Well into fall...

Is it really almost November? How quickly the days seem to go by. Time flies when you're having fun. Last weekend Dan and I enjoyed a short get away for a couples' retreat at the Wilds. This coming weekend we are going to the Wilds again for a deacon's retreat. The fall colors were beautiful last weekend, and I am hoping the rain hasn't knocked all of the leaves off.

The most exciting news on the homefront is that Daniel has a new cousin, Jess Charles Smetana, who was born last week to Dan's sister Amy. Daniel and I are flying up to Ohio next week for a visit. I know Daniel is going to love the airplane. He loves planes, trains, trucks, and just about any other piece of machinery that moves!

One of my favorite "Daniel-isms" right now is his love for "faw-fee." He is his father's son and loves to drink "faw-fee." Black, of course.

Tonight is a pumpkin carving activity for the teens....better run get the apple cider warming! Cooler temperatures should arrive tomorrow, but we will pretend for tonight.

From The Valley of Vision

SLEEP

Blessed Creator,
Thou has promised thy beloved sleep;
Give me restoring rest needful for tomorrow’s toil.
If dreams be mine, let them not be tinged with evil.
Let thy Spirit make my time of repose a blessed temple of his holy presence.
May my frequent lying down make me familiar with death,
     the bed I approach remind my of the grave,
     the eyes I now close picture to me their final closing.
Keep me always ready, waiting for admittance to thy presence.
Weaken my attachment to earthly things.
May I hold life loosely in my hand, knowing that I receive it on condition of its surrender.
As pain and suffering betoken transitory health,
     may I not shrink from a death that introduces me to the freshness of eternal youth.
I retire this night in full assurance of one day awakening with thee.
All glory for this blessed hope,
     for the gospel of grace,
     for thine unspeakable gift of Jesus,
     for the fellowship of the Trinity.
Withhold not thy mercies in the night season;
     thy hand never wearies,
     thy power needs no repose,
     thine eye never sleeps.
Help me when I helpless lie,
     when my conscience accuses me of sin,
     when my mind is harassed by foreboding thoughts,
     when my eyes are held awake by personal anxieties.
Show thyself to me as the God of all grace, love and power;
     thou hast a balm for every wound,
     a solace for all anguish,
     a remedy for every pain,
     a peace for all disquietude.
Permit me to commit myself to thee awake or sleep.

Amen.

The Age of Exploration

Daniel found the tootsie roll pops in Gigi's pantry. When I found him, he had apparently sampled 9 different ones, removing each wrapper and taking a lick. It was a sticky sight, but I think he was just trying to answer the question, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?" After 9 tootsie pops, we still don't have the answer!

Dallas

In May, my sister-in-law sent a link to me for this cute little puppy that was available in the Dallas area. Not seriously I replied "I would love that dog." Monroe called the next day and asked if I was serious, and of course, being wise at that moment I said "let me talk to Dan." And Dan said "yes, you can have the dog." Now this was somewhat surprising, but it worked out for us to get Dallas. Katie and Monroe flew in for graduation, so they brought her with them. What seemed simple, turned into quite the story. The lady who sold Dallas to them had bought her from a breeder in the Fort Worth area. She found out that she would be moving out of the country for a year because of her job, so she placed an add on Craigslist to find a new home for Dallas (then known as Penny). When Dallas arrived, her folder of information came with her, and in it was a contract between her former owner and the breeder. And, in the contract was a statement that the dog was never to be sold or given to a shelter/rescue and the breeder was to be contacted should they no longer want the dog. This made me a little not very happy. Here we have this perfect, beautiful pup, but technically, according to the contract, we shouldn't have her. And this lady we bought her from had broken the contract, and of course, Monroe and Katie hadn't even opened the folder, so we we had this wonderful dog in SC, and what do you do? So, I contacted the breeder. I am so so so grateful for their kind, gracious response to the situation. I felt so torn, because we had paid for her already (which we got a good price from the owner, but by the time we added flying her here, and buying her crate, etc. which could not fly, it ended up adding up a bit) and she was in SC. It was one of those situations where I just didn't know what to do, or how the breeder would respond, but God really did have Dallas in His plan for us! I am confident of that. There are so many more details that I could go into, but I will spare you. Needless to say, she has found a loving home, and she gets lots of attention. As soon as she hears Daniel awaken in the morning, she runs and sits outside his door and whines a little until we let her in! And Daniel loves her just as much. It has been good for him to have something that he has to "share" with and "work" with. I know she is not a sibling, but next to his cousin, she is the closest thing that he has. It is so neat to me to see how God works even in things like the "family pet" situations of life. I have so enjoyed corresponding with the breeder. Although I have never spoken with her, I feel like we have a little piece of their family in our lives. And what's neat is that they are believers. God is good! By the way....Dallas was first named Ginger, then Penny, and now she is Dallas (technically Ginger Dallas), and Dally for short, on occasion. Daniel called her "Das" at first, but now he can say the "ll" and also repeats Dally when I call her by that nickname. What fun and joy she has brought to our family!

Monday Musing

Another Monday is about to end...and I am looking forward to crawling into bed! I know I don't blog too often, but this past weekend is one that I must write a little something about! Dan graduated with his MDiv on Saturday. His ordination council met on Thursday evening, and he was ordained Sunday evening. Both of these "events" have been for a long time "down the road." But now they have come and gone. I am overwhelmed at God's great kindness to us to lead us to this point, and am reminded again of the great responsibility that we have been given to serve our precious Savior. Each of us is called to serve Him and to love Him...to make His name known. It is no small task. I am so grateful for the charge from I Peter 5 that was given to Dan. It is a passage that I think we will commit to memory and come back to over and over and over again. God knows just what we need. He knows our hearts better than we do, and He knows how to "grow" us into Christ-likeness. If it were left to me to grow myself, I would be a pretty dead weed (well, not pretty, but ugly at that)!