May 31 – “History in the making”

We were blessed once again with the presence of Cailyn yesterday while Mom and Dad were at work.  Actually she was just here for lunch and for the afternoon.  Oh, and she and Daddy both stuck around for supper.  Chicken strips and gravy.  Yum.

We all gathered around the TV and computer feed to watch the space launch.  History in the making.  First one since 2011, I think they said.  Certainly the first one Cailyn had seen.  She FaceTimed her Dad at work so he could watch it with her.  Josh did the same with us so we could watch with him and his brood, although they weren’t all glued to the screen like Josh was.  A kid can multi-task masterfully, you know.  Christina had already been texting with Chris, so we knew they were watching as well.  Ah, space travel.  Old hat for us.  A blast-off from our past, so to speak.  But this was first time excitement for these kids. 

Lately any visit from Cailyn has become baking time, and this one was no different.  She searches Pinterest until she finds an interesting recipe.  Then she and Nani search through the pantry to see what supplies we have that can serve to bring the recipe to life.  This time she selected chocolate cupcakes with raspberry buttercream icing.  We were missing several ingredients for that one, but Cailyn assured us they had them all at their house.  So a road trip was in order.  She and I piled into the car and headed out.  We had to check on the chickens and let the dogs out for a bit anyway.  Fortunately they did have what we needed, but unfortunately the shortening was expired and just didn’t look right.  Neither did the can at our house.  In both cans the shortening was kind of yellowed.  Not to be deterred, I had an idea.  I really didn’t want to go to one of the bigger grocery stores on the Island, and I sure didn’t want to go to WalMart, but the Dollar Store was right around the corner from our house.  Maybe they would have some.  I told Cailyn we’d have to be careful, since there are riots going on all over the country, protesting the death of a guy in Minnesota.  We found out later there was even one beginning to form in Galveston.  A protest, not a riot, hopefully.  All was clear at the Dollar Store, though.  And to our amazement they actually had a can of Crisco.  Just what we needed.  The cupcakes turned out great.  Cailyn’s skills at piping out icing are pretty impressive, too.  And the cupcakes were really tasty.

Oh, and we were privy to a small detail in Cailyn’s life.  She already has her sixteenth birthday planned.  She and her mom and her best friend and her mom (Alexis and Haley) will all go someplace special to spend Cailyn Birthday Eve.  And they will go shopping.  Then the next day she will spend the whole day with her Daddy.  Not sure what they will do yet, though.  But it will be fun.  Sixteenth birthday.  Let’s see, by my count she is eleven now.  That’s still five years away.  And no mention of boys.  You might want to remind her of this when the time comes, Dad.

Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Father, please watch over the astronauts as they join the crew at the space station.  And thanks for the chance to “be there” with our grandkids.  Amen.