Christmas 2006, from Aaron's Heart to Yours

The following is a true story, straight from Aaron's heart and not prompted by me or Elisa at all. I was so moved by what Aaron had done this Christmas that I decided to paint pictures (on my computer) to tell his story more fully. So the letter he wanted to write became a kind of illustrated story, written directly to Kendyl, his friend who had moved to Oregon earlier that year with her parents, our great friends Nathan and Jamie Hynum. He enclosed the letter (here presented in video form accompanied by a Keaggy tune) in a box along with two presents....

TEXT ONLY:
For the first three months of Awana Sparks, I saved all of my Sparks shares. The last night before Christmas break was store night. I thought to buy you something, Kendyl, because I love you. I decided to buy you some rainbow mittens and an orange slinky. Little did I know that I would also get a slinky for a present from my old Awana Cubbies teacher, Mrs. Cornell. She gave me and Sammy each a silver, metal slinky. But when I was playing with your slinky and mine, I got them horribly tangled together. It was so bad Daddy had to cut my slinky in pieces to get it apart from yours. We didn’t cut yours. Then later when we were making Christmas cookies with Mommy, somebody got the rainbow mittens all covered with flour, and also took them apart. But we cleaned them off so they would be nice and new again. The next day, can you believe it, Sammy got his metal slinky all tangled together with yours, and Daddy had to cut his in pieces to get them apart, just like he had to do for mine. Daddy couldn’t believe it! It started getting close to Christmas
and we remembered we didn’t send the slinky and mittens to you yet. So we found a nice little metal box to put it in for a little present for you. Don’t you think it fits just right? Daddy couldn’t find a nice shipping box, so we’re sorry we could only find a messy cardboard one, but it’s what’s inside that matters, right? So I hope you have a wonderful, merry Christmas. And remember that I am your friend and that I’m thinking about you and that I pray for you. I hope you have wonderful presents for Jesus. He is the Son of God the Father. Worship Jesus this Christmas! Love, Aaron

Coolest Summer Video Ever (uh-huh) 2006

Created during the summer of 2006, one of my favorite video edits. (All my videos are short and to the point, sort of the "best of reel", so don't be afraid to watch 'em).

SCENE 1: We had this little pool on our deck (ultimately bundled up on the garage floor and then burned by the undercarriage of our car), and Aaron learned to swim in it. Interesting swimming style. Mom's and Dad's, swimming goggles work great to help get kids over their fear of swimming.

SCENE 2: Beach montage. Aaron and Sammy befriend this 8 or 9 year old girl at Newport Beach. She let them play with her kite for hours.

SCENE 3: Sammy decides the little girl is more interesting than her kite, and it's a real crackup how he takes her hand and walks her to the shore "surf style". He manages to keep the kite, too.

SCENE 4: Aaron sort of skim boarding, but rather standing on his boogie board on shore and letting the dangerous Newport shore-break speed under him (life jacket included).

FINAL SHOTS: More of Sammy and girl. My second day trying skim boarding. Sammy gets hit by it (not so bad), drops the kite string--never fear, all is well.