Our Autumn Weekend

"Let's get together this fall and do something to see the leaves," I suggested to Evelyn's brother and wife, Ken and Susan Aulen.
They called several weeks ago with an idea I hadn't anticipated. "Let's ride the Loveland Bike Trail." We agreed that this weekend would be the time.
Ken and Susan got here about 5:00 Friday. Wendy Wagoner had been here much of the afternoon, doing some work, using our copier, and visiting with  Evelyn. Evelyn decided to fix white chicken chili for dinner; Wendy had requested she make it at least one time before Wendy goes to Tanzania in January, and Friday night seemed like the right time.
It was a wonderful dinner. The soup is a favorite; we had plenty of good relishes to accompany it. And I stopped by Graeter's to pick up a dutch apple pie and cinnamon ice cream for dessert.
Wendy (and Milo!) left about 7:30, but we enjoyed staying up and catching up with Ken and Susan.
The next morning Evelyn had pumpkin muffins, apple butter, fruit, and scrambled eggs for breakfast. We needed to eat hearty before our big day of exercise!
We got to the bike rental shop in Loveland after 10:30, and we were on our way after 11:00. Ken and
 Susan brought their bikes, and Evelyn and I rented ours.

It was a gray, chilly day. But the showers of the early morning had stopped by the time we were on the trail. But a breeze plus the wind chill of just riding the bikes made Evelyn wish she'd worn gloves and me happy I'd brought my ear  protection.
We rode 8.7 miles from Loveland to Milford, with a stop to rest our our legs and catch our breath (and eat granola bars and water) on the way. But even with the stop, we got there in about 90 minutes.

We rode and walked our bikes into Historic Milford (I didn't know there was a historic Milford!), and ate lunch at Padrinos on Main Street. Evelyn and I split a small pizza and a salad, and it was very good!
As it turns out, historic Milford has several little shops like you find in Waynesville or Lebanon, and we wandered through a few of them before taking out for the ride back to Loveland.
We had hoped the afternoon would get warmer, but it seemed to be getting chillier. We rode back with a couple of rest stops this time and made it to Loveland before 4:00—just before the rains came. We rode through steady rain in the car on the way home.

The trees are beautiful this year, but, oddly, not as pretty along the bike trail as some places in the neighborhoods we drive through every day.

We had about an hour to warm up and clean up before leaving for dinner. I had made reservations at Tellers in Hyde Park. It's a nice place, and we had a gift certificate and Groupon to use there. This was the perfect opportunity to enjoy a special dinner at a favorite place.
Evelyn and Susan had the salmon. Ken had the trout and shrimp. And I gave up the chance to eat healthy by ordering the pork shank. Oh, it was good--juicy, falling off the bone. Each couple shared a coffee creme brulee for dessert. We were full and happy.
We came home and visited for a couple of hours before giving up for the day.
At 6:30 Sunday morning, one of our smoke alarms started chirping, and we fumbled half asleep to try to figure out why, since Evelyn had replaced all the batteries in all the smoke alarms not long ago. I got the bright idea to push the "Test/Alarm" button on the errant device, which set of sirens, and a digital voice "Evacuate. Evacuate!" through every smoke alarm in the house (some time ago we upgraded to a system that connects all the alarms.) I was mortified, and  Evelyn went downstairs, where Ken and Susan had been sleeping, to tell them they did not need to evacuate!
I had planned to sleep till 7:00, but at 6:45 I gave up and headed to the bathroom to shave.
Sunday we enjoyed worship at 9:00 at Mason. Trevor DeVage's sermon was the wrap-up for our "I'm a Church Member." It was a nice challenge. "If you're a growing church member, you're a dying church member." Three attributes of a growing church member: He's serving, giving, and going. (I think I need to rethink all three in my life!)
I had received a gift card to Mimi's from the folks in my office for Boss's Day, so we used it to treat Ken and Susan to breakfast after church. They were on their way not too long after lunch, and Evelyn an I settled into an afternoon of errands: grocery, lawn mowing and other yard errands, checkbook updating, and assorted online visiting and task-completing.
We ate popcorn and leftover pie and ice cream for dinner while we watched 60 Minutes, Madame Secretary, and the episode of NCIS we had recorded last Monday.
It was a very pleasant autumn weekend. The weather was beautiful Friday and Sunday (not so much when we were out IN it all day Saturday!) . I'm guessing we won't have many more pretty weekends yet this year.

Weekends with Friends

I've been preoccupied or pooped, and the blog has suffered. But I want to remember how we spent the last two weekends.

The FOUR-Day Weekend: Labor Day

Our four-day weekend began Friday afternoon when Wendy Wagoner came to see us. She did laundry, and we ran out to supper, followed by a stop at the Cone on the way home.
Evelyn made pumpkin-pecan pancakes for breakfast, accompanied by a bowl of fresh blueberries and raspberries. Better than First Watch!
Saturday afternoon we mowed grass and I did some other yard work.

Then we got cleaned up and left home by 5:30 for dinner and a movie. I had a Groupon for Kenwood Theater, so we saw the film Boyhood after a delightful visit to Dewey's pizza, just a couple of doors away from the theater.

I'm glad I saw the movie, because it achieved something unique, filming the same cast each year for 12 years, with a script to portray the life of a boy from ages 6 to 18. The film was well-acted, I guess, and the premise was unique enough to keep us watching. But I'm not sure I'd go so far as to recommend it. 

For one thing, there's a lot of rough language, especially in one particular scene featuring a circle of teenage boys trying to impress each other with how crass they could be. I'm not a prude about such things, but it did get wince-worthy more than once. 

And then there was the message of the film. Or the lack thereof. The main characters in the movie lived generally hopeless lives, battered by their poor decisions and those of others around them. I figure it's very true-to-life, at least life as many people live it, and so I guess I should say, "See the movie and then go love your neighbor." But many of the non-Christians I know aren't as messed up as these folks were.

Sunday I led worship in the Classic Service and was really blessed to get to do so. Not only by the chance to plan it and recruit a couple of volunteers to take a special part in it, but also by Trevor DeVage's hope-inspiring sermon about Heaven, the last in our 31-week journey through The Story.

Sunday evening we met Dave and Carol Ray for supper at First Watch. We met at 5:00 and had to be kicked out when the store closed (early on Sundays) at 8:00. We stood on the sidewalk and parking lot still talking till after dark, and then a young, thin woman accosted us with a long story about being pregnant and kicked out of the house where she lived and she could stay at the Days Inn for $52, but she had only $24 and she swore she wasn't lying and she really didn't want to lose this baby and could we please help her. Evelyn and Dave and I gave her cash, and on the way home I think we all had "buyer's remorse." One side of me wished we had offered to follow her to the Day's Inn and pay for her room for her. I wonder if she would have let us.

Monday was a rainy day and a quiet day around the house. Jennifer called us late in the afternoon (a nice visit!), and by then it was raining steadily off and on. Instead of cooking on the grill as we had planned, we ran to El Rancho Grande for a quick Mexican fix. I was surprised to see a big crowd there on a holiday evening.

The plants always look prettiest in the morning. The light rain made them seem even healthier.
By Labor Day some years, the pot garden is looking pretty scraggly. But I was taken by how
nice it looked this year, first thing, on Labor Day morning.

Last Weekend: Road Trip
Once or twice or three times every year we get together with Todd and Lyn Dillon and Terry and Shirley Wuske, usually spending overnight Friday at one of our homes. This weekend we picked up Wuskes at 4:00 on Friday and headed to Dillons' place in Plainfield, Indiana. (I took off the whole afternoon so Evelyn and I could enjoy a long lunch with Bob and Sue Willson who were in town for a quick visit. We sat at McAllister's with them for at least 90 minutes.)
Todd and Lyn are the consummate hosts, and we couldn't have enjoyed more sitting around their table with them Friday night. Lyn said she bought all the food already prepared, and it was yummy. The laughter and the talking were even better.
We chose this weekend for the visit because Saturday was the Penrod Arts Fair, a one-of-a-kind event meeting on several acres of the grounds surrounding the Indianapolis Museum of Art. It is a juried show. The presenters of painting, pottery, leather work, metalwork, leaded glass, woodwork, handmade jewelry, and more are all top-quality. Add three areas of eclectic food offerings plus several performance stages featuring everything from bluegrass to ballet and you have a day more than worth the $15 admission--especially when you can browse the grassy aisles with good friends. (We arrived midmorning after enjoying breakfast treats--yogurt parfaits created by Shirley and homemade cinnamon rolls baked by Evelyn--along with healthy portions of coffee and conversation.)
Actually the grass turned to mud in several spots, because it rained hard overnight and drizzled off and on all morning. We wore long sleeves and carried umbrellas (we only actually used them a little), and weren't daunted at all by the weather. Actually it was nice to have a cooler day without beating sun.
We were back at Dillons for a wonderful supper of cauliflower soup and chicken salad croissants. It was pleasant to enjoy the meal on their screened-in back porch, and again the good food was enhanced by the good conversation.

It's wonderful to be able to laugh hysterically as well as talk about deep issues that concern us, all with the same group. It's an experience that provides encouragement and accountability, a sharing of Christian fellowship that can't be manufactured or programmed.
We left after 8:00, drove to Wuske's house to pick up our car and were home well before midnight. It was a short night because Evelyn and I had volunteered to be at the new Starting Point (replacement for the old Welcome Center) for its trial run at 8:30 Sunday morning.
Sunday afternoon included grocery shopping, bill paying, and a nice phone visit with Geoff.
Two great weekends--too nice to forget.

Blooming Possibilities

Believe it or not, these are Knockout roses. I've discovered if you catch them in bud, they look almost like tea roses in a bouquet. Of course, they're not as pretty after they open fully, but hey, with Knockouts, there are almost always more to pick in a couple of days.
The flowers are in preparation for an overnight visit from Wendy Wagoner tomorrow evening. And because we'll be busy with her then and with Dan and Cindi Cooper Wednesday evening (our weekly shared dinner and viewing of our favorite TV show, Major Crimes), I needed to prepare my Thursday-morning Bible study this evening. That Serendipity New Testament for Groups was my ally in this week's preparation.
Two outstanding events of the day: had lunch with Mark Haas, former art director at Standard, to catch up, hear about his work with Rebel Pilgrim Productions, and talk about our long list of shared concerns, friends, and interests. Was proud to show him our new digital edition available on our new app. Was glad to hear how fulfilled and challenged he is by his current work.
Later talked with Dave Empson who graciously allowed me to have a table/display at the upcoming International Conference on Missions in exchange for a free ad in Christian Standard. Marketing budgets have been cut (again) at Standard, and the new marketing director had decided Standard wouldn't be going to ICOM this year. I can't blame her, but I'm very glad Dave and I worked out this deal so there can be at least some presence for Christian Standard at this large convention. We need to do whatever we can to keep this app in front of people.
The ICOM people want me to do some interviews, like those I did for NACC, with missionaries and others at ICOM. I'll enjoy that, and it will add to the video archive available to us for links from upcoming digital editions.

Hail, Rain, and Work (Nice Visits Too)

"Just because I don't sleep in on a Saturday doesn't mean I won't take a nap before the day is done."
I posted that to Facebook early, too early, this morning. Evelyn was up by 6:45 to get ready to leave by 8:30 for CCU's graduation, but I awoke a few minutes before that and decided not to go back to bed .
I balanced the checkbook and paid bills. Wendy was up after awhile, and we ate breakfast together while Evelyn got ready to leave.
(Did I mention that Wendy Wagoner was with us this weekend? She came Thursday evening in time for supper and left tonight after a quick Skyline dinner together as she drove out of town. She visited with Cincinnati friends Friday and today during the day, but we still had lots of time to catch up with her. Last night we grabbed dinner at a restaurant in Blue Ash called Through the Garden. [I had a Groupon.] And then back home we watched Saving Mr. Banks via cable On Demand. She hadn't seen it, and we enjoyed seeing it a second time.)
I updated Twitter posts via Buffer and nosed around on Facebook awhile. Then I got to the business of

writing my column that will appear Tuesday. I often do that kind of work on Sunday afternoons. But it was cold and rainy this morning, and it is SUPPOSED to be dry and a little warmer tomorrow. So I decided to save tomorrow afternoon for outside work and get my inside work done this morning.

It was a wise decision. Wendy left after 11:00 to go have lunch with some friends, and while I was working, I heard hail pelting the windows! I decided to snap some pictures for the blog, and I'm glad I did, because it didn't hail anywhere where Wendy or Evelyn were.

I found some lunch to microwave and made a salad of greens that I picked from the flower box 

on the deck. My first homegrown lettuce of the season! I did a few straightening/pitching/sorting errands around the house until Evelyn got home after 1:00 so I could visit with her then.
It finally did clear up, so I went outside and made some progress in the yard: trimmed lilac bushes and a  rose bush, and dug weeds in the big bed with the pine trees in the back of the yard.
All that took as much energy and time as I had (I trimmed two bundles and a garbage can full of branches from three bushes), so I came in to visit with "the girls" awhile. Wendy wanted to leave soon, and I hadn't been to the store yet to buy anything for supper. So we decided just to eat supper with her, as I said, as she drove out of town.
Evelyn made a grocery list while I took a quick shower before we left for supper. Then the two of us grabbed the items on her list at Kroger's on the way home.
It was still early, so I gathered pots and hanging baskets and began the process of distributing them around the yard and arranging them on the deck. Maybe tomorrow I'll fill a few of them. I have some of what I'll use from that Garden Gallop I joined Thursday.
I think we'll watch another movie soon, to end the day.
I never did get that nap.

Weekend Update

Quote of the Day:
I've reached retirement age. And I don't need to see any more depictions of the crucifixion.
—Evelyn Taylor, after we saw Son of God Friday night.

Picture of the Day:
A so-so picture of Dale Reeves preaching a mighty fine sermon this morning at Christ's Church at Mason. Our three preachers were each speaking at different venues this morning, and Dale spoke at the Classic service in the chapel.
We were attending that service so we could sit with Alan Guttman who had promised to come back to church this morning, for the third week in a row. He sits with Lloyd and Shirley Bradshaw, but Lloyd is in the hospital with a serious infection (he's been there since last Sunday and won't go home yet for several more days). I told Alan at our Thursday-morning group that Evelyn and I would sit with him today if he wanted to come back to church.
It was a nice service, and all three of us agreed that Dale did a good job. We ate breakfast/lunch with Alan at Bob Evans (he treated!) after church.
Wendy Wagoner came to visit us Friday. We ate out at El Rancho Grande before catching the 7:40 showing of Son of God. I enjoyed it, even though most of it we'd seen in The Bible miniseries on TV last year. The crucifixion segment was the second-most graphic depiction I've seen (after Passion of the Christ, of course.) Evelyn served us scones for breakfast Saturday; Wendy left to visit her friends the Carters in Springfield about 10 Saturday morning.
Evelyn and I took a walk in the glorious spring-like sunny afternoon. Later  I visited Lloyd in the hospital along with getting the car washed (had to get all that winter salt removed), picking up Despicable Me2 at Redbox, and grabbing a few groceries. We had egg salad sandwiches and tomato bisque soup (from Costco) for supper. I did some reading and planning in The Story and then fell asleep in the middle of the movie before we headed for bed to get a full night's sleep before Time Change Sunday.
Today we were away from home by 2:45 and in New Stanton, PA by 7:10, the first leg in our trip to see our kids with friends for a spring break vacation this week.

More than a Reunion

Picture of the Day:
We visited Reunion Church, a church plant of Plainfield Christian Church, where Brian Lowery is the
pastor. He had a wonderful sermon, thought-provoking, original, challenging.
We had driven to Plainfield yesterday to spend the night with Wendy Wagoner. She cooked us a wonderful dinner, and then Todd and Lynn Dillon stopped by later for dessert. Always lots of laughs with the Dillons, accompanied by serious talk about important subjects--this time it was worship.
After church this morning, Brian joined us for brunch. We went to Stone Creek, and I think the vegetarian omelette was the best I've ever tasted.
My first reason to be there was to visit with Brian about an idea I have for Christian Standard. I'd like his help to create a new feature in the magazine, but we'll see if he decides he could take it on. I really hope so! It was wonderful to get acquainted with him and learn of his heart for ministry as we met for about an hour after lunch.
Evelyn and I talked with Wendy for a couple of hours after my meeting, and we were off for home by about 5:00.

Quote of the Day:
What if the very first message you received each day was from God's Word, instead of from Facebook or Twitter or the radio?
—Brian Lowery, in this morning's sermon

Three Days Before Christmas

Christmas (and work!) has definitely gotten in the way of blog/diary writing. But I want to keep track of what I've been doing, so I'll quickly review highlights of the last three days.
Thursday evening Evelyn and I both served at the Healing Center. She's tutoring folks in English for their GED tests, and I help sign up folks for government aid (food stamps, etc) through a computer program called the Benefit Bank. Evelyn works 6:30-8:30 every Thursday; I work 7:00-9:00 one Thursday a month. This week I was there till past 9:20, because an 8:00 appointment was tied up with some other services at the Healing Center, and she didn't get over to me till I almost left because I thought no one was coming at 8:00.
It was a long day, because I had met with my  Thursday morning men's group at 6:00 a.m. at Cracker Barrel for our end-of-the-year breakfast.
The Healing Center (a ministry of Vineyard Cincinnati) was decorated for Christmas, including this beautiful tree.

Friday was my last day in the office till January 2, and I got a lot done. I needed to get a lot done, because we give our February issue to the printer that Friday, January 4. I finished reading the proof (had started Thursday), did some rearranging of pages and cutting of articles that were too long, and wrote some copy to fill a couple of blank spots. I still have more of that to do when I get back to the office, but not more than I'll be able to finish in the time I have. 

The office was VERY QUIET. More people had already started their Christmas break than were at work that day. That seemed to be true for the other offices in the building too. The parking lot was almost empty when I got there after 8:00. 

Shirley Wuske had invited us for dinner that night, and we had a lovely time eating her wonderful food and enjoying the company not only of her and Terry, but also Brandon and Jonathan (in for Christmas from his current landing place in Phoenix, AZ). Chicken marsala, and homemade crescent rolls for the meal and pumpkin cobbler (!) for dessert. All wonderful. All recipes I hope Evelyn will get! Jonathan snapped our picture on his phone as we sat down to eat. 

Today was a productive Saturday: bill paying, late Christmas-card sending, errands to the dry cleaner, post office, and oil change place. We Skyped with Wendy after she had gotten back home from a candlelight and carols service at a Lutheran mission/church in Arusha. She's leaving tomorrow with a missionary couple that are her good friends for a Christmas getaway at a resort on the ocean. She was smiling and in good spirits, and it was good to talk with her. 

This evening Evelyn and I grabbed supper at McAlister's and did a little shopping at Meijer's for some odds and ends Evelyn needed to finish the weekend. We're having friends for dinner tomorrow night and more friends sometime Christmas afternoon or evening. Just enough to feel like we're celebrating. (Just enough for me; Evelyn's been working hard to get ready for these two meals, plus our holiday visit from the Pennsylvania Johnsons starting Wednesday night.)

This World . . . and the Next

Talking with Wendy today, Wendy or Evelyn mentioned alerts in the news for travel to Mombasa in Kenya. The conversation led to details about contingency plans for Wendy and her team should an emergency evacuation be necessary from their place of service. Hiding places among local natives, secret rendezvous sites, and options in case the closest airport was compromised—these were among the possibilities she described.

I couldn't help but think about the Scriptures Johnny Dye quoted this morning when he was a guest speaker at Christ's Church at Mason.

First the words of Jesus to his apostles just before his crucifixion:

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18)

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:13).

And then the challenge from one of those apostles to Christ’s followers decades later.

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the father is not in them” (1 John 2:15).

And finally the rebuke from the Lord’s own brother to wayward Christians in his midst:

“Don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

I think about Wendy's bout with recurring malaria and then typhoid fever in the months before she made this visit. I remember her sister's Facebook update about a rat bite while she was sleeping in her bed in Haiti. And then there were the weeks of prayer for Adrian Fehl, missionary in Ethiopia, who was beset by a virulent virus that left him unable to eat or drink for many days. Far from any quality of medical help, he suffered dehydration that threatened his kidneys. 

Yet none of these has spoken any intent to leave their field of service. 

I think of their sacrifice and suffering, and I shake my head, echoing the words in the book of Hebrews: “The world is not worthy of them” (Hebrews 11:38).

But how will I know I have not succumbed to the love of this world? Must I forsake my comfortable American suburban routine to know I don’t love the things of this life more than those of the next?

Maybe. But afraid to do that, I search for another solution while challenged no more by the Bible’s command than by the example of those I know who so simply and beautifully are obeying it.

Pretty Flowers, a Lovely Evening

Two reasons for posting this picture: These are the flowers I sent Evelyn for our anniversary yesterday, and I wanted this picture to help me remember them. And this was the table setting for our dinner tonight with Dan and Cindi Cooper. Evelyn wanted to invite them, not only just because they're friends, but also because she knew they would enjoy visiting with Wendy. Evelyn made salmon with the wonderful topping whose recipe we got from Judy McCann. I grilled asparagus and new potatoes outside and made a salad with lettuce from our lettuce patch on the deck, with strawberries, blueberries, goat cheese, and candied pecans, with a raspberry vinaigrette (store bought). I bought a loaf of organic pretzel bread from a stall at the West Chester Farmer's Market this morning, and Cindi brought a yummy pistachio pudding dessert.
We DID learn some more about Wendy's ministry in Tanzania as she answered all the questions Cindi and Dan had for her. It cooled down outside as the evening wore on, so we ate dessert and visited on the deck.
I busied myself with all kinds of things that needed to be done today, but I didn't get outside to tackle the yard tidying I intended. I'm debating between Christian Standard work and yard work for tomorrow afternoon. I think the yard work is going to win.
Jen e-mailed to say she would be finishing up in Nashville and driving this direction tomorrow afternoon, arriving after supper. Our big week is about to begin!

Men (and Women!) in Black and Other Nice Things

Most fun of the day: the whole office dressing in black in honor of Scott Ryan's last day at Standard. (Scott's the guy with the beard, in the center, below.) Scott, a friend and designer who's been with us 15 years, is leaving to do design work at Frontgate. To show him we love him, we dressed like he ALWAYS dresses: black shirt and black pants. Note the guy on the left, our colleague and buddy Dale Reeves who not only imitated the outfit but the beard and sideburns too!
(It's difficult to get a good picture of 40 people, so I'm just posting both pictures, since different folks shine in different shots.)

Best laugh of the day: Reading Jennifer's blog post. Most of my Facebook friends also read her blog, but if you haven't, you should. Below is the picture she posted along with all her "kids say the darndest things" quotes.

Nicest surprise of the day: All the folks who "liked" or commented on Evelyn's and my reciprocal posts to celebrate our anniversary today. 39 years, wow! Not only was it gratifying to read all the congratulations, but also challenging to live up to the nice things they said about us! Wendy has a spiffy new camera, and she took our picture for our anniversary this evening.

Grillin' in the Rain

I grilled chicken in the rain today for our Father's Day lunch.
It seemed like a good idea--before it started raining. We had the chicken and the vegetables for the grill and some fresh corn on the cob from Station Road Farm, and we decided to grab supper in combination with a shopping trip last night instead of fixing that stuff. So we saved it for lunch today.
It was a beautiful, sunny morning. Still pleasant around noon when I fired up the grill and cut the chicken into kabob-size portions. I oiled and salted and peppered the vegetable chunks, threaded the skewers, and laid it all out on the hot grill.
Wendy was sitting outside with me on the deck, enjoying the breeze.
"Hmmmm, it looks like it could rain," I said.
And then we felt a few drops.
So we came inside.
And then the sky opened. The raindrops steamed and evaporated off the hot grill lid, and I watched from inside, with one eye on my watch, trying to figure when the chicken would be cooked (and wondering if it could do so without my poking, turning, and fussing over it).
Soon I got a windbreaker with a hood and braved the shower to go check on the meal. I cut a couple of the kabobs to make sure the chicken was finished. I had planned to brush barbecue sauce over it all during the last minute of cooking, but Evelyn and I had already given that up.
The rain slowed, I brought the hot (and not too wet) skewers inside, and the meal was fine. Excellent, actually. Evelyn picked some leaf lettuce from my abundant patch in the flower box on the grill and made wilted lettuce. We ate carrot cake from the freezer (leftover from Jennifer's wedding shower) for dessert, and it was all good.
The rest of the day was low-key and quiet. Enjoyed long talks (and much discussion of wedding weekend details) with each of the kids.

Wendy joined us at church this morning, and I snapped this picture of these three pretty ladies (Wendy, Cindi Cooper, and Evelyn) in the foyer after the first service.

Making a Difference

Our church's men's ministry asked me to emcee this morning's Dads Make a Difference seminar that met this morning 7:30-noon. About a hundred guys came for breakfast, followed by two challenges each from Jeff Stone and David Vaughn. I wouldn't have attended if I had been asked to emcee, but I'm not sorry I was there. It was good to get better acquainted with a couple of the guys there, reconnect with Jeff, and hear Dave's heart as he spoke so openly about his own vulnerability and brokenness.

We picked up Wendy from the airport last night about 7:30 and brought her straight home. She took a shower, visited with us a few minutes and went to bed, exhausted. She relaxed through the day at our place. We went to Stein Mart to look for bargains during their big sale; we didn't find any, but Wendy bought a sweater to wear with the dress she plans to wear to the wedding. We ate supper at LaRosa's, came home, and Wendy went straight to bed.

I cut grass in the front yard; Evelyn had cut the back and sides this morning while I was gone.

Just One Year

One year ago on a Friday, Wendy Wagoner and Jennifer met Evelyn and me in New York City. They had been in Pennsylvania, because they had agreed that Wendy should meet Matt Johnson and Nina and Miles before she went to Africa. And Wendy had never seen New York, so they combined destinations. We met Lisa at her beautiful office overlooking Manhattan, ate lunch at a sidewalk cafe outside the Rockefeller Center, and saw the city from Top of the Rock.

That evening we drove to Long Island and heard all of Geoff's jazz bands play at their spring fundraiser and concert at the high school where he teaches. It was a beautiful evening, a wonderful concert, and a fun time.

Saturday we tried to show Wendy some of the city, although the rain kept us from some of what we wanted to do. She could still see the Statue of Liberty through the fog.We walked through Chinatown, stopped in at a small museum, and ate dinner at one of Geoff and Lisa's favorite restaurants before adjourning to their apartment to visit for the rest of the evening.

The next morning, Geoff took Wendy to the airport so she could fly to Florida to do a VBS. That afternoon we walked the Highline, went to Geoff and Lisa's church, passing the theater where the Tony awards were being presented that evening, and then ate dinner outside at a restaurant in the park beside the Hudson River.

Lisa quizzed Jennifer about Matt: How do you feel about his kids? How do you feel about his church? Is he a good kisser? :-) We passed by the Lincoln Center where we yucked it up for picture poses in front of the fountain there.

One week from today, on a Friday (actually just five days from now), Wendy will come to Cincinnati to be here for Jennifer's wedding to Matt Johnson.

Three weeks from today, on a Saturday, Jennifer will marry Matt; Miles and Nina will be their wedding party. Geoff will play, Lisa will sing, and Evelyn and I will smile and cry. Then "party" is the theme for the reception we're planning at Memorial Hall after their afternoon wedding. 

The time will fly between now and then, just as it has since we were in New York together just one year ago. And I'm filled with anticipation about what the next year will bring in all of our lives.

A Good Saturday

A good Saturday: Paid bills and brought the checkbook up-to-date for the first time in a couple of weeks. Was happy to verify that we're still solvent. Was also happy to discover why we had stopped getting our Time magazine: our subscription expired several weeks ago, and I hadn't paid the bill!

Skyped with Wendy this morning, and she's looking much better than the last time we talked with her. She's been off the typhoid meds for about a week, but it has been a very busy week for her, and she's exhausted. She doesn't feel fully recovered, but she's hoping some rest and healing of her system and a few more days with the strong drugs out of her system will combine to have her feeling fine.
She leaves for her month away next Saturday. First a break for a couple of days in England with a friend. And then on to our place June 15 where she'll stay till the wedding.
The wedding is four weeks from today. This time that Saturday maybe I'll have a wedding picture to post.

I was running errands today and stopped in at Home Depot to pick up a couple more bags of mulch (actually, it was four bags, and I decided after spreading it today that I need two more--maybe the final two, we'll see!). As soon as I arrived I saw they had a selection of beautiful 4-inch annuals on sale @ $2.50 each. I grabbed 16 of 'em; if I can keep 'em alive for four weeks, they'll be part of the centerpieces at Jen's reception. I'll report here close to the date.

Also had a nice visit with Geoff on the phone this afternoon and nailed down plans for the post-wedding family get-togther at our place he and Lisa are hosting. They chose a yummy, easy (catered-in) approach, and we're really looking forward to it. He's plodding away on research for his doctoral dissertation. I'm proud of him. I don't believe I've ever had that kind of drive or discipline.

Tonight was the final performance of "Cinemagic" with the Ambassadors Choir at Mason Christian Village. Evelyn and I grabbed dinner with Dave and Mary Lautzenheiser on the way to MCV and had a fun time. Evelyn and Mary sat in the back and took it in. The "village people" did well, and the whole experience ended happily.

My Birthday Is Tomorrow . . .

My birthday is tomorrow, but the Facebook greetings have already started coming. Isn't it fun? I said last year one of the best things about Facebook is getting all those birthday wishes from people I wouldn't hear from any other way.
I guessing, however, that no greeting--or card, or gift--will make me smile as much as the post on my timeline from our "adopted" daughter, Wendy Wagoner. She's serving with CMF in Tanzania, and she just finished language school in another part of the country. A friend met here there, and they went to see the gorillas in Rwanda before making the trek across the Serengeti back to her home in Arusha. She has some remarkable pictures on her Facebook page, and she chose one of them just for me . . .

The greeting? "Happy birthday from me, Milo (her dog), and Murphy!" Wendy asked me if I wanted a gorilla for my birthday. I told her it would probably cost too much to ship. The picture is the next best thing, though, and one genuine smile in the day.

A Fine Weekend

The pictures can tell the story of our fine weekend. Friday night we ate dinner with Bill and Verna at their place. Verna fixed a wonderful dinner of pork chops and carrots and asparagus, with salad and rolls. Evelyn brought leftover cookies from Graeters and Costco, and I picked up some ice cream to finish out dessert. Bill begins his work with the Center for Global Impact tomorrow; he said it fits his perfect description of the job he was seeking. We're very happy for both of them.

Saturday morning we Skyped with Wendy Wagoner. "I think I'm just now realizing how sick I really was," she said, reflecting on her bout with malaria. It seems to be gone now, after three rounds of medicine. It was good to laugh with her. She has only a month more of language school and then back to her home base in Arusha, Tanzania.

I finished getting my taxes together and took them to be figured. We get back more from the state than we owe in federal, so all in all, that makes us feel pretty good.

Saturday afternoon I cut the grass. (I want to keep count this year. I believe that's grass cutting number 3 already, all before April 1.) 

Picked flowers for our bouquet for dinner with fun friends (see yesterday's post) and did a little to help Evelyn get ready for company.

This morning I played hymns in the Classic Praise service. The choir sang an anthem with the bell choir--nice.

This afternoon I whacked back our roses (one garbage can and one and 1/2 garbage bags full of thorny branches), edited one issue of Christian Standard, and then Evelyn and I talked with Jen on the phone. 

Ate leftovers for supper and watched "60 Minutes," our Sunday-evening routine.

Routine. It's nice to have a somewhat routine weekend. 

Now on to a four-day work week that promises to offer its own set of challenges.

Friends by the Fire

It was a relaxing evening by the fire at our place with Terry and Shirley Wuske. We enjoyed dessert and coffee and laughs and catching up after enjoying dinner out together. The day was bookended with their visit in the evening and Skyping with Wendy Wagoner in the morning. She's back to her feisty, cheerful self, after a second round of medicine to cure the malaria that has attacked her in the last couple of weeks. We're praying that this treatment did the trick and that she'll be able to enjoy her mid-term break from language school feeling perfectly well.

Pops Goes the Decade

We arrived at our seats for the Cincinnati Pops concert last night to find a card on each of our seats thanking us for 10 years of subscribing to the Pops. 10 years! I didn't realize. I'm not sure if we'll be going 10 more years--not even positive if we'll subscribe again next year. But we have had the privilege of seeing some wonderful artists--Kristin Chenoweth and Marvin Hamlisch (sp?) come to mind, and I know there have been many others.
Last night's concert was a tribute to Disney, and I felt sort of ho-hum about it going in. But it was wonderful, mainly because of the four vocalists--two young women and two young men--who sang and danced through many of the songs. So talented, such vocal ranges, such versatility. Their singing, combined with the magnificent orchestra, and film clips and stills from the Disney movies on the screen above the orchestra, all made for an evening of warm nostalgia.
We went with our friends Bill and Verna Weber who have had a long week tending to Verna's mother, Mildred Holmes, who is on the mend at Jewish Hospital. She was admitted last week, but they say as soon as her white count gets low enough they'll send her back to Mason Christian Village. She'll go to the nursing wing instead of her apartment--at least for now.
We Skyped with our "adopted daughter" Wendy Wagoner this morning who is s-l-o-w-l-y recovering from her second bout with malaria. I guess it's really the first bout that recurred this week. Today's prayer request: No more parasites! Go, go out of Wendy's system!

This beautiful chandelier hangs above the lobby in Music Hall.

Party Time!

I'm posting this just a few minutes before our guests arrive for the Valentine's Day dinner Evelyn and I are hosting. Three couples will join us for pork roast, asparagus, Kirsten's yummy potatoes, and a new lettuce salad dressing Evelyn found. Spiced apple juice and bruschetta will be the appetizer, and sundaes with peaches and raspberries and shaved chocolate will be dessert. It's going to be yummy!

The table is set with four miniature roses as the centerpiece. They will each go to one of our guests as our gift.

We Skyped with our "adopted daughter" Wendy Wagoner this morning. It was afternoon where she is attending language school in Tanzania. I could write posts and posts about Wendy, but suffice it to say she is recuperating from malaria, and it was so good to see and hear her back to her perky self this morning!