Last night we spent New Year's Eve together as a family for the first time in several years.  Usually we attend or host a New Year's Eve party, but because we were going to get back from Christmas vacation so late in the day we changed it up this year (and might in the future too).

We dressed up, went out to dinner together, and talked about our favorite memories from 2010...as well as some memories we hope to make in 2011.

Here are some of our family highlights in no particular order:

1. Vacationing together in Washington, DC over Memorial Day weekend, and getting to attend the National Memorial Day Concert on the Capitol Building lawn.
2. Mia's first day of kindergarten.
3. Steph and my weekend trip to Kansas City for a friend's wedding, Royals game, and watching the World Cup with about 12,000 people in KC's Power and Light District.
4. Helena loved getting to attend and compete at Celebrate Life at Olivet.
5. Taking a daytrip to Starved Rock State Park and hiking several of the canyons there.
6. Sledding together at "The Pit" in our hometown.
7. Easter at the East Peoria Event Center with over 1,500 people showing up for Operation Egg Drop.
8. Successfully relocating our congregation to Tremont High School.
9. Day trip to Lincoln, IL to visit the Lincoln Museum and watch the Rt. 66 Drive-In.
10. Attending midnight showings with Helena (especially The A-Team).
11. Attending my first Celtics game with Steph and Helena (even though they lost and KG got hurt).

I'm convinced that one of the best goals any family can have is the goal to make memories together...and I'm looking forward to making some more this year!

We're spending Christmas Break in Michigan with my and Steph's parents.  It's one of the few times a year that our kids get to see their grandparents and cousins so it's always a pretty big deal.

One of the highlights this year has been getting to take the girls sledding in our hometown at "The Pit".  The highlight of sledding there is going down "Dead Man's Hill"...a 60ft hill with about a 60% grade and a jump halfway down...oh yeah!

Here are some pics from our adventure.  Be sure to make some memories with your family this Christmas.

ESPN is airing the "Jimmy V Classic" tonight and they played back parts of Jimmy's speech from 1993 (he'd recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer).  If you haven't seen it, you need to.  If you have, you probably should watch it again.  It's worth 11 minutes of your time.

• Great day yesterday for week 2 of ONE PRAYER!
• This is our third year of participating in ONE PRAYER, and it's been my favorite so far!
• This year we switched it up and partnered with another local church and did a "pulpit swap" with my buddy Chuck Tate over at Rock Church...very cool stuff!
• I loved getting to preach at Rock Church, and what what I've heard on twitter, facebook, and via text...our people loved having Chuck too!
• It was cool to get to worship with Rock Church...those guys (and gals) know how to bring it!
• Heard our set up teams flat out rocked it again!  Set up by 7:30am two weeks in a row...you guys are animals!
• Pumped to hear everything that God did in and through our work and witness team last week!  While I was gone it was good to see some of them Sunday morning during set up.  You should check out some of the pictures from their trip on facebook!  Yup they in fact did go whitewater rafting on their fun day...you really need to think about going on a mission trip next year!
• Loved getting to watch the USA's first World Cup match on Saturday!  Tough day for England's goalie but a great result for the US team who really needed to pull off a draw to have a shot to win their pool!
• Also had a great time hanging at the Borth's place last night for a pre-wedding party for Nate Morrison and Ali Williams...great young people who serve in our student ministry at BridgeWay!
• Go Celts! Beat LA! (up 3-2 going back to LA...looking good for the the good guys)
• And most importantly...today Steph and I celebrate 13 years of marriage!  It was 13 years ago today that I married my best friend and stalker...you'll have to ask her about that one ;)  Love ya Steph!
• Have a great week church!

Thanks to Shani (and a bunch of help from the guys in her life) we've got some great new family pics...enjoy!

Okay, so it's the first day of 2010.  One decade has come to an end and a new one has been birthed.

I've lived three full decades, and half of another.  I've spent my decades the following ways:

One of the great things about Christmas is the opportunity it gives us to spend time together with family and friends.

This Christmas our family has been looking for ways we can celebrate Christmas together.

Here are 5 quick things we've done or will be doing this year:

1. Watch Christmas movies together.

This year we've watched or will be watching movies like: Elf, Home Alone, Christmas Vacation (I recommend the tv edit), The Muppet's Christmas Carol, Meet Me in St. Louis, and It's a Wonderful Life. It's been a ton of fun laughing together, and sharing classic films with each other.

2. Make homemade Christmas cards together.

A couple of weeks ago we spent about 3 hours together making homemade Christmas cards. While we can't do this for everyone of our friends, we did it for neighbors, co-workers, family, and for several soldiers from our church who are stationed overseas this Christmas. It was a a blast to see how creative our kids could be, and fairly inexpensive too!

3. Take a night to look at Christmas lights together.

This past Tuesday night, we loaded the mini-van and headed out to look at Christmas lights. We stopped at the local Starbucks (and by local I mean 15 miles away), and picked up some spiced caramel apple cider. Then we road-tripped to East Peoria to view the display at the East Peoria Festival of Lights "Folepi's Winter Wonderland". A great display, and only $5 on weeknights. If you live in the central Illinois area it's a must see.

4. Read the Christmas story together.

It's easy to get so caught up in the consumerism of Christmas that we forget about the Christ of Christmas. Before you open the presents this year, or maybe on Christmas Eve, read the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2 together. Take a minute to pray together, and thank God for the gift of Jesus, and the gifts that you've experienced as a family in the last year.

5. Worship together.

The entire month of December is a great time to set the tone for your Christmas celebration by beginning each week with worship. It's a reminder that this season (and really any season for that matter) isn't really about us. Nothing will help you to keep your focus on Christ at Christmas like worship. If your church is having a Christmas Eve worship service, make it a priory to worship together on Christmas Eve. If you're looking for a service to attend and you live in central Illinois, you should join us at BridgeWay this year.

Finally, if you're looking for some other great ideas check out a post Mark Driscol did earlier this month directed specifically at dads.

I'm not usually a big Christmas music guy, but this year I've been in the mood for Christmas music. So I got to thinking...what are my favorite modern Christmas songs?

Here they are in order of my personal preference:

1. Better Days
2. Happy Christmas (War is Over)
3. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
4. All I Want For Christmas Is You
5. Santa Clause is Coming to Town

Okay, so I made my confessions...so fess up...what's your all time favorite Christmas song (modern or traditional)?