The time has come

Tomorrow is it!  I can’t even fathom that I will get on a plane tomorrow and leave my family, friends and all I know for 8 days.  Up until today this was an amazing opportunity, an incredible journey.  As of now it is an amazing reality of my life.

I’m not sure where to go from here… I don’t even want to talk about the possibility of not coming back.  It tears me up to think about not seeing my boys grow up into men.  The thought of not coming back to my best friend, my first love, my wife is devastating.  Still I know that I’m marked, and I’m protected and if I do go that God wanted it that way, and has a plan.

The most amazing part is the journey that God has me on, and what will happen in my life.  I feel like this will be significant.  I’m prepared to write a lot, and learn a lot.

Excited for the journey and what will be.

Ethiopia countdown

One week from today I’ll be in Frankfurt Germany getting ready to leave for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  That’s pretty crazy to think about.  I’ve never been off this continent, and I’m really not sure what God has in store for me there… I know it’s going to be awesome, but I definitely have some fears going into it.

I’ve been talking a lot about what would happen if I die, and it really creeps most people out, but I wonder.

I mean what if?

I love my boys and want to see them grow up, and want them to have a dad.

I love my wife and want to provide for her, but really we said till “death” do us part.  I’d fulfill that if so, and would want her to remarry if she found the right person.  But I would HAUNT that fool if he messed with my kids or with her.

All in all it’s just the normal scared of the unknown stuff.  I’m excited for the journey, the process and it’s going to be amazing!

Ziggy wha?

I love my boys! So full of life at ALL times. This is Zach at 5 years old at 7am with his favorite big puncher balloon. It looks like he’s screaming, but really he’s yawning because he had just, and I mean JUST gotten out of bed. He was ready for the day, but just not totally awake yet. So glad I caught this on camera.

A guide to success

To laugh often and much,
To win the respect of intelligent people, and the affection of children,
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends.
To appreciate beauty
To find the best in others,
To leave the world a bit better,
Whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a spiritual condition.
To know even one life has changed because you have lived – -
This is to have succeeded.

HILARIOUS!

So this morning Angel and I decided that we would surprise the boys on their snow day with breakfast at Chick-fil-A. Yeah, I know… it’s wasn’t just for them.

Anyway, we weren’t going to leave until 9am, and the boys were hungry. So, we were hearing the normal requests for food. In the middle of all this I decided to be funny, but little did I know that I was about to be entertained.

I told Spencer and Zach that we (Angel and I) had decided that we were all going to cut back on our food consumption. We were now only going to eat one meal a day, and in this we would be able to know what people in other countries without food feel like.

Zach right away looked at me and said “I know what people without food feel like.” “Really?” I said “What?”

“THEY FEEL HUNGRY!” he exclaimed!

I thought I was gonna die from laughter! I just turned and walked down the hall to our bedroom with Angel close in tow. I think we laughed for the next five minutes with our hands on our mouths.

If you’re wondering why we didn’t just laugh in front of Zach? He’s already kind of a show off… I didn’t want to encourage him.

Crazy moments in parenting.

Ch Ch Changes

Not sure where this came from but Spencer decided this week that he wanted to make his own television show.  The name he has settled on is:

“Stinky Feet”

Yes, I have boys!

So, after a week of making 2-5 episodes a day that are completely ridiculous and have no point beyond him and his brother acting nutty and talking about farts… we decided to give a little direction.

Soon, I’ll unveil to you the Pilot episode of “Stinky Feet”.  For now they are rehearsing, shooting scenes with Angel and then Spence and I will edit this bad boy up.

Being a dad is a hard job….

(all you people with older kids, I realize it will get harder.  Keep it to yourselves)

Dirty post…

It’s very humorous to me that I’ve become, in peoples minds, the guy who doesn’t want to get dirty.  I guess it’s because I’m clean, but when did being a clean person come to mean that you can’t get dirty?

I actually like getting dirty.  Today I found myself under a car that has been sitting in a field for a few years trying to fix a broken oil line while it was leaking everywhere.  I completely enjoyed it.  Know why?  CAUSE I DON’T MIND GETTING DIRTY!  I most especially enjoy it when I’m prepared.  I knew that was what to expect and went for it.

NOW, I am not a guy who will just run straight in to every dirty situation no matter what I have on.  I’m a youth pastor ya’ll… I don’t make coin… can’t tear my threads up messin around.  I can’t replace them if I do… they just move into the work clothes bin.

So, to recap.  I don’t mind getting dirty, I even like it.  I wanna dress for what I’m doing.  And if I’m dressed well… forget about it!

Excitement to learn

Zach has developed an amazing hunger to learn to read lately.  It seriously came on like a light switch.  I love watching that, and am excited for the day when we can’t spell around him.

As the world turns

I cannot believe how much the boys are growing lately!

Seems like they wear a pair of pants to school and in the morning they fit fine, and they come home wearing waders!  Don’t even get me started on shoes!  Spencer’s foot was so small for so long, and then BANG!  I swear he skipped a size!  He grew from a size 1 to a size 3 overnight!  And those johns ain’t cheap!

Oh and don’t forget eating… the source of this growth.  They are ALWAYS hungry!  I’m not sure what we’ll do when they are teenagers… I’ll never be the fat pastor, because I can’t afford to eat… haha!

Then there’s the activity thing.  I love them to play sports and be involved in stuff.  I want to see focus and purpose, but if it’s there… I want to back that.  Just went to sign them up for soccer for the spring… The local organization wants to help you out so they make a max of $150 bones.  Wouldn’t you know it… I hit the max right on the nose.  *punks*

So, I’m learning what it means to be a father.  I kinda love it to death.  Watching my boys grow is an amazing gift!

Nicknames

Something in my family genes makes Harney’s naturally give nicknames.  My dad used to always talk about his dad and how he nicknamed them as kids.  Dad was “Son” (really original).  My uncle Charlie was “Shooter”, and the list goes on.

Then there’s my dad!  Infamous for nicknaming people.  There’s a guy that my dad nicknamed “Flash” because he was so slow.  Flash was about 15 years old at the time.  To this day my dad still calls him flash and the guy will sign emails that way.

I’ve found that I’m like this too, and too a fault sometimes.  I’ll call the boys by what they’re doing in the moment.  For instance… if Spencer is unsettled and dancing around, which he does often, I’ll call him “Prancer”.  Zachary who loves to snap his fingers, I’ll call him “Snappy” or “Snapper”.

So, this morning as Angel and I were talking with Zachary, out of the blue he says “Call me Ziggy!”  We were shocked, but asked why?  He said “That’s my new nickname, call me that.”  Guess the theme rings on.

We’ll see how long that lasts, but I think the nicknaming will last for his life.

Genetics crack me up!