January 14 - “From long-haired hippie days…”

Well, it appears we are well on our way to preparing for this cruise journey. Credit cards have been notified. The bed in our spare bedroom is beginning to fill up with all those little things we don’t want to forget. 

The most recent jigsaw puzzle is complete. It’s fitting, too. It’s of a shepherd rescuing a lamb. Kinda like we want the Good Shepherd to watch over us on the trip (But we would appreciate not needing the physical rescue part).

Chris had her regular check-in appointment with her cardiologist. He wants her to do another stress test on the treadmill. However … Chris told him we are leaving on a cruise Sunday. He didn’t see much possibility of the test happening in the next three days, so that’ll give us something “wonderful” to look forward to. 

On the way home we made a few stops. First was the post office. Had to mail a gift to some friends in Pennsylvania. Then we filled up the car with gas. And then we stopped by the bank to get some cash for tips on the trip. 

We thought that would do it, but we ended up having to go out again. We made a quick trip over to b the pharmacy. The doc called in a refill for one of Chris’ meds. She needs it refilled before we leave, or she’ll run out about a week in. As it turned out the meds won’t be in until after three this afternoon. We hope. 

Speaking of this afternoon, I have a haircut appointment at two. That’ll be a nice step for me toward convenience on the trip. Just dry it with a towel and call it a night. My, how far we have come from the long-haired hippie days. 

Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭40‬ says, You also be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.

Father, please be our Good Shepherd throughout this journey. Amen. 

January 13 - “Female Arnold Schwarzenegger’s”

Chris had her weights class yesterday. Those three ladies are gonna be regular female Arnold Schwarzenegger’s if they keep this up. I’m really proud of them. 

After some lunch (Chris made potato soup. Yum) we went over to Walmart (surprise, surprise). We had to pick up the last bits of what we figure we’ll need for our first of two 50th anniversary cruises. 

That led to a trip to Randall’s as well when good ol’ Walmart didn’t have everything we needed. As luck would have it, Chris, who wasn’t at all hungry when we arrived, got a whiff of the freshly fried chicken and couldn’t resist. We eased on over and picked up the manager’s special for supper. That’s some good stuff. Oh, and to offset the illegally ingested fried foods (right before her cardiology appointment today), she made a salad as well. All bases covered there, right?

Mark‬ ‭8‬:‭35‬ says, For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me and the gospel will save it.

Father, thank you for the food you provide us. That seemed to be a theme yesterday. Amen. 

January 12 - “Beyond his years”

Another good day at church. Three adults joined, and two others told us after church that they intended to do the same, they just keep forgetting to touch base with Pastor Kel. Way to go, God. 

Ezra came home with us after church. His dad had a big meeting  to attend. He was totally content to watch NFL football. And boy! Is that kid knowledgeable beyond his years about the game. And by “beyond his years” I mean, he knows about what his much older brothers know. He started talking as soon as he sat down, and the only time he was quiet was when he was chewing some pizza. 

After Ezra left with his Dad, we switched over to women’s college basketball. Undefeated Texas was playing LSU. Sadly, Texas last their first of the year. Maybe we jinxed them. That was the first game we have watched this year. Hope you do better next time, Lady Longhorns. 

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬ says, Let no one despise your youth; instead, you should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

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Father, thanks again for the chance to hang out with Ezra. I like that kid. Amen. 

January 11 - “Libbidy, Libbidy, Lib-bi-dy”

Here’s to a hectic morning. We had several errands to run, but we had to be at Kel’s house by 11:30. Ezra was having his birthday celebration, but not like you might think. He wanted the family to join him at a college basketball game. Specifically, Liberty University vs. Sam Houston State. 

So … errands. While Chris was getting ready, I went out and filled the car up with gas. Check. Then we stopped at Chipotle to get a gift card. No check. 

Seems I was there eight minutes before opening. Now, the door was open, and someone greeted me when I entered. However, when I asked to buy a gift card, they had to got check with the manager. I didn’t want food. Just a card. The register was open, so that wasn’t an issue. But the manager said “No. Not until 3:45.” Hard and fast rule, eh? Apparently so, even though no food was involved. I chuckled and made my way back to the car to let Chris know. 

That’s where things got creative. I walked over to Whataburger to get a gift card from there. They had a hard time getting the credit card machine to work, but it finally cooperated. Then I walked back to the car where Chris was waiting. We sat there for a few more minutes, just to make sure. Then at precisely 10:45, I returned. They were hard at work, chopping steak and  stocking chips. It took a long time for someone to come wait on me. Fortunately, it was the same girl as before. She rang it up, put it in a cute little holder shaped like a briefcase, and sent us on our way. 

Well, “on our way” wasn’t very far. We drove all the way … next door  - back to Whataburger. This time we got some food to go. The computer had no issues with my card this time.  And we were on our way. 

We stopped by Kel’s house first, then picked up Josiah from the karate school. Ezra transferred to our car, and we were off from Huntsville and a day of college basketball. 

After a bit of a tough fight in the first half, Liberty finally pulled away enough in the second to hold off San Houston’s frantic attempts at a comeback. The good guys won 82-74. The best part of the night? Well, other than the fact that Liberty played actual basketball instead of running madly down the court and hoping to slam dunk. That was Sam’s game plan, but Liberty also played defense, apparently a new concept that Sam hadn’t seen much. But the best by far of the night was watching Ezra watch the game. He was in veritable Hog’s Heaven. He loved every part of it, especially when he conned the Sam Houston mascot into taking a picture with him. Unbeknownst to the bearcat, Ezra was flashing the Liberty University hand sign at the time. Classic move. 

Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭2‬, My soul, praise the Lord, and do not forget all His benefits.

Father, thank you for Ezra and his passion for life. Amen. 

January 10 - “A Mild One”

We got back on track yesterday. By that I mean the walking track, of course. Two miles in - right at 19 minutes. We’re getting better. 

The rest of the morning we spent raking sycamore leaves, again. I also attempted to get the shed to cooperate and close properly, but nothing seemed to work. It’s closed, but I had to use kind of a rigged job. Guess we’ll have to put a new shed on the list now. 

After some lunch (and a few episodes of Stranger Things - we’re binging it from the beginning before watching the series finale), Chris packed up a gift to mail to somewhere up in  the frozen norther-lands. Then she worked on our “Christmas Letter.” I started a new jigsaw puzzle. 

Last night we tuned in to some of the playoff game between Oregon and Indiana. Chris popped some popcorn. Freddy rolled around on the rug. All in all, it was a pretty mild day. I’ll take mild every now and then. I’ll take adventurous every so often as well. Keeps a body alert. 

John‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬ says, Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.

Father, thanks for mild. And thanks for adventure. I’m anxious to see those upcoming adventures. Amen. 

January 9 - “PT Negotiation”

Our morning was a little different from usual, but a lot similar to the way our Thursdays used to look. Chris spent most of the time cleaning house in preparation for our impending home group guests. I worked on the Bible Study in preparation for those same that same event. 

After lunch Chris had her last physical therapy appointment for her foot. At least she negotiated it into her last. The guy told her she could keep coming as long as she wanted. She said, “OK. I’m done.”  He even let her come home early. 

Last night we had home group again. Always a blessing to touch base with them, especially after a few weeks off. And even more so since we will be gone again for a few weeks on our first cruise. 

Next? Cruise prep …

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭16‬ says, Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

Father, thanks for our community group. That’s some pretty special people. Amen. 

January 8 - “Home Trip”

We waited until everyone was awake before leaving Waco. Josh and Christi were trying to decipher Luke’s Latin homework. After quite a a long struggle, Josh realized (and confirmed using AI and then the textbook’s index) that one of the words was misspelled. In Latin. Lotsa luck, Christi. 

I tried something different for lunch at Buc-ees.  Chris got the barbecue chopped brisket sandwich (that’s what I usually get). I opted for the fried chicken sandwich. It was actually pretty good. There was a hint of pink in the center, though. I only ate half of it and microwaved the rest for supper after we got home. 

We got home around two. Corey came over with Freddy in hand to greet us. And as a bonus, he had already given her the 2 pm dose of her meds. Thanks again, Corey!

A quick trip to Walmart rounded out our overnight excursion. Had to grab a few things to eat. Well, at least enough to last us until time to sail to the Eastern Caribbean. 

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭31‬ says, Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory.

Father, please keep on blessing Corey and Janell.  Be with Joyce and Lanny as they walk through the next few days. And help Ed and KayLynn heal quickly. Amen.