Creation Vacation

OK, so maybe the title isn't completely true. We did a lot of consuming on our little 3 day mini vacation. Consuming some good food, and a lot of information from the museums we went to, consuming music while on the road. But the main goal of our trip was to create memories for our kids! When I was a kid growing up we went on a few really good trips, the first one I really remember I was only 4 and we went to California and went to Disneyland, Universal Studios, and the beach. It was an awesome trip! But I can't remember a thing I got for my birthday or Christmas that year. But like I said a few posts ago memories last much longer than things. So as you already know we decided to forgo the barrage of gifts on Christmas, save all that money we would have spent and spend some quality family time together.

After trying to decide between a couple of places, we finally decided on going to a few places in New Mexico, where my wife and I were born, but that my wife had never been to. A quick rundown of our trip is as follows: We drove to Roswell stayed the first evening, ate dinner with some friends then checked in to the hotel for the night. The next morning we were up early for the drive through Ruidoso and on to Alamogordo. We stopped and had breakfast in Ruidoso at a little bakery called Cornerstone Bakery (Facebook link). We got an amazing cinnamon roll, an apple strudel, some chocolate chip pecan cookies, and some white chocolate pistachio cookies (those were especially good).  Then it was on to the New Mexico Museum of Space History There are a lot of rockets outside to see and so many replicas of rockets, satellites and other space memorabilia inside. The kids really enjoyed this museum, and there was enough information to fill up a whole day. We went through it rather quick because the kids weren't as interested in listening to facts as looking at all the exhibits. Something we all enjoyed was the IMAX planetarium at the museum. It is very informational and gives a lot of detail into each of the planets in our solar system.

Space Museum

Next to a big rocket "Nike Ajax"

After that we grabbed a quick bite to eat, and headed to White Sands National Monument (Facebook). Unfortunately both mine and my wife's phone died upon arrival, so we didn't get any pictures while there. The kids loved playing around in the sand and sledding down the dunes. And Jessica and I got a good work out from climbing the dunes chasing the kids. As sunset was approaching we headed back East towards Ruidoso to grab some dinner. Which was teeming with people grabbing food and shopping after a busy day of skiing at the nearby Ski Apache. Then it was back to Roswell for the night.

The next morning we got up and headed to the International UFO Museum Research Center  (Facebook) in Roswell. We have always enjoyed sci fi movies and shows and like hearing all the theories and stories of "encounters". It is a neat place to visit and gives plenty of information supporting both sides of the stories of not just the Roswell crash but abductions, sightings, and other suspected crashes.

Caleb and Juliana next to a UFO crash model

After that we grabbed some
lunch and went to The Roswell Museum and Art Center. There are a lot of paintings, sculptures and other art in the museum. There is a section dedicated to Robert Goddard, who played a major role in creating rockets able to go to space. It also has big area that contains New Mexico history including many items used by the different Native American tribes from there. Upon leaving there we headed back home for a day of much needed rest after our information, and action packed vacation. I would definitely encourage you to go to an and all of these places at least once in your lifetime. Enjoy them with your family and create some wonderful memories. If you have been on a trip recently, or have pictures from a family trip that created some wonderful memories. Please share them with me on Facebook , Google + , or Twitter

Christmas Creation

Merry Christmas everyone! We decided to celebrate a little early tonight with our family, since tomorrow will be with my parents and the next two days with extended family. So we sat and watched the kids opened their present. After that we finished reading Jesus' birth in Luke 2.
If you read my previous post about Christmas time you'll know we are doing things a little different this year. We are spending more time investing in our children's lives instead of spending so much time away from them shopping and spending more money. I heard on the radio today that the average family spends $1000 dollars on Christmas gifts for their family! That may seem like a lot to some, or just a drop in the bucket to others. But we looked back over the years Jessica and I have been married and figured that was a pretty close estimate. Always trying to one up each other with what we thought would be an awesome gift. And as they say "It is better to give than receive." So the one being outdone always felt a little inferior for not being the best giver. This year we didn't get gifts for each other, but promised to spend more time with each other and our family. Doing things we will remember and always cherish.

Not wanting to completely shock our kids into no gifts this year after the other years of many gifts. We decided to get all three kids three gifts (1 each) they could all share and enjoy together! We got them two musical toys and one vet shop play set. They loved the toys, (so did I) and played so well with them together. One was an orchestra where you can place each instrument on the platform and mix them and hear how they sound individually and together. It shows all the instrument types: woodwind, percussion, strings, brass and how each one of them plays harmony, accompaniment, and melody. They enjoyed putting the instruments on the platform and guessing which one it was, and trying to listen and pick out the individual sounds. Being the musician that I am, I loved seeing and hearing them learn and discover these things. Compared to previous years focusing on one gift for them to really delve into and learn about instead of having so many things to jump around to, and some they even forget about even opening. They shared so well and I loved seeing them just trade the toys around and play with them together. I am thankful that our kids are close enough in age to still enjoy playing with each other.

This year I think we created a new tradition of sharing the gifts we are given. Just like we should as adults, should share our talents, gifts, wisdom and most of all the gift of new life given to us through Jesus God's son! Merry Christmas!

Enjoying their gifts together!

What is art anyway?

While dating my wife and I would sometimes stay at my parent's house and just hang out and paint. Sometimes we would get some decent stuff and other times it would look nothing like what was in our mind's eye. I've always enjoyed art and was pretty good at drawing as a teen. But art in its many forms is so subjective. I saw this poster the other day and it really got me thinking...



And it really got me thinking about how many times we say that! About a lot of things, not just modern art. How many times do we hear a song, see a movie, watch a sports event and say "I could do that!" But the fact of it is, we continue to jut sit and watch instead of get up and do.
So the whole family did some painting today. Jesika painted the one of the owl, I painted the skyline (I call it "Making Room for Nature") And Juliana did the couple with the birds, and Caleb was just experimenting with mixing colors and liking what came out!

-Making Room for Nature

So if you enjoy doing something, who's to say you have to be good at it? Who's really good at something the first time they try? By honing and crafting your skill you could create something that someone down the road would say of: your painting hanging in your gallery, your album of songs, your book of poems, or your house you designed and built; "Hey, I could do that!" But the difference is that you did it! So keep creating and don't sell yourself short of what you can do!
If you feel so inclined, I'd love for everyone to start sharing what you're doing to create more. Use the hashtag #CLCM and/or #consumelesscreatemore. You can tweet me @mitchellcj or find me on Facebook.com/cjmitcell3

Big thanks to Kevin and Tanya Mitchell for sharing about making their Christmas Tree out of a tomato cage and garland!

And Heather Doolittle for some creative Gifts she and her girls made!

Thanks for reading and sharing!

Christmas Time is here

For the last couple weeks my wife, Jesika, and I have been working on recording a Christmas album. It's a thing we do for fun around the holidays every few years. We usually just give them to family along with their gifts as a little personal touch. But this year going along with this project I wanted to share some of it with you! It has been a big part of getting this "Consume Less / Create More" project rolling. We spent many early mornings and late evenings recording all the parts and mixing it all. We'd appreciate it if you'd go have a listen at ReverbNation.com/opportune. There's also 2 free songs you can download. If you choose to download one of the songs that you have to pay for you can put it on your mp3 player, phone, tablet, and take it wherever you go! Plus you'll be helping us out, as well as
"Charity: Water" that is working to provide clean drinking water to the millions who don't have any.

I love the Christmas time of year because of what it means to me and my family, and what it represents in our Christian faith. I also have mixed feelings about a lot of things that happen around this time. I love the atmosphere and, even though I work in retail and people can get crazy this time of year, I enjoy seeing more people buying gifts (mostly) for others. So during this time that is generally spent acquiring more things, spending money, and wanting for more. My family and I have decided to avoid the typical Christmas activities and instead focus on spending more time with each other and giving to others something other than material things that can just be used up. Think about most of the things you, your spouse or your children have gotten in years past. Of course there will be a few things you remember and you really cherish. And don't get me wrong, those are great to get to show your loved ones you appreciate them. I just think that our society has become consumed with the gift buying idea. I mean look at black Friday, and how it has crept into Thanksgiving Day. Just because retailers wanted to one-up each other and get to us greedy consumers money before the others do! We gleefully oblige, and are so proud of getting a better deal than the ones who didn't get there 6 or more hours before the store opened.
So this year our family has decided to take a trip together after Christmas and create memories for ourselves and our children. Because I know we took a few really good trips when I was younger, and I know I will always remember them way better than the gifts I got when I was 5 or 6 (the Sega Genesis I got for Christmas was pretty cool back then though.) But all of that can be broken, lost, stolen, or forgotten. But the memories we create with our families will be there to help us through the hard times in life.

So as we approach the day that we celebrate as Jesus Christ our Savior's birth, please let me urge you to not let your hearts, and minds be engulfed by the status quo. We don't have to have the biggest TV, the best game system with the newest game, or the best or nicest of anything really. We have it so good in America and most of us have all of our needs provided for. Let's choose do give to someone who could really use the help. Like I said before it doesn't have to be material or even monetary. Just sow into the lives of some people who really need it. Show them you care and that they are not forgotten, that there is a God who loves them and he can use us to show that. Be Jesus to someone this year and give and create together!
Merry Christmas!

Getting Started

This is the beginning of something that will change the way I look at life. I am starting this blog in conjunction with many other aspects of a project I'm calling "Consume Less, Create More." I will make every attempt to update this at least weekly, if not more. So, please check back regularly and give me your input on the things that come out of this. The purpose of this blog is to serve as a journal of my thoughts and discoveries during this venture. My mission will be to, simply put, comsume less, and create more.

Consumption is defined as "the using up of a resource." While creating is defined as "bring (something) into existence." If you think about that, it's really quite deep. When we consume something we are using it up. Whether it be food, time, money, or other resources.

As a culture we consume a lot of things for entertainment. Movies, music, web pages, YouTube videos, magazines, and the list goes on. If everyone simply became consumers, then eventually we would use up all of the things we consume. There would be nothing left to entertain us. But creating is often times much more entertaining and profitable than consuming. Now I'm not saying we should consume nothing. Some intake is good for creation. You can receive inspiration and encouragement from things we watch, listen to or read. But it's the lack of action after we consume them to move our thoughts into creation. As a part of this project I will do my very best to create more than I consume everyday. I will take the time I might have spent watching a movie, surfing the web, or checking Facebook, and use it to make something new. It might be a song, a poem, a video, a thought, a new musical idea, learning a new skill, or doing something with my kids(I guess creating stronger bonds). The list of what one can do to create is endless. The hard part is sticking to it. The majority of what I will do and post about will be musical or artistic in nature because that is my passion.

I will share each of these with you as I am working through this project. I will be sharing things on different outlets so be sure and follow me there as well. (See the links on the main page) Thank you so much for reading this and hopefully following me over the next year (or more.) Now, enough consuming, go make something!

You can also find me on Reverbnation.com/opportune, twitter @mitchellcj, Google+, and on Facebook.com/cjmitchell3 & Facebook.com/opportunemusic