Everything In Its Right Place

9 days in = success!

amckown22 — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:07:19 +0000

So…I’ve made it the first nine days of Febraury without spending any money. To be honest, it hasn’t be as hard as I thought it would be for me. It’s actaully kind of liberating to not spend money whenver I feel like it. I’ve even learned a couple things about myself along the way.

The first thing I realized is that I spend money of of boredom. I realized this last week on my way to work. It had been snowing and the news said that that traffic was pretty bad and to give yourself extra time to get to work. I left about 15-20 minutes earlier than I normally do. Let’s just say that traffic was flowing just fine and I got to work in 15 minutes and had 25 minutes to kill before having to punch in. In the past I would have stopped by Caribou or McDonald’s to get something to drink and delay being early to work.

The second thing I realized about me spending money is that it makes me feel connected to something or someone. I think this is especially true for me with food. You order a coffee or a meal and you have interaction with someone. It’s not always meaningful interaction, but it’s a feeling that I’m part of something.

Anyone have any thoughts or ideas to add? Please share. Otherwise I hope to post about another successful 7 days of not spending money.

Andy

Not spend money for a month! Who wants in?

amckown22 — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:39:59 +0000

Today is February 1st. What’s the big deal about February 1st you might ask? To be honest, I’m not sure. It is however the month that Missi and I have decided to not spend money on anything but the essentials. What are the essentials you might ask? Food, gas and personal hygiene. That means no going out to eat, no movies, no new anything.

I have never done anything like this and am optimistic that we can do this the whole month. I will admit that I think this will be pretty challenging for me. I like going out. A LOT. Hopefully it will be a good exercise and we’ll have the disciple to not spend money on things we don’t need.

I’ll check back in a week and let all two readers know has successful Missi and I have been. Anyone care to join us in not spending money? Let us know. It would be fun to share our thoughts and experiences.

Update

amckown22 — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:49:08 +0000

Sorry I haven’t been updating this lately. I’ve wanted to write and share more about my experiences in Kenya. I will try to do some of that here in the next few days. The only bummer is that I won’t be able to share a lot of the pictures that I took while on the HOA (Horn of Africa) refugee retreat. Many of the people that I met were fearful that pictures of them would end up on the internet and could be found by other family members or friends who don’t know that they are Christians. Many of the people that I met feared persecution if it was known they followed Christ. It’s a fear that I can’t really understand living in the U.S.

Thank you everyone for your prayers and support. It was an amazing trip and I look forward to sharing more over the next few days.

_Andy

Kenya Day 3

amckown22 — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:17:47 +0000

Today we finally got to meet part of IT Kenya. We met Jack and Lorna. It was a great morning being to hear there stories about how they came to faith in Christ and the many challenges and joys they have being missionaries in Kenya. We also worked along side them to help with finally details for the HOA refugee retreat which starts tomorrow and goes through Sunday.

I’m really looking forward to being at the retreat and meeting new people and hearing their stories. I pray that our team can be an encouragement to the IT team here as well as the refugees. I’m sure it’s going to be a powerful few days where we’ll get to see God doing amazing things!

I hope to update and share more on Sunday evening. Have a great few days!

-Andy

Kenya Day 1 & 2

amckown22 — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:40:15 +0000

Hello all my readers! I arrived in Kenya last night after traveling 20 hours to get here. 16 hours of that being a plane. Sleep didn’t come easy, so I was happy to set foot in Kenya. We were picked up at the airport by our friend Dotun and he brought us the place where we are staying with here. Once we got here about 10pm we all were in bed and asleep pretty fast.

This morning we woke up to beautiful weather and birds singing. I’m sorry to all my MN readers, but it is also about 75 degrees and sunny! Our team had a nice morning having breakfast, Kenyan Chai tea and learning more about each other. This afternoon we talked about the next couple of weeks and the different things that we’ll be doing.

It has also been really fun meeting the many people who work here at Brackenhurst where we staying and talking with them. They have been helping us with our swahili and are very friendly.

Tomorrow our team will meet the IT Kenya team to discuss the Somali retreat we’re helping with later this week. I will try to post more tomorrow. Thank you everyone for your prayers and kind words!

-Andy

Leaving on a Jet Plane

amckown22 — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:03:02 +0000

Wow! I see that it has been over two months since I’ve last blogged. I sometimes forget that I have one and that one or two people might actually read it. Anyway…I’m on my way to Kenya in a few hours. I’m really looking forward to being over there again and working with refugees. If you’re the praying type, I would covet your prayers for me and the team that will be serving in Kenya. Pray for good health, team unity and that we would have servant’s hearts to serve some of Kenya’s refugees each day.

I’ll try to post as often as I can along with some pictures of what our team is up to. Thank you everyone for your prayers and support!

A long weekend on Jekyll Island

amckown22 — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:24:16 +0000

Last weekend Missi and I traveled to Jekyll Island, Georgia. Neither of us had ever been there and I had never even heard of the place. Apparently it is very well known down in the southern parts of the U.S and has quite the history. Jekyll Island was recommended to us by Missi’s boss who was there for a wedding this past summer. Jeykll Island is along the Georgia coast between Jacksonville, Florida and Savannah, Georgia.

Our trip started out pretty early on Thursday morning since we had a 7:45 flight to Atlanta. How Missi got up for that flight is still a mystery. We had a short layover in Atlanta before our next flight to Jacksonville. During this time Missi decided that she wanted some Chick-Fil-A. So…Missi had to run to concourse A while we were at the end of concourse B and made me a little nervous since they were calling final boarding. We both made it but I was a little stressed out. Once we got into Jacksonville we picked up our rental car which was a Ford Mustang. That was kind of fun since most of the time I rent a car it is a Ford Focus

We stayed at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel (pictured above) which was a private club for the mega rich around the turn of the twentieth century. Members included JP Morgan, Pulitzer, Vanderbilt and many more. It is believed that the idea for the Federal Reserve was set up at this hotel. Lot’s of neat history which I thought was kind of neat. Our room was pretty nice. It faced the front of the property overlooking the croquet lawn. We also had a nice porch where we could sit as well.

Friday we awoke to heavy rains which was kind of a bummer. However, we were prepared and had scheduled our in-room massages for Friday morning. What a great way to start your day! Because of the weather we decided to stay indoors for most of the day and watch season 4 of 24. Nothing like Jack Bauer to help pass the time.

Saturday Missi and I took a tour of the Jekyll Island historical district. We learned about the history of the island and got to go into a couple of the old cottages and see how the rich people lived back in the day. After the tour, we decided to drive around the island. We got a couple of time to walk around on the beach or to check out the cool oak trees draped in spanish moss. Later in the afternoon, Missi and I went on a horseback ride. It was labeled as a “sunset beach ride” but tide was high so we didn’t get too much beach riding in. However, it was a blast and a highlight of the trip for us!

I woke up early on Sunday so I could go watch the sunrise and take some pictures. What a beautiful sunrise I experienced. It is neat to be on the beach and watch the waves on the ocean riste and fall as the sun comes up. Once I got back we started to pack and get ready to leave. However, we couldn’t leave until we had the Sunday Brunch that everyone was raving about all weekend. Missi and I were not disappointed. We ate like kings and queens!

Missi and I had a great weekend relaxing, eating way too well, laughing and just enjoying each other’s company! I look forward to another getaway with Missi soon!

Fall Fun with Missi

amckown22 — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:07:21 +0000

A couple weeks back Missi and I decided to go for a walk near our apartment to check out some of the leaves that had changed color. Being the amateur photographers we are, we brought along our cameras. I took a ton of pictures of Mis sitting in the leaves and throwing them up in the air. Most of them didn’t turn out, but it was a fun afternoon and I loved seeing my beautiful wife smile!

Music Builds Tour

amckown22 — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:47:07 +0000

In early October, Missi and I went to the Music Builds Tour featuring Jars of Clay, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Switchfoot and Third Day. It was a really fun night with friends and family. We had incredible seats and were really close to the stage. The only down side to the seats we had was that we were right under the speakers. That goodness my mom brought extra ear plugs! I’m a fan of all the bands but had never seen Robert Randolph or Switchfoot live.

Jars of Clay played first and there set was pretty short at a half and hour. I really like Jars, but they didn’t impress me too much on this night. They played a couple of new songs and donned all white outfits. Missi and I got a good laugh out of the lead singer and one of the guitar players who was mouthing “watermelon” on singing part he didn’t remember.

Robert Randolph played second and were AMAZING! Randolph plays a mean steel guitar and it knocks your socks off! Seriously! They are more of a bluesy jam band so the songs get a tad long, but you don’t really notice it. What you do notice is that his music makes you want to dance. My nephew Jake LOVED this band. He was dancing all over the place. The neatest part of his set was when all the band members start switching instruments in the middle of the song. They all can play the steel guitar, bass and drums. It was fun to watch.

Switcfoot played third and they were really, really good! Having never seen them before, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. They are a great live band! Tons of energy and they just sounded amazing!

Third Day was last to play and as usual they were good. I’m not the biggest Third Day fan, but I think they put on an entertaining show.

The night ended when all the bands cam out and played Jars of Clay’s “I’ll fly Away” and the U2′s “When Love Came to Town.” Both covers were good, but the U2 cover was stellar! A great way to finish a fun night of music with good friends.

UPDATE:

Here is a YouTube clip of Robert Randolph playing “Good Times.” It really gets good at about the 3 minute mark.

A series of Recaps is coming!

amckown22 — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:50:31 +0000

So it’s been forever since I’ve posted anything on this blog. Life has been very busy lately. The McKown calendar was and still is a bit out of control. Many nights are filled and weekends have been completely booked with things to do. Ever since Missi and I have started going to Northwood, our lives and schedules haven’t been the same. We are SUPER involved which has been great. But, there is always something going on. For example, Missi and I are leading a couples small group. I’m helping out on the worship team playing guitar. I’m on another advisory team and I’m going to Kenya in January. Missi is part of the Outreach team, the baby ministry and has been asked to help with the women’s ministry. I say all this as a lame excuse as to why I haven’t blogged.

Okay…so here are pictures and brief descriptions of some of the other things that I’ve been up to the past month.

Since I missed Missi’s Birthday while I was hiking the Grand Canyon, we celebrated with my family the first weekend in October. We headed to my parent’s place for lunch and then went to Minnetonka Orchards with my rents, my sister and her family and Missi’s mom joined us too! We had fun being outside and enjoying the great weather! Over the next few days I took a few more pictures of the autumn foliage with is so beautiful during the month of October.