Marriage Monday

 "For Christ's love compels us..." [2 Cor. 5:14] The Greek word Paul used is synechei, which carries the sense of God's love wrapping around you but then squeezing you in a way that pushes you out - like squeezing a tube of toothpaste. God's love surrounding you pushes you to become all you were made to be. ~Joel Malm, "Connecting the Dots"

The above quote may seem strange for a "Marriage Monday" post, but more and more, I'm convinced that marriage is a huge part of God's love that pushes us to become all we "were made to be". The unexpected things that pop up, the different personalities trying to work together, those things are the circumstances God uses to squeeze and push us to be more like Him.

Our "day 4" of 40 dates found us attempting to learn a little bit of history, but the Potts Inn museum we had hoped to enjoy was closed (despite the posted hours saying they were open!). 

We walked around and read the signs surrounding this beautiful old tavern on the Butterfield Overland Mail and stagecoach route. I hadn't realized this route wound around the Arkansas River (which makes sense to connect with steamboat traffic) and the ridges that dot this area, taking travellers through our home town.

Another sign informed readers about this knarled old tree and some of the things that have happened in America since it began to grow.

The outbuildings were fascinating, too, and we hope to go back again, but this time when the museum is open for tours :)

After we discovered the museum was closed, we drove just a few minutes to hike the short and sweet Caudle Overlook Trail along the Arkansas River.

With all the rain we've had recently, the streams were flowing quickly and little waterfalls abounded. 

And we worked up an appetite!

Kat Robinson's books featuring Arkansas food laced with history haven't steered us wrong yet. We stopped at the Blue Diamond Cafe on the way home to try their famous Monte Cristo.

That sandwich did not disappoint. It tasted like something straight out of the county fair, but loaded with ham and warm, gooey cheese. Magnificent.

Service was stellar, and when we ordered one dessert with two spoons, our waitress cut the brownie in two and gave us a generous scoop of ice cream drizzled with sea salt caramel. What a treat!

On the Road to Illinois in Which We Kick Off 40 Days

We kicked off our forty days of celebration with a quick trip to Illinois. Some of Sarah's friends (the ones that let me workout with them the weekend of her graduation) reached out to us early last year. They just needed a sounding board, and we were happy to listen and learn alongside them. Now they were getting married, and they asked us to play our cellos at the wedding. On our many road trips together, we've learned that Aaron can focus and work really well from the passenger's seat while I drive. So that's what we did :) I admit it was a wee bit strange not to have any kids doing school in the back seat. Katherine had a dress rehearsal and a concert with the youth orchestra, so she stayed home this time.

The first day on the road, we planned to stop and get something yummy from Futrell's Pharmacy and Soda Fountain, but when we got there we discovered that the soda fountain didn't have ice cream or milk. So we practiced our flexibility and kept walking around the cute town square (because I really needed to find a bathroom!). We did discover Timeless Books, with its old hardwood floors and book-related gifts. We also stumbled across Black River Beads and Pottery. I wished we could have spent more time and money there, the store had an old Kay cello that I tuned for them. The proprietor called another nearby shop for us to gain access to her facilities. Obviously Day 1 didn't go as planned! But on Day 2, I got started with a virtual 5K to join the wedding party. They planned a lunchtime 5K and invited me to join them, but I knew 1) we would be on the road and 2) I'm waaaaaay slower than they are. So the hotel treadmill and I had a sweaty morning date.

On the way to the wedding, we stopped in Springfield to visit Abraham Lincoln's home. We didn't have much time, and this visit only whetted my appetite to come back with our kids in tow. One of the fascinating things I learned connected with a book I recently read. "The Small and the Mighty" encouraged me to be faithful in the little things, and one of the people featured in the book was Julius Rosenwald. Rosenwald was one of the Sears and Roebuck owners, and he generously gave towards education and museums. Most notably, he established Rosenwald Schools throughout the South that were funded by his donations and matching community grants. The Tuskeegee Institute received much of Rosenwald's time and energy. My home state of Arkansas also benefitted from these schools. Maya Angelou, raised in a small Arkansas town, attended a Rosenwald School. Rosenwald grew up half a block from the Lincoln house, and his home is open to the public.

The wedding rehearsal was sweet, especially because Sarah was leading worship with us. In the middle of the wedding, the congregation would be singing three songs, and she was the beautiful voice they would follow as we supported her with guitar and cellos. What a treat to share this experience together!

 

The rehearsal dinner began with the meaningful liturgy from Every Moment Holy, "On the Eve of a Wedding". Words that I continue to pray for our not-so-shiny-and-new marrage:

May your love for one another overflow in blessing to all who have the joy of knowing you. May the world be better loved because of your passion for each other. May the flame of your love never wane, but burn ever fiercer across the years, that even in old age you would remain wellsprings of one another's delight. 

Favorite things in September 2024

1) This is my new favorite mug (which is really Katherine's mug) that we picked up on one of our many road trip stops at The Coffee Parlor. The mug states "coffee is my love language". Truth :)

2) Katherine was reading Agatha Christie's "Death on the Nile" for school, so we bought this delightful World of Hercule Poirot puzzle as an enrichment activity. What a fabulous puzzle! Piecing together the various characters and clues made me want to go on a Poirot reading binge.

3) Aaron gave me my first little trim with his personal hairdo equipment. Most days I'm thankful just to have hair again, but some days I feel like I've had an 80's perm.

4) Katherine is navigating home school and concurrent college classes so well. I often find her reading for school with a guinea pig on her shoulder to keep her company. Maybe Misha is there to console her as she reads books like "All Quiet on the Western Front". Twentieth Century World History can be heavy and dark, and having a furry friend always makes life better.

5) I listened to "Strong and Weak" (yay for libraries!), and now I want to buy the book so I can go back through, take notes, and ruminate.

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!

Road Trip, On the Way Home

 

We enjoyed a sweet day after the wedding with my brother and new sister-in-law.

They introduced us to a little bit of Maine's beauty before we hit the road again.

When we planned this big 3200 mile road trip, we knew we wanted to front load the trip with people and places because after the wedding we would be ready to get home.

But even while traveling, one still has to stop and find "facilities" and walk around a little bit.  So even with the push to get many miles packed into each day, we planned our pit stops for some fun.  Like Lock 17 on the Erie Canal.

Niagara Falls, because we were too close not to let Aaron and Katherine see it for the first time.  

We also continued our tour of presidential homes at James Garfield's absolutely beautiful home and enjoyed an incredibly long and detailed private tour because the weather was so bad.

Sunset on the stormy Lake Erie made us squeal and run back to the van, thankful for the warmth of the heater.

But mostly, we just drove, worked, and schooled as we pushed toward home.

And after three weeks on the road, it was so very good to be home again.

Road Trip to Maine, Part 5

 We met the Castros, friends from college, in Boston to enjoy the Freedom Trail as well as a tour of food in this historic city.

Not on the Freedom Trail, but something I found fascinating, the "Make Way for the Ducklings" statues waddling through the park from one of our favorite picture books.

The last time we saw David, we were in Honiara.

Katherine really hit it off with their youngest,

and we had a blast exploring the history of the city with these friends who shared our music training years in Florida.

Sites like the Old South Meeting House and the Granary Burying Ground gave us peeks into places and events we had only read about in school.

Val and David introduced us to Mike's Pastry, famous for its cannelloni.

It did not disappoint.

We ate them outside of Paul Revere's house.

We love to adventure eat, so after our friends drove back home, 

we finished the day at The Daily Catch and tried their squid ink pasta with ground calimari.  The perfect way to end a beautiful day!