Things I'll Miss

After living in the NE Ohio area for the last eleven and a half years, and after being at The Chapel for the last 8 and a half, there are plenty of memories and plenty of things I'm going to miss. I know I'm going to leave people out, but here are some stream-of-consciousness, random thoughts kind of things I know I'm going to miss as well as some fond memories.

The Region

• Snow from Dec-April (no, really)
• Jacob's Field
• Hartville Hardware
• Our house
• Our yard
• The Summit County Library
• The Akron Zoo
• Bike riding and kite flying at the Hartville Marketplace parking lot
  

The Chapel

• The privilege of playing on a Steinway D every week
• A cell phone
• The "Commander"
  
• The Green Campus
• The walking trail at the Green Campus
• Tuesday lunch-- Not necessarily the meetings that follow
• My E-5's
• Macs everywhere
• A do-do
• Services at Blossom
• Services at Canal Park
• The "tape guys"
  

Worship Team-Green

• Hearing the refrain of my arrangement of "Blessed Assurance"
• Hanchey's free pre-releases
• Leading with all their heart(s)
  
• Becky's baby's birth
• The next Hufstetler duet
• Maureen's passionate prayers
• The full recovery of Kimmy
  
• The return of Kimmy
• Feeling safe around Deb L
  
• Hanchey's passing 7ths
• Another movie with Jason
• Another party with Jason
• The generosity shown towad Paul and Dena
• The generosity shown toward Daniel and Kim
• A long e-mail from Lebo
• A short e-mail from Lebo
  

Worship Team-Akron

• Crashing breakfast with Carol, Nancy, Vicki, and Elisa
• Trying to be the first to address the other as "dude" with Dave and Kirsten
• Vicki: "I hate that Dr. Beat thing."
  
• Vicki: "I Love Dr. Beat."
• Vicki: "But that's not what they do on the recording..."
• Vicki's teeth
• Three words: Gospel Talent Show
  
• White elephant exchanges
• Vicki: "are your nuts frozen?"
  
• My surprise 30th birthday party at Guy and Julie's
  
• The generosity shown toward Jeff Yang
• The generosity shown toward the Gibsons
  

Rhythm Section-Green

• Any lick Gibson plays on any instrument
• The faces Raybould makes when he solos
• A ripping B-3 gliss from Keel
• Andrea on the triangle: "My lips will praise you...[ding]"
• Glen's empassioned drum fills
• Rob singing away as he plays
  
• Andrea's careful placement of the toys
• Andrea's careful placement of the kick
  
• Dave shouting on the platform because he has his headphones on
  

Rhythm Section-Akron

• Tritone subs with Fred on bass
• Frank's "a-one, two, three, hike...."
• Tommy's Mexican joke in Azteca
• Jeff Johnson singing girl notes
  
• Tommy: "Mexican food is all the same, it's just folded different..."
  

Coworkers

• Finishing Kenton's sentences and vers-visa
• Emily's Powerpoint productions
• Zuercher's approach to singing
• Zuercher's approach to mixing
• Zuercher's approach to people
• Donna and Karan being a "button-push" away
• Jim's association of any present-day song to an 80's song
• Karan: "K-O"
• The slightly offset streaming of Rush or Indian's radio between Kober's computer and mine
• Kober's "lyrics-on-the-spot"
• Donna's chickens
• Jim and Kenton: Ideation--conflict ensues
• Businessman's specials at the Jake with Kober
• Kober: "I can't find the handles..."
  

Chapel People

• Chinese with Tuck
• Erica & Elissa and a bag of Doritos
  
• The fabulous kid's staff and programming
• Wings with Guy and Daniel
• Wings with Paul followed by Lord of the Rings or Star Wars
• Dennis and "Live bait"
  
• Home opener with Kober, Stankiewicz, Keel, Zuercher
• Playmates of our kids: Logan, Emma, Abbey, Ben, Olivia
• Bible studies with Guthrie, Nime, Salmons
• Russ Tinkham's humor
• Russ Tinkham's tuba playing
• Russ Tinkham's bass playing
  

Chapel Staff

• Smitty's persona, especially in a staff meeting
• Any conversation with Castelli
• Staff Christmas lunches
• KL's passion for the cross
• KL's passion for the lost
• Larry's awesome prayers
• The master of segues, Todd McKenney
• Barrett's way-bigger-than-he-needs office
• KL's VM greeting: "Knute Larsonnnnn, leave a message."
• Barb: "pastor...."
• The intern video(s) "If I had 25 million dollars...."
• CJ and Jen's baby's birth
  

The Y

• The great home school gym programs
• Working out with Dave, Marty, Robert, Cliff, John...
• Walking on a treadmill next to Shari
• Watching the kids learn to swim
• The zero-depth pool
  

Area People

• Stu Freedman--Our pianos were always so well taken care of
• John and Darla English--Darla frantically helping me find the next chart
• Dave Spondike-The most educated bass player I've ever known
• Tim Coyne-learning standards and my first real jazz gigs
• Larry Dickerhoff--Nixon conspiracy theroist and Kent State shooting stories
• Don and Brenda Wise--our GREAT neighbors
  
• Chuck M's wit
• Carla's vocal improv
• Tom Hamilton "a swing and a drive...."
  
• Paul Braden