A Survey

I need some reader responses on this.

A guy and a girl are on their first date. They have met once or twice before during brief, group-type encounters. Now at dinner, the girl takes a trip to the restroom. When she doesn't return for 15 minutes, does the guy assume:

a) She's having some bowel issues.
b) She left, using the restroom as a convenient excuse.

Grownuphood

Last year as my birthday approached and I felt the usual mounting excitement, I had a startling realization - someday I would grow up. And growing up would include not counting down the days to my birthday with the wonder and anticipation of a small child on Christmas Eve. I think my heart shed a small tear just thinking about it.

It happened.

This year I almost forgot that my birthday was coming. And I certainly didn't count the days. Inexplicably, in the last 12 months I crossed that mysterious threshold (or perhaps the first of several) into grownuphood.

Simon Vacation

A few details to go with the Colorado pictures I posted (and some more photos). . .

Reason for the Trip: To celebrate Betty and Wolf's 35th anniversary, Betty's significant birthday, and Brandi's 30th. My 24th birthday also happened to fall on that Sunday. (The trip also "conveniently" gave us an opportunity to meet Ruble, Brandi's boyfriend.)

Trip Highlights: We rented a cabin in the mountains, so it was a great weekend of small hikes, stargazing, wood fires, and the unmatchable Simon Uno game. And, since it was vacation and just about everyone's birthday, we encouraged each other to do what we really enjoyed. For me, that meant reading - really close to Eric.

Birthday Highlight: I'm sure that Brandi and Ruble had a good laugh at us city folk and our fascination with the birds, but I thought it was nice of the Lord to send me a gift for my birthday.

It was a great trip, and I am completely blessed to have a family like the Simons. It just keeps getting better. Brandi and Ruble are coming to Kansas City this weekend, so the fun continues. . .

Jesus, I'm a Sucker

One of my birthday gifts this year was the newest Waterdeep CD, Heart Attack Time Machine. I've been listening to it in the car, and I can't get the lines of this chorus out of my head (for the full sticking effect, you have to hear Don's folky voice yourself):

Jesus, I'm sucker / I wish I believed less of the lies
Did anything I thought I knew / turn out to be true

Maybe it's just a part of growing older, but I am increasingly identifying with that confession. The most obvious setting for it is Jewish root classes, but I feel it even about lies from the enemy in general.

Praise God for His judgments and His mercy that reveal the lies to us. In my case, at least, little by little. One step of the journey at a time.

Colorado Pictures

I realize I've been terrible remiss in posting, so until I actually have time to write something here are pictures from our trip to Colorado last week. We went with Eric's parents to see his sister, Brandi, and her boyfriend, Ruble.

Honey for the Soul

It's September now, which means that Fall is quickly approaching, regardless of what your thermostat might be telling you. As Joe Fox would have said, had the screenplay been written a bit differently, "Don't you love Kansas City in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."

Only here in Kansas City we actually have something to get excited about this fall, something far more exhilarating than bouquets of sharpened pencils, as romantic as Tom Hanks makes it sound.

The Jewish Roots Institute.

I realized the other day that I'm looking forward to taking classes this fall at the Jewish Roots Institute like I look forward to eating Dots or really soft snickerdoodles. It's that same anticipation, that same so-good-I-can-taste-it-already sensation.

But then tonight I heard a much more poetic and, I think, fitting description from a very sweet and sincere long-time student of the institute. The experience and knowledge you gain from attending classes is "honey for the soul." If we are, indeed, supposed to "taste and see that the Lord is good," Jewish classes are what's for dinner. Consider yourself officially invited.

Callawassie Island

If anyone is actually still reading my blog, I should probably apologize for the long gap in posts. I've been off to the islands, or at least an island, and I didn't quite find time to write. This is a starfish - long dead - from the Folly Field Beach at Hilton Head Island. We spent a hot two hours there. Eric got a sunburn, I definitely stepped on living creatures in the ocean, and we were both fascinated by the little holes that would open up out of the ground, spitting out water and often little chocolate-sprinkle-like pellets (you can see one in the upper right of the photo).

But the view on our own island, Callwassie, was pretty amazing, too. This is a view of one of the many lagoons at sunset, taken from the front porch of the villa where we stayed. We saw so much wildlife - aligator snouts in the lagoons, egrets nesting down for the night, herons taking up residence on the golf course, a disgruntled owl, and a gel-like spider.

We were totally blessed to be there. We had tons of opportunities to excerise and to enjoy God's creation. It rained almost every day I was there, so Eric and I got watch (and play in) the storms. We loved it.

But for me, it's always good to be home.