Another year past!

Happy New Year, everyone! Can you believe it's 2007? Ok, some of you may be wondering what's so amazing about 2007. Well, when you consider I was born in 1969...you get the picture. Who would've guessed, back in 1980 when I was playing with my GI Joes, that 27 years later I'd be sitting in front of a 19" color LCD monitor, writing a New Year's post to my blog. Yikes!

I went for a walk/run last night (part of an early new year's resolution.) As I was doing my cool down walk, I spent some time talking with God. I looked back on the past year, all the good, the bad, etc. Through it all, I'm reminded of Romans 8:38-39:

"I'm absolutely convinced that nothing - nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable - absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us." (The Message)

No matter what life throws at you, what better place to be than in the loving arms of God!

Vacation Update

I'm rather enjoying my break from work...ok, it's sort of a break from work. I've still got a week to go, but I find myself back in the office mindset. Today I've been reading such relaxing tomes as "Effective Leadership in Adventure Programming," studying things like spontaneous, analogous, and structured forms of using metaphors in adventure programming (say that fast 3 times with a mouthful of Pringles!)

Elim Adventure

Just a little something to keep in prayer. I've been working with some administration members of Elim Bible Institute towards establishing an adventure education program at the school. It's in the extremely early stages, as I just sent an initial proposal to the school last week. Besides God & my family, I have two loves when it comes to ministry - being involved in camp ministry directly, and preparing those considering this unique ministry. I'll keep you posted...

Watchin' the Belly

Ok, we're big dorks, but Jen & I spent quite a few minutes last night watching Olivia kick. It was like she was doing aerobics or tae bo in there. It was SO funny! I think the reality of being parents is starting to sink in for me now that Jen's showing. Until now, things outwardly have been the same since the only "proof" we had that there was indeed a little person in there was a positive pregnancy test and some early ultrasounds.

Turkeys - Part Deux

When I went outside this morning to start my truck, I turned the corner by the garage & found myself literally face to face with the two turkeys from Saturday. I looked at them...they looked at me...some more looking on both our parts...and then I went to my truck while the two large birds just stood there watching me. Living at camp, with all the wildlife that's gotten used to 70,000 people on grounds, is kinda otherworldly sometimes.

Superchic[k]

Got to see Last Tuesday, John Reuben, Sanctus Real, and Superchic[k] Saturday night at Fox River Christian Church as part of their "Live Love" tour. Lots of fun, good music, plus I got to take pictures of the concert.

The snow's here (and turkeys, too!)

Well, we got our first snowfall of the year, and it was a doozy! Almost 10 inches of snoww fell overnight, so Jen got to stay home from school due to cancelled classes. On one hand, camp looks beautiful covered in this thick white blanket...but it needs to get moved to our guests can come & go. Lots of shoveling, snowblowing, plowing, etc. As I was working on shoveling our driveway & excavating my truck, I heard some turkeys calling. I remember thinking as I tossed another shovelful of snow on the pile, "those sound really close."

I looked up & saw the source of the sounds - a male & female turkey no more than 30 feet away hanging around the nearby parking lot. I grabbed my camera & was able to get within 10 feet of them at times for some nice shots.

God's Provision (and I'm sure, not the last!)

Well, there's been some cool things that have happened within the past couple weeks that I'd like to share:
(1) We have a NEW bassinet! A friend from Oregon that Jen met on the SciFi Channel's Firefly fan site sent us a brand new bassinet, still in the box. ($130 retail)
(2) We got a $200 "Travel System" (Baby stroller, carrier, car seat, etc. all-in-one) for $38 through the thrift store Jen's grandma works at.
(3) And the final one (for now), Jen & I were talking Sunday about whether we'd be able to afford her grad classes once the baby was born, especially since she couldn't work next summer without finding (and paying for) childcare. She mentioned, "Maybe I could do some sewing for Timber-lee...I should really call Cathy tomorrow."

The next day, after we got back from an appointment, there was a message waiting for us on the answering machine...from Cathy! "We have a lot of sewing that needs to be done & I was hoping you might be available..."

"Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern."
Matt 6:32b-33 NLT

It's a Girl!

It's official - we're having a girl in about 5 months! Although we reserve the right to name her anything at this point, we've pretty much settled on naming her Olivia.

It's got a whistle!

I told Matt I'd post it! He came over before heading out with his wife for Thanksgiving vacation to show us his "discovery" concerning his new backpack - an emergency whistle built in to the buckle on his sternum strap. Gotta love outdoor gear. Somebody made millions off that one!

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Premier

Last night was the premier of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition featuring the Koepke family of Dundee, WI. To show their appreciation, Monarch Homes hosted a dinner & showing of the episode at our church, Fox River Christian Church. It was a lot of fun getting to watch it alongside the folks I worked with over so many long (and cold) hours.

I was a little disappointed when I didn't see any of the pictures I took on ABC's website, but after looking at previous show galleries, I could see why. All of the pictures seemed to focus on the building itself, or interior rooms, exterior features, etc. One element was curiously missing - LIFE! I think I've figured out my photographic style...I capture life, the feelings, emotions, transporting my audience into the pictures.

That's why I take pictures.

He Is Enough!

I was walking home yesterday around sunset, just being quiet before God, when I found myself overcome with gratitude. As I reflect on it today, I'm aware of how easy it is to regard our times with Him as "[Insert Name]'s Request Hour." But, if you really think about it, He's already done enough for us. Jesus' sacrifice alone overshadows anything else we could ask for, but just think of all the additional instances in our lives God has moved on our behalf - the answered prayers, the healings, unexpected blessings, etc.

Does that mean we shouldn't ask for anything? Of course not! However, is your focus on the Blessor or the blessing? As I brought my needs before Him last night, I was reminded of His faithfullness, His mercy, of the many different ways God has shown His love toward me in the past. When I finished, I could think of only one more thing to say:

"You've been so good to me. You could do nothing more for me & it would still be enough. I love you."

Toilet Seats

Yup, you can probably tell by the title of this entry that it's going to be profound. I pose this question:

Have you ever broken a toilet seat? How about multiple toilet seats over 6 1/2 years of marriage?

Ok, I'll fess up - I've broken at least 3 since I've been married. What's the deal? I'm an average sized guy - 6' tall, 200lbs, just mindin' my own business...

[CRACK]

Maybe it's the $12 cheapies I've purchased from Home Depot. Well, no more! This last time I bought a $35 Kohler seat. 100% polyurethane, baby! None of that "molded wood" stuff. What exactly is molded wood anyway?

Now that I've lowered your opinion of me a few notches, I'm done.

Please let me know you've broken one, too!

Money, Money, Money

First of all, this isn't a rant concerning being fearful about finances. Actually, it's the opposite. It's been almost a year exactly since Jen & I started a credit counseling program and a cash budget plan (thanks Dave Ramsey!) Where we were living paycheck to paycheck, worrying about any unexpected expense, we've now paid our overall debt down thousands of dollars in 12 months, and we've paid CASH for every surprise. Thank you God for teaching us to be good stewards of what You give us!

Now, with a baby on the way, there's the temptation to worry again. A baby? How do we know how this new addition will affect our budget? I have to force myself to accept that "it will all work out." God knows our every need, has promised to provide for those needs, and Baby Prowitz hasn't surprised Him (Oh, shoot! I didn't factor a baby into My plan of provision! Oops!)

Please keep us in prayer as we move into this new, uncharted wilderness known as PARENTHOOD.

Blessings!

New Server/ New Look!

Welcome to my new blog. Actually, it's not new...per se...ok, I guess it is. It's even new for Blogger, since it's a beta version. Nice improvements!

I'm hoping to keep up with this a little more than before, maybe even making this my official website. We'll see. I'll want to play around with this a bit more before making that kind of move.

If you haven't heard yet, the episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" that I took pictures for in Dundee, WI airs on Sunday Nov. 19th at 7pm on ABC. Some of my shots should appear on the show's website when it airs. The days on locations were a lot of fun.

The baby's doing well. We have an appointment the day before Thanksgiving for another ultrasound. We may be able to tell if it's a boy or girl. Helps us pick a color for the nursery!

Going to bed. Later!

Holy Cow! Here's a news update for you - I've just received a photo assignment to shoot for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. That's right, the ABC network television show! My first day on location is this Friday at 7am. I'm excited for the opportunity to do this. Cool, huh?Oh, and I can't tell you where the show is taking place - per my pre-shoot information, it's "ABSOLUTELY CONFIDENTIAL!"