Sweet Sabbath

I believe our lives will be abundant, joyful, and peaceful only to the degree that we are engaged, known, and understood by one another.  I also believe we cannot separate what we do with our brains and our relationships from what we do with God.  God has designed our minds, part of his good creation, in invite us to a deeper, more secure, more courageous relationship with him and with one another.

~Dr. Curt Thompson, "Anatomy of the Soul"

Pump up the praise music (can't go wrong with Shane and Shane) and spend some time pursuing that more courageous relationship with the Lord and with others today.

 

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

Maybe we were foolish, but we decided to make our first waterfall chasing adventure with friends.

After talking back and forth for weeks about distance and difficulty, we settled on a "difficult bushwhack" that wasn't terribly long.  And we brought our bushknife.

The directions were simple, something like go down the driveway, through the pasture, into the woods.  Except I think we found the wrong driveway.  

We did pause and ask for permission.  The guy we found in a camper trailer was kind and gave his assent to go find the waterfall "down in the holler".  We found the top of one of the waterfalls, but couldn't figure out how to get down the sheer face of rock to look for the other waterfalls in the ravine.

Our friends headed home, and we drove to a popular (and much easier) waterfall, the Glory Hole.

Even with only a little water, the area shone with God's creativity and delight.

On the way back, after a long day of hiking and climbing and sweating, we really needed a pit stop and some refueling.  We found the Ozone Burger Barn to be the perfect place for both!

 

Friday Favorite Five

 1) Revive Our Hearts recently posted a series about three primary idols of the heart...comfort, control, and approval. Ouch.  Thought provoking and soul searching reads.

2) We're rough on measuring spoons and cups around here because we use them multiple times throughout the day.  Even with fewer people in the house, we still cook often, so several sets are nestled in our drawer.  But when I snapped another plastic handle off, I knew it was time to add a metal set to our arsenal.  I'm super excited about this colorful measuring set and anticipating it bringing much joy to our kitchen!

3) Tim Ernst's "Arkansas Waterfalls" and "Ozark Highland Trails Guide".  We are having SO MUCH fun discovering this part of Arkansas that we've never seen. 

4) Monteau women's clothing.  Katherine is still growing like a weed.  And as I'm doing more strength training, my body is changing shape.  So we recently hit up TJ Maxx to find some clothes that wouldn't break the bank and found that Monteau fit our curves well.  Some of the necklines are lower than we would like, so those went back on the rack or got some adjusting at home.  Shopping is not one of my favorite things, but I look forward to seeking out this brand the next time we need some new clothes.

5) Sally Lloyd-Jones summer book activities and summer boredom busters.  Makes me want to have little ones around again, but we will still explore her fabulous suggestions even with the old people that live under our roof.

June Kickoff

My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long - though I know not how to relate them all.  I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.  Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.  

Psalms 71:15-17

Once again, we hit the road, this time in two vehicles.  God provided a vehicle for Olivia that fit our budget!  She has been so patience and never complained about not having a car, but with Benjamin getting married and leaving Siloam Springs, she really did need a way to travel.

We enjoyed our brief stay with Olivia's host family during the first week of June.  They even had a fire pit in the back yard where we made s'mores.  We keep a bag stocked with ingredients at all times :)

 

The evening was beautiful, and we enjoyed lots of laughing with these people we love so very much.

By God's design, the primary channel for learning ones' identity, for having needs met, for understanding who God is, and for developing relationships -- is the family.  Relationships, especially those in families, are powerful.

In families we can acquire a deeply ingrained sense of defectiveness and never measuring up -- or we can develop the inner strength and outside skills to fully function as healthy human beings.

~Jeff VanVonderen, "Families Where Grace is in Place"

We had never explored this part of Siloam Springs before, and City Lake Park provided a beautiful space for my morning jog before church.

End of the May Days

 God's job is to fix and change.  Our job is to depend, serve, and equip.  This is the work of grace.  And it's more restful than you can imagine.  

~Jeff Van Vonderen, "Families Where Grace is in Place"

As May gasped its last few breaths, several of us gathered at my grandma's house to help with yard work.  She still lives on Lake Conway, the site of many of my happy adventures with my grandparents since the early 1980's.

My dad and my cousin joined us and took the lunch break to mow and prune and enjoy some barbecue from our favorite place, Whole Hog Cafe.

May evenings are light enough and still cool enough to break out the firepit and make s'mores.  Katherine is an expert marshmallow toaster.

We borrowed some equipment from my mom and tackled our own yard.  How in the world do things grow so unwieldly so very quickly?  Katherine was also the expert hedge and bush trimmer.

My poor gardenias aren't doing well.  Again.  I only got a handful of blooms again this year.  

Memorial Day also fell within the last few days of May.  We attended the short ceremony at the cemetery again this year, and I bumped into a friend, Mr. Briggler, who I've known since junior high when his son sang in choir with Aaron and me.

"Depend, serve, and equip".  That's where we are right now.

Birthday Bash

My birthday started with a bang as some neighbors came to serenade me and then stayed to eat breakfast with us.  What a fabulous way to kick off a new year of life!

 

Another amazing thing that helped us celebrate?  An unexpected phone call while I was at the gym.  I saw the screen light up with my uncle's name.  He rarely calls, and one of my cousins was expecting a baby any day, so I assumed it was baby news.  When I returned his call, he asked if I was busy subbing at school.  After we talked for a moment, he offered the use of his time share in Branson, and one of the options was the day after my birthday!  We jumped at the opportunity.

Olivia is living in Siloam this summer, working, taking summer school, and staying with a JBU professor's family, so she drove and met us for the long Memorial Day weekend.

The apartment offered a pocket of peace,

as well as a place to play.  And, yes, my family photo comes with me whenever we travel.

This was one of those times where we didn't realize just much we needed to rest.  Busiek State Forest provided the perfect trail to enjoy God's creation and play together.  We picnicked at a bend in the creek,

and waded in deeper than we anticipated with much giggling.  We're not the touristy Branson kind of people, so this was just right.

As our little nod to playing tourists, we did try Revive Juice and Coffee Bar on our way out of town.  Absolutely delicious!

Even More May Days

We are pieces of art, designed to be beautiful and thus draw attention to our artist.  We are simply made for nothing else.  When we live to glorify God, we step into the only truly humanizing way of living.  We function properly like a car running on gasoline rather than orange juice.

~Dane Ortlund, "Gentle and Lowly"

I didn't realize just how full May was until I looked back at all of the pictures!  So many opportunities to "draw attention to our Artist".

Katherine is soaking up the opportunities to play her cello while were in America.  Her youth orchestra performance was a great chance to get together with family and celebrate her hard work while we enjoyed the music.

My cousin lives on my morning jogging route, but we hardly ever get together.  I was so glad he reached out and invited us to coffee one afternoon.

I also appreciate that we can vote in person when we are in America, absentee voting isn't always possible when we live overseas.

Remember the big storm that brought us a power outage?  It also fried our electric oven...the thirty year old oven we inherited when we bought the house.  So for several weeks, we've been mostly cooking on the stove top (which still worked) or occasionally driving the few blocks to use my mom's oven.

But my birthday present was a new gas oven!  The house already had all of the gas pipes up and running, so the switch was super easy.  I LOVE cooking with gas again!

My Wonder Twin and former colleague, Lauren, shares a birthday month with me, so whenever possible, we try to get together and celebrate.  She is one of the kindest people I know, and spending time with her and her precious toddler brightened my month.

 

Sweet Sabbath

Why not build into your life unhurried quiet, where, among other disciplines, you consider the radiance of who he actually is, what animates him, what his deepest delight is?  Why not give your soul to be reenchanted with Christ time and again? 

~Dane Ortlund, "Gentle and Lowly"

Territorial Fair

 

The Historic Arkansas Museum held a territorial fair in May, and we jumped at the chance to go.

So many fun hands on ways to learn about the past.

As well as some delicious, free ways to cool down in the summer heat. Le Pops brought some of their incredible popsicles to sample, but you had to eat them quickly or they made a sticky mess all over your hands!

When we finished touring the museum, we strolled over to the Central Arkansas Library Systems used bookstore.  You can't read the label on the bookshelf well, but it says "Old and Odd",

And because coffee always make special days even better, we popped into a new-to-us coffee shop, Nexus.  The space was super cute, the iced Mayan Mocha was superb, and they had handmade coffee cups and musical instruments for sale in the store.  Perfect combo.

The perfect way to end the day was to reconnect with old friends.  The Whitenacks served at our church in DFW before we left for the South Pacific.  We've walked alongside each other as they've traveled from single to married and both our families have grown.  Ralu even dug googly eyes out of Olivia's ear one night at church when Olivia was in preschool.

We still have the beautiful handprints their church in Nashville made for us when we came back to America unexpectedly for Sarah's heart.  The cloth is a sweet reminder of a faraway friendship.  We're so grateful they were able to stop and spend some time with us while on a road trip!

More May Days

 Jesus said that he is "gentle and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29).  That is a beautiful statement, and even without the Spirit one could respect and even marvel at it.  But the Spirit takes those words of Christ's and interiorizes them at the level of personal individuality.  The Spirit turns the recipe into actual taste. ~Dane Ortlund, "Gentle and Lowly"

During May, I enjoyed the opportunity to help proctor AP tests for several weeks at our high school.  I loved seeing so many familiar faces and cheering them on as they entered the room.  I hope this becomes another May tradition, and since our district uses only licensed teachers to proctor these exams, I have another good incentive to keep my license current.

Thunderstorms can hardly be called another May "tradition", but they do happen frequently this time of year.  When a strong line of storms came through, our part of town lost many of its old trees.  We also lost power in the middle of the night, so our morning coffee routine looked a little bit different as my capable husband rummaged up some dry wood and got the moka pot going.  My mom said our village living skills came in handy!

Benjamin made a quick visit to bring us some boxes as he packed up.  We'll store them in our attic until he and Hannah are ready for them. 

We took advantage of his strength, and he and Aaron took down most of a pecan tree that is slowly dying in our back yard.

While they chopped outside, I chopped inside.  

Some local sausage, chicken from my favorite farmer, and the last bag of last year's okra turned into a delicious gumbo for lunch.

Hanging out with our young adults is always refreshing!  Watching the Holy Spirit "turn the recipe into actual taste" encourages and strengthens me.