March 7 - “Sewing it down”

We drove into territory we haven’t been to since back when I was dealing with rheumatoid arthritis regularly. Yep. Houston Medical Center (Texas Orthopedic Hospital, to be exact). And to get there we drove right through all the rodeo traffic to boot (Get it? Rodeo … boot?). 

OK. To allay any fears among our vast fan base (both of you), neither of us had an appointment. And don’t worry. We didn’t accidentally show up because we forgot where we were going or got lost. We went to hang out with April while Nathan finally had surgery on his shoulder, after several YEARS of putting it off. 

It took longer than we expected, but after installing no less than seven anchors in his bone and sewing to them the cartilage that was just hanging loose in there causing his shoulder to slip in and out of socket, the doc said all went well. The shoulder should reach stability status once again. It’ll be a long recovery, though. Total of about six months. Yep. Months, not weeks. Get used to that sling, Nathan. Six months. Six months is what they told me, too, after my surgery, but then, mine was a back. Soooo … Hey, Nathan! Want to borrow a jigsaw puzzle?

James‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ says, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Father, please give Nathan the patience to do what the doc says for as long as he says it. And speaking of patience, April could probably use a dose as well. Amen. 

March 6 - “No oopsies here!”

Chris started the day off right. She drove through some super-thick, tropical island fog. And where was she heading in such foul circumstances?  To the dentist! Wow. Some people will sacrifice a lot for those pearly whites.  

I had a different kind of appointment in the afternoon. It was time for a haircut. I was trying to hold out until a little closer to the cruise, but it was driving me crazy-(er). Suzann did her usual awesome job, only this time she went a little shorter than usual. Gotta last me a little more than a month this time. 

Last night we went to Cailyn’s soccer game. It was a home game, so it wasn’t all that far. Santa Fe. However … traffic. It took us the better part of an hour to go what usually takes about 30 minutes. But, boy, was it ever worth the trip! Good gals won, 2-1. But even better … the center midfielder scored a strong, line drive goal (no oopsies here!) over the goalie’s head. Oh, and did I mention that center midfielder’s name?  Cailyn Vaughan. That’s my girl!

This morning we are heading into Texas to “hold April’s hand” during Nathan’s big shoulder surgery. At least that was Nathan’s perspective. I think maybe he has a hand of his own he wants held. He’s been holding off for a long time on this decision. We’re just praying that all will go well and he can get started on the healing process. 

Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬ says, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Father, please be with Nathan and his docs today. Help him heal quickly. Amen. 

March 5 - “Entertainment”

We were back in the streets again yesterday. Two miles of brisk walking. Gotta get ready for this upcoming cruise. 

Speaking of the cruise, we also discovered that the onboard shows had opened up for making reservations. I wasn’t sure when they opened, so we called the Huntley’s and got right on it. We were only locked out of one of our first choices, but that’s show was repeated later in the week. We are all set now to catch the shows. I think the only things left are making reservations for free our specialty dining and getting done any pre-cruise housekeeping matters, like watching the muster station video. Getting closer!

Chris had another round of physical therapy in the afternoon. Next week is supposed to be her last one, but the therapist wouldn’t commit to that. She said she would do another evaluation then and let her know. She has about a month to get that release. 

Chris thought of another potential issue for the cruise. What should she do with her cardiac monitor? She can’t very well put it on airplane mode. Or can she? She plans to give the company a call later today to get an answer from the horse’s mouth. 

‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬  says, Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!

Father, thanks for you for our success in getting signed up for our entertainment on the cruise. Checks off one more thing. Amen. 

March 4 - “Men in black in Costa Rica”

We left Sam at church after worship. No. We didn’t just forget her. We left her on purpose. Cathy had quite the afternoon planned. She was taking Sam out to lunch. Then they planned to go see her kitty for some snuggles. And finally, they would top off the day by heading off to vote. Sounds grand. 

After some lunch, Chris took a nap. I merely wiled away the hours watching a mindless movie. Yawn. Problem was, the program feed cut out with about with 40 minutes left in the movie. I switched over to a different one. Some sci-fi cult classic about alien abduction and men in black in Costs Rica. By that time Chris was awake. We had watched about half of it when Sam got home. 

We had some grilled cheese sandwiches and switched over to Sam’s new favorite tv show.  The one about the farmers trying to find a wife. And to top it off, after that one, we watched American Idol. I haven’t watched that … ever, I don’t think. Very weird. 

Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬ ‭says, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Father, thank you that Sam had a chance to hang out with her cat again. Amen. 

March 3 - “And the State Champion is …”

Well, the championship game has come and gone. Our scrappy, ragtag bunch of freshmen and sophomores were pitted against a  varsity squad from Oklahoma playing four seniors and one junior for most of the game. It was beyond a nail-biter. The score bounced back and forth the entire game. It actually would have looked much different if our guys had made the six or eight layups they just couldn’t finish on. I guess you have surmised by now that our youngsters lost their first game of the year, 42-37. That’s right. These boys were something like 27-1 this year. Second in state. Just … wow. We were beyond proud of them. 

And I for one was really proud of their coaches. It was evident to anyone who has coached before that the Texas Wind JV team was the best coached team in both the regional championships as well as this state championship. Way to go, Josh and Mason! 

And speaking of JV teams, we were not even expected to make it out of regionals, much less win the tournament. As a result, a long-standing unwritten rule may have to be revisited. 

Not a single member of the regional championship team (Caleb’s squad) was selected to be an all star. Why? Because traditionally they did not select JV players. Well, that had to be embarrassing. Maybe next year our JV guys can enter as a varsity “B” team. 

And Caleb, specifically? He played his usual off the charts defense. He even scored six or eight points, at least. So, yes. Proud grandparents. Uh huh. 

Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭32‬ says, Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Father, thank you again for the group we got to be a part of this weekend. Amen. 

March 2 - “That’s pretty good …”

We made our actual getaway a little after six. Pretty good time for Chris, actually. The plan was for me to drive until the sun came up. Problem was … the sun never really showed up. Haze and fog blanketed us the whole way. And then I missed the first Buc-ees, just outside of Katy, I think. I stuck with it, though. Made it all the way to a Buc-ees in Luling. Yep. Less than an hour from San Antonio. That’s pretty good for me. 

So a bathroom stop (of course) and a breakfast sandwich later, we were back on the road, with Chris back at the helm. 

First game. Zak’s team. Played against a select team out of Dallas. The other team sported a seven-footer. He wasn’t all that great, but his supporting cast of three-point shooters were pretty deadly. The team was the “B” team of a varsity team that plays 6A schools and even internationally. I think our guys started out the game feeling a little over-matched. Ya think? They finally responded, but it was too little, too late. 73-37. 

Caleb’s team had perhaps their hardest-fought game of the entire year in their game. After a tough start, they rallied, though, and won 46-40 to advance to the championship game later today. 

Zak’s team played their next game. It was quite a bit different this time. They were finally clicking, and the result was a 55-41 win to secure 5th place. Proud of you guys!

After that game we did the required thing when you go to San Antonio. We went to the Alamo. It’s been a minute or three since we have been there. That whole downtown area was a mess, with lots of construction. Much of the Alamo Plaza itself was blocked off for a big celebration today. But we got there just in time to make the rounds before it closed for the day. 

Next we joined Christi in one of her personal pilgrimages. We had supper at Casa Rio Mexican Restaurant on the River Walk. Pretty good stuff. And afterwards we stopped in at another shop for some ice cream. Had to join in that one in honor of Sam, of course. I had triple chocolate, Sam. 

1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭ says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Father, thank you for watching over all the kids in their games yesterday. Please do it again. Amen.  

March 1 - “Computer woes … still”

I spent the morning wading through income tax stuff. I did finish and even connected with our tax preparer. I thought being old was gonna bee we a lot easier when it came to tax time. 

Sam went to Texas with Robert to run some errands. That gave Chris time to finish cleaning house. I worked some more on the new puzzle. 

I also tried to get the computer ready to play videos for home group. Things were looking pretty bleak, though. But after the fifth restart, it finally held. Maybe we can get going on that new one come Monday morning. 

Meanwhile, we are heading to San Antonio this morning. I’ll drive as long as it’s dark. Guess I’ll pray for a Buc-ees after that so we can switch out. 

Psalm‬ ‭139‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭ says, Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Father, please ride with us to San Antonio this morning. Amen.