June 20 - “On hands and feet”

We got started before 9 a.m. on our latest jaunt, a trip to Arlington for our last meeting with the other two couples who are going with us and with the tour director before our trip to Alaska.  This shifting gears from children’s camp to Alaska and back again is tiring.

We arrived in plenty of time to spend a few hours talking with Cary and KayLynn before heading over Wayne and Sheri’s for dinner.  At their house we had some kind of Mexican casserole dish, along with chips and cheese dip and salsa and salad and several kinds of dip of varying colors and consistencies. It was quite the spread.  And Wayne even sweetened the tea for us.  Can’t beat sweet tea, you know.  And after dinner he made us a unique kind of snow cone/ice cream thing that was really good.  Lots of different flavors available and everything.  Felt like we were at Bahama Bucks.

We had our big discussion about Alaska around the table.  The girls all had notebooks full of the results of their personal studies as well as questions to ask the tour guide at the second meeting tonight.  The guys were at the ready with extremely helpful hints and encouraging words ... as usual.  I thing we are prepped and ready for the big meeting tonight.  I’m not sure the tour guide is ready for us, though.

Once the business was all settled, our attention shifted to more important matters.  Hand and foot.  For those of you who are the uninitiated, hand and foot is a card game specifically designed to bring out the competitive juices in first-born children ... and adults.  The rules and regulations are much too difficult to attempt an explanation here.  Suffice it to say that we never really got around to keeping score.  I stayed blissfully ignorant for most of the competition- a rip-roaring, rabble-rousing affair of guys versus girls.  The bottom line is this ... of course, being the gentlemen that we are, we proved our dominance with a resounding victory in the first match.  Then we eased off and let the sweet ladies with the next few rounds.  Gotta keep those lovelies happy at all times, you know.

Isaiah 40:31 says, “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”

Father, thank you for old friends and new games and anticipation of joys to come.  Amen