Wedding!

Don't know if we mentioned it but Joel and Carissa got married a week ago!

I'd love to share some of the experience with you. One of the interesting aspects of the wedding day was that the couple decided to do a lot of their picture taking before the ceremony. This was an excellent choice and allowed for more time to get some great shots.

The photographer the kids chose was amazing. I say that because my sister, Lurinda, along with several in the wedding party had our cameras with us and out and were taking pictures side by side with him. Yet, he never complained and even really seemed to enjoy the company. He and his assistant were totally awesome. One life lesson observed in this situation is that a good attitude makes a world of difference!















The shoot was outside (freezing!!) - but the time of day (late afternoon) was great. The light was wonderful. With all the cameras around we got tons of great shots - here's a few for you!

The shoot started with pictures of the groom! Rightly so! Does this look like a happy man or what?



















Next were the groomsmen and the fathers.
















The groomsmen were, from left to right, Colin - Joel's most recent roommate (before Carissa!), Jon Logan - whom you should all be familiar with and a lifelong friend of Joel's and Zac - Joel's roommate at Willamette and a great influence and friend.

It is fun to spend time with some of Joel's friends. It reinforces in me a knowledge that my son makes great choices in people. It is a blessing in life to be surrounded by great friends. And Joel was richly blessed in groomsmen on his big day!

Oh.. and the old guys were Dan (Carissa's dad) and me. Dan is an incredible guy - with a big heart and a great sense of humor. It has been a complete pleasure getting to know Dan over the last few months and getting to spend some more time with him last week. I definitely am excited to know that he is now a man that Joel can rely on in life for support, encouragement and wisdom.

These next three pictures were some of the 'fun' pictures we took. The first one is a picture of the groomsmen with their 'gift' from Joel. Of course it was a Kershaw knife. Could it be anything different? I have to admit that I called that one from the beginning. In fact, when he called to tell me that was his idea I just had to beg for one myself (just didn't want you to think that Joel was so lame he picked me as a groomsman!). Other than Carissa, herself, and all the wonderful memories.. I just had to have a knife to remember the day! The second picture is the essential 'jumping picture'. You probably called that one from a mile away! The final picture is of the groomsmen praising Joel for letting them be in his wedding! Haha.

More later...

Joel's Kershaw Love

By Joel Henderson

There are many decisions in life that may not require a lot of thoughtful consideration, like "what am I going to eat for lunch" or "what movie are you in the mood for?" But there are several decisions we make throughout our lives that require a level of appreciation and meaningful reflection far beyond the norm. Recently, I decided it was time for me to make one such decision. That’s right; it was time for me to purchase a new pocket knife.

I had been mighty pleased with my Kershaw 2415, but it was ready to retire, so I notified personnel that it was time to start a new recruitment. Thankfully, I had been so impressed with the customer service interaction I had just experienced with Kershaw a few weeks prior that at least one of the major first steps in the decision-making process was practically made for me. I totally LOVE being part of the Kershaw community, so it should be no surprise that I decided to go with a new Kershaw to replace my old one. They have a warranty program that is the best in the business. Say your belt clip bends or breaks like mine did on several occasions, or a screw comes loose and gets lost. All you need to do to get the belt clip completely replaced, screws and all, is put in a warranty request on their website (http://www.kershawknives.com/), and BOOM! two to three days later there’s a envelop waiting for you in your mailbox with your replacement part inside. It’s such a quick and painless process, and the best part is it’s totally free! Plus, their customer service staff is ready, willing, and able to answer any and all questions you have for them. And when I say “all”, I mean “all”, even the weird ones you might hesitate to ask (I’m speaking from experience here, folks, so you can trust me. Tifany and I are now total knife buddies). Basically, Kershaw is awesome; ‘nough said.

So, with the brand decision under my belt, then began the thoughtful and involved process of choosing a model. However, I’m going to leave out the details of this major portion of the decision-making process, since it can be, in many cases, extremely personal, and I would hate to betray the intimacy of the relationship between man and knife. Therefore, let me skip to the end and just say I went with the Kershaw Blur, and not just any Blur, but the G-10 silver twill inlay handle Kershaw Blur with black 440A tungsten DLC coated stainless steel blade. Sha boo ya, grandma!

How do I love thee, my Kershaw? Well here, let me count the ways…

First, it’s a noticeable upgrade from my last knife; bigger and more solid, but there isn’t any added width, so it fits just as snuggly in my pocket. Also, and this is a small but notable detail, none of the surfaces of the knife put too much pressure on too small of a surface area when I’ve got it in my hand. Its contact with my hand is very well distributed.

Secondly, this knife is equipped with what Kershaw calls their SpeedSafe assisted opening system, meaning there is a small torsion bar that automatically opens the knife once you put in the initial effort. So, even though the blade of the Blur is much larger than the 2415’s, it’s no more difficult to open. I resisted getting a spring-assisted knife for the longest time because I didn’t like how difficult a lot of them are to close. Of course they’re a breeze to open, but getting them to fold back down sometimes took two hands. Granted, that could help me develop huge forearms, but that’s not really what I’m after. But with the Blur I’m amazed at both the control I can maintain when opening it (it doesn’t fly open so fast and hard that I lose my grip) and the relative ease with which you can close it. I give mad props to Ken Onion for designing such a nice knife.

Third, the handle inlay on this particular model is G-10 silver twill, a super-smooth gripping material. Other models have what Kershaw calls Trak-Tech grip tape, which is best described as super-coarse sand paper. For how often I take my knife in and out of my pocket, this material would have ripped my pants to shreds and probably have done a number on my hands. This one detail almost kept me from getting the Blur, that is, until I discovered my model with the silver twill. Now it glides in and out of my pocket like a dream, and my pants are no worse for ware. Double sha boo ya!

Fourth, it’s just a beautiful knife. The lines of the blade are beautifully curved, so smooth and soft and well defined. The silver gives it a beautiful glimmer in the sun, and the tungsten coating gives the blade an element of beautiful mystery, with a beautifully contrasted cutting edge. I’m sorry to say, Hannah, that though Cutco knives may be sharper, Kershaw knives are far more aesthetically pleasing, and the Blur takes the cake for me.

So that’s me and my new Kershaw Blur, and I couldn’t be happier. Never mind that my first attempt at ordering it led me to file my first ever charge dispute (which, by the way, was handled flawlessly by Wells Fargo, so I’m sending mad props their way as well). In fact, I felt a bit like Adam as we waited for God to provide him Eve, and once my Blur arrived, it made me appreciate and value it that much more. I love you, my beautiful Kershaw Blur; I love you very much!