Moose44's Weblog

Daughter’s 16th Birthday

moose44 — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:16:38 +0000

Today is Hadley’s 16th Birthday. She was born at 7:30am exactly 16 years ago. What a day that changed my life. Time is flying fast and I am teetering between laughter and tears. This life would really be pointless if all we had to look forward to was growing old. I am so thankful that God tells us that the “best is always yet to come.” Heard at church this weekend to look for the 3 wow moments. Those are the moments where you go “wow, wow, wow” because something is so amazing. Hugging my baby girl this morning was a 3 wow moment. I am just glad that 16 years is just the beginning of us being together for all eternity.

Back to blogging again….

moose44 — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:54:47 +0000

Well it is 2010 and I am back to blogging again. I think I made more of this than I should. I just want to share thoughts with my friends and family. I have made a few New Year’s resolutions so I thought I would make it public. I am going to lose a few pounds and join a men’s group for Bible study. This will be hard because I am not really connected to just one Church. I guess that will be a big prayer request.

Nuggets Win

moose44 — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:52:01 +0000

On Sunday, Patti, Hadley and I went to the Denver Nuggets playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks. We had a blast during the game but now it is Tuesday and it seems like the game never happened. Somehow Monday pushed all the wonderful memories from my mind and the daily grind pushed its way back into my life. I find it amazing that one day you can be on top of the world and the next day you can’t remember seeing that mountain top. In this world you are only as good as you are today. No matter whether I remember the game or not, it happened. That is the way it sometimes feels with God, you forget his love and goodness sometimes but it dosen’t mean it didn’t happen (or isn’t happening). Go Nuggets….beat the Mavs! Go God!

God in the details…..

moose44 — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:00:44 +0000

It has been a while since I added a new post to my blog (sorry for the few readers who actuall read it), so I thought I would get everyone caught up on what is happening with the Vaughan’s. Patti is heading to Casper to see her sister Melanie and her nephew Sam and his son Crew (she is excited). She will be headed there for a quick trip and then back tomorrow. Jordan has started a new job at the Broadmor in Colorado Springs. He will be working at the Penrose Room, a 5-start restaurant so we are hoping for a discount. Hadley is finishing up track and has her JV conference meet on Saturday. Her race is the 100 meter hurdles, and her goal is to 3-step in between the hurdles. 9th grade has been a transition year for her into high school and we are glad it is almost done. I have started to kick-up my training for my marathon that will happen in June. We are all healthy and enjoying the warmer weather. I guess my thought for the day is that God is in the details of our lives. All of the above can be summed up as “life.” Seeing God in the details of life is the key to spiritual growth and maturity. We love seeing his supernatural protection or his miraculous healing, that is really cool…just like when he parted the red sea. But how do you see him when you are constantly in a car taking your teenage kid to and from school? How do you see him when the list of items you need to accomplish at work seems overwhelming? Or how do you see him when you just feel lonely? God reveals himself in the wispers of life and not through the megaphones. I struggle with seeing him everyday….but I guess that is where faith comes into play. Keep on running my friends…..

Control is Overrated

moose44 — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:10:28 +0000

I think the thing that I wrestle with most is that I want to control my life. I am not sure if any of you out there feel the same? I like having control of my destiny and not having to rely on God or even those around me to get me where I am going. I think that when Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden they wanted to be able to control their own journey and be like God. I have an important meeting this afternoon and the outcome could go either of two ways. I have done what I can do to prepare, but the outcome is not decided. I think that by understanding that simple concept…..prepare, but then release the outcome to God is probably the way to go…..okay, it is the only option that I have. God wants us to do what we can do, then release the outcome to him. In all truth, that is the only option that we can do. So for all you control freaks (just like me), prepare, relax and embrace the truth that you are not in control.

Thanksgiving List

moose44 — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 22:09:00 +0000

I was driving in this morning thinking about how tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I wanted to write down what I am thankful for. I prayed a prayer of thanksgiving on my drive to work, but it didn’t seem like it was enough. So, I thought I would write something that I could share with my family at the Thanksgiving Day feast. Things that I am thankful for…

A wife that is my best friend and who makes me laugh (cotton)
A son who calls me “daddy” and plays soccer, I love watching him play
My son’s new girlfriend who makes him laugh
A daughter who likes to eat ice cream in bed and watch TV
A mom who loves liver and onions and watches NCIS
A sister who always sends me ecards and cooks the best chili in the world
A brother who has always been my hero
A sister-in-law who takes vacations with us and loves red wine
A niece who is a great runner and sends me text messages
Another niece who makes the “uncle Jon Jon face” and loves snacks
Friends who check in on me once in a while
A God who never gives up on me

The above list is not super spiritual, but being thankful for the small things seems to be where I am at this point in my life. Someone once told me that “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied.” Hoping that this blog finds you thanking God for the small things.

Fear Not…

moose44 — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:38:40 +0000

We live in a time that seems to be controlled by a sense of anxiety and fear. The economy is in recession, the election is next week and so much seems to ride in the balance. Getting “my guy” in the White House is the common theme and topic of conversations. I am so sick of the political ads on TV, and I wonder who would really be swayed by those ads because they really distort the truth and move us into a more fearful state. I think that we all need to take a deep breath and remember that we are not in control and have never been in control. We kid ourselves if we think that we are the “masters of our own ship.” If the economy gets worse, what can you do to stop it…..nothing. If Obama or McCain gets elected, what can they really do? Do you think the President can control the economy? God is in control, whether you believe that or not does not change the truth. So, here is what I recommend. Vote, balance your spending and hug and kiss those you love. Look up and thank God for what he has done and what he will do! You are not in control! Once you realize that, you are on your way to freedom and hope.

Everyday Life

moose44 — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:25:57 +0000

I got up this morning to go for a run down by Boyd Lake with Sully our Australian Shepherd. What a beautiful morning and we really enjoyed our run. At the beginning of our run we went around a corner and there was something there facing us. It was black and had its tail ready to fire…yes, it was a skunk. Sully had been sprayed once before and he decided that chasing this black thing was probably not a good idea. With God’s grace the skunk ran off and we did not get sprayed (been there…done that…bad experience). Sometimes Sully is not the smartest dog in the world, but this morning he learned a lesson that saved him and I from taking a tomato shower. I guess even Sully can be taught a lesson. I was wondering how many lessons will I have to learn again because the first time was not painful enough. All of this to say, my prayer for today is for “God to save me from myself.” The Bible teaches that he chooses the weak and foolish things of the world to shame the wise. I can get pretty critical with the people around me when they make mistakes, but to be honest I make some of the same mistakes again and again. I want to learn from my mistakes and one of them is being so critical of others. Anyone else out there guilty of that? When we refuse to learn from our mistakes it stinks….just like being sprayed by a skunk!

To My Teenage Daughter

moose44 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:50:04 +0000

This last year has been a big year of changes. First we moved to Loveland from Colorado Springs, which meant a new town, new school and new friends. Then we watched Hadley go from 8th grade to High School. What was weird is that she was more ready for that change and big step than we were. Hadley is our last child, and watching her grow is both beautiful and yet painful. Her mom and I keep looking at each other and wondering where did the time go? She is very active at High School for a Freshman, she is part of the cross country team, Fellowship of Christian Athletes as well as being in IB classes and practicing for basketball. She has a passion to experience life and on one hand we are thrilled. On the other hand we are experiencing sadness and a sense of loss. We are no longer the center of our daughters world….”but we like to be the center.” Somehow she also realized that boys were not so “creepy” after all. I can hear in the back of my mind these words….”I don’t want things to change, I don’t want things to change.” My fears start to over take me. What if I didn’t do my job as a father? What if she finds boys because she is looking for something that I didn’t give her? How is Patti going to react to all this change…how much can one woman take in such a short time? Questions, questions, questions. The two that seem to be okay with all of this is Hadley and God. I guess that pretty much makes a majority…with God you always have the majority. I just hope that she remembers to hug, kiss and keep the lines of communication open. I also hope that she continues to “fly.” Hadley, give us grace….and remember that when it feels like we are hanging on….we are. Look us in the eye, tell us things are okay and that you love us. Then go with God and be passionate about life. We love you!

Our Daughter is Growing Up

moose44 — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:18:12 +0000

Our daughter Hadley just started high school this year as a freshman. I think I always knew she was growing up but I simply would dismiss the thought because it was painful. I didn’t want to see my “baby girl” grow up. I think another side of me also wondered if I had done my job as a father…did what I do “stick” with her when the influences in her life would change from mom and dad to friends. What I have come to realize is that this transition phase in life is painful and yet very important. It makes me look at the brevity of life, it also makes me trust God to guide and protect her when we can’t. Yesterday in church our pastor gave this statement, “trust is easy until it becomes necessary.” As parents we now have to sit back and trust her, understanding that she will make mistakes (we all do) but perfection is not our goal, learning, growing and understanding God’s love and relationship is. This has driven me back into God’s arms because that is the only place that I can find peace. God uses kids to keep us humble, teachable…which I guess are pretty high on his list of things we need to learn. Pray for Patti and I as we navigate these waters and pray for Hadley to continue to be Hadley. Thank you Jesus for being everything that we need!