Good Morning Grace Rose Monreal

 Dear Grace,

It seems like only yesterday I was writing my first blog post after setting my eyes on you. How can 18 years have passed so quickly? It has been such a good, blessed 18 years that I wouldn't trade for the world! We fought for you to be born strong and healthy and you were. We have been by your side through four pacemaker surgeries and three knee surgeries. We have also been there every time you skinned your knee or scraped an elbow.

You have grown into a strong, godly woman who is set to take on the world. It will be hard to say goodbye to you in less than a year when you venture off to college. As difficult as it is, it will also be a day filled with joy because our little girl has grown up!

Today, on your 18th birthday, I want to tell you how proud of you I am, how much I love you, and how special you are to me! Never, ever question that love and commitment. I will always be for you. I will be by your side cheering you on and rooting for you as you succeed. Before you were born I made a promise that I would never respond with hateful words no matter what happened or what you said. I would only respond by saying, "I love you." 18 years later I can say that I kept my word.

I pray that the Lord gives me another 40 years or more to be on this earth to watch you graduate from college, start a career, get married, and have children of your own. I want to walk you down the aisle on that special day. I want to hold your children and, who knows, maybe even your grandchildren! If, for whatever reason, God has other plans for me just know that this is the intention of my heart.

You are a beautiful young woman. Wait for God's man to come into your life and sweep you off your feet. Every day I had to wait before meeting your mom was worth it because we have been able to spend our lives together and we were privileged to bring you into the world.

Continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Put him first in your life. Seek first his kingdom and righteousness. Remember the words of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. It asks the question, "What is the chief end of man?" To which the answer is, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." There is nothing greater that we can live for! I could go on and on but I will end here for now.

I love you! Happy 18th Birthday!

Your Proud Father

Moving to North Dakota-Volume 2

I know, ya'all were wondering whatever happened to volume 2? I didn't think about how hard it would be to chronicle our move with no real computer access.

Well, my Mac is up and running and I can give you a brief update on how our move has gone. The last you heard we were busy packing the house and getting ready for the movers. The movers came on October 24th and began packing things up and loading them onto the truck. Jenn and the kids went up to her parents' house the day before since it was getting dangerous to have the kids there while we were packing the last of the stuff. No toys, no TV, no comfort.

I was up late the day before packing and woke up early to finish as the movers were loading things onto the truck. After things were loaded I hung out with one of my closest friends for the evening before driving up to Glendora to be with Jenn and the family. It was sad to say goodbye but we had opportunities to see many people and many others came by the house the last few days we were in town.

We had a week between our furniture leaving and our following behind in cars so the family went up to Glendora to visit Jenn’s family and enjoy a week of no responsibilities. We went down to Mexico one last time before moving up to the Canadian Border. One friend of mine said only we would go to Mexico when we have one week left in Southern California!

We finally left for Grand Forks on Thursday, October 30th leaving mid-morning with the intention of staying in St. George Utah that first night. We drove right through the heart of Vegas. I was amazed to see that even the gas station also doubled as a casino. I wouldn't have been surprised to see a slot machine in the bathroom. I'm sure it is only because they haven't figured out sanitation issues or they would have them. Other than getting gas, we didn’t stay in Vegas for too long however. That was our first time in Vegas and I highly doubt I’ll be back there anytime soon.

The second night we stayed in Idaho Falls, ID at a place called Le Ritz. I was afraid the place was going to be a dive but it was an absolutely great hotel with spacious rooms, great service and a wonderful hot breakfast. In fact, both of the first two hotels were great. But our good fortune would not hold out for a third night.

We drove through Idaho and most of Montana. We stayed at a Best Western in the town of Glendive. I would change the spelling of the place to glenDIVE because we did not have a good experience there. As we drove up to the Best Western we were greeted by the Russian Mafia. Perhaps a slight exaggeration but not by much.

There was one door into the place and outside the door were six or eight guys all standing around chain-smoking. They were all rough looking characters and as we approached we could hear that they were all speaking in Russian. Who knew? The cloud of smoke parted enough for us to find the door handled and enter. They kept a really close eye on our vehicles, so much so that when I came back out one of them was scoping out our 4Runner! Maybe he was looking at our California license plate or else he was just checking out our car alarm system.

We had our attack Labrador, Zoe in the back so I wasn’t too worried (yeah, right). We did bring everything in without incident. They had reserved two very nice SMOKING rooms for our convenience. Maybe they just smelled all the smoke on our clothes from walking in the building. We switched that in a hurry. Our rooms were smaller than any other place we have stayed and I thought it was a mistake because of how much they charged us. No refrigerator in the room and barely enough room to put down our luggage. Not fun. We couldn’t wait for morning to come.

We got there so late we needed to get something to eat. Jenn’s dad and I decided to go out and find something open. He decided to drive which was fine with me after having driven for the last 10 hours. We drove around but the only place that was open was a “Taco John’s”. For those of you not from the Midwest, Taco John’s is like Taco Bell. Believe it or not it is actually a chain of “Mexican” food. How Mexican can a restaurant be with the name John. Shouldn’t it be “Juan”?

Two blocks before the restaurant we found the city of Glendive’s main source of income, their speed trap. HALF-way across the bridge the speed changes from 45 to 35 MPH and then to 25 MPH as the bridge ends. One of Glendive’s finest was kind enough to pull us over and give us a $65.00 reminder. He actually pulled us over as we were pulling into Taco John’s. We had to pay cash because we were from out of town and they were afraid that they wouldn’t get their money if we did it by mail. The mayor has to eat, ya know.

I needed change so I walked to the drive through of Taco John’s to break a $20. The cop didn’t carry change with him or it has been a busy night. We finally paid the ticket and drove to the drive through after that 20-minute ordeal. By this time it was 10:05 PM. You guessed it, Taco John’s closed at 10:00! We ended up going to a gas station to buy food. Needless to say, I drove.

The last day of driving was beautiful and uneventful. We only got separated once the entire drive but it was 45 minutes before arriving in Grand Forks when we were going to Wal Mart in Fargo. Good old Wal Mart, or as I call it, “My second home.” We were out of diapers, wipes and milk (nothing important).

We finally got to Grand Forks, got the keys to the house and saw it for the first time. Did I mention that we bought the house off the Internet. Okay, not exactly but that’s too long of a story to get into now. It really was the first time we were seeing our new house for the first time. But we absolutely love it so no complaints there. It wasn’t organized enough for us to stay there so we all stayed at a local hotel. This was one we’ve stayed at before so it wasn’t an issue.

Grace loves popcorn. That may seem random but she was asking for popcorn for hours so I bought some microwave popcorn for the hotel. The only thing worse than burnt microwave popcorn is burnt microwave popcorn in a small, enclosed place with no ventilation! We thought we were going to end up evacuating the hotel there was so much smoke. If anyone from the hotel reads this I’d suggest you check your smoke detectors.

Later that night I awoke feeling very nauseous. I figured it was the microwave popcorn smell lingering in the room. But in the morning I felt even worse, achy and feverish. I told Jenn to take the kids to breakfast as I didn’t feel well enough to go. Shortly after she left my body decided it wanted to return all the food I had eaten for a refund. We thought it was food poisoning (from the gas station in glenDIVE perhaps or the sandwiches we bought at Wal Mart). But apparently I had caught a stomach fu.

I was sick from Monday through Friday, Grace got sick on Friday and was better by Sunday night and Jenn got sick on Friday night and was felling better by Monday. Alexander managed to miss the entire thing! Strange that the kid who picks up random things off the floor and puts them into his mouth is the only one not to get sick!

Well, that’s about it other than unpacking our home and office. With all the illness things have been slow going but the church ahs been absolutely wonderful bringing over meals every night of the week and volunteering to help us unpack. Now that everyone is healthy we should be able to finish the last of the boxes.

Sorry for the long delay before finishing the story but I hope that you had a few chuckles and enjoyed the story of our journey. By the way, sorry Chuck for your speeding ticket. I would have driven.

Moving to North Dakota-Volume 1

We're packing up the kids and moving to Grand Forks, ND!
I thought I would chronicle our move from San Diego to Grand Forks, North Dakota for you, our family and friends.

On a day here in San Diego where it was in the mid-90’s inland I received an email to make sure I check with the National Weather Service as several of the roads through the mountains were closed due to snow, SNOW! Talk about a quick reality check.

We began packing today and I have about half of my office already in boxes and hope to finish with that tomorrow. We also have friends coming over to help us pack tomorrow so we should get a good jump on it. One of the things that always runs through a person’s mind when he is packing is that now would be a good time to get rid of some of that useless stuff that you have acquired over the years. All I can say to that is, “Yeah, right.”

Mind you, I have every intention myself of doing that and have divested myself of many things over the years as I have moved from apartments to condos or condos to a house but it seems that the stuff just multiplies faster than you can give it away. I recall throwing out all of my neon clothes from the 80’s only for it to be replaced with equally trendy and later discarded clothes from the 90’s. Now, it is close to the end of the first decade of the 21st century and I’m going through my clothes again. Why do they look similar to the stuff I threw out in the 80’s? Hmm.

We’ve done a few things over the last month in preparation for our move. We have visited both Jenn’s parents in Glendora and my parents in Waukesha, WI. By the way, I ended up on the evening news while I was up there (boy, that was a loaded statement). Seriously, click here to read the transcript and watch the actual video. It was a “man on the street” interview about some vandalism that was occurring in the area. I told them I was from California just visiting my parents before moving to North Dakota. If you listen carefully they never say I actually live there. Tricky. At first I thought they lied.

Anyway, we also took the kids to Disneyland (for three full days!) with special “Southern California Special” tickets. That was a lot of fun for a day. We also went up to Julian, CA for a few days at a Bed and Breakfast in a small mining town in the mountains to celebrate Jenn’s “29th birthday.” It was Apple Harvest time so we enjoyed fresh baked pie along with wonderful food and quiet strolls through the town.

A few weeks ago I celebrated my 40th birthday party and was reminded not to give a one year old a piece of cake and turn your back for a minute. Turning 40 was no big deal actually. I didn’t have any existential experiences or profound realizations of my mortality. We had about 40 people over to the house (the number was purely coincidental) and had a great time celebrating. It was interesting watching some of my younger friends in their 20’s hanging out with people in their 70’s and 80’s but everyone had a good time. What made it extra special was having one of my closest friends in the world who was my Best Man at our wedding fly out to celebrate the day with us. If you read this Jason, thanks for celebrating another decade with me!

Well, that’s enough of a rambling blog for the night. I’ll throw some pictures up as we pack for the move and give you the blow by blow of all the action. We have movers this time so maybe I won’t break a bone like I did on one of our previous moves…maybe.

You're Moving Where?!?

Seriously friends, that isn't a misprint or typo! Jenn, the kids and I are moving to Grand Forks, ND.

Okay, now that I have your attention, what in the world is going on?

For the last year Jennifer and I have been praying and seeking the Lord's will for our future in life and ministry. After much consideration we both sensed that it was time to consider if the Lord was leading us in a new direction. With much prayer and godly counsel we began sending our resume out and listening to the various ministry opportunities that might be available for us.

I honestly can't begin to tell you how many different places from around the country that I began to receive contacts from. We heard from here in California to Virginia. We were contacted by churches in Arkansas and Wisconsin, Texas and Washington. But with each one we wanted to make sure that it was a place that would feel like home and that we could use our gifts and abilities to the greatest.

About mid-March I received a call from a gentleman who asked me if I would ever consider ministering in North Dakota. As I talked I quickly did a google search to see where that state was (just kidding I aced geography in 4th grade). I told him that we were open to wherever the Lord would call us. This began a long dialog with a church in Grand Forks, ND called Faith Evangelical Free Church. If you click on the link you will be taken to their webpage for more information.
We had the opportunity to meet with the leadership many times over the phone and in person. During the months the Lord continued to close the doors or lead away from every other opportunity that presented itself. Finally, in August we flew out there to formally candidate for the position. It was a wonderful weekend where we met many gracious people and a great leadership team already in place.

So what's the plan? We will continue our ministry here in El Cajon, CA through October 5, 2008 then we will begin the process of packing up and moving across country. No, we won't be traveling by covered wagon! We are excited about the future and all that God is going to do in our lives and how He will work through us in the years ahead.

Jenn is bracing herself to face the cold winters but with so many warm hearts in the congregation we see the weather as a non-issue (although it's funny how often people from Grand Forks bring it up?!?). Keep looking here for updates and the saga of our moving experiences. It is our hope that we will be able to spend time with many of our family and friends in the weeks leading up to our move so please take the opportunity to give us a call or drop by for a visit.

Well, that's about the biggest bombshell I think I've dropped on the blog page in a while. Thanks for reading this rambling post and I look forward to hearing from you in the days ahead.

With Love,

Dave and Family

Update on my Mom's Surgery

Dear Friends,

Last Thursday my mother began experiencing pain in her chest and after debating for most of the day decided to go to the hospital. Test on Friday revealed that she had not had a heart attack YET but would certainly have a catastrophic one within the next three months if she did not have surgery.

On Monday afternoon she went in for a triple bypass surgery at Waukesha Memorial Hospital and it was a complete success! This is rated as the best heart hospital in Wisconsin and the surgeons are top notch. She was in ICU for just under 48 hours following the surgery and is now in the cardiac care unit of the hospital.

The doctors have been extremely positive about the surgery and her full recovery. Because they caught it before she had a heart attack they said her heart is structurally sound. The doctor commented that she has the heart of a 16 year old and he wished all his patients hearts looked this good. I hope she passed those genes onto me!

It looks like she will be in the hospital until Saturday or perhaps Sunday and then will be recovering at home. Other than a minor setback today she has done amazingly well and I appreciate all the prayers from everyone who has hear about her situation.

Thanks again for all your love and prayers.

Sincerely,

Dave

Parents' 60th Anniversary and Indiana Vacation

Where do people who live in sunny, southern California go on vacation? I mean, we have the beach, the mountains, the city, and a foreign country all within a 45 minute drive in any direction. In addition we have LA, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Malibu, Universal Studio Citywalk and Disneyland. We go to Wisconsin and the Amish country of Indiana!

Actually, the main reason we went was to celebrate my parents' 60th wedding anniversary but since we were flying all the way out there we figured we should make a vacation of it and visit my best friend and his wife. The farm country of of Indiana was so peaceful and quiet. No homeless people wandering the streets, there wasn't the incessant police sirens, and we didn't have to worry about walking down the street and getting hit up for money. Also, we didn't see a lot of tagging and gang activity. What a change from El Cajon where our church got tagged on Easter morning!

Here are a few pictures of our trip.

This is a fun shot of Grace. She wears headphones and watches movies on my iPod when we fly. A few Disney movies sure make for a more pleasant four hour plane ride!


These are some fun pictures we took the last week in April while we were getting ready to travel to Wisconsin for my parents' 60th wedding anniversary. They love each other so much and enjoy each other so much. I hope they stay like this when they are teenagers!


These are a few pictures of my parents with the kids. My parents were married on May 1, 1948 and just celebrated 60 years of marriage together. It was a great time to see family and spend time together. I'm the youngest of eight kids and together my parents have 17 grandkids and 9 great-grandchildren!


One of the days we were up in Wisconsin the clouds clear away and we were able to go to the park. This is the same park that my parents took me when I was a kid so it was fun to watch the kids play and have fun.


Alexander is such a big boy! It is crazy how much he has grown in just nine months. He was a premie but he has blown by all the growth charts and is actually on the big side for his age. It's crazy how quickly they grow up.


On our way down to Indiana we stopped to visit a great friend of ours, Alex Mrakovich. Alex was in my youth group when I was in Lombard and I had the chance to watch him grow up. He is a junior in college now and has a dynamic walk with the Lord. He is the young man that our son is named after.


Jenn, the family and I spend a week in the middle of Amish country visiting Jon and Julie Dingeldein and their families. Jon and Julie are godparents to Grace and is one of my best friends. What was cool is that our son is named Alexander Jonathan after Alex above and Jon shown in these pictures. Alexander had a chance to spend time with both of them on the same day last Sunday.


These are just a few of the cool shots that we took on vacation. It's funny that this is one of the few pictures I have of the whole family together. On most trips I'm stuck behind the camera.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and always feel free to comment. If you want any of the pictures, click on them which will take you to the full size photo, then right click on your mouse and hit "save photo as" and you should be able to download them to your desktop or a file.

A Few New Pics

This is a picture of Alexander with the young man that he was named after. Alexander Mrakovich was a young kid in the church In Lombard, IL. where I served as youth pastor. He impressed me with his love for the Lord, his passion for truth and his joy of life. I've had the privilege of watching him grow up to be a man of God who leads worship at his college and has a desire for ministry. There are very few young men I respect as much as Alex. Jenn and I both liked the name and thought it would be meaningful to name him after Alex as he remains a dear friend to us to this day.


This is Alex's first bites of solid food. He has since graduated to green vegetables. It is hard to beleive that he is six months old this week!


Alex savors a mouthful of something other than milk. Now the possibilities are endless!


Some close friends of ours have blessed us with season passes to the San Diego Zoo. This picture was taken a few days before the tiger attack up north. I think we'd think twice next time we visit. Someone had a dog with him which set the lions off to pacing. Scary!


Yes, I am out of my gourd. (Yes, I also write my own jokes.)


Huh? What's over there? I can't see. Drat, I can't even crawl yet.


Princess Grace. Talk about a girly girl. She loves to dress up in princess dresses, complete with high heals, earrings, and a tiara.


This is Alex and Grace at Christmas. She loves her little brother. She wants to hold him all the time. I hope it stays that way.


This is Alex with Grandpa Monreal up in Wisconsin over Christmas. He is so wonderful with kids. Alex and Grace really love him.


Grace waits patiently as Grandma Monreal opens her gift. If she doesn't do it quickly Grace is sure to help.


Grace has absolutely no idea what Daddy is doing out side. What is all that white stuff falling down? Obviously we weren't in San Diego when this was taken.


Grace was ready to go outside and join me in the snow. Why is snow so much fun when you are a kid and such a pain as an adult?


Two diehard Green Bay Packer fans. There will always be next year (Favre, please come back).


A few fun-filled moments with Grandma and Grandpa. They love their new grandson.


Alex is perpetually amazed at every new object. Here he is fascinated with a few of his Christmas gifts.


Alex is one happy baby. In fact, both Grace and Alex were joyful, laughing children. What a blessing.


This final shot was taken in Lombard at a restaurant called Ed Debevic's. They specialize in insulting the people who patronize their place. Only in Chicago!

Well friends, that is a few recent pictures of family and friends and gives you a little insight into our life. I want to thank all of you who continue to check up on us and read our blog page. Some of the stuff consists of my ranbling streams of consciousness.

By the way, the church recently put up a webpage. (You can now download my sermons at www.cccelcajon.com) Check it out sometime. We'll be posting two to three sermons a week until we are caught up.