New and Improved Blog

I have decided to create and design a new and improved Bashaw Blog. Thanks to everyone who has been following me at this site. I hope you will bookmark my new site and check in with me there. I'm going to be able to post every other day. I can't wait for you to follow me there. Comments are always welcome. Thanks again for following me.

http://eddiebashaw.com

Jack "The Dog"

Jack "The Dog"

It's time for a formal introduction to our dog, Jack, the Morkie. Yes, Jack is a Yourkie and Maltese mix, almost 2 years old and he weighs 5 pounds. It is also safe to say his ears are the biggest part of his body.

Jack came to us in the middle of summer when he was 16 weeks old from Hinckley Minnesota. My wife did some "extensive" research online and found Jack from a professional breeder. The breeder showed good creditials,  pictures of Jack were posted online, and with the right price that was all it took for my wife. She was hooked and wanted him right away. Within a week, Heather loaded up the kids in the car and was on her way to Hinckley. Oh I should mention she made this trip while I was at work, so the purchasing of Jack was all her and I had almost nothing to do with it. Heather will claim I gave my blessing on the purchasing of Jack, but that detail seems to have slipped my mind.

The way I remember the story going is, Heather asks, "I wanna go LOOK at a dog in Hinckley..." I politely respond, "Oh that sounds great." Somehow buying and bringing him home are some details I just don't seem to remember discussing.

Moving on,  after work I was quickly greeted by our new dog (at this point Jack had no name). To be honest it was love at first sight. I mean how can you not like a 5 pound fur ball that is not as demanding as a 70 pound lab? He loves to cuddle, he gets all the food dropped on the floor by Cooper and plays great with the kids.

The only thing left to do now was figure out a name. I did veto the idea letting Emma be the one to pick the name, but we did listen to her suggestions. The process did take a few days and the internet was quite helpful. We did narrow it down to Brutus, Caesar, Sally (Emma's idea, we did explain he was a boy), and Jack. My dad suggested sh** head, but that idea was quickly shot down. In the end it was Jack.

It's amazing how a person becomes so attached to a pet. I am the first to say having Jack in our house is great.

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving is definitely a fun time with family and a time to catch up with some friends you maybe haven't seen in a long time. This year I was able to finish our Christmas letter, download some pictures, and just reflect on what we have been doing in the past year. We were able to get away this year for 3 days and it sure was relaxing to be away from Duluth.

Celebrating Thanksgiving on a Saturday was different but the food was still the same. I didn't even watch any football this year. (The Packers going undefeated is really killing me this year) I think next year we will be able to celebrate on Thanksgiving day but just time with family is fun no matter what day.

My favorite part of the meal strangly enough is the mashed potatoes with butter, salt & pepper. No gravy for me.

I look outside and see no snow and wonder what is going on? Usually by now we have about 6 inches on the ground. Having no snow certainly at Bentlyville was a little different but I am not complaining. We didn't freeze and we could actually walk slow, take some pictures and enjoy the lights. Emma got to see Santa and Cooper was excited to see Santa until it was time to sit on his lap. Then it was screaming and crying. Good times this year at Bentlyville.

This time of year is all about being thankful and my list is long this year. I couldn't ask for more from my family and friends. I can already tell this Christmas season is going to be a good one, again.

Time

Shall I blog or continue with Facebook. I haven't blogged in 2 years but I think this would be really fun to start typing opinions on things. I'd like to get back in to it.

CHIC UNDONE 2009

From July 12-16 I had the opportunity to attend a youth conference called CHIC. CHIC stands for Covenant High In Christ. This conference is sponsored by the Evangelical Covenant Church and happens every 3 years.

The trip started out with a 24 hour bus ride departing from Duluth, MN and ending at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. We started our journey at 11:45 AM and arrived the next day at 10:00 AM. I have done many bus rides in my day, but despite the many stops we made along the way, I was unsuccessful in trying to find a comfortable position to accumulate a significant amount of sleep. We did make it without any significant problems.

Upon arrival I found Massey Hall and checked in to my dorm room. Yes I stayed in the dorms. Thankfully the dorm room had air conditioning but the bed was quite uncomfortable. After check in I began to explore the campus. Unfortunately for me my room was on the opposite side of the campus from where everything was going on. With the handy dandy little map I was able to navigate my way around campus.

There were tons of things to do and I liked swimming, playing frisbee, listening to live music, playing some basketball, and doing some crafts.

The main event of the evening was called Mainstage. We sang worship music lead by the CHIC worship band, Israel Houghton, David Crowder Band and Third Day. I learned about mission work in Thailand and was challenged by some speakers. The speakers I listened to were Erwin McManus who challenged us to make sure that we dream big. He emphasized I should never think my dreams are ordinary. He called me to dream of a life to make the world better.

On the second night Shane Claiborne spoke of "The Simple Plan." He had the opportunity to work with Mother Teresa. His story is amazing. Shane challenged us, "the best thing to do is give the best thing away." His story is amazing and I would encourage you to google him to learn more. He lives simply.

On the third night we listened to the pastor of Elevation Church of Charlotte NC Steven Furtick. Steven assured us that despite any mistake made in the past the Lord will forgive. He said, "God didn't put you in this world to survive it, he put you here to change it."

And on the final night I listened to Efrem Smith from Santuary Covenant Church in Minneapolis MN. Efrem challenged me not be afraid of God's call and to have time to find God's call. He asked us to have courage to answer God's call no matter what it may be.

It was a great week to refocus my life and remember that there are so many more important things in this life that stuff you can buy with money.

I would strongly encourage you to google CHIC UNDONE 2009 if you are curious. CHIC 2012 is going to be great.