daily musings and thoughts -- some substance possible -- for more detailed (and somewhat important) aspects and images of my life, check out: www.xanga.com/thecareyjourney
...today is the day that my wisdom tooth gets pulled -- and i am going to the dentist to get it done, because Sarah wasn't willing to pull it for me...
...oh joy...
...oh sweetness...
...and did i mention that it is a discouragingly dreary day outside?...
...last year, i gave up music for Lent -- and it was rough...
...this year, i'm giving up sweet/salty snacks/desserts -- 'twill also be rough...
...but, like giving up music, will be ultimately beneficial...
...no chocolate, pretzels, cakes, chips, blah blah -- should be pretty interesting...
...last year, with no music, i was able to keep myself quieter with less distractions -- more thinking, pondering, praying and more physical and spiritual awareness...
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currently watching: "Lost" -- Season Five
...yes, we are finally almost completely caught up -- and watching this season (5) has been quite entertaining -- no letdown whatsoever...
...after more than a dozen times throwing up within a span of 8 hours throughout the night, Hannah is finally feeling better -- and sadly, it was already laundry day today, so the washing machine is working over time...
...on top of that lack of sleep, the Superbowl game (starting at 12:30am local time) is welcomed at our party at Don's house, along with more than 10 other guys who are crazy enough to hang out with us superlate on a Sunday night (most of whom aren't even American!)...
...did i mention: go not-Colts!...
...i've almost forgotten what normal snowless sidewalks look like, as well as the fact that grass is the color green -- snow, just give it up already...
...how is Avatar the highest grossing movie of all time? -- disgusting...
...i'm wondering if Jesus Christ is one of the most mistakenly misunderstood individuals in the history of individuals -- or maybe just simply one of the most awesome, probably...
...you know why i'm blogging right now? because Sarah is watching Pride & Prejudice (the A&E Colin Firth version) in the other room -- and life goes on...
...dot dot dot...
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currently reading: Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Sanction by Eric Van Lustbader
...here are some recent thoughts, followed by explanations...
..."more snow, God? are You kidding me?" -- i walked out of the house the other day and, much to my dismay, the 15-degrees-below-freezing-Celsius weather was accompanied with even more snow, just when the recent barrage was starting to give way to the sidewalks underneath -- i know it is strange for me to think the following, but i was looking forward to having decent non-slip sidewalks to run on in the early mornings/late evenings...
..."wow -- this is tougher than i thought" -- last year, i was part of a group of four who had a small contest to lose weight, and, even though it went well for that period of time, and i was able to lose 15 lbs myself, i gained a couple more over the last month or so (Christmas time is a killer) -- well, to continue my weight-loss, i started a new personal campaign, and i have a goal to slim down to a certain weigh-in (which i will not post here) before the opening kickoff of the World Cup of 2010 -- it is a lofty goal, but i am determined...
..."yes, these have been pretty good, but i don't think they are any of my favorites" -- i've recently watched the Godfather movies (i re-watched The Godfather and have watched Part II and Part III for the first time) and, although i find the arguments behind them being great movies valid and seeing their place in movie history, they are not personal favorites...i did really like the first one, the second one was pretty good too, and the third one is kind of meh -- overall well done and interesting, but nonetheless slightly disappointing, with a letdown in the third act (Part III)...
..."does it all boil down to the matter of perspective, or is that just my perspective?" -- we are encouraged to be joyful always, to pray continually and to always be thankful in all circumstances (I Thessalonians 5) -- but why?...think about it -- and after i did for a while, i've concluded that it comes down to the view that we have on our life, on our perspective, on how we interact with the happenings of our days -- to sharpen a correct perspective on life centers on these three intentional choices, i believe -- living with joy (not happiness), praying as central, and having a constant gratitude -- enormously tough, of course, but invaluably imperative...
my daughter, at 18 months old, is a genius -- and this is just a sliver of proof...
...she does pretty well with learning the words (or at least, the sounds of the words), and we have a growing list of songs that she likes to sing...when it comes to music, i think Travis has the rhythm and Hannah has the harmony -- so far, anyway...
..."and now for something completely different"...
...at one of our last brunches last year (in reality, a few weeks ago), i guided our discussion in thinking about God as our Friend -- how Jesus views us, those who know Him and His Father, as friends...
...this reality and truth has carried on with me into this new year, and though many times i'm inclined to focus on my relationship with God as a Father/Child relationship, or Creator/Creation, i want to intentionally realign and look at it as a Friend/Friend relationship. this is very eye-opening and challenging -- in the areas of communication, perspective, responsibilities, etc. i think one of the toughest things is not necessarily looking at it only as God as my friend, but that i am a personal, close friend of His. how am i trustworthy, reliable, honest, listening, and sensitive to God as His friend? is my communication limited to my perspective, or should my improved perspective even enhance and breakthrough previously grounded limitations?...
...He's great...
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currently listening to: "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Soundtrack"
...great soundtrack to a fantastic movie -- gems like this are rare...
...the kids took part in a spontaneous photo session recently...
...yes, yes -- it's very cute...
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since i haven't posted in a while, here's a concise list of top choices from the last few months...
recently read: The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning (pretty good, but not as life-altering as i thought it could be), Shutter Island by Dennis LeHane (suspenseful and interesting), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (classic and spectacular), Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff (charged and thought-provoking), excerpts from The Bible by God (awesome, of course)...
recently watched: Avatar in the theater (not bad, but not life-changing either), rented Star Trek (pretty good, but Star Wars IV-VI still rule), State of Play (meh, but intrigued to watch the English mini-series instead) and borrowed The Godfather Parts I & II (still haven't watched Part III yet -- soon) and Apocalypse Now (heard it's a classic, and thought it was fairly interesting)...
...i write this blog on the eleventh night of august, and to many of you, or at least the one or two of you that may actually read this, perhaps the importance of this date is yet an enigma...
...exactly one year ago, i began to test the theory that "you learn something new every day", and on the twelfth day of august, i started recording my daily learnings...
...three hundred and sixty five days later, i can honestly say that i believe this theory to be true -- with limitations...
...such limitations include: personal motivation, intentional interaction, boring living, lack of imagination -- if any or all of these are present, this could hinder one from learning something new every day...
...so go on -- go and live life, go and learn new things -- there is a whole world out there to discover, a plethera of lessons to learn and things to know...
...but as i've recently re-valued, in discussion with a friend, that in a culture where knowledge and self-discovery is cherished, perhaps wisdom should be sought after most of all...
...what good is anything without wisdom to accompany it?...
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and now, the last (and final?) installment if theory testing for this past year:
..."you learn something new every day"...
two days ago, i learned: Mauerpark Flohmarkt + two strollers = stupid idea...
yesterday, i learned: it's hard to tell what the ratio is for how much manpower/"doing" does and how much prayer/"relying" does...
today, i learned: no matter how many people there are in number, just add one more, because God is there all the time anyway...
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recently watched: Taken
...this was a pretty intense movie, and well-done...
...here's the latest blog post from our family's site (www.xanga.com/thecareyjourney)...
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It was a wonderful experience for me (Ben) to spend the week up in Karchow for English Camp 2009! Thanks for your prayers and encouragement in preparation for it and during the camp. We had 24 teenagers and 14 staff (including me and Don from our team here, Katie who has taught three years now, Caleb our intern, two friends of the Jones family who helped cook and a team from Kenmore Alliance Church near Buffalo, NY) enjoy a week full of classes, activities, good food, fun times and, hopefully, spiritual encouragement! I served this year as Asst. Director for the camp and was able to see it all from a different perspective as last year. Next year I will be filling the Director role for the camp, and am excited about that. It was a fairly busy week, but we were able to enjoying moments of relaxation and genuinely spend quality time with the teenagers...
During the classroom sessions, they were able to develop their English proficiency, work their creative artistic juices through painting, baking apple pies/crisps and even doing Improv skits (think "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"). It was really fun to see how they all interacted with the different sessions...
Team and/or leaisure games and activities included Don't Touch the Can, Ultimate Frisbee, baseball, volleyball, "Kickerball" (Fussball, to Americans), 4-way Capture the Flag, Bandanaball, Intersection Races, and more -- and being fully-staffed this year (as compared to last) made it more flexible for all of us staff to join in or watch. All the students were separated into four teams, and throughout the week, all four teams were competing for points, which were gained from winning activities, saying the daily Bible verses (in English), receiving daily votes from staff for "Most English Spoken" or "Most Improved English", and more. In the end, the team I was on came in second, but all in all, it adds an element of excitement and motivation to it all...
Some of the teenagers come from a church-background, and that does not necessarily mean very much. However, several of the teenagers, when prompted near the end of the week, re-committed their lives to Christ, and that was refreshing and encouraging to see! You wouldn't believe how awesome the singing sounds during the worship/music time, and just the fact that several teenagers asked for us to have an extra praise time before the evening "Etwas Mehr" ("Something More") Bible session was encouragement for all of us...
God was truly working, and it was clearly evident -- but we're all praying that the teenagers would carry that encouragement on through these coming weeks and months. We're able to keep in touch with many of the students via internet/facebook and, when possible (but hard to come by) face-to-face visits, but are trusting for the extra bit of spiritual encouragement from the Holy Spirit to continue moving closer to Jesus, no matter where they are in their journey/relationship with Him...
Would you pray for them with us too?
Thanks!
Here are some pictures that capture a general feel for the week
...our main building...
...English Camp 2009!...
...us guys playing a traditional German kindergarten game...
...no, not any of the campers (although there was a hospital visit during the week)...
...what do us manly non-teachers do while everyone else is in class? why, pick berries of course!...
...me and Caleb photobombing Lisa Z.'s picture...
,,,"Etwas Mehr"...
...Jen's Beginner class...
...Laurie's Intermediate class...
...Katie's Advanced class...
...stretching their English through improv skits...
...4-way Capture the Flag explanations...
...bike trip to the gas station...
...volleyball...
...painting...
...Caleb, Dave (both staff) and Michel (camper)...
...playing Settlers of Catan...
...Adeline and Lisa E....
...Don and myself...
...and we had to give them even just a little bit more of American culture (and our generation) on movie night: The Princess Bride...
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..."you learn something new every day"...
seventeen days ago, i learned: book-smarts and street-smarts are oh so very different...
sixteen days ago, i learned: i can bike down to Alexanderplatz from Open Door church faster than the Straßenbahn can get there...
fifteen days ago, i learned: what a pastor shouldn't do...
fourteen days ago, i learned: English Camp 2009 is going to be awesome!...
thirteen days ago, i learned: these six years of marriage have gone by quickly but wonderfully -- so much has happened, and i'm eager for the next six and more!...
twelve days ago, i learned: i think i may have seen the best/funniest improv impersonation of Michael Jackson by a 16 year old German girl...
eleven days ago, i learned: to walk in to your room at camp and find flies mating on you bed is fairly disturbing -- "i sleep there, dagnabbit!"...
ten days ago, i learned: 4-way Capture the Flag does work and is fun...
nine days ago, i learned: the genius and wonder of The Princess Bride goes over many of the German teenagers heads...
eight days ago, i learned: slugs are cannibals...
seven days ago, i learned: English Camp 2009 was awesome!...
six days ago, i learned: i can play and sing an original song i've written in front of other people, including both friends and strangers...
five days ago, i learned: playing catch-up is not as fun as it sounds!...
four days ago, i learned: Hertha will be starting this season 33 million Euro in debt -- ouch...
three days ago, i learned: when there, buy it...
two days ago, i learned: Hertha tickets don't go on sale until the 10th of August -- bummer...
yesterday, i learned: men plainly should not wear short jean shorts, no matter how athletic or hairy their legs may (or may not) be...
today, i learned: my daughter is one smart cookie...
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recently watched for the first time but definitely not the last: Casablanca
...i'm not sure why i had waited so long to watch this classic, but i enjoyed it very much -- i think it's also my first Bogie movie, as well...
...one of the things that was impressed upon me was "faith like a child" and "fear like a child" -- i saw moments when my kids were stress-free, care-free and totally relying on us for all their needs and desires; and yet i saw moments in which, in situations of clear uncertainty, they were overcome with fear, forgetting about their faithful, trustworthy and loving parents...
...i could expand, but i won't...
...and i don't think i need to spell the connection out in our daily lives -- it preached to me clearly, and i think the recognition of truth can be grasped...
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..."you learn something new every day"...
fourteen days ago, i learned: 2:26am to wake up for a flight to vacation in Mallorca is worth it...
thirteen days ago, i learned: yes, there are many Europeans who hang out at the beach topless...
twelve days ago, i learned: neither of the kids have any fear of a fifth floor balcony...
eleven days ago, i learned: Mallorca has a pretty sweet aquarium...
ten days ago, i learned: we booked a hotel on the quieter part of the beach -- thankfully, not on the party end of the beach (as a young family, we would've REALLY stuck out, even more than we already were)...
nine days ago, i learned: Travis doesn't like the ocean, maybe, but he likes the swimming pool...
eight days ago, i learned: more than half over? vacation goes by quickly!...
seven days ago, i learned: push the limits!...
six days ago, i learned: Sarah and i organize and prepare, more than enough in advance, for most things...
five days ago, i learned: the Mallorca airport is nice, but please, clean the men's bathrooms more often!...
four days ago, i learned: i got the gnome!...
three days ago, i learned: booooooo...
two days ago, i learned: God makes sure we come into contact with the right people...
yesterday, i learned: goals are good, and sometimes hard to reach, but just try it anyway...
today, i learned: my family -- parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews -- are astoundingly awesome (of course, this was more of a refreshing reminder, not newly learned)...
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recently watched: 12 Angry Men
...cinematically simple, philosophically complex -- love it...
...we have been busy, busy, busy -- yet a good kind of busy...
...having the Crown team here has been tiring, yes, but it has been great to solidify our relationship with them more through this trip of theirs, and they've been very encouraging for us, too, as they've helped out with their project and even more -- spiritual encouragement and lasting effects that will continue to work for our advantages...
...it was a fast two weeks with them...
...early on tuesday morning, we get on the plane to head to Mallorca (or Majorca, depending on how you would like to spell it) for nine days -- it will be a welcome time of relaxation and rest...
...i'm looking forward to it...
...God is perfect...
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..."you learn something new every day"...
...eleven days ago, i learned: not extrovertness, nor extrovertiviticity, but extrovertism...
...ten days ago, i learned: Hertha still has a shot...
...nine days ago, i learned: University of Leipzig since 1409 -- take that, United States of America!...
...eight days ago, i learned: Hertha can't take 1st place, but will finish in the top 5, so that's nice...
...seven days ago, i learned: liturgy has its place, somewhere, of course...
...six days ago, i learned: i have no desire to ever encounter vampire fish -- ouch...
...five days ago, i learned: is the obvious too obvious, or are some people really that silly?...
...four days ago, i learned: Alan Arkin was a musician with hit songs before acting?...
...three days ago, i learned: i still, after all these years, don't understand the God/weather connection sometimes...
...two days ago, i learned: the necessity of flexibility is exactly that -- necessary...
...yesterday, i learned: Hertha, congrats on 4th place -- much better than last year...
...today, i learned: mauerpark + karaoke = greatness...
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currently enjoying: the enjoyment and talent of Stevie Starr
...been pretty busy around here, and will be for the next couple of weeks -- we have a team here from Crown College in Minnesota, and so we'll be helping with them...
...exciting days around here! -- the team got here today, will be here until the 28th, but we're heading off for vacation on the 26th...
...it'll be fun to see what happens with the team here, and how God will work in and through all of us these coming days...
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..."you learn something new every day"...
eleven days ago, i learned: buy a newly updated Bahn map -- just go ahead and do it already!...
ten days ago, i learned: nobody has the distinct "right" to an abandoned recyclable beer bottle...
nine days ago, i learned: preparation, preparation, preparation...
eight days ago, i learned: the average mosquito lives for about two weeks...
seven days ago, i learned: don't go through anything alone...
six days ago, I learned: Alfred Hitchcock spoke German…
five days ago, i learned: add more European movies to my hit-list...
four days ago, i learned: i don't have a big desire to be a college professor...
three days ago, i learned: computers are like women -- you can't live with them; you can't live without them...
two days ago, i learned: i rock the Thurn und Taxis...
yesterday, i learned: the Bundesliga is INSANE with only a couple of games to go in the season...
today, I learned: “a rhinocerous beetle can push an object 850 times its own weight – the equivalent of an adult human strolling along pushing a fully grown hump-backed whale in front of them. Or one of the main supporting stones from Stonehenge.” (from Earth: A Visitor’s Guide)…
...we had a fantastic brunch last week -- our first one in a public setting...of course it had its ups and downs, but overall, it was a great one...
...i turned 27 this past week -- and it was the first time in my entire existence that i didn't blow out any candles on my birthday...pavlova for dessert...
...we have a four day weekend this weekend, which is very nice...it has had a decent start to it, and we'll see how it pans out tomorrow and monday...
...Jesus is tremendous...
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..."you learn something new every day"...
...eight days ago, i learned: rebuilding a lost template is annoying, but finally finishing it is rewarding...
...seven days ago, i learned: kaffee und kuchen with neighbors is gooooood...
...six days ago, i learned: brunch is goooooood (but don't get all your hopes up)...
...five days ago, i learned: just take a day off -- seriously...
...four days ago, i learned: working on your birthday is a bummer, but it's not all that bad...
...three days ago, i learned: finally!...
...two days ago, i learned: each time i watch The Passion of the Christ, i am challenged with a new insight...
...yesterday, i learned: Travis rocks the Laufrad...
...today, i learned: stop and think about what the shortest way to your destination would be before you go ahead and start out with the first idea that pops into your mind...
...this is a busier week -- we are having our first brunch in a well-known local church building here in the area on Sunday, and we are still working out the logistical and practical details -- but it is a huge step for Freischwimmer...
...Germany won both of their World Cup qualifying matches this week (saturday and yesterday), so that is good news -- and England won their match yesterday too...
...Berlin Eisbären are tied in their semi-final match-up...
...fantasy baseball starts this week -- look for me in the middle of the standings...
...Hannah isn't sleeping very well, Travis is showing more attitude, and Sarah and i love them tons anyway...
...this has been a weird week so far...
...God is speaking to me though, of course...
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..."you learn something new every day"...
...seven days ago, i learned: yes -- i can (and do) buy rice cakes...
...six days ago, i learned: the new exhibition at the gallery is pretty awesome -- i like it a lot...
...five days ago, i learned: days where Travis and i can hang out together are good for my soul -- i am looking forward to more, especially when he gets older...
...four days ago, i learned: even though it's gorgeous outside, some people will stay inside...
...three days ago, i learned: Sarah's mom owned Richard Simmon's exercise tapes -- and Sarah exercised along with them...
...two days ago, i learned: some days are just crappy -- but they usually end...
...yesterday, i learned: it feels good to sigh and take a victorious look at a completed 2000 piece puzzle...
...today, i learned: there are roughly 4 million (out of 80 million) illiterate people in Germany...
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just finished reading: The Brethren by John Grisham
...randomly grabbed this book of the shelf at the library a week or so ago -- i liked it...
...there's some kind of invisible connection between young kids and elderly individuals -- it is interesting: i can't count how many times Travis and i have been walking along and someone older we pass bends down to say hi to him, in a nice, friendly, non-threatening, nostalgic way...
...i was reminded of this today...
...also, i was reminded of the following yesterday, which i wrote to several people: "I think it would be fair to say, that the face of the world has changed dramatically in the last several months – financial and economical changes that will alter how we live our day-to-day lives, possibly morphing the way we make decisions that affect the days ahead.However, I believe that these events could also lead to relational and spiritual changes – bringing into focus our priorities, our predisposed beliefs and assumed expectations.No matter what the days ahead bring us – whether in Berlin or in Washington D.C. – God is not caught off-guard, He is not powerless to interact, and He is not careless in being a part of our lives.We can trust His faithfulness.
He is here.He is active.He is good.He is love. That’s enough for me."
...on another note, here are some pictures!...
here's me and the daughter -- she is a cutie...
our ice hockey game, after they won 7-2...
i spontaneously cut my hair last night, after months of letting it grow out...
...and now my neck and ears are cold...
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..."you learn something new every day"...
...five days ago, i learned: coming home to an apartment smelling like nail polish is nothing fun...
...four days ago, i learned: Travis & i can have fun cooking breakfast for Sarah on her birthday...
...three days ago, i learned: vor vier Jahre war mein Leben vollgepackter als heute...
...two days ago, i learned: even sicknesses sometimes have their reasons...
...yesterday, i learned: technology doesn't simplify everything -- absolutely not...
...today, i learned: people living in Berlin pay roughly 10% more for rent than in 2007...
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recently watched: The International
...i liked it and Sarah liked it -- semi-good acting in a decent dramatic thriller -- don't expect an action movie...
...it was fun to see Travis getting more courageous with his Laufrad (sort of like a bike without pedals) today -- he's starting to feel more comfortable with it, and was actually going almost as fast as my walking speed for a little bit...
...apples are tasty...
...i know i'll be a little late, but still undecided about what to give up for the next several weeks...
...patience was difficult and lacking today...
...excited to see what God is going to do this year in my life...
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..."you learn something new every day"...
...today, i learned: patience, patience, patience -- so very difficult, so very imperative...
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currently looking forward to: Sarah's birthday (28th on the 28th)
