Not my sports year so far…

Hey! I doubt that anybody really cares about what I’m writing in this blog entry. But hey…it’s my blog, and I can write what I feel like 🙂 , and after just watching Brazil with the wonderful Kaká being kicked out of the football (soccer) World Cup, I need a place to voice my frustrations over this annus horribilis as far as sports go. 2010 has been disastrous in these different ways:

– My hockey heroes, Washington Capitals, dominated the regular season of the NHL with incredible statistics….but crashed out of the first round of the play-offs. Seeing Alexander Ovechkin humiliate himself at both the Olympics and the World Championships with Russia didn’t help any…

– My great loves in tennis, the Swiss elegantier Roger Federer and the young Dane, Caroline Wozniacki both failed miserably in Wimbledon that I had been looking forward to watching…

– My Danish hockey team, Herning Blue Fox, and my Danish female handball team, FC Midtjylland Håndbold also had a terrible season and made no impact in their respective playoffs

– The Danish men’s handball team flunked and came in fifth at the European Championship that they came to as defending champions…

…..and there are the real tragedies when it comes to the game I care the most about, football:

– Arsenal started out strong and ended up – again – with nothing but a lot of recognition for playing a beautiful game. But with absolutely no titles to show for the last few years, it doesn’t really matter any more how beautiful they play…

– Real Madrid, the world’s largest and historically most successful club, crashed out of the Champions League after two terrible showings against a mediocre French team, and they also came up short in the Spanish league…

– and then there is the World Cup where I was rooting for three teams: Denmark, Portugal, and Brazil – Denmark crashed out in the group stages after a terrible display against Japan. No speed, no class, no ideas, and a goalkeeper who didn’t know he was allowed to use his hands (or his brain) was the picture that they left the world with. Portugal, with the incredible Cristiano Ronaldo, just never got in gear and were sent packing by a superior Spanish team in the 1/8-finals, and just a few minutes ago, Brazil left the tournament in disgrace after having given away their victory against Holland…

– ….and now one of the two Schleck brothers, Fränk Schleck, who are the captains of the Danish cycling team, Team Saxo Bank, that I support in the Tour de France, just crashed, broke his collarbone and is out of the Tour….now we have to see what happens to Andy Schleck…:-(

It just isn’t my sports year so far…..:-(

Torben

Up

It’s not often that I watch a cartoon that I really enjoy and keep on quoting, but these wonderful scenes from the latest Disney Pixar movie “Up” I just can’t get over 🙂 The movie itself is an interesting creation with very serious themes such as death of a loved one, loneliness, an absent father, inability to have children, and how to let go when a loved one dies mixed in with lots of silly stuff and laughable characters. The movie is held in a surprisingly melancholy tone, and yet it’s uplifting with beautiful, bright colors and delightful music throughout the movie. It’s definitely worth watching!

Meet Russell and Mr. Fredrickson:

And the dog, Doug:

Blessings, Torben

how god reacts when we reject his gifts

It was one of those key moments in life for this dad and his little girl who were watching a baseball game a few days ago in Philadelphia, United States of America. He catches a foul ball, and the rule is that he can keep it as a souvenir. To baseball fans it’s a big deal to catch a ball used in a Major League Baseball game. And he is celebrating with his friends seated around him before he gives the ball to his three year old daughter who wants to see daddy’s new ball…Watch this video and enjoy the beautiful reaction of this young father to her daughter’s action:

He could’ve yelled at her. He could’ve shown his disappointment. He could’ve rejected her. But he didn’t. He chose to show her that she was much more important than the gift he had just given her that she had rejected unaware of its value.

To me this is a beautiful picture of my relationship to God. He gives me many good gifts every day. And I often don’t use them or throw them away, because I’m unaware of the value of what I have received from my Father.

Many people believe that God is disappointed with them. I used to think so too. Satan had used a line from a song that went like this: “when God looks at me, he sees me with sorrow, always afraid, always running away“. That’s how I viewed God. He was disappointed in me. But God is not disappointed in me, even when I don’t receive, misuse or reject his good and valuable gifts.

I once asked a group of discipleship students from different nations what they thought God would think of them if they fell asleep while reading in their Bibles. Sadly, many answered that God would be disappointed in them that they couldn’t stay awake and scorn them for their weak faith. A Ukrainian man who had only been a Christian for a few months raised his hand and said: “I would imagine that a good father would be happy to have his child fall asleep in his arms. I think God feels the same way”.

God delights in you no matter what you do, say, think or feel!

Zephaniah 3:17: “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs”

Blessings, Torben – who hopes that I will respond like the Phillies’ fan dad when I experience this type of key moments with my sons or daughters some day!

The train station dance

I had no clue that Belgians were into more things than eating French Fries – which were invented in Belgium – and Belgian waffles 🙂 But this wonderful video from the train station in Antwerp, Belgium even suggests that Belgians have rhythm and can dance!

More than 200 dancers were performing their version of “Do Re Mi” from the classic movie “The Sound of Music” that my mom and sister have seen so many times that I even know most of the songs, in the Central Station of Antwerp. with just two rehearsals they created this very cool dance! The dance started March 23, 2009, at 8 in the morning on a normal grey Belgian day. It is a promotion stunt for a Belgian television program, where they were looking for someone to play the leading role in the musical version of “The Sound of Music”.

I really enjoy watching the reactions, the excitement and the joy of the people who watch the dancers dance! It’s always wonderful to see some spontaneous joy 🙂 

Blessings, Torben

Danish Champions!!

Yeah!! A wonderful football week where F.C.København (F.C. Copenhagen) won both the Danish cup title, and today, the Danish championship is over! Here are a bunch of pictures from the beautiful day in Esbjerg 🙂

César Santín after he scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot

…and I believe the rest of the pictures speak for themselves! 🙂

JAAAAAAAA!!!! The Double!!

Torben – who is looking forward to seeing what F.C.København can do in Champions League next season!

Svensk Pølseret

(Sorry…this blog entry will not make any sense to people who are not up-to-date with Danish football (soccer) 🙂 )

Jeg har ingen ord at tilføje til denne smukke produktion med d’herrer Max von Schlebrügge og Jon Jönsson som hovedrolleindehavere og Aílton José Almeida som skarpretteren efter de kære svenskere havde sat scenen:

Jeg synes da lige, vi skulle have resten af målene med også!

 

Velbekomme 🙂

Torben – der havde en fin søndag!

Fire Ants

I simply had to post this terribly funny video to my blog. It’s very dark humor, and some of you, dear readers, might not appreciate it, but I do get a lot of laughter out of it 🙂

The song is called Fire Ants, and I believe the video speaks for itself. The crazy man behind the song is a gentleman by the name of Tim Hawkins

Torben=strange humor at times

Cute knitted things for sale :-)

When you live on financial support from churches, family members and friends you have to get creative at times if you need a little extra money now and then. My dear wife, Jeannette, is a creative soul, and I thought I would post some pictures of some of the knitted animals and dolls you can buy from her, if you are interested. They all make great little Christmas-, birthday-, baby shower-, whatever gifts, or maybe you just want one or two for your own home/children/office. They are very hard to tear apart proven by the fact that our four year old nephew, Toby, who has three younger brothers still plays with the knitted cowboy Jeannette made him three years ago!

If you are interested in buying any of these knitted friends, just email Jeannette at roselemon7@hotmail.com and tell her what you would like and in what colors.

All prices are valid from June 22, 2009

These adorable mice are $15 (90 DKK) each 

The little ducklings are $8 (48 DKK) each 

Elephants – boy or girl – are $15 (90 DKK) each 

A very creative wedding gift! This frog couple is $25 (150 DKK)

These well-dressed bunnies are $12 (72 DKK) each

Mr. Duck with an elegant hat is $10 (60 DKK)

Shepherd girl, drummer, baker, nurse – each measures around 7 inches (18 cm) excluding the hats- $20 (120 DKK) each

Another creative and beautiful wedding present – 7 inches (18 cm) tall excluding the hat – this elegant couple with many beautiful details is $45 (270 DKK)

This clown, who holds a banner with whatever name you want, is $20 (120 DKK) (7 inches/18 cm excl. the hat)

T-Rex and Bronto are $10 (60 DKK) each

This cute little dino is $10 (60 DKK)

Baby doll is $12 (60 DKK)

Whales are $8 (48 DKK) each

…and finally this beauty of a doll that comes in whatever colors you want for just $45 (270 DKK). She is 12 inches/29 cm. tall.(Due to many knitting orders at this point, it’s only possible to order this particular doll, which is bigger and takes a lot of time, for delivery in the beginning of 2010).

Jeannette can also knit a number of other dolls and little animals that she has the patterns for. You can tell her what colors you would want them in. At this point we don’t have any pictures of them, but you’re free to discuss design details with Jeannette. The list of other possibilities include: a golden retriever-looking dog chewing on a bone, a black/white panda, a light brown koala bear, a very adorable pig, a Christmas penguin with a hat and a scarf, an autumn harvest mouse and a Christmas mouse (similar design to the mice pictured above), boy or girl frog (regular frogs not in wedding outfits), a graduating owl.

As far as dolls go Jeannette also offers: a fairy doll, a Superman-looking super hero, a chimney sweep (skorstensfejer), a bell hop with champagne and flowers in his hands, a policeman, a fireman, a sailor, and a ballerina. Contact Jeannette to hear about prices for the dolls we don’t have pictures of yet. 

Hope you are interested in any or all (!) of these dolls and little  knitted friends. Just contact Jeannette and place your order, and she’ll start knitting 🙂 

All prices mentioned here are not including shipping – if you need shipping we will ship them, and you pay the shipping charges to whatever country you’re in.

This concludes this somewhat special blog entry!

Blessings, Torben

John Deere

One of our many adorable little nephews here in Ohio is young Wyley (whom I’m holding in the picture above) who is a year and a half. He has a very interesting love affair going on. He is madly in love with anything that is green with a little bit of yellow and that carries the name JOHN DEERE on it. Or Don Deere as he calls it.

Every single day several times each day Wyley watches a delightful video called All About John Deere. It is an hour packed with lots of info about these tractors and with songs that will forever be in your brain whether you want them to or not. 

The first words I hear every day when I wake up is Wyley who walks around humming his mantra: “Don Deere….Don Deere…..Don Deere….Don Deere…..” while he points to all his John Deere mini tractors or just stands at the window looking longingly out at the garage he knows is the storage place for his daddy’s garden tractor, which is, of course, a John Deere.

After his nap where he sleeps with at least one John Deere tractor in his bed Wyley comes up and chants: “Don Deere….Don Deere….Don Deere….“.

It’s so cute, and what a delightful thing to be madly in love with 🙂

Torben

“That was an overreaction…” :-)

I just had to put this wonderful youtube-video of a Chinese woman completely losing it in an airport in Hong Kong on this blog site. Apparently she is told that her plane has just left. And even though that can be very irritating, I do think her reaction is a little extreme…especially considering that the next available plane for her destination left in two hours. But hey….take a look and see what you think 🙂 :

And here is another video with a beautiful overreaction this time featuring Mr. Andy Bernard from The Office. Definitely one of my favorite scenes from that show:

Torben