A Snapshot from Our Time Away (written from the dead HEAT of summer)

Andy and I returned home from his sabbatical on Monday, arriving to a house with no A/C (and apparently A/C repairmen are in high demand right now leaving us boiling for a few more days). I am really glad to be back in Austin. I sure missed being around my friends and church family. But to celebrate what my time off held, I thought I’d list out a few of my favorite moments while away:

1.) ANDY GRILLING! We got a simple grill as a wedding gift (back in 2004) which has stayed neatly packaged in the box until this past month. Andy decided it was time to crack open the gift and get grilling already. He really enjoys it—and is a natural. Usually, I cook while he is working and then he comes up (when he’s done) and we eat together. But with him grilling, he’s cooking while I’m cooking. We get to share that time together. Plus, he says he finally understands why I get frustrated when he doesn’t come up from the studio when dinner’s ready—because the food gets cold and isn’t as good. There was a meaning to my madness after all, he says. : )

2.) SHARING THE HOPE SEMINARS! Andy and I listened to a set of seminars on CD that I had purchased from The Crescent Project (http://www.crescentproject.org/). Fouad Masri, the founder of the organization had come to speak at one of the “Encountering the World of Islam” classes I took in 2006 and I bought the CDs then. He is sooo inspiring in his evangelism to the Muslim world and so helpful in educating Christians in the cultural and religious beliefs of his (former) people. The 4 part seminar teaches you how to share the hope we have in Christ with the Muslims in your life. Andy and I listened while driving our many road-trips and our love for this population grew more deep the more we learned. If you want to know more about this particular seminar series, click this link: http://crescentproject.org/sharingthehope.cfm

3.) LOST! We are 24 fans. Not Lost fans. Until now. In our time off, we managed to start (and finish) all 4 seasons of Lost. First I loved Jack, now he’s on my hit list. First I hated Sawyer, now I am rooting for him. First I thought the “Others” thing was stupid, now I am totally hooked. I love how Charlie miraculously straightened his tiny, British teeth between Season 1 and 2. I love Desmond and Sayid. I can’t stand Ben. Even Juliette bugs. I really want to know what the deal is with the "others" guy that never ages. And Locke’s worship of the island is a bit tiresome. Now, we are simply frustrated that we have to wait till fall for the saga to continue (and even then we can’t watch 6 straight episodes because they’ll only come once a week).

4.) SURPRISES! My oldest sister lives in Virginia and we rarely get to see each other. But when I heard that she was flying to Texas for just one night to drop off her kids for a grandparent vacation, Andy and I decided to drive up to Fort Worth to surprise her. We arrived at my dad’s house while he was still at the airport picking her up. Andy laughed at me as I paced back and forth in front of the window, on the look-out for their car, so we could make sure and run hide before she walked in the door. Our plan was to hide in my dad’s room and let our dogs greet them at the door to confuse her, then we jumped out and yelled “Surprise!” It was sooo fun! We cooked a big family dinner and stayed up talking for a while. And before we even got up the next day, she was back on a plane to VA. Short, but definitely sweet!

5.) FISHING! I haven’t fished, really, since I was a kid. Back then my mom used to bait my hook, fish sitting next to me, and take any catch off my line for me. (I realize that makes me spoiled.) Fast forward to 2008, my sweet husband took on the role… all I had to do was cast the line and reel it in. He would put on the worms and pull the hook out of the fish’s mouth. It was so fun! (And “ewww”-free for me.) Below are two pictures of me “fishing”—one of my tiniest catch and one of my biggest catch (my flip flop was my measuring stick).