Who doesn't love a good rant?!?

I gotta be honest, I kind of like a good rant every now and then. Something about the nexus of conviction, eloquence and outright passion that's refreshing to see. Because rants are real, I suppose.

I saw a world-class rant the other night on Keith Olbermann. Personally, I liked Keith better on SportsCenter, but he had it flowin' when he unleashed this rant all over Rudy Giuliani.

But as great as that was, let's all bow the rant to end all rants. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present...Clark W. Griswold in Christmas Vacation. Where's the tylenol?!?

This picture HAS to be published for posterity!

This image needs to be recorded for all eternity. Why?!?

a. It's a shot of a beautiful little girl with lovely back-lit hair.
b. It's a shot of the perfect Christmas morning post-present-frenzy rest.
c. That's a great book right there and, heck, the publisher should pay us for the publicity!
d. It's actual, visual evidence that, every once in awhile, Lucy Dixon actually sits still!!!

Live blog

Construction in process...

A Dixon family Christmas tradition

My Grammy used to make these delicious Christmas wreaths each year. Next to her world famous Chocolate Roll they were my favorite. Tomorrow, I'm getting my Rachael Ray on and putting the kids to work to make some. I'll let you know how they turn out. In the meantime, here's the recipe:

This is why when I'm home I take naps...

November has given way to December, and, with that, evenings at home have given way to meetings and travel. I was looking at the calendar and realizing that since I left for Vega$ last Sunday (the 9th), I'll be on the road 21 out of 30 days, with 17 overnights sprinkled in for fun. I leave for my yearly golf trip in an hour or so, then it's Sacramento to see Santa and then St. Louis for InterVarsity's National Staff Conference in early January. If you're the praying type, light some candles for safe trips!

When I get back, I'll look forward to reporting on my smashing golf victory, my recent job interview and Lucy's split lip, among other things. Yes, there's a lot going on...

My inner tech geek...

...is totally satisfied at the moment, since I'm rolling now with a Palm Treo 750 and one of those bluetooth headsets. How cool is this:

Overheard on the 2nd tee this morning...

My friend Jason and I had both just shanked our tee shots to the left of the cart path, when we heard the following from our playing companions:

Old, crusty golfer #1: "Looks like we got ourselves 2 hookers here, Bill."
Old, crusty golfer #2: "Been there, done that."

Thank you very little...

The Train

People in my family love the train. My grandfather did some model railroading. My uncles go whenever possible. So I was treading down the family road when I took the train to Bakersfield on Wednesday last week. Four hours in the train, 6 in town. Left here at 10am, home at 8pm. Loved it. Here's why:

1. It's cheap. $45 round trip to Bako with a AAA discount. The only way to get there cheaper is by walking, and I'm pretty sure that would take longer...

2. It's efficient. I could travel to Bako and use the four hours as office time. Try as I might, I haven't figured out how to type well while driving.

3. It's comfortable. I'm typing this on a text document as I'm sprawled out across two seats. And I've got leg room, baby! Really the only danger is falling asleep from the gentle lull of the train.

4. It's terrific for people watching. Old farmers in outrageous American flag jackets, drifters sitting quietly (and eerily) in the corner with hoods and shades, teeny-boppers with ipods and sullen glances and then there's Mr. High Powered Business Guy loudly doing business on his cell (very annoying). Good times...

The Glamour of Fatherhood

It's exactly 6:17am and we need milk. Where are the car keys?!?

Update...as I was staggering toward the door to leave, Lucy asked me where I was going and I told her I was off to the supermarket to get some milk for breakfast. Her response? "Daddy, can you go by Starbucks and get me a scone?"

Coming right up!

Flyovers

Don't get me wrong, I love a good flyover. You know, that moment a the beginning of a sporting event when the fighter jets zoom in low overhead at the culmination of the national anthem. This morning it was a couple of F15's at the MLS Final as Placido Domingo finished up "and the home of the brave." Whoosh!

It's all very impressive, but I have a couple of questions:

1. Who pays for it?!? Do I? I'm guessing it might cost a bit to fly out the stealth fighter from North Dakota and have it arrive in LA at just the right moment. Fuel? In-flight meals? Do you purchase insurance for something like that?

2. How can I get one?!? Especially if as a tax payer I'm helping fund these things, I'd like to order up a nice F-18 flyover for my next big event. Think about it! It would be great for kids' birthdays, anniversaries or special holiday parties. Or how about for ministry? Need the perfect culmination for a fundraising ask? Call in the jets! Or just after the first worship set at a large group meeting. Perfect!

Lastly, what about this one...a flyover when you need it! Send the Air Force a text message, and you'll get your jets in 30 minutes or less. Like a pizza! Need a way to end a conversation? How about a flyover? Bored between classes? You need some jets. Trying to impress that special someone? Where's the stealth?!? I'm just saying, that'd be pretty cool...

You know you are blessed when...

...your FREE babysitter CALLS YOU and asks if she can come watch your kids...

Thanks Kelly!

The latest kerfluffle...

Fresno has a rep, and it's never a good one. There's currently a local flap about a Toyota ad that played on the East Coast that once again reinforces the city's bad name. Check it out here.

Me? I've already repented of my anti-Fresno bias...

The mathematics of exhaustion

So I got back last night from a three day road trip centered on Fund Development and Staff Supervision, and this morning I could barely get out of bed. Done. Fried. Kaput. And so I thought to myself: "I'm getting old. It didn't use to be this tough. It must be because I'm 35."

But then I thought about it, and maybe there are some other numbers that have something to do with it. Consider these stats from my trip:

59 hours away from home in total
8:45 alone in a car driving the 596 total miles (an average, by the way, of 74.5 miles per hour if my math is right)
2:45 in office time while away (most at a Starbucks in downtown San Fran)
13 hours of sleep (which admittedly is more than average around home lately...)
18 holes of golf on Monday here
101 strokes...my disappointing score
3:15 of downtime (riding on BART, reading before bed, waiting for lunch)
5 black and white hot chocolates from Starbucks along the way

But then here's the real kicker...

25 and a half hours with people. In conversations. Thinking, listening, responding. Staying alert. "On."

Somebody say "introvert!"

Call the band! Get the confetti! Kill the fatted calf! Raise the alarm! Praise the Lord!

Lucy pooped in the potty today...

The Daily Nightly

Amy is off at a Moms Night Out with her Small Group tonight. Here's where we stand:

Josh is asleep. He was done at 7:30. Perhaps it had something to do with him being up since like 5am with no nap?

Grace was down at 7:15. Man, she is a dream going to sleep right now. Just give her her "bankie" and "wawa" and you're good.

Lucy is watching The Incredibles and is (of course) not even close to looking tired. Even money that she'll outlast me and Amy will come home to Lucy pounding the rest of the Halloween candy and watching some rerun of MTV Cribs...

Me? I'm watching the Fresno State-Hawaii football game right now and it's not pretty. Toward the end of the first quarter and it's already 24-7 with Hawaii driving again. Quarterback Colt Brennan has already passed for like 6,000 yards. Looks like a long night on the island for the 'Dogs...

You gotta love it when...

...you think, maybe, that that voice in your dome is the Holy Spirit...and then you speak it out and it turns out that it totally was. Love it. Good times.

Hallo-what the heck?!?

About this attempt at a family picture, you could notice several things:
1. How Amy and I are steadfast in our determination to take a good picture...
2. How Lucy is just as steadfast in her determination NOT to take a good picture...
3. And then there's Grace and the candy bucket...
Props to Uncle Jeremy for capturing the moment!

And a special "Fly in the Soup" shout-out to our friend Supervisor Praveen!!!

My 3 year old Dell Inspiron has been limping along for the last month. Bad power chord, sometimes it couldn't read the wireless modem, and then the on/off button was so sporadic that it seemingly took an act of Congress and 5 quiet times before it would boot up.

And then came Praveen. Praveen was the Dell dude on the other end of my live tech support chat last week, and when I presented my three issues, he said this:

Agent (Sup_Praveen_127748): "Rob, I have consulted my Technical Supervisor and we need to pull up the system to Depot for repair. A team of technicians will work on your system and will replace the required parts to make sure that the system is working fine before sending it back to you. It would be a special service there would be no charges to you."

From there it went like this: Praveen magically arranged for DHL guy to show up at my door 3 hours later with a ready-made box for me to put my laptop into. This was Tuesday. The package was then shipped to Memphis next day air. They fixed it that next day, on Wednesday, and then sent it back such that it was on my desk ready to roll on Friday morning. In the process they replaced the system board and the modem. And, they threw in a new power chord as a bonus. All free. All quick. All easy. Thanks be to the Praveen!

Some of you may have heard me thinking out loud about drinking a glass of that Mac kool aid, but this experience decides it. I'm a Dell guy now from here on. And next time I'm in India, I'm taking Praveen out for some tea...

Impact1 at Cal Poly

I'm off to SLO in couple of hours (in a sweet Chrysler 300 by the way) to visit the Impact1 AIDS awareness tent. The staff and students have done a GREAT JOB of creating an experiential learning station right in the middle of campus (Dexter Lawn for you Mustangs out there). It's tremendous. As of Wednesday night, they had poured almost 1500 students through the tent and had gathered tons of response. One person is already in the Kingdom because of it, and we are very hopeful that many more will respond tonight at the "Night of Impact" event in Chumash. Pray with us please! Here's a shot of the tent from the other night:

What does it mean lately...

...when Josh calls me the "bonus parent?" And is it a good thing or a bad thing?

Thoughts?!?

"So with the fire now 2 miles away, let's finish up with one more song...and close up the book table while we're singing..."

As advertised Fall Conference was an amazing weekend, this time with a new twist. On Saturday night we welcomed some new brothers and sisters into the Kingdom. On Sunday morning we left early because of the Malibu fires. Below are three pictures from the festivities. First, the Fresno State crew rocking their "justice" t-shirts. Then two Cal Poly students with cardboard Jesus. Finally, a shot of the fire from our friend Tina. Thanks to those of you who were praying for us!

Fall Conference this weekend!

Every year God does his holy thing right about this time of the Fall. He mobilizes the staff to their roles, he makes the logistics happen, and, most importantly, he calls the students to pony up $99 to get their spiritual worlds flipped upside down! I love Fall Conference! This year we are going to try a "live prayer blog" of the weekend, so if you are a hard core prayer monster (or even you aren't), check here throughout the weekend and intercede for/with us! I'll let you know how it turns out!

Disco Fever

You'll watch this twice!

That sound you hear is me smacking my head against my desk after reading...

...this.

Off again

Hittin' the road today, this time in a rental minivan from Dollar off of Priceline. I'll be in Glendale/Pasadena/San Juan Capistrano for two different sets of meetings. Mom and Dad, Black Cow today at noon for lunch!

And, yes, I'm going to the bathroom BEFORE I leave this morning...

A short quiz...

It's a lot of fun having Josh in an under-6 Clovis Junior Soccer League, but I have to say that he rarely kicks the ball, and especially when someone else has it or is around it. Like he'll touch the ball 5 times over the course of 30 minutes. Lots of yelling, plenty of running around but not a lot of action. So let's take a short quiz...
What is keeping Josh Dixon from kicking the soccer ball?

a. He's afraid of the ball.
b. He's not a competitive person.
c. He doesn't get how soccer works.
d. He has wonderful parents who have taught him not to take a ball away from others without asking, and he's simply reluctant to disobey by kicking the ball when someone else is around it.

The answer is "d." Surely "d." Without question "d." Anyway, here's a shot that pretty much typifies the action:

Multi-tasking?!?

We'll give her a pass this morning because she's sick, but I just watched Lucy SIMULTANEOUSLY (and with the same hand) suck her thumb and pick her nose.

It's wonderful to have such gifted children...

God's up to some stuff...

...like causing 14 students to make decisions to follow him at a Cal Poly large group last Friday night. (you read that right!)

...like bringing 30 Latino students to Fresno from 10 campuses for a night of worship and teaching on Saturday night. Hearing each one step up to the mic at the end of the night and say, "God, make me a prophet for my people" was breathtaking.

Quite a weekend. It's good to be on staff!

The SLO life

The Lord and I have a little deal going...that is, if he decides that he wants to send us back to San Luis Obispo sometime in our lives, our obedience will be instantaneous. Like that afternoon.

In the meantime, what a joy for me to go over and visit, to hang out with the staff, to eat the food (yesterday it was California Pizza Kitchen for lunch and then Cabo San Luis for dinner) and to just remember so many good times. For those of you who are Cal Poly alumni, the fellowship is off to a great start this year, and the big thing on the horizon is the Impact1 AIDS tent (more info here).

And so sorry it's post-trip, but for the record it was a JEEP Liberty (very cool ride), $62 bucks, Dollar again.

Not quite sure how this happened...

...but somehow this became a part of our morning routine. Picture the 5 of us dancing like maniacs around the living room before we leave to drop Josh off. Or don't picture it. Your choice...

As a one-time engineering major...

...I can be really impressed with San Diego's Coronado Bay Bridge:

Have you ever gone to the bathroom in the wrong bathroom?!?

I did. Yesterday. At a rest stop off the 5 near Camp Pendleton. I recorded my inner monologue. It went like this:

"Soooo great to finally be going to the bathroom. Lots to drink hours ago at the Burger King in Delano"
"Wait, what's missing in this place? Oh, no urinals. Weird."
"What was that? Someone glancing in at me through the door. Should have closed it all the way. Hold on! Was that a woman?!? What's she doing in here? What a freak...in the wrong bathroom!"
"Hmm, as I look over the stalls there is a small gaggle of women. And what's that one saying? Something about how they all need to wait until 'that man' is finished. Who's she talking about?"
"Oh crap. SHE'S TALKING ABOUT ME!!! @$&#!"
"You can do this. Walk quickly. Head down. No eye contact. Go straight to car. You fool."

Off to San Diego at noon...

Dinner with old CP alumni, some meetings with staff about Fall Conference, dinner with Amy's family and a coaching visit with the staff and students at Mesa College.

But you don't care about any of that...here's what you come to the blog for:

Dodge Charger
$177.05 for 4 days
Dollar Rent a Car

"You can never win a war against terror as long as there are conditions in the world that make people desperate"

That's Archbishop Desmond Tutu linking poverty and terrorism. Short article here.

"At age 30, the human body's major organs begin to decline"

Damn, I'm on the decline already?!?

Remind me of this...

It's far better to have a awkward conversation on the front end of a situation than a difficult conversation on the back end.

Thus saith the Rob...

This year, I dominate

For those of you following closely my personal quest to become InterVarsity's all time rental car champion, I've installed a tally on the sidebar to the right. It's all right there for you. No more needing to track me in your quiet time journals, or on your office white boards, or, like the Ekmekji's, on a post it on your fridge...

Multi-tripping

In this role I've been learning the art of dovetailing the travel. What I mean is that if I'm going to be out of town anyway, I may as well accomplish as many purposes as possible. So...tomorrow I'm off first to Northridge to get some time with the IV staff worker at CSUN, then down to the Cal Poly Chapter Camp at GPC, then over on Friday to the Regional Ignite Evangelism training days. Home Saturday night late.

And--wait for it--today it's a JEEP Liberty. $145 for the 5 days (week long rental price). Once again, Dollar doin' me right...

Right now, at 7:16pm, it is 102 degrees in Fresno

I'm just saying...

The war close to home

It was a bit weird to wake up this morning to our city of Clovis in the news. Today on NBC ran a piece on our "Saving Private Ryan" story of a local family who has tragically lost two of three brothers in the Iraq war. The third one, present on the ground in Iraq when the second one died last week, is being reassigned into a non-combat role. The Today show story is here. The story also headlined on cnn.com midday today and it's here.

Bovine Intervention

Early yesterday morning, Grace and I loaded up in the van and drove to the store for what is rapidly becoming a part of the morning routine...the milk run. We drove over to our local Savemart, picked out two gallons of 1% and plunked down $6.29 on the debit card. Milk comes from "happy cows," and makes for happy kids...

...but not so happy checking accounts. Amy and I have been paying attention, and let's just say we go through a lot of milk. A lot. To the tune of about 1 gallon a day when we're all home. And milk prices are going up. Heck, at $3.15 a gallon, I'm starting to wonder if we could train the kids to drink 87 unleaded. Just for the fun of it, I started to do the math:

I'm thinking that we go through, on average, 25 gallons of milk a month, taking into account people traveling, being sick, etc. At current prices, that translates to $78.75 a month, or $945 a year. Which means that if I managed to cajole my children into drinking, say, tap water, I could play another 47 rounds of golf this year! Sounds like a deal to me.

And so I'm wondering about buying a cow. Or a goat? But after reading this, that is clearly not an option. We can barely keep our plants alive. So what are we left with?!? A cool grand a year, until they all get bigger, and then up it goes until we're forced to start taking it out of their college funds...

Happy Birthday!!!

Everyone's favorite mischief maker turns 3 today. We had a princess party last weekend and below is my favorite shot. To get your full Lucy birthday photo fix, go here.

Book Review: Moneyball by Michael Lewis

I've blogged before about what a sports addict I am, and that baseball was my first love, so it will come as no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed Moneyball by Michael Lewis when I read it earlier this summer. Moneyball seeks to answer the baseball question of disparity; that is, why is it that a team like the Oakland A's with a payroll of $71 million can compete against, and even triumph over, a team like the New York Yankees with their bloated payroll of some $207 million. Good question, though, for the record, it looks like Oakland is going to come up short this year as we head toward September (sorry, Seth!).

And so l liked it for the baseball, but I loved it for the system. Because Moneyball is really about a process, created and nurtured by A's management, by which an outspent team triumphs over the "big boys". Put succinctly, the A's system is less concerned with the "feel" a scout would have after watching a prospective player than about, well, numbers and statistics, particularly those related to plate discipline. Fascinating. And revolutionary. Here's a quote that sums it up: "scoring runs was, in the new view, less an art or a talent than a process. If you made the process a routine--if you got every player doing his part on the production line--you could pay a lot less for runs than the going rate."

This is a new season for me in ministry. For the first Fall since 1995, I'm technically off campus; that is, I am purely supervising staff this year for the first time. And it's a bit freaky to be honest (I'm calling it "ministry menopause," or is it "minipause?"). And yet the thing that not staffing an outreach table, or making fliers, or filling out forms, has allowed me to do is a whole lot of systematizing. And I love it. If I am an artist at all, it's in the area of creating and articulating systems that help make life and ministry work for myself and others. My sorta joke lately has been that I'm on a mission to "make the intuitive intentional." Kinda like Billy Beane and the rest of the A's front office.

Bottom line: if you are interested in a look inside the major league front office, or if, like me, you want to see what systematizing looks like, I highly recommend Moneyball. And, by the way, for a review of another Michael Lewis book, The Blind Side, check out what Jeremy has to say here.

Conflicted

Having spent a lot of time enjoying corporate worship over the years (as a participant and as a leader), there's at least one thing that has always left me somewhat conflicted: singing about Satan in the context of worship. You know what I mean?!?

On one hand, I get all Harry Potter about it and Satan becomes "he who must not be named." I think, let's just not talk about him, because names have power and somehow naming him gives him honor. Toss in the context and I'm thinking that I certainly don't want to in any way honor the enemy in the midst of communal praise and worship!

On the other hand, since invariably Satan is mentioned in the context of his ultimate and utter defeat at the hands of Jesus, I really enjoy singing about him and it seems completely appropriate to do so. In fact, this past Sunday we sang the song "Sing to the King" (lyrics here), and when we got to the "Satan is vanquished" part, you'd better believe I was all up and standing with my hands raised!

I'm not sure what to do with it, but there you go. I suppose the bottom line is that in my view songwriters ought to use the name Satan only sparingly and judiciously. Now don't get me started about gender inclusion, songs that focus more on us than on God and how we need more multi-ethnic worship in the church...

My small screen debut...

It's time for school to start and what better way to kick off another year of InterVarsity at Fresno State than cutting up a bunch of watermelons and feeding them to excited, sweaty dormies?!?

This year channel 30 cruised by and filmed us. Here. And while we only make a few seconds in the report, there's a special treat six seconds in...don't blink or you may miss it.

Off to Bako this morning...

Ah, Bakersfield. It's a beautiful place. For those of you scoring at home, put me down for a 2 day rental from Dollar. Like $95 bucks. Dodge Avenger. Back Wednesday night.

And here's a question...when did we pick up a Kindergarten kid in our house?!?

Images

There are lots of images of motherhood out there.

There's the new mom serenely feeding her newborn by an open window in the morning light.

There's the "sack lunch" mom standing on the porch waving goodbye as her kids walk down to the bus.

And there's the mother of the groom, weeping quietly yet smiling proudly as her son stands at the altar awaiting his bride.

And then there's the one where the mom is on her hands and knees up in the police car module of a McDonald's Play Place with a half empty pack of Wet Wipes scrubbing furiously in an effort to clean up her 3 year old's feces...

Music and Lyrics

Don't judge me, but I kinda like Hugh Grant. I know, he plays the same character each time out, but there's something about his English, self-deprecating everyman thing that's vaguely endearing. In Music and Lyrics, Hugh's at his Notting Hill best, and toss in Drew Barrymore and you've got something pretty entertaining. We rented it last night from Redbox and loved it. Good call Jess!

The clincher?!? This video. Get in touch with your inner Flock of Seagulls and enjoy!

"Our records indicate that you are among the 30 staff who rent cars most frequently."

That quote is from a recent email asking me for information about my car rental practices. Keep in mind there are thousands of staff in InterVarsity. Do I get an award perhaps? A bonus maybe? Possible acceptance speech: "I'd like to thank the Cabinet and President Alec Hill, my Regional and Divisional Directors, for sending me on all these trips. And I'd like to dedicate this award to my family and friends. You know who you are; thanks for having my back. And, most of all, thanks to God for giving me the strength and talent to rent well and drive straight..." Nah.

But I'm going to keep track of the car renting this year. Starting today. I'm leaving for SLO in an hour in a 2007 Buick Lucerne. Enterprise on Shaw, 2 day rental. Total bill: $95.65.

The Number 10

I love the number 10. I use it whenever I can. In sharpie on the back of an old shirt for an Intramural Basketball "jersey." On my old Cal Poly roller-hockey gear. As a part of old email address or two. 10 has been my number ever since I was little playing AYSO soccer and I was boxed out from using it by the coach's son (freakin' Ross, I'm still bitter). But I digress...

Last week, on August 9, Amy and I officially celebrated 10 years of wedded bliss. 10 years! Amazing. And so in honor of the day, here are 10 things I appreciate about Amy:

10. She is a hard worker. Unbelievable that everyone gets diapered AND the bills get paid.
9. She sacrifices so I can do my job on Staff. Generally it's true that travel days for me become torture days (and nights) for her!
8. She's given birth three times (and counting?). Glad it was her and not me...
7. She's hot. Really hot. I'm just saying...
6. She's stable and grounded. She's anchored our lives emotionally for a solid decade...and put up with a husband who can be, oh, a bit erratic at times!
5. She loves (and can teach) the Bible. I've been attracted to that about Amy since day 1.
4. She's a phenomenal Mom. Our kids are in great shape. I think maybe she's almost good enough to make up for their whacked out father...
3. She's strong. Here's what I mean.
2. She's hot. Still. More than ever.
1. She loves me. Awesome. Quick, nominate her for sainthood!

Since Optimus Prime is weak sauce...

...instead, give me VOLTRON!

I read somewhere that a Voltron movie is in the works. And just to get the word out there..."I'LL FORM THE HEAD!"

Simple Pleasures

We're just back from staff meetings in San Luis Obispo. A good time, and the best thing about it?

A NEW ACRONYM. Wahoo! One more for the lexicon. "ALT," or "Area Leadership Team." Or perhaps we should through a "Fresno" on the front and go with "FALT." Or maybe to get a properly placed "U" in there we could go "Fresno Area United Leadership Team." Hmm.

In related news, tomorrow I'm taking the day off...

New Promo Video

Our Fresno State staff Intern Greg has produced a promo video for his would-be donors. Check it out here.

In other news, off to San Luis Obispo for 4 days of staff meetings. Somebody come over and mow our lawn!!!

Perspective

While I really like my ministry to students, the best thing I've got going in my life right now is this:

And then there's this:

It's all about the context

I watched just a portion of the Democratic/youtube debate the other night and I liked what I saw. What I mean is that unlike other debates I've watched, in this one the questions came with context. Not the context that has Wolf Blitzer or Brian Williams or Judy Woodruff asking a question this way: "Bev and Al So and So, from Peoria, Illinois are middle class parents with 3 kids, and they're struggling to find affordable, quality health care. If you became President, how would you address their concerns?" In this debate, Bev and Al were asking the questions, and you could see a picture of their kids on the frig in the background, and Bev was holding her latest medical bill in her hand, and you could see Al's pinched face when we talked about how they were treated badly, etc.

I like bringing the personal into the political, because then I think it makes it tougher to offer answers full of cliches or empty rhetoric. It injects emotion and subjectivity into a process that is too often impersonal and calculated.

In other news, the Dixon Summer tour continues tomorrow with a nice 350 mile jaunt to San Diego. Back on Tuesday...

Loss of innocence

I am an absolute sports addict. It's 10:57pm and I'm watching the Giants and Braves battle it out in the bottom of the 13th, and I don't even like either of these teams. In fact, as a Dodger fan, I am morally bound to loathe the Giants.

And so as someone who really cares about this stuff, you can imagine my chagrin, no, my horror, over these last days as I've absorbed the headlines in the world of sports. Consider:

1. An NBA referee is caught taking money, betting on basketball and very likely manipulating the outcome of games in an effort to cover the spread.
2. Barry Bonds, admitted steroid user, is closing in on Hank Aaron's hallowed home run record.
3. Michael Vick, the face of the Atlanta Falcons and one of the top 5 stars in the NFL, gets indicted for dogfighting.
4. And the Tour de France has morphed into an absolute farce (Tour de Farce?!?). Last years champion stands accused of doping, this year's race leader rides under a cloud of suspicion, and, today, Alexandre Vinokourov, winner of 2 of the last 3 stages, is kicked out (along with his team) after being caught injecting someone else's blood into his own body (story here).

Pardon me, but WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!?

As I think about it, the thing about sports that has captured me for all of these years is the thrill of seeing men and women do the improbable, the impossible and the miraculous (or at least go out trying to do these things). There's a joy to watching athletes overcome their opponents, the course, the watch, themselves. It's Kirk Gibson's home run in '88. Lemond's time trial to beat Fignon. Horry hitting the buzzer beater to beat the Kings (again).

Which is why it's tragic to see sports as an institution lose its innocence like this. Indeed, when it becomes impossible to tell if it's a mix of sheer will, inborn talent and a commitment to the weight room, or the latest undetectable designer steroid that makes a running back escape a linebacker, what are we left with?

If it wasn't so freakin' hot out...

...I'd be doing a whole lot more of this:

In honor of the WSOP*

With the 2007 World Series of Poker ending tomorrow (final table starts at noon in Vegas), let me update us all on my first venture into a real poker tournament, during our time up in Tahoe. The Montbleu, the hotel/casino that we stayed in, has these weekly daytime tournaments. I played in the 2pm one last Monday. Buy in is $40 for 1200 chips, and with another $6 you get another 600 chips and so most of the 20 or so of us started out with 1800 in chips. Blinds go up every 15 minutes and the top 3 end up in the money.

I finished 5th, busted out when my pocket 10's got beat on the turn by a dude holding King/Queen offsuit. Criminal!!! Still, it was a fascinating experience. Some things that stand out:

1. The brasher they are, the louder they fall. This one guy sits down and I could tell immediately he was a player, with Full Tilt Poker hat on backwards and shuffling his chips like Johnny Chan. And he started to bully us all; he was really the first one to start raising and check-raising. But then in two successive hands his aces got cracked and then someone sucked out on him on the river for a straight and he was out. Wow did he leave mad, grumbling the whole way out about people getting lucky and not knowing what they were doing. Reminded me of a whining Phil Hellmuth...

2. It's all about patience. It takes major discipline to play tournament poker. A friend of mine had counseled me to open up really tight and so in the first level I folded Ace/nine and King/Queen. I even managed to avoid my top two poker pitfalls: "flop-itis" and "suited connector-itis." In fact, the first hand I won was on a full house after my pocket deuces hit on the flop, and I was only in that hand because I was the big blind.

3. The blinds make it move quickly! You just don't get this in the home game. 15 minutes goes by and you are moving up a level. When I busted out, the blinds were at 500 and 1000. So it's this weird mix of patience and urgency at the table.

4. You'd rather be lucky than good. I totally sucked out one time. About midway through, I went all in with Ace/Jack and dude called me with Ace/King. I was dominated. I was losing through the flop, then the turn, and then the river came up with a Jack. Beautiful! I doubled up and that guy was gone after the next hand.

5. If you are going to gamble, playing a poker tournament is a pretty good way to lose your money. Way better, for instance, than losing $46 at the slots. Or freakin' roulette. I don't even have time to tell you about the old lady with her crab card protector, or the guy who went all in like 6 hands in succession, or the old guy who kept swearing his way through one bad deal after another ("f@ckin' rags..."). Good times.

By the way, if you want to follow the final table tomorrow, you can order ESPN pay-per-view for like $20. Me, I'm going to check in from time to time at cardplayer.com...

* if you missed any terms in this post (Mom and Dad), you can check out a poker glossary here.

Tahoe Recap

Amy and I had a GREAT time last week at Lake Tahoe celebrating our 10 year Anniversary. While our actual day is August 9, we'll take the child care when we can get it (a big shout out to Grandma/pa Sexton!). Top activities included: sleeping in, Oceans 13 (two thumbs up!), eating out (Chart House anyone?!?), disc golf, a few table games at Harrah's and enjoying the hospitality (and sales pitch) of Mr. Marriott and his Timber Lodge.

And it just so happened that there were a ton of celebrities and current/former athletes in town for a golf tournament, and we went to see it on Thursday. We quickly realized that such a thing is perfect for us: celebrities for Amy and athletes (and golf) for Rob. It was great to stand thisclose to Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, Don Cheadle, Jerry Rice, Joe Sakic and many others. Good stuff.

Here are some shots from the trip, of Amy and I at Emerald Bay, of my 10 year bride with Stone, er, Schtone Philips, and then one of my buddy MJ:

HE is coming...

He is a global phenomenon, and millions await the next chapter in his story.
He's a multi-million dollar franchise, and together with his partners he'll try to vanquish the enemy.
Are you ready? He'll be here July 21st.

HE is...David Beckham. Galaxy vs. Chelsea from England. July 21. 6pm. ESPN2.

Who'd you think I was talking about, Harry Potter?!?

10 things about airports that are universally true

1. Too many of them in one day is not good (put me down for 4 yesterday!)
2. God made airports so that you can do some nice people watching
3. Could there be any more white male pilots?!?
4. Really bad seats in the gate areas
5. If you look out the window there are some cool cars and vehicles down there
6. Lots of screens and monitors, kind of like Best Buy on crack
7. Moving walkways are cool!
8. One day I will get my shoes shined, a nice shoulder rub and I'll exchange some money
9. Since when did a Big Mac cost $5.79...without the combo?
10. Weird art. Usually involving neon.

Survey Evangelism

We took the planters out yesterday afternoon to the University of Wisconsin to do surveys, trying to gauge the spiritual temperature of the campus. We asked students the following questions:

1. Major and involvement in school
2. What are your religious beliefs and how often do you practice them?
3. What adjectives would you use to describe Christians?
4. What adjectives would you use to describe Jesus?

Over the course of about an hour I had 16 great conversations! Very fun. The best one was with a woman who called herself a Shaman. Here's a shot of me in action talking to a Muslim woman by the fountain:

Two rules about email

I was just in a session yesterday where the leader, InterVarsity's V.P. of Collegiate Ministries, gave these two key points for those of us who deal with a lot of email:

1. The most important part of the email is the subject line, since it governs how quickly or thoroughly someone will read it.

2. If you don't get to the point in the first paragraph, you've lost the reader.

Good stuff. I think they're both totally right on. And of course it goes without saying that you don't do conflict on email.

Speaking of email, do you hear that sound?!? That's the heavens rejoicing that, with a mere 23 messages in the inbox, it all fits on one page!!! Hallelujah!

On Planting

So like I said, I'm here in Madison for 8 daze learning about how to plant an InterVarsity Chapter on campus (It's Sunday night and I'm ready to go home, but I digress...). As a part of this group, I'll be coaching two young Staff next year down in San Diego. It's been a wild experience so far, with lots of input and concepts. But through it all, one thing keeps coming to mind...

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M HERE. Or, more precisely, what the $@%# am I doing here?!? Here's what I mean: I think I am the most unlikely planter in the history of InterVarsity. That's because I "grew up in" and hale from one of the most established ministries in InterVarsity on the West Coast, at Cal Poly. We called it "the machine." Built in the mid-80's, what the machine did was create, over the course of 4, 5, 6 or more years, leaders. Just add freshmen! And as Staff, too often (in hindsight) it felt like we were simply mechanics. Change out a part here, oil the machine there. Sure, at times we felt like we made drastic changes, but as I look back they were in reality subtle modifications to the ages-old machine. Don't get me wrong; the machine was amazing. But a machine it was.

And so it's at some level dissonant for me to be here leading/coaching a brand-new Chapter Plant this coming year. No machines. Nothing at all really. But here's what I'm beginning to love about the notion of planting:

1. It's an opportunity to create. I'm learning about myself that I enjoy the process of creation. What fires me up about the idea of planting is the thought of creating a machine, not maintaining it.

2. It asks us new questions. This week we've been taught a planting model that is generally what we will all employ, but this one model has raised countless questions of contextualization. What is our vision for our campus? What is our strategy? How will this general model work where we are? Chasing answers to these (and other) questions invigorate me, inspire me and remind me why I love campus ministry.

3. It takes us new places. As I've moved to Fresno and been involved in a re-plant at Fresno State and now a new plant at Fresno City, I find my heart increasingly burdened for both individuals who are lost and campuses that are without witness. As I think about the future of the Area under my leadership, I am toying with a vision that reads: "a new campus every year." How crazy is that?!? Now we'll see if that sticks, but at it's heart--in my heart--is the concept of all students in our Area having an opportunity to meet Jesus or know him better.

So next year brings lots of planting. Fresno State enters a new phase in the re-plant with new leadership. Fresno City launches. We will "spy out the land" at Alan Hancock in Santa Maria with an eye to a plant in 08-09, and we're praying about what God might do at Fresno Pacific that same year. I'll be coaching Serene and Alan at Mesa College, and, we'll see, but we may just have to start dreaming about InterVarsity chapters at Reedley College and College of the Sequoias in Visalia. More to come later as I and we keep learning...

Melissa in Bosnia

I have a friend and former Staff from Fresno spending the summer in Bosnia with her students. If you want to follow along you can find her here!

Update!!! For those of you scoring at home, the inbox is--gloriously--down to 50. Now I've got to keep it there...

How I'm Surviving

Greetings from Madison, Wisconsin, where I'm in an 8 day long class on how to plant an InterVarsity Chapter (more on that in some other post). After much consideration and careful debate, here are my top 5 tips for surviving such a situation:

1. Work out at the gym everyday (thankfully, we are given passes to a nearby facility)
2. Make it your goal, no, your relentless quest, to take your email inbox from 200 at arrival to 50 when you leave (I'm at 89 tonight)
3. Never take the elevator to anything
4. If you make it to breakfast, fine, but try to skip as many dinners as possible (you need a break from people and, really, how many ways can you cook chicken anyhow?!?)
5. Call home as much as possible

I'll be home on the 4th at 7pm!!!

My psycho son

So I don't like turbulence. Check that. I loathe it. Disregard my tongue-in-cheek comments from March. Turbulence universally sucks.

And tubulence loathers like me consistently have to suffer on the flight into Denver. Over the Rockies, the plane bucks and shakes like some whacked out bull in the ring. I'm looking around for the rodeo clown and a barrel. This past Tuesday, we were in full bounce mode. The girls are screaming. Amy has her eyes closed. I'm about to soil myself, when after one particularly nasty bump, next to me Josh yells out:

"Oh yeah, baby. Wahoo! Ka-chow!"

Guess the apple not only falls far from the tree, it's in another orchard...

A Father's Day Tradition at Fly in the Soup

We all know that Father's Day is all about sports on TV, so here's your Father's Day TV schedule. It looks a bit different than last year. No global soccer tournament and a weak NBA finals this time around...

10am U.S. Open Golf until mid afternoon (NBC)
11am NASCAR from Michigan (TNT)
5pm Yankess/Mets (ESPN)

And if none of that appeals, there is always American Flyers at 5:30 on ESPN Classic. Great movie! Beware Barry "the Cannibal" Muzzin!

Yeah, but it's such a drag to not have one on my block!

I got up this morning thinking about Starbucks. As in, "man, after that night, a black and white hot chocolate would be good." (I know, I'm a wimp...)

And so the difficult, gut-wrenching question we always face when we're craving Starbucks is..."which one?" Because there are tons of stores in the Fresno/Clovis area. But just how many you ask? I went to the Starbucks website and entered my address, and they kindly tell me that:

There are 6 stores within 2 miles of my house.
There are 16 stores within 5 miles of my house.
There are 42 stores within 10 miles of my house (that's about the Fresno metro area).
There are 49 stores within 20 miles of my house.
And there are 70 stores with 50 miles of my house (now we're bringing in Madera and Visalia).

And those numbers are just for today. In fact, for my money, that new building they are putting up at Shaw and Clovis by the Big 5?!? Another Starbucks...which means, more choices!

"Have a nice trip, Mr. Dixon"

The travel season cranks up for June and July. Here's a preview:

Catalina's Campus by the Sea today through next Tuesday (whole fam!)
Denver, CO June 19-24
Madison, WI June 26-July 4
Sacramento/Tahoe July 8-14
San Diego July 26-31

For those interested, here's the latest update on CBS. I'm excited to see it all for myself.

Can I get a discount, you think?

So we went to Joshua's pre-school graduation today (really, a graduation...with diplomas, caps and Martinelli's! Don't I have a couple of years before this stuff gets started?!?). But as a part of the festivities, each kid came up and received his/her diploma and the teacher said for each one what they said they wanted to be when they grew up.

And it was really sweet. "Austin would like to be race car driver, like his Dad." "Isabella wants to be a dancer." "PJ wants to grow up to fly airplanes or be a firefighter." Things like that.
So I was eager to hear what Josh had said. Would it be "a soccer player," "a policeman," or even "a pizza man?" And while I figured that "middle manager for a faith-based non-profit like my Daddy" wouldn't make the list, I sure wasn't prepared for what came out...

"When he grows up, Joshua wants to...work at Costco!" What?!? Anyway, here's a shot of your future Costco employee after graduation:

Cracking myself up...

...with this.

Score another one for Pastor Steve

Last week at church our Pastor Steve took on the book and DVD called The Secret. Here is a wiki article on it, but to sum it up this big "secret" is expressed in the law of attraction; in other words, like attracts like, so when you think a thought, you are also attracting similar thoughts to you. I don't buy it, but just imagine if it was true...heck, I've got thoughts of a pool in my backyard, kids sleeping through the night, time travel and the Lakers winning again. But I digress...

So I expected Pastor Steve to, pardon the expression, "rip The Secret a new one." And while he did indeed critique the book's premise and expose some obvious faults, he also took it a step further, and I totally respected him for it. I'll paraphrase him here:

If millions of Americans are picking up and experiencing The Secret, that ought to tell us something about our societal thirst for something greater. Indeed, the whole phenomenon of The Secret is tapping into a "heart hunger," the same heart hunger, in fact, that Jesus himself tapped (and taps) into. And so we as followers of Jesus, as the church, need to rephrase the question. It's not "what is it about The Secret that is so compelling?" It's "what is it about our version of Christianity that is lacking, and therefore is unappealing or unconvincing for our culture?"

I think that is a fantastic question, because it implies that if we in the church were, in the words of Pastor Steve, "living well enough that they might want what we have," The Secret would arrive and find no audience. We're clearly not there yet, and it's been an indicting thought for me all week long...

Junkmail

I/we get so much bulk or junk mail every morning. At least it seems like a lot to me, like 15-20 messages, sometimes more. I thought this morning that I would share the joy! Here are the sender and subject lines of most of the bulkmail messages in my inbox, with a wee bit o' commentary thrown in for fun...

1. Someone named Josephine Harvey tells me that "no doctor appointment is necessary." I say, thanks for caring. Josephine, you could be a good friend...IF YOU WERE A REAL PERSON!!!

2. Sanand Fong is letting me know that he can get me "ADOBE SOFT ware for less." Umm, Sanand, "software" is one word...

3. Jack Isenberg dropped me a note with the helpful information that a "Canadian pharmacy will satisfy all you pharmaceutical needs." Yeah, if you can get there through the snow...and is their no "your" in Canadian?!?

4. "Exquisite Replica" has some "replica pens" and "Handbags" will sell me some "replica watches." Ironic coming from a "replica" email...

5. Friedrich Shaw wants to--wait for it--help me have a "turbo orgasm." Thanks for that, Fred.

6. Lastly, Ticketmaster warns: "don't miss Crowded House." Crowded House?!? Really? Are we still in the '80s? Are they playing with A-Ha? The Talking Heads? Wham? Flock of Seagulls? The Buggles?

Really, the only missing bulkmails this morning would seem to be my cheap Viagra offers, ebay items that I didn't bid on and the invitation to singles in my area. Something to look forward to tomorrow I guess...

I'm all for "transparent" government...

...but this seems a bit much...

Also, HAPPY 300th POST!!! Whoot!

Motivation...

June 1 is a key day on my calendar...it's the official start of golf season. Time to get out the clubs and find some form! Golf season runs from June 1 through the Golf Odyssey in mid-December, and then I'm dormant again until the next June. The closer it gets, the more excited I become, and I'm starting to look forward to reclaiming the title (for the first time in several years) at the GO in December.

Which is why Amy's comment the other day in the car stopped me cold. We were talking about the beginning of golf season and she said: "like you're ever gonna win it again, babe. It's over."

So in pro sports, you hear athletes talk about "bulletin board material;" that is, someone says something inflammatory about the opposition, and it goes up on the locker room bulletin board. Come into my garage right now, and you'll see Amy's quote up on the fridge (though I should say in her defense that she went on to explain that for her it's an issue of resources...time and money to improve--or not). Anyway, time for me to clear off room on the wall for the Champion's plaque...

Sad Day for Cycling

With Floyd Landis' 2006 Tour de France doping arbitration hearing still ongoing (and generating plenty of salacious press), today comes news that for the second straight day, another former professional cyclist has admitting to doping. And, this time, it's a big fish. Bjarne Riis won the Tour de France in 1996 and today came clean to doping from 1993-1998. Here's the story.

And I'll just say it...with every new guilty admission from other riders from the era, in my mind the chances that Lance and Greg didn't dope take another hit. Sad.

Did you know...

...that John Mayer has a blog?!?

Yeah, it's a wonderland...

"In this age of social disconnectivity and lack of human contact, the effects of the Free Hugs campaign became phenomenal."

A couple weeks back Pastor Steve used the story of Juan Mann (really?!?) to illustrate our need to open up to God's love. Here's the video. Here's the site. Whatever you think of that dude and his campaign, it is pretty wild to watch the process of initial skepticism to phenomenon to opposition to affirmation.

Perhaps our next evangelism outreach at Fresno State?!?

Book Review: Next by Michael Crichton

First off, a shout out to Jeremy, the King of Book Reviews...I love joining you in what you are reading!

There are at least three things I consistently love about Michael Crichton. First, he is flat out a great writer. I love the way he progressively builds tension, and I appreciate how he somehow manages to make technical jargon interesting and understandable. Next, he does a good job creating identifiable characters; what I mean is, nine times out of ten, in any given situation, Crichton's characters act the way I think I would. Unlike, say, Dan Brown's Robert Langdon, a Crichton book is full of normal people who do (mostly) average things--for good or for ill--in the face of unusual situations.

But the thing I love most about a Crichton yarn is that I feel like he is using the format of a novel as a way to work out his own questions on some issue, and I like joining him in that journey. In Disclosure, for instance, he's trying to figure out what he thinks about sexual harassment (and reverse sexual harassment). In Congo, it's what happens when humans invade what previously was a closed system. And in Sphere, my favorite, it's what becomes of a perfectly assembled team in the face of unexplainable (and malicious) chaos.

In Next, his most recent outing, Crichton takes on the science of genetics, examining the moral, ethical and legal implications of this new field. Reading along, you feel like you are reading his blog or journal, in story form, as he wrestles with issues such as the patenting of individual genes, the ethics of altering the genetic code of turtles in the name of advertising (yes, that's right), and the complicated choices the legal community is facing as the science of genetics raises all kinds of new and bizarre questions. As almost a bonus, Crichton gives several pages at the end to spell out his conclusions on the topic. If you would like a taste of the book's content, go here. It's a parody site...or is it?

The bottom line: Next was more than worth the fifteen person wait I endured on the library hold list. In fact, I'll give it a thirty!

Music Review

Truth be told, I'm not a huge music person, but I came across a CD recently (thanks, Lovie!) that I loved. In his album Songs for Silverman, Ben Folds sounds to me like some great-great-grandson of Paul Simon, what with his socially provocative lyrics and eclectic musical stylings (believe it or not, Cal Poly alum Weird Al sings backup on one of the songs...).

For me the best song on the album is "Jesusland" with its devastating and indicting lyrics ("crosses flying high above the malls"). You'd also recognize "Landed" from the radio.

But in the end my favorite song, for obvious reasons, is "Gracie," Ben Folds' song honoring his daughter "Gracie girl." Here are the lyrics.

Saying Goodbye

Last week I did my last ministry as a Fresno State Team Leader. Lord willing, Noemi takes that role next year and I kick back and do what all Area Directors do; namely, sit around, drink mai tais and screen calls...but I digress.

What's funny about this departure is that it feels categorically different than my previous one, from Cal Poly in Spring '04. That one was dominated by the twin feelings of grief and appreciation. This one is marked mainly by relief. Why? A couple of thoughts...

1. In my three years doing both roles (TL and AD), I've been craving the chance to just do one well. It's tough to feel like you are doing a good job when you are trying to fulfill two of them. And not feeling like I am in a situation where I can do ministry with excellence has been frustrating. So I've been eager to hand off leadership and, with that in sight, it feels like a breath of fresh air.

2. Being a caretaker wars against a feeling of ownership...and I've seen myself as a caretaker from day 1. It's hard to let yourself engage when you know your time is short; that's true on short-term missions trips and it's been true in my situation. Even while I've been pouring my heart out at CSUF, I've been hopeful for the arrival of the day when the caretaker moves on and the next leader arrives!

3. I have a strong conviction that me leaving is precisely what's needed, for everyone concerned. I need it, my family needs it, the students need it, non-believers on campus need it, the young Staff need it, etc. It's good all around, and therefore it's a relief. I'm glad for what I perceive to be the win-win-win-win-win-etc.

All of that said, I'm going to miss the week-in, week-out time with some great students. At our year-end BBQ last week, we took a picture that is proudly up on my wall. Thank God for what he's done in the past 3 years and thank God that he's going to keep working in me, Noemi (join me in praying for some funds!), the students, the vision, etc. Here's the shot:

Campus by the Sea Update

Some of you know and love InterVarsity's Campus by the Sea on Catalina Island, and maybe you've been wondering how it did during the fires this week. Here's a link to IV's official website where there is a story and two pictures posted. Let's thank God for his protection over what for many of us is our spiritual home!

Going on right now!

We just heard this morning about a shooting near Fresno State involving students. Here is the official CSUF bulletin. Here is the story on cnn.com.

How do you say "the latest sign that the apocalypse is upon us" in Spanish?!?

What the heck is this all about?!? And, why wasn't I invited?

Shout Out to Google

So we all know that Google is taking over the world...but at least on their way they are doing some cool stuff! I've recently been introduced to google docs (thanks Nalley) and it's great. It's possible to upload a document (or a spreadsheet), invite others to join you in editing it, and then when you're done you download it back to your computer. Much better than typing up a draft, attaching it to an email and then having to consolidate all the edits you get back yourself. Good on ya, Google. Remember me when you rule us all!

The Soundtrack of Our Lives

Wanna experience what it's like to be me? This is running through my head all day long...

Any chance to use the word "kerfluffle..."

I'll admit it...I love that word. Especially when Jeremy uses it. I've been looking for my reason to use it, and here it is.

Turns out England's Queen Elizabeth is coming across the pond to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement (interesting TIME article on Jamestown here). And so ahead of her visit she did what any sensible person does before leaving on a trip; she sat down for a professional, formal portrait.

But now there's this kerfluffle over it. I don't get it. I say let her highness wear and look however she wants. She is, after all, the freakin' queen of England!

Still, maybe it's just me, but I can't help but wonder what her majesty would look like posed in the ever-popular "asses-milk" bath...

Disneyland Report

So they say--and by "they" I mean someone Amy read about on the internet--that you haven't really experienced Disneyland until you see it through the eyes of your children.

And you know what?!? I think "they" are on to something. Because where I saw a slow ride through an imaginary world, they saw Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and hunny pots. And where I saw a castle that I swear looked smaller than I remembered it, they were in awe and went around looking for Sleeping Beauty (or Peach, Mario and Bowser, but I digress...). And, finally, where I waited, all sweaty and grumbling, in a small, cartoon house with 200 other sweaty grumbling parents, they were willing to pay any price just for 20 precious seconds with Mickey Mouse.

And so our trip was a smashing success. The kids did great, Aunties and Uncles were fabulous, our Disney dollars allowed them to get whatever they wanted, and we even made it back to Fresno before midnight. Here's a shot of the kids with Mr. M. Mouse:

Off to the Magic Kingdom

Birthday week at the Dixon's concludes today and tomorrow with a trip to Disneyland! We've decided that when the kids turn 5, it's Mickey time. So we'll be in the park all day tomorrow, 8am to after the Electric Light Parade. The kids are all about princesses and Pooh Corner (by the way, what's with taking out the Country Bear Jamboree?!?), but Amy and I will be looking for the new Space Mountain and the new Pirates. Full report Monday!

Turning 35...

A new blog look for a new year. I'm celebrating today by taking the day off, playing some Mario, taking a nap, watching ManU at 11:30, dinner at Chevy's and then the Lakers to cap the day. Good times.

On travel...

I just got back last night from 4 days in Santa Barbara. In this most recent concentrated travel season, I've been on the road 16 out of the last 28 days. Here are some things I'm learning about the travel part of my Staff job:

1. I really love my family. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" is a true statement. Plus, it freaks me out to know that daily Lucy is terrorizing my office...

2. I've got the maximize the time. My latest realization is that if I'm going to be on the road in meetings or at a conference, I might as well "supersize" the workload. So you'll find me slotting in extra meetings or working on things around the edges (or during the meetings...) in order to get more done. That way, less to do at home!

3. Coming back is tougher than leaving. Here's what I mean...I drag my carcass back from a trip exhausted, and all I want is a couch, the remote control and some ice cream. But Amy is also exhausted, and she wants essentially the same thing (substitute ice cream with popcorn...). So I'm learning to adjust my expectations for reentry. Yesterday on the drive up the 99, I began to pray that I would wake up today with a servant's heart, since there is much to be done with the kids and around the house.

4. I shouldn't complain. If you catch me complaining, smack me! Two reasons...one, it's always tougher for Amy than for me. For instance, during this last trip, while I'm hanging out with cool people playing "Up Jenkins" late night at a Denny's, Amy is home tending to Josh while he's up all night with Bronchitis (true story). Second, the travel I do I do because of our calling, and it has eternal consequences. It is a common thing for me to see students become Christians at Conferences these days, and then to realize that the decisions I/we make at meetings have a direct impact on that moment. That's a sweet understanding that makes the sacrifice worth something.

No more long work trips until May 9-12 (Vegas, baby). In the meantime, I'll enjoy the time at home...folding laundry, vacuuming, errands and, most importantly, protecting the office from Lucy...