http://brent-walker.net/news.html Brent Walker: Blog Jannis' PHPRss class - http://www.jannis.to/ Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:23:13 -0700 http://brent-walker.net/news.html#45
Anyway, I laid in bed for awhile, and then decided it was fruitless to attempt anything resembling sleep. So I threw on some shorts and a t-shirt (I’m not at home, so I should be fully clothed) and grabbed my Bible and Oswald Chambers devotional and headed out to the living room. I plopped down in my dad’s recliner (Lay-Z-Boy perfection, it is) and opened to today’s entry – July 31st.

July 31st… July 31st? Wait a minute… July 31st is my birthday! Oh yeah, in all my tossing and turning, it failed to dawn on me that it is my 31st birthday! But not a regular birthday, mind you – it’s my Golden Birthday! 31 on the 31st. It only happens once, and I’m fortunate enough to be old enough to recognize it. Michaela, on the other hand, had her Golden Birthday when she was one. So she missed it.

So I read a really good word about perseverance and allowing God to point out where we need change “until we are entirely His”. Every area, every bit, every word, every thought, every action, every little piece… Key word – “EVERY”. Total devotion – that’s all He asks for. I’m working on it. Some days are better than others.

Then I wrote a couple of songs. It felt good, since I really haven’t been writing much lately. When I put that in my status on Facebook, Aunt Sandy wrote, “What a productive decade this will be if you are this industrious all the time.” Good thought. I probably won’t be, but I can dream.

We’ve been home from tour for a couple of weeks now, and it’s been nice to be home. I don’t think we’ve eaten this many meals in a row at home… ever. Michaela’s an incredible cook, but we’re out and about a lot. It’s been great to enjoy her meals. And at our house we celebrate birthWEEK, seven days of celebratory fun! So I’ve gotten lots of great gifts all week, ranging from getting to sleep in every day and not worry about the dog or the baby, to not having to do dishes all week, to a box of my favorite cookies – Pecan Sandies – and a Butterfinger, to a meal at Sonny’s. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for today!

Anyway, tour was awesome! The western part of our country is incredible, and I highly recommend everyone take at least one trip out there. There really isn’t anything that compares to the variety that we saw. And we had eight concerts as well and met some fantastic people. Now we’re off to Arkansas for some family/friend time. We’ll be singing at three churches while we’re there. Then school starts again and life settles back into the routine.

Routine… Ugh… I think I’ll pass. I’m going for TOTAL DEVOTION to God and the EXCITEMENT and ADVENTURE that brings instead. Will you join me?]]> http://brent-walker.net/news.html#45 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Walkin Away - Brent Walker - Blog http://brent-walker.net/news.html#44
We started this journey last Thursday when Sophie and I flew to St Louis. I have to admit I was a little nervous about the trip. I didn’t want to be “That Guy” with the crying baby. You know how it is when you see someone walk on your plane with a baby. You immediately pull out your Rosary beads and begin praying to any and all deities that will listen that that kid will not end up in the seat next to you. Babies are great, planes are great. But the two don’t mix well.

However, the flight was great! We ended up in the front seat, so we had lots of extra legroom. This served two purposes. It allowed me stretch my long legs (my knees are usually pushed square into the kidneys of the person sitting in front of me), and we were able to empty out her bag of toys and books with plenty of room to spare. Only a few times did they manage to land by our neighbors feet. We ended up sitting next to a 22-year-old former cheerleader from KU. His name was John (actually I never caught his name - I made that up for effect). Poor guy - Sophie was all over his computer and foot area. She even dumped some milk on his suit pants. Whoops! I guess I was “That Guy”.

Anyway, Sophie was great the whole trip. She started to fall asleep as we were landing (just my luck), and I was able to get the rental car without much trouble from her, thanks to some help from a lady name Laurie that we met on the plane (she and her husband could tell I was having trouble managing the stroller, two rolling bags, and a car seat, so she offered to help). Then we drove to Kansas City, making faces at each other in the rear-view mirror. It was a great time! The next morning we picked up Michaela at the KC airport (don’t ask why we did it that way - it’s a boring story, but there was a reason) and drove to Des Moines to visit her sister and family. We had a great weekend with them. Sophie really enjoyed hanging out with her cousins and eating ice cream, hiking, reading books, playing dress-up, and just making a lot of noise.

Sunday night we had our first tour concert in O’Neill, NE. It’s a small town, but we had a good turnout. The concert went well, and we got to spend some time with the pastor and his wife and meet some new friends (here’s a shout-out to Cameron and Trevor!). Then Monday we headed to Goehner, where we’ve been all week. We’ve already hit the three most important places in Nebraska - Runza, Amigos, and Valentino’s (yes, they are all restaurants).

This weekend is Michaela’s class reunion. Fun… Then we have concerts in Lincoln on Sunday, Wayne on Monday, and Atkinson on Tuesday. It’s going to be a busy week! After that we’ll head to Colorado, which I’m convinced is a little bit of what Heaven will be like. We’ll pick up Sophie’s nanny (my mom) and spend the rest of our trip enjoying the west!

Until next time…]]> http://brent-walker.net/news.html#44 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Walkin Away - Brent Walker - Blog http://brent-walker.net/news.html#43 http://brent-walker.net/news.html#43 Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700 Walkin Away - Brent Walker - Blog http://brent-walker.net/news.html#42
I'm really enjoying this week - nothing to do but relax... I've caught up on a lot of stuff I've needed to for awhile, and I've played a lot of Dominoes with Michaela and her parents. My father-in-law had a very lucky night tonight. He won about 7 out of 9 games we played. Crazy. I told him I wanted to take him to the store and buy some lottery tickets.

I've also been introduced to an amazing game - Blongoball. Apparently it's big around here. It's like Horseshoes, except that you throw a pair of golf balls tied on two end of a rope toward three horizontal bars and try to get the rope to wrap around the bars. I tend to get addicted easily, and this has me hooked! Check it out at www.blongoball.com. Your life will never be the same!!!

And for all of you who have been bugging me about it, pictures will be up soon!

Until next time...]]> http://brent-walker.net/news.html#42 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 Walkin Away - Brent Walker - Blog http://brent-walker.net/news.html#41
Right now we're in Goehner, Nebraska hanging out with family. Actually tonight we'll be hanging out with a very LARGE family... The sisters decided to throw a welcome party for Sophie's first trip to Nebraska, and apparently 75-100 people are expected to attend. I'm a little overwhelmed at the thought of meeting (or re-meeting in some cases) that many people. I'll have to nap all afternoon tomorrow to regroup (I reread that sentence and realized how 80-year-old it sounds, but it's true).

So far we've made stops at a coffeehouse in Waleska, GA, churches in Manning, SC, Simpsonville, SC, Henagpar, AL, Garth, AL, and West Plains, MO, and the camps at Bonclarken in Flat Rock, NC. We had a great time at the camps and met a lot of cool kids.

We're halfway through the tour, and our second half is much lighter than the first. We've only got four concerts over the next three weeks. But we're okay with the lighter schedule. The first three weeks was pretty grueling.

Sophie spent the second week of camp dealing with bronchitis. It's not easy watching your child sick and in pain. But then she passed it on to us, and Michaela and I both got sick. We're all okay now, though. Let's hope we stay that way.

Well, it's getting close to time for the big party, so I'd better go prepare myself...

Until next time...]]> http://brent-walker.net/news.html#41 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700 Walkin Away - Brent Walker - Blog http://brent-walker.net/news.html#40
But they are up, and I hope it will satisfy your appetites at least for a little while...

I've been too busy actually being a father to put up new pictures or blog posts. But I will do my best to be more diligent in the future.

My apologies...]]> http://brent-walker.net/news.html#40 Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700 Walkin Away - Brent Walker - Blog http://brent-walker.net/news.html#39
More to come later - I'm pretty beat now and my mind isn't working quite like it should. I'm off to get a nice full night's sleep. Oh wait... I probably got the last of those last night. Oh well. Maybe 15 minutes at a time?]]> http://brent-walker.net/news.html#39 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0700 Walkin Away - Brent Walker - Blog http://brent-walker.net/news.html#38
That's right, Sophie is weening off the bottle now and becoming more and more reliant on her mom for sustenance. This is big, because it signals the end of our time with Winnie (Winnie Palmer hospital, that is). It's been great, but we are ready to get home. This separation thing is for the birds.

If you don't know, Michaela has been living at the Ronald McDonald house next to the hospital since Sophie was born. She has only been home for one night during this entire ordeal. I drive back on the weekends and stay there. We have really appreciated the Ronald McDonald house and all they have done for us. If you are looking to support a great organization, please consider Ronald McDonald House Charities. Like so many philanthropic organiztions, I never knew how important it was until I needed it. We have had a beautiful room that we and our families could stay in, and we've had a home-cooked meal every night. Plus the peace of mind of knowing we are so close to Sophie and walk to see her anytime. All for a ridiculously low cost per night. The residents there are all in some sort of need, and your donation to this house can really make a difference.
http://www.rmhorlando.com/

The plan as of now is that we will leave sometime next week. It's pretty vague, but hopefully we'll get more specific info as we move through the week.

Thanks for your prayers. We're almost through it all!]]> http://brent-walker.net/news.html#38 Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 Walkin Away - Brent Walker - Blog http://brent-walker.net/news.html#37
On another note, one of my best friends, Darryl Barker, went to be with Jesus this morning. He has been holding on for the last three weeks after a motorcycle accident, but today angels escorted him to his new home. We are grieving for him, but we know he's happy - he's dancing with Jesus.

Darryl's wife has been a great source of inspiration for many people these last three weeks, and I know God will use this in an awesome way.

One life ends, another one begins. It has been quite a surreal experience for Michaela and me with the mix of emotions we have had the last three weeks. But God has spoken through it all.]]> http://brent-walker.net/news.html#37 Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 Walkin Away - Brent Walker - Blog http://brent-walker.net/news.html#36
I had a VERY cool dad moment tonight that I'll never forget. Sophie started crying while I was holding her, and I couldn't get her to stop. So I changed her diaper and that seemed to do the trick for a couple of minutes. Then the screaming started again. I moved her to my right side, then I put her on my shoulder, then back to my left side. Nothing was working - the screaming continued. And of course I dropped the pacifier on the floor. So I stood up with her. Tubes, monitors, iv's and all. (It certainly makes for a bit of a challenge when you have all that stuff attached.)

I began to bounce a little with her laying against my chest. She was still screaming, but slowly it died down until it was no more than a whimper. Soon after the whimper ended, and she laid there with the side of her face firmly planted into my chest and her fingers clamped onto my shirt. We stood bouncing for what seemed like forever. She stopped crying and just stared at the wall (only one eye stared - the other was smashed shut. She didn't seem to mind). I could have stayed there all night, but the nurse came in after a few minutes and told me to put her down so she could weigh her. That was good, because I really had to get on the road.

Saying goodbye to her tonight was the most difficult it has been through this ordeal. I felt like she was clinging to my shirt begging me not to leave. Believe me, I wanted more than anything in my life to stay right there with her, holding her, reminding her that it was going to be okay.

I've had many people tell me that I would love being a dad, but I had no idea it would affect me like this. It is a feeling you absolutely cannot understand without experience. I've held many many babies in my lifetime. Tonight felt like the first, and she became the only thing in my world at that moment.

A very profound moment. And God was completely wrapped up in it.]]> http://brent-walker.net/news.html#36 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 Walkin Away - Brent Walker - Blog