Saturday, February 28, 2009


We arrived home this evening from a five-night cruise. It was WARM! And very relaxing.

Saturday, February 21, 2009




Sometimes when the snow is blowing and the temperature is frigid, it's good to remember what summer is like. Can you recollect the green grass? wearing t-shirts? walking and biking? eating ice cream while standing outside? Thanks Lord, for giving us four different seasons. I like the variety.

Thursday, February 19, 2009


Every Wednesday night I get to listen, laugh, and interact with Junior High girls. Our church has ministries for newborn to 12th grade on Wednesday evenings, and this is my first year working with the 7th and 8th graders. The teacher, Mr. D, is such a great guy and a wonderful speaker. (He is talking to their age group, and yet his points often hit me between the eyes.) After the lesson I huddle together with my small group of 6 for a time of sharing and prayer. It has been neat to see the bonding that's been going on since September. During gym time I usually listen to girls recite verses, then I can chat with kids and play Scrabble and watch them socialize. God has brought me to this point in my life and I'm enjoying where He put me. A few years ago I would have said, "I could never work with Jr Highers", and this past year I felt led to jump in with both feet. Lovin' it.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009



Travis is in New Zealand. We took him to Minneapolis on Monday and he set out with four pieces of luggage and an adventurous spirit. He starts a graduate program at the University of Auckland, planning to complete a Creative Writing degree in 9 months.

Justin and Julie graciously offered him room and board (and more) for the past six months, and the three of them shared talents, opinions, fun, and patience. Trav enjoyed having that time with his smart (and playful) brother and kind (and listening) sister-in-law.

Saturday, February 7, 2009



Before Travis leaves the country for ten months, we assembled the family at a huge indoor water/ theme park for a quick overnight adventure. Fun! I liked the ropes course, floating on the lazy river, eating out, and watching the six of them being entertained with arcade games. When we played laser tag, I had a startled memory of Nerf Wars at our old home. One of our boys had a large assortment of nerf guns, so during some holiday events with extended family, we'd turn off all the lights, pass out the guns, and use the two stairways to conduct a shootout. A dreaded heart-pounding feeling occurred when someone was sneaking through the dark to 'kill' me. At least in laser tag I could receive multiple hits and never be out.