vista today, as if we're breaking up to find ourselves, put away my white shoes, and sneak around with you tomorrow).
3) Sunday Afternoon, Lacy and I drove up to Pasadena to see Sam and Rosie's newborn, Eisley. She's really cute. Looks like Sam.

Quakes

2005-09-03T00:36:00.000-07:00

Nothing makes a movie better than having the entire theatre shake!
Tonight at the cinema, the building shook, we all looked at each other and agreed that it WAS a quake, and then continued our viewing as if nothing happen.
This was the third sizable quake in the last four months.
Once in the middle of the night: Big bang. Whole house shook for about 15 seconds, then another aftershock 3 minutes later.
Once at church in the middle of an offertory: I felt the bang, but thought someone had just fallen off the risers.
Then tonight: making the date night especially exciting.

Only In California

Hey Guys... look what I found... and... I'm sorry for bringing it up again.

2005-08-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

I Hate Improvement, I Love Improving.

2005-08-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

Lately, with the addition of Clay to our team, we’ve gone in a different direction with the style of music we’re playing. Much of what we do is the same, but we’ve been adding some rich, urban black gospel to our rep., mainly because that’s what Clay is really, really good at.

Here’s the problem: I’m a whiter-than-white rock and roll keyboard player. I’ve got soul inside me, but getting it out and onto the keys is not always easy. Playing this genre of gospel for ME is like asking a hip-hop dancer to do ballet (can you tell I’ve been watching “So You Think You Can Dance?”). If I’m going to have the job I have, I need to be a pro at my instrument, but lately I haven’t felt like one. I’ve felt like a no-good hack pianist for the jazz band at Kennedy Middle School in Wabash, IN. THAT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH! So, the solution was simple: I had to start practicing. I don’t like practicing. I hate practicing. I never practice. I had to make the decision that being a “PRO” meant being a pro at every style, at any time. So yesterday, I sat at the piano for the better part of a day and worked on 8 measures of music. That’s about 15 seconds of music for you non-music peeps. Did I enjoy it? Not a chance. Am I better today than I was yesterday? A ton.

Next week will surely bring another song that needs work, and feeding off of my success from this week, I’ll spend the time necessary to ‘get it right’ again. I'll let you know how it goes. Maybe.

A quote worth quoting: “You play the way you practice”

I'm Wearing Pink All Day Today!

2005-08-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

Just In From Vegas

2005-08-18T00:28:00.000-07:00

We just arrived home from Las Vegas. We spent two nights and two days in the city of blinding lights, celebrating our anniversary.
Don't worry, we're still Wesleyans. No dancing, gambling, drinking, dirty shows or whatever else you may be thinking. Just two glorious days in the lazy river at the Monte Carlo, or as it was called this week, the "Monte Garlow!"

Another Thing That Lacks EDGE...

2005-08-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

I don't need to know how many kids you have, how tall they are, what their names are, how many pets you have in your house, much less what breed they are, and what you call them.
Congratulations, you have a big family. We can tell THAT by the size of your vehicle.
WE BELIEVE YOU!

I apologize if you're a friend, relation, acquaintance, or joshgarlow.blogspot.com fan and you have posted your family on your car. I haven't seen ALL vehicles with this kind of advertisement, and yours could be way edgy and I just didn't know it. Ten years from now, I may have that same thing going on with my car. Maybe the kids love it and the parents have to give in. Maybe when the sixth graders are getting dropped off at school, they get made fun of if Mrs. Soccer Mom isn't with it. Maybe the times have changed and it's no longer un-cool to get dropped off right at the front door in front of everybody. Maybe it's NOW un-cool to get dropped off three blocks from school WITHOUT a white family tree on the back of your SUV.
I don't know. Maybe the times have changed and it's not mom and dad's fault.

Office Space

2005-08-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

Not many people get to work in an environment with people they really, really like. I DO, and it's great! We have recently added two new members to our team (worship and arts) here at Skyline, thus completing the "dream team." I thought I'd introduce them:

Clay Davis came from Ohio and is our front man/choir guru/ vocal leader/ productions guy(Christmas shows). He, his wife, and two boys joined us in Feburary of this year. Killer pipes, but more importantly, a killer worship leader. Plus, our family's have become very close over the last 6 months. Good times on and off the job.

Nick Benoit is the latest addition. He's been here a couple of months now as our "visual/ video/ creative whatever else" PRO. The good news is that his wife has finally joined him. Last week she finished her job up in N. Carolina, and moved on out here. Nick amazes me with every cut. Many of you know Nick from IWU.

For those who don't know, I take care of the band/instrumentalist, the administrative stuff, and the planning and production of the weekend services. That's my job. This is our team. Thought you'd want to meet them

The Drive-In...

2005-08-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

So...
Twice in the last week I've been to the Drive In Movie Extraviganza. Ok, "Extravaganza" was not part of the name of the place, but it was extra-something: Special... Fun... Fellowshipable... Scarry... Dirty... Grose... I don't know. Maybe "Innersting" would be the correct term?

The first night was Friday Night. The place was jammed. EVERYBODY in San Diego wanted to see the Duke brothers ride again. I guess a few people wanted to see how Jessica Simson's "acting" skills were coming, but I'm pretty sure most people were there to see The General Lee.

Only at the drive in can you find just about every kind of person out there. The drive in is not a respector of age, weight, race, social-economics, religion, or political party. On one side of our completey normal, domestically neutral clan were the Desert Turkeys... who brought their own sofa. Ok. That's cool. Except, did I mention it had a lift kit on it. Yeah, it was hoisted 4 feet in the air by giant springs. On the other side of us was the sawed-off Volkswagen bus with the surfer and his girl in the way-back. closer to us was another couple who decided to see who could hold the most liquer during one movie. Then slightly ahead of us was the slumber party. Awe, wasn't that cute. The little girls running back and forth from their car to the snack bar as many times as possible before the previews began. One girl was very good at that... well... the snack bar part, not so much the running part.

On to Last night. Somehow I convinced 3 responsable adults, one child, and two infants that a 12:40AM movie was not too late. My insomnia will bring the world down.

This night was different. I pulled up to the ticket window to pay, and the pot-head attendent looked at me for a minute, the said, "What's up?" I replied, "...um, I'd like to see a movie?" Yes, I said it in question form.

We got in there, and I instantly spoted one of the 3 other cars as being the "make-out" car. It was a ford excape, and the (teen) couple was making there bed in the back of the SUV (facing the screen). It just so happened that my vehicle was facing the rear of theirs. The movie was over and I really had no choice but to hop in my car as quick as possible, and turn on my brights :) Yeah, he was scramblin quick to put his pants back on. Whatever he was doing was way wrong, Grandma, but catching him was so right!
We got home at 3AM. We are tired today, but we'll never forget last night!

Symphony of Toys

2005-08-04T18:38:00.001-07:00

Just click on the picture above to PLAY!
Click HERE to access my film page!

Friends Don't Let Friends Hike and Blog?

2005-08-02T16:10:00.000-07:00

I started combing through some blogs today. I started at one friend’s site, then jumped from his to another, then another, and so on. I came across a ton of old friends. It was great to see what everyone’s doing with their lives, but…

Somewhere along the way, when the little elves were creating “BLOG”, one of the elves decided to create a secret code that appears on the computer screen. It flashes really, really fast in order to brainwash people who are singing up for blog. The code, when de-coded properly reads this:

In order to have an effective blog, you must…

1) Learn to hike.

2) Hike all the time.

3) Have really deep thoughts while you’re hiking.

4) Quit your job and forget anything you’ve ever learned about responsibility and taking care of yourself and your family and hike ALL THE TIME.

5) Post pictures of your irresponsible ways for the whole world to see, as if it’s something to be proud of.

6) Not blog unless you can write about…
a) Where you hiked
b) What you thought about when you were hiking
c) A deep though that you had while planning your hike
d) Where you’re going to hike next

7) Realize that the best pictures you can post on your blog are of YOU with your shirt off standing on a rock along the trail that YOU were hiking on. Bandanas are a plus!

8) Pretend to do the above mentioned items at all cost in order to keep the integrity of your blog, even if you have no idea how to walk, much less, hike.

A Trip To The CO

2005-07-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Lacy’s brother Jake and his wife Tiffany had identical twin girls (Here's a pic of them, looking slightly to the left). So, the natural thing to do was to hop in the car and head to Colorado Springs as soon as possible to see them. Dakota and Georgia are their names. It’s pretty simple to drive to Colorado from San Diego. You just take the 8 west to the 85 north to the 10 West to the 301 loop to the 17 north to the 40 West to the 25 north, and wham, in seventeen hours, you’re there. Except, we (Lacy, Lukas, and I) decided that it would be better to caravan with Lacy’s mom, sister, special needs aunt, and 3 dogs, Making Lukas and Fender myself the only male companions on an overnight drive driven by WOMEN who can’t wait to see their nieces/granddaughters, thus leaving ME as the sole sense of male ration. Fun. On top of that bliss, we decided to leave right after church on Sunday, the time of week where I’m the absolute freshest.

Truth be told, the drive wasn’t that bad. We stopped more than we had planned. We woke up Monday morning in the parking lot of a liquor store. It appeared to be a nice strip mall when we parked (Just for a few hours, of course) the night before, but when the sun came up, there was beer, gas, white trash, and midgets involved. Not exactly the Marriot. We arrived in Colorado Springs around six Monday evening. We’re still here, and it’s been nothing but lovely. Lovely and hot that is. We picked the one week of the summer that the state of Colorado decided to set all sorts of heat records. But it’s OK, we have each other, and a car with really good AC.

Three times Lacy and I have made the trek to the Springs, and not once have we seen the sights in this beautiful area. So, yesterday I pulled a Clark W. Griswold and loaded up the wife and kid and went sight seeing. We started with Garden of the Gods. It was grander than I had remembered. I grew up coming out here for vacation with my family just about every year. I have seen everything. Lacy has seen nothing. JULY 22, 2005 Lukas doesn’t count, cause he’s too young and he doesn’t speak English. The Garden’s were amazing. We walked all over. The funniest thing was watching all the people climb on the rocks at the entrance, as if they didn’t know the REAL cliffs and rocks were around the corner. IQ’s were showing their true colors.

We then set out to climb Pikes Peak. In the car, of course. We were almost to Pikes Peak Highway when I thought it would be better to keep driving down Highway 24 into Green Mountain Falls, and show Lacy the cabins that we used to stay in when I was a kid. There’s a row of about 6 cabins that go right along a nice little stream. Currently, >two of them are occupied by old friends of the family, Jerry Jones in one, and Sam & B.K. Steerman in another. We ended up running into all of them, and had a great time. Sam Steerman is undoubtedly my favorite old guy. He makes anyone he talks to feel like a million bucks in three seconds or less. I have no idea how he does it, and I’ve never seen, nor will I ever seen anyone like him again. Truly one of a kind.

What a day. It was one of the best single day’s I’ve had in a while. To be out in the wild with my wife and son was truly great. It made the caravan with Woman and K9 worth it.

Today, I helped Jake find and purchase an old Jeep Cherokee. It’s pretty sick, and he’ll have a ton of fun with it.

We’ll probably head back tomorrow. Not sure when we’ll actually arrive home. I’m not in a hurry. This blog will not be posted until I return because… Oh I didn’t mention, they have no Internet or TV here, so we’re pretty lost as far as communication with the world goes. I’m not sure what I miss most about home. My Airport Base Station, which provides me with, wireless Internet in my house whenever I want it, or, AIR CONDITIONING!