NYC 2016

In November of 1976 (my senior year in high school)I went with a group of friends to a seminar at the United Nations sponsored by Friends United Meeting, a national organization of Quakers. That was my first trip to New York City. Over the years that followed there would be 15 more trips (We think this made 11 for Marilyn) to the Big Apple. I took small youth groups and large ones. I went by myself to plan trips on 3 occasions. I went with a group of friends once, and with my parents and Marilyn once. But the last youth group trip was in March of 2005, and I had not visited since- and had never been able to take our now 21 year old son, Will. Last week (Nov. 10-14) we fixed those two problems with one glorious trip. It was a triumphant return! The city keeps evolving- the old Milford Plaza is now called Row NYC and looks like a boarding home for hipsters (even the spiral staircase and chandeliers are gone!)- but it is still so familiar. It was an interesting time to be there, with thousands protesting our new President-Elect and disrupting traffic, clogging 5th Avenue in front of Trump Tower and filling Times Square and Central Park at times. It is sign of how universally disliked Mr. Trump is in the city he calls home that the cabbies were complaining about him- not the traffic problems. New York is a city like no other.

My years of planning trips and my knowledge of the city allowed for us to do some incredible things, as did having set aside a LOT of money (shout out to my Mom in heaven!) to spend! After flying to Newark, we surprised Will and his girlfriend Michelle with a limo ride (see picture at top) in to the city and our room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, located at 47th and Broadway- the heart of midtown Manhattan. Our 29th floor room, complete with a view of Times Square, set a great tone for a fabulous few days together. We began our adventure with lunch at Planet Hollywood and an exploration of Times Square.

Thursday evening featured dinner reservations at Carmine's, a classic family-style Italian eatery so authentic you expect to run into Don Corelone most any moment! The restaurant was long a favorite with the groups I traveled with over the years. A long, leisurely meal was followed by front row seats to see The Lion King, one of two shows chosen by Will and Michelle. It felt like Ed the Hyena was laughing at us- personally! And yes- that's us with the actors who played Mufasa and Sarabi. So cool!

On Friday we did a Movie/TV On Locations Tour, visiting famous spots around the city. We saw the apartment building used for outside shots on Friends, the Ghostbusters firehouse and a variety of other great sights. Our guide was an actor and stuntman who really knew his stuff.  The tour ended at McGee's Pub, the real life version of McClaren's Bar from one of our favorite TV shows, How I Met Your Mother. We had a great meal there, with Will proclaiming the McClaren's Steakburger one of his all-time favorite hamburgers.

That night we had VIP passes to the Empire State Building, which allowed to skip as 2 hour wait and head straight up to the observatory levels (TOTALLY worth the extra bucks!). As many times as I have been up there, the view never ceases to amaze me.

Saturday morning we had breakfast at Ellen's Stardust Dinner, where Broadway bound servers serenade you with show tunes while you eat- and they were awesome! Four of them even did an amazing version of One Day More from Les Miz- it was like they knew I was there! We then took the new and improved NBC Studios Tour, which was great fun and included Will and Michelle being filmed as part of a make-believe talk show. After boarding a doubledecker tour bus and seeing Central Park, Harlem and the Upper West and East Sides while nearly freezing to death, we grabbed some pizza before heading to our second show of the weekend.

Show #2 was Aladdin, which none of us had seen before. The music was wonderful, and once again being on the front row made us feel very much a part of Agrabah. James Monroe Iglehart, who won a Tony for his portrayal of Genie, was simply a tour-de-force. The rest of the cast was stellar as well, and the changes to the story from the animated movie worked very well. There was even an actual flying carpet. And just as a bonus, Jonathan Freeman, who voiced the villainous Jafar in the animated version, played Jafar on stage! It was an incredible night for all of us.

Sunday was filled with more sightseeing, shopping and adventure, including seeing Battery Park and the Freedom Tower. The day ended with a fabulous meal at Michael Jordan's Steakhouse in Grand Central Station, followed by one final visit to Times Square. It was a perfect ending to a nearly perfect trip.

We flew back to Tampa on Monday, tired but ready to do it all again as soon as we can! It was truly a blessing to get to share one of favorite places with Will and Michelle, and to share it again with Marilyn. And it also reminded me of the hundreds of others that have shared that adventure with me over these past 40 years. What do you think, old friends? Reunion trip? I'll buy dessert...

Have a blessed day!

Flashback Friday: Spanish Wells, 1997

Our 1997 Spanish Wells Mission Team

Jennifer did not appreciate the snacks, apparently! 

Lately I have found myself daydreaming about a nearly 20 year old mission trip we took from Kissimmeee, FL to the Bahamian island of Spanish Wells. It is a place that is indeed worthy of daydreams- and worthy of a Flashback Friday post! That 1997 Mission Trip (July 21-27) was special, and here are 7 things I remember about that amazing week...

1)  The previous summer another church had brought their youth group to S.W. to do VBS (Vacation Bible School) for all four churches on the island, just like we had done in 1995 and were ready to do again.  The church that came in-between our trips brought way too many youth, which put a serious strain on the hospitality of the locals. Rev. Bill Higgs, pastor of Spanish Wells Methodist Church, asked me to limit our group to 15 or 16 people. Since we had abut 50 kids who wanted to be part of a trip to the Bahamas, we made our students fill out applications and do interviews before we selected the team. It made for some tough decisions, but we ended up with a mature, talented and dedicated group (that's us all dressed up at the top) that understood our mission was to serve.

Jerry and I in...action?

2)  To leave as many spots as possible for our youth, the only adults who went that week were Jerry Hanbery and myself.  And we did absolutely nothing! The youth were divided into teams working on various areas of VBS such as crafts, music, recreation and Bible study. The preparation all had to be done before the trip, because we had to take everything we needed. There is no Wal-Mart (or much of anything else) in Spanish Wells. They did the preparation, they did the setting up, and they did the teaching. Jerry and I simply set back and basked in the glory...

3)  In addition to the Craft Nazis (Lisa Kraus and Sara Thacker) running roughshod over small children, forcing them to do crafts while Erin Bay, Caron Cook and Kristin Landry cowered in fear!) I particularly remember the guys doing music. Jacob Luper was on piano, Jamie Parker on ukulele and Jay Lynes and Ben Thompson were leading singing. Having that sanctuary full of children every morning and watching them have so much fun praising Jesus was a blast. Plus Jacob would break into Les Miz music during breaks!

One of our many boat rides between islands!

4)  The hospitality of the people of Spanish Wells was overwhelming.  We stayed in their homes, where we were treated as visiting royalty. I know we certainly ate like kings! Fresh conch, fresh lobster, fresh mango...well, you get the picture. They took us out on their boats and took us to hidden beaches for picnics and some fabulous swimming.  The folks that Jerry and I were staying with took us (along with Teresa and Jennifer Minnigan) by boat to Harbour Island, home of the famous "pink sand." We ate lunch there and I had the most amazing grouper sandwich in history! I always felt a little guilty that we were the only ones who got to go- but not that guilty! It sure made for a very special day and some great memories! There were special events planned for us almost every afternoon after VBS, including some cliff jumping and a unique battle featuring Ben and Jamie throwing jellyfish at each other. We ate a great meal at one of the two restaurants on the island. The only downside to the friendliness of the locals was that some of their guys were getting a little too attached to some of our girls. This was a serious issue because on the island the girls already outnumbered the guy by a 3-1 ratio. New females who might steal the young men were not encouraged to do so. But somehow we escaped without marrying off any of our folks...

5)  One of the families of the church had a little boy named Ferris who had a serious medical condition. The entire church family showered love on Ferris, and we joined right in. On every occasion that week when the church family was together (and that was often) the number one question coming from our group was, "Where's Ferris?" We all fell in love with that little boy.

Jill Souther was in every picture...  :)

6)  It was quite warm in the Bahamas in July (surprise!) and special recognition should go to Catie Cook, Jill Souther, Matthew Teoli (all pictured at right) and everyone else who pitched in with the recreation area. It was entirely outdoors, and was at times just a miserable place to be.  

7)  Do you want to know how strong the connections were we made that week? After we returned, we had one of our SHO-Time dinners at the local Cracker Barrel in Kissimmee. Many of the folks who gathered that night had been on the trip. At the time Cracker Barrel served drinks in replicas of old Mason jars. When the waitress brought our beverages, Jill Souther and Erin Bay looked at their glasses, then suddenly sobbed, "Ohhhhh...Mason jars. There was a boy named Mason in Spanish Wells..."  As is often the case in mission work, the people of Spanish Wells had a greater impact on us than we did on them.

My 6 years at FUMC-K provided me with more great memories than I could ever list, but this trip to the Bahamas ranks right at the top. Did I mention that there was lobster in the coleslaw?  And fresh mango and "Johnny Cakes" every morning for breakfast?Serving Jesus through serving the people of Spanish Wells was one of the great privileges I ever had in youth ministry. If you have memories of that trip, please feel free to share them. Marilyn and I are having lunch today in downtown Tampa with Jennifer Minnigan Kuramochi. Sure do wish you all could join us...

Because of Jesus,

LOST!

Sometimes our journey down the #NarrowRoad is a tricky one, even if we have directions and a GPS system. Witness the following account...

This past Sunday morning began slowly at the Jones' house. Our friend Lisa had spent the night with us after having a rough day on Saturday, and the plans for the day were uncertain. She and Marilyn had originally planned to go to Disney for the day, but they were both afraid Lisa was not quite up to that adventure even though she was feeling better. But we all wanted to get out of the house for a while. So I suggested we take a trip to the Shops at Wiregrass, a large outdoor shopping center located about 35 minutes away. It was a beautiful day and that sounded like a plan, so around noon we prepared to leave. As I was opening the garage it suddenly occurred to me that we didn't know exactly how to get there, so I returned to the computer and did a MapQuest. After originally being told it was in New Port Richey (and knowing that was untrue)  we tried again and got directions. We were off an running on our grand adventure. And we had no idea what lay ahead of us...

We followed the prescribed route to I-275 north and then to exit 59 for highway 56. The MapQuest told us not to go right or left, but to follow 56 towards Tarpon Springs for 7.7 miles, then to make a U-turn and our location would be on our right. We were enjoying the ride, having merry conversations and playing Skittle until we began to fear something was not right. We had traveled too far and still not seen the intersection that was supposed to warn us we had gone too far. Now doubting our printed directions, I turned on my phone GPS and discovered Google Maps said our destination was still 20 minutes away. That made no sense, but we kept driving. The cell signal was cutting in and out as we made our way through exciting Pasco County, but we finally reached that moment every man dreads. We stopped to ask for directions. As we did my signal suddenly reappeared, and it told us we were now 24 minutes away- in the WRONG direction! So we U-turned (not the U-turn from the original directions!) and started back east. My GPS suddenly told us to take a left turn- on a road we had passed several miles back. This was insane, so I killed the GPS and went rogue- following road signs! But we decided that the mistake had actually happened way back when we exited I-275 and went left towards Tarpon Springs. We went back, crossed over the highway, and found the Shops at Wiregrass about a mile down the road. It should have been so simple. We did everything right. We had the technology. We followed the directions. And it took us nearly an hour and a half to make a 35 minute trip. And all to go to a glorified mall. There were many reasons to be upset and miserable. But we weren't.

In fact, the entire messed-up adventure became a wonderful distraction and a great story. We were talking and laughing about silly things and happy moments. We grabbed some lunch at Panera, the first real meal Lisa had eaten a a couple of days. We wandered around outdoors, basking in a beautiful October afternoon in Florida. There was shopping, laughing and a bit of rare serenity as we spent the day together. Though we arrived at our destination in a totally unexpected way, we did arrive- and the trip was so much more than we could have anticipated when we began.

The #NarrowRoad is often much like our Sunday afternoon. We think we know where Jesus wants us to go. We do what we think are the right things and follow what we think are the right directions. And sometimes, despite our best efforts, we end up LOST. We aren't the people we want to be, and reaching that destination requires altering our routes, rebooting our GPS systems and making big and sometimes unexpected U-turns. The life Jesus calls us to is not a path this world understands, and so the maps we follow are often out-of-date and incomplete. We far too often count on our own abilities and expect to "arrive" because we are good people who know the right things to do. It's just never that simple. And so many times the best lessons and the greatest moments occur when we are lost and wandering. I tweeted last week that the hardest days often come with the biggest blessings- if only we will see them. I believe that. We prefer our lives to be simple and easy. But the truth is our joy often comes from overcoming obstacles. There is fear and frustration in being LOST. But there is sooooo much joy in being FOUND!!!

One last thought. As we have told this story to other family and friends over the last couple of days, Lisa has always ended it by saying that we drove straight home- and it was very anti-climactic. She is so right. We say it often, but it is so true- when traveling the #NarrowRoad, do not miss the joy in the journey. There is much to be learned from being LOST!

Because of Jesus,

Throwback Thursday: Floridays 1990

Today's Throwback Thursday takes us all the way back to our 2nd trip from Springfield Friends Meeting to Walt Disney World- Floridays 1990! I wish there were more pictures to share, but we took slides for our post-trip slide show, and those slides were lost in one of my moves. Still, here are 7 things that stick out in my mind from that adventure:

1)  We had many great "performances" while at Disney. We saw Heather Beggs and Mike Mercadante dancing in front of the "Chinese Theater" that houses The Great Movie Ride. There was J.J. Carter delivering his line to David Letterman- "Hey Dave, why don't you ever do anything educational?"- at Superstar TV. But the performance of the week had to belong to Kelly Allen (pictured, on left) and her ongoing portrayal of Lucretia Soul Disney Murphy Johnson, who could never figure out "who da hat be wif" and who was constantly on the lookout for Tyrone Mouse- "cause he's a liar!" Best supporting actor awards go to Wendy Mattocks and Jennifer Woods, also pictured.

2)  Russell Farlow ran out of money on about the second day and was constantly trying to borrow from his friends. At the awards ceremony following the trip he was awarded the Brother, Can You Spare A Dime Award.

3)  Jon Moran (pictured, along with Bryan Dowling) celebrated a birthday while we were in Orlando, and we did a birthday meal at the Olive Garden. I remember it was fun and that we had a great time, but I it seems like we were there forever. There were 60 of us, and they just couldn't seem to get our food out, our drinks filled or our checks out so we could leave. Jon may have aged a year while we partied...

4)  One night, after a very long day at the parks, we arrived back at the Gold Key Inn only to find that we had lost Dana Oxendine. We were searching and getting a bit frantic when someone discovered her asleep in the back of the Suburban that Butch Moran was driving. Given that Butch had been accused of falling asleep at the wheel on occasion, it was a miracle she could sleep that soundly!

Stinky also reads the blog!

5)  I have been on a lot of youth trips in my life, and on most of them there is one room that develops a smell that is, as my friend Alan Brown used to say, "taint"-  as in, "that jus' taint natural!" The award for worst smelling room ever (mostly from very natural causes!) goes to Jamie Robinson, Danny McCorquodale, Ken Hill, Jeremy Godwin and (part-time) Todd Farlow. They blamed it all on Jeremy's stuffed animal Stinky (who still takes trips with Jeremy on occasion!). Danny took most of the credit for himself...

6)  On the afternoon we spent by the motel pool, Tim Harding (our trip pastor), Robin Thomas and I wandered across the street (Well, sprinted!  You don't wander across the Orange Blossom Trail and live to talk about it!) to an A&W Root Beer store. Those were without question the best root beer floats in history! They made them with Breyers vanilla ice cream and put them in frosted beer mugs. We had more than one that week I can promise you!

7)  The New Mickey Mouse Club was popular in 1990, and the show had produced a spin-off band called The Party. One of the guys was named Chase Hampton. He was spotted at the Magic Kingdom one day by some of our girls- Jennifer Simmons, Emily Beggs, Elizabeth Tillman and others- and was then pursued until they caught him and got his autograph on their hats. The restraining order took effect the next day...  

So there you have it- a few classic memories from Floridays 1990! There are more stories on this blog from that trip, and you can find them by searching the label below this post. Have a great Thursday and thanks for sharing in this trip down memory lane!

Because of Jesus,

Throwback Thursday: The Magical Mystery Tour

Butch & Sundance

You may have already read the story of our first FUMC-Kissimmee Mystery Weekend (see Live To Tell), a ridiculously crazy 1996 trip to Myrtle Beach, SC. In 1998 my fabulous summer intern Jerry Hanbery and I (see picture) decided to do it again. This time we would replace the wackiness of 18 hours in a van with a more creative approach. This time it would be a middle school only adventure, and our theme would be "Crazy Times." And this time, Jerry and I had a serious plan...

We loaded up the vans at 7 PM on Friday, July 31st and hit the road. Thankfully on this trip there were no leaks from the parents; no one on the two vans had any idea where we were going. We headed north on the Florida Turnpike, and the kids were buzzing about where they thought we might be headed. We then turned north on I-75, headed towards Ocala. I was driving the always-iffy blue van, and we had the lead. The blue van's issues played an important part in our plan. About 4 miles south of Ocala, I "noticed" that the van seemed to be running hot. We pulled off to the side of the road and Jerry followed me, getting out of the white van to come assist me as I checked under the hood. We had taped a baggie of water under the hood, and when I poured it on the engine (out of sight of the youth) steam erupted as if something was terribly wrong. Jerry and I did some serious moaning and complaining about the "stupid blue van" and then returned to our vans, telling the students that the van was over-heating and that we were going to go ahead and stop for the night so we could try and get it fixed. We stopped at several motels and I went in to see if they had any rooms (I had a great time telling the front desk clerks what we were doing so the youth could see me having conversations with them), only to return and tell the group there was no vacancy. The youth were now getting a little nervous. We finally found rooms at a Super 8 Motel (where, unknown to the youth, we had reservations!) and settled in for the night. I held a meeting and informed the kids that I was going to try to get the van fixed, but that I did not know what the following day would hold. We might just have to stay in Ocala. I drove off to "get the van fixed" (I sat in the local McDonald's and pretended!) while they enjoyed the pool. I was not back when Jerry sent them to bed. They went to bed grumpy. It was perfect...

The following morning we woke everyone up early and told them to get ready, the van was fixed and we were leaving! We hurried them, half-asleep, onto the vans and hit the road. We were hoping that they would be too groggy to notice that we were now heading south on I-75. And for a while, they were. Slowly but surely, they begin to notice something had changed. We stopped at a Burger King for breakfast, and the questions began in earnest. We got back on the road, and finally some of the youth began to guess our final destination- Busch Gardens in Tampa. And then- as if a fog was lifting- they began to realize that the entire "breakdown" the night before had all been planned. We had fooled them completely, and they could not believe it- and a few were not real happy about it. Jerry and I were giddy- we thought it was one of the best things we had ever done! We went on to have a great day at the park, and a wonderful weekend, including a great time of worship on Sunday morning. We wanted to make it memorable, and we had. It was just one more time when a wild and crazy idea helped some students discover the presence of Jesus in their lives.

I found out a few years later that there were a couple of students on that trip who NEVER got the message that the entire first night had been staged. This came out when one of them asked me, "Where were we going to go on that Mid-High Mystery Trip before the van broke down?"  And the Oscar goes to Jerry Hanbery and Carl Jones...  Have a blessed Thursday, everyone!

Because of Jesus,

Road Trip!

The cover art for the copy I once owned!

As many of you are aware, Marilyn and I left very early this morning to go visit family and friends in North Carolina for a week before going to Myrtle Beach with her family next Monday - Friday. It's good to get away for awhile to the "nearest faraway place," and though I won't see as many old friends as I would like it will still be a fun trip. There will be lots of great times with old friends in a little over a month when we head back to the beach for a reunion. So I hold on until then...

We are driving to NC this time around, a trip that takes us around 11 hours including stops. While not good for things like stiff knees and fanny fatigue, long road trips provide a unique opportunity to jam out to great music! I have nearly 2000 songs on my iPod now, and our Hyundai came equipped with a special plug just for that device. I have many of the songs broken down into the 21 playlists I created; or we could just go with shuffle. In keeping with my July celebration of The Beach Boys I now have over 300 of their songs, including my newest addition, the Stack O' Tracks album. It's a bunch of great Beach Boys songs without the vocals- just the instruments. I owned a rare copy of the vinyl years ago and it was awesome. And now I'm ready to hear it again.

But it is entirely possible (GASP!) that my lovely wife will not want to listen to Beach Boys for 11 hours, so there is a wide variety to choose from. There will be Buffett. There will be Billy Joel, and quite possibly some Beatles or some Herman's Hermits. What other traveling music do I have ready for her? Here's a sample playlist that we might be listening to even as you read it!

1. Dreams Come True - Brandon Flowers
2. Shut Up and Dance! - Walk on the Moon
3. Walkin' On Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves
4. Hey Soul Sister - Train
5. Honey I'm Good - Andy Grammer
6. Don't Bring Me Down - ELO
7. On the Road Again - Willie Nelson
8. Some Kind of Wonderful - Grand Funk Railroad
9. Raging Fire - Philip Phillips
10. Feelin' Stronger Everyday - Chicago

If you have suggestions for traveling songs, text me (813-919-3755). I'd love to hear your ideas. And know this as well- the greatest "on the road song" ever recorded is one many of you have probably never heard. It's called Rose of Cimarron, it's from the band Poco and it WILL be played! Back me up on this, Steve Semmler! Have a great day and I'll be back tomorrow from beautiful NC!!!

The Week Long One Day Choir Tour

Andrew Lewis was a fixture at FUMC-Kissimmee by the time I arrived in 1994. Over the years he served the church as organist, interim youth pastor and eventually Director of Music and Worship. He also directed the youth choir (first called Celebration Singers and later nUsong) during my tenure and often helped with other youth activities as well. Andrew was (is!) a great guy, a wonderful musician, and one of my best friends during the Kissimmee years. We started making plans as early as 1995 to try and do a youth choir tour as a part of our summer ministries, but it didn't come together until June 20-27, 1998. This is the story of that tour- a short story!

Andrew had nUsong ready to hit the road and sing. Our youth worship band (which I called Spicy Bean Burrito; they actually had no name) was ready to rock. We had skits prepared, roadies to help us set up the sound equipment and drivers for the vans. My job was to find us places to play. The first stop was easy; I booked us on a Sunday morning at my old stomping grounds, Springfield Friends Meeting in High Point, NC.  Two of our youth, Jill and Erica Souther, got us a gig on that Sunday night at an outdoor venue in Wilkes County, NC, sponsored by a church their relatives attended. I had a possibility of a host church for Tuesday, and on Wednesday we were to go to my uncle's church near Raleigh. On Friday we were to be back in the Greensboro area at another Friends Meeting. Things were coming together- that is, until they completely fell apart!

By the time we left Kissimmee, there was nothing left of our choir tour but the two Sunday events. We would spend the rest of the week travelling around, calling people and begging them to let us come sing, and trying to fill the days. Those two worship events were wonderful; unfortunately they were the only two we played all week. It was quite a disappointment for the group, and I was miserable, knowing I had let everyone down. Because of all the free-time, some of the relationships in the group became a little strained as the week went on, and there were two youth (now a lovely married couple) I thought we might ditch at a gas station in Georgia; but we all survived. Don't get me wrong, we had plenty of fun that week. We visited Carowinds (see picture at top) in Charlotte, made a stop in Myrtle Beach, played lots of Spoons and loved being together. But the bottom line was I failed the group, and we didn't get to do many of the things we had prepared so hard to accomplish. We had wanted to bring Jesus to people in a fresh, exciting way, and we did. But only twice. We were the first (only?) live rock band to play worship at Springfield Friends, so we had that going for us, but all-in-all I consider it a major OOPS in my career. And I felt really bad for Andrew, who had wanted the tour to happen for so long. When I pick my all-time  church staff in a future posting, you can bet Andrew will be in that group. I just have to figure out which job to give him...

There is one final epilogue to this story that has been mentioned here before. All of the playing of Spoons that helped fill the long hours we spent in motels became quite competitive. It became fashionable for the losers in these games (GASP!  There was gambling on a youth trip?) to have to do something embarrassing. One such loser had to run up and down the hall outside her room with only a towel wrapped around her. A few years later, at her Senior Roast, an 8x10 full color picture (albeit a bit blurry) of her running in that towel showed up. I still have that picture. I don't know how often Cyndi Reep Browning reads this blog, but if you are out there, Reep, that picture is safe- for now!  I know I have threatened you with it before, but the time draws near! The rest of you may want to warn her...

Because of Jesus,

Throwback Thursday: Springfield's 1991 Myrtle Beach Trip

Stacy finds yet another camera to pose for!

Today's Throwback Thursday trip takes us back to my glorious years (1986-1994) at Springfield Friends Meeting. In the summer of 1991 we took a group of students to North Myrtle Beach, SC. We stayed at a house called The Spinnaker (the Betsy B was booked) for a week. As always I brought along my trusty video camera- a Magnavox about the size of your average 50 pound TV camera. And as usual, I was having too much fun to worry about actually taping anything! Finally, on our last full day, I broke out the camera in the morning and shot for most of the morning. What you are about to read is a blog I wrote while watching that video in 2010. It was a hoot! It should be mentioned that the following is rated PG!  Here we go...

* We open on Jon Moran's temporary dragon tattoo purchased at the Pavilion the night before. Jon addresses the camera and says "I will now attempt to eat a whole box of Fruity Pebbles." It was our own little cliffhanger- stay tuned to see if he was successful!
* Stacy Gilbreth, Natalie Whitaker, Holly Harward, Charles Freedle and Ben Moran are on the oceanfront porch, watching the action on the beach as Led Zeppelin plays in the background. Stacy wants me to film some guy named Marcus, who is not with our group but who is "really cute." I refuse and harass her. Good times...
* Jennifer Simmons discusses forgetting her swim suit on a beach trip, and also how"gross" she looks. Marilyn suggests that she wear Stacy's "flowery bra" and that no one would notice. Jennifer responds by telling the camera her sister Amy looks gross too...Amy, now pictured, is not amused. 

Kelly, Kelly, Kelly...K-E-L-L-Y!!!

* A group of us wake up Kelly Allen by invading her bedroom and singing her the "Kelly, Kelly, Kelly" song from the TV show Cheers. She is also not amused.
* Avis (a friend of Jennifer Woods whose last name I have forgotten) threatens to expose herself again (A note of explanation: Avis had lost her bikini top in a wave on our first day, exposing what the kids came to call "her flippers."  Yes, this stuff really happens...) but does not.
* Shon Hildreth, Ion Hildreth, Noel Cecil and Donald Fleischman are on the porch now, listening to Guns and Roses and bothering Holly and Nat in what can only be considered an awful attempt at flirting. A moment later Journey is playing. The soundtrack to this video rocks!
* Holly, Nat, Jennifer and Stacy are walking on the beach in front of the house and screaming my name, wanting me to film them. I do briefly, but then we hear the voice of Charles in the background saying "don't get that." He then tells me to focus on two other girls walking the beach, and he yells at them "Hey ladies!  WAVE!" And they do...
* Ryan Simmons and Steven McGrath make a brief appearance, but say nothing.
* Wendy Mattocks and Kelly, sitting in a chair on the first floor, tell the following joke: "What's green and goes slam, slam, slam, slam?  A 4-door pickle!!!" I taught them that joke...it's my own fault! 

The legendary Charles Freedle

* Charles and Mike Mercadante (who has just gotten up) have tattoos, too. Jon has indeed finished the entire box of Fruity Pebbles. Tom Petty is now playing in the background. I love this trip!
* Kelly begins to tell us the story of being awakened earlier, then realizes if anyone is actually ever watching the tape, they have already seen that happen. She also tells of how we forgot to awaken her stuffed animal Yolanda, who apparently had fallen into a crack.
* Stacy takes this opportunity to once again tell us that her raft has a hole in one of the seams. And just as she has the entire week, she does this by reporting "there's a hole in my crack." Ah yes- these are my people!
* Josie (again, the last name escapes me- all I can think of is & the Pussycats and I know that is not it!), Natalie and Holly give us a tour of their room. Clothes and hair spray are everywhere! I threaten to condemn the place...
* Wendy and Kelly have changed floors but are still sitting in a chair just like the one before. Jennifer Wood has now joined them. They begin telling jokes, and then Stacy (who seems to be everywhere the camera is) tells a classic: "What do you get when you play a country song backwards?  You get your wife back, your dog back and your truck fixed!" 

Woodhead & Wendy!

* Wendy remarks that Jennifer Wood, dressed all in green, looks like a pickle. This prompts Natalie to tell the exact same pickle joke as before. We all try to act surprised. 
* Kelly brings out Yolanda, and a lengthy discussion ensues over whether this creature is a dog or a bunny. Someone even suggest a bear. Kelly swears it is a bunny. I suggest it is a "Dunny," to which Kelly replies "Yes... I mean NOOOOOO!" 
* Marie Allen is finally awake...
* Jon, Charles, Mike and Bryan Dowling emerge from their room, looking suspicious. Mike and Charles are wearing Speedos, and they proceed to run around the building. Mike has dollar bills tucked in his. As they run back into their room, Charles shouts "Well I never!" I respond "Well maybe you should!" Jimmy Buffet plays as the camera fades to static...
* One final scene- the next morning, everyone is banging pots and pans trying to wake everyone else up.  Jon, Mike, Charles and BD sleep through it all.

That's it. I missed filming the devotions, the singing on the porch, Black Thursday and all kinds of other excitement. I seem to remember sitting up one night and trying to count all of the "Na-na-na-na-na's" in the Journey song Loving, Touching and Squeezing. Every trip offers so many memorable moments. The video did capture the feeling of community and the love that we all had for each other, even if only for one day. I hope you enjoyed this flashback- I sure did! 

Because of Jesus,

Floridays 1990 Flashback: A Rough Start

Today we step into the Wayback Machine and celebrate Flashback Friday with a look back at the inauspicious first day of our second trip from Springfield Friends Meeting to Walt Disney World, June 9-15, 1990. Over 60 youth and adults caravaned together in five vehicles. Included in this adventure was our friend Jeff Byrd (that's Jeff in the glasses, with Rich Hughes at The Florida Mall ), the youth dude at Archdale Friends Meeting, and around 10 of his group. The trip had tripled in size since our first WDW outing only three years before, and there was great excitement. We were staying at the Gold Key Inn, once again out on Orange Blossom Trail (OBT) in Orlando. We would have four days at the Disney parks, including the brand new Disney/MGM Studios. We couldn't wait to get there.

Getting there turned out to be a bit of an issue, however. One of the Suburbans we were using for transportation, owned by Judy Rees and driven for most of the trip by Robin Thomas, took the wrong exit at one point. This was before the days of cell phones, but we did have some walkie-talkie type radios, and we were able to correct the mistake with minor damage to our trip time. We discovered later those radios didn't have much range. 

We made it into the Orlando area and were cruising down I-4 looking for the OBT exit, all of our vehicles together in single file formation. I was driving the lead vehicle and keeping us in the center lane of traffic when I came to the exit and realized a bit too late that we would be exiting to the left, not the right as one would suppose. I signaled and pulled over, and Butch Moran and my wife Marilyn did the same, blocking the lane and allowing our other vehicles to move over as well. We took the left exit and headed for the motel, thinking all was well. We were wrong! Somehow (and to this day I don't know how) the Archdale van driven by Jeff Byrd did not take the exit with us. They had been in the middle of the caravan, but somehow had continued on down I-4! We tried the radios, but could not reach them. We continued on to the Gold Key Inn, confident that Jeff had the address of the motel and would find it. We should have been more worried. In the years that have followed I have lived in central Florida and spent much time in Orlando, and I have NEVER been able to figure out exactly where Jeff went after we lost him. Apparently he exited on to a toll road (the Florida  Turnpike or the East-West?) and then could not get anyplace he wanted to go. He traveled up and down the highway until finally figuring something out and making his way to the motel, a good hour after the rest of us had checked in. It was a joyful reunion.

After checking-in and unpacking we were all really hungry and ready to hit the food court at The Florida Mall and end this first, very long day. We prepared to cram back into our vehicles when we encountered a slight delay. It seemed that someone (Robin Thomas got all the blame at the time!) had locked the keys in Judy Rees' Suburban. The spare key was safe and secure- in North Carolina! We wandered around the motel and explored out motel while we waited for a locksmith, who eventually showed up and rescued the keys. We were now more ready than ever to make the short drive to the mall, so we once again gathered the troops and loaded up the vehicles. We had a standard operating procedure for making sure we had everyone. Each person was to ride in the same vehicle everywhere we went that week. Each vehicle would count their own passengers, and then I would go from van to van and total our numbers. It was a very safe system- usually.

On this particular night, as I began to go from vehicle to vehicle to make the final count, Jill Gilbreth (that's her in the stripes, at Archdale Friends Meeting at a pre-trip car wash! Behind her are Emily Beggs, Mary Mercadante, Dana Oxendine, Stacy Gilbreth & Beth Brown.) left her vehicle AFTER I had already made sure everyone in it was accounted for. When I finished my rounds, we had the right numbers. Jill, however, was still in the motel getting her money for dinner. Her driver (I don't remember who) didn't realize she was gone, and her friends somehow failed to mention this to anyone. I guess they were just that hungry! So off we went. We arrived at the food court and were sitting down eating, when suddenly Jillybean came running up to our table, looking rather panicked. She told us the story of how she had been left behind at the motel.  She had gone inside, freaked out and crying, and told the motel employees that her group had left her. She must have appeared to be totally panicked, because the motel gave her a ride to the mall AND gave her $5 for supper. She forgave us- sometime around 1993!  And we never failed to remind her that the Gold Key Inn was so anxious to be rid of her that they paid her off!

It's so hard to believe we are coming up on the 25th anniversary of this great trip. Floridays 1990 began with us losing a van, keys, and Jill all on the first day. The next day we would make it to Walt Disney World and things would improve greatly. It was a wonderful trip full of memories. But that first day was a doozy...

Because of Jesus,

Throwback Thursday: New York Trips

For much of my life the weekend before Thanksgiving meant one of two things. I was either going to the National Youth Workers Convention or I was taking a group to New York City. There is something about this time of year that makes me miss the Big Apple more than usual, and this Throwback Thursday seemed like a great time to share this video with you again. Capturing the essence of the more than one dozen New York trips that I took with youth is pretty much an impossible task.The people, the hotels, the restaurants, the sight-seeing stops, the plays and so many other things would take months to write about. But pictures- pictures can capture the feeling much faster and with more clarity. Whether you went with me from NC Yearly Meeting, New Garden Friends, Springfield Friends, FUMC-Kissimmee or Wesley Memorial UMC- you will see friends here. So many great pictures, so many great memories from so many great trips- and the music of Mr. William Joel, whom we once saw on the streets of Manhattan. If these photos trigger any memories for you, I'd love to hear them. For me, it's easy to be thankful and be aware of our efforts to #SaveThanksgivng when watching this look back to wonderful times spent with people I love. For all of you who ever traveled with me to NYC, this one's for you. Be blessed!

Because of Jesus,

Saturday Shout Outs: Trip Report Edition!

Sometimes a Saturday rolls around and I think to myself, "Do I have enough material to publish the Shout Outs this week?" Other times- like today- the concern is more about how all of the shouting can possibly fit into one blog post! It's been an amazing couple of weeks, beginning with my birthday, stretching through my awesome trip to NC, and finishing up with Marilyn's birthday this past Thursday. There are people to thank, blessings to count and joys & concerns to share, so let's get on with it. It's Saturday, and I am ready to SHOUT!!!

* To everyone who texted, tweeted, commented and otherwise wished me a happy birthday back on October 6, I say thank you! Special mention goes to Jennifer (Bob) Kuramochi (with special help from Josephine and Noah!) who dropped off some red velvet cupcakes. Yum! It was a great day that culminated with a dinner at Bahama Breeze with this fine group of folks...

* Before I get into my trip, there are numerous prayer requests to share. Amber Herrick (FUMC-Kissimmee) was married on October 10th; Mandy Beggs (Springfield Friends) is expecting a baby any minute now; Cyndi Browning (FUMC-K) is still job hunting; Terry & Leigh Ann Venable and Cynthia Davis Strider (Quaker Lake) are new grandparents; and yesterday was my Mom's birthday. Marilyn and I are headed up to celebrate a little later this morning!

* On my first night in NC I went to dinner with our dear friends Butch & Barbara Moran. It was so great to catch up with them and remember some of the great times we shared together. Plus, yesterday was Butch's birthday!- so this is a double whoop of a shout!

* Among the other old High Point area friends that made time for me my first couple of days up north were Millie Simmons, Ray Luther, James Robinson, Terry Venable, Lisa Moran and Wayne Gless. I spent Thursday evening with Jimmy & Karen Chester and we nearly talked all night. The connections I share with so many of these wonderful folks are still so strong- even some 20 years later!

* I spent pretty much all day Friday with Beth McGalliard, who had been an important part of my life since middle school. We had lunch, went shopping at Sam's Club, drove what seemed like 100 miles to buy pansies and stopped by for a visit with her son at work. I got to simply hang out with one of my favorite people in the world for a few hours. I could get used to that.

* I spent my last 3 nights with Carl & Diane Semmler in Greensboro. Carl is one of my oldest and dearest friends, and Diane is such a sweetheart. Their hospitality was so gracious, even if their giant attack cat Carson was a little scary! On Saturday morning we headed over to a place called The Moose Cafe for breakfast with some of my favorite people on the planet. We were joined by Chuck & Tammy Foster, Alan Brown, Mark & Martha Farlow and Susan Tuggle (plus her grandkids!). While I was a bit disappointed that The Moose Cafe serves no moose, they did serve something called a Hillbilly Breakfast that features liver mush. I did NOT partake; Chuck did. Special thanks to The Asheboro Flash for buying my breakfast, although he may or may or not have made Carl actually pay for it! 

* Saturday for lunch (in case you haven't noticed there was no shortage of food on my trip) a group of my former youth from Springfield gathered at our favorite place from back in the day, Pizza Inn. It was so wonderful to be joined by Todd Farlow, Ken Hill, Jennifer Wood Jones, Marie Allen, Danny McCorquodale and some spouses and kids as well. I heard from a dozen or so others who wanted to be there but couldn't make it work with their busy family schedules. Next time for sure. But here's the evidence that myself,  Ken, Danny and a little photobomber were there...

Picture courtesy of Missy McCourquodale

* Saturday night brought another meal, more time with Beth, and a visit from another very special old friend- Denise May Langley. It was great to catch up with Neesie and for the three of us to sit talk and eat as we had sooooo many times before. It was all so comfortable and so...NORMAL. It made me long for the days when we all lived just a few miles apart and such dinners (and late night doughnut runs!) were a regular activity. Either that or the days when communes were perfectly acceptable...

* After a bit of arm-twisting from Martha Farlow, Sunday morning found Carl, Denise, Beth (and her hubby Bob) and myself worshipping at Jamestown Friends Meeting. Once again, it was incredible to take a trip down memory lane. The pastor, Frank Massey, was one of my counselors when I was a Quaker Lake camper in the mid 70s. Wallace Sills was an early influence on me at camp and through NCYM; Beth Phillips Massey was one of my first youth leaders at New Garden Friends Meeting. An added surprise was discovering that Wendy Mattocks (from my Springfield group) was presiding over meeting for worship. And worship was simply wonderful. I do miss silence...but you can read more about that tomorrow!

* Sunday afternoon and evening were spent watching football and exploring Greensboro with Carl & Diane. Again, spending time with such valued friends was the whole purpose of the trip. And I was blessed to get to do lots of it! But I have to admit none of it felt quite the same with Steve Semmler up in Ohio. Which is why a  beach trip NEEDS to happen next September!!!  :)

* There were, of course, people I didn't get to see and hope to the next time around. Lots of former youth and campers, Neal & Susie Thomas, Mark & Liz Hyde, Donna Haynes Myers, Sabrina Perry, Andy Maynard, Tim Vail, Drew & Andrea Ward and so many more are on my list. I drove through Quaker Lake but didn't get to really see any of new facilities, and I got real barbecue, but not Stamey's. So there is work still to be done!

Thanks again to everyone who made me feel so welcome and so special, and to Marilyn and Will for letting me take the trip. I feel more like my old self that I have in a very long time. Have a blessed Saturday and thanks for stopping by!

Because of Jesus,