Ice Breaker – International Cuisine
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
Last night, Leanne and I went to a Guatemalan restaurant to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Antigua Guatemala in Phoenixville, PA was a great place to experience a little flavor for the country we’ll be visiting this summer. (Stay tuned for more information on a possible fund-raising dinner opportunity at this unique place for an international taste.) Our dinner inspired this week’s Stretched Ice Breaker.
Question: What’s your favorite international cuisine? Where do you go to get your favorite international cuisine? Do you make it at home? Do you have a favorite restaurant?
My Answer: Mexican food is one of the favorites at our house. If I’m going out, I enjoy Japanese food – especially sushi. I’m a big fan of the rolls with spicy tuna, avocado, and eel. But I also like trying new things when I go out. I’ve never tried making sushi, but I can see how that might be a fun thing to try sometime.
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (Feel free to share links.)
Ice Breaker – Watching
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
First, it was reading. Last week, it’s listening. And this week, it’s watching.
Question: What are you watching these days? Movies? TV Shows? Sports? Videos?
My Answer: I’ve definitely cut my television and movie viewing down over the past several years, but I’m still watching a few things when I get a chance. This past weekend, I saw Lincoln with my wife at one of our local movie theaters. I enjoy watching The Biggest Loser when I get a chance. More than these, I’ve enjoyed watching my son’s basketball games. His team finished the regular season undefeated, and they won their first playoff game last night.
And here are a couple of videos that I’ve enjoyed recently from YouTube.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVFVaWCV1TE]There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (Feel free to share links.)
Ice Breaker – Listening
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
Last week, it was reading. This week, it’s listening.
Question: What are you listening to these days?
My Answer: I listen to a lot of podcasts these days. I listen to the Daily Audio Bible Podcast and The Dave Ramsey Podcast every day. I also listen to This Is Your Life Podcast by Michael Hyatt, Blogging Your Passion Podcast, and The Relevant Podcast on a regular basis. There are a few others that I listen to regularly. Three that I recently listened to for the first time are Todd Liles Podcast, The DadCast, and WordPress Plug-ins from A to Z. I enjoy listening to music as well. The kids in the youth group at our church turned me on to Mumford and Sons, and I’ve enjoyed listening to their newest album, Babel. Phillip Phillips and All Sons and Daughters have also become recent favorites.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoRkntoHkIE]
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
Ice Breaker – Reading
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
Question: What are you reading now?
My Answer: I just finished Quitter by Jon Acuff (see my review by clicking here). I’m reading Selah a new 90 day devotional eBook by Joseph Iregbu that will be coming soon. The devotional focuses on GRACE and HOPE – two great topics. I’ll share more about the book in the coming days as I finish reading the book and participate in the launch team for this soon to be released resource. What’s next? Platform by Michael Hyatt is one of the books on my nightstand waiting for me.
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
Ice Breaker – Famous Look Alike
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
After being told that my sick day question last week wasn’t very uplifting, I thought I’d try something a little lighter this week.
Question: Have you ever been told that you look like someone famous?
My Answer: It’s been a few years since I’ve heard this, but I used to hear all the time that I looked like country music singer Vince Gill.
More recently, I’ve heard that I look like Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
Ice Breaker – Sick Day
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
Yesterday, I had to take a sick day thanks to the wonderful flu bog that is sweeping across the country. It’s been quite a while since I’ve had to take a sick day for being sick. I spent the day sleeping, resting, relaxing, and trying to get better.
Question: When have you faced an illness that has knocked you off your feet?
My Answer: I’ve been pretty blessed with decent health. Thankfully, I haven’t dealt with any major health issues. The last time I was sick for more than a day was last year during my Christmas vacation. I picked up a case of the stomach bug that knocked me off of my feet for a couple of days. I could hardly move due to the aches and pains associated with the fever and nausea. Other than that, I’ve been fairly healthy over the past several years.
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
(By the way, if you’re going through something health related right now, I’d love to pray for you. I hope you’ll leave a response, so The Stretched Community can lift you up.)
Ice Breaker – Favorite Childhood Toy
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
This week’s question is inspired by all the toys recently purchased for Christmas. Are your kids still using them? How many toys did you play with over the holidays? Today’s Ice Breaker just might bring out the child in all of us.
Question: What was your favorite childhood toy? When was the last time you played with your childhood toy?
My Answer: LEGOs. My brother and I used to play with LEGOs for hours. I used to build houses and castles with these little plastic blocks. Perhaps, that was an early indication of my engineering future. It has been a while since I’ve played with LEGOs. It was probably a few years ago when my son was still playing with them.
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
Ice Breaker – It’s The End of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
According to speculation and the Mayan calendar, the world is supposed to end today. The Bible is pretty clear that no one knows when the end will occur, so I’m not real concerned about these predictions. My hope is that I would be living my life with the same sense of purpose and urgency whether the world ends today, next week, next year, or a hundred years from now. This week’s Stretched Ice Breaker is inspired by the speculation surrounding today – December 21, 2012.
Question: How would you spend your time differently if you knew you had just 24 hours to live on this earth? What would you eat? With whom would you hang out? Where would you go?
My Answer: Like I said in my introduction, I hope my daily life is filled with the same sense of urgency and purpose regardless of my end date. On the fun side of things though, I would probably eat a nice steak dinner with jumbo shrimp cocktail, buttered carrots with bacon, garlic mashed potatoes, and creme brulee for dessert. I would certainly want to hang out with my family. I would probably write a blog post about the importance of making Christ first in your life, about the importance of stretching, and about the importance of appreciating each moment and each person in your life. I’d probably hang out at home or go for a walk on the Audubon trail near our house. And I’d call my loved ones just to say”I love you.”
I don’t think I’ll have steak for dinner tonight, and I’ll be heading into the office today. But I’ll still have an opportunity to live with this kind of intentionality. Even if it’s the end of the world as I know it, I feel fine!
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
Ice Breaker – Laughter
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
They say that laughter is the best medicine. While I’m often known as the serious one (just ask my parents or my brothers), I love to laugh. There’s nothing like a great belly laugh. It can be so healthy to laugh so hard that you cry. With this in mind, I bring you this week’s Stretched Ice Breaker.
Question: Tell us about a time when you laughed so hard you nearly cried.
My Answer: Parenting has brought some of the biggest laughs more recently. The kids say some of the funniest things, and sometimes they do things that simply leave you in stitches.
A couple of weeks ago, we were watching home movies in honor of Hannah’s 15th birthday. We watched clips from the kids birth through the time Isaac was about 2 years old (which would have made Hannah 4). Hannah was very cute, very independent, and very much in charge when she was a toddler. Isaac often had a grin. He didn’t have much to say (as Hannah was speaking for him), but he often left us laughing uncontrollably through his expressions and movements.
Isaac used to have an exersaucer that we put him in before he could walk. He would sit in there for hours playing with toys on the tray. The funniest part was when he would spin the exersaucer round and round. He would spin so fast and so long that he would get dizzy. Leanne and I could watch him for hours as he made himself dizzy and entertained himself. We’ve had many, many laughs since then, but it started early. Now, Isaac is 12, and he still cracks us up with his “Stolpe”-like humor.
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!
Ice Breaker – Pearl Harbor (A Day That Will Live In Infamy)
Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question. The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community. I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments. While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.
This week’s question commemorates December 7, 1941 – Pearl Harbor Day. This is the day that the Japanese invaded the United States by attacking Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Ever since, people have used December 7th as a day to remember this day which will live in infamy. According to dictionary.com, infamy is defined as:
extremely bad reputation, public reproach, or strong condemnation as the result of a shameful, criminal, or outrageous act: a time that will live in infamy.
I hope you’ll chime in on today’s question.
Question: What day will live in infamy for you? How do you remember this day?
My Answer: I wasn’t alive for Pearl Harbor, but I had the honor of visiting there several years ago. As I stand over the U.S.S. Arizona, there is a sense of being at hallowed ground as I watched the oil floating up to the water’s surface from the ship below. I can’t truly imagine what that day might have felt like for so many Americans, but I’m guessing it’s a day that will always be remembered with a bad reputation.
In my 40+ years, I’ve lived through a few of these type of days. Besides 9/11, I’m not sure if any would match up to the devastation that must have been felt on December 7, 1941. For me the first time I can really remember having a feeling anywhere close to this was the day Ronald Reagan was shot. It was March 30, 1981. I can remember getting on my bus at school to head home when we suddenly received the news. I was shocked and saddened. I’m not sure if I cried, but it’s possible. I remember heading home that night and having a lot of questions for my parents. This is one of the days that will live in infamy for me.
There you have it – my answer. Now, it’s your turn. Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response!