July 31 - “A real kink”

Back at it, at least for a day or two. I mean, in that we walked two miles, not that we are checking it all in for good this weekend!

Uh oh. Looks like we have to do a reboot of some plans. Christi let us know that Caleb now has the flu. He is on Tami flu, but still contagious for a day or two.  That put a real kink in their Galveston plan. Sadly, they won’t be coming this weekend. Hopefully we can put together a plan for a future trip for them, or even for us to go up there and give them a weekend together without the kiddos. 

Chris had a key appointment in the afternoon. It was haircut time for her. Guess that got her ready for the doctor appointments we have to deal with before we leave town. Meanwhile, I had to go back to the bank (third day in a row) to get her another document notarized. The lawyer keeps assuring me we are almost through with this. OK. Sure. 

James‬ ‭4‬:‭17‬ says, So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn’t do it.

Father, please heal Caleb quickly, and keep the family safe and healthy. Amen. 

July 30 - “Deedin’”

Next on our Tweener Week list … mow the grass. Actually, it wasn’t that bad, but Chris wanted to water it twice before we leave next week, so mow it is. We started right at 8 (that’s our neighborly rule for making noise early in the morning - nothing before 8). I finished around 9:30. Chris started the watering and sweeping after I did, so she went a little later. 

I received some good(I hope) news in a call from the estate lawyer. Seems he had prepared a revised deed that answered all the requirements that title company handling the League City house was demanding. He even prepared one for the Galveston house just for fun. He emailed them to me and … my name was spelled wrong. I let him know right away, though, so he revised the revision and sent those to me. 

I took the deeds over to the bank to sign them and get them notarized. And … the two notaries were both at lunch. I had to return in about an hour. But when I went back, I was the only customer there. The notary guy greeted me right off and whipped out his stamp. I was in and out in less than five minutes. 

Back home I scanned them and got them sent off to the lawyer and the heirs. It felt good to have that box checked off, for sure. 

Meanwhile, Chris has been busy scurrying about, getting things ready for the next trip. National Parks books, maps, snack bag, even Tide pods for washing clothes on the road. She is amazing. 

John‬ ‭8‬:‭12‬ says, Then Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”

Father, thank you for small steps in this will journey. Amen. 

July 29 - “Tweener Week”

Our “tweener” week has officially begun. We have one week between these two family vacations where we have to sneak in doctor appointments (two of them yesterday), grocery runs, clothes washing, random errands, and culminating in entertaining three of the Waco kiddos at the end of the week. 

So I was first up. 8 a.m. appointment with the cardiologist. He’s following me primarily because of my family history of heart attacks (my Dad first, then my older brother carrying through the family legacy). He always asks me a truckload of diagnostic questions. They also did an EKG. I guess I did OK. I don’t have to see him for 9 months, but he ordered a stress test so they could have an updated assessment of whatever that shows. He asked if I could do a treadmill. Hey. I have wanted another shot at that thing.  Last time I did one, my lower back hurt, so they shut it down. This time, if I remember, I’ll ask how long the thing lasts for a complete test to run. I’m determined to beat it, back or not. 

Chris was next in line. We were actually almost an hour early for her appointment, since mine didn’t take long. We were prepared to relax for a while in the waiting room, but surprise! They called her name after we had been there just about three minutes. I stayed in the waiting room. No interest in seeing that doc scrape callous off her foot. As it turned out (or scraped out), she got right in, got the scraping done, and as a “bonus” - found out she has plantar fasciitis, which accounts for the heel pain she had been having. (Dianne! You infected her!). 

Next stop was the bank. Needed a paper notarized to check off one more thing on the executorship. I also put some pressure on the credit union we have been hounding for months. Guess I rattled the right cage. I received a very nice confession and apology email. Seems this person just forgot to file the final paperwork. They assured me the process has begun. Now I wait ten more days for the paperwork that I have to fill out and send back, then wait who knows how many more before they actually close the account. Wow. Just wow. 

Speaking of wow … 

We made another stab at getting the utility company to accept the court order awarding ownership status to the heirs in Sam’s will. Sounded like one issue would be resolved later in the day, another whenever Burnet County files the paperwork, and the last one … no idea. They’re the ones holding up accepting the court order. The lawyer told me to have them take another stab at it before relenting and spending extra time and money drawing up an actual deed paper, either by him or by a title company. 

So that one to be resolved “later in the day”? I received an email from the lawyer with a mockup of a deed for one of the properties. Needed my signature and a notary’s. What? I took that template and made one for the other Galveston property as well. I’ll get both of them signed and send them back to the lawyer, asking if they somehow need to be filed with the court, or are they simply superfluous documents created to satisfy a clerk somewhere. 

The saga continues. 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭55‬:‭22‬ says, Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

Father, please be with all the people playing a role in getting this will stuff finished. Amen. 

July 28 - “Sendoff”

Back home. I slept until 5:30, rolled over, and dozed again until 6:30. Guess I needed that extra hour. Kel texted me before we left for church to ask if I could handle the “MC” portions of the service. That last week of black belt training left him exhausted. Fortunately, there was a guest preacher anyway. He did take the reins back at the end of the service. He did his usual “blessing of the flock.” He also did a special, emotional college sendoff for Micah and Kaylee. I’m gonna miss those two. 

After some lunch (leftover Mexican food from Gringos) while watching Ryan and Haley, a nap for Chris, and a check-in with the injury-riddled Astros for me, we sat down and made a list of the many things we need to get done this week before we leave on our next journey. 

One of those things was a trip to good ol’ Walmart for some groceries. Well, groceries for the week we are at home, and snacks for the next phase of our double-family vacations - taking Micah to Virginia. We’ll no doubt have to make a return trip before we leave, but it was a start. 

Deuteronomy‬ ‭7‬:‭9‬ says, Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands.

Father, please be with Micah and Kaylee as they head off to their respective colleges. Keep them close to you.  Amen. 

July 27 - “Home”

It was back on the road again for us yesterday. On the road toward home, I mean. It has been a while. We started the trip with a stop at McDonald’s for a sausage and egg biscuit. Or would that be mcbiscuit?  Fueled up, we hit the road. 

By the way, Josh and Luke had already left for Luke’s one day tournament in Leander. Christi was staying home so Caleb and AnnaGrace could sleep in. Caleb in particular had a lot of catching up to do. He’s already been to youth camp, Spain mission trip, family vacation, and worship lab. He needed some sleep!  

Although our ultimate goal was home, first we headed to Alvin to see Kel receive his first black belt, and Noa receive her second degree black belt. Big deal for both of them. 

But on the way we had to stop at Buc-ees in Waller for gas. It was also close enough to lunchtime to get some light snacks. Chris finally got her coveted turkey and cheese and pretzel cup. I just had a fruit cup and some sweet tea. We also replenished our supply of Buc-ees cinnamon sweet beaver nuggets. Best snack ever. 

Just south of Houston, we hit some of the rain bands from the system tracking across the Gulf. It was pretty intense for a mile or two, but Chris handled it like a pro. 

We arrived in Alvin about an hour early for the karate graduation. It did garner us a place in line really close to the doors, though. We sat very close to the front, so lots of pictures to share with the family later. Noa and Kel both did great in their performances and in breaking boards. Josiah and Micah were quite impressive in their performance as well. I would say that the Vaughan’s acquitted themselves very well (if that means they done good).

After the graduation we joined the LaMarque Vaughan’s as well as Kaylee and her parents and a friend of theirs, Xavier, for a celebratory dinner. We went to Gringos on a Saturday night, which meant we had to wait for over an hour. The food was good, though, and our waitress was amazing. 

We got home about 10:15. Freddy seemed pretty glad to see us. But she was overjoyed to see her little stuffed friend. Sigh. Second fiddle to a stuffed hedgehog. Oh well. We are glad to be home, though, even if it is only for a week. 

Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬ says, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.

Father, thank you for home. Nothing quite like it. Amen. 

July 26 - “Unapologetically worshipping”

We hit a milestone of sorts on our walk. Still 2.5 miles, but the same people we meet every day started recognizing us and saying hi. And the other part of the milestone? No one was awake when we left. No one was awake when we got back. Get that sleeping in going, guys!

The afternoon was performance time. We had already planned to go to Caleb’s end of the music week show. Christi and Luke took AnnaGrace to her final performance of Broadway dance camp.  We both agreed to video so we could share. However … they arrived before Caleb’s worship band took the stage. I still videoed, though. It was easier for me to get to the front of the room. 

Caleb did amazing, of course. He sang a lead song while playing the grand piano. Impressive. There were ten total groups, so that was one long worship extravaganza. One guy said there were 60 students from 51 states. Hmm. Ryan and Haley might be in trouble. Oh well. I’m looking forward to next year. 

Matthew‬ ‭20‬:‭28‬ says, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life — a ransom for many.

Father, thank you for the 60 or so teenagers who were unapologetically worshipping you. Bless them. Amen. 

July 25 - “The Yum Factor”

We upped our game a little yesterday. We managed to walk two and a half miles. Of course it meant we had to start before eight. It gets hot up here without a sea breeze. Triple digits. Whew!

I had to deal with some Sam will stuff. Something about getting deeds transferred. The lawyer assures me that we are almost to the end of this. 

Chris started work on our next grand excursion. This one will be with Kel’s family as they take Micah to school in Virginia by way of Washington, D.C.  

Finally we headed over to the basketball gym. Last day of camp was upon us. Well, last for us. Luke had practice for his AAU team right after camp ended. That’s one dedicated kid. Way to go, Luke!

We had a great dinner last night. Christi put together a crockpot roast pork tenderloin with all those fixins alongside. When we got home, Josh and his Mama added a can of corn and one of green beans, and some hot bread as scrumptious sides. Here’s to the “yum factor”!

Psalms‬ ‭33‬:‭5‬ ‭says, He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the Lord’s unfailing love.

Father, thank you for the incredible dinner last night. Crockpots are amazing. So are crackpots … sometimes. Amen. 

July 24 - “So they can count my head”

We had early driving duty yesterday. Josh had a breakfast meeting. Christi had an early lunch meeting. Meanwhile, Caleb needed his guitar at the worship camp. We volunteered for that, and the subsequent babysitting duties during that lunch. 

Before the delivery, we stopped at McDonald’s for a biscuit sandwich. Yum. Then it was on the Seventh and James Baptist Church to get Caleb his instrument. He came out of one session, grabbed his guitar, received his Mom hug from me, returned his Mom hug, added a Nana hug, and raced back inside, “so they can count my head.” Not sure why the rest of his body doesn’t matter enough to count as well, but …

 

We watched Ryan and Haley again. Got them all the way to North Dakota now. They have raised almost 6 million dollars for St. Jude’s Hospital. Pretty incredible. 

We were back at it again with basketball camp, day three. My station was back on rebounding again. That meant I was looking for some more “My ball!” attitude. I think they are getting it. 

After the clinic one of the boys’ dad approached me and introduced himself. I never know if that will be good or bad. In this case it was all good. He wanted to thank me for affirming something he has been trying to teach his son. At that the boy yelled out, “my ball!”  Come to find out, he’s been playing in a YMCA league. They don’t let them be aggressive there. Hence, the encouragement about, well, being aggressive. Always good to receive positive feedback. 

We went from the gym over to Chick-fil-A. Josh and family have been gathering on Wednesday evenings with some folks from their church. This particular Chick-fil-A has a playground for the kids, so it was a perfect fit for the families. The kids enjoyed sitting by the big window and waving to the people in the drive-through lane. The got downright giddy when someone waved back, even doing a little dance of celebration. Oh … and the adults had a great place to chat. 

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭2‬ says, There is no one holy like the Lord. There is no one besides You! And there is no rock like our God.

Father, thank you for the joy and celebration those little kids were enjoying. Help us adults to be that free with expressing joy. Amen. 

July 23 - “Even when they are adulting”

We were back on the two mile train yesterday. We are trying to tweak the route to make it easier to figure our distance. Maybe tomorrow.  

Early afternoon was reserved for Ryan and Haley. We are slowly catching up. I think we left them somewhere in Wisconsin. 

Basketball camp went well again. It’s fun to see the slow but sure development among the guys. A few of them even came through for me when Josh asked what they learned the day before. More than one intoned, “MY BALL!”  Way to go, guys. 

Zak came over again in the evening. Guess he was hungry. But, hey. It’s always good to have the kiddos around, even when that are “adulting.”  He and Christi went on a shopping date together last night. Josh and Luke played a big challenge match of ping pong. Chris washed dishes. AnnaGrace built a massive, but strange structure on Minecraft. Caleb was still at worship camp. And me? I was in observation mode. In fact, I got most of this post done while all that was happening. 

Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬ says, For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.

Father, please be with Caleb at his worship camp this week. Keep his heart open to you. Amen. 

July 22 - “A flurry of activity”

Well, we’re back in Waco. We slept pretty good in spite of a bit of AC snafu in our bedroom. One box fan blowing took care of that, though. 

And to kick off this week, Chris and I hit the walking trail early. Well, if 8-ish is early. We did two miles. Figured in these hills, that was enough for day one returning. Chris then dove into the arduous task of washing all our clothes. I think Christi took care of their crucial stuff last night. Either that or she’s just being her usual gracious self. Thanks, Christi. 

Josh went to work, of course. The middle of the day went kinda nice for the rest of us. We just hung out and watched some Ryan and Haley. Trying to catch up. 

But there was a flurry of activity as the day wore on. The AC guy came and fed the machine some Freon. Not sure how long it will last, but it was definitely the short term fix. Nice and cool now. 

Caleb went to music camp at Baylor. He’ll be staying there all week. We’ll get to see the fruits of his labor on Friday as the kids lead a massive worship service. 

AnnaGrace went to dance camp. She’s learning a few dances from Broadway musicals. She was excited when the folks there congratulated her on her new sister. She was confused at first, but she figured out they were talking about Lindsay. 

I took Luke to the basketball camp I’m helping Josh coach. We had 22 or 23 kids there. It was a lot. Some of the drills had to be adjusted for the younger guys, but they seemed to give it their all. They all got a kick out of the “My Ball” aggressiveness drill I led them in. It was a prelude to the rebounding teaching on Wednesday. 

Christi picked up Caleb from camp and brought him to the gym so he could finish out the high school basketball summer practice season. They started up when the camp ended. 

The rest of the family joined them at the gym. Zak was even there, and he played in the last 5 on 5 drill. After all the workouts, Josh took Caleb back to Baylor. The rest of us headed home for a bite to eat before bed.

Jeremiah‬ ‭31‬:‭25‬ says, for I satisfy the thirsty person and feed all those who are weak.

‭‭

Father, thank you for this first day back in Waco. Even with its craziness, the kids seemed glad to be home. Amen. 

July 21 - “Mobberly”

My new favorite word of the week is Mobberly. Come on. You know you want to say it, don’t you? Mobberly. We went to Mobberly Baptist Church yesterday. It’s where our hosts for the day, Matt and April, attend. The music part of their worship was led by a group of three sisters who call their group The Purple Hulls. The reason behind the name comes from their purple pea farm. Hmm purple peas. Sounds nasty. But the girls were really good. They played bass fiddle, banjo, mandarin, and guitar. Impressive. 

The pastor’s sermon was on Hell. Simple points:

1. Hell is real
2. Hell is just
3. Hell is horrible 
4. Hell is eternal
5. Hell is avoidable.

Good preaching.  Boatloads of people. They worship in a huge auditorium. Our service was nearly full, and they had already had two other services. Made me miss the Seaside intimacy, for sure. 

After church we went back to the Willert’s for lunch. Matt grilled some really good smash burgers. They also went to McDonald’s and got a big bagful of fries for AnnaGrace. We really enjoyed chatting with the different family members. So glad Josh and Christi have such close friends. 

The final leg (at least to Waco) finally got underway around four. It was “only” a 3 hour trip this time (as Luke announced, triumphantly). And the trip went pretty smoothly. Well, except for a few of the roads with bumps that rivaled the roller coasters at Dollywood. 

Zak and Lindsay had bought some pizzas for dinner for us all, so we had quite the feast awaiting us. It was fun to hear AnnaGrace tell them about her goats and other fun things she saw and did. 

Finally, Lindsay left for home, we juggled car positions, and unloaded the luggage. That wonder-bed of theirs never looked so good. 

Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭18‬ says, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.

Father, thank you for a good, safe  trip. We know you were riding with us all the way. Amen.