• Archive of "friends" Category

    Celebrating Marriage with Marriage

    July 13, 2010 // No Comments »

    July 5th was Amy and I’s first wedding anniversary.  We celebrated, in part, by attending (I officiated) the wedding of two friends in Ohio.

    Nick and Rachel were two of my students when I was a youth pastor at RiverTree Christian Church.  It’s nearly impossible to believe that I we have been in each others lives for the last 10 years!

    Here’s us on our way to the rehearsal.

    The ceremony and took place on the stunning grounds of Stan Hywet in Akron, OH.

    I honestly don’t think I could have invented a more meaningful way to celebrate our first anniversary than to participate in the wedding ceremony of these friends.  Not only were Nick and Rachel the first couple that Amy and I had the opportunity to help walk through some pre-marital counseling, but they are going to be living in the Chicagoland area and we are looking forward to many more years of sharing life with them.

    And this was just the beginning to our anniversary celebration.  After a couple days in Ohio, Amy and I got to head up to Pelee Island with our friends Matt and Sharon. More on that in the next post.

    Posted in friends, video, wedding

    1 Year Anniversary

    June 30, 2010 // 2 Comments »

    This weekend will mark year one of marital bliss for Amy and I and it’s be an incredible year in more ways that I can possible say.

    To celebrate, we’ll be heading to Ohio so that I can officiate a wedding ceremony for 2 of my former students who will be living in the Chicagoland area and then we’ll head up to one of my favorite spots in the world, Pelee Island, with our friends the Matt and Sharon for some fun and relaxation.

    For anyone who remembers and enjoyed the recap from 2008, Amy and I are working on a recap of 2009 and hope to have it finished by the time we come back.

    So, you married veterans out there, as Amy and I reflect on our first year as husband and wife and do our best to ask some helpful questions of ourselves as we charge on into the future, what words of wisdom do you have to offer?

    Posted in Amy, friends, love, marriage, travles, wedding

    A Birthday Song

    March 23, 2010 // No Comments »

    There are precious few people in the world that I regret not getting to spend more time with than Mr. Ryan Spencer.

    For better or for worse, Fuller leaves roommate selection up to incoming students to figure out on their own.  So, randomly, off a list, with basically no information, Ryan called me in the summer of 2004 and asked me if I wanted to be roommates.  The years that followed produced numerous tales of now timeless Fuller legend.

    Few people get me better than Ryan and he never disappoints for new ways to crack me up – often through impromptu songs. This birthday produced yet another one of those amazing Spencer masterpieces.

    Submitted for your enjoyment, the musical stylings of Mr. Ryan Spencer.

    Podcast: Play in new window | Download

    Posted in birthday, friends

    Rozko Update | Feb., 2010

    February 16, 2010 // 1 Comment »

    Amy and I are both networkers through and through.  Each of us has enjoyed cultivating networks and communities of friends in the various places we have lived across the US and abroad.  These are people who have helped, encouraged, shaped, and loved us.  Because we want to do what we can to stay in touch with these people (you?), we’ve decided to compile a 1-page letter about every other month that highlights what’s been going on, what’s coming up, matters in which we hope you will rejoice with us, and others in which we hope you will support us in prayer.

    We got our first one out in the last few days.  If you didn’t receive it, there are 2 possible reasons.

    1) We had no idea you might be interested in receiving it.

    2) We tried to send it to you, but must have had the wrong email address.

    In either case, if you didn’t receive our letter and would like to, leave a comment or drop us an email via the contact page and we will add you to the list of folks that we email these letters to.

    Thanks for continuing to allow us to share our lives with our – nothing means more.  We’re also hopeful that this might be a pathway to more of you sharing what is going on in your lives as well.

    Click the image below to download our first letter.

    Posted in Amy, community, family, friends, networking, newsletter

    Malone Thanksgiving 2009

    November 26, 2009 // 6 Comments »

    Last weekend was the annual Malone Thanksgiving – the 5th since I started blogging (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)

    There was a twist this year.  After a decade of gathering at the Hurst household, as our community has grown by marriage and birth, it seemed like a change of venue was in order.  Thanks to the searching labors of a few friends, we decided on the Tara Lodge in Hocking Hills outside of Columbus.  The place was amazing: 7 bedrooms, HD projector theater system, ping pong tables, pool table, darts, karaoke set-up complete w/ guitars, huge yard, hiking trails, hot tub, and on and on.  Basically an amazing place for us to gather.

    Here are some pictures from the weekend.

    And some videos.

    Like every year, there were some dear friends who weren’t able to make it and they were missed, but a good time was had by all as we reconnected, shared the things we were most thankful for in the last year, and chatted about the future.  With more and more kids being born into this community of friends, this was the first year that we really started thinking about what this gathering will be like when it’s our kids, and not us, who are most excited about playing the annual football game.  Weird to think about.

    These continue to be some of the most important and special people in my life making this one of my most looked forward to weekends of the year.

    Posted in friends, malone

    Mi Amigo Manuel – Neighborliness Lives!

    September 15, 2009 // 2 Comments »

    I stopped by a thrift store yesterday and was amazed to find a desk that matches one we got a few weeks ago at different thrift store. It was cheap and we had a spot for it, so I bought it.

    Now, the other one fit in the back of my car… snug, but fit just fine, so I assumed this one would as well. I was wrong, it’s a little bit taller. So there I am, trying to jimmy this thing into the back seat of my Maxima and 2 Hispanic guys who worked there (risking their jobs by doing so) were trying to help.

    I had given up hope when one of these guys pointed to his truck and held out his keys for me to take.

    Uh…

    He didn’t speak a word of English and the Spanish I know just wasn’t getting the job done. Nevertheless, this guy, who didn’t know me from Adam, straight up gave me the keys to his truck and his insurance card. I let him know that I could be back in “veinte minutos,” and he just replied, “Si, veinte minutos, bueno.”

    So there ya go, neighborliness at its finest. He wouldn’t take any of the money I offered him to say thanks and I’d go back and let his boss know, but he’d probably get fired for being awesome.

    Muchas gracias Manuel, muchas gracias mi amigo!

    Posted in friends

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