One Seven
When we first started having children, it seemed like all we could make was boys. I quickly honed my skills at tumbling, wrestling and the fine art of well-timed farting. Clearly, I was meant to be a "boy dad" and I figured that was my lot in life was navigating fun while at the same time avoiding a trip to the ER.
Then, in 1999, this little girl showed up (followed by her two sisters). As it turns out, I love being a "girl dad" too! These girls were taught to keep up with their rough and tumble brothers, but they were also loved, cuddled, and cherished as beautiful daughters.
Happy Birthday Abigail Sarah. You have been "your father's joy" for 17 years!
Quietly making noise,
Fletch (Dad)
Updating theMangoTimes
I have recently added two new sections to theMangoTimes.
Who We Are - A Gallery of Family Photos
My Favorite Links - Some recommended places for you to cruise around the web!
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Happy Thanksgiving 2012
Every Thanksgiving, I make it a point to make contact with friends and family who have made an impact in my life over the years. Just a quick note or phone call to thank them for being in my life! I want to do the same to all of the readers of theMangoTimes!
Thanks for reading, thanks for interacting with me, thanks for helping me laugh, thanks for helping me think, thanks for reminding me when I've encouraged you, thanks for telling me when I've stepped on your toes! I am thankful for social media, blogging and the chance to interact with so many of you!
Eat well! Fellowship well! Be grateful!
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Advent in The Barn
This Friday, November 23rd 2012 @ 7PM
Join us as we bundle up and kick off the Advent season with a Christmas movie out in our barn!
On the day that most call "Black Friday," we like to remember it's the first day of Advent season by joining together with friends and family for a movie, some good holiday fellowship and some focus on the reason for the Chrismas season.
This year's movie: Elf
A few things to remember:
It can be cold in the barn, we will have heaters, but you may want to remember to dress in WARM CLOTHES.
What Should You Bring?
All you need to bring is a lawn chair to sit in, warm clothes/blankets to keep yourself comfortable and your favorite mug!
We will provide the movie - some light snacks - and a hot drink to fill your mug!
We hope you can join us and feel free to bring a friend along
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
A New Theme
I mentioned in my previous post about SkyMall junk, that I was raised with one of the catalog offerings: The Peeing Boy of Brussels. I also mentioned that I was going to start a new theme here at theMangoTimes.
Since we share property with my parents, there is a treasure chest of inventions, ideas and creations that my dad has displayed. Some are small, like a sign. Some, like this statue, are "pieces of art" that have travelled with him for the past 40 years.
So, I've created a theme called: "PopPop's Stuff" which will cover the whole display.
Believe me. The well will not run dry with this theme. You don't collect/display things for 82 years of your life without having a few beauties around the palace.
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Another quick note to the young men at my table
Hey guys, it has been awhile since I last wrote a post in theMangoTimes to you about our discussions around the table. As you get older, we have less time around the table, so we need to use this virtual table here on theMangoTimes.
In this first section, Driscoll is speaking about something he calls "reformission" which involves being a missionary to your culture. I love this portion that I have highlighted above, because I think it speaks to behavior you have seen in me over the past few years. He does such a great job communicating the tension we've experienced in our family. I can't tell you how many times I have heard someone warn me that the exercise of my freedom can be a slippery slope into sin for either myself or someone around me. Here's the deal: Be wise, but don't let fear keep you from being Christ to a dying world.
Slam dunk and so true! It will never be rules that prevent sin, but it seems we sure hear a lot of talk about how to live. Living in the conservative homeschool community we saw this exact thing. Most of the time, the hushed discussions were wrapped in concern and warnings. Encouragement to avoid certain movies or certain types of music or boy/girl relationships. It's the same old argument: "it's all about how you live and choices you make," but it just doesn't work. Think of how many kids we know who lived one way in front of their parents and a completely different life behind the scenes. Like Driscoll said, the potential for pride is enormous! Remember: it is our love for Jesus and His love for us that will enable us to engage folks within our culture without abusing our freedom and falling in love with the things of the world.
Enough said. Stick close to Jesus. Live free. Be reformissionaries. I love you guys!
Quietly making noise,
Dad
Four Score
TIME, 12/22/30 (courtesy of TIME archives)
Eighty years ago today, on a cold December morning in Somerville, New Jersey, the world changed. In a sense, my world was changed too. Well...let me back up and clarify this for some of you that may already be confused. I am well aware that I have only been around for the past forty-two years.
Clearly, I did not exist eighty years ago and I really do not intend to speak paradoxically, but my world as I live it out today was changed (or begun) on that frozen East Coast morning. It was also when the stories began.
Modeling Hand-Me-Downs in the backyard
Joseph Raymond Fletcher was born at home on the morning of December 22nd, 1930. His father, a quiet English gentleman was a lace-worker by trade. His mother was a full-blooded Italian woman and was just plain feisty by trade. With five children in the Fletcher home, my dad had two brothers (Tony and Tom) and two sisters (Katherine and Marie). The close quarters of that small home on East Cliff Street taught my dad from a young age the importance of family relationships and how to get along with crazy family members. Elbows were often bumped among siblings and parents, but it was in this environment that he entered this world and learned from a young age how to not sweat the small stuff.
Winter circa 1944
Graduation 1948
Historically, my father was born in the midst of the Great Depression. During his life, my dad has lived through thirteen different presidents and six American wars. He likes to remind anyone who will listen that he was getting ready to turn eleven when America went to war (the Big One) and a freshman when it was drawing to a close. Key dates have been repeated every year since they occurred: Pearl Harbor Day, D-Day, V-E day, V-J day, Hiroshima, Nagasaki...in his life these were all days that would live in infamy. My dad was alive for the genesis of jet aircraft, rocketry and the race to the moon. He witnessed the life/death of Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Michael Jackson, and all the vinyl records that recorded their music.
But these are not the stories I'm talking about. No, I'm thinking more about the stories from within my dad's own life. The stories that he has repeated year after year. The stories about picking beans in grammar school to help support his depression era family and stories about getting in trouble with his brother and sister as they threw crabapples (or was it plums? or cherries?) from the rumble seat of my grandfather's Model A. I'm thinking about the stories from the Great War, like the combat-wounded family friend who recovered from his war injuries while living in their NJ home. The stories about the endless list of relatives that moved in and out of his childhood home. His retelling of growing up in Somerville NJ, playing basketball at the local Baptist church, pumping gas at the service station, stocking shelves for the local grocer, and cooling off in the local creek (crick) during a summertime swim. Those stories. The ones the get repeated often and sometimes even change.
USMM, 1948
Aboard deck, 1948
These tales have been growing and developing for the past eighty years. Great stories about life as a US Merchant Marine and how at eighteen years old he left home to live in the belly of a ship shoveling coal for eight hours at a time. The detailed stories about sailing on the SS Frontenac and SS Champlain while these monster steam vessels hauled iron ore around the Great Lakes. In my minds eye, these stories came to life more than once as he described what it was like to sail on Lake Gatun during his first trip through the Panama Canal or what it was like when he visited Dry Tortuga. These stories, filled with adventure and excitement are the stories that have been written for eighty years.
Cleveland Cliffs Steamship "Champlain"
I'm also thinking about the list of humorous characters my dad has described to all of us. His humorous renditions of Wagonwheel Jones, Archibaldassholder and Ralphie the bus-driving gorilla have each caused many tears of laughter when enjoyed around the table with good friends and an open bottle of wine. Then there are also the stories of real life characters my dad has encountered that were based on actual experiences. There were bank robberies, home invasions from self-proclaimed inter-planetary visitors, meatball eating dogs, and shotgun toting neighbors on Christmas morning complete with corduroy slippers and terrycloth robes.
Does this post seem over the top? Spend a day with my dad, this is typical fare. Yes, there are many times that I feel like the son in the movie, Big Fish, but my dad's stories have wedged a place in my mind that I have just come to appreciate as a vital part of his persona and his character. They really do knit together and create the mosaic of his life and help to tell a pretty damn good story at that. As he celebrates eighty years of living, I'm proud to say he's never stopped living. He is still a character and remains witty, articulate, and animated. My dad is known as a friend to children, the man with a never ending supply of red-hots in his pockets, the forever scoutmaster, the consummate salesman, the director of signage (I'm surprised my mom doesn't wear a plaque on her neck that says "Wife"), the community representative for Orchard Supply Hardware (also born in 1930) and the owner of gadgetry. My dad is the keeper of traditions, the teller of tales, and a constant for many people trying to make sense of the craziness we find daily in this world.
Here at theMangoTimes we attempt to honor accomplishments (that's because we take great pride in just trying to get by), so today we honor 80 years in the life of a man who did more than just get by!
Joe Fletcher, Character
Happy Birthday Dad! Thank you for the memories! You have stepped into 80 well!
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Advent Plans
This year for Advent we will begin reading through the third book in this excellent advent series. If you haven't read these books yet, they are WAY WORTH the investment in time and effort. "Jotham's Journey" and "Bartholomew's Passage" are great stories full of adventure and evening cliff hangers.They are each unique stories, but each one is written parallel to the other stories and there are several cross-over characters and even the occasional blending of the stories as the main characters meet one another on their journeys.
It has been a great way for our family to prepare for Christmas every year. What are you doing to celebrate the Advent season in your homes? Any traditions?
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Advent Season Begins
Worship Fully
Give More
Spend Less
Love All
Advent in the Barn
Tonight - 7:00PM
Repeat the Sounding Joy!
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
Washington DC - Top Six Things
Here's a cool thing. Kendra's mom(Grammy Adele, G-Ma, or my personal favorite "Ladele") has decided to introduce each of her grandchildren to American history with the gift of a trip to Washington, DC. Instead of taking everyone, we decided to split the trips, so this past month we travelled with the top three Mangoboys to DC and Colonial Williamsburg.
It was a very fun trip. Kendra planned out all of our events and did a great job allowing us to see more than the highlights of the city and surrounding region. There is so much to report on, but to keep it simple, here are my top six highlights of our week on the east coast.
6. The Metro. I'm not a regular commuter in the DC area. I don't know how good or bad it is on a daily basis for commuting. But, if you have to use a public transportation system, it is hard to beat the Metro system in Washington. It was super easy to understand and navigate for newbies and tourists. We only used our rental car once to go into town and the rest of the time we easily travelled to and from on the train.
Maybe I'm being naive (probably), but I felt very safe and especially loved the opportunity to sleep on my way in and out of town. Very cool indeed!
5. Art Galleries. We visited two art galleries: The Smithsonian Gallery and The National Gallery of Art. They were both fantastic. The main exhibit on display at the Smithsonian was the personal collection of Norman Rockwell's belonging to Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Way cool! The National Gallery of Art was equally phenomenal. Walking from room to room took us from the 13th to the 17th century of Dutch, French, Italian, and American pieces of art. Seriously, from a guy whose knowledge of art stops at Disney cartoons, these two museums were a highlight of our week! My personal favorite find was DaVinci's smudged thumbprint in one of his paintings. How cool is that?
4. The Library of Congress. This was my first trip to the Library of Congress and I was stunned by the beauty and architecture of this building. I'm not normally moved by grand architecture, but this place is truly amazing. I watched Nicholas Cage run around the building in "National Treasure 2," but that does not begin to do this place justice. As the largest library in the world, they have over 140 million volumes. We were able to see a real Guttenburg Bible on display. We browsed Thomas Jefferson's personal library, and the list goes on. They receive over 20,000 new items every single day. We could have spent an entire day just touring the library.
3. Maryland Crabs. Here is a little known fact for the readers of theMT. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland. It must be in my genetic make-up, but we feasted on a dozen Maryland blue crabs until our bellies were full. We didn't take the boys (acted "shelfish"-hahahaha). These tasty big boys (did you know you order Maryland crabs by sex and size) were doused in Old Bay and accompanied by a dozen Blue Point oysters (not ordered by sex) and a few Red Stripes and "the best Arnold Palmer Kendra has ever tasted." For our west coast friends, we are still partial to the steamed Dungenous crabs. We can't wait for crab-feed season (the only high point in otherwise foggy Januarys).
2. Mt. Vernon. Hands down, my favorite piece of history continues to be the home and property of George Washington. Gorgeous riverfront acreage, beautiful grounds and a wonderfully restored home. What's not to love?
There is plenty to learn about Washington's life as a farmer, a soldier, a president and a husband, but my favorite fact has to do with his prolific correspondence. In the course of his life, George Washington wrote over 20,000 pieces of personal correspondence. Granted, he had secretaries, but that is a lot of ink/feather letter writing (as we struggle to reply to an email).
1. Companionship. The sites were terrific, but at the top of my list was the company I enjoyed. I loved hanging out with these goofballs for ten days. We ate a ton of good food, walked our butts off, and just enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with these young men.
They were great travelers and had great attitudes as we dragged them through the city for ten days. Iron hats at Jamestown, juicy burgers at the Hard Rock Cafe, drinking songs in a Williamsburg tavern, balsa wood airplanes at the hotel, and trying to act cool on the Metro...just a few of my favorite memories with these guys!
Thanks Ladele for such a great trip! You rock!
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
theMangoTimes - New and Improved!
A New LookIf this is your first time here, you may not know that theMangoTimes has a new look. We've parked at this domain since 2006 without a change of scenery. To celebrate the 15th Anniversary of theMT (click on the picture to read Issue #1), we thought we would shake a few things up, change our look and take things in a new direction.
A New Community
I did not think this would ever be a blog topic in theMangoTimes, but recently our family made a very difficult decision to leave our church community. For some, leaving a church is a simple decision. For others, the idea of even joining a church body may seem foreign. For us, this was a huge decision in our family. Let me see if I can explain why.
Our family was there from the beginning. Seven years ago, we were one of four families in a bible study that joined together to create this church (see picture on right). The very first worship service took place in the living room of our house. For 1/2 of our children, this is the only church they can even remember. On a personal level, I served as an elder for the first four years and in one way or another was personally involved with the worship or teaching nearly every week. I was the person that thought up and suggested the name that the church uses today. What I'm trying to get at is that this was not the type of church where we snuck in the back door, hung around for a few years and then quietly moved on. Our decision to leave was one of the most difficult choices I've made on behalf of our family. In the sense that Scripture talks about church being "the body," we have felt the amputation.Why? Why would we leave a church that we had invested in so heavily? The simple answer is that we changed (or rather God used experiences in our lives to change us), and a discerning reader could probably read through the past few years of blog posts in theMangoTimes to get an idea of those changes. However, I'd prefer to leave the reasons very simple...we changed.
New CarsChanging topics completely...I have always loved old Volkswagens...Hello? Did someone say Volkswagen? That's right, we've added two more cars to the fleet. I was given
A New KitchenThis year we will finish the last of the major projects in our home. Kendra has patiently waited for her workspace to be completed and I was pleased to walk in this week and find the cabinets gone and walls bare. Being down a kitchen means meals made in the garage...the school room...and a bunch of fast food (and the MangoKids cheered!). We are very excited for a slightly new layout, regular counter heights, new colors and more open space! Personally, I know this will give Kenj a place to make even better food (though I hardly believe it could get any better!). Drop by if you get a chance, you'll see that I'm right!
A New DirectionIn many ways, our decision to leave one church and join another has set our family out in a completely new direction. We have been "doing life" in one way for so long, that every step we take feels new and sometimes awkward, yet refreshingly adventurous at the same time. Stealing from a previous post, we feel like we are leaving life in the town to go and live life as pioneers out on the trail. If you have followed theMT, you know that we have definitely seen our share of exciting trials these last few years and we have learned that life can be messy. As we begin to move in some of these new directions, we are looking forward to the gentle curves in the stream as well as the unknown rapids that are before us. God has always navigated us through, we just need to learn to paddle when it's time to paddle and float when it's time to float.
Thanks for being around for the past 15 years...
Quietly making noise,
Fletch
March Update
January/February/March
theMT took an hiatus while the last three months flew by...once again our plans were dramatically halted. This time it was a squiggly little appendix that exploded in Caroline's belly. Along the way we've celebrated a few birthdays, eaten a bunch of good food, listened to some great tunes, took a few trips, and I can't believe we are knocking on the beginning of April - phew!
The Concert
Jon Troast returned for a second living room concert. This one was inside our house and we tallied about 125 guests in our living room/dining room/entry way. The highlight of the evening was getting a live performance of The Andy Song - take a listen! Jon played several of his favorites and introduced us to his new album - Living Room. If you haven't had a chance to hear his new album, give it a listen and then give it a purchase! I guarantee that if you like theMangoTimes, then you will LOVE Jon's music. His music is what theMT is all about. Great stuff as always from our favorite travelling musician!
Furniture removed from the dining/living rooms
Jon packs them in and right up the stairs!
They paid extra for the balcony seats
Birthdays
Thomas the Tank Engine chugged in to celebrate Christian's third birthday. This particular birthday lasted about a week as we had several days to prepare for the party and several days to rehash the details of the party he had. :)
Hayden and Nate turned 17 and 15 last week and we had what felt like a weekend of "constanteenagers" through our home. The cupboards were bare by Sunday night, but we enjoyed having this migrating mass of teens through our place.
Turning Three at In-n-Out
The Olympics
Did you know that most of life stops in the MangoHouse when the Olympics begin? We reconnected satellite television. We adjusted the bedtimes of our children. We became experts on bobsled ergonomics, we learned the Canadian national anthem, and suddenly started throwing around terms like McTwist.
Photo taken on the opening day of the games!
Personally, I would stop whatever I was doing to watch Apolo Ohno skate and suddenly found myself at odds with the entire nation of South Korea during short track competition.
I won a gold medal for crab consumption with my Apolo beard!
San Antonio, TX
I had the opportunity to travel to San Antonio, Texas to see our good friend Nathan Davis graduate from USAF basic military training at Lackland AFB.
Congratulations to Airmen Nathan Davis
It was my first experience watching a military graduation and I was quite impressed with the precision and training provided in the USAF. Nathan graduated with honors which allowed him freedom all weekend to spend time with his family and friends. I enjoyed taking in the sights around San Antonio with him and I am excited to see what God has in store for this young man as he begins his career in the miliatry!
The rest of the time in San Antonio was visiting with the good people at Covenant of Grace Church. Although we have only met them a few times in real life, God has orchestrated a fun connection for our family with the Warren, Russell and Slaughter families. I was treated to some warm fellowship, tasty bbq and joyful worship with their families.
Napa Valley
One of my favorite things about being a dentist is the opportunity to travel for education. This year my implant study-club traveled to Calistoga in the Napa Valley Wine Country. On the way there, we stopped in at Wine Wizards to pay homage to our first place of employment as a young married couple.
The Wiz, Stockton, CA
The rest of the weekend was spent at a newer spa/resort called Solage (recommended if you are looking for a leisure getaway in the Napa Valley). It provided a few days of great retreat and relaxation. We slept in late, we ate well, we read, we walked and we enjoyed the beauty of spring time in the wine country.
Kendra's New Home
Lunch for two at Bouchon in Yountville!
Potty Training, Spring Break, Weight Loss, Home Made Music and a whole bunch of Beer
To wrap things up in this issue of theMT, let me touch on a few small things happening around Mangoland lately.
Houston, We Have Liftoff!: While I was gone in San Antonio, Kendra decided to potty train Christian. We have gone through a few bags of Jelly Bellies and he's doing very well at keeping up his end of the deal. He requires a full bathroom inspection prior to each "sit down" (beginning signs of OCD maybe?), but it is working!
Kids Gone Wild!: We are taking a week off from school and allowing the kids to travel down to Palm Springs and the beaches of Mexico for Spring Break with the rest of the California teenagers and college students...well, not really...but Kendra and I would like to do that.
Biggest Loser: Did I mention that my wife is wasting away to nothing? She is a workout machine and serving up delightful menus at the same time. I am giving up my membership in the SLC (sedentary lifestyle club) and joining her on a goal to drop a few pounds (actually more than a few pounds...come to think of it, I could probably lose enough weight for an entire person) and get our bodies more active. She is already ridiculously thin, but our goal: bikinis and board shorts on the beach in Maui. Well, not really...but I would personally prefer to look more like a surfer and less like a tiki idol or Buddha.
Homemade Music: The boys have been playing a lot of live music lately. Nate is playing the guitar very well (doing his best to mimic Lennon or Cash). We purchased Hayden a djembe drum, so we are waiting to see what he can pound out on that. Along with their buddy JP, we've enjoyed hearing and seeing them play in a few venues.
Tasty Suds: Fish Hook Brewery has now successfully brewed and bottled Red Ale, Pale Ale, Cream Ale, Blueberry Wheat, and a tasty Holiday Ale that provided some Christmas cheer for a few good folks! If you are in the area, please swing by for a sampling! Fish Hook Brewery: One sip and you are hooked!
Lastly, publication of theMangoTimes will be directly affected by the final episodes of the television show LOST. Sorry, but I have to line up my priorities right now. After six years, Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sawyer, and the rest of the Losties are making it off the island...or are they? The boys and I are faithful devotees to the final episodes (don't call between 10-11PM on Tuesday nights). And...save your comments Kendra...you've made your point loud and clear!
Missed you all and I'm glad to be back...
Quietly making noise,
Fletch