Update

So this post is for those who would rather hear about life here in Arizona than my theological ramblings/struggles/questions. Just an update on everyday life. In the last few weeks we haven’t been doing anything super exciting just doing the usual life stuff. Liz and I are both enjoying work to varying degrees at varying times, definitely Liz is liking her job more consistently than I but my job has its good and bad moments. We celebrated Valentine’s Day in very low key fashion. Liz got flowers at school and then we went straight to dinner (which was her gift to me) at Black Angus Steakhouse. Dinner was very nice and it was good to have the reservations as the restaurant was packed. After dinner we went home and exchanged cards, curled up on the couch with Roxy, and watched American Idol as Liz went through the masses of gifts and cards from her students.

Liz is still volunteering at the Humane Society almost every Sunday and loves getting to play with the dogs there and help people find new pets. She has taken on a new role of finding pets for friends when she goes in on Sundays and has been recruited by a friend of a friend to locate a puppy for them.

I am still playing soccer for at least 2 more weeks, the last couple of games have been pretty rough without a number of players being available due to other commitments, two weeks ago we only had enough players to make a team and one of the players was injured. Last week we had 2 subs but I ended up playing the whole game except 10 min. at the start of the 2nd half, I was gassed at the end but had enough left to have a goal and an assist in the last 7 minutes of the game. Soccer has been fun but the weather will be warming up quickly so outdoor may not be available much longer.

We are both still in the process of getting involved in our church further, we are participating in a major event on Saturday called Serve Day. A number of churches across the valley are teaming up to go into the community to do acts of service. Liz and I are working on a Habitat for Humanity home which should be fun. After soccer season ends, I am looking at becoming involved with the worship ministry and have started meeting with Gareth (worship pastor) and getting involved there. We are also still active in our small group and trying to continue the community building in the Saturday night service that we attend and hope to see more growth in that area.

Weather is starting to really get nice, evenings are still a bit chilly (40′s) but daytime temps have been mid 70′s for the last week or so and are starting to flirt with 80′s more often. We have had a string of rain storms the last week or so, including Monday when we were planning to go hiking

I have been marveling over a friend’s photography collection and was looking forward to shooting some great stuff while hiking but had to settle for a snapshot on the way to a soccer game but still a pretty neat photo.

Hoping to start shooting some more cool stuff as weather and my understanding of my new camera improve… Keep your eyes peeled.

US vs. Mexico (the photos)

As promised here are the shots from the game last night, I will narrate as I go but first let me say that the US fans were heavily outnumbered but cheered loud and hard for their team. Also, the new stadium is pretty sweet, the game last night was played with the roof open and it was a beautiful night for a match. So on to the pictures..

The scoreboard counting down to game time.. The stadium was packed, with all 66,000 tickets being sold and a game time attendance of over 62,000 most of which were supporting Mexico.

Here is Liz and I trying to give perspective on how close to the field we actually are!!! 7th Row!!

US goalkeeper Tim Howard warms up before the match.

Landon Donovan running up for the corner kick that scored the first US goal when he connected with Conway for a header to the back post.

Howard steals a prospective chance out of the air during first half play.

Bobby Convey fights with the Mexican defense to win the ball late in the second half.

Final score, US – 2 Mexico – 0. Landon Donovan scored on a breakaway in the 89th minute to seal the game for sure. Overall, the US gets a thumbs up for play particularly for an up and coming wing back Jonathan Borenstein (sp?) he was often the point of attack for the US moving well up the field in to attack. Mexico had some good chances throughout the game but couldn’t finish in great part to the skills of Tim Howard.. Awesome night for a soccer match..

I have a bunch more pictures but they are taking forever to load up to the blog so if you want to see more let me know.

USA vs. Mexico

So tonight is the big night, we get to go see the US Natl Team face off against Mexico in the annual North American rivalry for men’s soccer. Hopefully I’ll get some great shots of the game and the action to share with everyone else. Also, my chance to check out the new University of PHX stadium without having to sit through a dismal Cardinals game. From the reports I have heard the red, white and blue clad fans are going to be outnumbered by those in green tonight. Hopefully this goes w/ out incident but being like the marines (the few, the proud etc.) could be a cool experience, maybe I’ll get on TV.
On a less excited note, Greg and Alicia were supposed to be our game-going companions tonight but alas they are still in Peoria, IL with Alicia’s family so others are going in their stead. Pictures to follow if I get some good ones.