Pandora's Box...In More Ways Than One!

Every now and again we clean out closets and storage in the youth room at our church. We came across a box that apparently Steve-O had put a lot of photographs in when he redesigned a cork board wall we have. See, at one time we'd asked out students to bring photos and put them on the cork board wall (which, no kidding, is easily 60 feet long and four feet high). So, as you can imagine, there were LOTS of photos on that wall some years ago.

So, this box gets opened and I was floored by how many Diner patrons were subject of various photos!

Hence, I felt the need to scan them (complete with original thumbtack holes) and put them on our own little Diner corkboard down memory lane...and, yes, I realize what I've started.

Here's a group shot at the Loaf 'N Jug in Colorado. Ski trip deal...you'll see Daniel, Steve-O, Joshua, Amy and Katherine as Diner patrons represented at the corner gas station/food place a block or so from the lodge.



Here's kids on the floor, with patrons Rachel, Kate, Amanda, Kayla and Katie...



Here's the lovely & graceful patron Pam after a little slip (staged?) at Main Event...



Steve-O's junior year yearbook photo. I think his parents made him re-take it...they didn't think it was nearly as funny as his peers and/or youth pastors.



The Warren sisters...who've since become patrons with different last names, Kendra Thompson & Caroline Tomlin:



A CBC reunion photo at Horn Creek summer camp. You'll see patron Brad in a dress (who knows why?), and Michael and Katie Alpert in photo foreshadowing. Katie was Stevenson then, and I don't think they were an item in this photo. If they were, the deal was just starting...



Here's an action photo of patrons Lindsey & Wes. As you can tell they decided to get all school spirity for North Texas, which no one does. They went to school together, and Lindsey married Aaron and Wes married Lizzie. The one on the left teaches school. The one on the right is a dad. Be afraid, Be very afraid.



Here's a group photo of Team Holland 2000 about to depart for CBC's first official mission trip to Europe. Here you'll see Liz, Tara, Brad, Joshua, Laura, Sharon, Robyn (now in Germany, for which I take nominal responsibility for) & me. Oh, man. Lots of patrons here...largely because it's the first mission trip where we used individual daily blogs to communicate with the folks back home!



Patrons Ali & Meredith at my house modeling their dresses mandatory for women to wear in Haiti. They both check in from time to time...



I don't know where this was or what was going on, but I found patrons Kristy and Heather & Cristina (top & bottom). The others, Kelsey, Stacy & Tasha, I keep in touch with via Facebook...but I don't think they touch base here.



Patron Daniel checks in and comments. Here, he saved us some work because we forgot to hammer the mission organization plate above the door (which will let others know who to contact to get a free house). We had already loaded up the ladders and such, and Daniel saved us the hassle by being 6' 7".



Patron Tommy sawing a board for a house in Mexico. My guess is that this is him as an underclassman in high school working with Tim. Tommy teaches English at OU these days...and comments frequently here.



Patron Amy in Olympia smack in the middle, between Tiffany (who just had a baby) and Erica. I mentioned the three of them in a wedding blog from a nice event this summer. I think this is their senior year...and obviously, props to the photo company for the usage of the picture:



In one of the great youth ministry stories of all time, the patrons Dan & Donna Riskey knew the owner of a Weinerschnitzel franchise in El Paso. Phone calls were made, and the owner picked our entire group up in a bus after we'd completed building houses. If I remember correctly, he used that store at that time to train staff at another store how to handle a rush of church kids on a bus. We were supposed to order exactly what we wanted and be ourselves and he would pick up the tab. I think we ran up over $600 in the hour the 40 of us were there...and the owner thanked us! Classic.



Saving the best for last. Patrons Keila and Bailey (who, by the way, has been delivering some of the best blogs I've read lately. College is being very good for her spiritually. Read it. You'll see the same thing), back when they were in middle school at our annual Christmas banquet. They dress up nice for the event and it's always a photo frenzy because of that. They're here with Kirsten, who I touch base with periodically on MySpace or when she made my Philly Cheesesteaks before the place closed.



And, just so all of you out there know...there are many more boxes and many more photos. So, this might become a regular feature. That also goes for those of you who didn't get mentioned in this round (Jessica Zetzman, anyone? anyone?)...if you'd like me to find an old photo of you, well, it shouldn't be a problem (Hollywood? Jilly? Anyone? Anyone?)!