There's No Place Like Home, Toto.

We returned home from our vacation today in the late afternoon after a drive through beautiful Wisconsin (the trees! We do miss thick, foliage-rich landscape) and early-summer Minnesota. After the little boys and I napped, we stopped in south-central MN at a BP, which happened to be across the road from an implement business. We sat on the curb next to the pump, drinking Mountain Dew Throwback (Papa and I) and apple juice (P) and milk (S), listening to the quiet roar of traffic on I-90 and the periodic buzz of crickets in the surrounding fields. "You can tell the pace has slowed down already," said Papa, and I realized that I was breathing differently--more relaxed, slower. Sitting there, pointing out the occasional car, enjoying the silences that only family togetherness can create, I realized it felt like home, felt like here. We still had a few hours to drive, but it didn't matter--the rush and bustle of the more metro areas we visited in the last ten days were fading. And I was glad. Really glad.

I tend to be a "grass is greener" person, especially when it comes to place (geography) and perceived opportunity. "How cool would it be to live there," I think all the time. This is one of the reasons I like to read the atlas during road trips--but I digress. Moving so much as a child made me realize in my teen years that I liked moving, liked going somewhere new, starting over. I still feel that way very often. But after five years in one town, in one house, now where we are raising two (three!) of our children, I really appreciate the stability and comfort of home. Our home.

After we had a simple dinner, after the little boys got baths and stories and prayers and then promptly sacked out, Papa watched baseball on T.V. (don't ask about the Brewers) while I headed to the library. There, Sally helped me straighten out our convoluted check-outs and I browsed in the quiet stacks for a few minutes before heading out to the car. The sun this time of year is gorgeous, and at eight o'clock was still an hour and a half away from fully setting, so I rolled through the streets with the windows down, passing a Little League baseball game, walkers, quiet businesses, church members walking in the park. Then I went to Coburn's, one of two grocery stores in town, where I saw Sally again (small towns really are small!) and a church member, who chatted with me about her pregnancy. After I left with some penny-pincher savings (love those coupons!), I saw that Main Street in front of the store was jammed with parked cars, and the lights of the Performing Arts Center glowed into the street--it's Opening Night for Annie! (I really hope we can catch a performance--the community theater productions here are awesome!)

I drove home in the waning sunlight, seeing men tending their yards; family patios sporting vestiges of a day at the pool--wet towels, sand toys; old couples sitting on their front porch stoops watching people drive the Square. I was overwhelmed with gladness that we live here, that we had little moments today of simple gifts. What a great day. What a gift to be home, to have a home, to know that even should we lose our physical home on Earth, we have one prepared for us in heaven. And that home will bring countless more joys than even our wonderful, humble one here does! Here's to home, now and forever. 

Flashback Friday: Papa's Five Year Ordination and Installation Anniversary

On June 4, Papa marked the fifth anniversary of his ordination and installation as a pastor! We are so proud of him! In a belated gesture to this half-decade milestone, here's a few pictures from that occasion.

In front of a banner made--if I remember correctly--for the occasion. Love the Luther seal! AND Papa's smile. :)

Papa's stole was a gift to him from the congregation of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Lancaster, Ohio.

All the pastors present at the ordination and installation. Back row, L to R: n/a, Mark Mumme, Ken Wieting, Tom Mickelson, n/a. Front row: Gary Klatt, Bill Sabol, Evan Schiller, Papa, Brian Thorson, Steve Weiss, Bob Beinke. Two dear mentor pastors to Papa were there; several friends, several circuit and area pastors also. Now two pictured here are godfathers to our sons, too!

I love this picture!

Vaca (the family and friend way)

I'm sitting in Indiana as I type this, ready to head (back) to Illinois tomorrow to see family and to pick up Papa from a pastor's retreat. Yes, we're smack in the middle of vacation, otherwise known as the-short-tour-through-five-states-and-dozens-of-relatives-and-friends, plus Doxology. Iowa, Illinois, Indiana (why isn't Idaho somewhere closer? All the other "I" states managed to stick together), Missouri, Wisconsin, pretty much in that order! We'll be gone for another week or so, and until then, I'm thinking the blog will be on vacation, too. I had hopes of catching up with pictures on here before we left Sunday, but... well, diaper-packing (and a zillion other things) trumped that item on the list. I'll just have a lot of flashbacks in the rest of the summer. Anyway, hope you're staying cool (unbelievably, I think it's 90+ degrees practically everywhere in the continental US this week)!

Flashback Friday: P and His Godfather

We'd like to give a belated shout-out to Godfather B.T., P's godfather. He lives fairly close, and we get to see him several times a year--always a treat! We headed over there in March and had a great visit. P knows "Uncle B" well and they get along splendidly! So in honor of Father's Day in June, here a few pics of P with Uncle B.

P's baptismal birthday!

And now flash-forward a few years...

Baby, Miracle

Today Papa and I went to see our lovely midwife and a few other medical specialists for our baby's 12-week prenatal visit. Honestly, I hadn't thought a lot about it; getting the boys ready to be out the door (by 6:58 a.m.! I couldn't believe we were on time!), over to some dear friends' home, and thinking about and executing all the logistics that had to take place prior to the appointment kept my mind pretty void of expectations. Of course, I got excited once I was on the table and the ultrasound began.

First glimpse--there's Baby! See the fist above the chin?

Then, before our eyes, a miracle. There was Baby, in perfect profile, heart beating regularly, little chest going up and down slightly. Head, eyes, nose, mouth, neck, ribs, arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, toes. Brain. Stomach. (These last two were pointed out to us.) Tiny; just about three inches long. Baby lay still while the sonographer took measurements and answered our questions. Then, as if on cue, Baby started moving, just in time for the sonographer to get observations--and pictures!--in more detail. We were enthralled. It was miraculous to behold.

Hearing--and seeing--Baby's heartbeat, at 160 beats per minute.

And what's even more miraculous is that this tiny child, complete with parts since conception, grows in secret, grows only in sight of our Heavenly Father, while we prayerfully wait for the day to see this child's face without the medium of an ultrasound. Aside from my little bump, this child is totally physically hidden to us. Yet heartbeats, millions of them, have already happened. Features are already becoming more pronounced. We are thankful, so thankful, to have witnessed a glimpse of God's amazing creative power today, and we pray God will continue to bless our child with good health, physical growth, and faith by hearing--because Baby has already begun to hear! Another fantastic miracle!

Legs, litttle feet, little toes!

My favorite--a wave to Mommy and Daddy!

Foot

Face

Hands

Hands