hair

I guess I've decided to say...I cut my own hair. And, man, has it saved us some money. I was forkin' over $12 every month, just for a buzz cut! What a rip-off. I would also buy some really good gel there for $6.50, so I cut that out, too. Ha, ha: I'm so punny. Cheap-o gel at Walmart, and self-cuts at home with my beard trimmer. Surprisingly, it works pretty well. Amy cleans up my rogue neck hairs, but I do the rest, and the trimmer never loses power. ...It's a 5. I just knew you'd want to know what clipper setting that I use. Nosey people. Don't you have anything better to do than find out how my lucious head of hair is managed so easily? Me, either.

lubbock

Whelp, we leave for Lubbock, TX, at four a.m. tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to our time there, but the travel will be a new challenge with a pregnant wife (with our first daughter, Kate) and an almost-9-month-old son, Aidan. The Ogles (Mike & Francy, Amy's parents) will also be going with us, or, better said, we'll be going with them. They rented a nice Crystler Caravan with Stow-n-go storage that we'll be taking to Tejas. Four adults (one pregnant) and one child will be heading out about three hours before the sun rises here. Good thing Mike will be driving. This should be a good trip: spending time with family, enjoying Christmas together, giving and receiving presents; what's there not to like?! We'll be gone a total of 6 days (two traveling, and four firmly planted in wind-strikken Lubbock). Oh, boy, will it be freezing there! We're looking at temperatures in the teens! Time to where two jackets and self-heating long-johns. Okay, I'm not going to go that overboard, but I would like to keep my wife and son warm and unfrost-bitten. We'll see how it goes. This side of the family consists of Amy's mom's side, the Falbos (also including the Sides). It's been a couple years since I've been out there, and I'm looking forward to seeing the family, and welcoming the newest member out there, baby Luke, Amy's newest cousin who's months younger than our son. Pretty cool how that worked out. Good times a-comin'. Merry Christmas!

the man's prayer

This I got from The Red/Green Show that airs on PBS and comes out of Canada.

I'm a man,

And I can change...

If I have to...

I guess.

proposal

I heard today that it is official, my cousin Charles proposed to his girlfriend Allison, and they are now engaged. Go Charles! He proposed at the court house in Prescott. She was cold and had a jacket on that the family provided for her. Her hands were still cold, so Charles told her to put her hands in the pocket that was inside the jacket. To her surprise, while warming her hands, she found the ring. Charles got down on one knee, proposed, and, of course, Allison accepted. What woman could resist a Van Liew man? That's right: no woman could. Allison then said, "It's finally real." Yeah, so she needed jewelry to make his love real. ;-) Women...uh, I'll let that one go. Congratulations, bro-cuz, and God bless your marriage!

no suns tonight

Because of severe weather conditions, the Suns' game against the Denver Nuggets got postponed to a date still to be determined. I am not at all excited about that. I was looking forward to seeing Allen Iverson, fresh into Denver in his first game with the franchise, get pummled by the Suns because he had no idea how to work with this new team yet. Oh, well. The Suns will take on the Washington Wizards at home on Friday. I will be in Lubbock, TX, for Christmas, so I won't be able to see the game, nor will I be able to blog about it, unless I can find some internet connection that doesn't exist at any of our families' houses we'll be staying in. So, until next time, which might just be in a week. GO SUNS!

eighteen and six

The Suns get 15! The record has now been upped by the best Suns team ever put together, in my opinion even better than the 92-93 squad that met the Bulls in the finals, but lost (players included Charles "Sir" Barkley, Kevin Johnson, "Thunder" Dan Majerle, Danny Ainge, Tom Chambers, AC Green, etc). The Suns were able to set this new franchise win-streak record of 15 games by beating the Raptors, 115 - 98. Stat played great tonight, 28 points, as the Raptors had no one to answer him. Six players got in double figures scoring. The Suns had as much as a 27-point lead at one point, but then the Suns bench came out in the fourth quarter as to rest the starters for tomorrow night's game in Denver against the Nuggets (14 - 9, currently ranked 7th in the West) and the newly acquired Allen Iverson. I don't think that it will be a good thing for the Nuggets to have Iverson playing alongside Anthony, but people at ESPN think differently, saying the Nuggets could even now be a championship contender. Carmello got a 15 game suspension because of the brawl with the NY Knicks where all ten players on the court were ejected, tens of thousands of dollars were fined, and some players got suspensions. So, with Anthony out, Iverson will come in as the star and the play-maker, trying to carry the team. The Suns should still be able to win without a problem, as Iverson will still need some time to get himself in the flow of the Nuggets' organization. That would make this win 16 in a row. The only game in the near future that I think we might lose this win-streak on is against the Dallas Mavericks on the 28th. We can do it. GO SUNS!

my buddy & me

Long ago, my parents noticed that I thought the "My Buddy" doll was one of the best things on earth. So, like the good parents they are, they bought me a generic fake cabbage-patch doll for Christmas that they called "Buddy" and passed off to me as the real "My Buddy," at least that's what I thought he was. As you can see, my parents are liars. Okay, they probably just didn't have the $40 or so that it cost back in the mid-1980's, but they still faked me out. I did not ever know they had passed off a fake on me until a couple years ago (I think) when my mom spilled the beans. She thought I had known. ::mumbles under breath:: So, to make up for this falsehood I'd suffered through, my mom finds a real "My Buddy" on eBay or somewhere online, and sends it to me for this Christmas, when I'm 23! A little late, mom. This is what she wrote on the top of the box: "Adam - Sorry that it took me SO long to get this for you! (heart) Yo Mama." As soon as I read that I knew immediately what was in the box. Funny how that works. And after all this, he's just not as cool as I used to think he was. Go fig. THX MOM! I love you. What a good laugh and funny memory made!

Kate's first pics

Say hello to Kate!

my cousin the marine

Charles Phillip Van Liew, my cousin from parents George Charles (Chuck) Van Liew III and Brenda Van Liew, has either proposed to his girlfriend last night or is going to do so today. What a stud! This young man excites me. He loves the Lord, loves his family, loves his country, and is buff on top of it all. What a great lookin' Van Liew man-child! I am blessed to know him, and I look forward to welcoming Allison into the family as a full-fledged, bonafid, card-carryin' member on May 19th, 2007, five days after Kate is due. Should be interesting timing as I am the father of Kate and a groomsman/bro-cuz of Charles. Both events are incredible to me. How the Lord blesses us even while still here on Earth! And that is a common grace, I dare say (questions? it's a theology term...I'd love to talk with you about it...just let me know). The Lord bless you and keep you, Charles!

#2

If you don't know, I've been referring to the blesséd baby that Amy carries right now as #2. For your benefit, and to my great pleasure, I am getting to announce to you the gender of our second child: SHE'S A GIRL! WOOHOO! I thought it, Amy thought it, my dad thought it, my aunt Cyndi thought it, and Bethany just really didn't have a feeling either way. Katelyn Anaya Van Liew (Kate) is due to escape that birth canal on May 14th, 2007, 13 1/2 months after Vaughn Aidan Van Liew III was born. Aidan is a big brother just as I was to a younger sister. What exciting times. The only negative I can think of...we'll have to pay for the wedding! On a teacher's salary? The Lord does incredible things, let me tell you (which I stole from Melissa Hundley, who says that all the time - just go ahead and tell me, Melissa; I'm listening). What a great little (but all too soon larger) blessing to have a baby girl. We are very much looking forward to it. Amy is already thinking about what to paint in the nursery; the thought is pink and brown at this point ("brown goes with anything"). I'll be putting up on here some pictures from the ultrasound soon.

festivus

It is now officially Festivus Break. And Festivus will continue until Aidan is able to pin me for a three-count. Should be years of fun! Okay, just messin' around. If you didn't get it, that is a cite from Seinfeld, a much beloved show for Amy and me. This will be Aidan's first Christmas, though, and we are looking forward to it. Christmas (not Festivus) Break really did begin today, as I finished up my grades, got my room prepared for the spring semester, and shut off the lights. 'Twas a great feeling, when all through the schoolhouse, not a student was whining, not even a louse. Mua-ha-ha, and a bottle of eggnog - the non-alcoholic sort, of course: I mean, Amy's pregnant, four cryin' out loud! Man, I just feel punny right now. Guess it's the eggnog. Again, just kidding. Gotta love getting two weeks off for Christmas (in Lubbock, TX, for us) and New Year's (which we'll be spending at the du Mée's, reference post "du Mée" for more info on them). Merry Christmas!