The Big 40

Last weekend Greg and I traveled to San Francisco to attend the CCL Annual Conference and celebrate my birthday. We arrived Friday morning and had a great lunch at Zachary's in San Ramon with Robin. After which we visited with Patsy, a nurse Greg worked with for years. She is recovering from chemo. We hit Trader Joe's :) and my dear friend Jenn (just for a minute). The evening wrapped up at Mark and Robin's for Tacos with the family.

Saturday we enjoyed the conference and we able to visit with some folks we hadn't seen since moving to Austin!

Saturday evening we took a long black limosine into San Francisco for dinner at Traittoria Contadina and dessert at Range.

What an amazing weekend! I am so thankful for Greg' generous and extravagant gift of time with him and some of our family. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and hope to do it again!!

"It's a Play on Homonyms"

We were celebrating my birthday with lunch at Pluckers yesterday.

Elise was sharing riddles that she had read or heard and gave us this one:

You are in a room with four walls, a ceiling, a floor, a mirror and a table. How do you get out? You look in the mirror, see what you saw, use the saw the cut the table in half, put the halves together to make a whole and go out through the hole.



Greg and I both said - What? Then she explained it again, ending with "it's a play on homonyms."
 
I love that girl. She amazes me. Regularly.
 
Great fried pickles by the way. The best in Texas!

Church Fellowship

Earlier I wrote about Greg and I obtaining our Safe Food Handler Certificates for the city of Austin so that we may work in the church kitchen.

Today is the first day.

I will be helping with the incoming food for the fellowship meal as well as managing the dessert table.

I will let you know how it goes when we return.

Cleaning, Baking, Teaching . . . an extra 4 kids

Today was a good day. I spent time cleaning downstairs in anticipation of bringing my mother in law home with us next weekend. I also spent time baking cinnamon rolls and pumpkin bread. Early this evening we were joined by four of our nephews.

Their folks were getting some Christmas shopping done. . . I know, I know it is only the 5th of November.
They are on it.
I on the other hand am not.
Not yet.
I am looking forward to a weekend away with my Love next week.

Fancy Cupcakes? I think not.

Last night we attended the 2nd Annual Fall Festival at Veritas Academy. I can honestly say that I did not want to go. My children on the other hand had been looking forward to it with great anticipation. After receiving several emails looking for volunteers for various booths for either the second or third grade, or the fine arts department, I received one that I thought would work for our week.

It was a request for baked goods for the Cake Walk. I thought to myself, I can do that. Especially when I saw that another mom had volunteered to bring Rice Krispy cookies. I can surely do that. They were looking for volume. Mass. Six plates of cookies coming your way.

I mixed the cookies up on Friday morning, so they would be fresh. I even printed the recipe out, rather than rely on my memory. I added coloring. They were cheeto orange. . . They were plated and wrapped.
Not fancy plates or wrap.

Ooops. Lots (not all) of the other baked goods were packaged very prettily - with orange bows, large celophane paper poofs. . . Aagghhh. The cookies tasted ok - hopefully the children that went to Cake Walk last weren't disappointed.

I know I am no Martha Stewart. Now I know to not volunteer for any baked goods.

Responsibility

We have been in Austin for a year and half now. How time flies! It took over 6 months to find and settle in a church. We underestimated how hard that part of the move would be. It has taken another 11 months or so to begin to feel connected at the church we are part of. Sunday evening meetings began about 5 weeks ago - that has been great. The kids are part of the children's choir that meets during the Sunday evening Bible Study. Greg and I have enjoyed the teaching time.

The church we are a part of is in a new building. Their first building. With a new church kitchen. How cool is that? I love church kitchens. In order to work in the kitchen, the city of Austin requires that you have a Food Safe Handler certificate (not a bad idea). Greg and I did the online course to receive our certificates and beginning in November will help with the monthly fellowship meal.

We've served in the nursery once. . . and have been asked to be part of the communion set up team.
That means that we prepare the communion bread for both services and set up the Lord's Table, pulpit and lecturn on Sunday morning.

Today was our second time setting up. I need to make notes about the order and placement of everything. I am not a graceful person (naturally clumsy) and have to carefully remove the containers from the candles that contain the wick and oil and fill the oil. Aagghh. If you pull on the wick, I was told, the candle will smoke. Not what you want to see during the worship service. Greg, (the careful one of us) fills the commuion cups, while I set out the paraments, fill the bread trays and set out the pastor's bread plate and goblet.

I am enjoying the responsibility of being part of a body and serving that body in various ways.

Not to say we don't miss our COTK. We still do. We pray regularly for the body there in Santa Cruz and it's leadership.

God is good to us and has provided a church home, where we are beginning to feel settled.

Thank you Lord for your special provisions.

Providence?

For the past year or so we have been doing Taco Thursday every other week for a family of seven whose Mom has been diagnosed with cancer. I call each Wednesday to be sure it is ok to bring the tacos the next day.

Two weeks ago on the 23rd, I didn't call. The taco delivery two weeks before that Jil didn't look good. She had been in hospice care for a few weeks at that point.

On the 23rd, the kids and I knock on the door and the oldest daughter who isn't usually home answers the door. I notice, but for once don't start asking a million questions. I notice that Jil's sister is sitting in her chair. I mention to the other kids that we are going to get our puppy on Saturday - their dog Bella was part of the inspiration for Abilene.

As I drive home I wonder how Jil is. Didn't want to ask. Trying to be gracious and not too inquisitive.

I get home and find an email has arrived letting me know that Jil had passed away on Wednesday morning the 22nd.

It is hard to imagine being a mom knowing that your days are drawing to a close, trying to care for your husband and five children.

My heart is heavy for Jil's husband and her children as they live life without her.

We aren't going to stop Taco Thursday's until we are asked to.

When this began Greg asked what we could do long term. Until.

Well, until has happened and I believe that this family still needs Tacos every other Thursday.
I don't believe it has to be on the "Care Calendar" to care.

It just needs to happen!