April 3

It's hard to know what to write about Good Friday. 

Easter --which celebrates the resurrection of Christ-- is the highest of Christian holidays, as it's the day that Jesus rose from the dead to save all who believe in Him from their own sin.

But Good Friday --the day that He was crucified on the cross-- had to come first. He had to bear the weight of all sin before he could rescue us from ourselves.

I didn't spend a lot of time reflecting on that reality today, so I was thankful when Abby texted to share about her experience at the Good Friday service at her church. It made an impact on her, and her sharing her thoughts made an impact on me. And although it's something of a somber day of remembrance, I am thankful to know that Sunday is coming.

April 2

If you look very closely at the envelope Isaac is holding, you will see the name of the college he's decided to attend.

After visiting LA over the weekend and going over the pros and cons of Azusa Pacific and Biola and recalling his impressions of Wheaton, he casually revealed his decision to me while we waited to board our flight home yesterday morning.

So after much consideration, he will... be following in his sister's footsteps and attending Wheaton. He told the whole family--including Abby, who was present via video call-- last night after dinner. (Abby grinned and immediately shook her pom poms, which was kind of hilarious.)

Honestly, I'm happy, but I was a little bit surprised. When we first headed down to LA, it kind of felt like he would be confirming a decision to attend Biola. He's always been a warm weather guy and I could see him enjoying life in Southern California, but the campus just didn't appeal to him. 

But, he mused, Wheaton is beautiful. And the academics there are great. And he had a lot of fun during his overnight visit last Fall. (In fact, the guy who served as his host has actually followed up with Abby to ask if he'd be attending the school or not.) And despite earlier thoughts and opinions and concerns about cold weather and snow, Wheaton felt like the right decision to him.

So today I've been thinking about what a blessing it is to have two children who have wanted to continue to live out their faith in tangible ways in college. And my big prayer is that Isaac will enjoy his time there just as much as I know Abby has enjoyed hers.

April 1

Isaac and I returned to the nest today following a lovely and informative trip to LA.

It was a huge blessing to us to be welcomed so warmly by Charlie and Alexi, who are master hosts. Even Penny the cat --after she was given 24 hours and a helping of catnip to adapt to our presence-- made us feel like we belonged with her meows (and by not immediately fleeing when we approached).

So this evening, as I head off to bed, I'm thankful for them and for their hospitality.

(And not-so-incidentally, the trip was indeed fruitful, as Isaac has made his college decision. But I'll wait on spilling those beans until he formally clicks the button to accept admission. ;) )

March 31

Today was our last full day in LA. We began it by navigating to IHOP in Pasadena for some pancakes and eggs benedict. Then we drove to Azusa Pacific in time for the one o'clock campus tour.

We arrived a little early and, after chatting with the employee at the entry gate and explaining that Isaac was an admitted student and we just wanted to walk around the campus, she gave us a parking pass and sent us on to the welcome center.

The tour itself was very comprehensive and Isaac really liked the west part of the campus, which is landscaped nicely and had a sort campground vibe. He also appreciated how you can take a trolley to the second part of campus, which is where most of the class buildings are located. When we headed back to the car afterward, he said that it was the prettiest campus he'd seen and lamented that the school didn't have higher academic standards.

Then we drove back to Charlie's house, where the guys shot the breeze and made a dinner plan. We dined at The Raymond 1886, where all of the food was excellent, before we went back to the house to rest. As we rested, I casually watched Brady's team defeat the team from Dublin and tried to get Penny the cat to like me.

I am grateful for the opportunity to be on this trip with Isaac; hearing his thoughts, helping him organize his things, and watching him quietly analyze data in order to select the school that's truly right for him has been a blessing. And I can't wait to see what's next!

March 30

It was a long but wonderful day in the greater Los Angeles area.

Since today was Admitted Students Day at Biola (which was the primary reason that we came to visit now and not during the boys' Spring Break next week), we spent the bulk of our waking hours on campus, starting at about 8:30 AM. We sat in on two classes (one an Intro to Computer Science, and one a  Theology seminar), took tours of the campus and dorms with student guides, attended Chapel, and enjoyed catered Chick fil A for lunch. (I had no idea they made waffle fry potato chips. Go figure!) The school did a nice job of putting the event together and it seems that the students and faculty truly love being there. I don't know what Isaac will decide, but he did say that based on his experiences, he feels like he would be happy at both Biola and Wheaton. 

When the activities wrapped up at around 4, we retrieved our little red rental Kia from the parking garage (which was one of many parking structures and lots on the campus; they even have a lot below the soccer field) and headed back to Charlie and Alexi's house for the evening. After considering our dinner options, we decided to take the brief walk down the hill for some pizza slices at Bub and Grandma's. My artichoke slice was delicious; Charlie explained that they use a sourdough base for their crusts and the flavor was just-spot on. (We also enjoyed sharing an order of meatballs that Alexi ordered; once again, great flavor and texture.) 

Then we hopped and skipped down the street (not literally; I'm just more than 16,000 steps into my day and super tired and feeling punch-drunk at the moment) until we came to Donut Friend, which features fancy donuts named after various musical bands. I chose a delicious-looking danish with blueberry compote that I'll be eating it in the morning because from there, we went back the way we came, crossed the street, and got delicious soft-serve from Magpies. And then we took the return walk to the house. I was gratified when the trek up the steepest part of the hill didn't leave me wheezing.

The rest of the night was spent chit-chatting with Charlie and Alexi and trying to win over Penny the cat. (Which we finally did, aided by the administration of a few generous licks of catnip. We're all now BFFs.)

It was a blessed day for many reasons. It was a blessing to see Isaac taking in the information presented and mulling his options for college. It was a blessing to be in the car with him afterward, listening to him talk about theological truths and how much he enjoys seminars. It was a blessing to hear him say that he thinks he could be happy in multiple places. It was a blessing to spend time with my brother and brother-in-law. And it was a blessing to pet a sweet, soft kitty (and then immediately wash my hands to keep my allergies in check). And I am grateful to God for all of these good gifts.

March 29

The big college decision is on the horizon for Isaac, so this morning he and I flew down to Los Angeles for a few days to visit Biola and Azusa Pacific. 

Adam and Brady dropped us off at the airport in Oakland about two hours ahead of our noon flight. We cleared security quickly and Isaac wanted to explore the food options available, so we trekked from one end of the airport to the other in search of his ideal cuisine. Four thousand steps later, he decided on a breakfast burrito. 

Although he declared that the burrito was merely "meh" (and I agreed that my sandwich wasn't any better), we boarded our flight. I didn't have high hopes for my first post-policy change Southwest flight given Abby's disastrous experience earlier this month, but it wound up going off without a hitch. Even though the flight was full and Adam didn't pay for upgrades, we somehow still wound up sitting in extra legroom seats in row 4 and got the coveted pistachios. (I was shocked.)

After a quick hour-long flight we landed at Burbank Airport, which we both deemed excellent for its adorable, old-school vibe and excellent signage, and secured our rental car. Since we had a few hours to kill, I asked Isaac if there was anything he'd like to do, and he mentioned that seeing the Hollywood sign would be cool, so we tried to do that. We failed, but we did take a nice drive up to the Observatory. 

Then he suggested we drive east to Claremont to visit my old stomping grounds, so that's what we did. As we rolled into town, I had a sudden memory of 21 Choices --a froyo place we occasionally visited during our college days-- so we Googled our way to one and enjoyed some cool treats, which seemed fair since it was 90 degrees. (His was banana cream, mine was cold brew coffee mixed with pretzels and salted caramel. Thumbs up for both.) Then we drove back to CMC's campus and walked around. I hadn't been in a number of years and lots of changes have been made --mostly the addition of new dorms-- so it felt different. But there were still moments when the sense of familiarity was so strong that it seemed as if I'd only been away for a few years. And thankfully, the fountain in front of Bauer Center where Logan once stripped off his clothes and went for a joyful splish-splash is still intact.

Then it was on to La Mirada and the Biola University campus for a Sandlot Revival featuring the Savannah Bananas' RobertAnthony Cruz. Before the event began, we walked around and got a feel for the campus (although we'll get a better feel during tomorrow's Admitted Students Day). The worship event was relaxing and inspirational, and hopefully, prayerfully, someone in the audience was touched by Coach Rac's testimony and the music. 

By then it was 8:30, so we routed back to Cane's for chicken fingers (since Isaac had a yen) and then got back on the 5, bound for my brother Charlie and Alexi's house in the LA hills. We sat around the kitchen table and chatted for a few hours before Charlie showed us to our rooms. I am grateful to them for their hospitality, and I'm thankful that I'm finally getting to see their home in person. 

And now... well, now I'm exhausted. It'll be an early morning and a busy day, but I'm looking forward to it. And I'm grateful to God for His provision in every area of my life, for He is good in every way possible.

March 28

After an intense game that ended with our boys absorbing their first loss of the season (mostly thanks to a pair of umpires who were objectively awful; you know it's bad when even the other team's coach admits that none of the close calls --and some of the obvious calls that should've been easy to make-- went in our favor. Seriously, one dude must've forgotten his seeing eye dog because he missed the most obvious safe call I've ever seen. And the other was just making up rules that don't actually exist in order to penalize our team. Ugh. Clearly I could go on and on about how ridiculous it was), we went to Wendy's.

The initial plan was just to get Frostys (for the guys, anyway; I'd been thinking orange vanilla Diet Coke from the Freestyle machine all along), but given that it was after 1:30 and we'd yet to lunch-it, we decided to sit down and eat instead. 

And we had a lovely time together. I was impressed by how Brady was able to quickly dispense with any frustration over the game's outcome, especially since he pitched the last two innings and the winning run scored on his watch. (Although the runner that scored should've been out at second base; 'twas one of the many muffed calls.) He was able to realize that despite what happened, he pitched well. His curveball was working and he was, for the most part, hitting his spots effectively. And during his single trip to the plate as a batter, he walked. So for his part, all good things.

So tonight, I'm thankful for two specific things: for time with these amazing guys, just sitting in a fast food joint eating burgers and chicken and fries and drinking Diet Coke, and for my baby's growing ability to extract from and focus on the good parts of a not-great situation. The latter is not always easy for adults to do, so I'm grateful that's he's continuing to grow and mature.