Category: Bryan’s Blog

All of our kids have been involved in sports since they were 8 years old. The teams were always decent, and often they were very good. I’m used to winning, and I enjoy it.

We’ve participated in Beach Breakers sports for a few years now. It’s a homeschool sports organization that plays in private school leagues in our area. This year I launched a varsity boys volleyball team. Seven of the nine players who came to the boys volleyball evals had never played before. I knew it would be tough to get wins. We went 0 – 9 and didn’t win a set. We lost to last year’s public school state champions 25 -2. We lost to the worst team in our conference in straight sets. There was a lot of losing … and it was so much fun that I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. Continue reading Winning Isn’t Everything

When we had the house fire back in January, insurance gave us the option to move into a rental anywhere we wanted. We were seriously looking at buying a house with some acreage out in Great Bridge, so we saw this as an opportunity to find a rental out there and see how we liked it. We found a house only a few minutes off the bypass. That meant it was pretty easy to get places, and it would just add 10 or 15 minutes to most of our trips. We went for it and signed a 5 month lease.

Continue reading Count the Cost of Living in Great Bridge

Reflecting back on the house fire causes me to once again ponder the Problem of Evil. It’s challenging to look back on horrific events like the Holocaust or the school shootings, and wonder how a loving God could allow that to happen. It is another level of self-reflection when you watch your dad die of cancer, or see your house going up in flames. My Dad was a good man. I’m a decent chap. Why do bad things happen to good people? Continue reading Finding God in the Flames

It was Saturday night around 11pm, January 20th, 2018. We were heading toward bedtime, although Davin was the only one actually asleep. Jaron was in his room, Lianne and I were in our room, Ava was getting ready for bed. The power went out. Jaron noticed it immediately because his gaming computer shut down. His cry of frustration could be heard throughout the house. He and Ava quickly came into our room to ask what was going on. We looked out of our bedroom window and saw that the neighbors had power, which was unusual given that our power was out. There were no high winds or crazy storms in the area either, which was also unusual. So, Jaron and I decided to head to the garage to check on the circuit breaker. He pulled out his phone, flicked it twice to activate the flashlight, and I followed him across the house. He opened the door out to the garage and immediately said, “Dad, this isn’t good. There’s a lot of smoke.”

Continue reading The House Fire

A number of years ago I was changing the oil in our car and decided to change the oil filter as well. It was on so tight that I couldn’t get it off with my hands. Lianne saw me struggling with it and said helpfully, “Maybe you should call Eric, he could probably do it.”

Immediately a rage built inside me. I sputtered, “Eric!! It’s an oil filter! I’m capable of removing an oil  filter. I’m not a dolt. I just need to get one of those filter  remover thingys.”

I stripped the threads on the new oil filter when I tried to put it back on. The process took most of the day. Oil stains marked the driveway where I had toiled away at my task. I made four trips to the auto parts store, but by golly I got it done without any help from Eric, that’s for sure.

Continue reading Man vs Opossum

Our primary vehicle is a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan with 192,000 miles on it. It is starting to show signs of aging. Lianne frequently drives the van around town with only one or two of the kids with her. It isn’t very efficient. Also, Ava just got her learner’s permit, so we will soon have 4 drivers, but only 3 vehicles. It was time to look for a new car. We quickly settled on an electric car of some kind because of the reduced cost of ownership and the lower impact on the environment. After much research, we chose the 100% electric Nissan Leaf. We found a good deal on a 2013 model down in North Carolina and went and picked it up last week. It didn’t take long for the family to fall in love with her and she was christened “Boogie” because “It’s electric.”
Continue reading One Week With a Car Named Boogie

My vacation planning reputation was on the line. Lianne wasn’t enthused, “We are driving 7 hours for a 2 minute experience?”

I admit, I wasn’t sure about it myself. The only thing I had to go one were the first hand accounts of strangers online who had seen a full solar eclipse. They claimed it was momentous, awe inspiring, and a once in a lifetime opportunity. I talked it up with genuine excitement as the trip approached. I dreamed about the eclipse two times. I guaranteed an incredible experience. My vacation planning reputation was on the line before the eclipse trip, and now that we’ve returned, my vacation planning reputation is legendary.

Continue reading Solar Eclipse 2017