First Time Out With a "New To Us" Boat

Our family had an unexpected blessing last Thanksgiving. When we were celebrating Thanksgiving with my family in Columbus, Ohio, my brother-in-law, Terry Hedlund, asked me if would like to have their boat that was docked at Lake of the Ozarks. Terry and Lila (my sister) and my parents were preparing to move to Raleigh, North Carolina. They were preparing to sell their two Columbus homes and their Lake of the Ozarks home. Since the boat was on a lift dock to keep it out of the water, it did not have a trailer. After the holidays, I began a flurry of research to determine where the best place would be to buy a trailer. I found out the the Internet is an incredible place to do research and quickly got up to speed on trailers, price, size, features, etc. In April I traveled to Lebanon, Missouri, and purchased a brand new "last year's model" trailer for an amazing price. Then on May 3rd, Shawn and I met Terry at Lake of the Ozarks and took possession of the boat. We became the proud owners of a 1998 18' Bayliner Capri. We tried to remember everything that Terry told us about it. However, after today's "first outing", it is obvious we didn't remember it all.

We decided to go close to home. The Mississippi River, the Alton Pool, to be exact. I picked a state park with a free launch ramp andwe headed out. As we arrived at the launch ramp, we discovered that it did not any docks attached. This meant we had to start the boat and drive it off the trailer. Shawn tried his best, but he couldn't get it started. I had to crawl over the bow and into the boat to get it started. After a few tense moments, we finally got it going, put it in reverse and moved away from the launch ramp. With people waiting, it seemed like hours, but hopefully it was only a few minutes. Later as we were navigating down the river we decided to explore what looked like a lagoon. Just as we got to the mouth of the lagoon the boat suddenly came to a very sudden stop. Oops, we had found a sandbar. After several tense minutes (I think boats and tense go together), we finally got off the sand bar, only to discover that part of our propeller became a souvenir of this trip. Later we found a log, going 20 miles and hour, and decided maybe we should call it a day. After successfully getting the trailer down the ramp, Sam did his best, but he couldn't get the boat on the trailer. I got to wade into the water, attach the winch strap and winch the 2,000 pound boat onto the trailer. I think people were cheering when we finally pulled away, or was that people happy that they could use the ramp now. All in all, not too bad. We learned a lot. Now, back to the Internet to find out how much a new propeller costs. I don't think Walmart carries them...

A Future Marine

Shawn is our youngest. Last night he graduated from the eighth grade. I took him to school this morning to attend an 8th grade day at Six Flags and realized that this was the last time I would drive a student that lived in our house to middle school. Shawn is excited to attend high school. He is determined to get the highest GPA possible. He also has determined that when he graduates from high school, he is going enlist in the Marines. Here his plan has a couple of options. Last night he was suggesting that maybe he would make the Marines a career and attend college in midlife to train for a second career in law enforcement. He has also talked about getting out of the Marines after the initial commitment and going to college to train for a law enforcement career. Shawn is determined, he has been that way since being very little. When he focuses on a goal, he usually meets it. Very early he expressed his likes and dislikes. He always likes to do well, but not necessarily in front of a group. He is very athletic, but sometimes shy in being seen participating in a sport. Shawn has expressed an interest in trying out for football as a freshman. I hope he does it. He'll do well.

Shawn had a tough start as an infant. He was born addicted to a couple of drugs. Kathy held Shawn almost non-stop for two weeks as his little body cleared itself of the drugs. When we expressed an interest in adopting Shawn, the social services department of the county we lived in made sure we knew all of the possible problems that would likely come as Shawn grew up. After hearing all the disclosures, you would have thought we were buying land in a nuclear disposal site. We dedicated him to God and have prayed him through his 14 years. Most of the problems Shawn could have had, never surfaced. Shawn has great plans and we're praying that God will help him achieve them. Next stop, high school. Go Shawn...

Graduation - Part 2

As I mentioned in yesterday's graduation blog, Nicole is an adopted daughter. The amazing thing about foster children and adopted children is that, for us as parents, they become just like birth children immediately. The biggest difference is that foster children that we had in our home over the years needed a lot of prayer, love and care. Most of them had issues that required medical or therapy care. Many of them came to us in terrible shape. It's probably a good thing that we never kept track of the time Kathy and I (mostly Kathy) spent in doctor's offices, labs, traveling time, gas used, etc. If we knew in advance what it would cost in time, money, etc., we might not have been so giving. Nicole captured our hearts immediately. We nicknamed her ET, because she had such big eyes and a big forehead. As you can see to the left, our ET has become a beautiful young lady.

One Sunday, when she was 2 or 3, we had special guests at our church. They had a ministry to abused children. They told some stories of rescuing children from horrible situations. After one very sad story, I thought to myself, "I know Nicole had a rough start, but nothing like this." Almost immediately, the Holy Spirit whispered in my mind, "you rescued Nicole from a life that would have been much worse than this." When I consider her difficult start in life, and where she might have been, I can understand the special bond that I have with my Nicoletta. (my nickname for her)

Now she off to college in the fall. Our prayers will take on a different focus as she prepares for the future as a young adult. It is so great to see God at work in our children and I am so thankful to be a front row observer. These 18 years have flown by and the next 4 will too. God is faithful and I can't wait to see His creativity at work in Nicole's life in the years to come.

Graduation - Part 1

We celebrated another milestone for the Salazar family last night. Nicole graduated from high school. Nicole came into our lives as a foster baby almost 18 years ago. She was a premie, with severe birth problems, but today she graduated as a beautiful, smart and personable young lady with a wonderful future ahead of her. One of my earliest memories of time spent with Nicole will always be firmly planted in the front of my mind. I took on the responsibility of putting Nicole to bed at night, usually by holding her and giving her a bottle. Many nights during her first winter in our home, I would take her downstairs into our living room, turn up the gas logs and enjoy some quiet time as she went to sleep. (sometimes we'd both go to sleep) Many nights I would pray over her. Since she was a foster child, we had no idea how long we would have her, or where she might go. What we did know was that her mother was a 14 year old runaway that was running from the law. We did not know who her father was, and to this day he is unknown. The only person that seemed to care about her was her maternal grandmother who was trying to get custody of her. One night as I was praying for her, I agonized over the fact that Nicole did not have a father. Suddenly it seemed like the Holy Spirit stopped my prayer and whispered in my mind, "you are her father, you have taken responsibility for this baby and you are her father." At this moment I also realized a tremendous sense of God's love for me, Abba Father, "Daddy", embracing us both and helping me realize that God loved us both with an overwhelming love.

18 years later, I truly am Nicole's father. After 18 months of contentious legal manuvering, a Colorado family court decided that none of Nicole's blood relatives had passed a home study. Since she had been with us for so long, we could not put her back in the foster system and we started adoption proceedings. Last night as I watched her walk across the stage to receive her diploma, I breathed a prayer of thanksgiving to our Father, who had allowed me to be her father. Tomorrow I'll relate another story that showed me how much God loves us all.

Scary Moments - Raising Teenagers

Last Saturday night I was talking to my son Sam via our cell phones. Nicole and I were picking him up from a friend's house, but when we arrived at the friend's house, he wasn't there. He was in the middle of telling me that he and his friends were on the way when his voice stopped. At first I thought the call had dropped, but I could hear background noise, and then I heard a teenage girl screaming. She was saying "he's unconscious, he's unconscious, wake up, wake him up". I could also hear Sam in the background saying "where's my phone, I lost my phone". At this point, Sam's phone disconnected. I tried calling him back, and didn't get an answer. While I was trying to call him, a call came in from a number I didn't recognize. The voice mail was Sam, crying, telling me he had lost his phone and to call him back. Then I realized what was going on. Sam and his friends had been in a car accident while I was on the phone with him.

I quickly called him back, made sure he told me he was okay, got his location and we drove as fast as I dared. When we got to the accident scene, the entire 4 lane street was blocked off and there were 2 firetrucks, 3 ambulances and a host of police cars. Sam's friend, the driver, was so wedged into the front seat that the firemen had to cut the top of his classic Camero off. As I stood with Sam and watched, I thanked God that it appeared that everyone was okay. It was a little disconcerting to see all the gurneys they had out. Sam had some minor lacerations on his forehead from windshield glass, but that was about it. It seems weird to me that after seeing how much damage was done to the car, I didn't hear the impact over the phone. What happened was that in mid-sentence, Sam's phone flew out of his hand during the impact and landed under the driver. He could hear me calling his name, but in the immediate confusion he couldn't find his phone.

Several hours later, (all four teenagers were taken by ambulance to the hospital), we left St. John's Emergency room. Cuts were bandaged, x-rays taken, instructions and best wishes given. We called Kathy to tell her we were on the way home. What a blessing to say "we're on the way home." Anything different than that would have had terrible consequences. "Thank you God, for your protection, and love. Where would we be without You?" Sam was shaken, and sore for a couple of days, but he's okay. "Thank you, Lord."

Russell Has Seen Better Days

I have a very funny daughter. One of the funny things about her are her names for everything. Last year when Josh and Kelly left for South Africa, he left his 1992 Honda Prelude for Nicole. She promptly named the car Russell. So instead of referring to "the Honda, or Prelude, or Nicole's car", it is "Russell".

Monday was a sad day. Nicole was turning a corner in a busy intersection and the traffic suddenly came to a sudden stop. Unfortunately, she and Russell didn't stop in time and Russell came to a stop underneath an SUV. As you can see in the picture, Russell didn't do so well. We had hoped that Nicole could drive this car to college next year. She'll be commuting about 20 miles one way to school. But, since Russell is 18 years old, has 234,000 miles on it, plus other health difficulties, we only had liability coverage on him. The SUV had a few paint scrapes. To add injury to insult, Nicole was driving Russell on Wednesday and his hood flew off. Fortunately, it landed on Russell's windshield and not on top of someones car.

So, our 18 year old, almost high school graduate, (I'll be blogging about that in a couple of weeks) gets to trust God for another car. Russell will probably sold for parts and won't bring much money. It will be an interesting time to now put God's promises into action that we and our church have been teaching Nicole all her life. If indeed our God is Jehovah Jireh, what does that mean for an 18 year old making one of life's biggest transitions? We'll see, I'll keep you posted.

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5,1862. While not an "obligatory federal holiday" in Mexico, it is celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla, and in the United States. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day, which actually is September 16, the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico. In the United States, many people mistakenly think Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Indepence Day.

Tomorrow may be a very interesting day in the Southwest. The new Arizona immigration law has stirred up a hornet's nest of opposition. The sad thing to me is that Arizona wouldn't have had to deal with this if the federal government had simply enforced the laws already on the books. As a Hispanic male who faced some prejudice in my teens and early 20s, I find it interesting that Al Sharpton and other non-latino, racial issue, lighting rods are in the Southwest commenting and spreading misinformation. In my opinion, these are uninvited pot stirrers who need to stick to their own issues. Regardless, this is just another opportunity for many to say ugly things, throw rocks and other objects, and make law abiding latinos look bad. Shouts of Si Se Puede, Yes We Can, are so misplaced. Yes We Can what? Believe misinformation? Not find out what is going on for ourselves? Be led around "by the nose" by agitators who's main agenda is agitating?

So how does a Christian, conservative, latino man celebrate Cinco de Mayo? 1) Pray for Arizona and the people who are so divided over the issues. 2) Try and be a conduit in any conversation of correct information. (I believe that the root of the problem here, like in so many volatile issues, is that people do not take the time to really find out what truth is) 3) Pray for a return of civility in this country. 4) Go to my favorite Mexican market for a bowl of menudo.