Summer Fishin' With My Girls II

It looks like another fish was hungry for some bluegill. At least this guy has a sweet war wound.

My brother caught this massive redear sunfish yesterday
at Eagle Creek. We were unable to pull in the big ones.

This was the second catfish I caught this summer. They be mega ugly, but great eats.

This is a gorgeous longear sunfish that I caught at Lake Monroe. It's hard to believe he's not livin' in tropical waters.

Grace caught a nice-sized catfish a day after Rose's big
catch. This was as close as Grace would get to the fish.

Rose caught her first catfish a couple of weeks ago. Before Rose could pull the guy 
onto the deck, her line snapped, and the guy fell smack dab in the mud. The drought 
actually helped make sure this fish didn't get away. I got quite dirty saving the guy's 
life, and the girls were more than amused. 

Today, Grace caught her first largemouth bass. He's certainly not the biggest guy in 
the world, but we'll take it. Grace was a little scared to hold him, but the new 
fishing gloves gave her some confidence. 

I love catchin' humongous bluegill like this one. He gave me massive fight.

A couple of weeks ago, Grace was trying to get the courage to touch this bass. I've caught several this summer 
on a black jitterbug. Unfortunately, Indiana grass is currently lookin' super sad.

Summer Fishin' With My Girls

I woke up Grace and Rose at 6 a.m. so we could go fishin' before heading off for the
 church service. It didn't hurt that grandpa bought the girls new poles.

Both Rose and Grace caught a few fish in the morning and evening. I asked Megan to 
join us, but she decided to read a novel instead. At least Megan listens to our fish
 tales when we come home. :-)

This guy snapped my line the first time I caught him, but I was able to reel him in the second time and retrieve 
my first hook. I was happy, and Grace was quite excited for me. She thinks I'm the greatest fisherman in the
world. :-)

Just before callin' it a night, I caught this catfish. She had someone else's hook in her mouth.

A Mother's Day Piano Recital

The Top Ten Reads of the World

Gettin' New Wheels in Tianjin

Grace had a nice hole in her rear tire, so we took her bike to a local bike repairman. You can see our apartment 
complex in the background.

Rose and Grace watch intently at the fine work provided by the repairman.

Grace is likin' her tuned-up wheels on this beautiful spring day.

Rose was a happy camper when I purchased her a folding bike for 240 RMB ($38 USD) at a nearby market. 
Hopefully, the bike won't get ripped off anytime soon.

Daddy Date: Burger King - Tianjin, China

I told Rose and Grace that during spring break, we would go to a brand spankin' new
mall called the Joy City Mall. The purpose of the trip had nothing to do with shopping
 and had everything to do with chowing down at Hanbao Wang - Burger King.

Here is Grace salivating over a hot and lightly salted BK French fry. She's likin' the 
new french fry recipe.  

This Double Whopper made me a happy man.

You can see that Burger King has put Rose in a very merry mood. The world would be a much better place if BK 
was on every street corner.

It's two thumbs up for Burger King. Thank you, Joy City Mall, for the joy you helped bring to our lives!

Five Palm Sundays Ago

Megan shot this video of Rose and Grace gettin' crazy with their palm branches five years ago. Rose had been in our family for just over four months, and Grace was adopted only six months prior to Rose, making us a family of four. This morning I watched the video with the girls, and it brought giant smiles to our faces. God is good.
 


So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!" John 12:13

Finding Hope After The Tohoku Tsunami

Happy Patrick of Ireland Day II

I posted this last year, but since it is March 17th, I thought a reposting was appropriate.

Like most Americans, I grew up not ever knowing who St. Patrick was. I just made sure I always wore green on March 17th so I wouldn't get pinched. Weird. I highly recommend clicking on the links below and learning about this great man of God.

Who Was St. Patrick? by Kevin DeYoung

St. Patrick Knew All About Human Trafficking by Clint Humfrey

Patrick of Ireland by Reid Monaghan

Daddy Date: The Magnetic Capital Videogame Arcade - Tianjin, China

Today, Megan and Rose went to the fabric market, so Grace and I rode to a nearby video game arcade. There are
 actually a couple of arcades within walking distance, but the environments are not as kid-friendly. The bike trailer 
was a Christmas gift for the girls, and it turns a lot of heads around here. You do not see too many six-year-olds 
pedaling on the streets of TJ.

We've stopped here a couple of times to play games over the years. You pay a little money for a bunch of
 tokens that allow you to play a million games. It's much cheaper to visit arcades here than it is in the States. 

Grace only wanted to play this drum game once. It was givin' her arms a workout that wasn't fun, but 
my mighty pythons didn't have any problemos drumming away.

Grace scored five points in this basketball game. She was hesitant to play because 
she didn't think she would score any baskets, but my girl got game! 

Daddy Date: Golden Hans - Tianjin, China

Last Saturday, Megan went to Tianjin's new IKEA, and today she went antique 
shopping. That meant Rose, Grace, and I had another daddy's date. We decided 
to go to a restaurant Megan does not care for much - a chain called Golden Hans.

The girls and I really like this restaurant. It's a churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse), but they also function as a 
"German" brewery. Our waiter chuckled when I chose not to order any brewskis. I chose to get some Coke, 
instant coffee, and warm milk. Rose and Grace approved. 

The waiters wear cool cowboy hats and bring around lots of meat on big sticks. 
It is a good thing we aren't vegetarians.

Grace is enjoying some ox tongue. I chose to skip the taste buds, but I did hunker down on some pig heart. 
The girls thought it was too spicy.  

These are fried pumpkin cakes, and they are lip-smackin' good. Unfortunately, my Chinese readin' skillz are pathetic, 
so I'm not sure what the cake says. If I had to guess, it might say, "Put me in your mouth 'cause I b so tasty." 

Here is the menu of 20 items that the cowboys bring to your tables. It includes prawn, garlic belly pork, black 
pepper sausage, lamb's leg, Mongolian-style mutton, chicken wings, and more. In addition to this, there is a 
buffet that you can visit repeatedly if you desire to be a glutton. What's the cost? 103 RMB ($16.32 USD) for
 the three of us. You can eat for a lot cheaper in this neck of the woods, but it was a daddy's date. We had fun.

Daddy Date: Harvest Coffeehouse - Tianjin, China

A local coffeehouse recently moved locations, so we decided to check out their new facilities. Their 
menu has changed somewhat and has become friendlier to the Chinese college student. The three 
of us enjoyed chicken sandwiches with fries, but Rose and Grace thought the ice cream was the best part.

I was really excited about the chocolate ice cream.

I was not happy when all of my ice cream was gone.

Daddy Date: Maky Bakery - Tianjin, China

Before heading back to school for the start of the second semester, I told Rose and Grace that I would
 take them on a daddy date. We decided to walk to a nearby mall and eat at Maky Bakery.

The girls selected some kind of bread that had a hot dog and mayo on it. I am not a fan of mystery meat, but you 
can see that Rose and Grace were very happy. There are some items I enjoy here, although Megan would not
mind if she never set foot in the place.

Of course, the girls love the giant cakes. They probably look a lot better than they taste. Cakes here 
have improved tremendously over the years, but they still tend to be less sweet than in America.
I am all about the sugar.

Just Being Myself: TIS Spirit Week

I typically do not get dressed up for Spirit Week, but this year I decided to go all out on Animal Day. 
Unfortunately, this pic does not show my deadly stinger and black cowboy boots that I wrapped with 
yellow tape. I was able to get more than a few laughs from others by buzzing around and telling
corny bee jokes. What did the principal say to the naughty bee? Bee-hive yourself! My fellow animal 
friends are TIS 8th graders who come from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and America.

This picture was taken at last year's Spirit Week. Mr. Prescott, Mr.
Kennedy and I went with the Johnny Cash look for Color Day. 

The New School Building in Tianjin, China

In a few days, the second semester of the school year starts in a brand-spankin' new school building. We have been provided an amazing facility, and that will be used to bless many. It has been a lot of work to move all of our dongxi (stuff) into the new building, but I am lookin' forward to seein' the developments that will take place here in the coming years.

I was unable to capture a decent shot due to the lighting; however, I'm likin' these 
blocks in the ECC lobby. I am quite the fan of one of the kids on the block.

Perhaps Grace and I will be able to ride together on real bikes on the streets of Tianjin one day. 
Grace is in her new kindergarten class.

Megan is doin' some decoratin' in her new art classroom. It also serves as a Chinese language classroom.

The middle school classrooms have TIS blue on the accent walls,
but I'm likin' the burnt orange in Rose's 3rd-grade classroom.

This is my new office. It is quite a bit larger than my last office. I have a door that leads 
to a large patio that could be used to grill some brats. Do you smell what the Wick is cookin'?

Wick's 2011 Highlights

It’s a little late, but I spent some time reflecting on how good the Father has been to the Wickershams in the past year. Here are last year's highlights: 2010.

January – We spend part of our winter in snowy Indiana, and I take the girls sledding on the same hills I sledded as a boy. It totally rocked.

February – Rose and I return to Tianjin because of school and work. I play Mr. Mom, but the community provides us with some meals. I am thankful for the Body.

March – Megan and Grace come back to Tianjin safe and sound. We are more than happy.

April – I got the privilege of dunking Rose on Easter Sunday. Please pray that Grace will one day make a public profession of faith.

May – TIS celebrates its 25^th anniversary at the new school building. Eight of my 16 years as a professional educator have been spent in China.

June – We go to Indiana and spend a lot of time hangin’ out at parks, checkin’ out wildlife, splashin’ in creeks, walkin’ trails, and fishin’. Rose and Grace get a little more Hoosier in them.

July – I spent three weeks at Columbia International University to continue my M.Ed. studies. My second summer at CIU does not deprive me of sleep like the first summer did.

August – I begin my second year as the Middle School Principal at TIS, and the school year starts off on a good note.

September – Megan and I go south to Wuhan and attend a wonderful retreat. This was a great time to meet with other ISC administrators and their spouses.

October – My former Sunday leader and his wife make their first trip to the Middle Kingdom. We have some deep discussions on what our Father has done in our lives and how He continues to work.

November – We celebrate my 38^th birthday at a nearby teppanyaki. Rose and Grace are super excited for me, and it brings me great joy.  

December – I complete half of my M.Ed. studies and look to finish during the summer of 2013. Megan continues to be a great source of encouragement and support.

Step Out Into 2012 With Him

A New Year’s Resolution From Philippians 3: “I Want To Know Christ." by Randy Alcorn, Eternal Perspective Ministries

Why New Year's Resolutions Don't Work by Justin Holcomb, White Horse Inn Podcast

What Good is a Christmas Story...

This is the kind of poetry I get into. Hail Incarnate Deity.

Nonstop on the Great Wall

I am going to have to try this the next time I am climbing the Great Wall. This guy b straight up sick!

GFSoldier Explains Who the Son of Man is

I wish I had these mad skillz. This man can flow!

Rose's 5th Gotcha Day

Tomorrow we celebrate Rose's 5th Gotcha Day. On December 18th, 2006, Rose entered our family as a 4.5-year-old - six months after a nine-month-old Grace entered our family. We plan on celebrating Rose's special day by having a yummy meal at a "German" Churrasco that also serves lots of sushi and Chinese cuisine. You can't get that in Indiana! Below is a great Gotcha Day video that Megan put together three years ago.

learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. Isaiah 1:17