a kiss by the tree!


Ryan and Tara on Thanksgiving


Riley!!



The past few weeks have flown by but they've been full of really, really good things. :)

1. a trip to Indianapolis--We finally had time with our niece who we couldn't possibly love anymore than we already do. We are currently referred to as "Munga and Ki". Munga is a new one for me...I've been around a lot of kids and never has my name come out quite like that. I'll admit it doesn't exactly have that lovely roll off your lips kind of ring to it but at the same time, when she says it I think it's adorable. :) We also spent an evening with Marcia, Greg, and Ava. A cozy fire in the fireplace, cocktails and hours of conversation was more than I hoped for. Between them and Kyle's family living there too, we have plenty of incentive to move north. Marcia, if you read this, thanks for taking time to hang out. We love you guys.

2. Thanksgiving with Ryan and Tara (and Tara's mom and sister Sarah). We got to spend the holiday with some people we love the most. We laughed all the way through dinner-and enjoyed a movie with full bellies. good stuff.

3. It's a wonderful Life at the Barter Theater. This past Saturday night we went on a real date to see a play at Barter Theater. The play was wonderful and it felt good to get dressed up, and to go somewhere special. We had coffee afterwards in this quaint coffee shop. We stayed all warm inside despite the cool temps outdoors. The drive was beautiful with the first glimmers of Christmas lights winking at us from the side streets.

4. Another Thanksgiving day dinner with Em and Jody. Yeah, we've eaten well this past week! We had a lot to celebrate with them since they recently found out they, too, are pregnant. yay! It's always good to be around them. They make us laugh; they love each other well.

Those are the highlights but even in the middle of all of that there have been more sparkles of good.
Wishing you the same!

we decided this is a turkey bulge not a baby bulge...nonetheless, it's a preview of coming attractions!


Ava! (Marcia is the pro on the other side of the camera)


Marcia and Ava





With a room full of eyes upon me, I took my turn twirling around the cafeteria of the assisted living center. The man who had me by the arm was doing his best to chorale me in a graceful fashion. I was bumbling around; it was obvious he knew what he was doing and, hopelessly, I did not. 5 minutes prior to our impromptu rendezvous, he proposed to me over pureed turkey, mashed potatoes and ensure. I held up my hand and flashed the bling. With a shrug of his shoulders and a smile that would break your heart he decided to settle for a dance instead. With the record player crackling out a tune from long before my era, he tilted his head to the side and extended his aged hand with eyebrows raised. "Oh, Lord, please no" was the silent cry that raced through my head. I tried to laugh his request off. I looked around the room for support-or better yet, for another victim to sic him on. He was not deterred. And then, to my horror, the whole room started cheering us on. He was suddenly on his feet and standing before me. As color crept into my cheeks I knew I wasn't going to get away without a spin around the floor. And so, there we went. Hand in hand. This 20 something year old girl with cheeks ablaze and this 80 something year old man reveling in the spotlight. He led without skipping a beat-I’m not kidding, this guy was smokin. Our knees knocked together a time or two as I tried to go one way and he tried to go the other. It was quite a spectacle. All around me were men and women in wheelchairs, smiling big unrestrained smiles-they'd be dancing if they could. They unpacked their pride a long time ago. Everyone clapped; everyone cheered. And this is just a guess but I don’t think they were cheering on my lightness of foot. As the last notes of our dance melted into the noise of the crowd, I got one of those cheek kisses that older people are always a bit overzealous to give away. And then he smiled a big genuine smile that managed to make up for all of the embarrassment I had just endured on his behalf. I went back to my seat and attempted to resume the process of feeding the woman whom I was sitting with. I had one of those moments that occasionally creep up in perplexing situations when I can't help but wonder "what. just. happened?" Marriage proposition over a denture friendly diet, dancing my heart out in the cafeteria to a man with tan, leathered skin and a toupee. If only my friends could see me now. :)

I have a promise coming.

In the daily routine of living, the getting up and lying down, the individual rhythm to which I move about my day; I have a promise coming. In the days or weeks or seasons of life when nothing feels easy or rehearsed; I have a promise coming.

How can there be peace, joy and hope in the middle of darkness? Because on the other side of 'it' is a piece of our promised land. Faith fights. God conquers. We have to press the thing through in order to reap and savor the benefits. I serve a God who is mighty and able to deliver us from any and all pain but He desires to turn our weakness into strength. He desires to see us through. Why? Because we have a promise coming. And there is nothing small about His promises.


The Master Builder

It's hard to see things grow old. The town in which I grew up is growing old....Some of the buildings are boarded up. Some of the houses are torn down....The old movie house where I took my dates has "For Sale" on the marquee....

I wish I could make it all new again. I wish I could blow the dust off the streets...but I can't.

I can't. But God can. "He restores my soul", wrote the shepherd. He doesn't reform; he restores. He doesn't camouflage the old; he restores the new. The Master Builder will pull out the original plan and restore it. He will restore the vigor. He will restore the energy. He will restore the hope. He will restore the soul.

-The Applause of Heaven

Romans 15:13 :)
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.