a game of settlers

Settlers of Catan has got to be my favorite board game of all time, maybe my favorite game overall. I got invited over to Justin Kary's folks' house last night for a game, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity. First, I got to hang out with Justin and Tim (Davis) who were my guys in discipleship in the student ministries at ncc until Tim graduated last year and Justin this. This game turned into a 3.5 hour game. I didn't get home until almost 10pm and I had left around 4:15pm (I'm sorry, Amy). We had a great time playing and goofing around. I would love to have times like that with any of my guys, I mean, the men-who've-now-graduated-high-school (too long of a title?). And, yes, I won (w00t!). It was a long game, slow at times, but the wit around the table kept things interesting. I very much enjoyed myself in their company. If you've never seen Settlers, then below is just a visual taste of the game for you to take in. Maybe you and I should play some time (btw, Amy normally beats me).

These are resource cards that help you build items to increase your points which helps you win.

These are Development Cards from the original game. They are also used with the first expansion to the game, Sea Fairers, but not the third, Cities & Knights.
The Longest Road is used in all three expansions. If you have the longest road, you get two victory points toward your normal goal of 13. The most common ways to get victory points are through building settlements and cities.
This card displays all of the building costs for the original game. There are different things to build on top of these once you reach the Cities & Knights expansion (which is what Justin, Tim, their friend Nathan and I played).
This is Sea Fairers, an expansion to Settlers which includes more water hexes and shipping lanes to add to the Longest Road.

van's rv trailer company

Over 50 Years of Service (I took this straight from the Van's RV website. The things I added in to give you more of an idea of how much the family is involved is in parentheses and is bold.)

It all began with a prescription for health and sunshine for a young Michigan man (my great grandfather, George Canon Van Liew, Sr.). At the encouragement of his doctor, he brought his wife and three sons (my grandfather, George Charles Van Liew, Jr.; and my two great uncles, David Van Liew and Paul Van Liew - Paul works at Van's still) to warm Arizona to begin a new venture in the growing community of the Valley of the Sun. Becoming a pioneer in recreational vehicles in this area, he began a family business (Van's RV Trailer Company) which has served Arizona for 53 years (begun in 1954). Now, years later, we still follow the doctors [sic] prescription for health and sunshine, and additionally the prescription (from our LORD God) for good will and honest dealings with our thousands of customers. We are still a family business, including third generation participation (including my uncle George Charles Van Liew, III, or simply Chuck; my first cousin once removed, Todd Van Liew - Paul's son; and my first cousin once removed-in-law, Kevin Plummer) and have maintained doctor's orders to serve our many friends with fair prices, honest dealings and ongoing award-winning service. May we prescribe to you the good fortune of visiting our dealership with the expectation that you will benefit greatly from the experience and relationship we offer. Our records affirm that we will serve you well. (Whelp, that's my family's business. I didn't even know they had a website until this morning. If you're looking for a trailer, check out Van's RV, located in Suprise, AZ.)

helpin' larry

Larry Van Liew, my uncle, my dad's next oldest brother by 15 months, is an RV repair and handyman. He is really good at what he does; he's quick and knowledgeable. I am not. I am slow and don't know tools. But, I was still asked to come help him yesterday put some metal siding on an RV he was repairing. These pieces of metal were around 30 ft. long. He also had me pick up his daughter Ashley's boyfriend, Tyler, since he is a tall (about my height, 6'2") 15 year old and could help us with the long length. So we helped Larry from 1pm until 3pm out at Van's RV (even though Larry doesn't work for Van's, since it's family owned, he can use space on the lot when needed). It wasn't really that long, just 2 hours, but man was that sun unkind. It must have been around 110 degrees F, and we were in the sun working. The sun was hot, the metal was hot, and we were hot. If you want to make "hot" mean "good looking," by all means, go right ahead, but that's not what I meant. Larry always takes care of his works, and I appreciate that. God has enabled him to be the man he is and to do the work he does, and he does it well. He loves the LORD and leads his family that direction, as well. I am proud of my family.

the wheel of time

For anyone who loves fantasy books, Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series is a must read. You would need to be secure in your understanding of God's truth in Christ being the only way and that reincarnation and a "One Power" are not realities, but Jordan brings these stories to life in like manner with JRR Tolkien. The first five books' covers are below. I have now read four of the series, and just started the fifth: The Fires of Heaven. There are twelve books in all, that is, right now. And I don't think the story has ended yet. I'll have to see when I get there (in four years!). I do read slowly, but these are well written enough for my time.

It took me a long time, but I finished The Eye of the World in 2005.

The Great Hunt I finished in early 2006.

I believe I finished this one sometime last year, maybe Christmas, 2006.

I just finished this one on Saturday, June 23, 2007.

I just started this one Sunday, June 24, 2007. We'll see how long it takes me.

late comers

I just got this pics from Francy (Zsa-gi) that she took on Mothers' Day. Enjoy!