Holidays II

Last weekend we went to San Diego with some friends. We spent Friday at the zoo, and Saturday lazing around the KOA in Chula Vista. I took the kids on a short 3 mile bike ride, during which I made a spectacular sliding dismount from my bike as it slid down a slick ramp covered in sea muck. After getting completely smelly, covered in green slime, and getting my sweats soaked with yuck water, I got back up just in time to see my oldest son following my trail. Luckily, I was able to yell with sufficent volume and urgency that he stopped before hitting the slippery part.

At the zoo, my buddy Chris and I were amuzed by the Chimpanzies and their ability to entertain by all mannor of comical and sometimes explicit antics.


Overall, it was a wondereful weekend. Any time I get to hang out with my kids is good, and after they went to bed the grown-ups sat around the campfire and melted root-beer bottles. We're so mature. :-)

Next week is Thanksgiving. The day after Thanksgiving is always the busiest shopping day of the year, and all of the retailers gear up for it. Our family celebrates Thanksgiving day usually by going to my aunts. We always get assigned the vegetable tray - don't know why. We spend another day at my in-laws usually watching football. I don't really watch much football, but it's on when we get there, so I watch it. This year, my wife's aunt and uncle are coming. Actually, I think they are here this week as we're supposed to have dinner with them tomorrow. My wife's aunt is a vegan, so it will be interesting to see what we have for dinner.



Okay - Time for Christmas Entry # 2:

First off, the Bible doesn't say how many "wise men" there were. The three wise men tradition probably stems from the three gifts that were presented to Jesus when they arrived; gold, francensense, and myrr. A study of the account of the Magi reveals another intersting tidbit of information - they probably weren't at the manger in Bethlahem. Herod sent them to find the child that posed a threat to his kingdom, so Jesus had already been born when they started their journey. I doubt Mary and Joseph hung around in a barn for the length of time it would have taken the Magi to get from the orient to Bethlahem. So if you're interested in being completely accurate about the Nativity, get the wise men out. Something to think about...

I need to go tend my sheep now, becasue that's what shepherds do in the winter in the middle east. Crazy you say? Well, if Jesus was born on Christmas day, which is in the winter, and the shepherds were tending their sheep when the Angels announced that a Saviour had been born, doesn't it stem to reason that the shepherds were tending their sheep in winter? Hmmm? Maybe this deserves a little more investigating.