Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Convention; Day 6 (D.C.)
Dean Jones was in the house last night. He presented a really great speech interlaced with powerful humor and drama. He touched on both current events and talked about our founding fathers and their documented reliance on the Word and Truth. He ended with a recreation of a prayer discovered in a journal of George Washington. It was an excellent experience.
This morning, the City Light band returned to share some soulful praise. Our hometown hero Nate Poetzl (Head Pastor, New Life Foursquare) shared the morning message on worship. Between Dean Jones and Nate, I definitely want to buy the DVD set from this week (available from Fresh Audio & Video).
We ran into a little trouble today after Nate finished up. We were supposed to show a four minute video about next year’s convention in Israel, but we didn’t have the right clip so, even though I ran across the hotel and back to get the right one, the audience watched the same short version twice. Pastor Jack joked about it, but it was disappointing; maybe we’ll show the full version later.
Kari brought me snacks before the late morning praise and teaching. I’m going to be happy when I can go back to eating on a more regular schedule. She also ran to the Rite Aid down the street to get Mike some bandages and Ace wraps; he took a bad step on a short set of steps in the ballroom. It looks like he’s planning to tough it out through the Business Meeting before he takes his shoe off to ice his ankle.
It’s about 12:30 pm (EST) and we’ll get our next break around 2:30. The newsboys will be here to lead worship for the evening session. I like some of their songs and I haven’t seen them live before. I always like live music.
Well, the Business Meeting was not called to order because there were not enough voting members to make a quorum (50% + 1 attendance). I think there are around 3800 attendees and about 1800 voting members. Approximately 900 members were needed at the business meeting but only 600 or so were present in the ballroom. Mike tells me they’re likely to handle quite a bit of ‘business’ during this evening’s session when they expect 900 plus voting members to attend. I imagine the newsboys will help draw a full house.
Molly and Tucker Cauble just took off for the local music shop (probably Guitar Center) to get a new ‘axe’. Apparently the newsboys broke one of theirs and Tucker’s knows what to get (probably a Les Paul). Soundcheck is going on right now. The newsboys brought in their own production talent so the guys from Delicate are just kind of sitting around watching all their settings get replaced. The lights look great and the sound is rocking! I think the 50-year-service award recipients who will be seated in the front row are in for a real treat (I think someone ran down to the drug store to get them ear-plugs) :-).
This morning, the City Light band returned to share some soulful praise. Our hometown hero Nate Poetzl (Head Pastor, New Life Foursquare) shared the morning message on worship. Between Dean Jones and Nate, I definitely want to buy the DVD set from this week (available from Fresh Audio & Video).
We ran into a little trouble today after Nate finished up. We were supposed to show a four minute video about next year’s convention in Israel, but we didn’t have the right clip so, even though I ran across the hotel and back to get the right one, the audience watched the same short version twice. Pastor Jack joked about it, but it was disappointing; maybe we’ll show the full version later.
Kari brought me snacks before the late morning praise and teaching. I’m going to be happy when I can go back to eating on a more regular schedule. She also ran to the Rite Aid down the street to get Mike some bandages and Ace wraps; he took a bad step on a short set of steps in the ballroom. It looks like he’s planning to tough it out through the Business Meeting before he takes his shoe off to ice his ankle.
It’s about 12:30 pm (EST) and we’ll get our next break around 2:30. The newsboys will be here to lead worship for the evening session. I like some of their songs and I haven’t seen them live before. I always like live music.
Well, the Business Meeting was not called to order because there were not enough voting members to make a quorum (50% + 1 attendance). I think there are around 3800 attendees and about 1800 voting members. Approximately 900 members were needed at the business meeting but only 600 or so were present in the ballroom. Mike tells me they’re likely to handle quite a bit of ‘business’ during this evening’s session when they expect 900 plus voting members to attend. I imagine the newsboys will help draw a full house.
Molly and Tucker Cauble just took off for the local music shop (probably Guitar Center) to get a new ‘axe’. Apparently the newsboys broke one of theirs and Tucker’s knows what to get (probably a Les Paul). Soundcheck is going on right now. The newsboys brought in their own production talent so the guys from Delicate are just kind of sitting around watching all their settings get replaced. The lights look great and the sound is rocking! I think the 50-year-service award recipients who will be seated in the front row are in for a real treat (I think someone ran down to the drug store to get them ear-plugs) :-).
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Convention; Day 5 (D.C.)
This morning arrived about as early as I expected it to. I was a bit surprised at how easily I got out of bed to attack the noisy hotel alarm clock. Sometimes I can tune those things out and snooze away. I was really hoping to find the hotel’s café opened and at least serving coffee, but I was bitterly disappointed. I wouldn’t get coffee until after 7:30 when Mike handed me his Starbucks card. Kari and I went to get drinks for the rest of the crew and it was already warming up outside. The SunTrust bank down by DuPont Circle has shown as high as 102° (although weather.com shows high 90’s) and the humidity is in the 70% range.
I spent the morning updating the MediaShout script that was running in the house, but was basically wrapped up before we went to Starbucks. The service got going about 8am and included a rockin’ praise set by City Light. There was a speaker in the morning and then a brunch break which I missed. I took a cab to Clarendon (Arlington), Virginia to the nearest Apple Store. I picked up a DVI-VGA connector for a presenter in a workshop session and hurried back to the hotel. I actually rode in a really nice, clean taxi on the way there and had a pretty enjoyable conversation with the driver on the way back. When I got back, the brunch session was wrapping up and a second speaker was getting ready to go.
Steve and I escaped for lunch at about 1 o’clock and ran up to our rooms to change. Kari and Molly were planning to have girl time and go shopping so we boys decided to hop on the Metro to Pentagon City. We were pushing it on time but it was time to find something new to eat. We settled on Johnny Rockets; I had a St. Louis burger, ½ & ½ onion rings and “American Fries”, with a root beer float. :) We were thoroughly sweating and exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel. Even though I was late, I had to have a shower before I went back to the ballroom for the evening session.
I’m in the ballroom now and the show’s about to start. I spent some time running around on little errands but mostly I’ve been updating these blog entries for the last half hour (off and on). I’ll probably resume tomorrow.
I spent the morning updating the MediaShout script that was running in the house, but was basically wrapped up before we went to Starbucks. The service got going about 8am and included a rockin’ praise set by City Light. There was a speaker in the morning and then a brunch break which I missed. I took a cab to Clarendon (Arlington), Virginia to the nearest Apple Store. I picked up a DVI-VGA connector for a presenter in a workshop session and hurried back to the hotel. I actually rode in a really nice, clean taxi on the way there and had a pretty enjoyable conversation with the driver on the way back. When I got back, the brunch session was wrapping up and a second speaker was getting ready to go.
Steve and I escaped for lunch at about 1 o’clock and ran up to our rooms to change. Kari and Molly were planning to have girl time and go shopping so we boys decided to hop on the Metro to Pentagon City. We were pushing it on time but it was time to find something new to eat. We settled on Johnny Rockets; I had a St. Louis burger, ½ & ½ onion rings and “American Fries”, with a root beer float. :) We were thoroughly sweating and exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel. Even though I was late, I had to have a shower before I went back to the ballroom for the evening session.
I’m in the ballroom now and the show’s about to start. I spent some time running around on little errands but mostly I’ve been updating these blog entries for the last half hour (off and on). I’ll probably resume tomorrow.
Convention; Day 4 (D.C.)
Monday morning, Kari and I got up to share an American Breakfast in the hotel café. I met Steve, Molly, Jeff and Mike in the ballroom at 9 o’clock. We took care of some cleanup stuff and I spent most of my day fine-tuning the MediaShout countdown clock for displaying to the speakers/singers on stage.
Various performers rehearsed throughout the day while the technical and production teams ironed out all the kinks. I was really impressed at how well the sound engineers tamed the crazy acoustics in the International Ballroom. It’s a giant oval room with a concave roof that has elliptical recesses in it. If you stand in the right spot under the recessions, it’s a great echo chamber. But, by the time the worship band rehearsed, things sounded great.
The evening session included some great patriotic Memorial Day elements like a fife and drum corps, a choir who led us in the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance, and Taps. My timer was highly effective and helped pastor Jack [Hayford] trim his teaching time by 15 minutes so we ended just about on time. I did spend some time with the hotel’s A/V staff to try to get the video and sound in the rooms cleaned up, but everything in the ballroom went very smoothly.
We tried several Italian restaurants to find some dinner, but struck out so we went back to Open City, where we’d eaten on Friday night. Debbie, Steve, Jeff, Edwin and myself piled into the white Jeep Cherokee while Mike and Molly helped wrap up a ‘post-mortem’ meeting. After we got seated, I ordered a Cuban coffee and Kari followed Debbie’s lead with a Iced green tea. This was the perfect opportunity for me to try the Open City Cubano sandwich I had passed up for on Friday; It was worth the wait .
Kari and I grabbed a cab back to the hotel to make room for Mike and Molly to ride back in the Jeep. I was really tired and not even remotely enthusiastic about showing up in the ballroom at 6am.
Various performers rehearsed throughout the day while the technical and production teams ironed out all the kinks. I was really impressed at how well the sound engineers tamed the crazy acoustics in the International Ballroom. It’s a giant oval room with a concave roof that has elliptical recesses in it. If you stand in the right spot under the recessions, it’s a great echo chamber. But, by the time the worship band rehearsed, things sounded great.
The evening session included some great patriotic Memorial Day elements like a fife and drum corps, a choir who led us in the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance, and Taps. My timer was highly effective and helped pastor Jack [Hayford] trim his teaching time by 15 minutes so we ended just about on time. I did spend some time with the hotel’s A/V staff to try to get the video and sound in the rooms cleaned up, but everything in the ballroom went very smoothly.
We tried several Italian restaurants to find some dinner, but struck out so we went back to Open City, where we’d eaten on Friday night. Debbie, Steve, Jeff, Edwin and myself piled into the white Jeep Cherokee while Mike and Molly helped wrap up a ‘post-mortem’ meeting. After we got seated, I ordered a Cuban coffee and Kari followed Debbie’s lead with a Iced green tea. This was the perfect opportunity for me to try the Open City Cubano sandwich I had passed up for on Friday; It was worth the wait .
Kari and I grabbed a cab back to the hotel to make room for Mike and Molly to ride back in the Jeep. I was really tired and not even remotely enthusiastic about showing up in the ballroom at 6am.
Convention; Day 3 (D.C.)
We had a lot of fun on Sunday visiting Hope Christian Church (Georgetown Foursquare). There were many familiar faces like Randy Remington, Ted Vail and Kurt Kobernik. Ben and Jaime were visiting from Seattle too. Mike shared a great message about learning the proper proximity from the Lord to balance confidence and adventuring out by His guidance. Afterward, the whole church reconvened at Cactus Cantina for food and fellowship. Mike joked that half the world was represented in his little church because Foursquare representatives from North Asia, the Middle East and Africa had visited that morning.
Steve and Molly had stayed back at the hotel to manage Glenn Burris’ teaching, but Molly caught a cab to join us (Kari) at the Cantina. After we ate, Mike, Jeff, Kari and I hopped on a metrobus back to the Hilton. We put some finishing touches on the ballroom so that rehearsals could start Monday morning. Fortunately, Monday was a later morning (9 am); we get started at 6 on Tuesday.
Steve and Molly had stayed back at the hotel to manage Glenn Burris’ teaching, but Molly caught a cab to join us (Kari) at the Cantina. After we ate, Mike, Jeff, Kari and I hopped on a metrobus back to the Hilton. We put some finishing touches on the ballroom so that rehearsals could start Monday morning. Fortunately, Monday was a later morning (9 am); we get started at 6 on Tuesday.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Convention; Day 2 (D.C.)
Yesterday was when we really got into the swing of things. We met in the ballroom at 8am and got started on setting the stage. Our graphics/production platform is now setup at the back of the International Ballroom at Hilton Washington. The sound, lighting and video teams are setup in front of us and are just dialing in their systems now. The ballroom looks great now, with nice white columns and patriotic banners around the stage.
My main project for the day was to create a timer and clock to be wired up to the stage for the presenters. I was surprised how difficult that was… I ended up using Excel, Word and PowerPoint to create the visual I wanted. Today, I exported it all to MediaShout.
The highlight yesterday was borrowing Mike and Debbie’s jeep to pick up Kari at the airport. She had called earlier in the day and vented about the miserable time she had in Valley City, North Dakota. So, I was glad to surprise her by picking her up and taking her for dinner. I had a great adventure driving through the city of Washington. We hurried back to the hotel, but then I had to go straight to a tech meeting. The meeting was slightly amusing but I couldn’t stay through the end.
Kari and I ducked out early to grab a burrito at Chipotle.
My main project for the day was to create a timer and clock to be wired up to the stage for the presenters. I was surprised how difficult that was… I ended up using Excel, Word and PowerPoint to create the visual I wanted. Today, I exported it all to MediaShout.
The highlight yesterday was borrowing Mike and Debbie’s jeep to pick up Kari at the airport. She had called earlier in the day and vented about the miserable time she had in Valley City, North Dakota. So, I was glad to surprise her by picking her up and taking her for dinner. I had a great adventure driving through the city of Washington. We hurried back to the hotel, but then I had to go straight to a tech meeting. The meeting was slightly amusing but I couldn’t stay through the end.
Kari and I ducked out early to grab a burrito at Chipotle.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Wedding Weekend [part 2]
The pictures and other wedding preparations went well. The weather was clear and pleasant. Somehow Kari got a little something on her dress, but she was able to hide it in the pictures and on the stage during the ceremony. She looked really great!
Paz and I killed time hanging out with Luke and Artie while guests collected in the foyer; we just waited for Pam to give us the green light on the front door. After we sat all the guests, we walked our families to their VIP seats without incident until Mom and I (the last two to sit before Allison walked down the aisle with our Dad). The candles were precarious to begin with but, when first when Mom sat down and again when I sat down in the pew, the candle teetered and fell. I picked up the first time and set it back, but then it fell again and Jenny lunged to catch it mid-air; everyone applauded.
Then the music changed and Allison and Dad began to walk down the aisle. Chris fought back tears; Ken (his Dad couldn’t hold ‘em). John Sharpe led them through a nice ceremony and Laila and Katrina Sharpe shared a very nice song. Then everyone was excited to celebrate! Luke and I were privileged enough to join the wedding party in the Party Bus where we shared champagne on the way to Washington Park for more pictures. It was warm and everyone was beautiful. I had a minute to chat with the driver and he shared about how he had taken a rowdy bunch across the border to Whistler the night before and he hadn’t fully rested or recovered; I think he was glad to drop us off at the Bellevue Westin.
Since I had previously checked in, I was able to head straight to the ballroom. Luke and I setup camp at the bride & grooms table so Kari and Michelle would know where to find us after they were formally presented and announced I into the room. We had some drinks and chatted for a bit before they cut the cake. Then, dinner was served before the speeches began. Chris’ best man Jake said some very nice things about how anyone of the groomsmen could’ve been in his shoes. I especially appreciated how he confessed that their group of friends was not easy to gain acceptance into. He did a really great job.
Michelle had been stressing about her speech the entire night. But when it came to her turn, she knocked it out of the park! She was funny and kind and ‘amazing’ (. The moms and dads all shared a few words too, then the dancing began… (what happened on the dance floor stays on the dance floor).
We’re all very excited for Chris and Allie and wish them a wonderful time in Bora Bora!
Paz and I killed time hanging out with Luke and Artie while guests collected in the foyer; we just waited for Pam to give us the green light on the front door. After we sat all the guests, we walked our families to their VIP seats without incident until Mom and I (the last two to sit before Allison walked down the aisle with our Dad). The candles were precarious to begin with but, when first when Mom sat down and again when I sat down in the pew, the candle teetered and fell. I picked up the first time and set it back, but then it fell again and Jenny lunged to catch it mid-air; everyone applauded.
Then the music changed and Allison and Dad began to walk down the aisle. Chris fought back tears; Ken (his Dad couldn’t hold ‘em). John Sharpe led them through a nice ceremony and Laila and Katrina Sharpe shared a very nice song. Then everyone was excited to celebrate! Luke and I were privileged enough to join the wedding party in the Party Bus where we shared champagne on the way to Washington Park for more pictures. It was warm and everyone was beautiful. I had a minute to chat with the driver and he shared about how he had taken a rowdy bunch across the border to Whistler the night before and he hadn’t fully rested or recovered; I think he was glad to drop us off at the Bellevue Westin.
Since I had previously checked in, I was able to head straight to the ballroom. Luke and I setup camp at the bride & grooms table so Kari and Michelle would know where to find us after they were formally presented and announced I into the room. We had some drinks and chatted for a bit before they cut the cake. Then, dinner was served before the speeches began. Chris’ best man Jake said some very nice things about how anyone of the groomsmen could’ve been in his shoes. I especially appreciated how he confessed that their group of friends was not easy to gain acceptance into. He did a really great job.
Michelle had been stressing about her speech the entire night. But when it came to her turn, she knocked it out of the park! She was funny and kind and ‘amazing’ (. The moms and dads all shared a few words too, then the dancing began… (what happened on the dance floor stays on the dance floor).
We’re all very excited for Chris and Allie and wish them a wonderful time in Bora Bora!
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Convention; Day 1 (D.C.)
I arrived in Washington D.C. yesterday and this is my first morning of setting up for the 2006 Foursquare Convention. My flight was direct although some type of maintenance concern kept us on the ground in Seattle longer than expected. Immediately upon arrival Mike Fullerton had left me a voicemail and I rushed directly to hotel to meet the crew for dinner.
We went to a cool American café/grill call Open City (I think) where I tried the odd combination of a Darjeeling tea and carnivore pizza (split with Steve B.). After checking in, Steve and I hit the town in search of X-Men tickets. We ultimately arrived in Union Station, thoroughly enjoyed the film and returned to ‘hit the hay’ at about midnight.
I’m really glad Kari’s arriving today. I don’t know what airline, flight number, or time but that’ll just add to the surprise.
We went to a cool American café/grill call Open City (I think) where I tried the odd combination of a Darjeeling tea and carnivore pizza (split with Steve B.). After checking in, Steve and I hit the town in search of X-Men tickets. We ultimately arrived in Union Station, thoroughly enjoyed the film and returned to ‘hit the hay’ at about midnight.
I’m really glad Kari’s arriving today. I don’t know what airline, flight number, or time but that’ll just add to the surprise.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
The Big Wedding Weekend
My (first) sister has gotten married. We knew this was coming for quite a while and I’m happy for them that the weekend was so much fun for Chris and Allie and their friends and all the family. The madness started on Thursday night with a picnic at Marina park in Kirkland. We had good food and great weather. Grandpa Bob grilled salmon, I grilled veggie kabobs and teriyaki chicken. Artie (from Orlando) won the Bocce contest and someone else won at frisbee. Kari tried real hard to get her little trick kite to catch some wind.
Afterwards, we convened at the Kirkland Pub (where Chris and Allison first met) for cold drinks and conversation. Tristyn had come down on his bike and later on, so did Chris’ other brother-in-law Paz. I was glad to get to talk with him and also with Artie. I also caught up with cousin Carey before we had to head out. We had our Xterra loaded down with rented tables and borrowed chairs.
The next morning was off to an early start to get the tables returned before meeting all the guys at the golf course. I had only gotten in about 45 minutes at the driving range the previous Monday and I was feeling pretty apprehensive about golfing with future pro Luke Bakke. At first, I felt like Artie and I were going to be ok together, but it didn’t take long for a few of Luke’s tips to accelerate his abilities. By the end of the day I lost eight balls and a fair bit of pride. I still want to golf and fish more, so I better sign up for some lessons. We hung around at Willows long enough to get a bite and a beverage. I met Gino and Matt and chatted more with Luke, Artie and Chris.
I got in a short nap after getting home. Then, I had to clean up and head to the rehearsal and First United Methodist in Seattle. Kari got me new ties and a shirt to go with my suit, so I got ready and drove downtown. Practice went pretty well and afterward we all caravanned to Salty’s on Alki. More good conversation with friends and family; the view of the city skyline across the bay featured a rainbow at one point. Chris and Allie shared kind words with their attendants; Allie was succinct with her friends, mostly from high school, and sisters; Chris was a bit more elaborate with his friends and fraternity brothers: it was ‘amazing’. That night, most of the bridesmaids stayed at Hotel Vintage Park, but I was happy that Kari wanted to stay home with me. Jenny and Marina Nelson stayed with us too.
The next morning, we picked up bagels and coffee and delivered them to the girls at the hotel. I left Kari there to get her hair done and get into her gown for the ceremony. I came home to do a little cleanup and help Jenny and Marina get ready and meet Gloria and Joan at the Bellevue Westin. Once they were off, I cleaned up, (with my new shirt and tie for my suit) and went to check in at the Westin as well. That way, our SUV would be at the hotel the next morning, after we rode the party bus from the church to the reception (at the Westin, where we all stayed). My Mom had setup a room for me and so, I dropped Kari’s and my things off and got in the car with Gloria, Joan, Jenny and Marina to head to the church; pictures began promptly at 1:30. [more to follow]
Afterwards, we convened at the Kirkland Pub (where Chris and Allison first met) for cold drinks and conversation. Tristyn had come down on his bike and later on, so did Chris’ other brother-in-law Paz. I was glad to get to talk with him and also with Artie. I also caught up with cousin Carey before we had to head out. We had our Xterra loaded down with rented tables and borrowed chairs.
The next morning was off to an early start to get the tables returned before meeting all the guys at the golf course. I had only gotten in about 45 minutes at the driving range the previous Monday and I was feeling pretty apprehensive about golfing with future pro Luke Bakke. At first, I felt like Artie and I were going to be ok together, but it didn’t take long for a few of Luke’s tips to accelerate his abilities. By the end of the day I lost eight balls and a fair bit of pride. I still want to golf and fish more, so I better sign up for some lessons. We hung around at Willows long enough to get a bite and a beverage. I met Gino and Matt and chatted more with Luke, Artie and Chris.
I got in a short nap after getting home. Then, I had to clean up and head to the rehearsal and First United Methodist in Seattle. Kari got me new ties and a shirt to go with my suit, so I got ready and drove downtown. Practice went pretty well and afterward we all caravanned to Salty’s on Alki. More good conversation with friends and family; the view of the city skyline across the bay featured a rainbow at one point. Chris and Allie shared kind words with their attendants; Allie was succinct with her friends, mostly from high school, and sisters; Chris was a bit more elaborate with his friends and fraternity brothers: it was ‘amazing’. That night, most of the bridesmaids stayed at Hotel Vintage Park, but I was happy that Kari wanted to stay home with me. Jenny and Marina Nelson stayed with us too.
The next morning, we picked up bagels and coffee and delivered them to the girls at the hotel. I left Kari there to get her hair done and get into her gown for the ceremony. I came home to do a little cleanup and help Jenny and Marina get ready and meet Gloria and Joan at the Bellevue Westin. Once they were off, I cleaned up, (with my new shirt and tie for my suit) and went to check in at the Westin as well. That way, our SUV would be at the hotel the next morning, after we rode the party bus from the church to the reception (at the Westin, where we all stayed). My Mom had setup a room for me and so, I dropped Kari’s and my things off and got in the car with Gloria, Joan, Jenny and Marina to head to the church; pictures began promptly at 1:30. [more to follow]
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Snapshots from the ballpark - take 2
It doesn’t look like MacJournal and Blogger are seeing eye-to-eye over Quicktime attachments so I’m posting photos now. I hope you enjoy.
We had great seats, the roof was open. Even though the Mariners didn’t play especially well, we had a great time.
Seattle Skyline (mostly just Qwest field) from 100 level seats behind the plate.
Father and Son - going to the game!
Thanks for the tickets, Chris; and for treating us at Pyramid while you only had a salad and lemon water. Kudos though on dropping weight - your accomplishment is inspiring.
We had great seats, the roof was open. Even though the Mariners didn’t play especially well, we had a great time.
Thanks Chris, Ken, Paz and Dad (Curt).
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Snapshots from the ballpark
This is an experimental post from my new journalling/blogging software. I’ve included a Quicktime file with pictures from our Dady/Smith guys day out. I hope you enjoy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
