Man I love me some John Denver
It has been quite awhile since I told you what is going on with Polly and I. So here we go...
We've gotten settled in to our apartment nicely. After cooking with a headlamp, sleeping on camp beds, and having to look at a wall full of star wars posters for 3 weeks; we bought a nice bed off of craisglist, got our kitchen light fixed, and our wall tapestry from urban outfitters arrived to cover up yoda (I was just thankful that Jabba-the-hut wasn't on a poster).
Meanwhile.
Polly and I hiked out the the ice caves at the Mendenhall Glacier and had us a nice little pick nick.
We went kayaking with our dear friend Mary.
We built a fire on sandy beach and watched a beautiful sunset.
We hung out with Josh, Kyle, and our new friend Ann on the docks at Auk Bay
We have packaged and sold too many bars of soap to count.
We got to hangout with Scott when he came to Juneau and stayed a couple of nights with us.
And lately we've been doing some salmon fishing.
This week we have been working a lot more than usual because Mrs. Pat and Mr. Jimmie took their youth group on a mission trip to Palmer, AK.
I am looking forward to getting out into some nature more in July because we have just gotten used to our apartment and work routine.
It has been such a blessing for us to be here. We have experienced a lot of stress relief and a nice break from lives of business and being pulled in many different directions at the same time. Nowadays, work pulls me 6 blocks down the hill from my apartment 5 days a week, and the only other pull I feel is nature. The good thing about nature in Alaska during the summer is that I've got an 18 hour window of time to see to it everyday.
I really really wish you (yes you, whoever you are) would come up here and experience life in Juneau with us.
To finish out this blog, I want to tell you about something that happened yesterday...
A friend of mine and Polly's stopped by the soap shop yesterday and told us about a conversation that she had with one of her co-workers. The co-worker asked our friend, "Do you really believe all of it (the Bible)?"
"yes"
"really?"
"yes"
"all of it?"
"yes!"
That made me smile.
So
Do you really believe all of it?
really?...All of it?
If you don't know whether you do or not, and you want to talk about it. Shoot me an email at andygrass100@gmail.com
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Tyrus Lamar Pendergrass
Blog readers, I apologize for the lengthy gaps in my blogs lately. There is just so much life to live in Juneau, and we don't have our own internet in our apartment. I would love to update you on what has been going on with Polly and I, but today is a special day that calls for a special blog.
Today is June 19, 2011 - Father's Day
As I was sitting and thinking about my Dad in church this morning in Juneau at 11am, my Dad was probably at my brother Jeremy's house in Ruston, LA hanging out with Jeremy, Emery, Luke, my mom, and Emery's fam at what would be 2pm his time.
Man I really wish that I could have been there to give my Dad a hug.
I like hugging my Dad, but sometimes his glasses are hanging from around his neck and I'm afraid that they are going to break when our chests meet.
Anyway, I take my Dad for granted. Always have.
I thought about how tons of sons don't worry about breaking their Dad's glasses when they hug him because they never hug him. Some wouldn't even know their dad if he was in the same room with them. And some would rather give their dad a firm handshake and a weak smile because their relationship was never one where love was shown. Yes, some sons would probably rather take a swing at their dad than hug him.
Hugging my Dad isn't the only thing I like about him though. Oh no, I could make a huge list. So, I will just stick to the things that I like about him most.
My dad has always been available. It has been such a blessing for my whole family that my dad's job has allowed him to be available and present whenever we need him. Even though I'm willing to bet that it's not always super convenient for him. I always thought that it was awesome that he could be at all of my baseball games in high school (they began at 2 or 3 in the afternoon and he worked til 5 but he would take off). That was really cool, and he was always noticeable in the crowd because he wore a wide brimmed hat to keep the sun off of his neck. I have never told him that I liked that, but I really liked it a lot.
My Dad has always pushed me to do things that are honorable, respectable, and purposeful. I can't say that I've always done those things. Actually, I don't think I could say that I've often done those things, but I probably would have never done anything that had those characteristics if my dad didn't always advise my towards them(no wonder he is good at his job). One thing that is true for as long as I can remember is that Dad has been a good role model for doing things that are honorable, respectable, and purposeful.
My Dad's love for me doesn't have a limit. He has been upset with me a lot, mad at me a lot, disappointed with me a lot. But he has never abandoned his post as a loving father. He has been patient with me a lot, prayed for me a lot, and worked things out for me a lot.
Dad has never ceased to be interested or involved in my life. He wants the best things for me and now Polly as well.
I have never ever EVER needed anything that my dad wouldn't either provide me with or help me get.
I am so thankful for my father.
Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
I desire to honor my father and my mother, and I aim to do so by not departing from the way they trained me to go.
The blessing of having a father like mine should not go unnoticed by his son. There have been a bunch of times when I have not obeyed my dad and didn't listen to him. Probably every kid does his own thing sometimes (maybe not quite as much as I do), but it doesn't negate the things I have learned from Dad.
there are plenty of things that my Dad has taught me by the way he lives his life that I have chosen to follow after and duplicate in my own life.
Dad emailed me and Jeremy and Tristan the other day to thank us for something, and at the end of the email he told us that we had grown into fine men.
I cannot even express how deeply that pleased my soul.
My whole life I've heard people call me grandfather and my dad fine men. It always made me so proud to be their son and grandson.
So, for my dad to call me a fine man is not a small compliment to me. It is a huge affirmation that encourages me!
So obviously, this blog goes out to my Dad.
Thanks Dad. I love you.
Today is June 19, 2011 - Father's Day
As I was sitting and thinking about my Dad in church this morning in Juneau at 11am, my Dad was probably at my brother Jeremy's house in Ruston, LA hanging out with Jeremy, Emery, Luke, my mom, and Emery's fam at what would be 2pm his time.
Man I really wish that I could have been there to give my Dad a hug.
I like hugging my Dad, but sometimes his glasses are hanging from around his neck and I'm afraid that they are going to break when our chests meet.
Anyway, I take my Dad for granted. Always have.
I thought about how tons of sons don't worry about breaking their Dad's glasses when they hug him because they never hug him. Some wouldn't even know their dad if he was in the same room with them. And some would rather give their dad a firm handshake and a weak smile because their relationship was never one where love was shown. Yes, some sons would probably rather take a swing at their dad than hug him.
Hugging my Dad isn't the only thing I like about him though. Oh no, I could make a huge list. So, I will just stick to the things that I like about him most.
My dad has always been available. It has been such a blessing for my whole family that my dad's job has allowed him to be available and present whenever we need him. Even though I'm willing to bet that it's not always super convenient for him. I always thought that it was awesome that he could be at all of my baseball games in high school (they began at 2 or 3 in the afternoon and he worked til 5 but he would take off). That was really cool, and he was always noticeable in the crowd because he wore a wide brimmed hat to keep the sun off of his neck. I have never told him that I liked that, but I really liked it a lot.
My Dad has always pushed me to do things that are honorable, respectable, and purposeful. I can't say that I've always done those things. Actually, I don't think I could say that I've often done those things, but I probably would have never done anything that had those characteristics if my dad didn't always advise my towards them(no wonder he is good at his job). One thing that is true for as long as I can remember is that Dad has been a good role model for doing things that are honorable, respectable, and purposeful.
My Dad's love for me doesn't have a limit. He has been upset with me a lot, mad at me a lot, disappointed with me a lot. But he has never abandoned his post as a loving father. He has been patient with me a lot, prayed for me a lot, and worked things out for me a lot.
Dad has never ceased to be interested or involved in my life. He wants the best things for me and now Polly as well.
I have never ever EVER needed anything that my dad wouldn't either provide me with or help me get.
I am so thankful for my father.
Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
I desire to honor my father and my mother, and I aim to do so by not departing from the way they trained me to go.
The blessing of having a father like mine should not go unnoticed by his son. There have been a bunch of times when I have not obeyed my dad and didn't listen to him. Probably every kid does his own thing sometimes (maybe not quite as much as I do), but it doesn't negate the things I have learned from Dad.
there are plenty of things that my Dad has taught me by the way he lives his life that I have chosen to follow after and duplicate in my own life.
Dad emailed me and Jeremy and Tristan the other day to thank us for something, and at the end of the email he told us that we had grown into fine men.
I cannot even express how deeply that pleased my soul.
My whole life I've heard people call me grandfather and my dad fine men. It always made me so proud to be their son and grandson.
So, for my dad to call me a fine man is not a small compliment to me. It is a huge affirmation that encourages me!
So obviously, this blog goes out to my Dad.
Thanks Dad. I love you.
Monday, June 6, 2011
God Bless America
Whewww we are glad to be back in the United States of America.
Don’t tell any Canadians you know, but I am not a fan of their country. I don’t think Polly is too fond either. They can have their metric system. We’ll do just fine with our miles, inches, yards, pounds, and gallons.
Ok. Some things in Canada are cool like the Canadian Rockies and all the wildlife that tends to hangout on the Al-Can highway.
But Alaska is so much better….Ok so I’m mostly happy to be back in the US because things aren’t as expensive and I can use American dolla-dolla bills yall again.
So a quick update: Polly and I camped out by a frozen lake last night at Summit Lake Campground along the Al-Can Highway. I’d tell you where it is located but all I could say is the longitude and latitude. No civilization for miles. It was a lot of fun for us-our first campout together as married people. Oh, and it didn’t get dark until midnight.
Yesterday (Saturday) we drove the rest of the way to Skagway and stayed in the Skagway Home Hostel which still smells the same as it did two years ago….soupy
Polly and I are on the ferry from Skagway to Juneau right now! Aren’t you so excited? We just saw Polly’s first whale! Oh yeah, we did end up seeing tons of cool animals yesterday on the last leg of our drive.
Black Bear: 14
Elk: 8
Caribou(tay): 2
Moose: 2
Buffalo: 10
Bald Eagle: 1
Pretty cool stuff for a couple of yahoos from Louisiana.
So this afternoon/tonight we are planning on hanging out with Josh and Kyle. Funny story, when we were leaving the hostel in Skagway this morning, we saw “Thanks from Bunkie, LA” written on the white board in the kitchen. Definitely Josh’s handwriting.
It is so weird to be 4000 miles from home, but have some home waiting for you at your destination.
Speaking of home
When we got into Skagway and all the cruise ships were docked, I felt this odd sense of being home. I think a combo meal of being back in the USA and seeing things that I remembered so vividly from last time made me feel that way. Then the realization that I am home for now hit me. Polly and I don’t have a dwelling except for the one we are moving in to on Tuesday (326 4th Street. Juneau, AK 99801. mail us something). We are our own family unit. Wherever we go together to reside is home for us. It’s a really different feeling than anything else I’ve felt.
I am thankful that God has brought us to this place. I am also thankful to have a wife who had the guts to make this move with me, and we are both thankful to have families that support us like they do.
The world is smaller than you think. Get out there and see it.
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