Don't know what made me think of this.
I noticed when we visited Debbie that her kids (even her oldest daughter in her 20's) call her "mama". I thought that was so sweet. Around here, the name "mama" is typically only used by very young children. Then the normal name is "mommy" or "mom".
My own kids call me "mum". When they were little, they used to call me "mummy" - Brent still calls me "mummy". It's so sweet, he doesn't even realize he still calls me that. He'd probably be embarassed if I pointed it out to him.
"Mum" or "mummy" is not commonly used around here though. I got it from my own mom (mum!) who has a British/Scottish background.
What do your kids call you?
You know what that means...
Time to break out the No, No, November!!
I like to travel, you know it.
Every now and then I just get this urge to get out of here and go on an adventure. This must be what Bilbo felt like.
Since I don't have Bilbo's riches at my disposal, I have become the diva of travelling on the cheap.
I know where all the cheap hotels (preferably with free breakfast) are in Niagara Falls, thank you very much. And quite a few along I-95, too.
I noticed the other day that I am getting dangerously low on Jimmy Dean sausage. I think a trip to Buffalo is in order...
What else is there of interest in Buffalo, you ask? Oh, not much. Except pizza, wings, Bills football and, oh yeah, Galen and Jenny's NEW BABY GIRL!!
Since an invitation to visit and meet said baby has not been forthcoming, I guess I'm just going to have to invite myself *grin*
(Yes, Galen. I AM ribbing you. Maybe. Heh heh)
Trying to find a date that works for our clan can be difficult, but I'm up to the challenge!
Sheesh. Been almost 2 weeks since I last posted.
I'm seeing these "Blogging without obligation" buttons around on some blogs. You know what? I feel absolutely NO obligation whatsoever about where/when/how I blog. Seriously. I don't even feel obligated to TELL people that I don't feel obligated. I guess I just did. Tell, I mean. But I didn't feel obligated to do so, *grin*.
Sara and Sue and I have been going back and forth about what people blog about and what motivates them to do so. I have come to the realization that I mentally make assumptions about what motivates people to blog about what they blog about. Sometimes the motivation is obvious - the blogger states up front what they blog about and why. Other times they don't say and I'm left to fill in the blanks. Probably shouldn't be doing that though.
I suppose people probably wonder why I call my blog "Ask a Lutheran" and then I blog about my husband going fishing, or me doing laundry at the laundromat or just about anything that is NOT specifically related to being Lutheran. I really couldn't tell you why either. I just blog what I feel like.
Some of the blogs I read are so well written I wonder why they aren't writing professionally. But to be honest with you, I much prefer the blogs that are written by the everday writers who write about their everyday lives. Sometimes what they blog about is mundane. Sometimes it is profound.
Posts about "Lutheran stuff" take me the longest. I want to be sure that I precisely relate the confessional Lutheran position. Often I have to stop and pull out the Bible, my catechism and the Book of Concord to make sure that what I'm writing is accurate. Sometimes I draft, and edit and agonize over the choice of a single word. I really do take it seriously - but it is a lot of work.
The fluffy stuff that I write is so much simpler. I sit down and type. It comes out. Does anybody care about this stuff? Is the blogosphere a better place because of it? I struggle with this. I feel like if I am not writing something deep and profound (or at least informative) then it's just so much wasted bandwidth.
Today I was listening to an episode of Issues, Etc. It was an older episode about "Vocation: God's Will For Your Life" and as I listened to them talk about vocation being that which God has given us to do, for the good of our Neighbour, in service to Him, I made a connection to blogging. They used the phrase "ordinary life, for ordinary saints". The premise is that we serve our Lord when we go about our daily lives; we don't have to be doing "super-holy" works to be serving Him. Ack. I'm not explaining this well at all. Listen to the episode here if you like. (In fact, listen to any of the episodes. Its realy good stuff.)
Anyways, I've concluded that this is can be an ordinary blog about ordinary things. And there's nothing wrong with that. If I happen to blog about something explicitly Lutheran, I'm doing it because I AM Lutheran. Not because I have a special call to write super-holy stuff about Lutheranism.
Huh. I guess maybe I do feel a little bit obligated after all.
I am outside on the back porch listening to it rain. Its coming down pretty steady. Ever since I've been little I have liked to be out under shelter while its raining. I don't know what it is exactly but there is something about it that makes me feel cozy and safe.
Its been storming for a couple of hours now. We had some real scary winds earlier as well as thunder and lightening but its just raining now. We are still under a severe thunderstorm/tornado warning though I think the worst is over. For now it is cool and less humid out - a welcome respite.
I have the lights down low so as not to attract insects here where I am sitting. There's a couple of big, hairy moths (shudder!) hanging around the door, attracted to the light inside I suppose.
I'm just about ready to head up to bed. Don't laugh (Sara!). I don't actually go to sleep this early. It takes me a few minutes to get my jamas on and brush my teeth etc. Then I either read my bible (currently reading Acts - in my NKJV study bible) or sometimes I read commentary material. Or, if I'm in the middle of a particularly good novel I read that *grin* but - try not to do that too often. I like reading the bible, but its also a habit...a discipline if you will - and one I'm thankful for so I try to nurture it and not let something else replace it.
Anyways, I read for about half an hour and then I fluff up my pillows, put my earplugs in, turn out the lights ans lie down to pray. Now THAT is a bad habit that I wish I hadn't developed because I often drift off to sleep while I am in prayer! (But I must admit that the reason that I find it a hard habit to break is that I find it peaceful falling asleep while praying. My thoughts are serene, focussed on God's goodness and mercy and off I go...)
Well, speaking of which, its time I headed up. The cat is meowing loudly at me to let me know that its past bedtime. I am not the only creature of habit around here! G'night, all.
Thursday's Child tagged me for this probably a week ago. I'm really awful for remembering when I've been tagged and sure enough I forgot about this one until I saw another blogger who remembered and it reminded me.
What was I doing ten years ago?
Oh my. Why do they have to ask the hard question first? Hmm. Ten years ago was 1998, so I was at home with the kids. It would have just been Alli at home with me for half days because she would have been in kindergarten. The boys would have been in school all day. I remember I listened to a lot of talk radio during that time, Dr. Laura in particular. I didn't know about Issues back then. *grin*
5 Things on my to-do list:
#1 Call the repairman to fix the washing machine
#2 Take Alli to get her Social Insurance Number
#3 Menu planning and grocery shopping
#4 Take a few loads of laundry to the laundromat
#5 Clean the pool, then swim
What would I do if I were a billionaire?
Well, honestly, the first thing I would probably do is move. Or at least, I'd buy a second home somewhere warm and live there for the winter. I'm leaning towards North Carolina. I have really fallen in love with it! It's really a beautiful state. (Plus they have the coolest accent there. And, of course, Debbie and her family are there! )
Places I have lived:
I have only ever lived in Kitchener-Waterloo. First with my parents, then with my husband. I've never lived on my own though.
Jobs I've Had:
I've worked as a restaurant manager at Burger King, Pizza Hut, my in-law's restaurant and finally I bought my own place, called "Betty...Pick Up!" My best friend and I bought it together and we named it after an episode of Laverne and Shirley where the girls go work in a diner. Shirley is waitressing and Laverne is short-ordering and every time Laverne puts an order up, she calls out "Betty, pick up!" to Shirley, which of course drives Shirley nuts. I'll let you guess whether I was Laverne or Shirley.)
I've done temp work as a secretary/receptionist etc.
I've worked in the QA department at NCR, testing the software and hardware in bank machines. Not ATMs but the big, long cheque readers/sorters that they use in the bank clearing houses.
Later I worked for a company that wrote the software for those bank machines, but it was utterly coincidental. I didn't even know that's what they did until after I got the job. I was hired as an administrative assistant, but because I had experience in QA, they let me help with that sometimes too.
Now I work for an IT services company. I was hired to do admin, but because I've been around the tech industry for a while I've been able to help out in a (limited) tech support capacity too. Now I administer our antispam/mail hosting service and I handle all the software licensing issues. It's been interesting to learn how to do all that stuff. When you work for a small company you tend to wear a lot of hats, which I like. Most of all though, I consider my primary function to be making my boss's life easier.
6 people I'm tagging:
Oh, I don't know...would you be mad if I copped out and made it an open tag? I hate putting people on the spot...
If you are a cow lover (and let's be honest, who isn't?) then tomorrow your big day.
It just so happens that tomorrow, Friday July 11th, is Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A. And no one is more excited about it than Family Murphy.
The Murphy clan will be enthusiastic partipants tomorrow: dressing like cows; getting free chicken. Free chicken, people!
Alas, there are no Chick-Fil-A's in Canada so no free chicken for me. However, I will be with you in spirit, embracing my inner cow.
If you should have a hankering for chicken tomorrow (or just a hankering to dress up like a cow), then be a sport and get some pics, ok? And if you were inclined to share those pics on your blog, well then be sure to stop by the Family Murphy blog and and add your post to the Mr. Linky you'll find there. I'm hoping for lots of pictures, personally.
Now, I don't know if you guys have this in the US, but in Canada, tomorrow is Free Slurpee Day at 7-11. (On July 11, get it?) They're giving away 1000 Slurpees at each store. Plus, you don't have to dress up like a cow to get one. Free Slurpees, people!
Since we DO have 7-11 around here, tomorrow free sweet Slurpee goodness shall be mine! If we had a Chick-Fil-A around here, I could hit them both on the way home from work and I wouldn't have to do anything for dinner. That would be really sweet.
Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?
On June 22 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Depew, NY, Galen Michael Purpura Jr. was ordained into the Holy Ministry. "Vicar Galen" is now Pastor Purpura.
Have you ever been to an ordination? It is a powerful, wonderful thing to witness: the Lord of the Church placing his called servant into the office of the ministry. Jesus was given all authority in heaven and on earth. It was by this authority that he called and ordained the first apostles, and it is by this authority that he continues, through the means of his church, to call and ordain pastors who are to preach the word and administer the sacraments. When Jesus ordained his apostles, he breathed on them and they received from him the Holy Spirit and the authority to act by his command and in his stead. Today Jesus confers his authority to his called servants through the church. The laying on of hands by ordained ministers during the ordination signifies this. Jesus' authority does not, as some suppose, pass on "from" or "through" one minister to another. The authority that Jesus confers comes from Jesus. It's his authority - only he can confer it. Therefore, Galen's call to St. John's Lutheran Church as Associate Pastor is no human thing; it is a divine call.
Galen didn't just wake up one morning and decide to become a pastor. In fact, he'll tell you that, like Jonah, he resisted God's call for a while *smile*. I don't even think it's accurate to say that he - or any called servant for that matter - "decides" to be a pastor. Pastors are called and a call to the holy ministry is from the Lord of the Church, Jesus himself. He extends that call to his chosen servant (who may recognize it as an "inner call") and then he confirms it through the Church.
I look at that table of duties and the obligations that are laid upon a pastor and I really can't blame him for wanting to resist. Being a pastor is serious business. Peoples souls are at stake. Gulp. Who wouldn't be intimidated by such a prospect?
But Galen doesn't go into this alone.
First and foremost, he is accompanied by the Holy Spirit:
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil. 1:6
[You] through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation. 1Peter 1:5
...the word of God which is at work in you who believe. 1 Thess. 2:13
Second, he is being held up in prayer by his congregation (and by his friends and family):
Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests .... Always keep on praying for all the saints Eph 6:18
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel Eph. 6:19
Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. 2 Thess 3:1
I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Romans 15:30
I pray that now at last by God's will, the way may be opened for me to come to you. Romans 1:10
Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. Hebrews 13:18
And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ... Col 4:3
Third, God has given him a helpmeet:
And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Gen. 2:18
He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22
When Galen was our vicar last year I witnessed first hand the qualities that God gifted him with that will serve him well as a pastor. He has an engaging, affable way about him - you can tell he genuinely LIKES working with God's people. He demonstrated real care and concern for our parish members, the youth and the elderly in particular. He's solidly confessional and he can preach. Boy can he preach!
Galen, if you’re reading this, I'm not trying to suck up. *grin* We love you and we're proud of you...and humbled too, to have been a part of the process that God used to confirm your call. Thank you Galen and Jenny for being obedient to the Lord and serving his church as his called servant.
Oh my goodness! I am so excited! Also, a little bit guilt-ridden.
A Soldier's Wife was having a giveaway contest for one of two brand-spanking new Bibles...and I won!! I won a new Bible, and not just any Bible, but this Bible.
That's a nice Bible, folks.
I feel a bit bad though too, because I meant to put up a link to her contest, partly to give her some linky-love and partly so that my friends could go and enter the contest too. No, really. I meant to. But, I never got around to it. (Actually, I haven't blogged much at all this month...)
Anyway, I want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Yippee!!
One of the real blessings of blogging is I've gotten to "meet" Lutherans from other parts of the world that I probably would not have met otherwise. If you read here, you have likely seen Beth and Sue around from time to time. The Lutheran Church Canada is a relatively small church body so you kind of get to "know" a lot of the pastors, or at least their names. So it was kind of neat to find blogs for Pastor Alex Klages and his wife Kelly. Pastor Klages is Canadian and his lovely wife is American; Pastor Klages shepherds two parishes in Manitoba. Two real treasures that I stumbled across are the blogs of Pastor William Weedon (Weedon's Blog) and Pastor William Cwirla (Rev. Cwirla's Blogosphere). These two guys are among the finest preachers I have ever heard.
This is probably bad blogging etiquette, but I've cut and paste a sermon that Pastor Weedon had posted on his blog. I think it is an outstanding sermon in and of itself, but I picked it because it is a good example of a typical Lutheran sermon. If you are not well acquainted with Lutheran preaching, it is probably different than what you are used to. Lutheran sermons are all about preaching the Gospel. They are all about what God has done, and continues to do, for us. They're not about "right living" or "Christian precepts" or what we "do" for God. You might hear about how we ought to live in light of the Gospel, but the focus is firmly on what God has done for us through Christ.
The Bible is all about Jesus, from beginning to end and the purpose of the Bible is to reveal Christ to us. It's not surprising then, that our servants of the Word, in accordance with Paul's instruction to Timothy, preach the Word; that is, Christ crucified.
Anyways, here's the sermon...enjoy!
Homily for Trinity 2 (2008)
[Proverbs 9:1-10 / 1 John 3:13-18 / Luke 14:15-24]
Today I read two posts - written by two of my dear friends - that pricked my conscience. The first was by Kari, here, and the second was by Beth, here.
Kari has written a number of times recently about the cyclone that has devastated Burma and taken so many lives. Today she wonders (and rightly so) why so many of her fellow bloggers (me included) have touched on the recent tragedy in the Chapman family, yet so few have found time to spare a few words for those whose lives have been devasted in Burma and China.
Ouch.
Kari's post convicted me: it matters what you write about.
For the most part, this blog is a "friendship vehicle". I've never really had a single purpose for blogging and my posts reflect that. I post pretty much whatever strikes my fancy. And I guess there's nothing wrong with that per se...except, the blog IS named Ask A Lutheran after all. Most people, when I tell them what my blog is called, assume that it is a Lutheran apologetics blog. And truthfully, I did have the intention, when I first started blogging here, to do more of it. Apologetics that is.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't regret a single moment that I have spent blogging about family matters and what's going on in our lives. That's the friendship part of the blog - it's how we got to know one another and became friends, and my friendships here are worth nurturing.
But there's been some fluff too, stuff that is neither apologetics or friendship related; stuff that I used as filler when I had nothing better to say. As if you come here to be entertained or something. Shame on me for thinking so. I ought to value your time more. Of all the millions of blogs there are out there to read, you choose to come here day after day. The least I can do is have something worthwhile for you to read when you get here. Something that nurtures our relationship. Or maybe something that makes you think.
Which brings me to the second post; Beth's. Ironically, Beth's post is also about the Chapman tragedy, but Beth's post convicted me in an entirely different way.
What I took away from her: it matters what you believe.
Now poor Beth. She's gonna think I'm picking on her. *smile* I recently posted a long apologetics piece in response to a question that she had for me about the role of man's will in salvation. I have known for a long time that I, as a confessional Lutheran, have a markedly different understanding of some key Christian doctrines than, well, most of my friends and readers. That post addressed to Beth, a true apologetics piece if ever I've written one, clearly defines one of those differences. And I have to tell you, it was hard for me to write so openly in seeming opposition to a friend. I worry, you see, that I may cause offense, or even confusion to others. And frankly, I just don't want to get into an argument with a friend!
What stuck a chord with me today in Beth's post was this line: "this man's music brought me back to Christ." When I read that I drew in my breath sharply. "No Beth," I thought to myself, "the Holy Spirit brought you back to Christ - if indeed you ever were truly away from Him."
Now, I know Beth well enough to know that what she probably meant was, "the Holy Spirit used this man's music to renew my joy in the Lord" or something similar. I KNOW she doesn't believe that mere music has the power to convert the unbeliever. That's not what she meant...it just came out that way. Christian shorthand, if you will. But it got me to thinking about how many Christians have no problem believing that the Spirit can work through means like music (or even the blog posts of others) to effect a response in us, but can't believe that the same Spirit can work through means like simple water and bread and wine to effect salvation in us. (And that folks, is another apologetics piece all its own...)
It matters what I write about, and it matters what I believe. What I write about is always going to be influenced by what I believe. And what I believe should be reflected in what I write. I am a Christian, yes, but I am a Lutheran Christian and I truly believe that Lutherans have unique perspective among Christians, one that is rich and profound, centred not on the works of man, but on the completed work of Christ.
I love sharing this perspective. I hope that it enriches you when I do.
I'm sorry everyone. I do not have a meatball recipe to share. I make them different every time.
Lutherans believe that God has established the office of the public ministry (ie. the pastoral office, referred to in Scripture as "shepherd", "overseer" or "elder") for the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel and administering the sacraments in accordance with the Gospel. For Lutherans there is but ONE ministry and that is the public ministry - the ministry of Word and Sacrament, carried out through a called and ordained servant. There are other kinds of service to be sure, but the pastoral office is unique.
Lutherans refer to the entry into the public ministry as the Divine Call. Not just anyone can be called to the pastoral office. An individual may feel he has an "inner call" to ministry, but to be called to the public ministry, that "call" should be confirmed by the church (as in Acts). Lutherans adhere to the qualifications for pastors that are set forth in the letters to Timothy and Titus. As well, for the sake of order and the preservation of correct teaching, Lutherans require their pastors to be prepared for ministry with specialized knowledge of the Bible and theology. Specialized training most often occurs through a Lutheran seminary, although some provisions are made for alternate training and education in extraordinary circumstances.
When a candidate for ministry has completed his seminary education, he is eligible to be called by a congregation to serve as their pastor. Usually a congregation in need of a pastor will directly call a pastor from the list of rostered (ie. eligible) pastors, but in the case of first time candidates the Council of Presidents "call" on behalf of the congregations and work with the seminary to place a suitable candidate with a congregation. It is NOT a process of applying and interviewing for a "position", but neither is it a bureacratic assignment process either. The process of placing candidate in their first congregaton can take months, and is done with much prayer and reliance on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
This Saturday at Grace Lutheran Church, St. Catharines, our dear friend (and former vicar) Galen Purpura will receive his first call. We will be travelling to St. Catherines to be there for the service. I am tremendously excited about it, but at the same time very humbled to be able to witness the Lord of the Church calling and placing His servant. It is a truly awesome thing.
We will also learn this weekend who our new vicar will be! We don't know if he is coming from the St. Catharines seminary or the Edmonton seminary. If he is coming from St. Catharines we will meet him on Saturday. We have plans to drive down and attend the service with our current vicar and his wife, Scott and Linnea Lyons. I think it would be so cool if we could meet our new vicar and have past, present and future vicars all together!
I have been working on this on and off for over a week now! I'm a little busier than normal - both at home and at work - right now. I'm working an extra hours a day for a couple of weeks while my boss is on vacation and coupled with doctors appointments, last minute income tax forms and a couple of family birthdays, I've been run off my feet. But I am determined to get this finished and posted tonight! So, without further ado...
...we left Thursday evening a little later than we originally planned, but the traffic was light and crossing the border was a breeze so we soon caught up and were back on schedule. We still had sunlight almost into Pennsylvania and we marvelled at how much greener everything was just a few hours south.
We drove until we hit Morgantown, just into Virginia and then stopped for the night. I slept really well and woke up early. A quick shower and quicker breakfast and we were back on the road. It was warm enough to drive with the windows down and we did! We saw all these lovely trees with pink blooms - I think they were crabapple but I'm not positive. Again we made really good time and didn't have to drive hard. It was a nice, relaxing drive and we saw a lot of pretty country.
We made it into town around 5 and I called Debbie's place; her husband gave me directions over the phone to the hotel. They picked out a really comfortable hotel for us to stay in and it was handy to everything too. I should say here that I don't want to say precisely where we were, just to protect Debbie's safety. I also don't ever recall her referring to her husband by name on her blog, so I am just going to call him "Junior". Bwaaaaahaaahaaa! That's a bit of an inside joke. Actually, that's what my husband has taken to calling him. Either that or "my brother". 'Cause they could be you know. Brothers, that is. They might be even more alike than Debbie and I (more on that later).
Oh, also, I am going to let Debbie post the pictures. I didn't have a camera with me (ours croaked a few weeks ago). But I will do my best to paint a picture with words.
Ok, so for dinner Friday night we went to Olive Garden at my request. We don't have Olive Garden here, so it's been about 15 years (or maybe more...) since I've been but it was as good as I remember. I had spaghetti and meatballs, which Debbie admitted she didn't really care for. Hmmmm.....a hint of things to come?
After dinner we went back to Debbie's house. They live kind of out in the country. Not too far out of town, but far enough that you feel like you are away from it all. They have a HUGE yard in front and in back! Debbie has a porch that runs all along the length of the front of the house - I could imagine us sitting out there and rocking. But it was getting dark so we went inside to visit for a while. Poor Junior was really tired because he had worked the night before and only had a few hours sleep. But we still had a nice long visit. Caleb had a friend over so we didn't see too much of him and Nathan wouldn't look at us at all! What a little lamby he is. If he came into the room for something, he covered his eyes the whole time he was in there. But he seemed to like the hockey stick I brought for him. And the Smarties (Canadian m&m's)! Amanda came out to greet me with a big hug. I really, really like that girl. *grin*
Since we were going to the beach the next day, we made it an early night (early for Debbie that is! That girl is a night owl! but waaaay past my normal bedtime. Another difference.....hmmmmm......)
We met up again the next morning and headed off to Holden Beach. On the drive there, Junior was a good tour guide, pointing out to us different places of interest along the way. At the beach, Ken and I acted like tourists and took off our shoes to get our feet in the water. It was SOOO cold!! I stuck my toe in and that was enough for me. I couldn't believe that people were actually swimming in it. It was a nice calm day and the tide was out, so we wandered up the beach and picked up interesting shells as we went. At one point Debbie and I both spotted what appeared to be a curly little Auger shell but it turned out to be bird poop (cleverly disguised as an auger shell). For some reason Debbie and I thought this was hysterical so Debbie took a picture of it.
After a while we went back and looked at all the beach houses. They are really something to see. They are all up off the ground on stilts incase the surf comes up during a storm. We took a peek inside a couple of units and I could definitely see myself vacationing in one of them (but I'd probably have to win the lottery to afford the rental fees!) They were definitely out of our price range.
Around lunch time we headed over to a little town called Shallotte where Debbie took me for my first visit ever to Bath and Body Works. Hoo boy! What a place that is! It smells sooooo good in there. It was here that Debbie and I began to suspect that we might not be long lost sisters after all (wink). Debbie took me around the store, pointing out the scents that she likes but I didn't really care for any of them! We tried about 10 without success. Then finally I found the fruity smelling products, which I like...but Debbie doesn't! They were having a sale, so I chose some Vanilla Raspberry scented body cream and some Mandarin Mango. Nice stuff! While we were shopping, the boys went over to Wal-mart and poked around. Then we met up and stopped for lunch at a little place called The Purple Onion. Debbie and I both opted for a really nice California salad, which was very good except for the house dressing that it came with. It was supposed to be poppyseed, but it was more like cream of raw onion. EWWWW! We swapped it out for a homemade raspbery vinaigrette which was out of this world. I would have drank that stuff.
Anyways, we got back on the road and headed down to Myrtle Beach!! Junior had been hinting all day long at a surprise he had for us that evening. Debbie guessed what it was, but I had no idea. Finally, he had pity on me and revealed that we had tickets to see The Carolina Opry! I didn't know what it was going to be like but I thought it would be a country show (a la the Grand 'Ole Opry) but it was more like a variety show. There were some really funny parts and some really talented singers. My favourite part of the show was when they did the old Ike and Tina song "River Deep, Mountain High" - but they did it like Celine Dion does it! (Who, you know, I like just a teeny bit.) During the intermission they had some commercials for one of their other shows called "Good Vibrations". Debbie had already seen it. "I didn't really like it," she said. "So you'd probably love it!" (She's right, I probably would!) So now we are operating on the principle of If-Debbie-likes-it-Anita-doesn't and vice-versa. She cracks me up!
After the show we hightailed it over to Cracker Barrel for a late dinner. I serenaded everyone with my best rendition of Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man". I must have been really good. People were staring. Debbie and Junior had a bet for a foot rub over where our server was from - she had an accent which Debbie correctly identified as being from...oh shoot, I forget where now. I couldn't hear anything different, but Debbie and Junior knew she wasn't local.
Before we left we browsed through the store a bit and Debbie found me a sign that said: ASAP - As Southern As Possible. So of course we got a picture of me with it!
Then we headed back to the hotel for the night. At the beginning of our drive to the coast, Junior told me if I saw anything I wanted to stop for, just let him know. So when I saw the Krispy Kreme with the red light on I told him to PULL OVER NOW!!! I was really tired but I still ate 2 donuts. When we got back to the hotel I got right into bed and Ken decided to go down to the pop machine to get a drink. I asked him if he would mind getting me a Coke Zero. Well, the machine on our floor was empty, so he went off in search of a machine that had Coke Zero. He had to check 2 more floors before he found one. When he got back to the room he found that I had (of course) already fallen asleep! He's a good man.
The next morning we had to head back already. We weren't really sure where there was a church so we missed going to church, bummer. Before heading back to Debbie's place we went to Calabash where we visited the coolest Christmas store I have ever seen! Do you know there are people who will pay hundreds of dollars for one teeny weeny Christmas ornament?? People! That's ridiculous! But there was a lot of really neat stuff that I had never seen before. Debbie and I poked around in the shops until our men dragged us out of there. Then we went to a restaurant called Ella's and ate seafood! Mmmmm....
We made a quick stop to Wal-mart on our way back where I picked up a few groceries that we can't get in Canada and then began the drive back to Debbie's. At some point I noticed a Piggly Wiggly store and I wanted to get a picture of the sign so Junior pulled over and took a few pics of it for me. For some reason the name Piggly Wiggly cracks me up and I've always wanted to have a picture of it. Small things amuse me, I know. As we drove back Debbie and I killed ourselves laughing as we tried to take pictures of ourselves. Those pictures were so terrible they were hilarious! I nearly peed my pants laughing over them. We were wiping away tears for quite a while and we both agreed "that's not going to make it on the blog!".
Ken had wanted to be on the road to go home by about 3 - 3:30 but I think it was close to 6 before we actually got on the road because we streeeeeeetched out our goodbyes, to the point were Ken was thinking we might end up staying another night! We got some final pictures, one of the 4 of us and some of us hanging out in the front yard, talking and prolonging the inevitable. I tried to get a little hug from Nathan, but he was still covering up his eyes! But I got a big hug from Amanda *smile*. Debbie and Junior prayed over us and then it was time to (reluctantly) leave. And as we were backing the car away from the house, I looked over to see the kids playing on the trampoline, and there was Nathan, waving to us and calling goodbye to us! It was very cute and very funny because he was so enthusiastic to see us going! Little monkey.
Our drive home was relatively uneventful - we had rain most of the way the first night, but fine weather the next. Instead of taking all interstates, we took some back roads and saw some really nice scenery. It took us longer, but it was a more enjoyable drive.
So that's the big story! Hope you enjoyed it. We sure did!
I'm leaving in an hour to go visit Debbie and her family! I'll be back next week with lots of pictures I'm sure!
I wanted to let everyone know that Sara has been incommunicado these last few weeks because her computer is on the fritz. I've been emailing her but getting (of course) no response and about a week ago I started phoning her but we kept missing each other. Finally reached her last night. All is good. Except, you know, no computer. She misses everybody and asked me to let everybody know what's going on.
It has been a hard, cruel winter here in Southwestern Ontario. It may only be 3 days until Spring, but for those of us here in the snowbelt there is no end in sight. The heavy snowfalls and colder-than-normal temps that we're enduring means that it could be another month - or more! - before all the snow melts. They're forecasting a late start to spring, and I simply can't wait that long.
So, what's a poor snow-bunny to do? Well, if they have friends who live somewhere warmer, somewhere like, say, oh I don't know, NORTH CAROLINA, then they call their friends and make a plan to escape!
Yes, Denise, you guessed correctly! Debbie has graciously offered to put up with me and Ken for a couple of days in April. She is the BEST! Naturally we are all excited about the prospect of getting together again. I'm sure our cameras will get another work out, teehee. More details to come, I'm sure.
In other news...
I went with my mom and dad to visit my Oma yesterday. She's doing as well as can be expected I guess. She was pretty groggy when we saw her - they're keeping her pretty heavily medicated for the pain. I felt so bad for my dad, it was pretty upsetting for him. I was a bit shocked at how frail she looked, but I was glad to see her. She perked up a bit and we ended up staying for about an hour and a half and she seemed to enjoy the visit. Thank you so much all of you who have been praying.
Yesterday was also my mom's birthday. After we went to the hospital we took my mom out for lunch. It was nice, just the four of us (me and Ken, mom and dad). We had lunch at a truck stop, if you can imagine! The hospital (the one Oma is in) is in London about an hours drive from here, so we stopped on our way back. Ken, who does a lot of driving for his job, highly recommended this truck stop so we gave it a try. It wasn't terribly fancy, but our meals were quite tasty. But I just want everyone to know, this does NOT mean I am a redneck!!
We went to early service yesterday morning (so we could get on the road a bit earlier) and I thought I was going to miss the traditional Palm Sunday procession, but they did it for both services. If you're not familiar with it, the service begins with a procession - everybody participates - into and around the sanctuary. We carry palm branches and sing "All Glory, Laud and Honour" as we process. This is an ancient practice of the church, it goes back at least a thousand years! Another little tidbit - a palm branch from this year's Palm Sunday procession will be saved and then burned and made into ashes to be used at next year's Ash Wednesday service. Cool, huh?
Ken is going to be out of town for the next couple of days for work. He'll be back on Wednesday night. I'm never too thrilled to be left alone, but it is only for a couple of days. I'm glad he doesn't have to go out of town too often.
I can't believe it's Holy Week already! We will be having a traditional Maundy Thursday service on Thursday night and then a Tenebrae service on Friday morning. My pastor told me something that I didn't know: that the Maundy Thursday service and Good Friday service are considered one service. It starts on Thursday and concludes on Friday and even though we go home in between it is considered one service. I will have to do a little research on that and find out more about it. Interesting.
What a week!
First off, I was in a minor car accident. No one was badly hurt and there was not much damage to either car, but enough that it will have to go through insurance. And yes, it was my fault. Dang. At first I was ok, but later in the day my back hurt quite a bit and then my arm started up again. The back resolved overnight, but the arm is still bothering me. Yay.
My Oma is back in the hospital. She has not been following her doctors orders and she has reinfected her feet. Her surgeon readmitted her to the hospital for possible emergency amputation of her toes, but they have since been able to stabilize her. But she obviously can't go back home alone so my folks will have to make some other arrangement. If they put her in a home she will be furious with them, but I honestly don't see what other choice they have. She doesn't take her meds and she been putting Noxema (of all things!) on her toes and that is how she reinfected herself. The situation is both frightening and infuriating.
Have you heard about the winter storm that came through this weekend? It started Friday around dinner time and didn't let up until after midnight Saturday night. It got so bad that we got a phone call saying church was cancelled - that has NEVER happened before. Even the buses and taxis stopped running. A friend of Kirk's got stranded a the university (University of Waterloo is just a few miles from us) and called us. His folks were out of town and the university was closing their doors. With the buses and taxis not running he was stranded in the snowstorm! We had told him before if he ever got stuck there to give us a call...so he did. Ken braved the snow and drove over to get him and he stayed the night with us. He is almost like a third son to us - he and Kirk met in grade 6 and have remained close friends - so an impromptu sleepover is nothing out of the ordinary.
We have the distinction of receiving the second highest amount of snowfall - 40 cm - in the country. Here is a picture:
I am really, really tired of snow. And it's 11 days until spring for goodness sake!
We've also been working on preparations for the big 50th anniversary party for my inlaws coming up next month. Their actual anniversary was in January, but they left for Florida immediately New Years so the party will be next month after they return. We've rented a hall because we're expecting 150 people to show up. Anyways, I've been working with the caterers and out shopping for decorations etc. It's getting exciting as the day draws closer!
I've also been quite busy at work. I am working on a rather large software sales opportunity - it's a company that needs 70 licenses of Office 2007 Professional Edition. I have been putting my newly acquired software licensing training to good use working out a program for them! We meet with the client on Tuesday to present the proposal. I'm a bit nervous because this is the first time I've had to go on a sales call. I don't know how my husband does it day in and day out.
All in all, an eventful week. How was yours?
