Friday Flashback~The Fab Four

September 2004

Sixteen

"Fight the good fight with all thy might;

Christ is thy Strength, and Christ thy Right:

Lay hold on life, and it shall be

Thy joy and crown eternally."

Run the straight race, through God's good grace,

Lift up thine eyes and seek His face;

Life with its way before us lies

Christ is the Path and Christ the Prize

Cast care aside, lean on thy Guide;

His boundless mercy will provide;

Trust, and thy trusting soul shall prove

Christ is its Life and Christ its Love

Faint not nor fear, His arms are near;

He changeth not, and thou art dear;

Only believe, and thou shalt see

That Christ is all in all to thee.

~John S. B. Monsell, 1863

Happy Birthday, Scribe!  We love you!

Life As We Know It

Everyone's reaction when we found out Mountain Man didn't have any dizziness while away in Florida!

Why you shouldn't drink a milkshake while holding Cap'n....unless you just like it in your hair, on the floor, on your clothes.  Yes, he likes to go for the straw.

And here's his reaction after he's stirred up mischief

What in the world was going on in our house last night?  Almost everyone was asleep...by 7:00!  

Should I tell these fashion divas that it's spring?

Yep, you got it.  Snow boots.

Late Night in a McDonald's Parking Lot

Yay!  Our men arrived safely home early this morning.  Mountain Man still had some ear pain on the flights, but he didn't have any dizzy spells at the conference!  Isn't that wonderful?

Picking them up from the airport turned into a little adventure, though.  The children had been ready since the morning to get their Daddy and brother, but then a broken cockpit window delayed the flight, and then a storm delayed it a bit more.

They were sorely disappointed, but we decided it would be wiser for me to head to town alone rather than load everyone up for such a late night ride.  The thoughts of having to find a public restroom for our 3 year old at 11:00 at night was enough to convince me. :)

What was a 9:00 arrival became an 11:00 and then a 12:00.  I ran a couple errands, picked up something to eat, and then moved from the McDonald's parking lot to the Wal-Mart parking lot, to the cell phone waiting area at the airport.   I haven't even been blog-hopping, and here I was parking lot-hopping.

It wasn't a completely unprofitable time as I did finish one of my books while also observing late night behaviors in Albuquerque.  With my doors locked.  Very locked. (How can they be "very" locked?  It's called PRAYER.)

Finally, at 12:40, I picked our men up curbside, and we got gas and then headed home.  Our heads hit the pillows about 2:30, and it's one time I'm especially glad I already had breakfast made and sitting in the refrigerator (overnight coffee cake).  Of course, it was more like 4:30 for Mountain Man and Scribe since they were still functioning on Eastern Time.

I'm also glad the children were sleeping soundly (ahem, except a couple) because a van full of crying at 1:00 in the morning, while it is something to be thankful for, can also be a bit stressful. :)

We don't attend one of those mega churches where many don't know your name and you can slip in right as the sermon starts.  Ours is small enough so that most of the time everyone waits for you to arrive.  And we're all hoping we won't nod off during the service. But as gracious as our church family is, they would probably ignore us or at least just tap us lightly if any snoring interfered with recording the sermon. :)

Hopefully, I can twist Scribe's arm enough (or at least bribe him with a Kindle book), to get him to post about the conference.  If not, I can sum it up in a few sentences.

They were greatly blessed.
They were very edified.
And they remembered to buy me a book.

Enjoy this Lord's Day, and don't fall asleep in church,

Of Birthdays, Butter, and Bikes

The welcome home is key.  

It brings a smile to Mountain Man's face no matter what the day has been like.

Balloons and cards and confetti....

Clairesy's gift to Daddy...his computer brush smashed in butter.  She was smart, and at least did it on his birthday.  Who wouldn't be smiling?

The bike and the brood

Kisses and love notes, of course

C'mon, Daddy, the cakes are waiting for us!  

Red velvet in miniature

Smiles at the sounds of "Happy Birthday to you....."

The finale....would he blow out the candle on the first try?  Clairesy thought Daddy might need some instruction and was glad to see he got it right.

Friday Flashback~Whistler and Reaches Up, 2004

~when Daddy's shirts were pajamas......:)

Where They Are

This is the huge church sanctuary where the Ligonier conference is taking place.  Mountain Man sent this picture from his Droid phone.  They're having a great time so far, and Scribe has already posted his first quote. It's a good one, too.

How Does This Thing Work?

Daddy seems to fascinated with this thing.  Is this how he wears it?

Maybe it's more like this.

Ok, this can't be right.  He'd never make it to work, and I can't see where Mom's hidden the chocolate.

I've figured it out!   Good looking AND an eye out for the candy.  

Not so bad.

Happy Birthday, My Love!

                                                

If ever two were one, then surely we. 
If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee. 
If ever wife was happy in a man, 
Compare with me, ye women, if you can. 
I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold 
Or all the riches that the East doth hold. 
My love is such that Rivers cannot quench, 
Nor ought but love from thee give recompetence. 
Thy love is such I can no way repay.
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray. 
Then while we live, in love let's so persever
That when we live no more, we may live ever. 
~Anne Bradstreet


Happy Birthday, Mountain Man!