Second Week of May

We made a quick trip up to Siloam Springs to celebrate Mother's Day.

Some frisbee golf

paired with lots of laughing

and learning how to play Seven Wonders

made really sweet Mother's Day gifts.

We continued to attend to medical needs

and we delighted in the single peony bloom that grew on our new plants. 

We also made a spontaneous bike ride that involved my knight in shining armor repeatedly fixing my bike chain,

a ride through a part of town that we had never seen before,

and a picnic lunch at the airport to break up our twenty mile trek.

 

First Week of May

The first week of May, we began to take full advantage of our nearby strawberry fields.

And for the first time, we dehydrated strawberries.  I'm experimenting with the best use of energy and space, trying to steward both well.  Since dehydrated strawberries don't require a deep freezer or lots of space, I think we may focus on dehydrating more and more to keep my favorite fruit handy all year long.

On Star Wars Day (May the 4th), we celebrated by watching Episode 4 with my brother and sister-in-law while also enjoying Taco Tuesday.

We continued to get all of those medical things checked off the list.

May boasts so many birthdays, so we began with a bang.  A huge strawberry trifle with two candles, one for me and one for my birthday buddy.

The birthday bash finished with a rousing game of our new favorite game, Goat Lords

Memphis

 

The first weekend in May, we made a quick trip to Memphis for an early Mother's Day celebration 

and to spend some time with our Highland Heights Baptist Church family, too.

Behind Aaron's dad's house, there is a cute little park that we've enjoyed for the last 18 years.  But now they've upgraded the paths.

Sunday morning, this hidden gem provided a refreshing place for me to take my morning walk, complete the fragrance of honeysuckle.  Oh, how I've missed honeysuckle!

Time with our sending church always encourages us.  So many faithful people with hearts that love Jesus.

And then we went out for barbeque after church.  I didn't realize just how much I missed good Memphis barbeque until after I bit into the brisket.  Our hearts and tummies filled up fast!

Birthdays and Yard Work

 

The last weekend in April, we met some dear friends, the Conards, as they attended OBU early registration for their oldest child.  Our friends and their two oldest kids spent time on campus while the rest of us caught up.  It had been WAY too long since we spent time together. 

Registration coincided with Lenna's 18th birthday, so we played hard and celebrated and sang and laughed.  I especially enjoyed watching the dads playing with their kids.

When all of the school details had been completed, we all drove back to our hometown, and the generous Conards lent their muscles and skills and equipment to getting our neglected yard in good shape again.

I'm especially grateful for the teenagers who poured so much sweat into cleaning up.  A truck and a trailer were needed to cart away all of the yard waste when these hard working kiddos finished.

And then we celebrated some more.  May birthdays...three of them.  It's been four years since we've been together to celebrate.  It was definitely time to break that streak with a delicious cheesecake.

These three young ladies baked some deliciousness that also included adventures like biking to the grocery store and having a flat tire on the way, but they persevered and created a pre-birthday celebration.

Settling In

 

Our first week back, we spent our time in the dentist chair,

getting the first dose of the COVID vaccine,

checking out books from a mortar and brick library,

updating a sweet Sunday School class that supports us with their prayers and finances,

getting new glasses,

and working in our sadly neglected yard.

I'm realizing more and more what a privilege it is to have access to good and inexpensive healthcare.  In our first month in Arkansas, we have many more doctors' appointments, and I'm so excited about getting us all caught up and just how easy it is, especially when I compare healthcare options here to the options in the Solomon Islands.

Goodbyes and Hellos

"You are his image bearer, tasked with loving his fellow image bearers through the ordinary faithful work that greets you every morning." 

 -Courtney Reissig, "Glory in the Ordinary"

Our week of laughing and working together in Siloam Springs brought us so much joy.

But we finally said goodbye.  After a month on the road, it was time to turn our van towards our hometown and move into our little house.

 

When we arrived, we found a clean house, a beautiful sign, and a thoughtful stash of food.  Including lots of coffee beans.  We felt loved and welcomed.

And then when the muscles showed up, we were able to unload the storage unit, set up all of the beds, wash all of the dishes, and get almost everything unpacked in only one day.

It was exactly the jumpstart we needed to help us settle in quickly and to help us build a little bit of margin into our transition.  We're so grateful for the many people who gave of their time and energy to help welcome us back to Arkansas.