Fridge In!!

After hours of work, John, Kenneth & Gary were successful at getting our fridge in the slot that was too small! I'm not sure what all they did, but there were power tools involved! Lori is extremely excited about having her fridge back!

This weekend we went to Salina to get some things, and then had dinner with Nick, Connie and Christian. It was a lot of fun. They are big game players so we are going to have to get together for a game night with them and some of the other families that we are learning love games!

We also went to prayer meeting last night which was a good time for a small group of us to come together to praise and petition the Lord for this church, community and nation. There are many needs and many who are hurting in our church but it is comforting to know that the Lord is in control and that He uses all things for His glory. If you have any prayer needs, please email me so that we can go before the Lord on your behalf.

Shorts in January!

I can't believe it, but Logan and I actually wore shorts yesterday! It was nearly 70 degrees and sunny, so we took the opportunity to pull out the summer clothes early. Today is a different story, though, as the arctic front is supposed to be coming in.

Logan is doing a lot better these past few days as far as getting adjusted. We are working on getting us all on a routine and that helps a great deal. He likes being able to get out of his room and come in to our bed in the mornings. Mommy's not a huge fan because she can't always go back to sleep after, but it doesn't bother me as I don't have that problem!

Last night we had some friends over for dinner and it was great to see the kids continue to warm up to the new church family. Gary and Pat came over yesterday afternoon so that Gary could help me drill a hole through the floor in the house. The hole was already there, but it needed to be just a bit bigger. I ended up breaking off my drill bit in there, so Gary came over to the rescue. He was able to get the hole larger, but it also cost him a drill bit of his own. Now the hole is drilled, the cable is through, and all is well! While Gary and I worked on the hole, Pat and Lori played with the kids. Again, it's great getting to know our new church family!

For today we just plan on staying warm. We'll probably head over to Salina tomorrow to do some shopping. Gary and Kenneth are coming over this morning to see if they can get Lori's fridge into the opening that is 1/4" too small. Pat had a good idea, so we'll see if it works out. I'm confident that between the General and Gary the fridge will be in there no problem!

I'm just finishing up my first sermon for Sunday. It is a narrative sermon based on Philippians 2:1-8. It's called "Be Humble As Christ Jesus Was Humble." I'm really looking forward to it.

Hays Daily News Article Link

Here is a link to the news story that was in the Hays Daily about our arrival in Hays:
http://www.hdnews.net/faithstory/Daniels-010909

What a Weekend...

It's now Monday night and the kids are getting ready for bed...and so are me and Mommy! These past few days have been flurries of activity. We said good-bye to my parents on Saturday morning and then Lori's parents and grandma drove in Saturday around noon. Then my birthday was jam-packed on Sunday because it was also our first Sunday at our new church! The service went really well and we are looking forward to next Sunday when I preach. Lori's parents took us to IHOP for lunch, and I would still be there eating the all-you-can-eat pancakes if I could!

Today was another windy day in Kansas, but we still took the kids out for a walk. Logan rode his trike and we pulled Kamryn in the wagon. We walked to a park around the corner and enjoyed the swings, slide and digger thingie. We also checked out the Hays Library today and checked out some books for the kids.

For tomorrow, we have the Dish Network installer coming and I'm supposed to try to pick out a cell phone company for us. We'll see if that happens, but it will be nice to have television again!

First Tooth...Is that Funny?

Kamryn had her first tooth poke through today! She obviously has a lot to go, but hopefully the teething process will be easier now. (I'm not really sure how that works, though!) Another milestone is that tonight is my first official act as pastor of HCC: I have an elder/overseer meeting. I'm looking forward to getting started on the work of ministry here in Hays.

Logan was funny tonight - We were talking about birthdays and I asked him whose birthday it is on Sunday (mine), and he told me that it was his. I told him it was mine and I asked him if he and Grandma had bought me something at Wal-Mart. Grandma quickly spoke up that it was a secret, and then Logan blurted out, "It's candles!!" We all started laughing and then Logan just kept shouting it out, "It's candles!! It's candles!!" We couldn't stop laughing, and he kept shouting it! Then as we quieted down, he asked, "Is that funny?" So cute!!

Settling In

Wow - it was very odd yesterday not being "plugged in" to the Internet! This morning I am at a coffee shop drinking my hot chocolate, blogging and checking email. And there's some stuff I'm doing for the house utilities, too, but that's not really important compared to email, right? :-)

These past few days have been very busy! We have been unpacking boxes like crazy and they seem to have multiplied! And my previous comments about packing tape? I really dislike it now! It has been great to be here in Hays, though. Many people have stopped by to say hello, and it's great getting to know people. The gifts from the congregation have continued, and now some meals are being provided. We feel so welcome and wanted! We have a love for the group of people that God has brought us to, and we haven't even had our first Sunday!

Logan is adjusting pretty well. He hasn't been too shy around all the new people and he likes his new room. We are going to get some glow in the dark animals to put on his ceiling. There are already some stars up there, but he wants some dinosaurs, so the search continues!

For today, the plan is to get the utilities changed to our name, get some pictures hung, and get the furniture arranged in the last few rooms. Then I have all my books to unpack, which could take a day in and of itself! I have my first meeting tomorrow night with the elders/overseers, so we are jumping right in. Our phone and Internet are supposed to be installed tomorrow, so hopefully I will be emailing and blogging from home tomorrow!

Welcomed in Hays

It is our second full day in Hays, and we are excited to hear that our moving trailer will be arriving today. It will be a lot of work to unload, but we have help on the way! I think that I finally feel rested today after that long road trip. I did meet one of the Hays Police Officers, though! We were going on a tour of the city and I did not see the one way sign... He was very nice and said that he read about me coming in the paper. (We hope to be able to find a paper from that day.) Anyway, he welcomed me to town and sent me on my way!

Speaking of being welcomed, when we arrived at the parsonage there were gifts of food, toys for the kids, a new plant and more waiting for us! The church members gave us some things to help start off our life here in Hays, and boy, do we feel welcome! It was so nice and unexpected. Not only did they provide these things, though, they were thoughtful enough to place child covers on all of the outlets. We feel so blessed to be joining a congregation that is so warm and welcoming. I can't wait to see them again this week and introduce them to my family. God is Good!!

We're in Hays!!

We rolled into Hays tonight around 11:30 and drove by the church. They have changed the sign to say "Minister Kevin Daniels"!! It's really official!! We are looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight, and it was nice not having to take in the Road Atlas! Lori, Mom, Kamryn, and Logan fly into Hays tomorrow afternoon so it will be fun to take them around the town.

Our trip was truly blessed as we ran into ZERO road construction delays, ZERO weather delays (once we got out of the flooded Seattle area), and ZERO traffic delays (again, after we left Seattle). Can you believe that we drove from Seattle to Kansas during the second week of January and had NO weather delays??? God is so GOOD!!

Logan's First Coffee Shop

I can't believe I forgot to write about Logan's first trip to a coffee shop with Daddy! (OK - so the photo has nothing to do with it - here he is helping Grandma make donuts!) It was on our "extra" day that we had since we couldn't leave the area due to flooding, and we took Log to get his haircut. His prize for sitting still and being a "big boy" was a cookie. So we dropped off Mommy and Kamryn so that Mommy could get a manicure (the last one of her gift certificate from the ladies at church), and we went to Cutter's Point. It was so fun! We ordered a hot chocolate ("not too hot") with whipped cream and Log got to pick out a cookie for us to share. We got our drink and sat down by the fireplace and just hung out. It was a special time for us and I look forward to more coffee shop type time with my son (and my daughter, too!) I love being a dad!!!

Utah

Ogden, Utah...what a great place to stay! We are tired, the van needs gas, and here lies a town! It's a perfect fit!

Wenatchee, Sweet Wenatchee

We stopped for the night here in Wenatchee. It took 4 hours to get here from Seattle, as there was traffic. The worst traffic was actually closer to 405, and after that it was smooth sailing, save the occasional semi. We used a ton of wiper fluid due to the sheer volume of dirt that was flying up at us. Anyway, it is midnight, so I am going to bed!

Flooded In

I can't believe that I am actually writing this, but there is currently no way out of Western Washington! All of the major roads are flooded out, and all of the back roads are also flooded. We could go all the way up to Canada and over, but that is it! Hopefully one of the roads will open up today now that the rain is slowing/stopping. If not, we won't be able to leave until tomorrow, which tightens our schedule up considerably. Lori, the kids, and Grandma fly into Hays on Sunday, so hopefully we will get there before they do! For now, though, we wait...

Wagons, Ho!

So do we really need that wagon?? Apparently, yes! Lori and I went out in the snow, in the dark, to the trailer that was already full, and tried to squeeze in one last thing...Logan's wagon. We certainly put on a show for the neighbors trying to do it! We finally got it in there, but good grief! We better use that wagon every day for the rest of the kids' lives! When Kamryn gets married I'm just going to pull her in the wagon down the aisle :-)

Today when we were at the store, either Mommy or Grandma asked Logan if he wanted something. His response was, "Is it on sale?" I guess we've gotten Logan in that bargain-hunter mindset early!

Tomorrow is errand running day, but Lori and I might go see a movie since Grandma has Monday off to be with the kids. Of course, everything is contingent on the snow stopping! I can't believe how much snow we have gotten up here this year. They say the most since 1990. My Dad and I leave on Thursday for Kansas, so hopefully it will clear up before then.

NO MORE PACKING TAPE!!!

Please, please, please...do NOT mention the words "packing tape"!! We are exhausted tonight after loading our 28 foot semi-truck trailer today. Thankfully we had a good amount of help, but boy are we sore! And we have to unload all this next week! If anyone wants to fly out to Kansas to help us unload, we can give you a place to stay and a meal or two :-) I'll do another update tomorrow - I am going to sleep!!