This post is for Lovie...

One theme of my Sabbatical time so far has been reading. Lots of books and lots of space to read. It has been glorious. So great. In fact, I'm certain that by the end of this thing I'll have read more in these six months than I have in the last six years.

What have I been reading?!? You name it, I've read it. Whatever I want. Really, the cheap rack at Barnes and Noble has been my friend. But one genre that I've found to be totally interesting has been biography. Right now I'm halfway through A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. Recently, I finished Born Standing Up, an autobiography from Steve Martin about his early years. And earlier it was Lone Survivor as well as Robin Gerber's excellent leadership biography of long-time Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham.

Those have all be terrific, but my favorite biography so far has been a book called Breaking Ground: Adventures in Life and Architecture by Daniel Libeskind. Libeskind's name might be familiar. He's the internationally-renowned architect whose design was selected to be the keystone of the Ground Zero memorial and re-design (his site is here).

So the book is part biography (just how does son of Holocoust survivers from Poland go on to become arguably the most influential architect in the world?!?). It's also part current events (little did I know about the consistant clashing of oversized egoes that goes on in the world of architecture). But the parts of the book that wowed me were the ones where Libeskind waxes philosophically about the profession of architecture. Here's one great example:

"If architecture fails, if it is pedestrian and lacks imagination or power, it tells only one story, that of its own making: how it was built, detailed, financed. But a great building--like great literature or or poetry or music--can tell the story of the human soul."

Rich stuff. He had me the whole way through. There's no doubt about it; reading Libeskind made me want to be an architect. Maybe in my next life.

And so it turns out that Libeskind is in process on some buildings in the states. He's doing stuff at the CityCenter on the strip in Vegas. And then Amy and I went over to see his Aura tower in Sacramento last week (picture here). Lastly, we visited his extension of the Denver Art Museum when we were in Colorado last month. Enjoy some pictures:

Olympic fever

My chronic SOJ was in full swing during the final of the men's 4 x 100 freestyle relay last night. What an epic last leg. In case you missed it, the (somewhat grainy) video is here.

And then the heavens opened and in His benevolence God decided to...

...bless creation with the advent of Chocolate Xtreme blizzards from Dairy Queen. Thanks, Lord...

Not sure what's wrong with me...getting old? Sabbatical-brain? Failing eyesight?

All I know is that I haven't beat Josh in MarioKart Wii in months...

War on the brain

So for the last couple of days I've had the war on terror front and center in my mind. A couple of things put it there:

1. Lone Survivor. I just finished absolutely devouring this book by Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell about his heinous experience fighting in Afghanistan in 2005. I'll let Jeremy's fine review stand as a summary of the book if you are interested, but for my money, it's made me more thankful that there are people out there doing what they do so that I can do what I do back here.

2. Care packages away! It turns out that we have two friends in Iraq at the moment, and there is nothing like having people in the thick of it to make the war more than a headline. Yesterday the kids and I mailed off care packages with the prayer that when they were received it would be "like Christmas morning." So Mitch and Susan, here they come! And enjoy the Hello Kitty toothbrushes courtesy of Lucy Dixon...

467 days of service

In this the week o' Dixon doctor's appointments, Grace joined in the fun and got her left ear tube removed. God bless that tube, 467 days of infection-free living! In case you're curious, no, we're going to pass on the Dr's suggestion of putting this out for the "tube fairy." Anyhow, here's what these little miracles look like:

We're netflixing our way through the Office and just finished season 3, disc 1. And all I can say is...

...please, Lord, get Jim and Pam together. Please. For me. The angst is killing me.

Overheard last night from a sleepy Lucy Dixon

"Daddy, I just want to stay little forever. I don't want to be big."

No argument here....

5 reasons why I think that Grace P. Dixon will one day be the starting center fullback (and team captain) for the Santa Clara women's soccer team

1. She has opinions and she lets you know what she wants. Perfect for rallying the troops and leading the defense.

2. She knows how to fall down. And she gets A LOT of practice. Somebody say, "slide tackles."

3. She has mastered the art of stealing things. Just ask Lucy. She's freakin' aggressive. Opposing forwards won't know what hit them...

4. She loves to kick things. And with her left foot. Shout out to Una!

5. She has a hard head. Gets it from her mom? This afternoon I was teaching her to grunt as I was soft-tossing a ball at her dome.

So make your plans know to come out to Santa Clara in 2026!

Maybe a bit of a generalization?

Everyone, and I mean everyone, in the South Denver area wears crocs, drives a subaru, shops at Whole Foods and eats out at one of the 75 million Chipotles in the vicinity. I'm just saying...

Air Force Academy Chapel

Shots from today's visit to the Butterfly Pavilion

Go Dogs!!!

Here's the update: Fresno State up 11-6 on Georgia in the 5th inning of game 2 of the College World Series. It's an elimination game for the Dogs, but look for this to go to a deciding 3rd game tomorrow night. Two words for you: Tommy Mendonca. The official Fresno State website is here.

Man, I wish I was at the Doghouse right now with a tri tip sandwich in my hand...

Weather report

Man, it's hot here in Denver. Blazing. Whew. Totally overwhelmingly hot. Here it is, just after 7pm and it's STILL 75 degrees! Miserable. Brutal. Yikes. I mean, GET ME HOME!!!

Oh wait, it's 95 right now in Fresno...

The End Result

Back at the beginning of the school year, I blogged about how I'd made it into the top 30 of InterVarsity staff nationwide in terms of the all important metric that is the frequency of car rentals. All year I've kept track of my rentals, and here are the final tallies:

Number of cars rented: 18
Number of days: 52 (that's a month and a half out of 9 spent on the road last year)
Total cost: $2,124.79 (or the equivalent of 8 and a half wii systems or 708 Starbucks hot chocolates)
Total miles: 10, 687 (I could have driven to Boston and back and then there again instead...)

So there are the stats. And I'd like to give some props to Dollar. Early this year I just committed to one agency to rent from. I became a member of their rewards program and it worked like a champ. I have in my file three free rental days, but the biggest thing was that the desk staff started to recognize me when I'd come in. Somebody say "free upgrades!"

Lastly, perhaps you are wondering how I did this year? I got a letter from "corporate" (tip of the hat to Michael Scott), and here's an except:

"You have been selected, based upon your unique position as one of the top 30 InterVarsity employee auto renters! Because of your select position, you came to the attention of the auditor of our business auto insurance policy."

So I have to send in a copy of our policy and my DMV record. It's funny. I never thought of my travel load as anything approaching "unique" and "select!"

At tonight's Rapids game...

Me and my inner Griswold...

So we made it to Denver. By van. All five of us. Here's the tale of the tape...

Total miles: 1193.7
Day 1 mileage: 490.2
Day 2 mileage: 444.9
Day 3 mileage: 258.6

Couple of highlights:
1. Dinner with the Nalleys in Vegas on the first night. Great tri tip, Nalley!
2. Amy almost becoming a Mormon at Cove Fort, UT at the hands of one Sister Leathers...
3. Being forced to eat at the Little Caesar's pizza stop at the Big K in Richfield, UT when all of the fast food was overrun by little leaguers.
4. The Virgin River Gorge. Fantastic.
5. Cheap gas? Paid "only" $4.09 in Vegas. And it's under four bucks here in Denver.

Now let the sabbatical begin!!!

A Fly in the Soup Soccer Report

I watched the Germany v. Austria match today, but just to clarify, it wasn't this one.

Overheard down the hall

Joshua (chasing Lucy): "Lucy, Lucy, don't fall in the hot lava. You'll die."

Amy (from the office): "Joshua, don't talk like that. I don't like that language."

Joshua (pausing at the door to the office): "But, um, Mommy, that was English."

My three ladies...

Yeah, good one...

So there I was this morning filling up at the local Vons. $4.38 with my 3 cent VonsClub deduction, mind you.

All of a sudden, this old dude in a mini-van finishes his fill up and then pulls up next to me on his way out. "Did you get your kiss?" he asks.

I'm confused. What does he mean? Are they giving out free Hershey's somewhere and I don't know about it?!? I look at him and ask him what he's talking about.

He pauses for a second, nods his head in the direction of the gas attendant's booth, and with a wry smile says:

"well if they're gonna screw you, they may as well give you a kiss on the way out!"

On Sabbatical

I don't think I've mentioned yet in this space that I'm going on sabbatical from IV ministry for 6 months from starting on June 8. This means that the countdown is now at 13 days! And as our departure time gets ever closer, I've realized that I am experiencing a wide range of emotions. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. "Holy crap, there's a lot to do before I go." I was thinking on my way over to the office this morning that I will essentially need to zero out both the to-do list and the inbox before June 8. And don't get me started on the piles littering the office floor! The problem with this is that I have a raging case of "sabbaticalitis," a disease out of the "senioritis" family of ailments where with the end in sight you start to experience a progressive apathy in the face of much to do!

2. "How great is it that I get to do a sabbatical?!?" I am grateful that I work in an organization that has a sabbatical policy, something most don't get to experience. My Dad, for instance, worked for years in a company with no category for such a thing. I'm also blessed to have supervisors that have pushed me toward sabbatical, even when I didn't want to take one.

3 "Is the world going to fall apart without me?" I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the answer is "no," but that doesn't mean I don't feel it. There's a faith/trust step that I'm taking as I exit the ministry for 6 months.

4. "What am I gonna find on sabbatical?!?" I have some level of anxiety as I head into sabbatical. Part of that comes from #3 above, but part of it is because I can tend to define myself by what I do in ministry. Take that away and I'm not sure what's going to be left. It's like a hole. Sabbatical creates a ministry hole; what's going to fill it?!? What will I find about myself, my identity and my relationship with Jesus? I am eager to figure all of this out, but I'm anticipating some pain along the way.

5. "Rest. Yes." I can't wait to relax and be free from my microsoft outlook calendar and to-do list. Time to take naps, hit the gym, watch movies, play wii, chase kids, not check email? Priceless.

6. "What a gift from IV to our family!" We're loading the ninos up in the van (repairs permitting) and headed to Colorado for a month in June/July. Then we will just get space to be together. How awesome is it also that after Baby #4 joins us in September, we'll get two and a half months to enjoy her and get to experience being a group of 6?!? Awesome.

So I'll keep you posted. I'm thinking about some sort of "sabbatical Friday" type of post during the 6 months. We'll see.

Man U v Chelsea Penalty Shootout 2008 Final

So shoot-outs are a rough way to finish a great soccer match, but you can't beat them for drama. And I'm a ManU guy, but poor John Terry, I'm just saying...

Yeah, so the good news is that...

...I'm mostly OK (just some soreness in the back), Amy and the kids were at home and we have great insurance. The bad news is this:

The very definition of TMI

Ever wondered how baseball players get themselves out of slumps at the plate? Read this at your own peril...

Hmm, I wonder what the equivalent would be for campus ministers? Say you're in a large group talk slump...

The best one yet!

Nervous time...

Watching game 5 of the Lakers/Jazz Western Conference semi-finals, and with a few seconds to go in the half, it's nervous time. Kobe's back is ailing, Deron Williams is out of his mind and what's with all the turnovers?!?

Memo to Phil Jackson...feed Pau Gasol in the second half. A lot. Like every time down the court. Seriously. Now.

Overheard on the teeball diamond

Opposing team's coach yelling at his players after one of our kids hit a grounder through the hole at short, causing his team to descend en masse on the ball:

"Hey! Guys. When he picks it up, DO NOT TACKLE HIM."

Didn't work.

An Open Letter to Joshua Ford Dixon

Dear Josh,

OK so now the news is in and Dixon Baby #4 is going to be Dixon Baby Girl #3. And since your mom and are done after this one, that means that it's you and me, kid. Two islands of testosterone in a Dixon-filled ocean of estrogen, for the rest of our lives! So allow your old man to offer some words of advice and encouragement in light of this piece of news.

1. We've got to stick together. Otherwise, they'll gang up on us. Heck, they already outnumber us! So lots of "man lunches" for us so we can stay on the same page. I have your back, you have mine!

2. Look on the bright side, you'll likely grow up with your own room. Everyone's sharing, but you'll get your own space. Wait a second...maybe I'll move in with you! It could be our man room!

3. Growing up, you'll learn more than you want to know about all things female. Consider the next dozen or so years an education! I am.

4. God help whoever you end up marrying. Your bride-to-be will have to go up against your 3 sisters. I feel confident in saying that the good news is that you will marry someone tough!

5. I hope you like the "big brother" role. Because you're going to get lots of practice!

Ready for the adventure?!? I love you buddy.
Dad.

The Federal Aviation Administration requires us to inform you that the Federal Aviation Administration makes no sense!"

Preparing to take off from Colorado Springs on Friday, I was (as usual) barely paying attention as the flight attendant went through their standard pitch.

Blah, blah, blah...welcome aboard U.S. Airways express...blah, blah...oxygen mask...blah, blah...exit row...blah, blah...

And then something caught my ear that went something like this:

"The Federal Aviation Administration requires us to inform you that the cockpit door is located at the front of the plane."

Huh? Really? Do we really need to announce that? Aren't their better things to require announcing? I mean, have you ever seen a cockpit door that is not at the front of an airplane? When was the last time you had your pilots behind you? Is that even possible? What is this, the monorail at Disneyland?

So I later asked the flight attendant and this was his reply:

"About every day someone tries to use that door to go to the bathroom." Nice.

Top 5 things I'll miss this week....

I'm off in a matter of hours for a week in Colorado at Bear Trap Ranch. Back Friday night. Here are the top 5 things I'll miss this week:

5 . wii golf.
4. wii bowling.
3. wii tennis.
2. wii Mario Kart.
1. wii...ah, my family.

And, yes, for the record, I woke up this morning with a sore right shoulder...

We did it. Or is it "wii did it?" The Dixons own a wii. And wii love it. A lot. As in "wii can't sleep because wii're so excited a lot." Wiierd. Action shots:

Happy Birthday to me!

I'm not sure what makes me feel older...the fact that I'm turning 36 today, or the fact that Joshua turns 6 on Saturday!

It's not every day...

...where you get to hear your new baby's heartbeat for the first time.

Almost halfway done!!!

Let's talk about links...

Not the golf kind. Or the sausage variety. Rather, let me walk you through my blogroll and introduce you to some great people!

Thought Bucket is our friend Adam. Aside from being a great person, Adam is known in our house as Lucy's first crush. He's a thinker and he's witty and if you want an example of both, read this post...

Satellites Collide is our friend Jeremy. Jeremy is a great writer and he's very insightful. Plus the dude reads up a storm and offers great book reviews, though that's about to change once Baby Robert(a) comes along shortly...

Serving Bread is my friend Eddy, on staff down in Northridge. Man, if you want to be challenged on a consistent basis in your thinking and faith practices, read Eddy. Always great stuff and he blogs often.

Spanglish Gringo is my friend Scott. Scott lives in LA and works for IV, but, more importantly, he's a Crescenta Valley Falcon, class of 1993? Is that right Scott? I love Scott's blog because I enjoy reading about his life downtown, and because he models for me a beautiful sense of daddy-love.

Stinky Like Beautiful is my friend Mike. Mike is a load of untapped blogging potential. I think he could be brilliant...IF HE ONLY BLOGGED EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE!!! In fact, Nalley, you have until the end of April to post, or no more blogroll for you!

Green Spots is our friend Tina, married to Adam. Tina knows how to incorporate pictures into her posts. Brilliant. And I appreciate her honesty on her blog. Need an example? Try this.

Trips on the River is our kids' pictures blog. We love it, but we're going to have to come up with a new name when #4 shows up in September!

I'll pick up the other half tomorrow.

A Daddy Adventure!

Leslie's baby shower over here this morning provided a great opportunity for a "Daddy Adventure." Convinced by Jeremy that I should take time to visit interesting places near my house, I packed up Josh and Grace and we set out to see the sights. Four stops and a crazy picture at each one. Here's what happened:

A quick stop at the Isch's to say hey to Jeremy and Josh.

Chandler airport in downtown Fresno.

Palm trees lining the road on the way to Kearney Park.

Grace in front of the mansion.

Finishing the day with lunch in beautiful Kerman, CA.

Up to the minute...

All is well in the world:

The Dodgers are up on San Diego in the 5th,
The Lakers are down to Dallas in the 2nd quarter, but no worries,
The house is clean 'cause of Leslie's shower in the morning,
The kids are quiet and watching Aladdin,

and, best of all, the inbox is down to 34...

Let's see Super Nanny top this...

To use my new favored vernacular, when it comes to sleeping, our precious Lucy is a hot, sloppy mess. Particularly in the area of staying in bed. And we've tried everything. Well, I guess not strictly everything. There's still duct tape, though that somehow feels like the ol' nuclear option...

Our latest idea, however, seems to be working. Start the night with a clear (plastic) goblet full of candy that represents the next day's dessert for both Josh and Lucy. Then, every time either one of them gets up, away goes a piece! Turns out the genius of the plan is that since Josh is penalized for Lucy's transgressions, he's become an ally in the fight to sleep sanity. We'll keep you posted, but here's a shot of our little brainchild...

Learning about "meeting spirituality"

For the past 4 years I've been serving on the Board of Directors for Students International (site here and the Board page is here). SI and I go all the way back to Urbana 96, when my buddy and housemate was investigating a short term, summer trip to Guatemala with this missions agency I'd at that point never heard of. Ever since, I've sent students and staff on short term missions teams, I've sent full time field staff and Amy and I led summer teams in both 2001 and 2003. I remain captured by SI's vision to facilitate the partnering of North American college students and the global poor for, Lord willing, mutual transformation. It's good stuff.

But one of the things I've consistently experienced over the years on the Board is the reality that for me each Board meeting is fundamentally a cross-cultural experience. "They" do things differently than I'm used to! In fact, so immersed am I in InterVarsity culture that it always takes me time to settle into a meeting, and I have to work hard to choose to participate. For those of us who are familiar with the "entry posture diagram," for me a Board meeting is an exercise in "blue-lining!"

Unlike some past meetings, this time I left the meeting with a profound sense of appreciation for what I had experienced. And, primarily, I was so thankful for the strong dose of what I'm calling "meeting spirituality" that marks our Board. What does a "spiritual" meeting look like in practice? Here are some of my takeaways from this latest experience:

1. People are free to pray at will. In an SI Board meeting, the prayer really flows. In some of the meetings I've led over the years, I've said something like "if we need to stop what we're doing with our agenda to pray, let's do it," but rarely have I/we actually done that. On the SI Board, we do. All the time. So much so that the agenda-driven, efficiency-valuing among us (OK, mainly me), get driven nuts at some points. In this last meeting, there was one guy who probably got prayed for 10 times during the two days. People just get up and start praying. It's awesome.

2. There is someone designated to pay attention to the Holy Spirit. Now ideally, we all should listening for and then responding to the Spirit. But on our Board, there is one person who has been commissioned by us to be our spiritual guide, director and all around Holy Spirit yoda. And he takes that role seriously. It's not uncommon for someone to share and then have this guy say, "now turn that into a prayer and pray it. That's the voice of the Holy Spirit." It's a wise and powerful choice to have someone set apart to seek the Spirit, and it makes me think that I/we need more of that in IV. Sort of a "designated chaplain" for each time we meet.

3. We seek to have a "real time" sense of what God is doing. My practice is the meetings I lead and am in is to process them afterward, much like I'm doing in this post. What did God do in that meeting? What are the spiritual takeaways for me and us? Stuff like that. But on the SI Board, we try to do it real time. And it's reflected in our language, such that a finalized decision is not "let's decide to set up a new ministry in Fiji," it's more "God is working in our hearts right now such that we perceive him leading us into a new ministry in Fiji." Don't get me wrong, I think God's leading is implied in the first one, but I like the explicitness of the second.

So often I think of meetings in a corporate, business sense, I suppose the bottom line is that my experience on the Board challenges me to see the meetings I lead as spiritual gatherings where we as a team seek the will of God.

On Lent

For the first time ever, I gave up something for Lent this year. What, you ask? French fries. That's right, fries. In the end, not a single tasty, salty, deep-fried morsel of goodness passed through my lips between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Here's what I gleaned from that experience:

1. I actually missed french fries. That sounds somehow sad, but it's true. I like fries. Especially those from Firestone/Doghouse Grill. With ranch. And an hour at the gym afterward...

2. Abstaining from french fries does not automatically bring you closer to Jesus. I mean, that's the point of giving up something for Lent, right? To deny yourself in order to remind yourself that Jesus chose the path of the cross. In my ideal world, every missed fry would be the ticket to a deeper level of spiritual intimacy, but that wasn't my experience. Turns out you have to simultaneously choose to deny yourself and connect with Jesus. Those two don't just naturally happen in tandem.

3. I had enough willpower in the tank. Sitting there on Ash Wednesday, I wasn't so sure I could make it. The first time I was tempted was during a rousing Dixon family dinner...at MacDonald's. At the end of the meal, I had to sit there while we tossed 23 fries away. What a waste! Grieve for each one! But because I don't think of myself as the most self-disciplined individual, I was pleased that I was able to make a commitment and actually stick to it.

By the way, my favorite moment during the "fry fast" came courtesy a Red Robin waiter. My buddy Terron and I were there and I ordered a burger and asked him what he could do in terms of substituting those ubiquitous Red Robin fries. He gave me a weird look, at which point Terron said, "he gave up fries for Lent." The waiter paused a beat, shook his head and said, "You gave up fries for Lent...and you came to Red Robin for dinner?!?"

Good times. Lastly, let it be said that since Easter I have partaken 3 times. Freedom!

Happy Easter from the Dixons!

Keeping the "madness" in March

I don't get the NCAA Tournament Tuesday night game, won tonight by Mount Saint Mary's over Coppin State, 69-60. In fact, not only do I not get it, I don't like it. Here are my two issues with it:

1. Didn't these teams automatically qualify for the Tournament?!? The answer, by the way, is yes. Each won their conference tournament. So if they made it in, why do we make them play what amounts to another qualification game? The NCAA calls the game the "opening game," which sounds better, but it's still a play-in game. Why else would my bracket say "Coppin St/Mt. St. Mary's?" Neither school gets their own spot in the brackets for heaven's sake! What indignity! Oh, the humanity!

2. If we are going do this once, why not four times...or more?!? Don't get me wrong, I love Bracketology on ESPN. It's required viewing in our house. And the Lord knows I love the never-ending analysis during tournament week. But for the love of all that's holy, sometimes the "who got snubbed" storyline gets old. So if we have one play-in game, why not 4, one for each Region? That way, we include 8 so-called "bubble teams." In fact, why not toss in like 16 play-in games while you're at it. Make it Super Tuesday before March Madness. What I'm saying is that the play-in game already feels to me absolutely arbitrary, so why not expand the tournament to include all the fringey clubs. Really, where does it end?!?

So here's to Mount Saint Mary's. Go Moutaineers! You win the play-in. Your reward? Enjoy that appointment with Carolina on Friday...

All things Bracketatious...

I spent time this morning toiling over that most sacred of Spring traditions: filling out my NCAA bracket. For the record, put me down for UCLA, North Carolina, Stanford and Kansas in the Final Four, with UCLA beating Kansas in the final. 71-67. There it is.

First round upsets on the men's side you ask? Put me down for Oregon, Kentucky, A&M, Georgia, Davidson, K State, Kent State (sorry, Vega$) and St. Joe's.

Also, put me down for the 14th seeded Fresno State lady Bulldogs to upset #3 Baylor on March 24 in first round play in the women's bracket. It's the first time State has made the dance on the women's side and they are coming into the tournament on fire. Go Dogs!

"Why do you have the mandarins?"

That's Amy's question to Lucy just now, but I just don't get it.

Because, really, what's weird about our three and a half year old wandering around the house clutching a sack of oranges at 10:38 on a Friday night?!?

James Farland Crotty, 1924-2008

We just got back last night from Sacramento. On Saturday, 60+ Crotty family members celebrated Amy's grandfather's memorial/funeral mass. It was truly a beautiful service. And, yes, for those of you scoring at home, that makes 2 grandparents lost in our lives in the span of 5 weeks. Amy and I said on the way down that if we could restart 2008 all over again, we might go for it.

That said, it was a weekend of celebration of a life well lived. And there were at least three things that I appreciate about Grandpa Crotty's life that I would LOVE to have be a part of my life:

1. Fathering well a big family. Grandpa had 10 kids. 10! Who does that?!? That's amazing and what's better is that, as my mother-in-law said, "we all felt like we were his favorite." That's a powerful thing to have said of you I think. I mean, one of my hesitations as we were talking about having 4 is would I be able to be the kind of father I would want to be to my kids if we have one more, and Grandpa Crotty's example gives me hope for that.

2. Letter writing. As Amy's Auntie Amy headed toward the end of her eulogy, she started to read a series of quotes from letters that she had received from her Dad during her time in college. There were some gems in there! And it turns out that he wrote notes and letters to all his kids. It's almost like you could gather those old letters, pull out the best quotes and make a coffee table book out of it. But how special is it for his kids to have his wisdom, first in real time and then for a lifetime?!? It makes me want to write more than emails...

3. The power of the will. Hearing Grandpa's story I realized I am not a very disciplined person. An alcoholic, that man was sober for the last 49 years of his life! That's incredible. It surely speaks to the power of the will, but also to the importance of systems of accountability such as AA.

His full obituary is here if you're interested.

Thankfully, she/he favors her/his mother?

At least I'm on my couch...

I'm not feeling well...again. Or is it still? Not sure. But it sucks. And I have writer's block for my talk for tomorrow night.

So there I was feeling all messed up, but then I saw this on Nightly News and realized it all could be so much worse...

Miscellaneous Updates

From around the world of the Dixons...

We've had the flu in our house. Friggin' ebola! I was down and out Friday through Monday, then everyone else got it despite my best efforts to avoid them. It's been miserable and I can't wait until we're all well to burn the sheets, air out the house and stop buying children's tylenol!

Amy and baby #4 are doing well. Lucy always has an update for us ("the baby is sleeping," or "resting" or "eating"). It's fun to have especially Josh and Lucy excited about our coming addition. Ultrasound on Monday afternoon.

Amy's grandfather is not doing well and is in hospice up in Sacramento. I will say that he is one tough guy hanging in there like he is. Old sailors know how to fight!

Plans for the weekend: Chipotle with the clan, laundry and the Lakers/Dallas on Sunday. And it'll be an IV free zone (just finished one full week of staff interviews!)

Great quote

Ran across this great quote from a clinical psychologist Wendy Mogel, from a book she wrote called The Blessing of a Skinned Knee:

"Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment." Like that!

Overheard down the hall just now...

Flush...
"Bye, bye pee pee. Have a nice trip!"
Pause
"Hey, pee pee. Are you doing alright down there?"
Pause
"Peace out pee pee!"
Another day in the vibrant life of Lucy Dixon...

Overdue yet hopefully healing

Good for Australia, finally.

Sound silenced?

Amy was calling the doctor the other day and got a...busy signal. Not on hold with nice music, not straight to voicemail. An actual, legit busy signal. It sounded familiar yet strangely foreign. Is it just us or is the busy signal a lost sound?!?

The fact that we HAD to go get toasted, buttered salt bagels for Amy this morning confirmed what we already knew...

...that we're pregnant again. The answers to your questions go as follows:

1. No, the kids don't know yet. We're trying to figure out a good way to tell them.
2. Today was the first day that Amy's actually "felt" pregnant, hence the craving run and some queasiness.
3. Yes, this was on purpose. The journey of deciding to try for four was a faith-testing one for us for sure! Story to come later probably.
4. The due date will be late September or early October, but Amy has not yet been to the Doctor.
5. We're hoping it's a boy, but we'll be happy with either gender and any ethnicity.
6. If it's a girl, probably Ruby. If it's a boy, we have no clue. Any ideas?
7. We are thinking we won't find out. We'll wait 'til they're like 7.
8. We feel very excited, blessed and freaked out.
9. Um, yes, this is our LAST one, though Amy says it's not wise to make statements like that lest we end up with a bonus baby (or two?) ten years from now...

Going through Grandma's pictures, I came across these gems...

Nina Belle Day Dixon, 1913-2008

Don't get me wrong, my Grandma had some quick wit. A couple years ago I was teaching on 2 Timothy and there's this part where Paul reminds Timothy of his faith heritage, which came in part through his grandmother Lois. As I was telling the students about how I resonate with that text, I happened to mention that my almost 95 year old Grandma had once briefly dated Moses. Later, when I told her that story, she paused for a moment and said, "Mercy. Well, you know, Rob, that Moses, he was a wild man."

So she had some quick wit, but the three things I will remember most about my Grandma were her gentleness, her faith and her toughness.

Gentleness is a lost art. Who's gentle anymore anyway?!? The closest my Grandma ever came to swearing was an emphatic "mercy." Getting cut off by a bad driver on Foothill Blvd would solicit a robust "oh my." And a shanked tee shot from my Grandfather over the fence and onto the 210 at Verdugo Hills would warrant an aghast "my stars, Ford." Gentleness. My Grandma had a kind word for everyone, she was a great listener and, even when I was dominating her in a game of Aggravation, it was clear that she was crazy in love with me.

Second, faith oozed out of my Grandma. It was authentic, real and simple. There was this one time when she and my Grandpa led their pool cleaner to Jesus. They prayed together right there in her living room and then he went out to pour in the chlorine! Amazing. I remember so clearly being challenged by her faith. When she led the pool guy to Jesus I was working hard in my dorm to love my non-believing friends, and all of a sudden I was losing to Grandma 1-0! Honestly, the thing that feels the hardest to me in losing my Grandma is knowing that I lose, though only in an earthly sense, the consistent and faith-filled prayers that she would offer to Jesus on our behalf.

Lastly, my Grandma was tough. I mean tough. The kind of tough that could grow up on a farm in Missouri, that could wrangle three wild boys into godly grown men, and that could survive a kidney operation while her wacky husband was kayaking the freakin' Alaskan Yukon. She wanted to live to be 100 and came up just short. Toughness comes from the core of who you are, and in that sense Grandma was great to her core.

A couple days ago, Grandma told a nurse "I'm just ready to go see Jesus." Amen, Grandma. This morning you got your lifelong wish. Enjoy your rewards in heaven and hear the voice of Jesus say "well done, good and faithful servant!" Say hi to Grandpa for us. We love you.

Here's a picture of Grandma from two summers ago with some of her grandkids and great-grandkids:

My top 5 albums that I used to own, don't own anymore, but would love to own once again

How's that for a post title?!?

So I'm in the gym the other day listening to the usual soundtrack, when all of a sudden I was hit by a blast from the absolute past. A song called "And We Danced." Don't think any less of me, but back in the day, back when I was first listening to music, one of my favorite bands was called The Hooters. No joke. The Hooters. The album was Nervous Night, and I listened to it so much (on tape mind you) that I'm sure I have a good 90% of the album lyrics stored away safely up in my dome. No wonder I have such a hard time memorizing Scripture! Too many one hit wonder song lyrics taking up my available RAM.

But hearing that song made me think...what are the top 5 albums that I wish I had...again? All of these I had, lost and want again. Here's my list:

1. The Hooters, Nervous Night. By the way, here's the youtube of "And We Danced." Sweet.
2. U2, Joshua Tree. Had this one on tape too. Maybe best album ever...
3. Toad the Wet Sprocket, Fear. I got it because my friend Ruth knew someone in the band, but once I listened to it, I was hooked. I think I left it in someone's CD player in the dorms.
4. Depeche Mode, Music For the Masses. Man, what a great album. The first secular tape I owned.
5. They Might Be Giants, Lincoln. A beautiful album. Actually all of their stuff is spectacular (including the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song that my kids love). I still have the Lincoln case and it sits there on the CD shelf, taunting me...

Honorable mention goes to the long list of Erasure albums that I sold off in some late-90's CD purge. The album at the top of Amy's list, by the way, is Wish by The Cure. I'm partial to Fascination Street myself, but it's cool.

If you ever see any of these lying around at your used CD shop, pick 'em up for me!

Saying a lot without words...

One of the things I enjoy most about our son Josh is his non-verbal communication. In particular he has two things he does when he is excited that I find fascinating, and if you've spent any time with him at all, you've surely seen and been amused by them.

First, when he is excited about something he flicks his ears. No kidding. He takes his hands, starts at his shoulder and gives his earlobes a mighty "thwack" from back to front. When he's really into it, he does both ears simultaneously. It is amazing to watch. And thank goodness he doesn't have an earring; he'd injure his hand...

The second one happens after he has said something that he thinks is pretty cool. When he's done talking, he'll punctuate his statement with a shaking of both of his hands and a pursing of his lips. Now that I think about it, sometimes it looks like a small seizure...But it's as if the joy that he feels about whatever it is he's talking about radiates outward from his little heart and out through his hands. And I hope he never stops doing it!

Why I love racquetball

I look back at the school year 2003-2004 with a lot of fondness. It was our last year in SLO. It our last year on staff with IV at Cal Poly, our alma mater. And...it was the year that I played a heck of a lot of racquetball. I mean, a lot of racquetball. Back then I kept track of stuff like this, and looking back at my journal, in May of 2004, I played 83 games of racquetball. No kidding. Late nights, during breaks on campus, you name it. I had this posse of students, staff and friends and we made sure that the courts at the Cal Poly Rec Center got use that year!

Man, I miss those days. Not a whole lot of racquetball in Fresno over these last few years. Unless you count a few sessions on the urine-soaked, cracked and ancient courts over at Fresno State that is. I've missed it. So I now announce that my 2008 New Year's Resolution is this: to play racquetball whenever possible.

Here's why I love racquetball:

1. You get to hit people. Sometimes I try, sometimes it's just a bonus, but I love the potential for destruction inside those 6 walls.

2. It's a terrific workout. Don't get me wrong, I love a good session on the elliptical, but you can't beat an hour in the courts.

3. You get better at racquetball as you get older. And, let's face it, I'm getting older.

4. Anyone can play. Not well necessarily, but everyone can hit a ball with a racket in a box. OK, almost everyone.

5. It's communal. By nature you cannot play racquetball by yourself. And I say the more in the court the better. More welts that way. I have a great friends in part because we played racquetball.

And so it's about 11am and I'm in an IV meeting in Tehachapi. But at about 4pm, I'll drive down the hill to Bakersfield, put the goggles on, and bring the pain for a couple hours. Can't wait.

On the road

Enjoy a bit of a break from the recent spate of kids stories! I'm off this morning for a day and a a half of meetings in Bakersfield, followed by our annual staff interest event in bustling Tehachapi, CA (all you could ever want to know about Tehachapi right here). Back on Saturday after a quick stopover in Bako to play some racquetball with some Cal Poly alums who will be in town.

First rental of the new year! An intermediate from Dollar for three days. The price? A Dixon record low of $66 including taxes and fees.

VICTORY!!!

Let it be known that it is currently 8:43 and all three of my children are sleeping. In their own beds. Not only that, but all three went down by themselves with narry a peep (or close to it). We never thought we'd see the day! Hallelujah! Sound the trump! Kill the fatted calf!

To celebrate, Amy and I are outta here. Off to the movies perhaps? Ice cream? They'll be fine here alone, right?

Here's visual evidence of the older two, and thank the Lord that I didn't wake them up with the flash:

More for the Fly in the Soup parenting journal...

Today Joshua looked at me and said, "Daddy, you're psychotic, which means crazy."

He's right of course, but where'd he learn to talk like that?!?

With your host, Bob Eubanks!

I keep meaning to blog about something important...and then life gets in the way. So, instead, let's play America's new favorite game...Name that Smell in the Dixon House!!!!

Is it:
a. Tacos for dinner?
b. Ant spray on the family room windowsill?
c. The lingering scent from Gracie's latest diaper?
d. All of the above?

Put me down for "d..."

FreeRice.com

During halftime of the Lakers game, I was cruising around the internet and I rediscovered freerice.com. Amy had showed me it a few months back, but it's pretty cool. Work on the vocab AND help the global poor.

Anyhow, put me down for a quick visit to level 45 before settling in somewhere around a 42...

All's well with the world...

We just finished a fine family dinner.
Outside a soft rain is falling.
The Lakers are pummeling Memphis by like 20.
And, somewhere down the hallway, the girls are having a "poo poo party..."

Just a question...

What does it say about me that I'm an absolute machine when it comes to doing and folding the laundry, but that I'm pathetic when it comes to putting it away?!?

The REAL reason I go to these meetings...

Current # of emails in the inbox: 54
Last week at this time: somewhere north of 120
Goal by departure on Sunday: 30

This one is for Teri Love!

So here I am in St. Louis at National Staff Conference. Staying here thank you very much. Something strange has happened...

When I first started coming to these things, I just did the conference. No power lunches, no extra meetings, no pow-wows at Starbucks on the way to session. Just the standard conference content.

And I was always mixed about that. One one hand, I was envious of these people and their purposefulness. I felt like the last person picked on the playground. Pick me! Pick me! But on the other hand, I was always glad to be able to have a leisurely lunch without agenda.

All of that is the past now. This year at staff conference I don't eat without a conversation, I don't converse without a purpose, and I've been working to figure out the purposes of those conversations for the last two weeks!

That decides it! I'm skipping the session tomorrow morning and hitting the gym...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone. As the years go by, I've noticed that increasingly Amy and I celebrate in timezones moving from east to west. Last year we were in central time. This year, mountain time and asleep by 11. Next year, what? Hawaii?!? Then Australia? Pretty soon we'll be having New Year's breakfasts...

I'm off tomorrow to InterVarsity's National Staff Conference, or as one of my single staff put it, New Spouse Conference. Back late Sunday night and then back to Fresno for kindergarten on Monday morning!

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?!?