We love camping!

We camped this weekend with the young adults group from church at St. Croix State park and it was glorious. Very hot and sweaty, but still very fun. We were at the group sites, which were nice...once you found them! Hopefully it was a good time had by all. We didn't take any pictures, but the mental memories should keep us warm at night. Thanks for coming everyone and don't forget: the Chases are always up for a camping trip!!!

Harry Potter (don't worry, no spoilers)

I (Tim) got up on Saturday morning and cruised to Target to get my very own copy of the new Harry Potter book. Whenever I had a chance I read, trying to finish before someone ruined the end for me. Last night, at 12:30 a.m., I finished the book without hearing the ending first. Without giving anything away, I have to say that I loved it. Anyone who has finished it can now call me to discuss the book. (I will say this much: Mrs. Weasley rules!)

My main task today will be staying awake. I finished the book late, and then I got up at 6 a.m. to play Ultimate Frisbee. Caffeine is my friend.

Tim's thoughts for all to see

Heidi and I have been getting up and running on the Midtown Greenway in the morning before I head to work. It has been nice to run before the heat of the day kicks in. We also like getting it out of the way so that when I get home in the afternoon we can do other stuff. Since we run at different speeds, we usually start out together on an out and back route, and then I go on ahead but turn around and catch up to her at the end. We have only been doing this for a week, but already we both feel pretty good.

Tomorrow I will purchase the final Harry Potter book. (I know I am a bad Evangelical. That will have to be the subject of another post.) If anyone hears how it ends, please do not tell me. Two years ago a Junior High kid told me the end of book six when I was only halfway through it, so I am trying to avoid the same fate. There are always going to be haters who love to ruin a mystery for people and I am going to try hard to avoid them. My other dilemma is figuring out how to read the book while keeping my wife happy and getting everything done. Not sure how that will work out. I’ll keep everyone posted.

Yesterday I finally found a t-shirt with an Autobot symbol on it. I have been on the lookout for years for one of those and finally found one at Target for $10. Heidi thinks I am a big dork. I still love her, though. Sometimes I ponder if people wonder what a cute girl like Heidi is doing with a dork wearing a Transformers t-shirt. You can come to your own conclusion.

THANK YOU!!!

A huge, amazing, and wonderful THANK YOU to everyone who helped
out at our work day on Saturday. We are so thankful to you! We got a
ton done in the yard and everything looks great. A special thanks to
Mom and Brenda who helped me sweep the nasty cobwebs from the
basement ceiling. We may all be suffering from the black lung now,
but hey, it was worth it!! (A nasty, nasty job.)

Candace, Stan and Matt rockin' and rollin' painting the steps.

Brenda showing off her muscles. I know, I can't see them either.
(That sweet truck is for sale BYW, talk to Eric Unger.)

Tim and Eric (our mulch master) working with the
manure-soaked wood chips.

There were more people helping us than what is represented in these photos but by the time I decided to take pics, Candace had just painted the steps so I had to wait a while and by then a few folks had to go. We are humbled and blessed by your sacrifice of a Saturday and praise God for such great friends. Thanks!!

Visit to Colorado

While we were in Colorado this past week visiting Tim's family we were thrilled to spend a night camping in the mountains in Golden Gate Canyon State park. Absolutely beautiful! Tim has always promised me, for about 4 years now, that he would take me camping in the mountains and he finally did! Here's some of the fam at dinner.
Ok, how cute is my nephew. I was wearing this hat and as I came out of the tent, he asked me if he could wear my helmet. Too stinkin' cute!
Us with out other nephew.

Family fun at Minnehaha

A few weekends ago, we had a lovely picnic with the fam at Minnehaha. good times.

Movie review: Transformers

Not since the last Lord of the Rings film have I (Tim) been as excited about a movie as I was about Transformers. I was nervous that Michael Bay would ruin my childhood memories like he ruined history with Pearl Harbor. Instead, Transformers was totally awesome. I saw it with some of my buddies in a packed theater at the first show in the Twin Cities. The crowd cheered during certain scenes and laughed at the inside jokes. (The crowd went nuts during the chase scene with Bumblebee and Barricade and laughed at the “more than meets the eye" comment.) It was a great experience.

Aside from sweet robot carnage, there is a ton of humor in this film. The pace moves briskly and the characters are just interesting enough to care about them. Best of all, there is no skimping on Transformers screen time. Unlike the Hulk, where they did everything in their power to keep the Hulk off the screen and instead turned it into a family drama, Transformers realizes that the audience paid for action, not drama. There are lots of robots and explosions. The special effects in Transformers are incredible. The robots look real, especially when interacting with the human actors, which is difficult. The way the robots move and fight was spectacular. The final fight was great. Be sure to stay during the credits for some funny bonus scenes.

Great scenes: The chase/fight between Bumblebee and Barricade.
Blackout’s arrival and attack at the military base.
Optimus vs. Bonecrusher on the freeway.

Great line: Sam 'Spike' Witwicky: So...
Maggie Madsen: What are you here for?
Sam 'Spike' Witwicky: I bought a car. Turned out to be an alien robot.
Glen: [whispered] Wow...!
Sam 'Spike' Witwicky: Who knew?

Turd in the punchbowl: The scene at Sam’s house when the Autobots are hiding outside was too long and relied too much on low-brow humor.