The Cubs are in the Playoffs!!!

Cubs Sign, originally uploaded by coonjamm.

Maybe this is the year! My Cubs are in the playoffs for the first time since 2003. Hopefully this year will end a little bit better than that aweful collapse.

I think it was our family trip to Wrigley Field that sparked the Cubs. They won that day 12-4 over the Reds. Good thing we were there to cheer them on...

The Pumpkin Festival!!!

Bagpipes, originally uploaded by coonjamm.

This past weekend Emily, Britt and I headed back to the good old hometown of Morton, IL, to experience the Pumpkin Festival! For those of you who didn't know, Morton is the Pumpkin Capital of the World. It's kinda weird and strange, but it actually is a lot of fun. Saturday morning we watched the parade which lasted nearly 2 hours. You can check out some more photos from the weekend at my flickr account (www.flickr.com/photos/jasoncoon). We spent some time walking through the craft show, the merchants tent, and just enjoying watching my sister on the rides. Fairs are a great time.

Just Walk Across the Room

Some Boats, originally uploaded by coonjamm.

If you're looking for a great book, check out Just Walk Across the Room by Bill Hybels. It is a great book about practically sharing your faith in a non-cheesy way. Bill talks about how he uses his hobbies to connect with un-churched people to share his faith with them. Hybels has a yacht that he crews with all un-churches people in an effort to develop relationships with them and ultimately to help them understand his faith.  I highly recommend it.

Charlevoix Vacation

Church by Lake Michigan, originally uploaded by coonjamm.

Emily and I got the chance to take a three day vacation up in Charlevoix, MI this past week. It was a great chance to be able to unwind and relax after all the craziness of the summer. Often I find myself taking everything a little too seriously so it was a good reminder that even when I'm not on vacation I need to be taking time to relax and unwind. That's my goal for this year.