Italy

In a few hours I will be on a plane to Italy. I am both excited and nervous! I've been to other countries on my own before, but this is the first time I'll be alone in a non-English speaking country. Yay!!!

I'll try to keep my blog updated. Please be patient with me though if I'm a little late with some of the posts...

The Olympic Spirit

Normally going into the Olympics I'm never excited about them. I could care less who wins what. It's much like any sport for me. The last Olympics happened while I was up at Rough Acres Bible Camp with our youth group. Everyone there was watching it every chance they got. I don't think I watched more than a minute.

When the Olympics came here I wasn't excited. I've known some of the behind the scenes things that aren't very favourable. The treatment of people living on the street, the bills getting larger and larger while essential services are being cut elsewhere in BC, the sex industry, etc, etc. The Olympics are not what they should be. Even as the torch came through Ladner I chose to not bother and go see it pass by.

So I was surprised when the Olympics began and I was instantly addicted. I watched more Olympics this year than my whole life combined. I couldn't get enough of it! I regret not getting downtown more and not getting tickets to any of the events. How did this happen? Where did this come from?

I blame it on the Olympic spirit. I think at its heart, the Olympics are excellent. The world joining together to play together! Where else do you see this happening? As a community and as a nation, we gathered together and had fun. I love the unifying aspect of the games and the buzz it created here in the city. It was absolutely electric!

So what do we do with all the negatives of the game? That's where I'm left worried. So much happened as a result of the Games that was unjust and selfish. It wasn't right. As I was reading the history of the Olympics I could see the passion the originators had for it. They wanted what I experienced, an event that draws the world together centered around sport. The difference is, they didn't want anyone making money off it. And that's where things got dicey.

Without any money involved, what's the incentive for the games? It's purely to represent your country and bring countries together. Now that the Olympics have become commercialized, along with the torch passing by we also get bombarded with Coca-Cola and RBC ads. Because people need to make money, there's more pressure for things to happen that are contrary to the Olympic spirit.

So the solution is to remove commercialization from the Olympics. Do that and it returns to its roots. However, that is no longer possible. The one big hitch is television. Without commercialization the games would not be televised. People around the world would not be able to follow their countries. The other hitches are of course things like modern excellent facilities, breakthroughs in technology for judging equpiment and sports equipment, training for the athletes, and so on. A lot of money is needed to run the Games today.

Well, where do we go from here? Do we continue to support this monster even though it leaves a trail of filth in its wake? I don't know the answer.

How I Am Not A Catholic - Part Two

As a kid, somewhere along the way, I caught the belief that Catholics were not true Christians. They weren't really part of a cult, but their church had gone off the rails hundreds of years ago. I didn't think Catholics were "saved" and I thought they would end up in hell.


After all, they believed in purgatory. I thought purgatory meant that if a person worked hard enough they could get out of hell and join the Christians in heaven. However, this is not the actual definition of purgatory, but my misunderstood one.


They also worshiped Mary, saw the Pope as perfect and sinless, and needed a priest to forgive their sins (whereas I only needed to confess to God).


Somewhere in high school my beliefs lightened a little. I came to believe that some Catholics actually were "saved". They were just ignorant to the fact that their church was an abomination, but thankfully God would show them grace as they did not know what they were doing.


Poor stupid Catholics! Only a handful were saved, but most were still going straight to hell. The one issue that mattered most to me at this time was - Do they have a relationship with Jesus? I came to believe most Catholics had a relationship with the church, but not with Jesus personally.


I'm not sure where I got these ideas from. Obviously they were held by at least some people in my church. We were never taught these things, but passing comments and jokes stuck in my brain. It wasn't until Bible school that things started to change drastically.

End of Part Two.

Cut the Living Child in Two

Two prostitutes claim a baby as their own. One of them is lying. King Solomon is the judge and he declares, "Cut the living child in two." The one woman cries out, "No! Give the baby to her. Don't kill him!" The second woman replies, "Neither of us will have him. Cut him in two." Solomon realizes the mother would not want to see harm come upon her baby, so he rightfully determines who the mother is and everyone marvels at Solomon's wisdom.

I always thought it was kind of a silly story. Would people really react this way? I think I can't fully understand it because I am not from that time period. But in talking with someone the other day, it made me think of an issue I've addressed previously.

Could this story apply to our current situation of child custody? Two separated parents want sole custody of their child. Instead, the child is shuffled back and forth between two homes. One week he is at his Dad's house. The next week he is at his Mom's. I wish we had a better system of determining who gets sole custody. This is no way to raise a child. So conflicting, so damaging, so irresponsible. It is as if the child is cut in two.

I wrestle with the solution. I'm not educated enough on this issue, but if we were to take the Solomon story as parallel, maybe the solution is there. Let's say Mom is the better parent and should raise the child, but Dad had some good lawyers and despite being a crappy parent he has 50% custody. If the obvious solution can't be determined (let the best parent raise the child) then what solutions are left. Cut the child in two (raise him in separate homes each week) or give the child to the worse parent (the toughest pill to swallow).


Of the two evils, separate homes or bad parent raising, which is the lesser? I don't know. I think the good parent isn't willing to give up their custody for a number of reasons (that are completely valid): they want their child to have some positive influence to counter the bad, they deserve to have the child and they'll take what they can get, if they give up the child there's a chance they'll never have a strong relationship with them, etc.

I could go on, but I'll stop there for now. What do you think?

Simple Request

I'm feeling extremely ill. Can I please get back to you tomorrow?

"Of course! We would want your mind to be clear."

Gee thanks! See you tomorrow...

Olympic Celebrations!

Before I write more about Catholicism I'd like to dedicate at least a couple posts to the Olympics. Here is the first:

8 years ago - I was in San Francisco, USA at this time of the year. I was on a missions trip with Columbia Bible College during reading break. At that time I didn't care too much about the Olympics, but I do get passionate about sport if others I'm with are passionate. So while we were down in the States, the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City were happening and the majority of our group was desperate to watch the final game of Men's Hockey between Canada and the USA.

We managed to find a small pizzeria that had a big screen TV and they were willing to have the game on for us. There was probably 20 of us Canadians packed in this US establishment with maybe 3-5 randoms. And we were loud! We cheered wildly and had an absolute blast, especially with the Canadian gold medal victory.

4 years ago - I didn't watch any of the Olympics. I'm not really sure why. I have a love/hate relationship with the Olympics that I'll get into later. It doesn't matter though, both Canada and the US were knocked out of the hockey competition early in the quarterfinals.

2 weeks ago - I realized the gold medal game would be happening today, Feb 28. I remembered how much fun I had 8 years ago and decided I wanted to find an excellent group of people I could party with if Canada made it that far. I was pretty excited about it.

1 week ago - I was talking with Pastor Dave about the ECU Service at the local hospital. Every 2 months our youth group goes to the Extended Care Unit of the hospital and leads the Sunday service for them. Well as I was talking with Dave, I realized it was our turn to lead the service on Feb 28. Today. THE DAY OF THE BIG GAME!!!!! The ECU service starts at 2:30. This meant I would miss the last few minutes of the game.

4 hours ago - I was throwing myself a bit of a pity party. I had to prepare for the service so that meant no celebrating with other people. I sat in my office playing guitar while watching the game on my computer. Only 3 other youth volunteered to help me out. I knew it would be slim pickings. I was so disappointed I wouldn't be able to watch the final minutes of the game.

2 hours ago - The score was 2-1 for Canada. I didn't have a chance to grab lunch after church, so I went to McD's 20 mins before the service started. The third period had just started and I watched the game as I ate my official Olympic Big Mac. I didn't have time to stay and watch the last 3 minutes of the game. I had to go the hospital.

I was hoping some of the staff would be watching the game so we could find out the final score, but I wasn't sure. Much to my surprise, all the people there were watching the game on the big screen! The lady asked me if it was okay that we continue watching the game and put off singing till later. I said of course! Well, as you all know, with less than a minute left USA scored and tied up the game, sending it into overtime! The service would be postponed even longer, haha!

Well, my heart was racing all through overtime, until Crosby scored the game-winning goal. Everyone cheered and we started singing Oh Canada. By this point it was too late to have the church service, but we did have a chance just to sit and chat with the people there.

It was then that I realized, this was a way better hockey party than one I would have planned to have gone to. Who would have guessed I would have watched the gold medal game with a bunch of elderly people, most of whom can't even communicate well. And it was a blast! I feel bad for all those youth who missed out on such a great experience. Sure they had their own parties. But none could have compared to this one!

How I Am Not A Catholic - Part One

My sister, Jackie, wrote 3 posts titled, "How I Became a Catholic." I encourage you to read them if you haven't already. They describe her journey from Protestantland to Catholicworld. I got to witness this transformation and it caused me to ask many questions (for myself) as it was happening. But I did not make the same decision she made. I would like to share why that is, but definitely not as an attack against Jackie or Catholics. I fully support Jackie in her decision. So here I go...




End of Part One

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Look at this. My second post of this new blogging commitment and I'm already a day late. I probably would have kept putting it off but Jackie and Amy both commented about it.


With the help of Amy I've discovered there are two sides to me. One is organized, strategic and efficient. The other is messy, forgets where he puts things, and procrastinates. Can you guess which one I am right now?


Two weeks ago I was on the ball, and I was on the ball for a long time. But then it started coming apart, which doesn't surprise me. I kept thinking, "When is this all going to crash?" I had lasted an unusually long amount of time under control, but alas here I am back where I started.


And I hate it! I'm so sick of it, uggh! I can't tolerate this behaviour any longer, it's driving me mad. I feel good when I'm organized, but yet I sabotage it and fall into this pattern of avoiding everything. So I will fight you! You must not be allowed to ruin my life any longer, Mr. Hyde!


I get so overwhelmed when there are many things to do, and there are always many things to do in my job. Not to mention maintaining my suite and being in a relationship. And all my 500+ friends and family. It's hard to know when to draw the line, and my problem is I don't take the time to draw the line. I just do what's easiest, but then the hard things get harder, making me more prone to avoid them until I ultimately cannot avoid them.

Such is life. I won't let it bog me down any longer. Anyone got any advice?

Another Season

Lent is upon us once again. Today is Ash Wednesday. Those who know me well, know I have developed a long list of things I fast from over the Lenten season. This year, however, I have decided to try something new. Rather than give stuff up, I will take something on.

When I went to New Zealand two years ago I challenged myself each day to ask someone new if I could pray for them. I was there for 7 days. I asked 0 people. It was actually quite a crushing blow to my spiritual side.

I will be leaving for Italy on March 14. I wanted to try this challenge again. Except this time, I thought it would be a good idea if I started early, and if I had the accountability of my friends to keep me to it. So for this season of Lent I will be asking someone new everyday if I can pray for them.

I will be writing a journal describing how this journey goes for me. I already know it will have a significant impact on my spirituality. I know because those 7 days where I did nothing left me empty and discouraged. This will push me to see people in a different light, to change my prayer focus from being me-focus, and to better practice the presence of God (among other as yet unknown experiences).

This is also another season of blogging for me. I realize without a commitment, I get nothing accomplished. So I hereby recommit to posting two blogs a week, on Wednesday and Sunday, from now until Easter Sunday.

May this season of Lent break you down to complete dependence on God and his Word.

My LIfe: A 2nd Update

My life at a glance...



I'm nearing the middle of my 5th year at Cedar Park Church. I'd say for the first time I actually feel like I have a workable plan for structuring this ministry right.


A year ago I began hanging out with a Miss Amy Hales. We are now currently an "item". We're not getting married anytime soon, so stop asking please.


I love spinach now.


I am hovering around 210 lbs. Not too happy about that.


My dad passed away in Dec from esophageal cancer. It's been an emotional experience, but very healthy for me and my family (for the most part I think).


The contract on my phone is ending soon. I believe it might just be time to get an iPhone.


My dentist had me coming every 4 months for a cleaning to improve my gums. Today I was graduated to 6 months!!!


I'm currently rocking a soul patch while growing out my bangs. My goal is to shave the soul patch and become a Justin Bieber look-a-like.


Actually I think it's time for the beard to make a comeback.


Twisted my ankle last March and it's still bothering me.


Since my last update I have traveled to Sacramento, Campbell River, Quadra Island, Victoria, Malibu, Disneyland, Medford, Atlanta, and Edmonton (multiple time :S). My next destinations include Italy, Montreal, Ontario, and the Northern States.

All the Follow-Up Things that Went Wrong

Monday, August 31st

- Make the trek back to Oregon in the rental car. I'm tired of driving and it's getting late. I knew I wouldn't make it to Oregon so I look to find a hotel in Washington for the night. I look everywhere for one of those travel books that has hotel coupons in them. Can't find one anywhere. Finally just pick a hotel past Tacoma and cough over the cash.

Tuesday, September 1st

- I need to arrive in Oregon by a certain time. If I'm late I will get charged extra for the rental car and for parking at the airport. I plan to leave early.

- I'm so tired it takes me forever to get on the road. While driving I realize I have left way too late. I have such little time to spare. I have to hit drive-thrus and hope I don't have to pee.

- I have to pee...really bad! I try holding it, but it's too strong. I pull off at a truck-stop and pee as fast as I possibly can. It's then I notice those travel books with the coupons! I had been looking at gas stations. I forgot they were at truck-stops!

- Arrive just in time with literally only minutes to spare. I don't know if my car will even be running well so I'm not excited about this. It starts but doesn't sound so good.

- I find a Toyota dealership and leave my car there. They can't look at it today, so I'll have to wait. I need a ride to a hotel so they say the shuttle will take me when he gets back. I go to the waiting area. This guy walks in and mumbles something. A guy gets up and follows him. A little while later another guy walks in and mumbles. I look at him inquisitively wondering if he's my driver. He walks away. I'm confused. He comes back and mumbles again. I ask if he's the shuttle. He says he is. Unbelievable.

- I have a coupon from the travel book. He can't find the hotel. I'm trying to help him with my GPS, but they've shut down this overpass and it's not helping.

- We finally spot the hotel but there's all this construction and the road is closed. He can't understand how I'll even get over there. He says he has to go pick someone else up. He's pretty sure I can take a walkway through the park, but he's not 100%.

- He drops me off and drives away. I trek with my bags through the park towards the walkway where I see construction guys. As I get closer the guy tells me I can't cross! This sucks. I can see the hotel from where I'm standing but don't know how to get there.

- I have supper at a diner nearby. I use the phone outside to call the hotel to figure out how to get there. She says I have to go across the highway and walk across the overpass. The overpass is open, but just to access the hotels.

- There's no way I can walk all the way around. I'd have to walk to the next overpass and then walk back to this overpass and it's hot and I've got a heavy bag. Plus I'm exhausted and emotionally drained.

- I used my last quarter to call the hotel. I go to a nearby different hotel and ask them to call me a cab. I'm on the line and telling the girl I need a cab. She tells me to hold on. I sit waiting there forever. Finally she says, "Hello?" She didn't say to hold! I don't know what she said, but she was waiting for me!!! Oh haha, what a hilarious misunderstanding!!!!?!?!?!

- The cab finally arrives. Guess what? I don't have any cash. He has to take me to an ATM on the way there. We finally get to the hotel. The cab ride cost me $8. Unbelievable.

- After I called the hotel I must have dropped the coupon cause it's gone now! Thankfully the lady believes me and gives me the discounted rate.

Wednesday, September 2nd

- I get in touch with the Modesto Toyota that screwed me over. The guy is apologetic and wants to help. I tell him to call the Medford Toyota cause it's costing me extra to use my cellphone. I'm so pissed off at them. He says he will.

- That afternoon Medford Toyota calls and says they have my car ready. Guess what was wrong? The valve was dirty. Yes, the valve was dirty! He cleaned it and said it's running fine. I ask if the Modesto guys called him. They didn't. I hate them.

- The shuttle picks me up to get my car. The guy driving says he didn't have time to give my car the complimentary car wash. Thanks for letting me know. I didn't even know I would get a free car wash. Way to rub it in!

Thursday, September 3rd

- I drive all the way home. No engine light. No oil light. Those Modesto guys totally screwed me. I don't even think I needed that gear replaced, those idiots! I'm furious, but happy to be home.

Wednesday, November 19th

- I drive to Seattle to catch a flight to Atlanta for the National Youth Worker's Convention. 1.5 hours there the engine light comes on. Oh no.................

- I pull over and let my car cool down. After half and hour of playing sudoku I start it up again. The light is off so I drive again. After 15 minutes it's back on. I pull over and check my oil and wait again.

- The light doesn't come back on. I'm pretty close to my destination. The oil light comes on. I'm so frustrated I don't even care. I keep driving. The car isn't sounding good, but I made it to the hotel where I'm going to park and fly.

Monday, November 23rd

- I arrive back in Seattle, get my car and drive to a different hotel. I don't have time to take my car in on Monday so I'll have to do it Tuesday. Another night spent in a hotel $$$.

Tuesday, November 24th

- I bring my car to Burien Toyota. The lights aren't coming on for some reason, but whatever. I explain the situation (even all the Modesto and Medford fiascoes) and wait in the waiting room.

- The guy comes in and tells me, get this, I need to replace the actuator gear. What a dick! I told him that's exactly what happened to me before and that wasn't the problem. He backtracks and says I probably just need to make sure my car is full of oil at all times. As it burns away there isn't enough to get up to the actuator. He fills up my car with oil. I drive home with no more problems! Thanks for nothing $100 later. Well at least I know to always have oil on hand.

- I totally get lost trying to get back on the I-5 from Burien. It's rush hour and just when I think I know where I'm going I hit construction and have to take this wonky detour that is labeled so poorly!

- I stop at Best Buy to see if they have Rockband 2 for the Wii. I haven't been able to find it anywhere. They have it in stock! I take it to the counter and as the lady is explaining the warranty to me she stops talking. I ask her to repeat it. She starts talking and then stops again. Then I could see she was shaking. Next comes swaying back and forth and her eyes roll back into her head.

- She completely passes out right in front of me and hits the wall behind her. I have no clue what to do. I feel awkward touching this girl I don't know. I yell for the greeter person to come over. Finally she comes and calls people to help. I moved some stuff behind the girl so she'd be able to lie down. It was so weird. Then as their trying to revive this girl, another lady finishes ringing me up, haha. I felt so insensitive buying something while this girl is passed out on the floor. She was okay in the end. She came to and they took her to the back.

And that's the end of the oil light drama for now.
Although, I did manage to overheat my brother's car in Revelstoke in the middle of a huge snowfall.
Good times.

It's Late

Where have I been?

There have been a number of factors distracting me. The biggest one is definitely Amy. Here is why:

1. I would often write late in the evening. Now I'm with Amy pretty much every evening. And it's never just hang out with Amy. I can't do other things while I'm with her because she wants me to be present. I understand that. I want her attention too.

2. Most of the time when an idea comes to my mind that I could write about, I end up sharing it with Amy. Then it loses its fizzle. I don't feel an urgent need to tell others because I've already outed it.

3. It takes a lot of mental energy for me to write. It takes time for me to stop what I'm doing and just ponder and ruminate on ideas and thoughts. Most of my mental energy is being invested in Amy now. When I get home my mind just wants to shut off.

I don't think these are bad things. They are normal. This is the new reality. I am adjusting. I love Amy more than I do blogging.

I think I should be writing more though. Amy hates when I ramble on about mundane things (cross one letter in Amy Hales and you get Amy Hates). Previously I could vent all those things on the internet and she could filter out what she wanted to hear and what she didn't. Now she can't. It's time to start writing again.

I've got a lot on my mind. So many things are running through it. I need to share.

Amy isn't the only distraction. Everything with my dad's cancer and passing has had a profound effect on me. It's unearthed feelings I didn't realize were there. I've had many dreams where we freely converse with one another. It's been a very long time since we've been able to talk like that. I've also been having many other dreams regarding his memorial. This is a weird time.

And life as a youth pastor is not as cohesive as I'd like it to be. I feel scattered, flying by the seat of my pants, and spinning more plates than I can handle.

But I love God more than ever. I'm glad he pushed me when I fell. He's the only one in this room who really knows what's going on. I like to think I completely trust him.

That's all I have to say right now.

All the Things that Went Wrong - Part Six

Day Six - Sunday, August 30th

- Slept in. Felt refreshed. Happy we would soon be on our way home. "I'm guessing no one has told you yet," Matt reluctantly says from the other bed, "The oil light came back on last night." My world slowly begins to crumble. The stress and pressure of this whole trip has now become too much. I sit up on the bed trying to figure out what to do, but my brain is mush.

- I decide to call some of the wiser ones in our church for advice. When I use the hotel phone, it won't allow me to call long distance with Visa.

- I try calling collect. No one is answering. I can't get a hold of anyone.

- I must use my cellphone which costs a ridiculous amount of money. I get a hold of Ted and ask if I can call him back collect. He agrees.

- As I'm waiting for the automated system to kick in, emotionally I start to lose it. I begin to think when I hear his voice I am going to break down crying. The system prompts me to say my name after the beep. I started saying my name before the beep. It beeps. I burst out in laughter, knowing that I've screwed it up and it's going to sound funny for Ted. My mood is lightened.

- Ted suggests either taking it to a mechanic or leaving it behind and getting it shipped up north. That's going to cost a ridiculous amount of money.

- As we begin to look for a mechanic in Redding we discover nothing is open because it is Sunday. Would they even be able to help us today anyways? I need to get people home who have to work tomorrow.

- I think it was Matt at this point who suggested we transfer the SUV from my name to the other leaders. That way they can drive it back tonight, and Matt and I can stay with my car in Redding and take it in tomorrow. Brilliant plan!

- We call Alamo. There is no Alamo in Redding and we need to go in person to transfer the names. I ask where the nearest Alamo is. They don't know and they can't tell me. They couldn't tell me where any Alamo's were!?! All they said was they are at major airports, but the next closest airport we could think of was Portland and that's too far to drive. Scrap that plan!

- We try calling Greyhound to see if we can bus the workers home today. No one is answering the phone.

- We drive to Greyhound. It's going to cost quite a bit and it's going to take all night, which would leave the workers exhausted.

- We decide to check out a rental car place to see if we can rent a car for the workers to drive home, because the SUV I've rented can only be driven by me. After much searching we find open rental places at the Redding airport. It's going to cost quite a bit, and then I realize the SUV needs to be back tomorrow or else that will cost a lot as well.

- At the airport a lady there mentions there's an airport in Medford, Oregon (about 2 hours away). It dawns on me, "Maybe there's an Alamo there?" I ask where a payphone is. She says it's around the corner, but it's probably not working. Sure enough, it is broken.

- Thankfully the guy at the convenience shop thingy says I can use his phone. I call Alamo. They have a place in Medford! I now have to make the decision: Do we risk driving my car through the mountains for 2 hrs or come up with another option? I decide to risk it!

- After a highly anxious 2 hours of driving we pull into the Medford airport. My car has made the journey! But it sounds absolutely awful. I fear we have damaged something internally.

- We go in and begin the process of changing the names over. It's taking awhile, but the weight is lifting off my shoulders. I can't believe we've finally got this figured out! After about 30 mins of paperwork and discussion the agent looks at me and says, "Oh, we can't add additional drivers to minivans or SUV's if they are under 25." All of my leaders are under 25. We cannot transfer the vehicle over. We risked driving all this way for NOTHING!!! The weight suddenly comes slamming down on my shoulders.

- Now I have to come up with another option. I begin looking at the prospect of shipping my car. I look at plane tickets. I consider spending the night in Medford with everyone. Amanda gets in touch with her dad who is willing to drive down and pick us up. At this point it's past noon. I have to extend the reservation on the SUV but the Alamo guy can't do it. I have to call the Alamo in Vancouver. It takes forever, but I get through to them and extend it.

- Then I come up with the final plan. I'll leave my car in the parking lot. I will rent a car. Shane will drive it and I will drive the SUV. Tomorrow I will return the SUV and drive the rented car back to Medford by myself. I'll bring my car in to a mechanic here in Medford and figure it all out there. It's going to be a long drive back to BC though. I call back the Alamo in Vancouver and they take away my extension thankfully.

- As I'm renting the car, I'm telling the lady my story. She has sympathy on me and reduces the rate. Then she says, "You're really holding up well under all this." At those words I crack emotionally. I can feel the tears coming on, but I don't want to break down in front of her. We finish the transaction and as I'm walking away I start bawling.

- Now we're finally on the road. I am so relieved to have finally come up with something that sorta works. We realize we can't drive the rental car into Canada so we have to leave it near Blaine and have someone pick us up. Garritt graciously agrees to help us. Because we've left so late we won't get there until 2am.

- Around 11pm I start getting tired. Really tired. I consider pulling over for the night, but then Matt starts talking to me and I snap out of it.

- Garritt says he'll meet us as Blaine Airport. I say okay. I've never been there, but we have Lola (the GPS) to guide us. As we're nearing Blaine Airport, Garritt calls and says he's waiting for us...at the Bellingham Airport! Which we passed 10 mins ago!!!! Thankfully we find a Park & Ride. I call Garritt and tell him to meet us there. He drives by it a couple times, but finally finds us.

The End.
Check in on Monday for follow-up things that went wrong!
And stay tuned for "All the Things that Went Right"...

It's Been Too Long

Hello my friends...

You're probably wondering where I've been. Or maybe you haven't.


Turns out I've been using fairy magic to heal and rejuvenate young animals.

Well I want you to know that I have decided to return to the blogosphere with renewed passion and vigor.

So be looking for the thrilling conclusion to All the Things That Went Wrong by the end of this week!

Love, Dan

All the Things that Went Wrong - Part Five

Day Five - Saturday, August 29th

- Wake up at 10am thinking we probably won't leave until after lunch. Then questions start entering my head. What time does the dealership in Modesto close? How far is it even to Modesto from here? Can I get my oil changed at the dealership while we're there already? Where are we going to take Marie to get her checked out? Oh man! I better find out when the dealership closes!

- The internet tells me it's about 5 hours to Modesto. I call the dealership. They say my car is ready to go for the trip back to Canada. I ask when they close. "5pm," he says. Oh no! By this time it's about 10:30. No one else is awake. To be safe, we need to leave by 11 to make sure we get my car.

- I make the call to send Matt, Shane, and Amanda ahead of the rest of us to get my car. We have to do this because someone has to take Marie into a medical clinic. The three depart much the same way the Fellowship had to split and send Sam and Frodo on to Mordor. We all cry and hug (just kidding).

- Now we try to find a clinic that's open. It's Saturday. Nothing is open. Thankfully we finally find one place that is nearby even. I sent Lola on ahead with the Three so I'm left to find it with my map reading abilities. I take a couple wrong turns. We eventually make it there.

- While at the clinic, Marie says she needs to pee. I say to the receptionist, "Is there a toilet here we can use?" The girls are humiliated.

- Marie gets a shot in her bum. She has cellulitis and possibly even meningitis. As I'm paying the receptionist, Marie talks to her Mom on the phone. Mom starts freaking out because the insurance place is supposed to pay the clinic, not me. I tell her the clinic doesn't deal with insurance places. We have to send in the receipts. Mom doesn't believe me. I call insurance company. They say they'll call the clinic. I tell them they said I have to pay and we send the receipts to you. Insurance person agrees and says, "Okay, we'll send you the forms to mail in the receipts." Simple as that. I forget to ask if medication is covered. I call insurance place back. They confirm it is covered. Away we go to buy drugs.

- While waiting for prescription to be filled I go and get the oil changed. I meet up with them at Subway expecting them to have already gotten the drugs so we can go. After eating I discover they don't have them yet, so we have to go back to the store and pick them up.

- The Three arrive at the hotel in Redding at 9pm with my car. My vehicle still have 4 more tiring hours of driving to do. Thankfully my car is working again...or is it?

All the Things that Went Wrong - Part Four

Day Four - Friday, August 28th

- Amanda doesn't fair well on some of the rides. She goes on Space Mountain. Now she's not feeling so good.

- While waiting to get into the Tiki Room some of the group decide to line up for pineapple smoothies. The doors open and we go inside while they are still in line. Then the doors close. They missed out on such a magnificent show!

- Marie's rash has gotten worse and there's a red swollen area on her ankle. She starts hobbling around.

- Eventually we make the call to once again go to the first aid place to get it checked out. Of all the people on our trip, Marie is the only one who isn't sure about her travel insurance. The nurse says she thinks it's cellulitis. Not good. She wants us to get it checked out right away.

- We try to call Marie's parents but the phone at the first aid place won't work properly. Finally we get them with my cellphone (not the cheapest solution). We wander around for a bit trying to decide what to do. We receive confirmation from Marie's parents they do have insurance. We decide to wait until the next day to go into a clinic. Marie rides around on Chelsea's lap the rest of the night. (So this doesn't sound that bad, but believe me it was super stressful trying to figure out what to do!)

- Realizing I haven't had any alone time this whole trip, and that it's probably going to be a gong show getting to Fantasmic again, I decide to take off on my own. Fantasmic is good, but there is no giant dragon!!! They were working on replacing the old dragon with a new one, but the new one wasn't working quite right. Plus the spot I had was standing room only and my legs were killing me.

- While I was gone, the group got split up between the two parks. Amanda wasn't feeling well so her and Matt went back to the car to rest. She had most of the tickets (because we would collect them to get FastPasses) so not everyone can get into Disneyland. Some of the youth rush to the tram to go to the parking lot to find them. However, they actually hadn't left for the parking lot yet. They just got separated in the crowds. Some of the youth go inside to get seats for Fantasmic, while the others wait for the other tickets to get in. As predicted by me, it is a giant gong show. Eventually I think the other youth did find the ones waiting for Fantasmic, but Matt and Amanda enjoyed the rest of their evening in the parking lot.

- I have a FastPass to go on Space Mountain one last time. While I'm waiting in the corridor, all of a sudden it becomes really quiet. Someone behind me says, "They better not have shut it down." Shortly after a voice comes over the speaker announcing the ride has been shut down for the rest of the night!

All the Things that Went Wrong - Part Three

Day Three - Thursday, August 27th

- We needed to go to the church we were staying at to get the keys. It took us a lot longer to get there than I had anticipated. Traffic was brutal through LA. Finally we made it to the I-5, but that too was backed up. We weren't too far from our exit, so I took an earlier one. Driving through La Habra took so long with all the lights.

- Anaheim experiences its hottest days of the year. Temperatures are around 38 degrees. I sweat profusely.

- Our day at Disneyland went incredibly well, until the evening when Chelsea trips on a curb and slams her knee into the pavement.

- After walking around for a bit I make the call to take Chelsea in to first aid because it's swelling up quite a bit and she is having trouble walking. The group says they'll find seats for Fantasmic while we hobble over to first aid.

- The first aid people want to clean Chelsea's knee, but they need parental consent. You see, Chelsea is the only one under 18. Of all the people on our trip, she is the only one who needs parental consent. Oh guess what? I left all the parental consent forms in the van. Thankfully she calls her mom and gets the permission she needs...for them to simply clean her knee!!!

- Now Chelsea is in a wheelchair the rest of the night. We zip over to Fantasmic to find the others. We're not sure if they have even saved us seats. As we get there I get a text from Shane saying they're waiting for us at first aid. Hey, thanks for letting us know you didn't get seats so we wouldn't have had to race over there through all the crowds and wheelchairing!

- So we missed Fantasmic, but we did get seats for the fireworks. April and Rebecca went to get ice cream. I knew they were cutting it close. The fireworks started and they were nowhere to be seen. After the fireworks they found us.

- Realizing we could use Chelsea in the wheelchair to get onto rides faster, we raced over to Thunder Mountain. You can only take 5 people with a wheelchair person onto the rides so some of us sat back and waited. They were almost on the roller coaster when it got shut down!

- We still had fast passes for Splash Mountain so we raced over there to get one last ride. Just as we get there we discovered it too has been shut down due to mechanical failures.

- By this time it's late and I'm tired so we decide to go back to the church.

- The church has no A/C and it is freaking hot. Oh, and the ceiling fans only work when the lights are on. Genius!

- Shane left to find some food for our breakfast. He doesn't come back for like an hour. The first place he went had nothing good and it took him awhile to find someplace else.

- Just as people are getting ready for bed I hear Marie say, "I've got a rash on my leg." To be continued...

All the Things that Went Wrong - Part Two

Day Two - Wednesday, August 26

- Rather than pulling into McDonalds for breakfast, I pulled into the taco place right beside it. Everyone made fun of me.

- While leaving McDonalds this lady in another car was making funny gestures at me. I rolled down the window to her screaming, "You're going the wrong way! This is one way!!!" I didn't really care. The lane was big enough for 3 cars.

- At noon my vehicle arrived at some small little town on the I-5 for lunch. The other car was about 30 mins behind us. They texted to let me know the oil light had come on AND the engine light was now on as well.

- When they caught up to us we decided to use Chelsea's GPS to find a nearby Toyota dealership. The GPS's name was Lola. Lola told us we had to drive 30 mins back the way we came. After eating lunch that's exactly what we did.

- So we drove back to Manteca, California. As we approached the destination I noticed multiple car dealerships. We were on the right track...until we passed where Lola said to go and saw no Toyota places. So we drove around the block and looked again. Sure enough, Lola had led us astray. There was no Toyota place.

- The nearest Toyota dealership was in Modesto. 30 mins in another direction!

- When we brought the car in, the guys there seemed like idiots. They said it'd be a couple hours before they'd be able to look at it, so we went to Starbucks and waited.

- After 2 hours I got the good news. The VVTi Actuator gear was on its last legs and needed to be replaced. Unfortunately they didn't have that part, but they could get it in tomorrow. We needed to be at Disneyland tomorrow. So we left the car there, rented another one, and away we went. It was 5pm by the time we left. We were supposed to be in Malibu by 5:30!

- We were driving through Fresno when we decided to stop for supper. The other car chose when to get off and I remember thinking in my head, "I hope they choose an okay part of town." Fresno has got some rough areas. We pulled over into Burger King. It was sketcky. Matt even found a crack pipe in the bathroom.

- As we neared the Los Angeles area, Chelsea gave Lola the Houweling's address. Now, there are a lot of things that went wrong in this situation. I can't really explain all the things that were going through my mind, but I didn't trust Lola at this point. Not just because of the Manteca Toyota fiasco, but because I was under the impression the Houweling's address was too new for the GPS to recognize it. Anyways, Lola kept telling me to turn, but we were nowhere near the off-ramp Casey told me to take, so I ignored her.

- We were following the directions Casey gave me, but I made a critical error. On the google map highway 118 turns into 23. But I could see that the 118 continued, except on google maps it wasn't a major highway. After 118 we were to connect onto the 101. If we had continued on the 118 it did connect to the 101 but you would have to backtrack to get to the exit we needed. The 23 also connected with the 101. Okay, this is all really confusing to explain, but logically it made more sense looking at the map that I should follow the 23. I thought that Casey didn't realize the 118 turned into the 23. Alright! This is so complicated, but that actually wasn't the critical error. But these are my thoughts going through my sleep-depraved, stress-ridden, 11pm night driving brain.

- THE critical error happened as we went to connect with the 101. We were on the phone with the Houwelings just as we were coming up to it and I got confused. I could either go North to Ventura or South to Los Angeles. The confusing part was that on the map highway 101 goes East to West! I knew I needed to go West, but I didn't know if it was Northwest or Southwest. Uggh! So we asked for help over the phone and they said, "South to Los Angeles!" Now, that would have been the right direction if we had continued on the 118 and were now hitting the 101, but that is not where we were. The Houwelings did not realize we were on the 23. And so we went South, when we should have gone NORTH!!!

- As we began going South I knew we weren't going in the right direction according to the map, but I thought to myself, "The map must be incorrect because the address is too new." By the way, Lola was completely freaking out at us, because she actually knew the right way to go. The address wasn't too new, as I had been made to believe, and Lola even knew the fastest way to get there, which was to turn way earlier than Casey's directions had said.

- After driving for 20 mins I realized we were way off course and turned around. We made it to the Houwelings at about midnight. It was so ridiculous. If we had followed Lola's directions we would have gotten there at around 10:40. When we told Casey about Lola he said, "Oh yeah, you should have followed her. I've never actually driven here from that direction."

- Estimated time of arrival in Malibu: 5:30pm. Actual time of arrival: Midnight.

- Finally able to fall asleep at around 1am I heard a chime. Shane and I wake up, "Was that a clock or the doorbell?" Pretty odd for the doorbell to be ringing at 1am. Then comes a knock at our door. Shane gets up. There are two police at the door letting us know we've left the lights on on our van!

All the Things that Went Wrong - Part One

To truly appreciate the grad trip I just took my youth on, you must first hear all the misfortunes that befell us along the way...

Day One - Tuesday, August 25th

- I told Marie to meet us at the church at 7:30am. I told everyone else 8am. This is because Marie has a reputation for arriving late. Marie arrives at the church at 7:34. No one is there. She is forced to wait outside 20 mins until someone else shows up.

- The line I chose for the border crossing moved twice as slow as the line beside me. I'm not even exaggerating. It took us probably 30 mins to get across.

- Almost immediately we hit traffic. It took forever to get through it. We hadn't even hit Bellingham yet and we'd left the church 2 hours ago.

- We stopped at Wendy's for some lunch just past Tacoma. Tessa decides to do some handstands outside. Seems harmless?

- The odometer screen on my rental van changes to "4% oil life"

- I pass Shane on the highway. He has just been pulled over for speeding.

- We stop in Roseburg for supper at IHOP. Tessa realizes her wallet is missing. Whilst doing handstands at Wendy's she placed her wallet beside a tree...and left it there.

- Tessa and I find a payphone to solve the oil and wallet situations. Rental company tells me I need to change the oil on their vehicle. Unbelievable. We decide to continue driving and change it on the way back home.

- Tessa tries to find the phone number for the Wendy's, but we have no clue what street it was on. The operator puts her through to the Wendy's in the mall (which we clearly said was not the one we wanted). We find a map in a nearby bookstore and discover it is on Bridgeport rd. and call directory assistance again. They patch us through to the right place, but unfortunately the wallet is nowhere to be seen. Tessa had all her money for the trip in that wallet.

- IHOP is out of chicken strips and tilapia.

- IHOP takes ages to bring our food out. A stop I figured would take 1 hour turns into 2+ hours.

- Shane texts me saying the oil light has come on. Nice joke, Shane.

- No really, the oil light has come on on my car. I thought he was referring to how the rental car needed an oil change. They check the oil and there's plenty. The car sounds fine and isn't getting hot, so I make the decision to keep driving it until Redding.

- Whilst passing a car going down a hill, a pair of headlights come on from the side of the road. I predict I will soon be pulled over. Sure enough the car comes up behind me, follows for awhile, and then on come the lights. I act as innocently as possible, admit I was speeding, and fortunately get off with a warning.

- Estimated time of arrival in Redding: 10pm. Actual time of arrival: 12pm.

The Ghost in the Post - Part Eight

"Hey!" Dan yelled.

"What's your problem??!" The Ghost in the Post replied.

"Where did my last two posts go???"

"Hmmm? I don't have the foggiest clue what you're going on about..."

"I wrote two posts this weekend. One on the rich guy at Subway and the other about GI Joe. Where did they go?!"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because you're the one who always makes my posts disappear and it's really frustrating my readers!"

"Hmm, I thought you didn't believe in me....in any case, I think they might just reappear tomorrow..........."

"Stupid Post Ghost!"