Siegburg, Germany Home of the Mighty Orioles

So I was sweating in 100+ degree heat and it reminded me that I would rather be back in Germany. You see, I just recently returned from a two week trip to Germany that I went on with my church. There are a couple of interesting things you may have missed in that sentence: 1. TWO WEEK TRIP, this is by far the longest vacation that I have ever taken. 2. GERMANY, if you have never been to Germany you should really check it
out, I don't know what I was expecting but I was blown away by the nice people, beautiful landscape, unique architecture and great food. Back to my original train of thought, I just got back from Germany and I wish I could
still be there.

Maybe it would be best to start from the beginning. When my wife and I began attending FBC Bryan three years ago we were blown away by Brother Tim and his passion for missions. Although we wanted to be a part of what he was talking about we were on a tight budget and we had a small child. Brother Tim left the church, baby #2 came and Patsy quit teaching and we thought that we would never get involved with international missions. Luckily God doesn't give up as easily as we did. About 6 months ago we started hearing about a trip to our sister church in Germany to teach a baseball camp. The trip sounded like a good fit for me and Patsy but the same old doubts and road blocks convinced me that it would never happen. 1. MONEY 2. Two kids 3. THREE DOGS 4. Two weeks off work 5. I haven't played baseball in about 20 years. Over the next couple months we prayed about it and told family and friends that we were

interested in going but didn't really think it was going to be possible. That was when things started falling into place. My parents were probably the biggest piece of the puzzle. As world

travelers themselves they thought the trip was a great idea and

offered a ton of support. They not only took off work to watch the kids for TWO WEEKS, they also funded a huge portion of the trip. With that in place the other stuff seemed easy, we found people to watch our dogs, I got a new position at work that started soon after we came back so the timing was right there, we taught VBS at church as a warm up so I felt more prepared for the kids in Germany etc etc.

Now for the trip itself, I just want to reiterate that I think Germany is awesome. We spent the majority of our time there coaching at a baseball camp for kids in the Siegburg area. This was a 7am to 10pm time commitment for 7 of our 11 full days in Germany. It was a little scary at first, the kids we got were all teenagers with no knowledge of baseball and Patsy and I didn't speak a

word of German. However we soon relaxed and realized that it was all going to be ok. We got a full time translator from the church, our kids knew enough English that we could easily communicate with them, we had an American kid on our team that helped out immensely by helping the kids learn baseball from their level and by being a cheerleader to get the kids pumped up and having fun. The weather even cooperated, it was cool and overcast for most of the week so the kids didn't get worn out by the heat. The bible studies during the day went well

but the evening services that the youth minister and youth group put on were amazing. I was expecting a small turnout of kids from the camp and a few praise and worship songs with a short sermon. What I got was an awesome service with BasiX TV (check it out online), some really

talented singers, a rap song

that became the camp theme, fog machines and stage lighting and more. There were a ton of people there for the services as well, all of our kids showed up every night along with the majority of the other teams, along with them there were a lot of soldiers from the base where the camp took place. They were impressed by the service as well and said that they would have gone to church a long time ago if they knew it could be like that.

By the end of the week we had made a ton of friends and were completely worn out. We came in second in the end-of-camp tournament but by then the kids had all become such good friends and were so exhausted that no one got too upset.

The little time that we had outside of camp was spent with the Kossman family, who bent over backwards to make us comfortable, well fed and happy while staying in their home. We also shared their house with Dale Newkome, who was from the church that started these baseball camps. He was the resident baseball camp expert and, by a crazy coincidence, was the son of the family that founded the baptist private school that I went too in Houston. After camp we got to do some sight seeing in Bhon, Koln and Trier. I think I misspelled every one of those names but I

have been writing this for way too long to stop and look up the spelling. Everything that we saw and experienced during our last few days would take a few pages to list but I will hit some of the highlights.

1) European Catholic cathedrals are awe inspiring. They are a little much for me to worship in comfortably but the architecture, statues, stained glass and relics that they contain are pretty awesome. My favorite was the Basilica in Trier, it didn't have all the fancy statues and stuff but while we were there another church group sang some hymns and the resonance and acoustics made them sound amazing. It was impressive on a whole different level.

2) Italian Ice Cream. Do I really have to say anything else? It is delicious and apparently it is ok to eat it every day, a couple times a day.

3) A real life castle. I was afraid when I saw this on

the schedule that I would be disapointed. I was wrong. We had to hike down the side of a mountain to get to the

castle located in a valley. The view was amazing, the castle was impressive and when we went on the tour I felt like I was getting a real glimpse into castle life 800 years ago. The treasure collection was also pretty cool.

4) The scenic rout back to Siegburg. Our driver Gabby got a little lost on the way back from Trier and we turned a two hour trip into a three and a half hour drive. To be fair the GPS led her astray and the scenic rout actually was pretty cool. We saw a dozen beautiful German villages, a indy car race track, German Schliterbaun, vineyards and the windy roads through the hill country and black forest. It turned a couple hours on the highway into a highlight of my week.

5) German graffiti art is pretty cool. The family that we stayed with were not impressed but I was. It was the best stuff I have ever seen in person and

it was everywhere. Now I am not talking about

gang tags and obscenities, I am talking about 30 foot by 8 foot murals with vibrant color and real skill. Anyway, it was everywhere we turned and I liked it.

6) City or Town Centers. Instead of the same chain stores repeating every few miles like they do in America the German towns we went to had Centers. This was in the middle of town and had shops, restaurants, bars, churches, fountains and statues, museums and more all designed to be walked to instead of driven to. It may not be the most efficient system for churning out money or maximizing your customer potential but it was nice to just stroll around looking in the shops, eating ice cream, talking to friends, check out landmarks and relax.

7) Staying in a hostile. These places have gotten a bad wrap. It was very nice.

I know I am forgetting stuff but I have got to get to bed so I think that I am going to wrap this post up. In case you haven't gotten the point yet, I had a great time in Germany. I feel like we helped the church there reach a lot of kids by putting on a professional but fun camp. I also think that the army base was blessed by the camp and I hope those soldiers find a church home where they feel as comfortable as they did at BasiX. I have finally been to Europe and if I get the invite I will be back for Baseball camp 2012!

PS the kids were in heaven while we were gone. I think that they saw every kid attraction that Houston has to offer and ate junk food every day and had 24/7 attention. I was just relieved that they were glad to see us when we got home and didn't cry when they had to stay with us when my parents left.

Starting a Jeep, how hard could it be?

So I took way too long getting to the point on my first couple attempts so here is the rest of the story in as few words as possible. I test drove the jeep and it ran fine but the transmission sounded rough. Best description I can give you is smooth idle with clutch in, a light or quiet grinding with clutch out and what the f#^! when you put it in gear and start to drive (all supposedly from the throw out bearing in the trans, I will tell you when I find out if that's what it is). With an extra $500 off the price I agreed to take her home. Cory and I brought her home on a trailer and I decided I was going to get to a transmission shop as soon as possible.

The next morning I was excited to start playing with the Jeep. Tiny little problem #1: dead battery. Solution: jump start off of my truck and let it run a while in the driveway. I did just that and everything went fine for about 5 minutes... then the Jeep died. I thought "I am an idiot, the gas gauge says empty," so off to the gas station I went to get 2 gallons of premium gas in my lawn mowers gas can. I put it in and nothing happens. However I notice an extremely dirty fuel filter and remember that the previous owner said it had dirty gas from sitting so long. I hop back in my truck and get a fuel filter. I feel very manly as I purchase this item which most, less masculine men would let a oil change place change out. Once it is in, which took about 45 seconds, I try to start the engine again. Nothing again and this time my neighbor comes over to see whats going on. I actually start the engine a couple times with starter fluid to see if... well I don't actually know why I did that because, as my neighbor pointed out, I could clearly see that there was no gas in the fuel filter. I pumped the gas pedal about a hundred times because, as my neighbor again said, you can't flood an engine without gas in the fuel line. I then get the bright idea that maybe I need more gas. I know this doesn't make sense so you don't have to point it out. I borrow a larger gas can and add 5 gallons. Now the battery is dead again from trying to start it so many times.

I may not have mentioned that I have never worked on a car before in my life but I bet you could have figured it out by this point. I feel like I rushed through all of that and it was still a super long post just to get to this point. In fact the original title to this post was "How to attempt to take off a gas tank" but I realized I wasn't going to get that far.

I feel like you all deserve a few of the humorous little side notes that I have thought of up to this point:

1) In a previous post I mentioned the term curb appeal. This made me laugh because my Jeep has been sitting on a curb for the last week at my house without moving and on the previous owners curb for at least 6 months.

2) I have referred to the Jeep as she or her a bunch of times and I have no idea why. I never did this with any other vehicle and always kind of thought of silly. Maybe it is because she is playing hard to get with all this stalling before we drive off together. A name is definitely in her future too.

3) The one productive thing that I have done to the Jeep is add seat belts. It took about 5 minutes and my wife actually did it while I fiddled with something else.

4) My son has gone out with me to sit in the Jeep every day just for fun. We play the radio and make engine noises. He really enjoys it, I feel like he is going to flip out when we actually drive it somewhere.

5) Chilton guides LIE. A few examples are: My jeep has a 304 v8 in it and it was built in 1972 however the Chilton said it wasn't available until 1974. I have a t-15 transmission although the Chilton does not acknowledge that that transmission ever existed ( this confused the heck out of me for a while) and finally the gas tank on a 1972 cj5 has THREE bolts holding it on, not SIX (you will understand why that is important in my next post).

6) You may have noticed that I gave a little extra detail on how much gas I put in the tank. This is because I later pumped every drop out of the tank with a little sum pump that Neil "the manager in chair ;)" Krebs let me borrow. It sucked really bad. I mean I spilled gas everywhere, got it all over me, ruined a perfectly good tank top, made my boots stink like gas for a week and I somehow managed to drop my son while trying to balance a gas can on my hip and lift him into the back of my truck. 15 gallons in a 13 gallon tank...

So I have decided that the problem with the Jeep is either the fuel pump or a clogged fuel line. Both mean that I have to take off the tank, but that is a story for another day.

So I bought a Jeep part 2

So I left off in a hurry yesterday but I think I remember where I was in my introduction to the Jeep.

My wife was the one that found the Jeep on Craigslist and emailed it to me at work. I had just been nice to her earlier that day, something which I am not the best at and have to be reminded to do occasionally, and her response to my niceness was to help me find a suitable Jeep. The three suggestions that she sent me were: a jacked up hunting jeep with dead bodies strewn across it (it was a weird picture that I assume was taken near Halloween), a rust bucket that was pictured next to a ramshackle barn with grass grown up around it 2-3 feet tall and a fantastic looking black rhino lined 1972 cj5 with a 304 v8 and brand new interior. I obviously chose the one with the dead bodies strewn across it ... oh wait, that one creeped me out so I bit on the third Jeep which looked cool but was super old. After all of the accolades on the posting for the Jeep were a couple "small" issues that would have to be taken care of before I would have my dream toy. 1) the gas in the tank was dirty from sitting for so long so would have to be drained and (2 a thrown bearing which the seller hadn't had time to fix and caused a slight grinding noise while driving. At $3500 who would let these tiny little issues stop them from snatching this magnificent vehicle up. When I emailed the seller he said I was too late, that he had a buyer coming by the next day to pick it up, but that he would let me know if they fell through. Talk about disappointed! I had found a great deal on a Jeep within driving distance for exactly the price that I was selling my motorcycle and it was already sold. I was dejected. I half heartedly looked at some other Jeeps and trucks but none had the amazing curb appeal of the one that got away.

As bummed as I was, I was equally elated and excited when Tuesday rolled around and I got an email from the guy, who subsequently lived in Buda in case you were curious, saying that the sale had fallen through. I felt like I had gotten a second chance at happiness and I wasn't about to miss out this time. I had two stressful days of work between me and my ultimate toy and it could be sold at any time. I must have sent the seller 5 or 6 email asking random questions and making sure he hadn't sold it to some bastard who probably wouldn't appreciate it. Thursday came and me and my friend Cory drove our happy asses 140 miles to Buda to pick her up.

I feel very long winded right now and I want beer so tune in next time for getting her home, "what could possibly happen if I run it in the driveway for a few minutes?", and how to spend a hundred dollars on pretty much nothing.

The Saga Begins...aka I bought a Jeep

So I bought a Jeep.

Well there is a little more to it than that so maybe I should clarify. I bought a 1972 cj5 with a 304 v8 and a laundry list of problems. If you know me you are probably aware that until last week the only thing that I would likely be blogging about would be my motorcycle. Unfortunately last week I sold my perfectly good motorcycle, a '02 Kawasaki Vulcan 800, and bought an old Jeep with issues. This was prompted by back to back motorcycle accidents in my family. First I laid my bike down outside of Montgomery. I was out on a little 3 hour ride with a friend and took a corner to fast, long story short it cost me about a thousand bucks between doctors bills and parts for the bike but I was at work the next day so I wasn't seriously injured.

The same cannot be said about the second accident which happened about a week later. My mom was the victim in the next accident and she was not nearly as lucky as I was. She totaled her brand new Harley, broke over a dozen bones and spent two weeks in the hospital. Before you get too worried she is doing fine now, a couple months in a wheelchair and neck brace but she is at home and was playing with my kids on the 4th of July. The big result of her accident for me was that the bike had to go. It finally put into perspective what I was risking every time I got on the bike for a joy ride or even to save a couple bucks on gas.

Enter Jeep fever...

As soon as I decided to sell the bik

e I knew I had to find a replacement. I went through a few ideas before settling on a Jeep, a few of them were: an old truck, a kayak and or canoe, screening in my back porch, bicycles and fishing. After a few hours looking at trucks, most of which were farm trucks or rust buckets, I started thinking that maybe a Jeep was a good alternative. I quickly did a little research and was amazed that it had taken me this long to realize that Jeeps are awesome. A few of the benefits that began going through my mind were: convertible, back seat for kids, take out back seat for storage, able to pull a trailer ie for boat or camping supplies, cool factor (that is right I said cool factor because Jeeps are freakin cool), reliability (I mean the ones I was looking at had been on the road for 30+ years right), big supply and affordable price.

Now that I knew what I wanted it was only a matter of finding the money (ie selling my bike) and finding the Jeep. I must have looked at hundreds of them online before my wife forwarded me one that I fell in love with....

ok this isn't where I thought I would stop but my wife is giving me the stink eye and I gotta go buy jack stands for the Jeep... next post will pick up here and will be more detailed data about the Jeep, what I have done and what I need to do.