Currently Reading He Who Gives Life: The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit (Foundations of Evangelical Theology) By Graham A. Cole see related

Sweet Home Alabama

Here we are in Alabama!  Its been a great week - we've been able to catch up with Janis' brothers and their families.  We celebrated Ethan's 15th birthday and also Janis' parent's 50th wedding anniversary. 

The weather was semi warm but very rainy when we first arrived.  The lake was way down and we were pretty much kept inside.  Then with the dawning of the New Year came sun and cold weather - hovering in the 30-40's these past few days with brilliant blue skies and sunshine.  I personally love the sunshine with the crisp air.  It feels as though a good fleece is all you need - then you step into the shadows or sun down comes and you're snapped back into reality and the desire for a warm parka.

Interesting things so far...  Ethan's birthday featured a National Treasure style hunt for a prized Pell City Panther's long sleeve T-shirt (prized possession among the locals - it's the high school team).  I am on the hunt for a Vincent High School fighting yellow jacket T-shirt or sweat shirt.  Ethan and the Pennsylvania Homans (Sara, Elise and Sam) along with Bethany (Colorado Homans) went swimming in the low and cold Logan Martin Lake - and yes, in the dark of night!  We ate ourselves silly with Pigs in a Blankets and Yoshida Meatballs - enough salt intake for a small country.  We recovered the following days with much water.  The Sunday that we were all here together we joined in worshipping the Lord in the livingroom of Janis' parent's home.  Some family friends from NY that came for the anniversary celebration and local friends joined in too.  We celebrated the Lord's Table and sang and worshipped the Lord - so thankful for the opportunity to do this.

Its strangely quiet now as everyone is gone and we're settling down to taking down Christmas decorations and reading and basically laying about flat out like lizards.

Night time swim!                                                                  Janis and Daddy at the service

Homan family worship meeting                                       Homans from all over the U.S.

Homan grandchildren                                                          Chase in an Abercrombe moment!

All In The Family

It's official.  Mykaela is home.  She came home over a week ago and we promptly took to painting her room a shade or green ("electric lime") and blue (A rich baby blue) as well as installed hot pink curtains complete with rhinestone studs that sparkle!  Chase and Ethan and doubled up and getting adjusted.  To sweeten the deal for Chase we worked out that he now have a pillow top bed.  Yeah, thats right - pillow top.  Strange how the pillow top now serves to deafen him against his alarm clock not to mention the groans of Cami's bladder!

How much fun is it to have them home together... they accosted me in the kitchen last night in full "gangsta attire" complete with boxer exposure and sagged pants with bandanas too!  I was treated to a rap song they made up.  I am so thankful for funny little things like that.  I was coming home on Tuesday and hinted at Mykaela cooking dinner for me - you know to help out and she reminded me that she had not been home long enough to do that just yet.  She is still newly home and needs to be fed non-Sisco food. 

What does she do now?  She sings around the house, helps out in innumerable ways and brings a real joy to her dad being here.  I know the time is fleeting, so we're gonna have fun while we can.

Chase scored big with a straight "A" report card from the Lake WA Technical College CAD engineering program!  I am so proud of him!  I told him that he just earned a big breakfast at George's Place in Kirkland!  Yeah Baby!

Let it snow...

Snow - it was forecasted and it finally came.  This afternoon we had a beautiful blanket of snow drift down upon the Eastside and what I believe is also the greater Seattle area.  I was driving Ethan to work and made the comment, do you think that this will keep people from coming to church tomorrow?  He responded with, yeah, they're calling home and saying "honey, get out the kettle corn and videos - we're staying in tomorrow!"  I love Ethan!  It gave us a good laugh.

Ethan also came up with a wonderful solution to the tree dilemma; real or fake?  We finally came to the conclusion and Janis concurred, fake!  Hurray, no more guilt of participation in deforestation and also no more sap and mess.  We're going tree hunting tomorrow afternoon!  It looks absolutely beautiful outside!

Currently Reading The Book on Leadership By John MacArthur see related

The smoke and new clothes

What an interesting weekend it was - well week actually.  I had my first dentist filling or surgery in over what must be nearly five years.  I had to have a tooth built up (ground down while sleeping) and its technically not surgery.  It was great, I got there and had barely sat down when I was lured into the operating room by the dental assistant with a small mask.  They had the gas (the smoke) all prepped and ready for me!  I was debating asking for it and what do you know, I didn't even have to ask for it.  A few deep breaths and everything was all right.  I swear that needle went in and came out the back of my head and scratch the front of my car in the parking lot.  Probably put out the eye of a passing chipmonk too when he went to readjust for another shot!  But as for me, I felt fine. 

Janis accompanied me on a memorial service this weekend for a family member of one of our members in church.  It was at Clise Mansion at Marymore Park.  Really beautiful place and the services went really well.  I was honored to be asked to be a part of it.  One stressful, in addition to not personally knowing the deceased, was while speaking - a couple of people arrived late and came in a door that was located right behind me.  It was a challenge to maintain my place in my notes - I just welcomed the late comers.  It was fun having Janis with me for those types of things.

A blessing that comes into my life periodically is when my brother cleans out his closet.  He has graciously handed me down his clothes for the past several years.  I inherited, as it were, a bunch of really nice clothes just in time for winter.  We (Janis and I) brought up our winter clothes from the garage and were going to swap out the summer ones and we noticed that the containers only had Janis' clothes in them.  My brother's closet clearing was perfectly timed.  Janis and I later figured that my winter clothes must be down there somewhere - probably in an unmarked box!  At this point though, I don't mind.  I am really thankful for the generosity and thoughtfulness of my brother.

Well, this week will feature Thanksgiving with my brother and his family and we're all looking forward to it.  Ethan has been asking for the sweet potato dish and me, I'm looking forward to the whole sha-bang!  There is really so much to be thankful for - really.  What a life God has blessed me with and what a family to share it with!  I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy the blessings God has brought into your life.

Life Changes

Nothing stays the same... isn't that the truth.  Sometimes it seems for the worse and others for the better.  Well, we're enjoying the latter of the two with the movement of Mykaela homeward.  She is on her way to Florida this morning to work with Gospel Productions on the Christmas musical Sights and Sounds of Christmas.  We're very excited to have her back here and see her move forward with her plans in life.  It seems forever since she was last here on any extended leave.  So much so, we still refer to her coming home in terms that imply she is leaving again.  The boys are really excited to say the least - now they will not have to rush to find time to be alone with her or be content to say, "when you come home next time we'll go to a movie or Starbucks then."

Seems each time Mykaela has been with us over the two plus years there has been something happening that has kept us unusually busy (e.g. painting my office - Christmas 05, huge winter storm and power outage - Christmas 06).  The summers are usually way too brief as most of her time has been working for WOL on the Island or whatever and we see her for part of July.  Now, we're blessed with her for who knows how long before she is gone again on another chapter of life - perhaps married and then having kids (which means I will be a grand dad - not ready for that yet!).

December 10th can't come soon enough around this household as we look forward to her coming home.  Chase has been working hard on getting ready for is driver's test!  Ethan is taking on French classes and speaking the language here and there.  Tonight they have a big Reformation Party at the church - I believe that to be a first for FBC and the youth!  I suggested Ethan go as Martin Luther and he turned with a vacant stare to ask who that was... I knew we were in trouble then!