Fiedler/ Ullmer Camping Trip 2007

Every summer, Jason and I go on a camping trip with my family for a few days. Hartman Creek State Park in Waupaca, WI is our campground of choice. Here are a few highlights from our trip this year . . .
Finally ready to leave from our home base (my parents' home). Leaving late, as usual . . .

Three of my younger brothers helping out with dishes (a definite FIRST!)






Sophi and her two cousins Liam and Jack, my oldest brother's kids, were the youngest of the campers. As you can see, childcare took many forms, from stroller hikes to PSP Baby Einstein viewings.








We rented a pontoon one day and took it out on the Chain of Lakes. Sophi loved the water - hated the life jacket.













Sophi vs. the Baked Beans












A group shot on the last day.

our need to confess

fantastic. tragic. honest. sincere. performance.

somewhere along the way, we've forgotten how important confession really is. not only because it forces us to come to terms with those parts we would rather weren't there, but because it reminds us that we're not the only one. as a matter of fact, when it's all said and done the one who "has it all together" is a great/horrible myth. one that often divides us from authentic relationship.

you and i are bent. maybe in different places or to different degrees, but we are each not yet whole.

faith. reconciliation. hope. healing. forgiveness. i wonder what God would post to PostSecret?

thanks frank warren, for reminding us.

Random Pix: Part 2

For all of our faithful blog-checking fans, here are more highlights from July, as promised.


Every summer, we spend a week or so in Port Huron, Michigan, visiting Jason's family. As always, the time flew by, but we had a great time reconnecting with family.



Jason's parents, Kathy and Bob, couldn't get enough of Sophi. She loved being with Grandma and Grandpa Fiedler.










Port Huron is right on Lake Huron and so there are beautiful beaches all around Jason's parents' home. Sophi took her first dip in Lake Huron (against her will, as you can see).








Jason's brother Mark is an avid competitive biker and his love for the sport has rubbed off on his brothers and his dad. Jason was able to do some riding with his dad and brothers while we were there. (Yes, Jason is wearing spandex in this picture. Look away if you must.)









Jason's Wii made the trip over with us. Everyone joined in the chaotic fun (even his parents). Jason had a certain "Miagi-ness" about him all week.

Random Pix - Part I

Yes, the Fiedlers are still here. We've had a busy July and are actually heading out for a camping trip with my family tomorrow (I should be packing). Just wanted to post a few pictures of highlights from July. More to follow . . .





My roommate from college (Olivia), her husband Nick, and their son, Oliver came to visit us for a couple days. They are missionaries with the Assemblies of God in Armenia and are in the States for one year raising support. While they were here, I took a few family pictures for them.












We hosted a 4th of July picnic at our house. Our new friends Kenny and LaWight and their six children were among our guests.


As you can see from the photo, we kept Sophi up a bit too long waiting for the fireworks. Sorry, Soph . . .








Sophi had her first dip in the kiddie pool. She hated it with a passion.











I got in a bit of a fender bender with our new van "Charlie". Sophi and I weren't hurt, but Charlie was. He goes in for massive reconstructive surgery tomorrow. Oops.

crowder alive and kickin'

wednesday night i headed over to lifest here in oshkosh. it's a christian music festival that i had been somewhat avoiding for a number of years now. but, when it's in your hoemtown... anyway, after walking away from the ticket booth because the day pass was crazy expensive, i bumped into a couple selling an extra full pass (which i managed to snag for ten bones less than the day pass). so, i proudly walked through the gates and into the tiny microcosm that is lifest.

swallowing hard, i walked past the tshirt vendors and various other booths that have come to embody all that is consumer on the dark side of faith (maybe not that bad, but close. "i'm the christian the devil warned you about"... are you kidding?).

all this to see david crowder band. good show. good times. he did a few new songs and some time worn ones. check out this video of "for the glory of it all" (not from lifest, but you'll get the idea)



good stuff.

you know you're a parent when . . .

. . . you have footage of yourself coaching your child to "poop it out" while holding up a picture card to inspire them.

good effort, sophster!

June happenings . . .

A few highlights from June . . .


Jason successfully chases down the ice cream truck. He claims that the ice cream man has been intentionally avoiding our street all summer. I am married to a child . . .at heart. :)









Sophi begins her training as a master chef with her new kitchen set.


Our friends, Teirney and Leah visited from Madison. We ate at a great new Mongolian restaurant in Appleton - HuHot.









My mom and I got together with some of our relatives to make lefse - a soft, Norwegian flatbread.







Water City Church attended a Brewer game at Miller Park. Jason and Tim sang "Take me Out to the Ballgame" like true baseball fans.

Also, it was bobblehead day and all the fans were given a Bill Hall bobblehead!!! Here you see our friend, Paul (who runs this minor league sports site) showing his excitement.






My brother, Mike, is an avid fixed gear biker. He decided to ride his bike from his apartment in Madison, WI 35 miles to the town of Columbus. I picked him up there, along with his bike, and his 60lb. backpack! Mike, you're hardcore!

My garden is growing!!!

Just wanted to report that the Fiedler Garden is producing! Radishes and lettuce have been harvested the past few days, and baby green peppers and tomatoes have appeared!





Also . . . Sophi has been eating dirt.

Sophi vs. dog harness

No, we didn't do this to her. It was self-inflicted.

Happy Father's Day!

This slideshow was part of the gift Sophi and I gave Jason for Father's Day today. It's a collection of "father-daughter moments" since Sophi was born. Thanks to my brother, Aaron, for creating it and also to our friend, Brad, for introducing me to this great Paul Simon song.

Happy Father's Day, Jason. Thank you for all you invest into being a father to Sophi.

Sophi - 17 mos.

Jason and I were at the park with Sophi last night for a picnic. We brought along our camera and couldn't help but force Sophi into a photo shoot of sorts. Here are a few of the pictures we took . . .

more on segway golf

lets face it, when you are as bad at golf as i am, bringing it closer to the video game experience can only help. which is where the segway comes in. i may never go back to walking a round of golf again... why? when you could cruise along effortlessly simply by leaning forward or back.

the fun of everyone having never segway'd before was that we all looked equally dorky during the manditory training exercise. but the payoff was well worth it... three hours of floating bliss.


some have wondered who won the round. technology won, for in the end we gave up keeping score and just tooled around the course. as you can see, it was quite dark when we finally rustled those puppies back into the clubhouse corral

video link

Random Pictures of Recent Happenings

I'm trying a new format for this update of the Fiedler Family Blog. As much as I'd love to compose a beautifully creative and informative blog entry for each one of these very important happenings, it's just not going to happen. We, the Fiedlers, continue to admire all the bloggers in our lives who amaze us daily with their interesting, well-crafted entries. You are cool . . .we are not.




My oldest brother, Steve, and his wife, Wendy, gave birth to a son (their second) on May 31. Welcome Jackson (Jack) Paul Ullmer!

I turned 29.
p.s. I will be 29 next year and the year after also. :)

A group of five guys from our church launch team went golfing at a golf course here in Oshkosh that rents Segways. Yes, Jason flipped his while screwing around. And yes, he had signed a release form obligating him to replace it, should he break it, at a price of $12,000.

My friend, Corrine, introduced me to this GREAT new
online computer game called "Bloons".
It's extremely addicting. Check it out here.

So, there you have it . . . a complete update. :)

How does your garden grow?

This is Amy . . .

First of all, you may have noticed that the frequency of posting has dramatically increased on the Fiedler blog page. Not sure if we'll be able to keep this up, but we have good intentions . . .

Any of you who have ever met my mother, Shirley, know that we are two peas in a pod. We look alike, talk alike, and sound alike - or so I'm told. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I realized that, like my mom, I had buried inside of me (no pun intended), an intense love for gardening.

Since moving to Oshkosh in February, I found myself with many of the necessary ingredients for creating and maintaining a successful garden - sunny backyard, more time, a garden friend (yes Andrea, that's you!), and an expert gardener (my mother) who lives 20 minutes away. And so, as the weather began to warm, my dream of having my own vegetable garden began to grow. With my garden journal in hand, some seed packets, and a skeptical husband (I tend to START things with great zeal . . .), I headed out into the Fiedler "back 40" to bust some sod for my little project.

I'm proud to report that nearly a month later, my 10'x10' vegetable garden is in and growing! (Thanks to Sophster and Jason for all their help!). Green beans, brussel sprouts, tomatoes, green peppers, eggplant, zucchini, butternut squash, acorn squash, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, radishes, and peas . . .all growing in the Fiedler backyard!

Anyway, like I said, Jason and I are determined to do a better job of keeping everyone updated on the goings on around here. For me, that will probably mean a garden update from time to time (bear with me). And please, feel free to stop by in August for some fresh produce! (Of course , we want all of you to feel free to stop by anytime - not just during our bountiful harvest.) :)

sophi fix

it's been a while... too long some might say. so enjoy the latest installment of sophi pics.

taken at a moms group gathering at mom and pops place over in neenah... fair trade organic goods, well worth checking out.


we felt she was old enough for her first car date...

at play in the kitchen. like mother, like daughter.

newest edition and being real

that's right, we are now a part of a movement i like to think of as the "minivan army". not to be confused with the "giant truck with confederate flags in the rear window army".


our green beast, the mazda 626, has had a good life, but we felt we should send it out to pasture. 215,000 miles and loads of memories... we are a bit sad to see it go. but as you can plainly see, it was a good run.

looking at the badly faded paint, the huge dent in the corner (which may or may not have helped pay for tickets to ireland years ago) and the nearly rusted out windshield I can't help but think of the words of the Skin Horse...

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

thanks 626, for being such a great velveteen vehichle.

Memorial Day

to all who have served our country... thank you

heros and the worship industry

now i remember why mclaren is my hero.

what does the resurrection mean?

it's Easter tomorrow. which is a bit strange by itself, the first Easter in years that i haven't had "ministry" responsibilities. and to be honest this has forced me to come to terms with a harsh reality. our message does not seem to have saturated our culture as much as we think it has... step back, most could probably give the basic idea if asked about the importance of easter. but simply knowing the plot line isn't the point.

what i'm getting to here is this... how are we/i LIVING the trueness of the resurrection of Jesus? not defending. but demonstrating. being honest with our/my struggles and journey to wholeness. speaking hope in a culture of despair. living generously when you're/i'm told to be consumers. are we/i living in a way that continues the Story of life from death?

a person doesn't have to look around too hard to see how much our culture needs individuals and communities of faith living the nowness of the Resurrection. so let's not only celebrate what the death, burial and resurrection of Christ means to us personally... let's put our heads together to dream of what it means in our relationships, checkbooks, planners, communities, even our environment. may your life be a proof text to the reality of the empty tomb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwz9gtxBT-E

still breathin'

every now and then life seems to go through times where you find yourself coming up for air, realizing that the pace hasn't slowed for days and days and days. good or bad, that seems to be the way of things from time to time.

so here's the quick update: we've been meeting weekly with our launch team (the people committed to seeing water city church happen) and talking through our core values for about four weeks now... yes, it's THAT important. we're fleshing out what it will mean to be a church in oshkosh, pouring out and being poured out. what an incredible chance to dialogue church, faith, life and all that good stuff with people we care about and who care about us. this is pretty much the coolest thing.

so here goes... deep breath and back down in. let the story continue...

one small step for man...

sophi's first steps

enjoy.

little steps

just wanted to let the world know that our little girl took her first step this afternoon. sophi requested that we not post any video from this historic day. she said, "the revolution will not be televised..."

all bundled up

this has been one of the coldest winters i can remember and the little sophster has taken it like a trooper. looks like we may have turned the corner on the cold stuff (40 degrees today). just a little vid of our girl prepared to brave the elements (listen closely and you'll hear amy mention the temperature).

sorry if you were looking for something deep/spiritual today, management opted for cute. but if you look hard enough, you could probably find some life lesson in this.

(insert catchy title here)

i began my new job a few weeks back and if it weren't for those darn confidentiality rules i could post some of the funniest stories of all time. almost makes me wish i had one more round at spencer lake camp this summer to tell some of these as world famous bed time stories. if you've ever heard one of my stories... these put those to shame (except for the one security story but that's a whole rabbit trail not worth going down).

for valentine's day i received a few small things from my ladies: a notebook (for deep thoughts - just in case) from sophi and from amy i got the world's most awesome hardest gummy bears (they rule) and sufjan stevens, greetings from michigan: the great lakes state. amazing. stop what you are doing and itunes it immediately. if for no other reason, to celebrate/mourn my great home state. thanks to brad for the recommendation.

currently listening to

in case you're dying to know...

norah jones - not too late
sufjan stevens - The Avalanche: Outtakes & Extras From Illinios Album
u2 - actung baby
gomez - how we operate
amos lee - supply and demand
linkin park & jay z - collision course
new kentucky quarter - carry it around

since they haven't hooked up our cable yet, we're doing lots of deep catalog listening lately. no tv for the past week and a half... i don't know how brad does it. (no television tax. one more reason why the states are far superior)

on language and laziness

about a week ago i was leaving the local grocery store when one of those community bulletin signs caught my attention. you know the ones right by the exit door that are usually covered with middle school drama advertisements. this one flyer had bold print that read "learn english". a good thing to know if you are living in the midwest. later that day i had to run to that store again, and on the way out i saw that flyer again... only this time i took the time to read the rest of the details.

the entire advertisement was in... ENGLISH. (stop... think about it) now, i know the people giving the lessons were coming from a good place, but don't you think they missed an important fact.

the more i roll this one around in my head, the more i am convinced that we most often fail to see life from outside our bubbles. the givens to us are rarely givens to others. especially in faith circles. maybe it's just being lazy, maybe it's because we don't spend enough time with those who live day to day outside our circle. maybe it's because we still think in terms of circles and in and out. here's to living incarnationally... uh, real life with real people, not just those who know my language.

new places

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_WaZkTSwUk



i've decided that one of the unexpected hazards of a new home comes from above. that's right, hanging lights. having hit my head no less than ten times on this stupid light, one would think i would duck... one would be wrong.

just a few quick pics of our new basecamp here in oshkosh.

we're in

we're in. 25 below zero windchill? no problem...

just to worn out to come up with anything clever for the post...i do want to say thanks to everyone who came out and pitched in to help us move the past few days. we would still be packing if it weren't for you. thank you.