Boys of Summer

Brian is playing baseball on a 16 -18 year old team from Hillsboro this summer. I know -- GASP, he's turning into a Kraut!! Marion didn't have a team this year, and they invited him to join them. He is having a great time, as he is playing with several kids from Hillsboro who have been on tournament teams with him in past years. Joining them are also some boys from Chase County and Goessel. They have gotten off to a tremendous start, going 6-0 so far. They have outscored their opponents 89-4!!

Brian got his first starting assignment as a pitcher last night and did very well. He pitched 4 innings, and didn't allow any runs. He struck out 6 and walked 3. He also contributed at the plate, getting 2 RBI's with a sacrifice fly to the warning track, and a single.

There are some tremendous baseball players on the team, and it is fun to watch them. Brian is soaking up the experience of getting to play with some older players from around the area. Keep it up boys, you're off to a great start!!

De Colores

Texoma Stripers

The annual Fruechting father/son/grandson fishing trip was rather bitter-sweet this year. My brother Mike's son got sick with either the flu or a bad case of food poisoning the first night we were there, and never felt good enough to go fishing. Consequently, Mike had to stay at the room with him and didn't get to go out on the lake either. The fishing was great, and we limited out each day. The above picture is the haul from the first day.

I wish Mike and Zach could have enjoyed the fishing with us, but being on a boat on a large body of water with flu type symptoms would not be good!!

De Colores

Trippin To Texoma

Wednesday, Brian and I are meeting up with my two brothers, their sons and our dad to make our annual father/son/grandson fishing trip to Lake Texoma on the Red River which borders Texas and Oklahoma. The striper fishing is always great this time of year, and we're hoping to limit out each day that we're down there. Here's a sampling of fish we caught last year.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to Texoma we go!!

De Colores

Memorial Day

As Memorial Day approaches on Monday, my thoughts turn to the memories of people who have impacted my life and who are no longer with us on this earth.

Mom
Viola
Grandpa & Grandma Fruechting
Grandpa Z
Uncle Duane
The faithful pillars of the Aulne Church community
Charlie Haines

These and many others helped mold and shape me into the person I am today. For their lives and their influence on mine, I will always be grateful.

On Memorial Day as well as Veteran's Day, I can't help but look at my dad, and well up with pride. He was (and always will be) a Marine. He served his country with pride, and did what he was asked to do to give me the opportunities that I have today in a free country. Many of his buddies, as well as many, many more in past and present conflicts gave the ultimate sacrifice. To them I will always be grateful.

I'll go to the cemetery, place some flowers at mom's and Viola's graves, look at the Avenue of Flags in honor of the veterans and whisper a soft and heart felt "thank you".

De Colores

All League Honors

Last night at the MHS Athletic Banquet, it was announced that Brian was named as an Honorable Mention selection to the all MCAA league baseball team as a first baseman. As a sophomore, he finished the regular seaon with a .444 batting average. He had 17 singles, 9 doubles, a triple and a home run. He had 24 RBI's. His fielding percentage at first base was excellent at .981, only committing one error all season.

Congratulations Brian!!

De Colores

Car Crazy!!

Look out world, Brian's got his first set of wheels!! The streets of Marion won't be safe any longer!! He is finding that dragging Main isn't near as fun when gas is nearly $4 a gallon. He's going to have to mow a lot of yards this summer to keep it filled!!

Where has the time gone? Just a few short years ago, he was a shy little kid who we had to pry loose from us to do something, now he's anxious to jump in his car and head out on the town!!

SIGH.....

De Colores

Pomp & Circumstance

This weekend, high school graduation ceremonies will take place in towns all across America. Here in our little church community at Aulne, Ethan Riggs and Austin Percell will make that walk across the stage, receive their diplomas and close a chapter in their young lives. A new and exciting chapter will soon be opened for them. As you watch them walk across that stage, look at their faces. What are they thinking? "I'm so glad this is finally over!" "Now what am I going to do?" "Please God, don't let me trip!" "Did I brush my teeth this morning?" "I wonder if anyone knows I'm wearing shorts under this gown!"

Graduates, I know you have probably heard this a thousand times by now, but I'll say it again. If you fail to do anything else, please remember to keep God in the forefront of your lives. Without Him to center on, the new challenges and stresses in life can easily consume and discourage you. Remember, God knows you better than anyone else, and He loves you. He has a plan for you. One of my favorite scripture passages is from Jeremiah 29. It goes like this...11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Graduates, seek God with all your heart. You will be blessed beyond measure. Congratulations to you all, and I wish you much success as you continue in this crazy and exciting journey called life.

De Colores

End Of The Road

Sadly, the Marion Warriors baseball season came to an end last night at the Regional tournament. The Warriors were in the lead until a disasterous 4th inning. Too many errors led to too many runs, and they could not dig themselves out of the hole they dug. They finished on the short end of a 4-6 score. Brian pitched well, only giving up 3 earned runs and striking out 5. His season batting average was .431, pretty good, especially for a sophomore!! They finished the season with a 6-13 record. Not good, but when compared to their 1-18 record last year, it seemed pretty successful!! They 'll be returning all but 2 starters next year, and hopefully will continue to build the program.

He was mad for about an hour, then thoughts of the summer league baseball season started running through his head, and he is ready to go again!! The first game is in a couple of weeks, so I would guess he'll be getting a phone call from the coach soon about getting together to start practice.....

Here we go again!!

De Colores

Happy Mother's Day

Since I'm not going to be around a computer this weekend, I thought I would share a few thoughts on Mother's Day a little early.

Lori and I will be celebrating the first Mother's Day without either of our mothers. My mom passed away in 1995 from cancer. She was a devoted wife and mother, working tirelessly on the farm. She help with the daily grind of gathering eggs from 10,000+ chickens, wiped many a dirty nose, sewed patches on worn out jeans, took lunches out to the fields, fixed about a million meals, consoled us when we were hurt or scared, and all the while kept her dignity in the midst of it all. She had a servant's heart, and loved to take her grand daughters on outings whenever she could. She loved dad, and always looked forward to the time when they could slow down a little and travel and share time with him. Unfortunately, cancer invaded her body, and ultimately she succumbed to it. She passed away in 1995 at age 57. Cancer took her life, but it could not, however, take her soul.

Viola Kelsey, Lori's mom was a classy and elegant lady. When she was in a room, she could say so much without saying anything at all. She loved sitting in her home watching her 9 children and literally dozens of grandchildren and great grandchildren. She would just smile and soak it all in. She was the matriarch of the family. She was widowed in 1973 when her husband was killed in a construction accident. She raised Lori, her older sister and younger brother by herself, never complaining about life or the hardships she had to endure. She had the patience of Job. She endured raising 9 children, heart bypass surgery, cancer, and several other illnesses. She lost her battle with congestive heart failure this past February. She was 82.

Mom and Viola, we love you and we miss you. We will always miss you. We will cherish every thought and memory we have been blessed with. Thank you for being our mothers. Until we meet again, may God hold you both in the palms of His almighty, tender and loving hands.

Happy Mothers Day

De Colores

End Of The Day

Ahhhhh, what a great way to end a busy weekend. A beautiful sunset, a fire in the chiminea, my favorite beverage, and my lovely wife by my side. Life doesn't get any better than this!!

Got a busy week ahead; Relay For Life committee meeting this evening, last MHS regular season baseball games on Tuesday, mowing yards on Wednesday, and an MHS Pops music concert on Thursday. Friday we're heading to KC to go to a Gaither Reunion concert at the Sprint Center, a Christmas present from our kids!! They've even made reservations for us at the Hyatt for the night!!

We'll probably stop in Manhattan on our way home Saturday and spend the night with Amanda and Chad, and then go to church with them on Sunday and celebrate Mother's Day with them.

Hmmmm, busy week, makes me start thinking about a beautiful sunset, a fire in the chiminea, my favorite beverage, and my lovely wife by my side...........life doesn't get any better than this!!

De Colores

A Sweep Of Hillsboro !!

Our MHS baseball team pulled off perhaps the upset of the season by going to our arch rivals Hillsboro last night and taking both games of a doubleheader with them. They had beat us earlier in the season, and looking at their record compared to ours, we shouldn't have stood a chance.

In game one, Brian started out on the mound. It was probably his rockiest start of the season, and at the end of 5 innings, we found ourselves down 9-3. The young Warriors never gave up, and came back in the 6th and 7th innings to tie the game at 10-10, and won it in the 9th inning 11-10! Brian knocked in the tying run in the 7th to send it to extra innings.

In game two, they jumped on Hillsboro's starting pitcher and never let up. They won it by a final score of 9-6. Brian was 5 for 8 from the plate, and also walked twice. He had 5 RBI's on the night.

Their record still isn't good (6-12), but for a few magical hours last night, it was like they won the state championship!! Way to go boys!!

De Colores

May Day

Today is May Day!! I am so glad that our wet, cold April is over with. Maybe we can finally start to see some real spring time weather. I can't remember how long ago it's been that the trees have taken this long to leaf out.

I Googled May Day and found that its origins go way back to the Druids and the Romans. It is a pagan holiday, and was filled with celebration and revelry. Traditions included running their cattle through a fire to "cleanse" them, and couples would run through the smoke in hopes of it bringing them good luck. Flowers were a big part of their ceremonies. Flora, the godess of flowers was worshiped. It has never really taken hold in the Western culture, certainly not to the extent that it was back during it's origins.

My fondest memory of May Day goes WAY back to my youth. People in the elementary grades were chosen to wind the May Pole. I actually was chosen once, and got to participate. Best part, it was done with boys and girls!! I can remember winding the May Pole with the ribbons. Several times, we had to stop, back up to untangle the ribbons and then go again. I think I was only asked to do it once. Imagine that!!

May Day has a special significance for a good friend of mine. His father was a Navy pilot in WWII. He was shot down while on a mission, but miraculously survived and was rescued. When a pilot was shot down, he would call out "MAY DAY, MAY DAY on his radio to indicate he was in trouble. Every May 1, his family would get together and celebrate his service to his country. They had a lot of film footage of his takeoffs and landings on his Navy carriers, and they would show these pictures at each gathering. He passed away from cancer several years ago, but the family still gets together every year to celebrate "May Day" in his memory and honor.

Happy May Day, bring on the spring time and flowers!!

De Colores

Sweet 16!!

Our "baby" Brian turned 16 on the 27th. Where did the time go??? The skrawny little kid who turned into a chubby kid has turned into a tall handsome prince!! It won't be much longer and he'll be graduating from High School and out into the big world. Can anyone say "empty nest"???

Brian, you are an amazing kid!! Mom and I so much appreciate your positive attitude, your love of life, your gentle spirit, and that twinkle in your eye. Keep the love of God in your heart, listen to Him as He guides you in life, and ALWAYS obey your parents!! :)

Happy 16th birthday son, I can't wait to see what wonderful things God has in store for you as you continue on in your amazing journey in life.

Here's a picture of Brian with his Prom date this year. Aren't they the lovely couple!!

De Colores

WOW!!

Wow, what a storm we had this morning!! There were two hail events, tons of lightning and torrential downpours. I heard one report of 4 inches of rain in two hours at the reservoir. Several highways are closed because of flash flooding. We're supposed to get even more this afternoon!!

Wow, what a home run Brian had last night!! He uncorked a canon shot over the right field fence, just barely inside the foul pole. In his next at bat, he hit one to dead center that was caught up against the fence, 360 feet away. Missed it by that much!! He almost had his first multi homer game!!

Wow, what a great set of Emmaus Walks the past two weekends!! God definitely showed up and moved in the pilgrim's lives. I heard many wonderful testimonies of people experiencing God's love and grace. If you've ever thought about going, please do!! If you give 72 hours of your time to God and go to a Walk, He will honor it and bless you beyond your expectations.

Wow, am I lucky to be married to the most wonderful woman on this earth!! 27 years and counting!! We have been so blessed, and our mariage continues to just get stronger and stronger. There are so many sad stories of failing or failed marriages, many of whom are our friends. When you get home today, give your spouse a big hug and kiss and tell him/her that they are the most special person in your life. In fact, do it every day!!

Wow, God is good, all the time!!

De Colores

A Huge Win!!

The Marion Warriors baseball team headed to Halstead yesterday afternoon to play a double header, in what was assumed by Halstead to be just a formality to whup up on us and go home. They are the number 1 ranked team in our league, and we are at the bottom. Sure enough, they run ruled us in the first game, and it looked like it was going to be a long evening.


However, in the second game, the Warrior bats came alive, and at the end of 3 innings, were actually ahead!! Brian wasn't scheduled to pitch, but the coach really wanted to beat Hastead, so he put him in to try and shut them down. Brian pitched very well, striking out 9 batters in 4 innings (that's strikeouts in 9 of the 12 outs). His last inning was his strongest of the year. They knew they had them beat, so he just went out and threw hard.

The highlight for him was striking out a batter in the last inning who had hit 2 home runs earlier in the day. It was a good battle, and showed Brian that he could do anything if he puts his mind to it.

With this victory (2), they have now doubled the number of wins they had all of last year (1)!! Keep it up boys!!

De Colores

Baseball Blitz

The MHS baseball team is going to be busy this week with 3 double headers starting tonight at Halstead. This is a make up game from one of our 3 rainouts we've had already this season.

Tomorrow we travel to the big city of Wichita to play the Collegiate (private school recruiting) Spartans. Sorry, can you tell I'm a little bitter about having to play them? Because they are a private school, they have no district boundaries, and have been known to recruit peple from around the Wichita area to come to their school and play sports. They help them with their high tuition by giving them "scholarships", or their parents just happen to get jobs with the school, or with businesses close to the school. RIGHT!!!

Then Friday we're back home to play Hoisington. Thank goodness it's a home game!! Hoisington is easily the farthest school in our league from MHS. It's a nearly two hour drive by car, much longer by bus!!

They have only won one game so far this season, but have played several other games close, with opportunities to win. Brian is doing pretty well so far, batting .421. He drove in the winning run in the bottom of the last inning at one of the games last week. His pitching is coming around. In that same game, he struck out 11 batters in 5 innings.

It's going to be a long week, but the kids seem to love it. We'll just keep on keepin' on!!

De Colores

2,000 Miles And Counting!!

I reached another milestone in my running endeavors this week. I have surpassed the 2,000 mark since I have started running 2 years and 4 months ago. Wow, that's like going from here to Los Angeles California, and then back another 500 miles!! I feel like Forrest Gump (run Forrest, run!!!).

I've experienced the highs (placing in my age group at a real race), to the lows (running by a group of kids and they say "hi gramps").

I'm in it for the long haul. Since I started running, I have maintained my weight, my colesterol is low and my blood pressure is good. On days that I don't get out, I feel like I'm missing something.

My relationship with God is somewhat like my running. I'm sticking with Him for the long haul. When I start each day with Him, my day goes better, my outlook is more positive, and gives me a boost to start the day. Just like running, if I miss my quiet time, I feel like I'm missing something.

Why do I run? Because I can!! As long as I can, I'll keep doing it. As long as I can, I'll trust God, and some day run with Him down the streets of gold.

De Colores

Involved or Committed?

What a great weekend at the Men's Walk to Emmaus!! It is always fun to watch the pilgrims at sendoff on Thursday evening, and then see them again at closing on Sunday afternoon. Apprehension and uncertainty on their faces is replaced with smiles, joy and a genuine appreciation for the experience they just had. God was truly present and working in the lives of these men. This Thursday, the ladies will begin their Walk, and I imagine that we'll see those same looks on their faces as they wonder what they've gotten themselves into.

The commitment of the teams that put on these Walks is incredible. They put in many, many hours in prayer, preparation, study and meeting together, to make sure that the pilgrims will have the best possible experience at their Walk. Some of them are very visible during the Walk, others work "behind the scenes" and aren't even noticed. Rest assured, each of these individuals have dedicated their lives to serving God, and are committed to being God's hands and feet during these weekends. They leave behind families, take time off from work, and sacrifice some precious time off during the weekend in order to serve the pilgrims.

Are we committed in our Walk with God, or are we just involved a little? I like to illustrate it this way....For breakfast, the chicken is involved. She lays an egg that can be fried, scrambled, poached, etc. When she is done, she just goes on with her life like she always does each day. However, the pig is committed!! It has to give it's life in order for us to eat the bacon. Jesus is the ultimate example of being committed. He gave His life for us that we might have eternal life. How much more committed can one be!!

Which one are you? Are you merely "involved", going to church once in a while, doing your own thing, maybe singing in the choir, or are you "committed" to doing God's work? Do you look for ways to be God's hands and feet? There are many, many opportunities out there. I would challenge everyone (myself included) to not merely be involved, but committed.

De Colores

Bandwagon Fan (revisited)

Last fall, I mentioned in a blog that my son tends to become a "bandwagon fan" pretty easily. In any given sport, he tends to root for the team that is perennially a powerhouse. As time moves along, and the balance of power changes from one team to another, so can his allegiance change to another team.

Up until a few days ago, I had no idea there were so many KU Jayhawk fans around here! All of a sudden when they started winning in the NCAA tournament, you saw flags flying, people dressing in red and blue, and tons of media coverage. While in Manhattan this past weekend, I even saw a lot of Jayhawk fans right in the the middle of KSU campus and Aggieville! Today, I had a tough time even getting a simple weather foecast on the morning news, because all they could talk about was the big win last night!!

I'm not saying that all these people shouldn't root for KU, and I'm not playing down the accomplishments of the KU basketball team. I'm just wondering how many of them were bandwagon fans, just because they were winning and going a long way in the tournament. Where were all the banners, flags and clothing during the regular season?

God probably wonders why we run so hot and cold in our walk with Him. Sometimes, we're on fire, we waive our banners, we shout and sing. Next thing you know, we're apathetic, we're complaining about everything under the sun, and generally a bunch of lukewarm Christians.

John, in the book of Revelation wrote about the church of Laodicea "14To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.....20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Don't be luke warm. Don't be a "bandwagon Christian". Let's serve God with reverence, joy and enthusiasm!!

De Colores

MHS Baseball

The young Warrior baseball season got off to a rocky start Tuesday evening with a double header loss to Smoky Valley. Smoky Valley typically hits the ball very well, and they showed that in both games. Brian pitched the first 4 innings of the first game and got hit pretty hard. Control was an issue also, as he walked several batters. The good thing is his teammates bailed him out by tying the game in the last inning. They eventually lost in extra innings by one run 14-15. In game two, they got run ruled 11-1. By the end of the second game, it was 41 degrees, so I think they intentionally got behind that far so we could go home. :) We were pretty much frozen!!

Brian hit very well, going 4 for 6 with 2 doubles, one off the wall in right-center, and 2 singles. He had 4 RBI's. He was even intentionally walked one at bat!!

We play our arch rival Hillsboro this evening. Its cold and wet outside right now, typical early season baseball weather!!

De Colores