photo by hallelujah.

Beginning in the first week of October, Tricia and I will be starting a brand new Small Group. This group of 3 to 8 couples (depending on how many are interested) will meet weekly for 6 weeks for about 2 hours to discover more about themselves, build deeper friendships, and most of all relax and have a good time together.

So here’s the scoop. The Rzepkowski’s: Kris, Tricia, Mason and Anna moved back to Rochester in 2005 after a 5 year stint in Chicago. Our life in Chicago began without kids, and without any relatives nearby. We found ourselves in search of a way to connect with others outside of our busy work schedules and make some new friends. We were barely Catholics at the time, but decided anyway that maybe Church was a way to fulfill our needs.

By chance, at one of those extremely awkward mixer/social gatherings we happened upon the most dynamic youth minister we had ever met. Jim Melton and his wife Kathy happened to be our same age and in nearly the same life situation as us. Very shortly thereafter, Jim proposed that we join them and some other couples in a Small Group. I didn’t even know what a Small Groups was, but I soon found it was exactly what I needed. Over two years these couples met and talked about faith, work, marriage, sports…whatever. The guys even shared – something I surely wasn’t used to.

Now, Small Groups were not something I was familiar with as a Catholic. But, I finally had found what was missing from church all along; community, friendship, challenging each other to grow. We grew so much in fact that we moved from the Catholic church to Community Christian Church where there was amazing worship music (most of which we heard on the radio all the time), and ministers who brought relevant messages to us instead of ritual.

Fast forward to today. Tricia and I now know that Small Groups are a great way to build lasting friendships in our new (old) home of Rochester. We belong to Browncroft Community Church and try hard to lead a Christian life to the limited extent that we understand what that means. I have never led a Small Group before, but I felt God call me to do so. I also have so many questions about life, love, faith that I’m just dying to get them answered with the help of friends.

OK, enough of my story. There will be plenty of time to share.

What is a Small Group?
Simple. A weekly meeting at our house where we will facilitate a meaningful discussion of life.

Do I need to be Christian, go to your church, or even attend church regularly?
Nope. Everyone’s Walk is totally different. You don’t need to belong to Browncroft Community Christian either. Just come because you’d rather spend more time with other humans than you do with your DVR.

Is this a Bible study? What will we be doing?
We will be doing a DVD based Small Group program called “Beginning Life Together”. It follows the principles of the best selling book “A Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren. There is more info about the content of the study, including a video preview on the website lifetogether.com. There is a study guide that each couple will purchase for $8 which will help lead our exploration. There won’t be any homework. You’ll come watch the DVD, chat, snack, and go home. In my mind, this really isn’t “Bible Study”. That’s way too hard-core for me

When will this be?
Wednesday evenings from 7:30-9:30. The first meeting will be October 3rd.

What about childcare?
The Small Group should be uninterrupted by kids. We would therefore hope that you could arrange babysitting. However if childcare is the one thing that is preventing you from joining us, let’s work as a group to come up with a solution. Some options include:

1. Group members with kids could bring them to our house. One of the parents would skip the Small Group on a rotation every week to watch all of the children.
2. All parents pitch in on a sitter
   There’s other ideas, but we can work together to figure it out.

I’m really looking forward to building a group that everyone points to as a great part of their life.

This weekend I took some time to be with my parents and enjoy two of their favorite hobbies – classic cars and vintage racing. We participated in what amounts to a public holiday in the town of Watkins Glen, NY – the Grand Prix Festival. Plus, my dad was racing in the SVRA Zippo US Vintage Grand Prix up at the Watkins Glen International race track.

Friday morning I got my Pit Pass and helped prep my dad’s 1967 MG Midget race car for his first qualifying race. The bad news from the previous day had been that he was disqualified at the tech inspection for illegal coil-over springs (his vintage car is supposed to have leaf springs) and therefore couldn’t place in any of the races. They still let him race though as ‘Racer-X’, which was nice of them considering he paid for the privilege. The other bad news from the previous day was that he only made it through 2 laps of his test before blowing a rotor. A rotor, as I learned after hearing the story MANY times, is a $3 plastic part that spins under the distributor cap delivering spark to the plugs. He changed the rotor and the car was now ready to go for the day’s qualifier.

My mom and I accompanied dad down to pit row where they ‘grid’ the cars for the start of the race.

Friday was beastly hot, with highs in the upper 90’s. Our job is to keep the driver cool while he awaits the start of the race. .

It is especially hot after he puts on the fire resistant hood and the helmet. That’s a lot of gear to have a good time.

Finally, they are ready to roll. What boy doesn’t dream of having his Hot Wheels cars on a real track? These big boys with their big toys must have a lot of fun.

The qualifier was exciting…for the first 2 minutes. He got one and a half laps into the race and blew another rotor. Dad got on the radio and said that the tow trucks were towing him in (it’s a free ride no AAA needed). All he needed though was one timed lap, a 2:35 for officials to determine where he would start in the feature races.

In the afternoon, my mom and I went to downtown Watkins Glen to see exactly why the kids have a day off from school for the festival. Apart from the concours d’elegance (a car show featuring the best of the best) and the terrific local beers (with no open container laws) I could see why.

Many of the local roads were shut down completely to re-create the old 6.5 mile road course the went right through the heart of town. The place was buzzing with energy as wave after wave of vintage cars ran the track. The special marques for this year’s festival, BMW and Bugatti, were especially cool to see.

As far as experiences go, all of this paled in comparison to the highlight of my day. At 6pm my dad, along with all of the other SVRA racers brought their cars down from the track. I donned a helmet and took my place in a makeshift jumpseat beside him as we readied for the grand prix race reenactment. I had pretty low expectations as officials intend to keep the “race” at low speeds. I was shocked at how much fun I had though as the green flag waived.

My dad took his little roller skate around the first corner at 35 MPH with crowds of people cheering as though we were doing this for real. Then in a heartbeat we climbed the hill to the top of the Glen at 80 MPH.

From that point onward, the smile never left my face. He drove us through winding turns, over a stone bridge, and down into the Glen with a spectacular view of the south end of Seneca Lake. I’m not sure how my dad was able to concentrate through my obnoxious YEEEEHAWWWW’s and thumbs up to the crowds, but he handled it like a pro.

When I saw the checkered flag I was disappointed that this was not a 500 lap race, but alas we needed to give the streets back to the town again. Now I understand why everyone gets so stoked for racing. Our enthusiasm must have shown through our helmets because the local paper picked up the story of the race. There we were on Saturday morning with our picture on the front page.

I’ve got to thank my mom and dad for an awesome time together. It really was a weekend of memories. I also need to thank my bride for taking care of the homefront so that I could go off on this racing adventure.

For Labor Day 2007 Tricia and I woke the kids early for a fishing trip out on big Lake Ontario. No other wife than the best one in the world would be willing to sacrifice her beauty sleep for the sight of a Rochester sunrise, and the chance at a big nasty fish. Anna was surprisingly chipper for 5:00AM, but Mason was GRUMPY. My only saving grace was to allow him to be the ‘light man’ by strapping LED lights to his hat and promising he could help bait the hooks.

It began as a beautiful morning. Tricia captained the boat for the first time as we launched out of the Genesee river. She drove us out to 80 feet of water, and I set the lines. She even had time to snap this picture.

First mate Mason had his break immediately after I got set up.

Second mate Anna was all smiles as she sang to the fish gods for some action. Here fishy,fishy,fishyyyyyyy…

And then it started to get a little nasty. The wind kicked up within 10 minutes of the lines being in the water. I captained the good ship Fish Fry, and Tricia manned the lines. As any rookie would tell you, watching those lines bob up and down can sometime make you a bit uneasy. Within 10 minutes Tricia let me know she wasn’t feeling so good. She looked a little green, and believe me I wasn’t going to take a picture of it:) So I pulled up the lines as fast as I could and we motored in surfing the waves and getting plenty wet as the boat bashed water up and over the windshield. Luckily we made it into the river where it was a bit more calm. Sea sickness doesn’t go away quickly and Tricia was thrilled to kiss the docks when we got back. She was a real trooper. I really felt bad for putting her through that. Next time we’ll be prepared with some dramamine. Overall it was good to get out. No fish, but another great story to tell.

Up-to-date local fishing information can be very difficult to come by. The best source of information in the mid-80’s were frequent checks of the VHF radio, a trip to a local tackle store, or hanging out by the ESLO derby weigh stations hoping to get a fish story.

With the internet I figured there would be a much easier way to avoid floating out in the big lake without a clue. Fishing for the big salmon is an art and a science. I thought for sure that all of the local charter captains would be hanging out online somewhere. To my surprise, it was nearly impossible to find any up-to-date information for the port of Rochester. It seemed many fishermen were posting information for the Salmon River, or Oak Orchard.

Then, FINALLY, I stumbled upon Lake Ontario United that is hopping with information from the Rochester, NY fishing scene. There are tons of charter captains and weekenders sharing fishing reports, lures and tactics. Of course you can see pictures of the big catch as well. It has everything I need to enjoy salmon fishing again like my dad and I did in the heyday of the ESLO derby. Now, I just need to get out on the water.

There’s nothing like Friday morning crack o’ dawn golf at Genesee Valley. Today the North course was closed due to an impending 9am tournament, so we were directed to the South Course. It was Marc, Kevin, Mike and me playing the front 9. We’ve never played that course before and it was not at all impressive. The fairway was in rough shape. It is just a good thing that I rarely hit the ball from the fairway. Any chips from there were hitting off of rock hard, sandy soil. That meant with my brutal short cgame, that I was flying the green with consistency. The rough was much better though. I played well from about 130 yards out, sticking the ball within 10 feet of the cup 3 times. Plus, my putts were rolling much better. I have this online video by Gary Player to thank for the simple putting advice. Put the label of the ball to the back and stare at it. Listen for the ball to roll into the cup instead of watching it. While my drives weren’t very accurate, I ended up with my best round of the summer at 47.

True to its name Victor Hills is indeed hilly, and for me treacherous. This morning Dad Agosti, Matt Agosti, and I played the front nine of the North Course. This was a tune up for the big pre-marriage golf game to take place this Friday. Matt, who is getting married on Saturday will be looking to calm his nerves with 18 more on the same course. We’ll be joined by Adam Agosti and Don Watters, the father of the bride. Today we all had our struggles. For me, it was a game that deteriorated as the course wore on. I started strong and finished weak save for a 25 yard chip that landed 2 feet from the cup on 18. Alas, the scores don’t lie.

Friday is another day and another chance to try and tame the beast of a course. The good news is we’ll be on carts, thus removing one excuse, and adding to the possibilities of other excuses to come. My personal favorite – cart whiplash.

As close to weekly as possible, I try to get up at the crack of dawn on Friday before work and play 9 holes of golf. It’s always a different crew. Today, it was just my my dad and I. We slept at my parents’ lake house and then played Old Hickory Golf Club in Livonia, NY. We were on by 6am (15 minutes before anyone else was even there) and off by 8:15. Here’s how we scored:

Overall I’m happy with my round. I didn’t lose any balls and kept the 7’s to a minimum. My goal has been to break 100, so I’m on pace. I just lose way too many shots around the green. I’m happy to take the loss to my Dad as he managed 3 pars. Anyone that does that deserves the win.

For our 9th anniversary my wife presented me with a new wedding band. That may seem like an odd anniversary to renew vows or rekindle flames, until you consider that I have been posing as a single man for the last 7 months. Without a ring on my finger I have spent many late nights prowling the streets of Webster, New York for the unattached. Unshackled from the marriage symbol I have lived my bachelor pad, 2-seat convertible dreams. It’s no wonder that Tricia put the bling back on my finger. She couldn’t handle the renegade that was unleashed and had to tame the wild beast before I jeapordized our family’s well-being.

If only I were that interesting…

I have really been sans wedding ring for the last 7 months because of one of those you’ll laugh about it someday stories. Late last year Tricia and I decided to make pierogies for our family Christmas Day festivities. I took off my ring and put it on the computer desk downstairs so that it would not get ruined amidst the 14 hour day of mixing, filling and quick-freezing dozens of pierogies. Before bed I went downstairs to put my ring back on. It was nowhere to be found. Not on the desk…not on the floor…not anywhere else I would typically leave it. Then I remembered that earlier in the day our 3 year old Anna was playing computer games. Here’s how the conversation went down:

Me: Anna, were you playing with Daddy’s ring today?
Anna: Yes Daddy
Me: Do you know where you left it?
Anna: No
Me: Were you playing with it on the desk?
Anna:Yes
Me: It’s not there anymore, do you know where it is?
Anna: Yes, it rolled on the floor
Me: Oh, and THEN what happened?
Anna: I DON’T KNOW **crying** IT JUST DISAPPEARED

We tried hundreds of different memory jogging techniques, but the long term recall of a 3 year old who plays with pretty things is less than that of a goldfish. It HAD to be somwehere in the house, Anna hadn’t even been outside that day. I didn’t panic. I was convinced it would just turn up. Lost things tend to do that.

The next day, my “it will turn up” mindset turned into obessing about the ring’s whereabouts. I turned the house upside down – opening every Little People toy, and shaking out every princess costume. Finally, I resorted to the best MacGyver tactic I could come up with. I lashed a webcam and a flashlight to a coat hanger, then hooked the apparatus up to my laptop. As if sending the remote cameras down to the Titanic I sent zippy1 (the name for my remote scout) down into the depths of every one of the first floor heat ducts. While there were plenty of dust bunnies and candy wrappers, alas there was not a glint of gold. Dejected, but nonetheless convinced that I looked everywhere, I turned back to “it will turn up”. It never did.

The wild beast I was not. I was heart broken about losing that original symbol of our marriage. But, I also know in the end it is just that. The Ring became a little joke within the family. Now, whenever we lose something we say, “Maybe it’s with Daddy’s wedding ring”. Tricia and I fully expect to someday find that ring along with the countless other trinkets that our kids have lost; probably in the bowels of Mister Potato Head.

The good news is that neither of us is into the yellow gold rings we chose in 1998. We thought perhaps an upgrade to our new taste was in order for our 10 year anniversary. Thankfully Tricia didn’t make me wait that long. Today I’ve got a simple white gold, comfort fit band on my finger. It makes me feel like I just got married all over again. Isn’t that what anniversaries are all about?

Today we attended the beautiful wedding of Wendy Rzepkowski to Ian Vosper in Cassadaga, NY. The reception was at the White Inn in Fredonia.

I love a good Rzepkowski wedding! Mason and Anna, who are now professional wedding attendants brought their ‘A’ game. It was great to see everyone. Congratulations to the newlyweds! Tricia posted some pictures from the festivities. We also made a wedding video and picture slideshow (at the end).

I know I’m behind the times, but I was introduced to Second Life recently and I’m finding it absolutely fascinating.