November 5 - “A sweeping experience”

Well, we had a bit of a crisis around the kitchen yesterday around lunch time. Actually, I was the crisis. I was getting Chris a bowl for her soup. As I turned to set it down on the counter, my arthritis-infested thumb gave out. The bowl slipped away. It flew through the air, fluttering down, down, down. It seemed to gain speed faster and faster … until, CRASH! 

Yep. That bowl literally exploded upon contact with the tile floor. Tiny pieces flew all over kitchen, front hall, dining room, and back hall. I even found a few under my recliner in the den. Quite the “sweeping” experience. 

We finally did get to eat. In fact it was lunch over a Hallmark movie set in Denmark, of all places. Kind of inspired more research into our potential European Christmas market cruise next year. Kaylynn is hard at it as well. We even got our travel agent involved for some specifics. Maybe this is happening. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭24‬ says, Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Father, help our ladies to get this next journey together. Amen. 

November 4 - “That counts”

Once again, we started out our day with a walk. This time, however, Chris was feeling a little more feisty than usual. We extended it to 30 minutes. That equates to a mile and a half on the Gulf Village track course scale. 

Honestly, the rest of the afternoon we lolled around, watching TV. Well, I take that back. Chris couldn’t stand it. She got the laundry pile going into the washing machine. I did help a little. I helped fold the sheets. That counts, doesn’t it?

Last night we braved the rainy weather and headed into Texas. Ezra had his first flag football scrimmage of the season. It didn’t rain any more, but it was humid and actually chilly. The good guys won the first half 19-6, then held off a furious rally in the fourth quarter to hang on for the win, 25-22. 

And then … unbeknownst to us … a second game began. Yep. On a school night a second game began at 9. Fortunately that game was a little less stressful. Final score was 35-18, good guys. 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭11‬ says, I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.

Father, thanks for the day of calm. Be with Doug as he walks through dealing with his son’s death. Amen. 

November 3 - “A library??”

Just remembered another Halloween visitor’s comment. A teenager glanced through our front window into my home office, and with awe in his voice he said, “I really like your house, man. It looks like a library.” That it does, my young friend. That it does. 

We made an attempt to get back into walking. Made it for one mile. We are concerned that Chris needs to keep her face scar out of the sun for a while longer. She dutifully wore a wide-brimmed hat, though. She’ll get there. 

A trip to Walmart added a few extra steps to our count. We had to get … bananas. All set. For a few days, anyway. 

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬ says, For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Father, help us as we work to get back into walking. And protect Chris outside. Amen. 

November 2 - “Feliz Navidad!”

Here’s a few more of the significant connections from Halloween:

I can’t count the number of times youngsters were excited to get the Bible, often showing it to their parents and announcing, “I got a book!”  Or “Look! It’s a Bible!” Quite a number of parents expressed appreciation for the Bible, and several added a warm, “God bless you!”  

Several little guys approached me with wide eyes (for the Santa persona, of course) and threw their arms open wide with big ol’ hugs from Santa. 

We had visits from kids of all ages, from literal tiny newborns all the way to one old grandma who made her way down the driveway with the assistance of a walker. Yep. A walker. 

But my favorite of the night happened when a little girl in a fairy costume spotted me from the end of the driveway. She stopped dead in her tracks, looked back at her parents, pointed my direction, excitedly exclaimed, “Mira! Mira! Feliz Navidad!” I answered with a hearty, “Feliz Navidad!” of my own. 

Yesterday afternoon we had some more guests. Kel and most of his family came over to help us eat the rest of the Halloween pizza. We showed them a quick overview of our Northern Lights pictures. 20 or so minutes versus the two or three hours worth of footage we have. I think it at least gave them a taste of it. 

‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Father, bless those little youngsters who came by for an unexpected hug the other night. Amen. 

November 1 - “Checkin’ in”

We had a really special phone call yesterday. FaceTime, actually. It was great to chat with Micah over in Virginia. He’s doing really well with school. And he was getting ready to head to the Liberty homecoming football game. 

And speaking of grandchildren, we also heard that Cailyn was accepted into the college of her choice. Oh. Which one, you might ask? How about Texas A&M in College Station! Gig ‘em, Aggies! Congrats, Cailyn. Proud of you. 

And then there was Caleb’s last home football game of his senior year. He got to lead the team onto the field one last time. And AnnaGrace got to cheer with the varsity girls at the game. And Luke scored an exciting diving touchdown in his junior high game. Oh, by the way. Good guys won both games … of course. 

Last night we once again hosted our annual Halloween party. Pizza all around. Lots of candy given out. Two cases of Biker New Testaments gone. As were a hundred tracts on how to get saved. Quite the night.

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ says, All Scripture is inspired by God , and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Father, thanks for once again bringing “the world” to our neighborhood so we could share your word. Amen. 

October 31 - “Two success stories”

Chris’ cancer follow-up appointment went well. All markers and exam points looked good. She and Sherry the nurse practitioner compared skin cancer surgery scars. Two success stories there. 

We did some more investigating on a possible river cruise in Europe. Sounds very strange to even say that out loud. We got so far as to email Belinda, our travel agent. We’ll see how it plays out from here. 

Last night we went to the fire department annual awards ceremony. I did the opening prayer and the benediction. Along with the usual recognition of retirees and swearing in of new hires (with a family member or special friend pinning on their badge), and honoring those who earned promotions, several meritorious ribbons were presented. Perhaps the most well-known rescue recognized went to the crew who rescued the teenagers stuck on the Pleasure Pier roller coaster. Our neighbor Jonathan Cook was presented the award for firefighter of the year. Always a great time to reward the hard work these guys put in every day. I’m really proud of them. 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭23‬ says, Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.

Father, be with our fire fighters and their families. Keep them safe and help them to be … happy. Amen. 

October 30 - “Drumroll here …”

I got started early on clean house day. I mean before 8. Chris hadn’t even made her appearance as yet. Got the floors all swept first thing. Then after she joined me, the vacuuming came next. I gotta admit … the sweeping did tweak my back. Very weird how that sweeping motion gets me, but the back and forth of the vacuum cleaner is not as bad. Oh well. All done before 9. Well, I was. Chris was still cleaning bathrooms. 

We received an email from KayLynn. Sounds like it is time to schedule our next adventure. The email compared two cruise lines that provide … drumroll here … European River Cruises. Oh, and I almost forgot. The cruises are designed to go to a series of Christmas markets. Decisions, decisions, decisions. 

Home group was more of an Alaska Trip Report Time. The group wanted to see our pictures, especially the ones of the Northern Lights. And since we love showing them off … win, win. 

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬ says, He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.

Father, help us find the best river crossed for our next adventure. Amen. 

October 29 - “Let loose LOUD”

We had a very quiet morning. Honestly, I took a pretty good nap at my desk. Chris did some more laundry. And she also did some exercises. And therein lies the story. 

Apparently, while I was lost somewhere in dreamland, she decided to do the hip exercises where she gets down on the floor. She has avoided those particular exertions because frankly, she couldn’t get herself back up. Aaaaand … that almost happened. 

She got down without too much trouble (at least until the last “few inches of so”). But when it came time to rise, she had a bit of difficulty. She said that she called out to me for some help, but obviously her “screams” were more like whimpers. I never heard a thing. She was plenty determined, though. She managed to make use of her weak left arm and that up-and-coming bum shoulder to get herself up. I guess I’m proud of her? I did kinda chew her out, though. I insisted that she let loose LOUD if it ever happens again. 

After lunch we took care of a pretty important task. We went over to the Methodist church and voted. Fortunately there wasn’t much of a line. Someone told Chris that on Monday the line stretched outside and around the building. Guess that’s a good thing. But I’m glad our line was just a few people. Go vote!

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭18‬ says, Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.

Father, thank you that Chris managed to get up on her own. Help her continue on her strengthening regimen. Amen. 

October 28 - “Bing! Wide awake”

I had one of those dreaded steroid nights. I got the steroid shots in my thumbs. Apparently done off that juice leaked into my blood stream. It was well after 11 before I even turned off the light and gave up on crosswords. Then my allergies kicked in and I could barely breathe through my nose. No idea what time I finally dozed off. And then … 4:15 a.m. Bing! Wide awake. Legs twitching. OK. OK. I gave up and got up. 

We had to make a Walmart run, of course. We’re still trying to catch up our pantry from our Alaska adventure. Part of the run was kinda just that - a run. Well, OK, a walk. We both needed to stretch our out-of-practice legs. So we killed two birds with one stone, I guess. And I saw one of the fire fighters there shopping. Three birds?

Speaking of out-of-practice legs, for some reason my feet spent the day inside my shoes … throbbing. One of my regular pills is supposed to help with that, but it was almost as if that guy didn’t show up for work. Oh well. Tomorrow’s another day. We’ll see how they do then. 

‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ says, Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Father, bless Stuart. Keep him safe on the job. Amen. 

October 27 - “Ever the vigilant knucklehead”

We started our long doctor appointment day with a blood draw for Chris’ upcoming cancer appointment. At least that’s what we thought. Come to find out, the hospital’s computer had glitched and was only printing out labels about once every 45 minutes or so. Guess it was having a hard time getting going on Monday. 

We finally left there and went across the street for my thumb arthritis appointment. No problem checking in and inserting my credit card, but … the printer was lagging, so I couldn’t get a receipt until the end of the appointment. Hmm. Same glitch, same Monday Blues, I guess. 

I got to see an actual hand doctor this time instead of the usual physician assistant. Totally different vibe with her. Very professional, and certainly knowledgeable. She explained the three surgical options and gave us a referral to her partner who does the surgeries. 

In a nutshell, one surgery fuses the joint so you can’t use it any more. That would cause loss of strength and more wear on the other joint that is having trouble already. 

A second surgery cuts out one bone and puts the other one in a sling. That results in a significant loss of grip strength. The second option is an actual joint replacement that works just like a knee replacement. Of the two, I think I’d pick the latter. This doc did give me the injections as well. Lots to consider. 

After some lunch we headed back to the clinic for my regular follow-up with the cardiologist. 

Older lady (older than me) wheeled in by a caregiver. The aide left her there. Suddenly the lady called out for the aide to stop. Ever the vigilant knucklehead (er … gentleman), I jumped up and raced after the aide. To my consternation, that aide must have been working her power walk. I didn’t catch her until she was outside in the parking lot. She assured me that she would call the patient right away. 

I had just started back to the cardiologist office when my phone rang. It was Chris. I just knew that I had been called back to a room, so I started running again. As it turned out, I didn’t need to. The patient had just misplaced her phone, but found it. 

And of course not two minutes after I sat down, I WAS called back. And here is the scenario. I was panting from my sprint to the parking lot and back. Of course the very first question from the tech? “Any shortness of breath?” Now how was I supposed to answer that? I just laughed. 

Sure enough my blood pressure was way higher than usual. She did give me a chance to catch my breath, and took it again. It was still elevated from my usual, but I guess she was satisfied. I think she wrote down both numbers. I remember wondering what the doc would have to say about that. 

It eventually came down quite a bit. Apparently not enough though. He still insisted that I need to have a sleep study. Great can’t wait. Sarcasm here. 

We stopped by the lab to have Chris’ blood work drawn for her cancer appointment later in the week. She went right back, only to find that the orders were in the system. Fortunately, they were able to contact the office and get them taken care of. 

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41‬:‭10‬ says, Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.

Father, thank you for our very long day. Please work out all these medical details. Amen. 

October 26 - “A Buc-ees Comeback”

We stuck around for church yesterday. Josh preached from Proverbs 31. That’s the passage about amazing wives. Of course he had to mention his awesome mom. 

In the spirit of sticking around, we decided to stick around after the second service and go to lunch with the family. The exotic restaurant of choice? Slim Chickens. They have a pretty good menu. All the chicken strips or chicken sandwiches everyone else has. Also on the menu are chicken salads and their signature chicken and waffles (with waffles in the shape of Texas). But their pies’ de resistance’ was their fried okra. Nice and crispy, and a huge serving. Any place that serves crispy fried okra is ok in my book. 

Speaking of food … we stopped at Buc-ees in Waller. Not to eat - for gas. We were treated to a few specials there. First, the gas was 20 cents a gallon less than we paid in Waco. Woohoo!  

Then, as we walked in the door, who should be standing at the checkout counter but Haley Luza and her son Rory. They were on their way home from visiting relatives in College Station. Haley was commenting on how long it has been since she had seen her sister. She asked Rory, “When was the last time we were in College Station?” Without missing a beat, he quietly replied, “Today.”  Great answer, Rory. Great talking to you guys!

But about the food. I grabbed one of their newest offerings. Cinnamon pull-apart bread. With lots of icing. The good kind of icing they used to have on the cinnamon rolls they discontinued long ago. I wasn’t really hungry, but I had to try this one. Yep. Buc-ees has made a comeback. Excellent!

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭3 says, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.

Father, thank you for the surprise chance to ruin into Haley and Rory. Bless them and John and Lexie. Bless that family. Amen. 

October 25 - “Showing off”

We finally got to show our first array of Alaska photos. There were so many, though, that we either raced through a lot of them or skipped them altogether. Those northern lights that spiraled and twisted and swirled never cease to amaze me. 

Zak and Lindsay and her sister Lindy were around for a lot of the day. Lindy had dance at the same time as AnnaGrace, so it made sense for them to stick around. 

Luke’s birthday party was a massive, all-sports tournament at a local park. Like 30 or 40 kids. The cake was a huge chocolate chip cookie with icing splotched on top. Really good 

From the park we went to a place called Shorty’s Pizza. Really good food. Even had some fried pickles. Thanks for that experience, Christi. And Happy birthday, Luke. 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬ says, The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.

Father, thank you for Luke. Keep him growing in you. Amen. 

October 24 - “Where is Keene?”

We took off for parts somewhat north once again yesterday. I have to be careful how I word things since we have been about as north as a tourist can get up in Coldfoot, Alaska. This “north” is not nearly that far. Just to Waco and then to Keene for a football game. Where is Keene, you might ask? Best I can ascertain, it is somewhere southwest of Fort Worth near Cleburne. Thank you, Apple Maps. 

After the required stop at Buc-ees for lunch we continued on. Actually we got there in time to get a second breakfast. Chris had a brisket and egg taco. I had a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit (my favorite food from there since they stopped serving the cinnamon rolls. But I did see that they now have pull-apart cinnamon rolls served hot).  Next time. 

We got to the Waco Vaughan Estate in plenty of time to rest up. As family started arriving, we found out that AnnaGrace was going to a girls’ night with Lindsay and her little sister. Zak was taking her place, though. In fact he drove us all to the game, but he had to pick up Caleb first. Caleb had been to his girlfriend’s volleyball game in Round Rock, and he had been dropped off at a Walmart near her house. That part of the journey was easy enough, but we then had to deal with a lot of traffic. Whew!

The game was an exciting one. Carry and KayLynn were there. So was Caleb’s girlfriend, Chaselyn. Actually there was a really good crowd for having to drive an hour and a half. 

But back to business. It took well into the fourth quarter. But the good guys ended up winning 76-30. Proud of our linebacker. 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭3‬ ‭says, Commit your activities to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

Father, thanks for watching over us on our drive, and for taking care of the guys on the field. Amen.