Presidents and parents

Yesterday we bid farewell to our parents Pat and Dale. We were sad to see them go, but we had a great time hanging out with them for the past two weeks. We miss them a lot and are happy for the times we get to spend with them. Thanks for the great banana bread Pat!
As seen on an earlier post, while they were here, we actually got some snow. Snow is fairly rare in our immediate surroundings, so people don't just settle for regular snowmen, as evidenced by this picture, taken in our neighborhood.

Snow and lights gone wild

Today we had snow and I got this link from my friend Mitchell. You have to download the video.

Lights, lights, lights!!

Canada

Last week I went to Canada for a youth pastor's summit. Another local NAB Pastor and I were roommates. We stayed at a beautiful resort and were given training in the new Sonlife "Enroute" program. I got a whole box of Wunderbars!!

Seahawks and snow!

This post comes from the great white north. I am at an NAB Youth Summit in Kananaskis Alberta. Nichole was able to go to a Seahawks game yesterday with Joanne Clarke, a woman from our church. I have never had the opportunity go to and NFL game, so I was very jealous, but I know Nichole had a great time.

VW Journal

I keep a journal of my volkswagen bus with maintenance I have done, philosophical thoughts, and general "bus-y" type things. This was Wednesday's entry. "The more I drive my bus, the more I realize that owning a Volkswagen promotes enjoying the journey rather than getting quickly to the destination. It hit close to home today, as on my way to my retreat, I was passed by a Geo Metro. America's only 3 cylinder automobile."

Life

It has been a long time since any of the Gruber family has posted to the blog. Much has happened since we sold the Winky. We have been to Sacramento for a Youth Specialties Conference, Portland to hang out with Rick and Annie Weber and had our friend Mitchell stay with us. We are very busy and looking forward to some days ahead when we think our schedule is not as busy.

Farewell friend

On September 23, a great friend of the Gruber family went to be with someone else. We sold our 88 Ford Tempo, affectionately called, "Winkie." Please pause for a moment of silence in memory of all the great memories Winkie has given us.

Parents for a week

This week Nichole and I are staying with two students from the youth group whose parents went on vacation to California. So far there haven't been any major problems, and we are having a great time. They have a miniature Schnauzer named "Holly," so Nichole is extra happy. I am also preaching on Sunday, and would appreciate your prayer.

Oops, now my key works.

Project #1 on the bus is complete. The driver door could not be unlocked from the outside. I took off the door panel, oiled the pivots and now it locks and unlocks like new. I also cleaned off the dead head stickers. Check out the picture pages for some more detailed photos of the bus and the other project I accomplished today. Troy Bass helped me build shelves in the garage.

Let there be light, or John the tool-man Gruber

Today I installed new light fixtures in our kitchen. We purchased them at IKEA and they changed the look and feel of our kitchen tremendously. Here are the before and after pictures.

Labor Day

We have a tradition on Labor Day that the staff of CCBC and their families do something fun together. This year we played frisbee golf at Riverside Park and ate pizza at Farelli's Pizza. We celebrated Cindy Junkert's birthday and ate some delicious brick-oven-roasted pizza.

Our New Bus

This came home yesterday on a trailer in the pouring rain. Everything is in good condition and the motor just has one small oil leak. Nichole and I can't wait to fix it up and take it camping.

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A date in Yelm

Nichole and I went out for dinner and to a movie tonight. We headed south to the small town of Yelm. The drive is about 25 miles and there are no traffic headaches, unlike those on South Hill. We ate at Casa Mia and then watched March of the Penguins at the Yelm Cinemas. The movie chronicled a year in the life of the Emperor penguins. They are amazing little birds. The movie was very good, and the baby penguins peaking out from under their fathers were very cute.

Mac Desktops

My good friend and fellow Mac lover Mitchell Scott pointed me in the direction of this website. Check it out for some sweet desktops. Thanks Mitch.
Mac Desktops

Orcas Island

Here is a small preview of our trip. This is looking toward Mt. Rainier from the hike up to Mt. Constitution. I will be updating on Monday with a full report and pictures in our gallery.

Golf

On Monday afternoon, Carl, Nichole, Mike Taylor and I all went golfing at Lipoma Firs. I shot a 58, and Lance helped me with my swing beforehand. I definitely see mountain biking as my outdoor sports passion, but it is fun to go golfing every once in a while.

Nichole's birthday presents

Nichole received some birthday presents as her birthday was this past Wednesday. She received a pair of really cool Keen sandals, a mountain biking outfit, a satchel and this great piece of art from Debra Bauslaugh. Debra hand-made this.

Leavenworth and Creation

From July 23-25, Nichole and I went to Leavenworth, Washington. We stayed with the Gibson Family in their Trendwest time share. On Monday we tubed down the Wenatchee River and had a great time. We also ate some great German food.

We then came home for a day, did some laundry, bought some food and headed back out on the road. This adventure was a trip with the youth group to the Creation Music Festival at the Gorge Amphitheater in Central Washington. We saw some great Christian musicians and speakers. My favorite performance was by Phil Keaggy who is an unbelievable guitar player. Nichole enjoyed the myriad of worship times while we sat overlooking the Columbia River

Nichole is now doing her two week guard service at the Fitness Center on McChord Air Force Base. Her name tag claims that she is a fitness specialist. Today, all the units had a sport/fitness day and played all sorts of sports. Nichole competed in dodgeball and softball. Her softball team took third place. She has also taken the job as the afternoon secretary for CCBC and will begin working the Tuesday after Labor Day.

I am preparing for the fall youth schedule and continue to enjoy biking. Today I biked to church.

First Commute

I rode my bike to church today for the first time. It was about 65 degrees and cloudy. I rode 8.1 miles and it took me 35 minutes. The ride was great, except I forgot my iPod at church, so I didn't have any tunes. Body count: 4 Possums and 1 crow.

One Thousand Mile Quest

I want to ride a thousand miles by the end of this calendar year. Since June 10 I have logged 175 miles. Once Nichole starts working at church I plan on riding every morning, which will significantly increase my weekly mileage. They just chip sealed the roads around our house so road riding feels very offroad-like right now.