easter report

I almost just don't even know where to begin with this post. Easter is a holiday which takes on a whole new meaning when you have a closely loved one who has died, I think, and the fact that the resurrection is the act which gives us cause to hope for a reunion really never ceases to awe and move me. So really, whatever else is going on during Easter (and let me tell you, the very thought of baskets and candy and eggs never even crossed my mind once this year), when it comes, I am always thrilled to think of the promise this day holds for me (for all of us, I know). If you don't know, I am thinking specifically of my mother, who died nearly ten years ago after a long and courageous fight with cancer.

Bill quoted someone today (I don't know who) who, on his deathbed, was dictating the following to his secretary: "I am about to leave the land of the living. No, wait, don't say that. Say instead that I am about to leave the land of the dying; I am about to enter the land of the living." Y'all, that right there is the promise of Easter. We are all dying--some more quickly that others, true, but we are all dying. And the empty tomb whispers to us that death is not the end, but only the beginning.

Sorry, that's not what you came here for, I know. I will say that I lay awake for several hours last night, my mind churning with thoughts, not necessarily of what might go wrong this morning, but of so many issues for which I feel responsibility right now. To top it off, it rained steadily for much of the night. Normally, I love falling asleep listening to the rain outside, but last night I kept thinking of the walk to church this morning (the road is still mud for much of its length and sidewalks are not yet poured) and of all those who would be parking in a field near the church and down the road (instead of paving parking lots which get only intermittent use down here, we leave them as grass, which is a great idea except for the mud). And then I started thinking about everything else I'm working on. And then the rain would start in again and I'd think about that. For hours.

I have to say that the logistical side went incredibly well this morning, from what I could see. Parking and shuttling seemed to go smoothly and everyone made it in and out of church in a timely fashion. We mingled on the lawn. Everyone looked just thrilled to be there. Seriously. Inside the service, it was no different. The choir had an energy I felt I hadn't seen in quite a while (plus I loved that they weren't wearing robes!), and the entire congregation just exuded joy. Pastor Jose, the pastor of our host congregation, and his translator Ilso (sp?) attended all three services and shared a blessing with us. They are so warmhearted and generous; it is really awesome. The services were all pretty full. The number that I heard for the total for the entire morning was 1,734. I just still have a hard time believing it!

All in all a delightful morning and a satisfying new beginning. There were several of us taking pictures all morning to document and since I did, I'm going to share a handful of favorites with you:

Bill with Pastor Jose and Ilso (sp?).

Our organist's hands at work. I like hands.

I love daddies who hold their little girls tight.

Our sign this morning: it's still the old Gulf Coast Church of Christ sign but someone spray painted over their name for us.

My piglet, hard at work in the nursery. I think she is making a craft.

I have a thumb sucker, too, so I love thumb suckers.

The girls insisted that I take their picture, too.

A blessed Easter to you all. Hold tight to the promise of a new life, a new beginning, and a new hope. (Sorry, I couldn't resist that one.)

two drivers, two cars

I'd like to start this post by saying that we really enjoyed having only one vehicle out in Pasadena. We very rarely had conflicts with who needed the car on any given day. Of course, Andy was able to walk to class and spent a bit of time studying (also on campus). And we lived mere blocks away from the nearest heaven, I mean Starbucks. And Target. And good restaurants. And shopping. Noah's Bagels was too far to walk, but it was an easy bike ride on a Saturday morning. Owning one car made perfect sense (not to mention the fact that we had nowhere to park a second car).

Unfortunately, back home, it doesn't make so much sense. Andy has a totally variable schedule and even I am getting into the act with trying to schedule shoots around silly things like good light. And there aren't a lot of places within walking distance (although we anticipate riding bikes to First Watch when the new one opens!). So we decided that it was time to get a new vehicle. What kind of vehicle was the subject of much debate and contemplation. In the end, we decided to get something subtle and inconspicuous.

What do you think?

oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy

Our new couches were delivered today. (Shhh, don't tell Andy! We were going to pick them up ourselves but I decided that it was worth the delivery charge to not inflict that on either Andy or my dad, who arrives tomorrow.) Oh wow. That is about all I can say. We have never bought a new, nice couch before and it feels kind of extravagant. Of course, now I have no idea how to arrange the room--we actually got a couch and a loveseat and, for some reason, they need a significant amount of real estate. That is something I feel comfortable making the guys do--move everything around for me until I am satisfied!

Do you think I can spend the day doing nothing but sitting on them? We haven't had a couch since last summer and wow, do I miss it. Thanks to Karen and Debbie for talking me into the ones we picked!

once in a lifetime

Happy New Year to all of you! I hope yours was wonderful. Once again, I failed to stay up to see the new year in; this seems to be a habit now that I have kids.

We had a great New Year's Day. Andy came home very late the night before (or very early that morning) since the shuttle had apparently overbooked itself. Yes, I am the unkind wife who wanted to stay home on New Year's Eve and not drive to LAX to pick up my husband. He did make it home, though, just in time for a busy day of a little parade and babysitting.

Yes, we made it to the parade! (pictures on flickr alert) Thanks entirely to the kindness of friends (thanks Guthries and Greens and Bowdens) who sat out all night on Colorado Avenue, we showed up just in time for the beginning of the parade and settled in right up front for a fun morning watching some really cool floats and lots of high school marching bands. I wonder how they are selected? They came from Wisconsin, Minnestota, Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Fayetteville, Georgia (hello, Brezinas!). Oh yeah, plus one from Mexico and one from Australia. My only disappointment was that it seemed like a lot of the floats looked alike. Apparently there is a good reason for that: one local company created about 2/3 of the entries in the parade. Still, it was tons of fun.

Then Uncle John and I headed off for the 93rd Rose Bowl game. We both wore Michigan hats, but he cheated and wore a USC shirt under his jacket. We live within walking distance of the stadium, which I did not know--I have driven there and wouldn't have called it walking distance, at least not for the kids. We caught the shuttle from Old Towne to get there, along with thousands of others. Our seats were great, actually--surprisingly so, considering the tickets were bought sight unseen. We were at the end zone, right at tunnel level--maybe 1/3 of the way up the stadium? No one immediately in front of us. Important note: we were surrounded by USC fans. Uncle John's shirt was a great choice. My hat, not so great, considering that was next to two very large, passionate USC fans (John changed hats on me, too). We had a fantastic time at the game. Decided not to wait for the shuttle (the line was longer than you can imagine) and walked home instead, which was another great choice.

Get this: the Rose Bowl was the first sporting event I have ever been to which provided plenty of bathrooms for us women. Amazing. I never had to wait in a line to use it. How did they do it?

It was a really fun day--the highlight of a great visit with Uncle John. He will be pleased to know that my kids have been singing "The Cow Kicked Nelly in the Belly in the Barn" with great gusto all day yesterday, last night, and this morning.