And Now For Something Completely Different

It really has been great to be home. And it's nice to be able to write about something other than grieving and the memorial for a while. Here's what we've been up to this past week:

Tuesday night's Annual Church Family Meeting went great, and I was excited to see so many folks there. We approved the new budget (including a 20% increase over last year, so we're all looking forward to growth!) and had some time for Q&A. I really enjoy the casual, comfortable feel of our church and feel honored to shared this adventure together.

The kids got a call from the operator of the new Chik-Fil-A going up in town, and are looking forward to working there when the store opens soon. (I predict we'll be a three-car family soon...)

The girls and I had a "Daddy-Daughter" day on Friday. We did a little shopping. The girls both got new hairstyles. We rented a movie and had popcorn. What a great day!

(The movie, by the way, was awful. We watched The Fountain with Hugh Jackman. The girls thought it would be a sort of time-traveling adventure thingie about a romance that endured the ages or something. That is not the plot; it's about a dying woman writing a story for her husband so that he can cope with the eventual grief, and his reluctance to give up his search for a medical solution. In the end, it was full of metaphysical mumbo-jumbo that had us jumping back and forth between the scientist, a Conquistador in an ancient Mayan temple, and a giant bubble with a tree in it floating through outer space into a nebula. Seriously. Really, really dumb.)

I'm excited about launching into our study of Paul's letter to the Galatians at church this morning. I'm eager to see what God has for all of us.

I talked with my dad this week and he's doing okay. He bought himself a new TV, and is thinking through plans for going back on the road to different construction projects over the next couple of months. He said he's also considering taking a cruise to Alaska -- something he and mom had been talking about before she passed. I'm glad.

Let me close today with a joke. I don't mean to be political here; it's just that I found this very funny.

Hillary Clinton goes to a primary school in New York to talk about the world. After her talk she offers a question time. One little boy puts up his hand. The Senator asks him what his name is.

"Kenneth," the boy replies.

"And what is your question, Kenneth?"

"I have three questions: First - whatever happened to the medical health care plan you were paid to develop during your husband's eight years in the office as President? Second - why would you run for President after your husband shamed the office? Third - whatever happened to all those things you took when you left the White House?"

Just then the bell rings for recess. Hillary Clinton informs the kids that they will continue after recess. When they resume, Hillary says, "Okay, where were we? Oh, that's right, question time. Who has a question?"

A different little boy puts his hand up. Hillary points him out and asks him what his name is. "Larry."

"And what is your question, Larry?"

"I have five questions. First - whatever happened to the medical health care plan you were paid to develop during your husband's eight years in the office as President? Second - why would you run for President after your husband shamed the office? Third - whatever happened to all those things you took when you left the White House? Fourth - why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes early? Fifth - Where's Kenneth?"