The day after Christmas we took off for Arkansas to visit family for five days (half of it spent driving, but it was worth it). Then we got home and everybody promptly got sick.
Samantha got a stomach bug. Then Jack. Then Jamie. I never got that but I lost my voice and had a sinus thing going on. I think we're just about well now!
The main purpose of the trip was to visit my grandparents as they were having a double-celebration -- their 60th anniversary (!) and his 80th birthday (!).
All four of my grandparents are still alive and healthy, which is a huge blessing. And of course, we have nicknames for all four. Birthday boy is known humbly as "Great" since he's one of the great-grandfathers.
He is the one I get my sense of humor from, which was mentioned here when I wrote short profiles of all four grandparents. His wit was on display again this summer during our summer vacation. Here was one of our short conversations on the deck of the lakehouse:
Great: Well Buck (his nickname for me), you've got two kids, are you stopping there? Can't you have more?
Me: We can, sure... but we're just not there yet.
Great: Hmm...
Me: We haven't closed the door on it or anything, at least not biologically. So we'll just see.
Great: Your grandmother and I are the same. We haven't ruled it out yet for us either.
Hey, he was only 79 at the time. It could've happened.
We also visited with my parents, my aunt and uncle and cousins, and even got to spend two days with my brother's family before coming home. The link has pics from that trip, including my shredding session on Guitar Hero with my brother. We could play that for hours!
My uncle specifically asked me to blog something lighter and funnier once in a while, so I'm gonna post some lists later this week:
1) My favorite gravelly-voiced rockers (broken down into two sub-categories... I'm white and nerdy like that)
2) My favorite DVD viewings from 2008
See ya!
Psalm 81
10 hours ago
6 comments:
Lookin' forward to the DVD list...
you are so fortunate to have all your grandparents with you. It takes a village, when you have your own kids...
Glad your holidays were good ones!
quid
Hi! Welcome Back! Glad you had a great time and hope you are all feeling better.
While you were away I wrote a response to your post "My Brain Needs an Enema".
This is part of what I wrote:
So often you express in words exactly what I've been dwelling on.
Anyway, my question is, you know how you wrote: "my evolved understanding of grace, and how it's changed my life and changed what I see as the Christian mission."
What do you think is the Christian mission now?
Thanks.
Julia
PS Sorry to call myself Anonymous but I don't know how to give myself a name on here.
Oh Buck - 'Great' made me laugh out loud. After Tim and I got married (we were both 41)the kids were hugely interested in whether there would be another baby. I said, "Well, we've decided to hold off until we see how the five of you turn out. If you turn out to be fine and reasonable adults, well, we might just consider another one." About a week later, one of them did some math, and said, "But you both will be old when we are grown up." And Tim and I looked at each other in mock dismay as if that thought had never occured to either of us.
Julia,
Your question is excellent and I've considered making the answer a whole post sometime.
Until then, here's my short version:
I believe the Christian mission is to spread the good news that we are all loved, accepted and free to live up to our most amazing and beautiful potential. That we are all made of the same stuff, have the same goals, and struggle with the same challenges. That, in the end, we are one, and that this whole universe thing is headed somewhere unimaginably good.
I'm glad my writings have connected with you. Grace and peace!
--Michael
Enjoyed linking to the earlier piece about your grandparents. I lived in Little Rock 17 years so I might have seen the paternal ones sometime - ha. You are fortunate (blessed) to still have them with you and that they are getting to know your children.
We ALL SO APPRECIATE you & Jamie TAKING THE TIME & EFFORTS to COME to AR for the BIG 'COMBO' PARTY for Great & Nonni!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ya'll ADDED A LOT & Jamie helped a BUNCH getting it all DECORATED!!!!!
Have you seen the pictures, yet? That one of Samantha eating chocolate cake is just PRECIOUS!!!!
OH, and SO SORRY ya'll were SICK once you got home--I almost lost my voice, too & had a sinus/allergy 'thing' going on for a while--just NOW getting OVER IT--I thought maybe it from staying in their SPA TOO LONG???? What do you think? Is that possible??!!!!!
SURE WAS GREAT TO SEE YA'LL, AGAIN!
I talked with AJ just yesterday about the possibility of US coming down for the Rodeo--so, we'll KEEP THAT IN MIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THANKS FOR YOUR BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOVE YA'LL BUNCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mom
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