Surgery Went Well

grandma is recovering pretty good!we are tag teaming visiting her. tomorrow will go visit her and then go to Christmas Eve service. she will be moved to Meadowlark Hills on Christmas morning.

Manhattan Rivers

Hey Gang!
here are a few updates from the Manhattan Rivers....
good news! Grandpa Lee's test came back negative for cancer! He will have to use an addtional inhalor, but other than that, he is well. We went to KCMO yesterday for a quick visit. It was good to see him and Georgia. We also saw DC and Deena his daughter.

Grandma Gerry's surgery on her knee will be tomorrow morning. Be sure to lift her up in prayer. She will be either in the nursing home or hospital for her rehab.

Grandma is staying over our place for a few days. Or what she likes to call the Rivers Resort!

We will be attending the Christmas Eve Service on Thursday evening! Come if you can! Christmas morn the breakfast will be laid out and ready to be consumed!

Merry Christmas Family!
We love you!

MoM W & D.A.D.

What are your Christmas plans!

Minnesota Update!

Hello!

It's a whopping 32 degrees in Minneapolis!
Warm and sunny!
Don't even need a coat!
Woo hoo!
;)

All is well here.

THE LAST QUEEN OF CANAAN team is finalizing plans for our workshop in Vermont in January.
http://northernstage.org/buy-now/new-works-now/
Rebekah (lyricist) and Jacob (composer) met with Lillian, our director, yesterday in New
And both commented on how smart and organized and EXCITED she is to work on the piece.

I turned in grant application materials for the NEXT: New Musicals in the Making Festival here in Minneapolis and we're waiting to see if Theatre Latte Da will be able to financially swing CANAAN'S participation.

On Wednesday I had a workshop of Act 1 of a brand new play called, AND ALL THE DEAD, LIE DOWN, at the Playwrights' Center. It was directed by Faye Price, the co-Artistic Director of Pillsbury House here in Minneapolis.
http://pillsburyhouseandtheatre.org/
I had been told that I would love working with Faye--AND I DID.
She reminded me of FAMILY.
Julian Ryba-White was able to attend
As was Alan Nelson, Joanna Smit-Nelson's father-in-law.

I'm prepping for a May production of my play, AND SHE WOULD STAND LIKE THIS, at Intermedia Arts.
The plan is for David to come out from New York to direct so we're in the process of finding the funds to cover transportation, etc.
Things are looking up!

I also found out that my friend Mark Van Hare (http://markvanhare.com/) and myself are finalists for Ars Nova's UNCHARTED Program.
http://arsnovanyc.com/programs-off-stage/uncharted/
We interviewed (me via phone) yesterday and it seemed to go well.

This month I will continue my call center work with the National Theatre for Children
And will work a few holiday ushering shifts at The Guthrie (out of the goodness of my heart).

Otherwise, I'm reading and writing and riding the light rail and seeing theater and watching Netflix.
All in all, life is good.

Much love to you all.

H

Need Pics from Thankgiving

hey people! I need any pictures taken from the Thanksgiving celebration!
also Har, can you update everybody on what's been happening since you got back to Minneapolis.
Love the new video of Landon. he is definitely changing and growing every day!

Blue Earth Plaza Lights

                                    

Post Thanksgiving Pizzas!

2014 Thanksgiving

so much to be thankful for! new life, everyone converging, good food
and good fellowship!

we are definitely a blessed family. we love being with all of you.

here are a few pics...

if you have some pics, please share with everyone!

Thanksgiving Plans

Hey everybody!

Can't wait to see you in a few days.

You guys be careful traveling and we're praying for you!

Just wanted to kind a recap on Wednesday for you. 

Wednesday morning I will have some breakfast ready for whoever's here.

Since we won't have as much time together we will do a pizza lunch followed by 

soup and sandwich dinner.
We will have a "Make Your Own" Pizza Bar
Please bring your favorite topping!

Thursday morning will start with breakfast, then we will head out to Wichita
We will be returning back to Manhattan Thursday evening.
James and Nancy will have room if you decide to spend the night.

Grandma A will be staying at our house.
I will talk to Grandma G about using her place as an extra sleeping destination.

Don't forget to bring your gift for the exchange.
Blessings!

REMINDER

Dad: Grandma Azer
Mom: Grandma G
Harry: James
Lee: Mom
Q: Jon
James: Dad
Megan: Q
Jon: Lee
Ashley: Harry
Grandma G: Megan
Grandma A: Ashley

James: JC penny gift cards &/or Bellus Academy in Manhattan. 
Megan: gift card for: JC penny, body first, &/or Bellus Academy in Manhattan. 
Landon: Pampers' diapers, swaddlers edition. Sizes 3&4


Harrison
Soft warm scarf
Anything warm!
Target gift certificate

Dad
John MacArthur Commentaries - on sale
http://www.gty.org/products/commentaries
Acts
Luke 18-24
John 12-21
Body First Massage

Jonathan: Chipotle and Barnes & Noble gift cards, Wine :)
Ashley: Starbucks & Maurice's gift cards, Reeses, Scarfs

Now for the fun stuff. Wish Lists :)
Lee: Best Buy Gift Card
Q: Charming Charlie, Home Deport, or Target Gift Cards

MoM
Hidee Ho!
here is my list:
massage cert. from body first
pumpkin candles from bath & body
dark purple k-state sweatshirt
stainless steel cookware

Grandma A
Slippers
Bath and Body Shea Lotion

Still need lists from:
Grandma G

It's That Time Again

Well, it's that time again, election season ,when we get to get bombarded with ads on TV radio mailing telephone, at least we have.
Over the years, I found the easiest and quickest way to find out about a candidate and a standard by
which to gauge how to them. It's a tool seems to me that is engrafted to a lot of ears and hands. It's a tool that even companies like mine have gone to. I call it social media tools. I sometimes feel it's been forced on me, but like I said it's a tool that God has provided so I tried to benefit from it.
You know the best thing a man could do is to learn to reason from God's perspective. That prospect begins when a man starts to consider who God is, the Creator of heaven and earth reflect fashion man in his own image (to be like God in character) who gave us eyes to see and ears to hear.
The truth about God is known to us instinctively, he put that knowledge in us, he also instilled in every man his divine laws of valuing justice, honesty, compassion and goodness towards others. This innate, instinctive knowledge of gods divine laws will accuse us of wrong or tell us what we are doing is right. This is called our conscience.
If this is true, how does a man allow this knowledge of God to shape him? Faith that God is and everything is the work of his hands. God is a life-giving spirit. From this alone we should get live a life of gratitude and thanks for what he has provided for and for what he has not provided. Do we have a heart of gratitude in a society full of self selfishness? Gratitude to God and the work of Jesus Christ (Messiah) is the place to begin, where God does the transforming of our heart and mind to see him from his perspective.
The Israelites had ceremonial laws they were to follow that were given to them by God, along with the 10 Commandments. Those ceremony laws were a foreshadow the future blood sacrifice of the Messiah yet to come.
In God's eyes blood represented life. When is released made their sacrifices, it was the blood of bulls goats and lambs innocent bloodshed for the sins of the people. Without the shedding of blood there's is no remission of sin. Thus, Jesus Christ innocent God/man put to death, his innocent blood was poured out for you.
God highly regards the innocent. You don't become any more innocent than a new born baby. Though born into sin, committed no sin, innocent, helpless, and week. We put up protections against bullying and domestic violence, but none for the ones who were burned to death in the world with saline solution. Pick to death and ripped apart in the womb with forceps, skulls crushed.
That's we have a silent scream. God makes it quite clear about the murder of innocence. There will be a time of consequence for some, it may not happen in this life, God may be allowing their center vibrant for the greater judgment. There is no free ride in this life, there is no all skate, we will reap what we sow, and account on how you lived your life here will be settled to see if you will enter the next life in the very presence of God. For we shall all see him.
What does all this have to do with voting for candidates? That's my number one criteria for each candidate, how they deal with the issue of abortion, and remember I have to stand before God and give an account of how I voted. I'm accountable before God in everything I do.
I don't let these candidates razzle dazzle me with BS. I know finance sounds important, money for education sounds important, excuse me? Everybody knows to education smoking is bad for your health, yet people don't know continue. Everyone knows to education that sex outside of marriage creates chaos in relationships, yet it continues. And on and on they go, razzle-dazzle BS.
The true blight on this country is abortion. Just like other nation to engage in its practices. I'm just beginning to see a little, how God sees abortion, cold calculated murder. I don't want to be an accomplice to murder, when some politician supports it, receives money from those who practice it and I put them in office so they can keep it going. The state of Kansas still has a lot to answer for, for the works that Dr. Tiller has done, even though he is dead, the blight still there.
What's stance on abortion is your candidate taking. Don't get me wrong, I still catch all the debates, our local and national ones as best as I can. I make time, I look up their voting record, yes, on those social media products. So I'm up on the issues, I'm up on the issues that are important to God. Yes you can call me the "good citizen" here on earth and in heaven by the grace of God. LOL.

Dad
PS. I just can't write a short blog!

DAD List

John MacArthur Commentaries - on sale
http://www.gty.org/products/commentaries
Acts
Luke 11-17
Luke 18-24
John 12-21
Ephesians

Body First Massage

Houstonites Quick Update & Wish List

Hello Rivers Clan,

This is the time of year when Houston really is a gorgeous city. The weather is beautiful and it finally starts to feel like the South's definition of fall. It was a mild 83* today, not to shabby for the end of October.

Not much new to report. Lee has been on the road, completing his end of year travels. Q has been giving presentations to the community, leading a weekly domestic violence support group and planning a memorial service to honor the victims from last year. This past week, there were so many festivities to honor our pastor who has served the church for 10 years, so we had a revival with guest preachers from around the US, followed by a concert featuring Smokie Norful (awesome gospel artist), and tomorrow Q's choir gets the opportunity to sing with Yolanda Adams to honor our Founding Pastor's wife, who is being honored by the NAACP with the highest civilian award they give in the United States. So, there has been a lot of celebration.

Now for the fun stuff. Wish Lists :)

Lee: Best Buy Gift Card
Q: Charming Charlie, Home Deport, or Target Gift Cards


That's all for now. Chat soon!


With Love,
Lee + Q

Wichita Update,

Hey family! Work and classes are going well, I'm definitely keeping busy. Ashley has been under the weather for the past month or so. She met with an infectious disease specialist today - after an hour and a half of examination the doc stated the following: I need a new chest x-ray and ct scan of lungs, heart, throat and sinuses, I will be getting a set of booster shots, I will be receiving another pertussis vaccine and a pneumonia vaccine, a lung specialist will likely be performing a bronchoscopy, 12 blood samples were taken to test for tuberculosis, insufficient antibodies, autoimmune disorders ect. I should be hearing within the week when all of these tests will be ran (except the blood that was drawn today) and shots will be given. I see this specialist again on Nov. 13. In the mean time she has asked that I take it easy and leave work when necessary. My boss will be helping me submit FMLA paperwork in case I end up missing more work, my job will still be safe. Sorry to not have better news, but this a more attention then I have been given in the past and I am hopeful. She said that once she has a better idea, I will likely go on some medicines to try to help relieve the pains and cough.

We definitely appreciate your prayers and look forward to hopefully learning more in the days and weeks to come.

Love you guys!

Jonathan & Ashley

Christmas Lists

Jonathan: Chipotle and Barnes & Noble gift cards, Wine :)
Ashley: Starbucks & Maurice's gift cards, Reeses, Scarfs

Houston Rivers Update

Hello Family,

We are finally getting back into the swing of things and wanted to take time to update everyone on life. Here is the latest and greatest:

• Traveled to Europe the last few weeks of September. We had a blast in Prague, Vienna, and Budapest seeing the sites, eating great food and of course we had to make time for a bit of shopping. We will post pictures soon. There are a few on Facebook.
• Traveled to Cincinnati, OH for a business conference with our team.
• Lee continues traveling to do some outreach at universities across the country. He actually visited Kenyon College this past week (Harrison's old school) and was able to go to a restaurant that the family had eaten at years ago when everyone visited Harry.
• Lee has the following trips coming up: Raleigh, NC; NYC; Grand Rapids, MI
• Q has been invited to give presentations and speeches at some of the local colleges and chemical plants and is leading a peer therapy group in the evenings.
• We are going to travel to Greensboro, NC for a Men & Women's Leadership event with our Amway team. We are so excited and blessed for this opportunity!!
• Two weeks ago, Lee was followed home from the ATM and robbed outside of our condo, so please pray that the court proceedings would go smoothly and that the charges are not lessened. It is possible that the current charges (aggravated robbery) could be dropped down to just robbery. While we want justice to be served, we also want those involved to know they are forgiven and come to know God (if they don't already). We are grateful that God kept Lee save and that Houston PD responded so quickly and was able to recover all stolen goods.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone next month. We love you all and pray God's continued favor upon your lives.

Have a great week,

~ Lee & Q

Generation Study Abroad

Minnesota Update

Dear family,

I'm writing to you from New York City.
From Frederick Cafe, to be exact, in the heart of Harlem--my old stomping ground.
I depart at 2PM
But am using this, my last morning (a cool gray day--my favorite), to get some writing done.

It has been a good five days.
A productive fun-filled visit.

Monday night's concert was a success.
People seem excited by FIVE POINTS
(by the IDEA of FIVE POINTS)
And I'm already feeling the "finish it already" pressure from my agent/collaborators/NYC theater community.

Rehearsals for AND SHE WOULD STAND LIKE THIS were wonderful.
It is ALWAYS a pleasure to be in the rehearsal room with David and Deadria--my absolute favorite director and producer.
The presentation next Thursday should be OUTSTANDING.

My bags are packed.
Stuffed to the brim with WINTER WEAR.
Coat, hats, gloves, scarves and sweaters.
I will certainly have to invest in MORE, but it's a good start.

Thank you so much for your continued support
Especially in this my ADVENTURE year
My throw caution to the wind year
My GAME CHANGING year
Your words of encouragement
Your prayers
Are appreciated.

Much love to you all,
H

Christmas Wish List

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. We have two months until the families get together and sometimes getting the shopping done early is nice. Can everyone post their wishes and wants in the comment section or in a new post? Thanks in advance, we love you all.

~ Lee and Q

the D.A.D. phone

DAD has been having some problems with texts.
He has not been able to send text messages.
since this has happened, he is feeling out of touch with you guys. phone calls are not always returned so text messaging has been great for him.
if you can, please call him with updates, so he won't drive me crazy! 
THANKS!!!!!

Minnesota Update

Morning!

So the next few weeks are going to be a bit of a whirlwind for me.

I fly out tomorrow (Friday) evening to NYC for a four-day workshop of my play, AND SHE WOULD STAND LIKE THIS, which is being performed on October 9th at CUNY as part of PRELUDE 2014 (http://preludenyc.org/).

I will be staying with Daveed and Sherri (respectively) and taking meetings/hanging out with friends while I'm there.

I'm back to Minneapolis next Wednesday and then BACK to NYC the week after that for the presentation. 

An excerpt from my play, THE SALVAGERS, will be read as part of PlayLabs at the Playwrights' Center on October 26th (http://www.pwcenter.org/playlabs.php) and I'll be workshopping my one man play, TAKE CARE OF YR BLESSINGS (in which I will be both playwright AND ACTOR) at the PWC November 3rd-5th.

Backtracking for a moment, I had a GREAT time in Texas two weeks ago. It was WONDERFUL to hang with Lee and Q in Houston and the Black & Latino Playwrights' Conference turned out to be an AWESOME/FRUITFUL experience. I definitely want to go back!

Love you all and hope that you are well.

H

Updates

eventually we would like updates from the world travelers, but today i would like updates from 
mr. harrison. please give an update on your activities and travels for the next 3 weeks or so.

just facetimed with lee & q- they are having a blast and the pictures are wonderful. they will be heading back this way on saturday and sunday. please lift them up in prayer for safe travel.

harrison will be flying on friday, so lift him up. he will detail places and activities when he posts.

ready, set, post......

Thanksgiving Plans

OK

here are the tentative plans for Thanksgiving...
meet up in manhattan on wednesday, the 26th- have family lunch or dinner
trim christmas tree and exchange gifts
overnight in manhattan and junction
travel to wichita on thursday - reunion meal w/ the clan
overnight in wichita
maybe shopping or catch a movie together on friday

basically the time frame is wed-fri
har- if you can fly into manhattan, you could leave from wichita
if you need to get back to minnesota sooner

questions? suggestions?

THE PACKAGE HAS ARRIVED!!!!

Q made it to Prague!!! 

The world is now right with Lee!

Happy adventures!

Know that you are both in our prayers! 

Love you much!

TODAY'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!

HEY JONATHAN! It's your BIRTHDAY!

HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAPPYBIRTHDAYHAPPYBIRTHDAY

HAPPYBIRTHDAYHAPPYBIRTHDAYHAPPYBIRTHDAY

PARTY LIKE YOU MEAN IT!!!

Houston Rivers

Hello dear family. All is well with the Houston (temporarily European) Rivers. The temps are definitely not that of Autumn, but those will kick in around the end of October. I am praying they come sooner, so please indulge and post lots of pictures of the leaves, the cookies, and the pumpkins.

Lee is obviously in Prague right now and enjoying the city. He has already figured out the Metro system. He has a gift for that sort of thing no matter what new city we visit. By the time I get there, he will me navigating Europe in no time so I can spend time doing more important things, like shopping and eating :)

As you can see in the picture he is already enjoying his meals, and rightfully so.

It was a treat having Harrison in town last week. He is more than welcome to return at any time. I always love catching up with him and hearing about all of the progress and success he is having in his writing. I am so proud of him (we all are).

And we got to Face Time with the anniversary love birds James & Megan... and of course our handsome little one Landon. I was obviously very exited about this opportunity.









 We said rest in peace to our water heater this weekend. Apparently the condo below had some massive flooding and water damage on the ceiling. Our neighbor was nice about it though and the fortunately the water heater got replaced the next day. It is amazing how much we take for granted the simple things like a warm/hot water when you want to wash your hands or face, and obviously shower.

Work has been crazy for me. Pulling some late nights to get things in order for my staff while I am out of the office. Half way packed, saving room for souvenirs and gifts. There is still a lot to do. Trying to remember everything.

Oh! I almost forgot, could everyone say a prayer for me? I applied for a position with the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), I got through the first portion of the qualifier, which is a huge part. Unfortunately, you cannot just apply for these things. You have to submit drug/criminal history, answer 500 questions, and then submit a resume and application. Please pray that if it is God's will He will move me through this process and into the job. A huge bonus is that it is based in Houston, which means I do not have to sign a Relocation Contract. I have always wanted to have a Federal job but they all require you to sign a contract agreeing to go wherever they need you the most in the US. Due to Lee's career right now that is not feasible for us so this would be a grand opportunity.

That is all for now. Will post more upon our return. Love you all to infinity and beyond.

Lee & Q

HelloHelloHello

you know the drill... i need updates!
Q will be traveling soon
Lee is already abroad
Harry is returning from Texas
Jon & Ash got in some Landon time
Megs & James were celebrating...
Fill in the rest of the details!

The D.A.D. surgery went really well. The recheck on his eyes show that the pressure was down already. He has a recheck this week with the doctor.
Allergies are getting to me right now. Had sneezing attacks last night but i am better today. Attended our annual Praisefest in the city park - lots of great music.

Harrison in Texas

http://www.txstate.edu/news/news_releases/news_archive/2014/September-2014/Playwrights090514.html

New Message from Landon

Name Drawing for Christmas 2014

Names have been drawn for the holidays and all events thereafter in 2015.

Dad: Grandma Azer
Mom: Grandma G
Harry: James
Lee: Mom
Q: Jon
James: Dad
Megan: Q
Jon: Lee
Ashley: Harry
Grandma G: Megan
Grandma A: Ashley

Remember to think of your loved one and keep them in your prayers.

See you all in November!

Minnesota Update

Hello all!

A few updates:

*I head to Houston on 9/5 to spend a few days with Lee and Q before heading to the Black & Latino Playwrights' Conference at Texas State University, where I'll be workshopping my play SWEET.

*9/26-10/1, I'm in New York to workshop my play AND SHE WOULD STAND LIKE THIS and to catch my musical collaborators, Lyons & Pakchar perform songs from our brand new musical FIVE POINTS at Lincoln Center.

*On 10/9, AND SHE WOULD STAND LIKE THIS will be presented at CUNY (the City of New York's Graduate Center) as part of PRELUDE 2014, a festival dedicated to artists at the forefront of contemporary NYC theatre, dance, interdisciplinary and mediatized performance.

Minnesota is good.
Quiet.
Restful.
I can hear myself think.
The summer weather has been BEAUTIFUL.

I hope that this post finds everyone well.

Much love,
H

Update on Sleep Testing

Dad survived the night! He felt a bit groggy this morning but refreshed. Pretty early in the test the technician put on a mask for Dad to breathe through. After he placed the mask on Dad, his sleep was much much better! He noted that Dad had 24 occurrences of changes in his breathing per hour!

Here is a definition of sleep apnea: Sleep apnea (or sleep apnoea in British English;/æpˈniːə/) is a type of sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing or instances of shallow or infrequent breathing during sleep. Each pause in breathing, called an apnea, can last from at least ten seconds to several minutes, and may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour.^[1] Similarly, each abnormally shallow breathing event is called a hypopnea. Sleep apnea is classified as a dyssomnia, meaning abnormal behavior or psychological events occur during sleep.^[2] When breathing is paused, carbon dioxide is building up the bloodstream. Chemoreceptors in the blood stream note the high carbon dioxide levels. The brain is signaled to wake the person sleeping and breathe in air. Breathing normally will restore oxygen levels and the person will fall asleep again.^[3] Sleep apnea is often diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called apolysomnogram, or "sleep study".

We will schedule an appointment with the Dr after his tests are reviewed. I will keep you informed about new developments! Thanks for praying!

Sleep Testing

Dad has been having some issues with sleep for a while now. He seems to get really tired midmorning. Didn't really think too much about it until we were talking with Megan's Mom.

We looked into having a sleep test done. He talked to his doctor about it and got the okay.

Tonight's the night! Here is what Pops looks like just before he went to sleep.

Sleep Well!

Micro Update from Wichita!

Hey Family, just thought we'd share a quick update on things down here in Wichita! 

Orientation is in full swing for Ashley as she's been shuttling her international students everywhere; from the airport to the residence halls to Walmart to TB testing sites, it's been a whirlwind these last few weeks! 

We got new glasses! Hooray!

Also, I have been accepted into the MBA program at Friends! I'm all enrolled and start classes this Thursday, exciting and scary all at the same time!  

Your continual prayers and warm wishes are much appreciated and welcome! 

Love you all tons! 

Ashley and Jonathan 

Landon's Song

Minnesota Update

Hello all!

I'm writing to you from the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, where I have been staying since Friday, with my new friend (and playwright) Josh Wilder.

I'll be crashing on his couch until this coming Friday (August 1st) when I officially move into my year-long residence in St. Paul.

My address there is:

2294 Priscilla Street
St. Paul, MN 55108

OR you can also ALWAYS send mail to The Playwrights' Center:

2301 East Franklin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55406

I hit the ground running last week--with job interviews at both The Guthrie and The National Theatre for Children. I have secured employment at both institutions and will most likely start training this week.

I am hanging out with Joanna Smit Nelson tomorrow--she's in town visiting her husband's family--and I will most likely see Julian Ryba-White and Ranjan Muthukrishnan in the very near future, as they have both recently moved to St. Paul.

For the time being, I will be spending my days writing writing and writing some more. There is so much to do--and I only have a year to do it in!

Much love to you all.

H

morning peeps!

while we are celebrating #2's BDAY, i would updates from the family.
need to here from the new minnesota man. also need to get an update on ashley's grandma.

Manhattan Rivers
grandma's test went well. no signs of anything wrong. spent the weekend here at our house resting. might want to give her a call this week just to chat and say hello.
update on dad's eye surgery. did a checkup with the doctor and the pressure is on his eye has gone down significantly. dr. was very pleased. pressure in the other eye is still high, so we will do the surgery on the left eye in october.

let the updating begin...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEE

mr lee - travel man. already broken the seal on 30,
one more year is just icing on the cake!

HAPPY B DAY!

love you much #2

hope all goes well in nyc and you have a great 

celebration of you when you get home

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES

happy birthday #3

had a great birthday breakfast with mr. james!

29 and fine. just think...you can offically say that all year!

you are a blessing to us! we are so proud of who you are continuing to be.

it's awesome to sit back and watch it all happen in front of us!

here's to a great year!!!

Houston Rivers Update

Hola Familia!!

We hope everyone is doing well. From the recent posts it sounds like everyone is blessed, and that makes our hearts glad :)

Things are cooking down here in Houston. Literally, it is so hot you can fry an egg on the side walk. Pops must have taken the decent weather with him back to Kansas. Speaking of which... it was such pleasure having him visit the city, seeing the sites, and eating great food. Of course there was pie... with whipped cream.

   

 


He even went shopping at the Galleria for 2 hours. Rivers wanted to keep going, but Pops and Q were ready to throw in the towel. Thanks for letting us borrow him Momma Wandean.

Here is the latest and greatest with the Rivers 2.0 Team

Rivers

• Lots of travel coming up (Outreach in New Orleans starting July 15 and training in NYC starting July 22)
• Lee's Birthday July 27... secret surprises pending
• Lee was recently elected as Chairman of the Generation Study Abroad Marketing and Outreach Committee, and he will be featured in a promo video coming soon to theaters near you :)
• Lee has been taking longer bike rides... we may need to upgrade the bike soon with some higher gears
• Both went and took our photos to update passports for our Europe trip in the Fall
• Lee recently became the proud Uncle of Landon Ramsey Rivers.

Q

• Training in El Paso, TX on Economic Justice for Survivors
• Preparing a variety of paper/poster presentations on the following topics: Male Victims of Domestic Violence; Mental Illness & Intimate Partner Violence; and of course Minor Sex Trafficking. The goal is to submit proposals at various conferences in Texas to train and educate advocates in the field
• Selected for the Planning Committee for the 2014 Big Dipper Dash for Human Trafficking Awareness Month in September
• Was recently selected to assist in the training of over 50 Assistant Attorney Generals in the State of Texas on Family Violence Criminal Cases
• Recently joined one of the choirs at church - Psalms of David (POD) Ministry. Good times!
• Hosting a Ladies Book Club at the end of the month
• New Hobby: Spending time on Facebook looking for recently posted pictures of Landon to add to our Wall of Landon in our living room.

Well, that about wraps it up down here in the Bayou City. We are trying to stay cool, but not get in the habit of being stuck in the house during the warm summer. Anyone else up for a visit, just let us know!! 

Hugs,

~ Uncle Lee and Aunt Q (formerly know as just Lee and Q)

Wichita Update

Hello Family!

Here's what's new down in Wichita - work is going well for me, very busy but enjoyable. This time next week I will be celebrating my 3rd year at the Foundation! I just returned from a short trip to Atlanta, where I attended a Public Health conference (July 8-10) and I am so happy to be back home with my wonderful wife! Looking towards the future I have been exploring new opportunities to continue my own professional and personal development. 

After quite a bit of research I am looking to hopefully start classes this fall at Friends University pursing a Masters in Business Administration. Upon revisiting Ashley's benefit package we discovered that their tuition remission policy is very generous for spouses and will cover the entire cost of a graduate degree. Whats more, the program is designed with the adult learner in mind - 8 weeks of one class at a time, once a week in the evening, year round. In the next few weeks I will meet with the dean of school of business and hopefully be all set! Hopefully it will all work out!  

Ashley, having conquered pneumonia, whooping cough, nausea/fever/back pain, and wisdom teeth removal, is naturally exhausted! But we're not quite out of the woods yet; to prevent further oral issues, Ashley had to get braces today. 

  
A rogue tooth is lodged in her upper gums with the potential to cause continued oral pain and gum disease, so we decided it was in our best interest to go ahead and take some preventative actions. The braces will make additional in the mouth and work to pull the tooth into place. It has been a rough year for Ashley, so thank you all so much for your prayers and words of encouragement! And while things aren't the nicest at the moment, we are very thankful that for the blessings God has given us to be able to address all of these challenges. Hope you are all well!  

Love you all tons!

Jonathan & Ashley

New York Update

Hello all,

My last day at the Tenement Museum is Tuesday, July 15th.
I leave for Minneapolis on Tuesday, July 22nd.
I will be using cousin Janet's home address as my address until I find an apartment.
It is:
920 Logan Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55421.
I am presently tying up lose ends
And packing
And saying goodbye.
I'm sad
But excited.

It will definitely be an adventure.

Much love,
Harrison

time for updates again

i know that we text each other. call. and on occasion, see each other in bodily form.
but...i need updates for everyone to be on the same page.
so have at it!
the D.A.D. just got back from a visit to Houston. i missed him of course, but i was busy tending grandma a. she is feeling better and will see the dr this week. i will give an update later.
we also have a couple of birthdays coming down the pike. the grandma's, james and lee!
be sure to load them up with calls, texts, cards and visits if possible.
i will be pulling another long event with my sunday school kids. we will be going to the zoo for an overnighter. hopefully, i won't have to threaten them with cages. we will spend the night in the new education building, do crafts, take a night tour of the zoo, watch a movie and have a visit from one of the furry creatures lives there.

Landon's Book

i made this book for my dad. he totally caught me off guard when he called and asked about being a great-grandpa. it's funny. just because someone seems distant, it doesn't mean that they don't care.
i had it mailed to him, so it should be fun to hear from him.
here is the link to the digital version, enjoy! Landon's Book

camp rap up

hello people!
wow! being responsible for other people's kids can be exhausting. they have entrusted you with their babies. a lot is expected- sometimes those expectations are unrealistic, but hey that's how it is.
overall it was a very good. the speaker had never spoken to a group of kids this young (4th-6th)
so sometimes he would lose them, but he recovered well and delivered solid biblical truth.
our youth pastor and one of my former grappler students came along with me as my support team.
i was soooo glad they were with me. we had 5 guys of our own and were given 3 additional young men that came without a counselor. pastor joe is amazing and extremely adaptable on the fly.
he dealt with homesick weeping, wailing, funky (really funky) smelling, aggressive boys.
i had 9 girls with major back up from hope (former student). we dealt with fainting, throwing up and a stalker-like camper that attached himself to our girls.
needless to say, we did a lot of brainstorming as a team and had some heart to heart with individuals as well as the group.
so glad joe was there to give the girls that needed protection. we stressed safety and met with the young man's counselor. we had a mini crash course on guy-girl relationships. what is proper and improper and setting boundaries. pretty heavy stuff for 4th-6th grades.
this led to a meeting with the parents after we arrived back  at the church. i knew that the girls would have their version of what happened, but i wanted them to just be aware of what occurred and that these conversations about self-esteem, guy-girl relationships and boundaries needs to happen sooner rather than later. i assured them that i didn't go deep in talking about these things but we needed to address them head on while at camp.  i stressed that i didn't intend to overstep my boundaries with them. most of them were shocked, a bit numb and somewhat alarmed.
we will see on sunday how it all shakes out.
so that is a rap up of my week. whew! i think i need another cup of coffee!

Update from Wichita

Hey Family!

Just a real quick update from Wichita. Last Friday evening Ashley, who has had a real rough go of it this past year, started having lots of pain in her lower jaws brought about by what we suspected to be her wisdom teeth. This proved to be the case when we had it confirmed on Monday at the dentist. We met with the oral surgeon on Tuesday and she had them removed earlier this afternoon. Everything went just fine with the procedure and she is resting peacefully on the couch. Thanks so much for all your prayers! I'll be sure and keep everyone in the loop as she recovers. 

Love you all! 

Jonathan & Ashley

hello landon



welcome landon

we talked about how we were going to have to evict landon. well, we were sorta right. the poor guy was stuck so he did need some help. it was a good call, megan had been laboring too long without much change, so we got called into the birthing room to get particulars about what was happening.

megs was so tired, james was concerned and we all were praying.

landon burst into the world with a bang.

he is a chunk of burning love. just a cute as he can be.

final stats: 8lbs, 12oz   20 1/2 inches long  lots of hair  and very hungry

 

Welcome Landon!

we are having a baby

wha woo!
come on Landon....

pics of the Playwright Center

Just got these pictures from our cousin Janet in Minneapolis. She and her husband were our eyes to look around downtown Minneapolis, this is what they came up with:

National Donut Day!

a happy place- eating good stuff, not necessary what is good for you, but GOOD stuff
like DONUTS!