I went to see Get Smart with some friends Sunday evening. I really enjoyed this movie… one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a while. Very dry humor… the kind that only Steve Carell can pull off. I don’t recall a lot from watching the original television show (this could be because I was like 3 years old). Anyway, you don’t need to have a ton of knowledge of the old show to get the humor or story in this movie.

Again… great movie… you should see it!

Final Grade: B

I just returned from my 5 day vacation at Rock Lack in Canada with the Walczak family. What an amazing experience! I had an absolute blast.

It was so nice to get away from everything and surprisingly it was easy for me to unwind from work and everything else going on in my life. I think that was in part because I had no cell phone, lap top, and Ryan even made me take off my watch on the first day! I got to do a lot of reflecting and getting refreshed.

I’ll just put a list of some of my favorite highlights:

1. Road Trip w/Vogan
2. My new addiction to Red Bull and Energy Drinks (Coffee has now become my morning only addiction)
   
3. Fishing – catching Cory as well as a tree (I thought it was a monster fish…)
4. Bonfire and a movie (National Treasure 2 and Bucket List)
5. Gazing at the Stars, Seeing Jupiter!
6. Dinner with the Walczaks (Mr. Walczak is an unbelievable cook)
7. Water Sports – Knee Boarding, Tubing, etc (Wipe outs), diving, Cliff Jumping
   
8. Pictionary – Civil War, Turtle, The Missing Link…
9. Spending time with a family as amazing as the Walczaks
10. Hanging out with Dan, Stacey, Cor, Ry, and Cassandra
11. Thinking I was getting pulled over by a cop (who was really a middle-eastern man with a disco-ball in his rear-view mirror)
12. Toronto and Fire Works at Niagara Falls on the way home
    

Once again, I am so humbled to have friends that love me unconditionally enough to allow me to come into their lives and get to experience what is so special to them. There are truly no words or actions that I could ever say or do that could repay these unbelievable people. They have made an enormously huge impact on my life, and it is my hope that I’ll be able to provide experiences like this to people when I grow up and have a family of my own!

I love you Walczaks!!! Thanks for an unforgettable experience!

Growing up I only went on one vacation to Disney World when I was 7 years old because my family could never really afford to take us on any more. I remember my dad always saying that the only advantage to being rich is that you get to eat better food and go places. When I was young I thought that was ridiculous, but as I have grown up a bit, I realize the wisdom in that statement. I wouldn’t have traded my childhood for anything in the world. I had an absolute blast! It really is true that money, traveling, and all the things in this world really cannot make you happy.

However, I also realized that having money or being rich also enables you to be a blessing to others. I always did (and still do) have a desire to travel all over the world. I’ve been very blessed throughout my life through my friendships. From 7th grade on I always had friends whose family’s would take me on vacation with them each year. I remember going to Myrtle Beach, Virginia Beach, and Ocean City while I was in high school. Afterwards I got to travel a lot with a family very close to me (The Steidel’s) to Bar Harbor, Maine, Washington D.C., New York, Boston, and Atlantic City over the past few years. Through the church I’ve gotten to go on two mission trips to Peru and Africa.

I am so grateful for the willingness of these people to love me unconditionally and allow me to have these experiences with them that I would have normally never had the opportunity to. They have all been life changing trips and I’ve made so many great memories with these people. As I grow older it is my prayer and desire that as time passes I will be able to take people along side me on “adventures” and open the door for them to have experiences and opportunities that they would have never normally had, for whatever reason. I am a different man today because of the unconditional love of these families!

Tonight I’ll be leaving for Canada with Cory Vogan and one of my favorite families (The Walczaks) for a few days with some great friends. I am so excited to make memories that truly will last a lifetime.

What have been some of your favorite things about vacations? Has anyone ever done anything like that for you in your life? Let me know…