The eagle has landed, Rachel and I’s little baby Kennedy Jane Van Hook was born at 10:24 p.m. Friday night April 25th, 2008 during the 9th inning of the Braves 6-3 win over the Mets and weighed 7lbs 15 ounces and was 3 weeks early.  She is all good, beautiful as can be with a head full of hair (non-dreaded).  Our God is amazing, watching a life come into this world just blew me away, when I find some more words to express the feelings I will write another post.  But right now it is ten after 5 and I am missng my girls, so therefore I am heading home.

Outie 5

This my friends is the numero uno reason why this summer is going to be off the hook, I am going to have a kid (pictured above in the smaller of the two red circles), can you believe it?  I Charles Benjamin Van Hook III, the same man who paralyzed his own eyes with jalapeno juices, the same man who almost got murdered by the energizer Bambie, is about to be responsible for another human life.  I keep telling everyone I am “ready” and everytime I make that statement they all keep laughing at me, so I have decided to offically change my statement to “I am excited about learning how to become ready to have a kid.”  Whatever that means and whatever the statement is all I know is that I am stoked to see this little baby that God is so greatly blessing Rachel and I with, and Lord if you would like to allow her to come out with a head full of dreads that would be an amazing double bonus.

Moving on from baby…

We have got so much planned for this summer here at the Gathering, many churches sit back and cruise through the summer while everyone is at Disney World or the beach, but not us, these next two to three months are going to be jammed packed with all kinds of savory goodnesses.  The only cats I will let slip out of the bag right now are some of the summer plans for KIDZPLAYCE, you “big” church people will have to wait a couple weeks to hear about yall’s summer goodnesses.  As for now lets check out our KIDZPLAYCE summer agenda, shall we….

Sometime in May: A Baby?

June 11th: McFlick, which equals some Mickey D’s and a 1$ Movie at the extravagant Sevierville Picture Show (movie theater)

June 27th: Berry Blast, the kick-off for our summer series which ironically is entitled Berry Blast and will be a study of the Fruit of the Spirit.  Full of inflatables, games, food music and mucho mucho fun.

June 30th -July 3rd: Camp Kid Jam, KIDZPLAYCE’s very first camp experience for the Elementary aged kidos

July 16th: McFlick, Round two

July 22nd: Possible Zorb Day (Insurance questions & approval pending)

July 30th: McFlick, Round three

Sometime in August: Back to School

There is a quick peek at the KIDZPLAYCE summer in an Egg shell.  So, kids, parents random people that stumble across this blog the Kids and leaders of KIDZPLAYCE are bout to have the Bombest summer in Tennessee history, let the countdown begin. 

Before I leave you on this day, just remember that myself and this woman will be raising a kid in less than a month.  (there was no lead in the paint, so I was told)

Okay, so this past Friday on my day off I decided it would be a nice day to throw on the ol’ waders and get my fishin’ line a little wet down in the French Broad River by Johnson Bible College.  All was going well, except for the fact that I hadn’t caught one fish, let alone seen one in the first hour and a half I was out there.  So, I decided it was time to cross through the current to this random island and fish on the other side of the river.  After about twenty minutes I finally arrived on the island, out of breath and soaked from the condensation of sweat building up inside my rubber waders a took little break.  Following my time out I quickly discovered that this here island was inhabited with bushels and bushels of thorns and low branches that seemed to be attracted to my hair. 

While standing in the middle of this island trying to untangle my hair from the thorns and twigs I heard some russeling in the distant bushes, I quickly realized I was not alone on this island and that made me feel a tad bit uncomfortable.  Eventually I loosened the thorns grasp on my hair and continued my trek to the other side of the island.  About five seconds later I heard the what sounded like a stampede coming right at me, I glanced up and directly in my line of sight running straight at me is this huge four point buck.  I promise on everything I made eye contact with that dude and almost dropped one in my under-waders.  The deer veered to right and kept sprinting down the island probably just as scared as I was.  I quickly took off in the other direction running as fast as my over-sized rubber waders would allow me.  When the deer discovered the end of the island and realized he was surrounded by water and trapped on an island with a half caveman half michelin-man he turned around and darted back up the island.  This deer was freakin’ out and continued running up and down this island like he was participating in the Presidential Physical Fitness Test from Elementary school. 

Upon arriving on the other side of the island I was welcomed  with about an eight foot drop off to the muddy shore below, I contemplated looking for an easier way until I heard that Jackie Joyner Kersee deer making its third trip around the island.  I didn’t really care for jumping of that cliff but then I remembered  this guy  and I sure as crap didn’t want to end up like him, so, I took the leap of faith and got the heck off that chaotic thorn infested psycho deer roamin’ island.

Needless to say I survived my stay on deer island and made it back to the real world with no fish, but without any pain inflicted by a rabid deer. 

Join me next time as I present the story of the Great Opening Day Fiasco of 2008.

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