"October's Bright Blue Weather"

It's the title of a poem that my Mom often quoted to us when we were growing up. I have read it, but can't remember any of the lines without referencing it, and don't even remember the poet's name. I'll have to do the research and report back to you. At any rate, the descriptive title is both an alluring sentiment and an apt snapshot of the mini-vacation the bride and I had about a week or so ago. It was the annual long weekend for me due to state teachers' conferences and it joyfully coincided with a four-day weekend on the bride's schedule too, so we chose to take a drive that allowed both a chance for soaking in a hot springs and also for a quick visit with the collegiate son. The beautiful bride's several sessions of internet perusing and planning resulted in a fun itinerary: one night in a Medieval themed room at a "luxury Bed and Breakfast" near Lava Hot Springs in southern Idaho, a scenic jaunt through Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, and Sunday morning worship and lunch with the boy in Bozeman before returning home. As already alluded to, the crisp, golden days couldn't have been more perfect for our travels: autumn's brilliantly bedecked forests gleaming against the azure abyss beyond; rugged peaks--drizzled with wintry icing--towering above white-capped lakes or winding rivers; peaceful sepia prairies splattered with random patches of red or gold; steamy wisps of whiteness vehemently verifying the volcanic landscape. No matter how frequently I witness the wonders of God's glorious creation, every time I still gasp in awe and revel in His masterful artistry! And the simple blessing of October's bright blueness to enjoy it all in is further proof of His divine providence.

So, in the continuing adjustment to our "just-the-two-of-us" status, this getaway was new territory. Our soak was lovely; misty swirls of steam floating from sandy bottomed pools of varying degrees of hotness contributed to wonderfully relaxing and pleasant moments. Vacation dining is different without the rest of the family too; we enjoyed some flavorful Thai cuisine for dinner one evening, and superbly fresh and piquant Mexican for lunch the next day. Yum! Our "Medieval Chamber" accommodations were fun, but we felt a little guilty knowing how much the princess would have enjoyed the decor too. The ornate four-poster bed was hand-carved in England and purportedly a replica of that of King Henry VIII; the wall paper reasonably resembled a stone castle wall; a not-quite full-size suit of armor occupied a nook along one wall; regal red-plush padded throne-chairs flanked a decorative wooden hearth--both carved from lustrous mahogany; lighting dangled from iron dragon-head fixtures; a portrait of good King Henry and other medieval scenes completed the theme. Here are a few photos of the furnishings--just for fun:
We breakfasted in the morning with some of the other guests on a tasty spread of fruits, and toast, bacon, eggs, and potatoes. This family dining style pushed us a bit beyond our social comfort levels, but was interesting nonetheless. We were a bit surprised that the other guests were considerably younger than us: college students or recent graduates, but it was interesting to meet them and hear their stories. One couple had stayed there on their honeymoon a year before and were back again; another couple were young parents of a toddler and an infant while also university students. They were thankful for nearby grandparents that were caring for their children so they could take this needed getaway. We confessed that we were newly-emptied-nesters so were experiencing life in new ways as well. So, our scenic and relaxing trek culminated with the quick check-in with the son in Bozeman. We got to town just in time to pick him up at his apartment and drive him to late service at church. Worshiping with the kids is always a divine pleasure. We bought him an Arby's meal for lunch and took him grocery shopping for a few needed items, before dropping him off at the university gymnasium for his "sword fighting" club session, and driving on home. We praise God for His blessings on our journey and the lessons he teaches us and the ways He shapes us with each new experience. And, we pray you too will seek Him and find His "bright-blue-weather" blessings in the moments of your life as well.

The Tie That Binds

"It doesn't matter that we haven't seen each other much through the years, we are still family. So, remember, if you need anything, you have family close by." Uncle L.'s parting words to the princess as we bade farewell outside the Perkin's restaurant on the morning that we drove her down to begin New Student Week at Carleton brought tears to my eyes. And the sentiment expressed is one factor that makes the princess's faraway absence a bit less bitter for us. To quote from an essay I wrote some 25+ years ago for a college writing class: "Suffice it to say, when it comes to family ties, I'm all bound up--relatively speaking." This followed a lengthy narration of various recent facts about many of my relatives' lives, and was meant to cleverly convey how blessed I felt having a large extended family. The professor--one of my very favorites ever--even appreciated the sentence and its silly pun, scrawling "clever" in the margin. And, despite the passing of 25 years, let me state for the record that I am still convinced that having a heavily-peopled family is an immense blessing. And of course, the term now includes the dear bride's dear not-unsizeable family as well.

It is this loving, caring branch of the family that we got to connect with when we made the daughter delivery journey to MN. The lovely bride's amazing Papa also drove to MN from CA to be with us for this important family "journey," and we appreciated generous hospitality for two nights at the home of one Uncle and Aunt. Another Uncle and Aunt arranged a Labor Day family picnic at a park that was attended by 40 some relatives: all the bride's dear Mother's three brothers and their families; everyone brought their culinary specialties, so we basked in the warm MN sunshine (without the usual mosquitoes and humidity) and we feasted on tasty MN vittles, as we basked in the warmth and love of our MN family. Fun seeing the "babies" of cousins that we'd only heard about or seen pictures of, and witnessing the cousins in their roles as parents, and meeting some as young adults that we'd only met before as toddlers. Enjoyed sharing with cousins the stories of lives and jobs and travels, recalling memories of "Grandma's farmhouse" and visits there, seeing photos of an older family farmhouse in ND where the family had lived when the bride's Mother was born, and headstones of family members in the Lutheran cemetery there. So touching was the genuine interest and care that many of the relatives expressed for the princess and her new MN college adventure, and the offers to help with anything that may be needed or desired. And all for an introverted 18-year-old that they may have only met once as a toddler--but because she is FAMILY, and they are nearby. I don't believe she has yet taken up the offer of one cousin and his wife for a weekend getaway from college--to come hang out at their home or go sightseeing--but she has their e-mail and she may find a moment when Russian studies or various creative activities are not demanding all her time and drop them a line. The Uncles and Aunts requested her e-mail and number too in case they decide to drop by to invite her to dinner or to see a play or concert with some of the young cousins close to her age. And the one Uncle and Aunt already have plans to pick her up at college after her finals before Thanksgiving and take her to the Amtrak station for her ride home for winter break. We purchased her ticket recently, so now we need to let them know the details. What a blessing family is!

Details from other recent family goings-on contribute nicely to our theme here too. About a year ago, my second-oldest niece was married, and on the same weekend this year--a couple weeks ago--my third-oldest niece was married. (First was married six years ago--also on a mountain top; four more to go.) Both beautiful, peaceful girls are Forest Service employees with equally nature-loving husbands, so the celebrations were held in scenic outdoor locations, a bit removed from conveniences like shelter, electricity, water. They were grand affairs with many friends and family in attendance--many dogs too. Decorations were charming, outdoorsy, and plentiful. Food was home-cooked, tasty, abundant, and eaten from various vintage china; libations were free-flowing. . . music was homey and spirited. And let me not forget--there were lots of pies, replacing wedding cake as the celebratory dessert at both festivities. So, ask how the "wedding coordinator" (mother-of-the-bride, in both these cases--my sisters) sees to it that everything gets done in the desired manner in the rustic setting. I bet you know my answer. Family. And friends. And both weddings were lovely celebrations, masterfully orchestrated. So inspiring to see family working diligently to assure that these lovely young brides and their charming guys were most joyously celebrated on their special days: Grandma exiting the ceremony rapidly to finish mashing the potatoes for the meal; sister of bride's mother acting as "bride's maid" for mother-of-the-bride, assuring that she is decorously attired and timely presented; cousins and aunties and others carrying in dozens of home-baked pies and artfully arranging them on the dessert table; uncles and cousins and brothers pitching in with pitching tents for this shelter or that. . . So the weddings truly became a celebration of family on many levels. And, as always, it was wondrous to gather with the family for the festivities. Never too many opportunities for that.

Finally, a final word on FAMILY for now. I had a chance to visit frequently with my grandmother recently as she was living at a care facility in my town while she healed after an unfortunate fall at her home. I was able to make it up to visit her each week for a couple hours, and visiting Grandma has always been a blessing to me. She is 94 now, but has always been one of the wisest, spunkiest, and funniest women I've known. I have a treasure trove of "Grandma-isms" in my mental file cabinet that I access when I need help keeping life in the proper perspective. And, believe me, it's been a hugely helpful and valuable file through the years. Every time I would go see Gram during her several week stay, her positivity was inspiring. There was never a complaint about her circumstances; in fact, usually she would generously compliment the food, and the people and her care there, sometimes repeatedly in the same visit. Amazing! I am sure it was Grandma's positive outlook that aided in her healing and to her release to return home about a month ago. But, during my visits, of course, we would talk about the family. Most of my adult life, I have gotten my news about extended family from my Grandma because she was always a prolific letter writer and she shared what was going on with the relatives. Personal visits are no exception, so I got the family run-down--complete with Grandma's honest reactions to it all. And, most every visit with Grandma this summer/fall included--after our family-chats--a declaration that went something like this: "Well, our family has really been blessed with everyone, hasn't it?" And, no one can argue with the wisdom of Grandma!

Why the Hippo?

Unless you've known me for a super long time, you may have wondered about my choice of a profile photo. Of course, I am not literally a large and reportedly fairly fierce African river mammal, but it has long been my chosen personal mascot. It all began in my very early childhood--couldn't tell you how early exactly, but very young--when someone presented me with a very tiny blue plastic hippo figurine. Very cute. Don't even remember who gave it to me; maybe it was Mom or it could have been Grandma, but I quickly became very attached to it--thought hippos were the coolest animals ever. Sometime later--still very young, my Grandma gave me a book for my birthday about a hippopotamus that feels "inconspicuous" among all her many relatives at the river, so she goes to the city where she can be special. The inconspicuous hippo is named Veronica, and--as you may imagine--she has a hard time fitting in in the city. Many of the citizens get angry with her, as she swallows down a whole cartful of produce from the vegetable vendor, stomps on toes of the crowds in the subway, and causes serious traffic issues when she gets stuck trying to squeeze through a too-narrow gateway. Eventually, some kind citizen takes pity on her and helps transport Veronica back to the river where she belongs, and she then realizes she is quite happy being inconspicuous after all. Very charming kids' book, and apparently it helped cement my early fascination with hippos.

I still have the tiny blue hippo (even know exactly where she is displayed in my home) and many dozens more hippos: toys, figurines, ornaments, stuffed animals, gadgets, clothing, tools. You see, due to this early passion, my family through the years has used the theme rather rigorously in their gifting ideas for me. Very cool! For awhile, I even gave them all names and kept a running-register with their chosen moniker, the date given, and the giver of the gift; I would diligently record the new information each time I was given a new hippo gift. Seems almost creepy now, as I describe my compulsive habits. But, it does enlighten as to the extent of my dedication--or is that obsession?

And, if you need more proof of my juvenile commitment, let me confess a further piece of incriminating evidence. At some very young age, I was apparently so enthralled with them that I declared, "I'm going to marry a hippo when I grow up." Naturally, my social and biological awareness matured as I grew up, and my bride of now nearly 22 years is an inspiring and beautiful soul, who has good-naturedly endured the inevitable jibes stemming from my childish declaration. She has also valiantly tolerated the "hippo invasion," and in fact, has even contributed to it a bit. The hippo sculpture half-pictured in my profile photo is a replica of a very old artifact from Egypt. The original art piece is apparently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the hippo is named William, and he is the unofficial mascot for the museum, and of course the "Met" sells various replicas of William. The precious bride has purchased me a set of William Christmas-tree ornaments, and also a stuffed-animal version at some point through the years. He is very cool!

When I was in high-school or college, I found a rubber stamp that was of a smiling hippo head, and I knew I needed it for my hippo-themed life. For several years, the stamp served as my signature on all the letters I wrote, and it functioned as a nameplate in my books, branding them as my property. I'm sure the stamp is still carefully tucked away in some box or other in my house, but I certainly don't know where. So, now, knowing more than you ever cared to of my personal history with hippopotami, perhaps you can see why I feel it's a fitting identity icon.

And, oh yes--one more thing. The etymology of hippopotamus is from the Greek, and it translates as "water horse." This little fact adds even another layer of meaningfulness and connection for me. My family is a horse family, and my gentle horse was my best friend during my childhood. My dear bride grew up not far from the beach, so she is fairly enraptured with the ocean, and the two of us tend to spend a lot of our leisurely together-time escaping to the lure and lull of peaceful waters--whether it's strolling in the "crick" at my folks', beach-combing or playing in the surf on the coast, lounging, swimming or simply enjoying the view at a scenic lake, or soaking in a bubbly, relaxing hot-springs. So, you see, "water horse" aptly entwines our histories and signifies our peaceful togetherness in a very personal manner. And, that's why a hippo.

Autumn's Artistry: Change and Beauty

So, yeah--it's been awhile, huh? But, I think I have a plan that may help keep me a more regular contributor here. The lovely bride's work situation has undergone lots of changes in the past months: retiring friends, construction, re-organization with new staff, but it's the shift scheduling changes wherein I have found the factor which I hope will aid in more diligent attention to communicating here. You see, every week she has a couple 11 1/2 hour shifts, so she works until 7:30 p.m. on either Monday or Tuesday each week. Since my cushy school job finishes for the day around 3:00, I have a few hours at home alone on these days, so my intended plan is to force myself to compose an entry during my "home alone" moments each week. As you may already know, or have intuitively inferred from these random personality glimpses, I've never been described (or accused) as one leading a rigidly routine, slightly structured, or even mildly organized lifestyle. So, I appreciate your wishes of high resolve and "stick-to-it-iveness" for my success with this plan.

And, last you heard, we were learning to adjust to an "emptying nest" as our brilliant son headed out to seek his fortune --or prepare for it anyway--attending university at Montana State about five hours away. He's still there, and still having a grand time staying involved in several activities and saturated in academia to satisfy his double majors of Mathematics and Computer Science. In fact, he just got notification from the Math department declaring that they had selected him "to be honored as one of our outstanding undergraduate students," and that he "will be presented a certificate of membership to Pi Mu Epsilon--the national honorary mathematics society." Really don't see him caring too much about this, but it sounds impressive to me, and of course, I always like it when others recognize the brilliance of my kids. (You are remembering my purely prejudice-free parental reporting habits, aren't you?) He also participated in a computer programming competition about a month ago, and was excited to report to us as we picked him up for dinner that evening that his team won third place out of the ten teams that competed. The winning team was of grad students from a different institution. He lives off-campus this year with, officially, two friends who are in "sword-fighting club" with him, but any time we have visited, there are many more bodies than just the three of them occupying the apartment. They have a good time with a lot of gaming together and cooperatively learning about living on their own. There has been talk of us joining "the gang" for Thanksgiving to help them cook and celebrate, as many of them are from the east coast and will not be headed home for their short three-day break. I will report how that all turns out in a later post.

But we were talking about an "emptying nest"; so, let me tell you the life lesson learned from having only two children quite close in age is that "emptying" evolves into just "plumb empty" rather rapidly. And the lesson happens to be the kind that has no way of really preparing yourself for it. So, you can imagine the emotional fallout that prevailed on the September day that the bride and I left the princess to pursue her passions at Carleton College in faraway Minnesota. And the empty quietness that accompanied our drive back, and the eerie hollowness that even yet echoes through the hallways at home. And yet, we are bit by bit adjusting; a gradual loosening of the choke-hold of lonesomeness, longer lapses between the crushing panic of the looming unknown. Like autumn's artistry slowly stippling the bushes with her brilliant hues, we too are heralding the changes life brings, and seeking to create beauty from these frosty times. We revel over each word we receive from her in e-mail--suffering the sometimes two or three days between. And we are buoyed by the adventures she reports of and the festive times she so creatively describes: werewolf hunting with newly acquired friends on full-moon evenings in the 880 acre woods on her campus; an inspiring visit --awash with awesome costumery and other random medieval merriment--to the MN Renaissance Faire in Minneapolis; late night favorite movie viewings with a friend at the brand new campus cinema, apple-picking traditions at a local orchard yielding a half-peck of fresh fruit for dorm-room snacks while attending to homework or laundry in the wee hours; traveling again to the cities to see Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" at the famed Guthrie Theatre; and simply the fascination of meeting many other bright and creative people from all across the country and world. How excited we are for her and the epic experiences she is having!

And we wince with her in her pangs of frustration or confusion as she boldly attempts to master the Russian language, or comprehend the profundities and random heady theories of various linguistic philosophers, or to extrapolate all the subtle motivations behind various cinematic or theatrical roles. Or--outside the classroom--struggles in search of that magic time-balance that allows for maximum fun, admirable academic acuity, and enough sleep to accomplish the other two. She has sprinkled her rigorous schedule with a couple "just for fun" courses as well; she enjoyed learning the partner cha-cha (and several others by now, I'm sure) in her Social Dance P.E. class, and has fun polishing up her vocal music skills at her weekly voice lessons too. Add in work-study hours at the dining hall, and the other mundane (but necessary) worries like laundry, money, keeping track of your room key, and perhaps our procrastinatory collegiate lassie is learning some new life lessons as well. What a remarkable era of growth the college years are; don't you remember?

And in our adjustment to the suddenly-empty rooms, dinner-table, and evening activities, the wondrous bride and I are working on finding balance as well. Some aspects of our daily life have been pleasantly simplified: grilled peppers and onions can be part of most every dinner; deciding on a movie is no longer an hour-long process of choices and eliminations; we get out of bed about 40 minutes before needing to be at work in the morning; far fewer drop-off or pick-up trips across town to the high school or friends' houses. Some moments remain rather rough to handle: sitting alone in church missing the joyful and vibrant voice singing next to me; the occasional third or fourth day with no e-mail assuring that all is well; the compilation of moments she would have particularly enjoyed--Chinese dining, British movie viewing, quirky discussions. . . I am sure you get the point. In all this, we thank God for His promise: "Lo, I am with you always," knowing that He'll continue helping us grow and adjust to the difficult changes and new dynamics of our family life. Thank YOU also for your prayers.

As the seasons evolve--literally and symbolically, let's remember to rest in the promises and providence of our omnipotent and unchanging Lord. In Him alone can we find the assurance to face the changes and challenges of our lives, certain of His grace and guidance through it all. Have a blessed Autumn! Talk to you next week--hopefully!

Novels of Passion: A Family Musical

So, the princess was introduced to the long-running, Sci-Fi, British TV series "Doctor Who" by a friend, and the friend--a Doctor Who fanatic--loaned her the DVD set to watch. Guess who also has become a bit obsessed with the Doctor. Princess and her mom have spent several hours watching one series, and now have the next set checked out from the library. I have caught a few moments of a couple of them--maybe even watched most of one episode or so. It is a clever and compelling time-travel, save-the-world storyline, and some of the characters do endear themselves to you rather quickly. You might imagine, we've had quite a bit of British accent happening about our house of late. Fun times.

Do you know about the National Write a Novel in November idea? Seems it's been going on for a few years, and the challenge is for folks to write an entire novel--at least 50,000 words--during the month of November. Son told me about it when we visited in mid-October, and he was persuading me to give it a try. And, I guess he is doing it--even while keeping up with 18 credits of classes at University. He had figured out how many words per day he needed to write in order to meet his goal, and last I heard, he was keeping up with his plan. He said he knows a few other folks at college who are doing it too. Very cool to be so motivated and challenge yourself in this creative way. I have not reorganized my life to make the time for the endeavor, but maybe someday. . . I do look forward though to reading his finished product come December. The princess has been using the occasion to put extra time in on the novel she's been working on for months too. I don't know how close her book is to completion, but I know it is about 70 single-spaced pages long on the computer. I love it that my kids too have both discovered the powerful magic of the written word.

And music continues to emanate from the family. . . Our Wednesday evening service at church is Vespers, and it includes the "Magnificat" --Mary's Song-- toward the end of the liturgy. Our Pastor has chosen to have the piece sung by a cantor each week, and various young ladies in the church rotate through being the cantor. Last week was the second time it was the princess's turn to sing. It's a very moving "hymn" under any circumstances--powerful words and lovely melody--but it is especially beautiful and goose-bump-inducingly touching for a proud papa listening to the soulful notes flawlessly flow forth in joyful worship from the lips of a dear daughter. Many other kind folks from church thoughtfully complimented her on her "beautiful singing" as well. So, see, it's not all just parental prejudice! Both my lovely ladies are preparing for the Christmas cantata in church choir now too, so I get to partake of lovely previews of that music. Add to that the pieces that the princess is practicing for the high school choir Christmas concert, and consider that her choir director has decided to make it tradition that their "Winter Concert" always include the supremely powerful Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah, and yes--our home these days fairly bursts with joyful choral music. And, here sits one musically-challenged middle-aged man who's NOT complaining one iota.

You heard of the upcoming production of Peter Pan, but hadn't learned of the casting decisions yet. I think the princess is pleased enough to act the role of Mrs. Darling, and also one of the (non-speaking) mermaids. She is certain her hairstyle is what sealed the mermaid part; and is excited that she's been given director's permission to play Mrs. Darling with a British accent. The performances are in mid-January, so she's got plenty of time to perfect it. She has such passion for this craft, so always has a marvelous time.

Well, all turned out well with the Frodo costume. She looked great, and had a super time trick-or-treating with her close cousin for maybe the one last time. He looked "cool" dressed as "Fonzie," and my sister drove them around to all the houses in their very rural neighborhood. We enjoyed dinner and a bit of bonding with the family too. When we got back to Mom and Dad's that night, we watched the Luther movie with my Mom. (Dad had already gone to bed.) Quite fun watching the gripping historical drama in sync with the historical dates. And good to share it with Mom too. Also on the family front, two of the nieces popped by at lunch when we were at the folks; we had dinner with my other sister, her husband and daughter one evening as they were passing through town, and another niece stopped by our house for a cup of tea one afternoon while waiting for her next ride somewhere. Got to visit for a bit with one brother and his friend at my school one afternoon when they came to meet with his son's teachers. Always such a blessing to connect--however briefly--with family. Certainly don't see any of them often enough.

We plan to drive to Bozeman for the weekend to spend a bit of time with the son again, and celebrate the lovely bride's birthday with a bit of family togetherness. May soak in a hot springs on the way--again. Guess they got quite a bit of a snowfall there yesterday, but the highway department's road condition map shows that they should be mostly okay for most of the way. Anyway, as we anticipate the adventures in our lives, we pray all your adventures are blessed and you have many joyful moments to look forward to also. Pray your Thanksgiving is a time of great joyfulness as you gather with family to celebrate and remember with grateful hearts ALL the blessings and providence of our loving Lord. Thanks for listening!

"Speaking of. . . "

So, the princess is excited about dressing up as Frodo for Halloween, and rounded up all the accoutrements for her costume this evening. She'd misplaced the ring for a few days of searching, but joyously discovered it hiding on the top of her dresser tonight. She will joyfully go costumedly to school tomorrow. A bit of a busy week for her; awesomely uplifting choir concert on Monday night--lots of sacred choral pieces and a "packed house" audience. Had to give up the seats that were going to be used by the choirs not on stage. The princess certainly thrills in singing, so it is wonderful watching her having so much fun, and singing so beautifully. Having worked in the school systems for so many years, I also know a good many of the other kids in the choirs --so I have LOTS of kids to be proud of. Haven't made it through a performance yet in the past three years without teary eyes; just witnessing these kids--some that I've known since tiny grade-schoolers, others that I know to struggle so hard in academic realms--experience such joyous success in the performance hall gets me every time. Oh, the dramas of being an emotionally connected kid-loving educator! Praise God for my job and the opportunities to be a, hopefully, positive part of so many kids' lives.

On Tuesday, she had an Art Society gathering after school, and needed to return a bit later to take pictures at the volleyball games for Yearbook staff. Was quite late getting home and then had a time-consuming History project to complete afterwards. The church choir took part in the Service on Wednesday evening, so she participated there too. Tonight, she and Mom needed to do a "shop" run to seek out the remaining necessities for her Frodo costume. (I gladly stayed home to prepare dinner--and we even ate before 8:00--wow!) Doesn't it sound so exhausting to be so passionate about so many things? And speaking of the princess's passions, the play that her Acting 4 class will perform and the student director were elected recently as well. She is excited that they will perform "Peter Pan" in January, and a fellow theatrically passionate friend that she roomed with on the Shakespeare Festival trip was elected as the director. I expect they will have auditions for roles next week; she is thinking the role of Captain Hook sounds like fun. And she was also "pumped" about getting to read the part of Hermia when they read "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in Shakespeare class next.

So, yeah-- we had majorly "empty nest" for most of a week about a month ago when the darling daughter flew off with 11 other students and a handful of teachers from their high school to Ashland, Oregon to experience the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. They saw seven plays and had other workshops and tours as well. All of them reported having an "awesome" time. We were so happy for her that she got to go! It was her first time being away from home for that long, but she was so busy with such fun stuff that it didn't matter to her. For we parents however, it was different. Our house was deafeningly quiet; I'd never heard the variances of the tick-tocks of the several clocks in our house before. We went to the movie theater on a weeknight, ate Mexican food, went to bed earlier, and I even took a day off work on the Friday and we took a drive to soak in a hot springs and had a very tasty Thai dinner on the way home. I guess it was a preparatory glimpse of times for us a few years hence when both kids will be away to college. While we had enjoyable moments together, I will GLADLY wait patiently for the real empty nest. And, even then, I know it will arrive WAY too quickly.

We got a chance to remedy the effects of our "empty nest-ness" a couple weekends ago though. Montana public schools always schedule two PIR days in mid-October for state-wide teacher seminars, so there's no school for students. We always take advantage of the schedule and plan to do something out of town. Guess where we decided to go this year? Yes, we went to Bozeman where the son is at university and spent a couple days with him. It was good. We didn't do anything remarkably unusual, just spent the nights in a hotel room with a kitchen and made a couple of son's favorite dinners, went to the city library, soaked at the nearby hot springs one afternoon, took him shopping for things he needed, and attended church with him on Sunday. Just nice to relax and hang out together as a family. It seemed like the son enjoyed having us there for a bit as a change of pace. He stayed in the hotel room with us both nights, and we had a good time visiting. He is enjoying college life, I think. He stays busy studying for Japanese class, and hanging out with kids from the "Japan Club." He made sushi for them at a gathering this past week, I think. Also, he plays ping-pong with a friend from high school frequently, and plays chess at "chess club" each week too. Academics continue to go well for him; he reports of getting A's on most tests and quizzes when we inquire. He will most likely be home for Thanksgiving, as they "close" campus for the five day weekend, and you need to pay extra if you stay around. We're thinking he'll get a ride home with one of his friends there who's from here too. It'll be good to see him again. We do connect with him fairly often via Instant Message through Google or Yahoo, but it has been far less often the past couple weeks. He's been busy studying for tests and such, so not on-line much when we check. It certainly takes some getting used to, not knowing specifically what is going-on with your kid on a daily basis, after 18+ years of making it top business of the day. I'm sure God has valuable lessons for all of us in this "growing-up" process.

And speaking of growing-up, the daughter attended her homecoming dance a couple weekends ago. She loves to dance, so she always reports having a great time, and it's always fun to hang out with friends as well. She was excited to report dancing two consecutive songs with the boy she most likes to focus on for now--a foreign exchange student from the Czech Republic. But, the cool part of the story from the parental perspective is that she chose to wear a very charming "vintage" dress that had been her Mom's from her high school days. The "classic" dress, in fact, was handmade for the beautiful bride by her Mom for some high-school festivity 35-ish years ago. The dress fit the princess remarkably well and she looked lovely. (You are used to my purely parental-prejudice-free remarks, right?) It was "emotional" seeing her traipse happily off to her high school rapt with teenage enthusiasm, and wrapped in the love and memories of a dear grandmother and dedicated Mom.

Well, my presence is being requested now to assist with figuring out Hobbit Feet. So, guess I'll cease my "eventide ramblings" for now. Blessed Reformation Day to all. Celebrate the Truth! And we'll connect again soon.

Weather, Wisdom and Wonder

Our autumn days seemed to suddenly slide into almost-winter days here this week. Today, very wet lazy snowflakes drifted about in varying degrees of seriousness, exciting the school kids so distractedly witnessing it through the classroom window, but in the final analysis, it never stuck; just provided some nice, needed moisture. Where is "October's Bright Blue Weather?" I ask. I like the colorful, clear, cool days with crisp azure skies. Colorful foliage does decorate here and there, but winter's white strokes reach way down the mountainsides too. Guess I'll thank God for his beautiful and perfect creative artistry and seasonal wisdom and leave it at that.

Have I ever mentioned that I have lots of relatives? A couple Sundays ago, a distant cousin had organized an informal gathering of relatives, all descendants of my maternal, maternal, maternal great-great grandparents. We met at a local restaurant a few minutes from my house. There were probably 30-40 folks who stopped by in the couple of hours that I was there. I knew the most closely related ones--and had great fun visiting with some first cousins and some aunts that I hadn't talked to in quite awhile, not to mention my sister that I certainly do not see often enough. Once in awhile, someone from the other side of the room would wander into our corner and introduce themselves and we'd all discuss the familial connection. There still were plenty of folks that I didn't meet or talk to, but here's the compelling part. I was sitting enjoying the company of my "closely-related" kin when I notice this very sweet woman that I have worked with at school for the past six years walk by. I asked my great-aunt, "Is she a relative?" And, surprise! Yes, she is. When she came back in the room, she stopped, rested her arm on my great-aunt's shoulders and, equally as surprised as I, she explained her place in the family at-large. Turns out that her mom and my grandmother are first cousins. Adding to the story, her daughter also works at our school in the office, so she (the daughter) and I are straight-across third cousins. Let's add another generation; my nephew attends our school too, as does the office cousin's son. Fact is, these fourth cousins are in the same 6th grade homeroom. Very cool, I think. Some 130 years of family history sitting just a few desks apart from each other in these two charming young men. Their great-great-grandmas are sisters, and they both share the same set of great-great-great-grandparents. Wow! What a wondrous miracle God's gift of family is!

Late. Have more to share, but will save for another time. Blessings on your day, week. Hope to "talk" to you again soon.