Happy Birthday, Dad!

One of the nicest things about living in America is celebrating birthdays with people we love! Katherine found a fun confetti candle for my dad's birthday, and the old standby chocolate cherry cake delighted us once again.

 

Sending Off Another One

Earlier this week, Katherine and I took Aaron to the airport so he could catch a plane to the Solomon Islands. Our branch will hold a conference while Aaron is there, and then he hopes (weather permitting!) to travel out to our language group to work with the team.

I love that Aaron and Sarah are now colleagues and will get to work together in person.

And we are so grateful for the many people contributing towards this trip with finances and prayers.

 

And She's Off!

On the morning of Sarah's departure, the ground was still icy outside, but inside we were warm and feasting on Danish Pecan Snails as a special sendoff treat.

We loaded up and carefully drove to Walmart, where Aaron dropped me off to wait in line. The stores were short staffed, so as one shopper exited the building, another shopper was allowed to enter. I waited for about 30 minutes before I could get inside to buy a few last minute things for Sarah. Everyone in line was kind and generous on the cold day.

Aaron returned to pick me up, then we all began to load Sarah's boxes into our van and her little car. We'll be taking care of her vehicle while she is overseas for the next several years. I was amazed at how well our old Sonlight boxes have withstood repeated moves! I had put ribs in the crockpot before we left the guest house, so lunch was ready after the last hugs and prayers had been delivered at the sweet house of ladies where Sarah has been living for the last two years.

As we began to eat lunch, Sarah got a notification from the airline. Her plane was delayed by an hour. No problem! We had already planned to be at the airport several hours ahead of departure, knowing that the ice and snow had backed up flights for the last several days. A few minutes later, she got another notification that her flight was now delayed by four hours. That was going to be a problem because she would miss her connection in LA. 

We jumped in the van and carefully made the slushy drive to the airport. The lines were long but moving quickly, and Sarah found a lovely lady who moved the ticket from the delayed flight to one that left much earlier.

We hardly had time for goodbyes because, suddenly, Sarah had to get through security and board her flight. We are super excited at how God is using the ways He designed Sarah, with her skills, passion, and training, to do the work of EthnoArts in the Solomon Islands.

 

Winter Storm Fern

"Feasting is the call to do the hard work of joy, for the easiest thing in the world is to be serious and cynical, but the harder (and more Christian) thing to do is fight for laughter and levity."

~Justin Whitmel Early, "The Body Teaches the Soul"

I knew I wanted the trip to Dallas to be full of "laughter and levity" as we sent Sarah off to the other side of the world. Winter Storm Fern pushed the needle towards "serious and cynical". Thanksfully, we have some flexibility, and we chose to leave a day earlier than originally planned so we could beat the storm. I drove, Aaron worked beside me, and Katherine chugged away on school in the back seat.

We woke up Saturday morning to a winter wonderland. Our room had a little balcony, and I enjoyed a continuous refill of hot drinks in my mug while I enjoyed watching the snow and sleet come down. I was plenty cozy in my layers. Thankfully, Olivia and Connor had good friends who pulled some strings and freed them up to come to Dallas late Friday night, too.

The "laughter and levity" aspect of our family erupts joyously and easily once we are together. Games and food help provide a fertile atmosphere for fun.

Technology helps more than ever. We videoed with the Kansas City crew and played screen games together. At one point, I asked Sarah, "What are quiet hours here in the guest house?" because we were laughing so loudly.

Sunday morning, churches all over the DFW area canceled because of the ice and snow, so the guest house hosted a hymn sing. Katherine brought her cello so she could practice, and we found some other instruments lying around. For two hours, we joined with many other voices and sang praisees to the Lord. What an unexpected gift that one of Sarah's friends snapped this pic of us worshipping together.

We reconnected with the Huntleys, which is always encouraging and refilling. It's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that our first interaction with Ruth was exactly twenty years ago. She sat in front of 2 1/2 year old Olivia on a plane from Atlanta to Orlando as we flew to training camp. Ruth's seat was rocked by Olivia's energetic kicks for several house, but she never complained. When we climbed into the vans to whisk us away to orientation, there was this lovely young lady from the plane who was also a part of Wycliffe Bible Translators. 

Our friendship has grown over the last twenty years as we have weathered changing assignments and growing families, but this is a beautiful sisterhood that shapes us to look more like Jesus and brings us great joy.

Kicking Off 2026

2026 kicked off with a bang! A few things we did in the first week of the new year:

Katherine, Aaron, and I joined several other cellists for some sightreading fun at her teacher's house. Cello choirs are amazing inventions.

I got invited to speak in front a group of young ladies who were raising money to support Sarah. I grew up participating in Girls Missionary Auxiliary, so this was a kind of homecoming for me. This group focuses on missions and God's Word, and they were instrumental in my spriritual formation. 

As I continue to test my strength and stamina, Aaron and I are trying longer hikes. We visited the Luna Moth and Tarantula Hawk Loop for a lovely stroll and chat.

Family and a New Year

We closed 2025 and began 2026 in one of most favorite ways...with family. New Year's Eve found us at my cousins' home, practicing our bow shots, laughing, playing with small children, and roasting hot dogs over the fire.

On New Year's Day, we were up early and on the road to meet the rest of Meat Cheato at Devil's Den to hike the Yellow Rock Trail.

Everyone made sacrifices to be present.

Because it was our last time together as Meat Cheato before we put Sarah on a plane to return to the Solomon Islands.

We laughed so hard my abs cramped. We hauled insulated lunch boxes for a picnic (including chocolate ice cream) at a scenic point, then realized we didn't have spoons :-) So we hauled the ice cream back to the van where we improvised and quickly ate the melting ice cream.

I love how intentional these young adults are about spending time together and making every moment count!

 

Lots of Babies

So many of our friends and family have babies right now, and I'm loving all of the practice as we prepare to hold our own grandbaby.

We drove to visit my cousin and his family shortly after Christmas. With three small ones in the house, life is never boring!

One of my favorite farmers market vendors, Cloud of Sawdust Farms, creates beautiful and sturdy wooden toys. When the farmers market isn't convening during the colder months, he will meet with customers and deliver! We have several of his unique and whimsical toys.

When we got an invitation to celebrate a first birthday, I knew I wanted to share one of these sweet gifts with our friends. Celebrating with this family was a fabulous way to close 2025.

Christmas Day #2

We love that our married kids have fabulous in-laws, and we don't mind sharing the holidays with them. So on Christmas morning, the actual December 25th, the house was quiet with only four of us still hanging around. 

Sarah joined me at the gym and was a very good accountability buddy, as always.

Then we loaded up the van and adventured on a beautiful hike together.

The Cove Creek Natural Area was perfect for exploring and chatting as we walked.

Our December has been so mild, and we were very comfortable in shorts and t-shirts.

What a great way to spend the day together!

Christmas Day

Our Christmas day (really Christmas Eve, but who cares when you are all together?!?) began with our traditional gingerbread waffles and fruit salad in my great-grandmother's compote bowl.

Then we transitioned to a few gifts. Books,

a computer bag made from a PNG coffee bag,

and a handmade blanket for the new baby.

A ham arrived from a thoughtful but distant family member, and the dry ice gave us hours of fun.

We played board games inside,

And the backyard hosted a rousing game of croquet.

I enjoyed an extra walking buddy in the unseasonably warm weather. Most of all, we just enjoyed celebrating our Savior's birth. Together.

 

Gingerbread House

One of the Christmas activities that brings the most laughter is building gingerbread houses together.

 From humble beginnings, each year has grown progressively more elaborate and creative.

The tropical weather and the availability of materials definitely influence what we can create,

but when we have everyone together and a wide array of materials at our disposal in a cool, dry climate,

the possibilities are endless.

So is the laughter.

I love watching each person display a unique sense of creativity and skill.

Or a lack of those things. 

It doesn't matter, because we are all working together.

The results are always beautiful and delicious.

We make lots of memories along the way and strengthen our ties.

#meatcheato