March 14 - “Sing it again!”

Chris wasn’t feeling too good to start the day, so no big walk. I did do all of my stretching exercises, though. That’s gotta be worth something, right?

When Sam texted to let us know she was up and ready for breakfast, Chris grabbed her cereal and I followed her in with a resounding (if I do say so myself) chorus of “Happy Birthday to my much older sister! Happy Birthday to you!”  Sam loved the singing, of course. Well, either that or the Astros schedule we handed her so she would never be in the dark regarding the rapidly approaching season. Great way for her to start her actual birthday day. 

For lunch we stuck a candle in a brownie and sang “Happy Birthday” again. We only put one candle in there. We couldn’t fit any more than that. She is, after all, much older than me. At the table I gave her a schedule for the rest of the Spring training games. The ones being televised were marked with yellow markers. Go Astros!

In the afternoon we had a few errands to run, even though it meant venturing into our Spring Breaker-infested fair city. Fortunately, we just had to get one prescription for Chris at Randall’s. While there we filled up the car with gas. Then we stopped at Walmart to get Sam a prescription and me some bananas. Yum. 

Last night we finished out Sam’s birthday day by taking her to dinner at Shrimp n Stuff Downtown. She had a big bowl of some kind of creamy, shrimpy goodness. Chris had grilled shrimp tacos. I had popcorn shrimp. All were full and happy when we left, with at least one more dinner’s worth of leftovers. Not that we didn’t like it. They just pile on the grub. Thats some good stuff. 

Before we left we gave Sam some Astros pins to adorn whatever outfit she happened to be wearing on game day. And, yes, I sang to her again. She heard my melodious tune three or four times throughout the day.  And she even asked for it again at bedtime. I stuck to abbreviated version that time. 

Happy birthday, Sam. 

John‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬ says, Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.“

Father, thank you again for the chance to be Sam’s adopted baby brother. Gotta love that lady. Amen. 

March 13 - “Stella”

Walked our two miles again yesterday. And when we got back, Chris headed right out to work in a flowerbed. I followed with the clippers to do some trimming. I even managed to get two dead bushes pulled up with little to no back exertion. As it turned out, the original flowerbed didn’t get the extensive work it needed, but we did get a good start on the bushes. 

Oh. And in between time, I managed to switch some files over to the new computer. I think it’s in a place where I can actually use it … finally. I even discovered some new things. My favorite so far is one where the computer will read what I write back to me. Yep. Out loud. And in case you’re wondering … my new computer … is a girl. I’m pretty sure her name is Stella. We have a lot to talk about now that I know she can talk back. See you soon, Stella. 

Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬ says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Father, thanks for my new computer friend. Help me get to know her better. Amen. 

March 12 - “A new one”

Heart doctor appointment at 9 am. No. Not Chris. This one was for me. Just a follow-up for the visit six months ago to see if the arterial plaque buildup was blocking anything (sounds like I know what I’m talking about, doesn’t it?). No real change other than some medication adjustments. “Come back and see me in six months.”

Next we went to Best Buy to look at computers. To our surprise, the one we were looking at online was on sale in the store. With help from a consummate computer nerd, we grabbed it. 

I played at getting it set up when we got back home. Most of what I did went fairly smoothly. Even got the Word program going. However, the cloud stuff is messed up. What is supposed to be accessible from the old computer in the cloud looks completely different on the new one. No idea what I did wrong. I’ll take another look today, but the Geek Squad may be getting a call. 

Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭15‬ ‭ says, And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.“

Father, thanks for you that Nathan is doing so well post op. Please keep him on the straight and narrow of following doctor’s orders. Amen. 

March 11 - “Shh. It’s a secret”

Another great day at church yesterday. Kel taught on Joshua and the sun standing still. We got to chat with a family that comes off and on fairly regularly. Great young folks who love Jesus and Seaside. 

After church we killed some time before leaving. There was reason behind our madness, though. A crowd of folks was waiting at our house to surprise Sam for her birthday. She had no idea, so the surprise was a rousing success. Chicken spaghetti was tasty, as was the German chocolate cake, a Sam favorite. Pictures of cats adorned the walls. Balloons with cats on them floated everywhere. Cats in the cupcakes. Cats in the big cakes. Cat birthday cards. Cats. Cats. Cats. 

(And someone may or may not have repurposed those cat decorations into Sam’s room - wrapped around her pillow, hanging from the walls, and even showing up in the most unexpected of places). Nice job, all you folks that put this one together. And happy early birthday, Sam (her actual birthday is Wednesday).  

Speaking of Sam, she asked if she could include a word in this space as a guest commentator. Enjoy …

“I want to say thanks to all my awesome friends who planned and pulled off such an amazing surprise cat themed birthday party. Yes, I was truly surprised. Thanks for all the fantastic gifts. Y’all know me so well, there was not a dud in the bunch, from yummy things to eat,( little weenies, coconut brownies, chocolate covered cashews), to  gift cards for Chinese food and cash and of course puzzles(with cats of course). Special thanks to Lauren and Cathy who prepared such a delicious meal and  not one but two birthday cakes(German chocolate of course). Did I say they know me well? Once again thanks to everybody who participated in making this such a special day.”

Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ says, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Father, thanks for the folks who came over to fete Sam. They really did bless her. Amen. 

March 10 - “Crispy”

We braved the cold, cold conditions (54 degrees with strong winds) to go to Cailyn’s last soccer game of the season. We had to leave an hour early, though. The drive was clear to Manvel, Texas. That’s a town north of Alvin on Hiway 6.  And yes … it was cold. 

We had on long sleeve shirts and sweatshirt hoodies and wrapped up in two blankets each. Didn’t really help. Nevertheless, we stuck it out. 

Now, they started the game early. The score was already 1-0 bad guys when we arrived, about 10

minutes before the scheduled game time. Not sure how much we actually missed. The scoreboard clock had digits missing. But the best was yet to come. 

That’s right. The good guys came storming back in the second half. Scored two goals. Cailyn didn’t score, but she made some amazing passes and stops. And the team actually played as a team better than any game we have seen this year. Nice job, girls. We are proud of you. 

On the way home we decided to stop at the Red Cap Cafe in Santa Fe. It’s one Nathan recommended a while back. It was a good one. Old school, crispy-edge pancakes for me. Chris had a burger and fries. The good kind of fries. Crispy. Guess we have a thing for crispy. 

After that good meal we decided to take a walk. Too cold to do it outside, though. So Chris pulled into Home Depot. Nothing in particular to look at. Lawn mowers. Hardware for our broken closet doors. Plants. Sniff the wood. Just random stuff. 

For supper last night Chris fixed some of her world-famous turkey and dumplings. Perfect comfort food for a cold day. Thanks, Chris. Add that to an afternoon of college basketball on TV and the soccer victory, and you have a great day. 

Psalm‬ ‭145‬:‭18‬ says, The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

Father, thank you for watching over the girls on the soccer team. And thanks for the great food day. Amen. 

March 9 - “The big news of the day”

I made some real progress yesterday. Well, if by “real” you agree to count the latest Jigsaw Puzzle. I finished every color except for white (sky) and gray (ground).  Those will be much harder. Guess I’ll have to work strictly by shape from here on out. 

We made our weekly (and sometimes more often) Walmart trip. Our friend Pedrameh was working, so we made it a point to get in her line. It was so refreshing to see a smile and get a hug … at Walmart. Thanks, Pedrameh!

I guess the big news of the day was that we received our cruise documents by email. They covered all the checkin details and listed all the “getting ready” info. There was also a master for copying luggage tags as well as our voucher for a complimentary fine dining meal. It took four tries, but I finally managed to get the printer to actually do its job and print it all out. And true to form, Chris read all 13 pages, cover to cover (if a printed out email can be said to have a cover). Thats one more check off our list. 

Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭ says, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Father, thank you for your gift to us of Pedrameh as a friend. She has a good hug. Amen. 

March 8 - “Chair jumping”

We had to switch some things around yesterday. Sam had an afternoon doc appointment, so that’s meant home group house cleaning … in the morning. Chris started in her usual routine. Toilets, bathrooms, and then sweeping every surface not carpeted or covered by a rug. And of course, mopping same said surfaces. I picked up the random stuff lying around and did the vacuuming. Yes, it did make my back a little sore, but we needed to get it all done before Chris had to leave. 

Last night we had a great group of folks for home group. We are studying the life of David, and they seem to be following pretty well. I may or may not have added a little theatrics to the study application. Something about piling stuff on the throne of your life in front of Jesus. Then putting yourself up on there as well. 

I started with a cross on my chair to show Jesus in my life. But he wasn’t alone. I added to my chair/throne family pictures and money and a credit card and a check stub. All symbols of things people put ahead of Jesus. And finally I jumped up in the chair, too, to show how we put ourselves and our rights and our desires ahead of Jesus. Of course I had to shove the other stuff off. Well, except for the cross. There had to be a whole separate sermon in there somewhere. 

Revelation‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬ ‭ says, Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to 

receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.

Father, thanks for the great time with the home group last night. Amen.