November 5

On the kind of day that can often bring out the very worst in humanity --a Presidential election day-- it was soothing to look out into my backyard this afternoon and realize that Fall in all of its colorful splendor has finally arrived:

May this image remind us that different shades and textures can indeed come together to create a stunningly beautiful reality. May it be so in the days and weeks and months to come.

November 4

After a nice weekend of celebrating both Abby's 20th birthday and family weekend in Wheaton, the boys and I headed back to the west coast this morning. And I was blessed with an unexpected surprise along the way.

See, we wound up with pretty terrible boarding positions for our first flight (from Midway to Las Vegas. Think mid C-group on Southwest. I was pretty horrified that checking in 15 seconds after the window opened could yield such awful results but that's how the ball bounces, I guess). I was convinced that we'd all wind up in middle seats spread throughout the plane and although I didn't like the idea, I'd more or less made peace with it.

Anyway, a moment after I boarded (and confirmed with the flight attendant at the door that there were only middles left), I spotted an empty one in the second row, made eye contact with the man seated in the aisle, and asked if I could squeeze by. Much to my surprise, he replied "wouldn't you rather have the aisle?" and moved to the center seat. I was confused for a moment, and then he gestured to the rather large suitcase he'd stuffed under the center seat and explained that his bag wouldn't find under the aisle seat. So I was the beneficiary of his too-big bag situation. After I got beyond the slack-jawed surprised reaction, I (and my knees, which get stiff and painful when I can't bend them for extended periods of time) thanked him profusely. 

Mary's sermon about justice, mercy, and grace came back to me yet again in that moment. I did nothing to deserve the gift that came in the form of that aisle seat, but I got it anyway. That's grace. And grace is a beautiful, beautiful blessing. (Just ask my knees.)

November 3

Abby is 20. Twenty, which means we became parents 20 years ago. In some ways it feels like minutes; in others, closer to a century. 

All in all it was a laid back kind of birthday for my girl. We picked her up from her dorm at 9:30 this morning and drove over to IHOP for brunch to satisfy her hankering for a strawberry cheesecake waffle.

From there we went to Costco, where she picked up a variety of sweet treats and snacks to stock her room. (Note that these two activities featured her first outfit of the day: a lovely, flowy, lightweight dress in a pale shade of pink. She didn't make this one, but I bet she could have.) We dropped her booty off at her room, where she changed into outfit number two, which consisted of a fuzzy pink sweater and jeans.

Then we hit Sonic for slushes and returned to our hotel, where we watched two episodes of "Phineas and Ferb" (chosen by Abby), sang karaoke (seriously, ask Isaac to sing "Let It Go" for you sometime), and played a series of music recognition games on YouTube. And then it was off to dinner at Red Robin. We closed out the evening with presents (which ended with her donning outfit number 3, a green floral dress that served as one of said-gifts) and cheesecake.

The crowds at IHOP and Costco aside, it was a quiet day. I didn't spend a whole lot of time reflecting on the occasion as the hours passed, but I know that I'm blessed with and by Abby, and that that's been the case since she entered the outside world 20 years ago today. She's a remarkable young woman who has grown and changed so much over the past few years. She's cheering and meeting new people and building new relationships and excelling in school, all while nurturing her existing friendships. She's also kind and compassionate and intelligent and brave, and although I know that thoughts of the future give her twinges of trepidation, I also know that God has great things in store for her and pray that she will be able to rest in that truth.

I love you, Abby. Happy 20th birthday! Welcome to your next decade of this wonderful life.

November 2

Today we arose at a reasonable hour (which, if you were me, meant 9ish) and headed over to campus for brunch. Pre-football game cheer prep meant Abby couldn't join us in the dining hall, but we assuaged her disappointment by delivering a sausage egg McMuffin to her as she headed to the stadium. Once set loose inside the unlimited food gallery, Brady consumed more than his weight in scrambled eggs, sausage, French toast (which Abby was bummed to miss), apples, a donut, and probably something else I'm forgetting. I'm actually still surprised (and marginally alarmed) by how much food he managed to put away. He's definitely in rapid growth mode these days.

With bellies adequately filled, we took the short walk over to the stadium for the game's noon start time. By the time the final whistle blew, we'd seen the Thunder crush their opponents. But more importantly, we got to see Abby cheer in person. And it was so, so sweet to see her living out a wish (I don't want to go so far as to call it a dream, per se) she's had for a long time. Given how shy she often is, it's so wonderful to see how God worked in her life and coaxed her to make it a reality.

Then we took a walk around campus while she changed clothes, enjoyed a Target run, and returned to campus to see her room. (Which, I think, is actually quite nice. She had a slanty ceiling since she's on the top floor of her building, but it's a cozy space that doesn't feel too small.) Then it was off to dinner at Outback, a stroll through Hobby Lobby, and a run through the Sonic drive thru for slushes. 

And then it was back to our hotel, where we watched the last half of Uncle Buck on TV while Abby got reacquainted with BearBear. When it ended, Adam ran her back over to campus while I accompanied the Brositos to the fitness center.

All in all, it was a good day. A blessed day. And I am so grateful for the time with my people. The moments are a gift of the highest order.

November 1

It's Family Weekend at Wheaton, so that's where we are, visiting our very favorite college student for a few days.

Given that last year's travels for the same event were more than a bit long and hairy, this go-round's experience could be accurately described as silky smooth: no delays despite a full flight (and we even got to Midway 20 minutes ahead of schedule), quick rental car retrieval, and easy drive to campus. Badda bing, badda boom.

After we retrieved Abby from her dorm, we headed over to Culver's for dinner. It was only when we all got out of the minivan for the first time that Abby realized that she's now the short kid. (Brady's grown quite a bit of late.) There was a little moaning and groaning from one and triumphant laughter from the other but I think she's secretly pleased.

We chatted a little about class and cheer over burgers and cheese curds (yum) and pretzel bites (double yum) and ice cream (delicious but probably overboard). And then we dropped her back off at her dorm for the night. We'll see her cheer for the first time tomorrow at the football game (yay!). And then... probably hang out and do some prep work (aka wrap presents) for her birthday on Sunday.

It's a blessing to be able to be here. It's a blessing to have completed uncomplicated travels (and seriously, after some of the past boondoggles we've experienced, that's a huge Praise the Lord thing). And it's a blessing to see these three together again and to see how happy they are to be together.

October 31

Halloween looks different now that our kids are older. Abby sent photos of herself and her friends, who all dressed up as different American Girl dolls. Isaac, at the very last second, grabbed a Santa Hat and announced that he was going to school as a "confused guy." And Brady... well, he had the Big Bird sunglasses I got for him when I dropped him at school, but I never actually saw them *on* his face. So yeah, not so big on the costume-thing these days.

Then after school (which was a minimum day, so they were out by 1), I took the bros over to church so they could help set up for the trunk or treat event. They texted me two hours later to announce that they were done and to ask me to pick them up, so I headed over.

...and then we wound up hanging out there for another hour and a half. I enjoyed chit-chatting with friends and visitors alike --including the firemen and policemen who attended-- and Isaac and Brady enjoyed the face painting station. Their youth group friend Jocelyn was the artist, and both boys visited several times.

We rolled into the garage just as Adam finished plating dinner, so we ate and then the boys worked on carving their pumpkins while I donned my Hello Kitty onesie and headed to the bonfire at the top of the street. It's chilly out tonight, but it's always a blessing to get to catch up with our neighbors.

So yeah, Halloween looks different these days. But I'm content with what is. I'm grateful that Isaac and Brady were open to helping out at church and I'm grateful that I got to thank our police and firemen in person for their service and dedication to our community. And I'm grateful for good neighbors and fun events and chances to connect. Halloween was sweetened by candy when I was a kid, but these days, it's the many blessings I see in the day that make it an entirely different brand of sweet. And I'm grateful for that reality, too.

October 30

After today's practice, Brady's team headed over to Round Table for some pizza and to watch some of the evening's World Series game.

My kiddo was of two minds about going. On one hand, he's not historically one to turn down pizza. But on the other, he --whether he realizes it or not-- deals with fairly significant social anxiety, particularly when he's around kids who a) know each other well, and b) don't know him well.

But we went anyway, and I watched him from a table off to the side. He was mostly quiet, but every now and then, he'd smile or say something to fellow Pleasantonian Ben (who was seated to his left).

I'm proud of him for taking on a challenge and grateful to God for making him brave. After all, small steps can lead to big growth over time.