March 11 - “A go for the pickleball?”

I got to play tour guide yesterday. I went with Josh, Josiah, Zak and Lindsay up to Seaside to check out the repair work going on at the retreat center building. It’s looking really good. A lot of the new flooring is down. And they were there working on the sealing and painting of the underside of the entire building. Pretty impressive stuff. We even had a mini-tour of the plans for the worship center conducted by worship pastor. Thanks for taking the time, Greg. 

The Waco bunch (except Zak and Lindsay) left for the Northlands around 1:30. Me and Chris left shortly thereafter for her doc appointment. I assume the LaMarque crowd was shortly after that. 

This appointment was to get one of those steroid shots in her hip. Our hope was that it would magically remove the pain she is having before we take off for Spain (and open the door for our pickleball lesson). 

After his examination, the doc asked us a very unusual question. He wanted to know if we had any plans for the rest of the afternoon. If not, he wondered if he could “steal of that time.” Not what you want the doc to say. Basically, he said the x-ray he had showed a distinct difference between the two hips. One looked nice and smooth. The other looked kinda wonky. And the wonky one seemed to have some extra lines. In a nutshell, he wanted her to go get another x-ray, then come right back. He mentioned looking to make sure there wasn’t a hairline fracture. If there was, they couldn’t do the steroid shot, because it would hinder healing. 

So we drove over to the clinic that has the x-ray machine. The tech that took the pics was pretty amazing. Very kind and outgoing. Even offered to let Chris take home a stash of the stylish blue paper patient shorts she hooked her up with. 

No fracture. Choice of muscle relaxers or two shots. I knew she would decline the meds. So she chose the less invasive shot to start. Should see some results by Thursday. If she can handle it, she can go for the pickle ball. Hmm. If it doesn’t help, she goes back when we get back from the cruise for shot number two - the invasive one. We shall see …

For dinner we took Zak and Lindsay out for some good ol’ seafood. Where else but the original Shrimp n Stuff? They have been to the food truck and to the hotsy totsy version downtown. Now the trifecta is complete. 

After dinner we took them on a drive around town to see some of the sights in Galveston. Not the usual tourist stuff. They wanted to see some of the early architecture and old homes. Always fun for a proud Galvestonian. 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭31‬:‭30‬ says, Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.

Father, thanks for the relatively good news Chris got (that there is no break). And thanks for the time we have with Zak and Lindsay. Amen. 

March 10 - “HCU”

Part of our Waco entourage left around eight in the morning to head into Houston. Caleb and Josiah were making a college visit to Houston Christian University (Cailyn is making a visit there later with some of her friends). Yep. The old stomping grounds for Josh and Christi and Kel and Christina and of course, me and Chris. Quite the legacy for those three if they decide to go in that direction. That meant the rest of the crew came over to make it a sort of younger cousins camp. Apologies for hanging that monicker on Luke and Noa. After all, they are both just about to turn 13, so … more teenagers in our midst. Woohoo!

After working on the current jigsaw puzzle for a while, during which time Luke used my desk and computer to do his online Latin class, I paid a few bills that we didn’t want hanging over our heads while we were gone. Most notable among which were income tax and property tax. Yuk. But at least they are covered - for a while. 

Christina took the kids over to the park to run off some steam. It sure got quiet in a hurry. Christi texted that their HCU visit went well. They even drove through the financial district in a nod to Zak’s interests. 

I also spent some time working. Yep. Actually working. I put together a few sermons just in case they might come in handy over the course of the two Sundays we will be at sea. If not needed … no problem. I just like to be over-prepared. 

We did some outside cooking for supper. Beef and chicken fajitas. I’ve never attempted that particular dish on the grill before, and Josh was sleeping like a baby. Fortunately, Kel arrived just in time to take over. He done good work. 

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭says, Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you.

Father, thanks for that rousing evening with all those kids. Sure missed having Cailyn there. Amen. 

March 9 - “Going on the sewing”

We woke up (well, I did. Chris slept a little later) to the sound of rumbling thunder. That, of course, is not Freddy’s favorite melody in the whole world. She was up in my lap as soon as she could convince me to provide her with one. 

Not that it was raining. At least not when we first got up. Just noise. Thunderous applause for God’s power. But the rains did come. In waves. Loud waves. Freddy wasn’t happy. But as long as she was in my lap she stayed relatively calm. 

In spite of the rain, we had a good group at church. And afterwards Noa hopped in the car with us. The boys were all going to the World Baseball Classic at the Astros Park in Houston. She wanted to work on a sewing project with Nana. But of course we had to eat. Oh.  And watch a Hallmark movie.  Important Sunday afternoon activities. They did eventually get going on the sewing. Hey! That rhymes. “Going on the sewing.” I like it. Great place to end, don’t you think? “Going on the sewing.” Hmm. 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭31‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ says, Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom and loving instruction is on her tongue.

Father, thanks for v the chance to spend time with Noa all by herself.  As she pointed out, she’s turning 13 next month. Teenager. Yep. Amen. 

March 8 - “Check”

Checked off some things regarding our cruise. 

Some of the bills that will be due while we are gone came in the mail no. Two key ones … IRS and property tax. Ouch. 

We braved the Saturday/Spring Break traffic and went to Walmart. This trip was for trip amenities like mouthwash and mascara and a new razor. Oh. And candy. Gotta keep up our strength. We will still need a trip next week for more bananas. 

I spent some more time through the afternoon working on the jigsaw puzzle. It’s getting there. 

Finally, we watched some college basketball - always a fun activity. Baylor played against Utah, and for about half of the first half, Baylor was making more than 90% of their shots. That is unheard of. Watch out Houston and Arizona and Texas Tech. 

Last night we switched over to baseball mode. The US was playing Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic. Actually, we were hoping to see Jachin. We thought he had some tickets to the game. Kind of a bucket list thing for him. But I guess we were wrong. Chris tracked him to the mall instead. Oh, well. 

‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬ says, But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen and guard you from the evil one.

Father, be with us at church today. And be with Corey and Janell on their trip. Amen. 

March 7 - “Tis the season”

Our morning was one of those … well, we did yardwork. Tis the season and all that. I mowed and edged. Chris cleared a flowerbed and did the sweeping. I know. I know. She had no business doing that with her bad hip. But YOU try and stop her when she gets it in her head to do something. 

We crashed for the afternoon. I’m pretty sure there was a Hallmark movie on, but I may or may not have missed a bit of it. Just resting my weary eyes for a brief second or two. 

Last night we packed up our sweatshirts and stadium seats and headed up North. It was Cailyn’s last soccer game of the year. We couldn’t miss that one. 

They honored the seniors before the game started. Each girl had a statement she had written read by the announcer. And the announcer was none other than … 

Nathan. He did a great job. 

The good guys outplayed the opponent all game, but a fluke goal on a free kick brought defeat. Still proud of you, girls. 

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬ says, So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Father, thank you for the nice weather. It made those outdoor chores not so difficult. Amen. 

March 6 - “The grand counting chore”

We ordered some more of Freddy’s medication. Ouch. That stuff costs enough to pay for a cruise excursion. Good thing we like that little critter. 

Speaking of medications … 

We did some more trip planning. Had to figure out the process for returning home. Our flight from Barcelona arrives around 3:10. Our connecting flight departs DFW at 4:36. That gives us just over an hour to get our bags, go through customs in Dallas, and get to the other terminal and go back through security to catch our connecting flight - all in 

one hour. Sounds like fun. 

Oh. But medicines. We also did the grand counting chore. That’s where we figure up how many days we will be gone and compare that to how many of each medication we have on hand. The plan is to make those match up so we don’t run out. I think we’re ok on prescriptions. It’s the over-the-counter stuff we need to replenish. Methinks a trip to Walmart is in our future … 

I spent some time at the computer working ahead on some home group Bible studies. I also snuck in some jigsaw puzzle time. Chris redid our calendar for the cruise dates. I think we won’t be really ready for this thing until we actually step on the boat. 

Speaking of home group, I took a different approach this time. Actually, we have done it before. A few more songs than usual. Then an incredibly creative video that I found on YouTube giving a complete overview of 1 and 2 Kings. We will pick up the life (and death) of David next time. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭3‬ says, But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing

Father, thanks for the folks you have placed in our home group. I do appreciate their willingness to put up with my “creativity.” Amen.

March 5 - “The odd - not so odd - urge”

Well, that was a great start to the day (sarcasm warning). I was sitting at my desk, calmly pouring in the eye drops, as I do every morning. After completing the task I reached blindly for the cap to the eye drop jar, as I do every morning. And … I promptly knocked over my cup of coffee. My full cup of coffee. My cup of coffee that actually holds roughly two cups of  coffee. The spillage was horrifying. Books. Computer. Clock. Cards to be mailed. 

Suddenly I had the odd - not so odd - urge to do a Spring cleaning of my desktop (and I don’t mean the one on my computer). I leapt into action. 

Grabbing a hand towel from the kitchen, I went first to the computer. Fortunately it sits on a frame several inches above desk level. All good there. Next came the books. I expected a real disaster there, but the only one affected was The Totally Awesome Book of Useless Information. No, that’s not my opinion, although it is pretty awesome. That’s the actual title. It soaked up a good amount of the flood. It actually protected the printer. 

Other than a few pieces of paper I had out with things to remember and do, everything else was relatively unscathed. I made another cup of coffee. I was more careful this time. 

The Astros pulled out a Spring Training victory. Of course both squads were a bunch of prospects. That makes it fun, though. Won’t be long and we’ll be back on track for games that count. Can’t wait. 

We took Freddy to the vet in the afternoon. Time to check her ears again. No observable problems there. She also needed more meds. Our big question for the vet was to see if she has to be on the seizure meds from now on. Yep. For the foreseeable future. And as a side note, she was also due for a rabies vaccination. Done and done. Whew!

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭143‬:‭8‬ says, Let me experience Your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in You. Reveal to me the way I should go because I long for You.

Father, thank you for Freddy’s fairly good vet visit. We kinda like that little critter. Amen.