May 11 - “Extra passengers”

After church we had a few extra passengers for the ride home. Kel, Christina and Josiah were on their way to the airport. They were flying to Virginia to pick up Micah. Not flying back, though. They plan to rent a mini-van to throw his stuff in for the drive back to Texas. 

So … back to our two extra passengers. Noa and Ezra are staying with us for the few days they will be gone. So is their dog Leia. So is their pile of homework. Hmm. We may or may not get around to that. 

After church we went across the street to the Shrimp n Stuff food truck. Special Mother’s Day treat for Chris and Christina. Shrimp basket for me. Shrimp tacos for Chris. Any day of the week. 

Ezra and I spent the afternoon watching the Astros game. Not a very pleasant experience. They lost their second in a row to the Reds - the team that is dead last in their division. Oh well. 

For dinner last night we decided to splurge. Read here, go out to eat twice in one day. Jachin was working at Local Dogs, so we went over to check out him and the dogs. 

Later, Ezra and I were deep into a game of catch in the backyard, when we heard a faint whine. A few more tosses and it got louder. Then the scratching began. That was it. We folded up our gloves and headed out the gate to check it out. Did Freddy or Leia escape? Was it a poor wolf-coyote looking for food? Slowly the gate began its outward swing. 

And what should our wondering eyes behold, but … a really huge, really old, white dog. He definitely looked familiar to me, and he wasn’t scared of humans at all. Ezra joined me, and the dog started down the street. We were hoping his homing instincts were kicking in. 

As we strolled down the street, I saw in the distance a youngster on a scooter. Yep. That’s where I had seen the dog before. He regularly takes his little humans for a walk that passes in front of our house. And sure enough, all three of the kids came running when they saw the dog, yelling, “Max! Max!” And with that, Max happily trotted home. Mission accomplished. 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭32‬:‭8‬ says, I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with My eye on you, I will give counsel.

Father, please watch over Micah and that part of his family as they trek back home. Amen. 

May 10 - “Vaughan Talent”

We had some sun yesterday. That was in spite of the forecasted rain. We used the opportunity to repot the plants Chris got the new pots for, and a few others as well. And we scraped the ground a bit to snuggle in the grass sod as well. Then she watered everything thoroughly. All part of that green thumb instinct, you know.

Josh called to talk for a while. They had a houseful. Zak and Lindsay came over, so we got to say hi to the whole crew. Most of the time everybody was talking at once, so it was fun to add our two cents worth into the chaos. 

After lunch it was back on the road again. We headed all the way into Texas. And not just barely over the causeway, either. We went all the way up into Alvin, home of Nolan Ryan. Noa, Ezra and Josiah had their end-of-the-year musical presentations - aka recitals. Ezra played the uke. Josiah played guitar. Noa played guitar and sang in the choir. Talented Vaughan kids. 

We were right on time. Sadly, however we were on time at the wrong place. We realized our snafu when we pulled into the empty parking lot. We went to the site of their last performance - in Friendswood. Frantically we adjusted our gps and raced off. 

We missed much of the first half, but by the end we had seen all three of them do something. And as I said before … Vaughan talent. 

Last night we were invited to celebrate the end of music co-op a the season. We went over to their house for dinner. Why not? Chicken Alfredo. We pitched in some chocolate cookies.  Crowd favorite. 

‭‭John‬ ‭20‬:‭21‬ says, Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

Father, thank you for gifting all those kids with some amazing talent. Thanks also for their willingness to use those talents in worship. Amen. 

May 9 - “A Visit to the drug store”

I can’t decide which is more difficult. Walking two miles (which we did). Getting all our ducks in a row for the Northern Lights trip (which our tour guide Belinda pretty much took care of, with only a few harrowing moments booking the flights). Or downloading and trying to get the airline app to work. Phew. Long morning. 

After lunch we hit the errands trail. First up was CVS. That’s the only place that carries one of Chris’ vitamins. 

Next was Home Depot. Nothing dire or desperately needed there. Chris had been looking for a specific sized pot for some of her plants. Hey. She’s definitely the expert in that field. Get what I did there? “In her field”? Like plants grow in a field? I know. Hilarious, right? By the way, we got the pots. And a big bag of dirt. And some sod. 

Next stop was Randall’s. As usual, that was the prescription stop. Chris actually had three ready. Woohoo. 

After such a back-breaking, tiring afternoon, we needed a break. An ice cream break. So we headed over to Cordray’s Drug Store just down the street from the house we were living in when I was born. Sounds weird to say that out loud. Apparently it was a thing when I was a kid, but then, I was only five when we moved. So why there rather than, say, Walmart? Well, as it happened, Jachin was at work. Why not get him to make us a cup of coldness? 

We had never been there before. We just saw it a long while back on the owners’ TV show. They do rolled ice cream. Some kind of special technique that makes it taste better, I guess. I just know Jachin was already a master. And he did it left-handed. I had mint chocolate chip. Chris had a conglomeration that amounted to something like strawberry banana caramel vanilla. It was good. Big ol’ servings, too. We even had to stop by the house and put Chris’ leftovers in the freezer. 

And finally … a place for me. Walmart. People watchin’ and banana pickin’. Can’t get much better than that. 

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬ says, So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

Father, help Jachin to enjoy his workplace. Amen. 

May 8 - “Progress”

I took over some of Chris’ weekly, home-group-is-coming, housecleaning duties. Sweeping, vacuuming. She dusted and cleaned the toilets, though. Score for me!  

All throughout lunch we were texting/emailing to get the final details nailed down for our trip to see the Northern Lights. Lots of back-and-forth between us menial attenders and our travel agent and the actual tour vendors. But we have the initial deposit checked off for the bulk of the week. Full amount due June 3. 

Next we had to attack the Arctic Circle extra trip. Whole different tour outfit. Fortunately, our travel agent is amazing. She did the hard legwork, so all we had to do was sign off on it (and pay, of course). 

I think the hardest part was getting airline tickets. We wanted to get the seats with just a little extra legroom. Not necessarily first class - that bumped the price up by a thousand or two. Just those few extra inches. Again, Belinda dove in with both feet, doing research. That process is still underway. TBA

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬ says, For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Father, thanks for the progress so far on our trip. Amen. 

May 7 - “My tumbleweeds”

We hit the workplace hard and early. Around 8:15 I started mowing and edging what little grass we have left around here. Chris raked some more of the dead stuff, and then did some sweeping of what she affectionately called “my tumbleweeds.”  Sadly, we had to add an item to our Walmart list (or maybe Home Depot). The outdoor heavy-duty dust pan broke. Sigh. Another victim of Galveston rust. 

Freddy also received a little attention. It was that ever-dreaded … bath day. She actually kind of enjoys it. But not until she is finally in the tub. She avoids Chris like the plague when Chris is getting everything ready. Even hides in the backyard. But once she gets that first squirt of warm water, she is fine. 

Last night we went to the Seaside prayer team meeting. There was some pretty passionate praying for the upcoming mission trip to Alaska. Encouraging. 

‭‭Acts‬ ‭2‬:‭38‬ says, “Repent,” Peter said to them, “and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Father, begin now to guard and guide those folks going to Alaska to serve you through serving others. Amen. 

May 6 - “Prophylactic”

Back to UTMB yesterday. Twice. Both times were for Chris appointments. 

The first one was a new patient one. Site was getting establishing with a different kind of oncology doc.  That meant, of course, she has the immensely enviable task of filling out six or eight pages of medical history - all of which is already present in her MyChart file online. 

The appointment was kinda insisted upon by her surgeon’s nurse practitioner. This guy’s recommendation is to have a prophylactic surgery to remove ovaries and tubes … just in case - thanks to family history. We’ll see. At least I got to type “prophylactic.” Three times. 

We stopped on the way home at Shrimp n Stuff, courtesy of Zak and Lindsay. Always a real treat, to be sure. I had fried shrimp. Chris had shrimp tacos. 

Her next appointment was in the afternoon. This one was with her PCP to talk about the four falls (NOT the waterfall kind!) in Spain and after we got home. She has had back and arm and leg problems ever since. To her credit, she fessed up pretty well. She says she doesn’t really know how to gauge the 1-10 degree of her pain. She always undercuts it. But it was enough to get them to at least do x-rays (and an MRI on her shoulder). They also prescribed physical therapy. Gotta admit, Chris is really, really good at following through on the PT. Hope they can get it done in May. We have places to be in June. 

‭‭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, please work some healing on Chris. Amen. 

May 5 - “How do you do that, anyway?”

It was Monday, so that means Laundry Day around here. Someday I’m gonna learn the secrets of separating the clothes. How do you do that, anyway? Somehow my dual method that got me through college doesn’t seem appropriate (or possible) any more. Oh, you want to know my two-pronged laundry theory? Easy. 1. Take it home and let Nani or Mom sort it out. 2. Crumple it all together, stuff as much as possible into a machine (had to save those quarters), turn it on and call it a day. Well, same with the drier, of course. Hence, saving the quarters. 

I got started working on the Bible study for Thursday night. Still on the life of David, although change is afoot!  

Chris had a doctor appointment in the afternoon. Checkup with oncology, so she brought no issues with her there. And all was well. The aches and pains from her numerous recent falls will be addressed by a different doc today. 

On the way home we stopped for some groceries. Yep. I had the last banana for breakfast. We did get a few other things (of course).  How could we not? We were in Walmart, after all. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭9‬:‭37‬-‭38‬ says, Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Father, thank you for Chris’ good news from the cancer doctor. Amen.