You Can Take the Girl Out of the Jungle...

...but you sure can't take the jungle out of the girl! Saturday afternoon Torrey and I swung by Mark and Shelley's place to take them with us to the beach. Mark informed us that while they got ready for the trip he discovered a new talent - gargle singing. "What song did I gargle?" he asked Shelley. "The baseball song" was her cheerful reply. Mark responded through gritted teeth, "That's our national anthem, dear."

A Pair of Graduations

Well, it is finally over. Shelley and I both graduated from Biola/Talbot last weekend. Shelley's grad was on Saturday morning, and it was nice and clear for the Biola crowd. My ceremony was on Friday evening, and we had rain.



Shelley finished her nursing program at Biola.




Two of my Dad's science teachers from his time at Biola years ago are retiring this year, but were still around. He enjoyed seeing them again after all these years.


All of the graduates were given a Bible and a T-shirt like this one.
Bye-ola!


We spent the afternoon following graduation at the beach with my parents, Shannon, Mark and Shelley, Dan and Katie and Joe and Jessica. Even though the weather was a bit off for a day at the beach, it turned out just perfect because the rain the day before cleared the sand, and we had the beach mostly to ourselves.


Torrey is still growing...


and getting lots of attention as usual.


We played a little volleyball


Great dig, Joe, but where's the ball?

Baccalaureate

Well, I haven't officially graduated yet, but all my coursework is done, and the more meaningful celebration - the baccalaureate - was last night. That is the ceremony in which we are "hooded". It really was a neat evening, much more personal than graduation. The evening began with a dinner. Unfortunately there was a mix-up with the reservations and the event ended up outdoors, which should have been fine in May in Southern California... but it rained.



My Dad and my sister Shannon joined Torrey and I for the event, along with Torrey's brother Brett, our good friends Jeremy and Sara McMillan and Alan and Darcy Hultberg. Dr. Saucy exhorted us to be diligent to use the gifts that God has given us, regardless of how we might perceive their value.



The sun finally came out, so we had our processional and hooding ceremony as planned. Each graduate come to the front of the stage with his/her spouse, and while their professor of choice hooded the graduate, another professor read a statement of appreciation written by the graduate. The spouses were also acknowledged for their contribution to the years of Seminary. After everyone had been hooded, the graduates and spouses, along with all the faculty, gathered to share communion together. It really was a wonderful evening celebrating the work that has been done and looking forward to the work that God has in store for each of us who has been trained to teach others the Word of God. May He be glorified in each of our lives as we go out from here to serve the body of Christ! All praise be to God, for He is good!

Here's to the amazing family God has blessed me with. Thank you all for your example, your love and your support throughout the years. I love you all.

Wrapping Up

This picture is from a trip Torrey and I took three years ago. We spent a month with my parents in Pucallpa, Peru, to help them with some projects. What does that have to do with this week? Quite a bit, actually. We went to Peru to take advantage of a transition in our lives. I had decided to go to Seminary. When I graduated from LeTourneau in 2001 I was convinced I was done with school forever, and glad for it. But just four years later, there I was, back in the books. I have never regretted that decision. Studying at Talbot School of Theology has had its challenges, but the blessings far outweigh the lost sleep, and now that I am about to graduate, I wish in some ways I could go on. Studying the Bible intensely for three years under very godly men has been a profound privilege, and I wouldn't trade this time for anything. Yesterday I took my last final, tomorrow is the Baccalaureate, and Friday is Graduation! If anyone out there is considering going back to school for a theological degree, I would highly recommend it. Talbot, specifically the New Testament / Bible Exposition department at Talbot, has my highest respect, and I would recommend it to anyone who would like to deepen their knowledge of Scripture, their walk with Christ, and their love for the people of God. And if you ever need help with your Greek homework, I would be happy to lend a hand.

Babymoon and Sequoia

A bit over a week ago Torrey and I got out of town for the weekend for one last little vacation together alone before the baby comes. We spent two nights in a little cabin at a place called Wonder Valley Ranch Resort, in the foothills of the Sierras above Fresno.

Torrey's favorite part of the weekend was visiting the horses.


They did have some very beautiful horses.


We both wanted to go for a ride, but since we didn't want to have the baby quite yet, we decided just to visit. Besides, a dusty trail ride is not quite what either of us really wanted. I really wish I could have taken Torrey up to Half Moon before it closed down.

One of my favorite parts of Wonder Valley was canoeing around their pond. It wasn't a very big body of water, but even so I had a good time, especially since it has been such a long time since I was in a canoe.


Here is a 3D shot I took by the pond. Click here for a larger image.


Sunday morning we left the ranch to make our way home through Sequoia National Park.


It was my first visit to the park, and I thoroughly enjoyed the very impressive trees scattered throughout the forest.


Part of our lunch was a huge quantity of strawberries that we picked up at a roadside stand down in the valley. Delicious!


There is a spot called Morro Rock, where a long staircase leads to an awesome lookout point.


The views from the rock were amazing, even though it was a cloudy day.


After our conquest of Morro Rock, I took Torrey on a longer hike up a closed road. We kept meeting people that told us there were bears in the meadow at the end of the road, and I wanted to see them. Torrey insisted she was fine all along the way, but in the end was quite exhausted from the work of dragging her pregnant belly all over the park. Unfortunately the bears were gone by the time we got to the meadow at the end of the road.


We did see a mother bear and her cub later though, when they crossed the road in front of us. Torrey was relieved that we got to see them from the safety of our car instead of in the middle of a meadow in the wilderness.