mattmehaffey

Finnish Facts

Now that we have our passports I have been dreaming of all the places we could go.  At the top of the short list is Finland.  Didn't see that coming did you?  My mother, Jeanette, is 100% Finnish.  I am half Finnish, half Irish.  I am fascinated by this Nordic country.

Twenty years ago Finland was one of the poorer countries in Northern Europe but today is at the top of global lists measuring social, economic and political success.  It is a leading force in new technology and is home to the world largest cell phone company, Nokia. Also, according to Freedom House, Finland is now the world's #1 most democratic country (the U.S. is 15).

Where did Finland's meteoric rise come from?  Education.  Practically the entire world is looking at Finland's simple and free model of education as the way it should be done.  Check out this article from the Wallstreet Journal from earlier this year.  Teachers are highly-skilled and well-paid. Elementary teachers must have at least a master's degree.  The Journal's article attributes their success to another reason as well:

One explanation for the Finns' success is their love of reading. Parents of newborns receive a government-paid gift pack that includes a picture book. Some libraries are attached to shopping malls, and a book bus travels to more remote neighborhoods like a Good Humor truck.

Far cry from U.S. kids who spend hours a day in front of the television. 

Where should we go?

Janie and I just got our passports! I officially feel like an adult. I want to fill this baby up.

Where should we go first?

Anniversary Road Trip

New Year's Eve is also our wedding anniversary. Janie and I have been married for two years and they have been the best two years of my life.

For this anniversary we took a road trip up the A1A, which I can't say without thinking about Vanilla Ice's classic "Ice, Ice, Baby." We dropped the top on our VW beetle and cruised in perfect 77 degree weather along the Atlantic coast. Our trip took us as far north as Delray Beach which is a very cool area we had never been before. The picture is an attempt to record a snapshot of our drive through there.

We went to dinner at Maggiano's in Boca Raton thanks to our friends Chas and Andrea Bowman and their generous gift card they gave us for Christmas. Thanks, guys!

I can't imagine my life without Janie. I was single for practically all of my 20's and it's strange to me to think back to that time of my life. Marriage is an amazing experience especially when it's with two people who are committed to following Jesus.

Meet the Parents

Janie and I had a great time visiting my mom and dad over our break. They are two of the most comfortable and generous people we know.

We got in late on Sunday, Dec. 23, feeling the beginning of our colds. When we got up the next morning my dad had two medicine bottles filled will amoxicillin for Janie and me. No, he's not a pharmacist.

I have never met two people who love movies more than my mom and dad. We saw both I am Legend (IMAX) and National Treasure 2. Both were really good. The 6-minute preview to The Dark Knight was sick!

They also know how to eat. We had a late Christmas Eve meal at Olive Garden, a lunch at McAlister's and then on the way to the airport we stopped for some White Castles! I'd like to apologize to everyone who flew on the plane with us that night.

We are excited because mom and dad are our house guests the week of launch so we will see them again in less than a month.

Christmas in Indy

I am going to brag a little a bit in this post about my family. They are pretty much the best family in the history of families. Am I biased? Probably.

Being 1,200 miles away from one another makes me really appreciate the time we have together. This year, I was like a kid anticipating Christmas. I couldn't wait to spend Christmas Day with my whole family. When Christmas Eve rolled in Janie and I both got really bad colds. My worst day just happened to be Christmas Day. I could barely talk and I was exhausted (not to mention heavily medicated). It got so bad I had to excuse myself at 6 p.m. and go to bed. I slept until 10 the next morning!

I honestly believe God intervened and gave Janie and me these colds because it forced us to rest. We have been constantly on the go for months. Now I feel refueled and ready to get The Pursuit off and running!

Boston - Day One 2.0

My flight was a great experience. I have been re-reading 1776 by David McCullough, a Pulitzer Prize winning book about America's breakaway from England. As we flew over the Atlantic coming into Boston, I had an incredible view of the setting many of the events in the book took place. Tomorrow I finally get to experience The Freedom Trail.

As much as I despise the sports teams (except the Celtics since I grew up liking Larry Bird), the city of Boston is amazing. I love the public transit system. It was very easy to get to Hotel Commonwealth. While I was on the Subway, at one of the stops a bunch of college-aged men and women came in with Bibles. Then I realized they were coming from a church service.

Speaking of Boston teams I despise, check out the view from my hotel room. Fenway is even closer than my iPhone camera could show. I love to hate the Red Sox but Fenway is hands down the best stadium I have ever seen.

So far this has been a really good trip and to top it all off I walked into my room just in time for the Colts kickoff. Now they have to win and wrap up the AFC South Division.

Boston - Day One

Well, my trip to Boston is already different than any other I have ever taken.

1) I am packing to go from warm weather to freezing weather. I am hauling around my massive North Face parka which is not fun but will be worth it when I am in Boston.

2) When I arrived at the gate the attendant told me I had been moved from 30D to 2A, which is in first class. So this is how the other 2% fly. It's not that great . . . uh yeah it is!

Beach Discovery

On my recent archaeological dig in the Sahara, I was fortunate to unearth the ruins of ... OK, I'll come clean, actually I discovered two side-by-side sand castles on the beaches of Captiva this past Saturday. Here are my assumptions regarding the creator/artist who was not present:

1. This person is very creative.
2. This person has way too much time on their hands.
3. This person will come back the next day and the tide (and little kids) will have demolished it.

I wished for a moment, as I stared at the very cool sand castles, I was a little kid again and had my G.I. Joe action figures because I would have been in heaven!