Scouts Away!!!

Hello, friends! 

One of the greatest accomplishments of my life was earning the rank of Eagle Scout when I was in high school. My parents will tell you that it was a long and arduous road, and that I almost didn't make it, but I got in by the skin of my teeth and am proud to call myself an Eagle Scout. 

With 3 kids, there's always a question of extracurricular activities. You want to make sure that your kids are doing stuff but not too much. There are sports to play, instruments to learn, and other things to do. Megan and I have had conversations about what things we did growing up and what things we'd like the kids to try once they're old enough. Knowing that time is limited, I'd prepared myself to ask Ezra if he wanted to try the scouts but not force him to do it if the answer was "no." 

You wouldn't believe my joy when he saw a table for the Cub Scouts at his Back to School night before the school year started. I think it may have been the photos of kids holding frogs that got him hooked but before I could even approach the table, he ran up to me and asked if he could join. Of course, I said yes. =0). 

A few weeks back, he went on his first Cub Scout hike. It was a short one but he had a lot of fun. It helps that a few of his classmates from school (including one of his best friends from kindergarten) is also in scouts. I connected with a few of the parents, and it looks like we're good to go, at least for this year. 

Last Tuesday, we went over the Scout Law and Scout Oath as part of him earning his "Bobcat Badge." It was funny how quickly both of those came back to me. I guess if you say the same thing every week for 12 years of your life, it kind of gets stored in long term memory...

So, a new scouting adventure begins. I told the scoutmaster that I'm committed to getting Ezra into scouting so long as he wants to do it. I'm looking forward to our camping trips, merit badge sessions, and everything beyond. He's much more of an outdoor kid than I am, so I wouldn't be surprised if he likes it even more than I do. And, regardless of whether or not he reaches Eagle, I'll be happy to watch him "Do His Best." 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Another First Day of School!

Hello, friends! 

Yesterday (Wednesday) was yet another momentous day in the Leong household. Our very own Thaliea, all of 4 years old, had her first day in preschool! 

Friends, this is a day that she has been waiting for for a LONG time. I wouldn't necessarily call her the jealous type, but the fact that Ezra got to go to school and she didn't really wasn't fun for her. But now, she's in pre-school and all is well! 

Thaliea will be in preschool on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9:30-11. The preschool she's attending is the same one that Ezra went to for about 2 months before COVID shut down everything. We like the teachers there, the space looks like lots of fun, and we have a few folk we know from church who are in her class. On her back to school night, the thing she was most excited about was that the toilets and sinks were "just my size!" 

Of course, the drop off wasn't perfect. We knew it wouldn't be. Unlike Ezra, who has all the confidence in the world, and JoJo, who I suspect might like his daycare teachers more than us because they keep feeding him, Thaliea can be a little more shy in new situations. There was a little bit of crying at the goodbye, but apparently that only lasted for a moment. 

So, for a few hours a week, it'll be just Megan and Jojo. Thaliea came home from her first day so excited about everything. I think this will be good for her. Saying goodbye today was tough for all of us but we're so happy that she's growing, learning, and making new friends. Our little girl is growing up! 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Hosting Students!

Hello, friends! 

First thing: Season 2 of Story Central has dropped! I had the opportunity to interview Megan Koch, who is an InterVarsity alum, former volunteer staff, and current church planter in the Des Moines area. It was such a great conversation and I'd love for you to hear it! You can click here to download the episode, and be sure to subscribe! 

Second, for the first time in a long time, La Casa Leong (Omaha) was the site of hosting students! The Creighton InterVarsity's Leader Team needed a place for dinner after their Leadership Retreat and we were more than happy to host. Megan made a delicious meal of bibimbap and it was very well received (as it always it). Of course, we then also played our favorite InterVarsity Staff game: HOW MUCH FOOD? The game goes like this:

"How much food should we make?"

Make food

"I think we made too much food"

Students arrive and start eating

"We don't have enough food"

Start to make more food

Students stop eating

New food is ready

"We made too much food"

Out come the takeout boxes

"Where did all the food go?"

It's a fun thing to now be in a situation where we get to host but not staff. When we were doing field work and directly leading chapters, when we hosted, we had to wear multiple hats simultaneously. We were hosts but also staff for students. That led to really stressful events (all worth it, of course). Now, since we're only taking on the role of host, we can focus on making sure everyone feels welcome (and making sure the kids are fed). 

Please be praying for the Creighton leaders. They are a great group of students and I'm excited to see what God will be doing in them and through them this year. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Uncomfortable Church...

Hello, friends! 

Last week, I had the pleasure of preaching at church again. Our series right now is Uncomfortable Church. The question I tackled is, "what do we do when things go wrong?" 

Friends, this was a tough sermon to prep, not because of the topic but because of all the stuff going on in life. Jonah was sick and had to stay home from daycare for a few days, which means less time to work on the sermon. We've been walking with a friend who's mother was battling COVID and eventually passed. There was also a lot of spiritual warfare that I ALWAYS seem to forget comes when I'm preaching. Still, God did his thing and I hope the sermon was a blessing to the church. 

Have an excellent day! 

Back to School!

Hello, friends!

After 10 weeks of summer fun, it's time for the school year to start again! Here's Ezra on his first day of the First Grade. For the past few years, we've asked the kids about some of their favorite things on the first day of school. My favorite thing is that Ezra was able to write all the answers himself! 

We are definitely excited for Ezra to be back in school. We had a fun summer full of family visits, fishing trips, and travel, but I think we're all glad that the rhythm of school is going to be back in our lives. It also won't hurt to only have 2 kids instead of 3 kids to watch on our off days. Nor will it hurt to have to only pay for 2 kids instead of 3 for daycare on the days Megan works. 

Ezra isn't the only one starting school. In just a few weeks. Thaliea will be starting preschool. She'll be at the same preschool where we sent Ezra pre-COVID, so she's excited about that for sure. She has a little social anxiety, so we'll see how it goes. At least for now, she's excited. 

Of course, our kids aren't the only students starting school. All over the Region, students and staff are getting ready to start New Student Outreach (NSO). This year's NSO will be unlike any other. Not only will we have a brand new crop of Freshmen coming to college for the first time, but many of our Sophomores will also be having their first experiences on campus since last year was a pandemic year. 

So, friends, we'd appreciate your prayers. Please pray for Ezra as he adjusts to a new schedule. Pray for the rest of our family as we adjust to life without Ezra's energy in the house for most of the day. Pray for Thaliea as she prepares her heart and mind for preschool. Pray for our staff as they prepare to welcome students to campus after a year away. Pray for those new students that they will be connected to community, find a home at college, and that God will show up to change lives, just like he always done. 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

A New, Old, One Car Life

Hello, friends! 

Below, you'll find a photo of me saying goodbye to Shmeevus the Prius. After 173,000 miles of work, we had a water pump blow, 2 belts snap, and a mass O2 censor go kaput. The cost to repair was more than the car was worth, so we sold it and now we're down to being a single car family. 

We've been a single car household before but it was when Megan and I were in CoMO, sans children. After The Rolla died (after over 300,000 miles, mind you!) we decided that we could live a single car life for a bit. We traded in Meg's car and actually bought Shmeevus at that point. We stayed single car up until we found out Megan was pregnant with Thaliea. That's when we went for the minivan (a choice I definitely don't regret). 

Our first foray into being a single car family was relatively easier that it will be this time around. For one, there are more of us. For two, Omaha is a bigger city than CoMO, so everything is further away. For three, the hills in Omaha suck, so biking around, even to closer places, is a beast. 

So, you may be asking yourself, "why not just get another car then?" Great question. There are a few reasons. First, because of the pandemic, car prices are through the roof. We know we'll (probably) need a second car at some point but we want to wait it out to see if prices go down. Second, there are environmental factors to consider as well. Cars are one of the big reasons climate change has gotten as bad as it has. If there's a way for us to limit our gas consumption and exhaust output, I'm all for it. 

Honestly, moving back to the single car life was something we were considering anyway. Just a few months ago, I'd started a spreadsheet, logging all the times we actually drove Shmeevus or needed 2 cars. At least through the Spring and early summer, we really didn't use both cars at the same time all that much. The times we did have both cars out often were times when I could have biked but it was more convenient to drive. 

The next few months are going to be interesting. I bought an electric bike prior to Shmeevus dying but now I'm really getting some use out of it. The weather should be mostly dry for the next few months, so that will give us time to save up and more time for me to ride. My hope is that I'll be able to leverage public transportation in tandem with the electric bike once it gets colder (and wetter) but we'll see. For now, it's back to that one car life. I'm pretty stoked. 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Olympic Fever!!!

Hello, friends! 

Friends, I'll be absolutely honest. For the past few weeks, I've been really tired. I've also had my heart rate go up at various times and have had bouts of uncontrolled yelling to go along with mood swings. I've done some research, and it's pretty clear what I have...

Olympic Fever. =0). 

If you know anything about our family, you know that we LOVE the Olympics here at La Casa Leong. We love the pageantry. We love the athleticism. Megan doesn't really care much about sports but she LOVES the competitive nature of the Olympics. The time difference has been a bit of a bummer for us (thus the lack of sleep) but we've been hanging out with Rebecca Lowe every afternoon and Mike Tirico every evening for the past 2 weeks and it's been pretty spectacular. Here are a few highlights. 

- To commemorate the opening ceremonies in Tokyo, we had a sushi party! We invited over a few friends, made sushi roles, and enjoyed watching the parade of nations together. The biggest cheers came for USA (of course), and Nigeria (one of our friends at the party is visiting from Nigeria). The best part of the party is that our friends' kids and our kids were pretty self contained playing with each other. 

-  Watching Bobby Finke come from behind to win the 800m freestyle was absolutely breathtaking. Megan doesn't watch as much sports as I do, so she doesn't know how to quiet scream when something amazing happens. She may or may not have woken up the kids celebrating... =0). 

- USA Triathlon really showed out and the timing of the races was such that I actually got to watch them. Kevin McDowell was in it right until the end. Katie Zaferes took bronze in the women's triathlon, and the USA earned silver in the mixed relay, which may be my new favorite Summer Olympic competition. 

- Suni Lee is not only my new hero, but also Thaliea's new hero too. When she won overall gold, we were so proud of her. The next time we were watching women's gymnastics, Thaliea asked, "when is the pretty one going to go again?" "Thaliea, which one is the pretty one?" "Right there! (points to Suni Lee)" It was pretty great. 

There are other moments that I could name. There have been moments of heartbreak (USWNT) and frustration (I'm looking at you, USA Men's 4 x 100). But overall, it's been such a joy to have the Olympics back. 

Closing ceremonies start Sunday. Then, it'll be back to getting to bed at a reasonable hour, not having the TV on constantly, and being able to check the news without fear of spoilers. It's going to kind of suck... at least until Beijing in 2022. =0). 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam