Keester's Coming!

On this day before Easter, I should write something inspirational in keeping with so many posts sprinkled across Facebook today.
Actually, it HAS been inspirational to see the Scripture quotes, graphic designs of Easter messages, and invitations to Easter services tomorrow across the land. It's a warm thought to realize so many of my Facebook friends are working to glorify the risen Christ tomorrow. And several started with Easter services this afternoon. "He is risen" will be repeated a million times tomorrow--it's wonderful!
But so is this picture, don't you agree? Laughter is good, and this one made me laugh out loud when I found it posted on a friend's Facebook page this evening.
Today has been one of those rare and delightful days when I haven't left the house (except to go out in the yard), didn't even start the car--a day all day at home.
Evelyn and I read the paper and ate breakfast this morning. I paid bills, wrote checks for all our monthly donations, and we Skyped with Wendy for about an hour. (They'll be saying "He is risen" in Tanzania tomorrow, too, but Wendy is a bit homesick for all the trappings of our American holiday.)
Evelyn and I worked in the yard this afternoon. She cut the grass. (Here we go: grass cutting number 1 for this season.) And I dug up three rose bushes that need to go and chopped around on three more. I filled both garbage cans with the thorn-laden branches and left one of the dug-up bushes by the side of the house to put out for the garbage Monday night. (I hope those guys wear gloves.)
We were both tired after our first real Saturday yard-work workout. I took a shower and thought about taking a rest, but instead I wrote a draft of the editorial for the issue we send to the printer Wednesday. Susan Aulen called, and we both got to talk with her. And then we ate wonderful leftovers from last night's dinner for dinner tonight.
I think we'll watch a movie on Netflix via our Roku box to relax before bedtime.

A Birthday and the Bee

Evelyn and I were up after 7:00 this morning, to do our 30-minute walk in the coolest part of the day. As it turns out, perhaps dusk would have been almost as cool, because a few rain drops fell from a sky that had been overcast since late in the afternoon. But by then we were out of the house at Cindi Cooper's 60th birthday party for Dan.

Happy 60th Birthday, Dan!

It was a great evening--wonderful food from City Barbecue, plus add-ons from Cindi's kitchen. Texas sheet cake (two kinds!) and ice cream for dessert. And then Minute to Win It games in the family room (60 seconds to perform each trick, appropriate for a 60th birthday party. And the winners of each round each got baggies with 60 M&M's). Cindi really did a lot of work to prepare a fun evening--all the food plus all the props for the games plus counting out those groups of 60 M&M's!
Evelyn and I went to first service and were home shortly after noon--after brunch at Bob Evans and a quick stop at Meijer's for a newspaper and some odds and ends. I moved hoses from tree to tree and watered all the plants in pots outside. It was not as oppressive today as yesterday--that's good!
This afternoon I read a proof and wrote a draft of an editorial for that issue--the last issue in August and our last weekly issue! (Back at the office, we're beginning to discover a routine for creating a monthly instead of the weekly issues that Christian Standard has published since 1866.)
Last night we watched a video I had bought and thought we'd send to Wendy in Africa. "Bee Season," according to my quick read of the cover, was about a dad and his daughter and her quest to be a winner at the spelling bee. It starred Richard Gere, and I thought it would be something Wendy would enjoy watching. But since you have to open the videos and repackage them so they don't look new before you mail 'em to Africa, I decided we'd watch it before sending it on to her.
Well, let me tell you, "Bee Season" is one weird movie. I can't really explain what it was about, except to say that the young girl's progression through higher and higher levels of spelling bee competition was a backdrop for profound family dysfunctions, a mother who ends up in a mental hospital, a son who joins Hare Krishna, and a dad dabbling in mysticism characterized by gibberish about truly hearing God speak to you. All this, plus a disturbing scene that was supposed to depict what happens when God finally breaks through.
"We'll not be sending this to Wendy," Evelyn said. Really, Wendy, I don't think you'd enjoy it. And if any other dear blog reader sees "Bee Season" for $5 at Kroger's, spend your money instead on a good magazine!

Memories of a Wedding

Dave Faust and I were exchanging e-mails last week, and he told me, "The wedding days of my daughters were the most exhilarating and exhausting of my life." The two words come close to my experience yesterday. But all the memories of the day will be positive.
Miles rode home with me from the reception, and he said, "I think my favorite part of the ceremony was the vows."
"Really. Why was that your favorite?"
"Well, they were so meaningful."
He's right. In addition to the traditional vows Jennifer and Matt exchanged, Matt and Miles and Nina had brainstormed together a list of family vows they would make to Jennifer.  They included promises to try everything she cooked, to be quiet in the morning and not bother Jen till she'd had her first cup of coffee. They spoke of their anticipation of their life together: concerts and ball games and graduations and grandchildren.
And Jennifer wrote her own vows to the family she was joining. One line sticks in the memory: "Miles and Nina, I wasn't there to see your first steps, but I will be with you for every future step in our life together."
Jennifer's quivering lip as she read her vows, and as our "adopted daughter," Wendy Wagoner, read the Scripture ("Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!") and the big tears rolling down sweet Nina's cheek at the end of the ceremony--those were moments that touched everyone's heartstrings.
Afterwards, I pondered what we all know, that marriage is not to be entered lightly, and tears are appropriate for a commitment as big as all of them were making. But so was the laughter that punctuated lighter moments in the ceremony and the happy banter--the mood of celebration--that echoed through the rooms of Memorial Hall during our happy reception.
There will be much better pictures than mine posted here. I imagine some have popped up on Facebook already, and believe me, the photographer captured every moment 15 times. But here are a few more I snapped for this diary/blog. Each is simply a reminder of a day whose memories will be exhilarating for the rest of our lives.

Today's the Day!

A goal is a goal, and my goal was to post every day. But I'm not promising to give an update before I fall into bed tonight. I'm writing this at 8:30 this morning. Wendy is up and showered. Jen has showered, and her hairdresser has arrived. I've fixed snacks for all of us to eat at lunchtime just before the ceremony--it's supposed to be a hot day, and we don't want any fainting! We have a big bowl of fruit on the counter (for breakfast, and again for dinner tonight), Evelyn's coffee cake, and the coffee cake a neighbor sent for us to enjoy. The sun is shining, and there's only a 30% chance of rain.
It's going to be a good day.

Friday of Wedding Week

Today was our wedding rehearsal, preceded by a stop at Memorial Hall to take plants and sound system and other goodies for decorations at the reception. It was blazing hot, and all of us were sweating at Memorial Hall, despite the presence of air conditioning, but that was a small negative in light of the perfect way the hall has turned out, under the able direction of Carol Ray with David, Jan Cummins, and Shannon Penrod adding their help, along with Wendy and Evelyn, of course.

The rehearsal was a relaxed and nostalgic and pleasant experience, led so well by Bobby Jackson who will perform the ceremony tomorrow. We shed tears at the magnificent processional played by Geoff  and Emily Plank. I was glad I got to hear Lisa sing, because I probably won't get to tomorrow (she sings before the bride and I enter). And the whole rehearsal was special because we got to be with Byron and Katie Cartwright.

Just as we arrived at CCU for the rehearsal dinner, the sky opened, and we had to hustle inside under umbrellas through the downpour. Later we learned that the storm at our house had caused one side of the pear tree in front of the house to split off. And when Matt got to Dan and Cindi Cooper's house to spend the night, he discovered that they're without power!

But the dinner was what Jennifer wanted, I think, a relaxed, fun time together, with lots of laughter and way more food than we could all eat.

Scott, Amber Lyn, and Amber Jo Aulen 

Ken and Susan Aulen and Lisa Sweeney-Taylor 

Wendy Wagoner, Jana and Greg Perry

Thursday of Wedding Week

Today, the hottest day of the year, and two days before our wedding, I mowed the lawn. Actually, I planned to mow just the green spots around the trees we had watered. But by the time I was done, I had probably run the mower over 3/4 of the lawn. It wouldn't have taken much longer just to run over all of it. 

And then I edged the lawn and the flower beds. I hadn't been done for weeks, and I was waiting to make it sharp just before we have extra company this weekend.

After lunch, the ladies went on an outing to get pedicures, and Matt and Miles and I took two cars to the Thunderbird Car Wash where Ryan White treated us to freebies and upgrades. Thanks, Ryan! Then  I went to the store to buy groceries for the rest of the weekend, including extra soda for the rehearsal dinner and our post-wedding afterglow, protein and other sustenance for lunchtime at the church, between the photographs and the ceremony, food for dinner tonight, and other assorted necessities. I hadn't eaten enough lunch, so when I got home, I foraged for a snack and got beaten in Chinese checkers by Miles. Then they and Wendy went swimming in the neighbor's pool while I worked on flowers for the wedding reception. 

I had found a flat of salmon vinca with maroon centers. I transplanted them into 4-inch terra cotta pots; they'll decorate the food tables. While Jen was gone I lined all the travel cases with black plastic.
 After supper from the grill (hamburgers and asparagus; Evelyn made potato wedges in the oven), Jen and I assembled the centerpieces, and really, we're quite pleased with the result.

We got done in time to meet Dan and Cindi Cooper at the Cone, and then Matt and Miles went home with them to spend the night so we have a bed for Geoff and Lisa who are driving here from NYC even as I write this and will get in sometime in the wee hours of tomorrow morning. 

Wednesday of Wedding Week

Someone once said that the truly productive person works most days like he does the day before vacation. I don't know if that's possible, but today (my last day to work before  next Tuesday) was very productive for me. I actually was able, through a combination of delegation and concentration, to cross almost everything off my list! Of course, there could have been more on my list, I guess, but I did leave work feeling at peace about what I was leaving behind.

I met the gang at Twin Dragon restaurant for supper. The Johnson kids like Chinese buffets (who would have guessed?), and we hadn't been there in years. It was surprisingly good, and we had fun.

Afterwards, Jen and Matt and I stopped at Meijer's and bought plants for our reception center pieces. Quite a few of those I bought and have been watering for weeks just aren't going to be pretty enough for the wedding. But we found some beautiful substitutes, and Jennifer and I will have fun tomorrow putting them together.

When the three of us arrived back home, plants in hand, Evelyn, Wendy, and the kids were warming up on corn hole tossing (our neighbors lent us a set for the rest of the week), and we had a tournament  that managed to involve all seven of us. Matt and Miles were a team, and none of us were surprised when they won. Ah, maybe the oldsters will prevail tomorrow!

Today, To Do

When I first started this blog several months ago, several said, "Every day? You're going to post every day?"

Today is one of those days I understand why they were dubious.

Today was one long series of to-do's. Part of this is because we're working ahead at work because I'm going to be gone most of two weeks in July and the first week in August. Part of this is because I'm going to be out of the office this Thursday through next Monday, and then there's the holiday on Wednesday. Part of this is because we're gearing up to produce our first monthly edition of Christian Standard, and the second monthly edition is already largely planned, and I'm on the verge being late with planning the third monthly edition. And in addition to planning, there's production (editing, proofing, writing, art choosing) for the current issues. And consulting with marketing folks about promotions relating to the roll-out of the monthly.

And after work, errands and then a meeting with some guys from church in Loveland, and now I'm back home catching up with Evelyn and Wendy and Jennifer about their day. And this blog feels like one more item on the to-do list.

Jennifer got here about 11:30 last night after a day that was much longer for her than today has been for me. She had her own list of to-do's today, and I'm guessing her list will continue into tomorrow too.

But the do's are getting done, and that's good. And we're not unhappy about the week before us. It's just, as I told someone today, that your only daughter's only wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime series of events, and so there's nothing really to compare it to.

More on this incomparable week tomorrow!

Plates for a Wedding

Found dessert plates for our reception—504 of 'em—at the third (and the fourth) place I shopped today. The quantity was suggested by the caterer; we'll have 'em not only for dessert but as extras if the other plates run out for the appetizers. Another item off the list!

And I picked up my suit at Macy's after the slacks were finished. Another item off the list!

The wedding rehearsal is one week from tomorrow!

Most pleasant part of the day: sitting outside on the deck in the humid dusk with Evelyn and Wendy, talking about the challenges of re-entry into the West after living in the Two-Thirds World. Both Wendy and her sister Christy and Christy's husband Zach have experienced the challenges in the last week.

Brazil, Here We Come!

Spent today handling details, following up, making assignments.

Spoke and wrote with Larry Travis and Rafa Soares about details for our Brazil trip. It's coming together. It's going to be good. We're going to have fun. And the payments from our tour members will almost pay all the expenses!  :-)

Followed up on some outstanding assignments for our October issue and made a few new ones to try to finish filling it.

Wendy was here most of the day; said she felt better than yesterday, took a nap this afternoon and then met her friend Becky from Plainfield to have a girls night out. Actually they're staying overnight and we'll see Wendy sometime tomorrow.

I chopped branches off our river birch and the pear tree in front of the house. Got branches out of our eyes walking to the front door or mowing the grass. And trimmed back the barberry bush by the garage, all in time for the garbage man to haul off the trimmings in the morning.