I didn’t post on Father’s Day so let me just say something about that now.  It was an excellent day and not all of them are.  Have you ever noticed how holidays can be trouble magnets more often then not?  I am always cautious because I’ve had some really bad ones.  This was exceptional for many reasons.  My family is always good to me and always makes sure that I know I’m loved.  It’s not about buying me something it’s that simple hug and an “I love you dad”.  The sincere comments like that make me feel that I’m the most blessed person in the universe.  Lovely prepared us a fantastic grilled shrimp and muscle dinner…this this photo doesn’t make your mouth water then I don’t know what will !  It was so amazing that that a few days later we did it one more time!  The weather is funky with it being really beautiful then sometimes a front comes through and cools it way down.  Fact is we’re looking at something like that today.  It’s 96 right now but a windy cool front is coming…I wonder if it will look something like that last one . 

Fortunately the weather held for a special even this Father’s Day.  My dad brought us all to a local car event at a large church here in town called “Burn the Point”.  This was the third annual event that is held on Father’s Day but it was the first time I went.  My dad is a tremendous classic car junkie.  He’s like a kid in the candy store at things like this so try to picture him looking at the goodness at this event.  The level at which some of these vehicles are customized is really amazing.  Check out this one that has barbed wire fence for a back bumper …notice as well that the rear brake lights are made of shotgun shells!  The trouble they go through even on the wheels is stunning.  If you look closely here you can see my reflection… .  The inside of this vehicle had so many things to check out…the handgun gearshift, the antique tractor chair, the steel steering wheel with the gun barrel coming out of it…yeah, it was pretty cool .  Not everything was old and customized however…this Lamborghini was over two-hundred thousand dollars of goodness  .  Could you imagine this kind of front end on my car ?  Maybe I could call it the Morbid Mobile!  This vehicle was customized everywhere too.  I didn’t notice until later that the smoke from the burn out was all around as I took pictures .  The paintjobs were out of this world.  Detailing was not just on the obvious parts of the car either.  The one that had these orange flames had even the underside of the car painted and you could look at it via mirrors that they put near the car!  The engines were not above customization either…this little red one was really something to see .  They had a pickup done up so beautifully, Toxic was stenciled on it but to me the ghost flames were anything but toxic .  They seemed to have a Camero or two around and we were excited to see them in action.  Seeing these cars parked was cool but the anticipation of seeing them in action was building!  Just look at this engine ..it’s just not right seeing it sit there all quiet and shiny! 

We brought the kids over to see what all the action was on the other side of the church.  They were chaining these awesome cars up to a tow-truck and then letting them peel out for 30 seconds .  The sweet Camero came up and didn’t disappoint , in fact …it didn’t disappoint at all !  I saw some little kids cry…it was noisy and there was so much smoke that at times you could see your hand in front of your face but Gabby absolutely loved it…she’s quite the fan of my dad so maybe that was part of it but even aside from that she’s a brave little thing.  She asked for days afterward if we were going to see the “cars smoke”.  The last one to give you an idea was a ‘02 TransAM…it was so much fun…I know, I know, I’ve been told I sound like a true redneck…well what can I do LOL!  Check it out

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I know that I promised some pictures of Japan but I just couldn’t fit them all this time.  Today we had a visitor at what’s become antelope central now.  This is right near our house…within about five feet of the house…days like today draw them to the shade of the tree…isn’t this a handsome character ?  He was panting up a storm but I think he was still quite majestic .  They have little ones now…in fact several of them have twins…they are really cute but I’ve not gotten close enough to get them on film just yet.  I hope this was a fun little walk through our Father’s Day and beyond.  It was a very good day indeed!  God bless you all.

Life isn’t always kind nor is it always a bowl of cherries however it’s not all dark and evil either, there’s beauty out there,  Sometimes i think I’m a broken record because I always say that.  I can feel an old cliché coming on…something about being handed lemons so make lemonade or something like that LOL!  Well, some good things have come our way so you could say we’ve been making some lemonade.  Quite suddenly I was awakened by my mom this week and she said she had some news.  My first instinct was to tighten up my body like I was preparing to get hit but the hit didn’t come though I did feel the wind get knocked out of me.  We had just received word that someone had received some money and wanted to pay for our airline tickets to Europe…yeah, you heard me right…just like that the biggest single expense of this trip was taken care of.  We still have to arrange work schedules and manage living expenses which is no small thing but undeniably this is a massive step in the right direction.  We intend to meet African Joe in Ireland by the 28th of August.  Our joy is really overwhelming though the warfare against this trip just kicked up a notch too.  My dad just had another fit that is very painful and difficult to deal with and some of the job situations here are tenuous at best…asking for three weeks or so off is hard…especially in this economy.  I had to send away for my passport since it expired a couple months ago…I realize that I’ve not been without one since being just 18 years old.  I guess I will be getting the new one with the computer chip…I wish I would have had that on the way to Japan…signing in at a kiosk sure would have been easier…everyone else did it that way but I had to do it the old fashioned way. 

All the excitement actually happened just recently but shortly before that we were just home from church when my son called out that he had found something.  Lo and behold there was a beautiful butterfly just out of the cocoon…yes, this is where the title came from.  Perhaps it was our handling the butterfly gently or maybe it just wasn’t dry enough to fly away but for whatever the reason this butterfly stayed with us for a couple of days and was a delight to us all .  We received some new flowers as well after our concert with the special “K” ranch.  They gave us some flowers that they had been growing and it was delightful surprise.  Our butterfly (whom the kids decided to call “Laura”") was quite contend to be nestled in with our potted plants .  Okay, I’ll admit I was really enjoying every moment of this…and she was a perfect model (my gosh, I’m calling the butterfly her now too and I have no clue whether she’s a girl at all!) .  Things like this just bless me .  It’s not that it’s really complex or a million bucks in the bank but it’s an example of God doing something special .  It’s just for us and it brings great joy .  All it took was someone to appreciate that beauty because sufficient for the day are the troubles thereof but in the middle of all that there’s something so beautiful and this butterfly was a symbol like a rainbow that appears even before the end of the storm .  This is exactly how Japan came to us bringing a new hope when we thought hope was dead .  There’s always something to rejoice over .  Life hasn’t been easy but God has certainly been good

I know this is a short reprieve from my usual again but I want stress just how amazingly able God is.  No trip has ever been anything less than a miracle.  No trip we’ve taken has ever been in the middle of easy circumstance…it’s always tough, it’s always a challenge but in our weakness God has always been strong.  We are not fancy people nor do we know all the “right” people.  We’re just average people who have answered the call of our extraordinary God.  The series will continue with a lot of pictures.  Japan was better covered than any trip before.  We had digital cameras and loved every minute of photographing everything we could.  This next part of the series may take more time because of the volume of pictures.  I hope you enjoy sitting back and taking a ride to Japan!  To be continued next week.

It’s been a really incredible week here.  Our meetings went very well in spite of some really nasty cold weather.  People came from as far away as Michigan.  Some we had not seen in many years.  It was so good to see our friends from North Carolina that we’ve not seen since last year.  It was because of them and their prayer and faith work on our behalf that we were able to leave the Philippines when we did.  I feel that we can never thank them enough but it’s not at all a burden to be so grateful.  So much was done at each meeting that it’s hard for me to choose a favorite and it ended very well which is an wonderful bonus.  Today they went to breakfast and headed home.  I’m left feeling good about the whole thing and the better weather has arrived too which is nice.  I’ve been getting this new computer whipped into shape and that’s not been nearly as difficult as I thought it would be.  I thought I’d share a few pictures of my new machine.  The tower alone was more than I’d ever dare hope .  It has a nice large fan in the front and back and is quite as can be.  The blue backlighting is pretty cool, I never asked for that but think it’s pretty cool.  The backlit keyboard showed up about two and a half days later and that has been much better then I’d dare hope too .  For once the keys won’t wear off…imagine that.  Next on the out door end of things we got some new flowers that are doing well.  What started off as some buds , has begun to show what we’ve got to look forward to in fact today I got a few pictures of the mature flowers and I just am so blessed with them and my favorite:  .  Lovely has left little soil without something growing in it so there are many little flowers that are really enjoyable too .  This year too we have some white ones that I really like .  To top all of this off Lovely and I were looking at some websites that showed some Japanese food that we’ve been missing terribly and it inspired her to make us a special treat and let me tell you it tasted every bit as good as it looked.  She didn’t mean to get coconut shrimp but I thought it was a wonderful touch.

I have nothing else to report about our coming trip nor have I heard one thing more about Pastor Harry in his situation.  It is notoriously difficult to keep up with our contacts in Africa but I will do my best to keep updates coming as I get them myself.  The trip to Europe is heading our way very soon and we must start gearing up for that in a big way.  I believe that it is all in the hands of God and I grow more and more excited about it.  For a bit we can breath but it won’t be long before yet another adventure begins.

I now return to our regular broadcast.  Our family had been through so much after 9/11.  It was a time of change that was beyond what we could even begin to understand at first.  It felt like a death to things as we’d known it in some ways but in others there seemed to be life coming back around in a new and beautiful way.  Gabby was a forceful reminder of God’s ability to bring something beautiful out of tragedy.  Lovely had asked me many times to go with her to Japan but I had really resisted it.  I didn’t want to be in a situation where we had no money and had to stay with her mother in her tiny flat in Tokyo.  Something changed when she asked me again…it felt somehow not just possible but the right thing to do so we began to make preparations to go to Japan.  Night had fallen and the darkness was deeper than any we had known before but following that darkness dawn was breaking with a new and precious hope.  Japan seemed to be the perfect choice for us.  It’s relatively safe for us and an ideal opportunity to visit family and minister as well.  Lovely had been there before, in fact I had proposed to her over the phone when she was with her mother there before.  She had always wanted to bring us there to see it.  God was bringing the whole thing together in a beautiful way.  Somehow this was all a new beginning.  Gabby was about to join us on her very first trip abroad.  I will say in advance that it was for sure the most enjoyable trip I had ever known.  Doors to the land of the rising sun had opened up to us and we knew it was time to walk right through that door.

This has been quite the week.  We had to go and iron out some thing with our medical insurance which is never all that much fun and then in the kid’s computer bit the dust in a big way.  I decided to give them my computer but on the bright side I will be getting a new machine that’s far better than anything I’ve ever had.  The new machine will arrive on Saturday and the custom keyboard will arrive on Monday.  This is a tri-core processor with 6 gigs of RAM utilized on a 64 bit version of Vista…I guess I’m finally making the switch…this seems rather anti-climatic since the new Windows operating system will be released in October of this year…have you all heard about Windows 7?  I’m annoyed about the switch but I guess I’ve heard a lot of complaints so whatever.  There are two other big pluses on this machine:  1) it will have two 512 Mb ATI video cards running on a crossfire configuration…that’s unheard of power for me and 2) it’s got a 640 megabyte hard drive…more than I could even begin to have hoped for.  The keyboard is a back lit so the numbers and letters never fade…all of mine in the past have faded badly…not this time.  What was looking like a rough week turned into a blessing after all, the insurance is taken care of and the new computer will be here quite quickly.

I have really tried to enjoy the nice days when we have them.  This has been a gloomy month so far.  We had a forty degree drop in temperatures and had a cold drizzle for two and a half days but today is wonderful and I got some pictures from near the pond behind our house before things went bad and today the sun is shining brightly so I took some more pictures of our potted garden.  The blackbirds were in rare form so I took a few pictures of them for good measure .  I like this shot better .  Our resident mallards are always a pleasure to have nearby.  Don’t you think this is a handsome fellow ?  There’s still some of the old left over cat tails but they pretty much exploded on the twig .  Next we bought some sundials recently…no not literal sundials…I’m talking about the vibrate flower .  There are many more buds coming along so I expect this plant will be even more glorious as the days go by .  Next we have marigolds which are an old standby every year…we mix them with some other flowers in the hopes of keeping the aphids at bay …let’s hope it works this year or we’ll be stopping by the store to get some ladybugs to finish off the pests.  Our other flowers that arrived on the scene first are doing well in the cool and wet weather…they continue to be a delight each and every day .  These aren’t exotic but still give me great joy .  These flowers seem to have such a zeal for life and I admire that because I hear God in there every time .

I will be continuing the saga of our travels soon.  I hope to get my new machine up and running over the weekend and I hope there will be no bumps on that road.  We all returned to America after 9/11 with a feeling that we had barely escaped from the frying pan.  Difficult times came with the changes following 9/11.  Things were much more difficult as far as gathering funds to go abroad and many of the countries we had visited before were much more dangerous.  We seemed to have all the traits that made us feel like walking targets.  We were American, white and Christian and Lovely became a target being my wife and of course our children because they are half American.  Andy proceeded to radically alter his church once his father passed away.  He no longer believes in the Trinity and has everyone call him father.  I felt that we had crossed bridges that now where forever burned behind us.  Lovely and I lost a baby.  It was an entopic pregnancy and Lovely nearly lost her life to severe bleeding that they barely were able to control in surgery.  She has awoken in the night with horrible pain and then nearly collapsed on the floor.  I didn’t know how serious the problem was until we arrived at the hospital and got the reports back from the doctor.  Surgery took hours longer then they said it would and when I finally saw the doctor I about died myself when I realized how close I had come to losing not just our baby but my wife.  We were devastated by the loss and we were told that it was likely we could never have any more children.  Months went by as we languished one loss after another.  Hope bloomed fresh on Father’s Day when Lovely told me she was pregnant again.  She had kept it hidden from me.  I noticed our little Dachshund Gracie wouldn’t leave her side but didn’t think too much of it…there are many times when dogs are smarter than humans and this was no exception.  Finally December rolled along and we had Gabrielle Faith Cutler through emergency c-section.  I didn’t think I’d make it through that but I was there through the whole procedure…I witnessed them remove Gabby…it was kind of like watching and X-Files episode…seeing that little baby removed from Lovely as she was opened up on the operating table was another milestone for me.  Gabby was the miracle that seemed to breath life into our family again and drive away the clouds of despair.  Lovely had talked to me about visiting her mother in Japan for several years but I’d been very resistant but now in this new atmosphere of hope I felt that I would indeed travel there with our little party of five.  A new wind was blowing…perhaps all that had surrounded 9/11 and the trials afterward wouldn’t finish us after all.