My Time Over Yonder

Well, I just returned from Fort Worth, Texas... aka "Yonder". I flew down on Thursday to go to my brother's college graduation on Friday. It was so exciting! He's been working on it for a long time, taking breaks here and there for various missions and ministry positions. But he finished last week with awesome grades! He was part of the first graduating class at The College at Southwestern (at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary). His goal is to continue on to earn his Master's and PhD, so he doesn't feel like he's "accomplished the goal" yet... but I think it's fabulous!

I stayed in Texas until Monday. Chet was at home with the boys, and two guys from our church were so kind to each take one weekday night to stay overnight with the boys while Chet went to work. Chet had a really good time with the boys, and they had a lot of fun with him! Our home was in good order when I got back too, which was a huge blessing!

While in Texas, I:

• Spent a good deal of time with lots of my family (my brother, Amber, Titus, my mom, my stepmom, and my two stepsisters (Katie and Allison))
• Ate some good food (Central Market, Uncle Julio's, a picnic in the park, and a really fun Italian restaurant downtown, but I can't remember the name)
• Went to REI (to get some things for Chet's trip) and IKEA (where I found a really fun road rug for the boys for only $15)
• Spent some time walking around downtown
• Made several trips to Target
• Had my hair cut by my stepsister, Katie
• Had some super-great conversation with my family
• Read an entire book just on the plane ride there and back
• Went to church
• Visited Starbucks a few times
• Was able to spend a good deal of time with Victor, the Sudanese guy who lives with my brother and Amber while he goes to school here in the states. He's hilarious, has a great laugh, and is really fun to be around.

While in Texas, I DID NOT:

• Have to be concerned about anyone else's nutrition and meal schedule
• Discipline anyone
• Change any diapers
• Sweep a floor that I just swept 40 minutes ago but is somehow strangely covered in Life cereal again
• Have to be concerned with anyone else's sleep schedule or nap time
• Wonder if it would work out for me to participate in any activity
• Have to pack more than what I needed for myself and keep up with other people's belongings

It would have been so fun if Chet and the boys could have gone (and it would have been worth giving up the freedom that went with being there on my own), but it was a refreshing break, and I'm so thankful I could go.

As far as the commencement ceremony went, if I hadn't known I was in Texas, there would have been plenty of context clues to bring me up to speed. First of all, the faculty members and PhD students all wore black Stetsons for the ceremony instead of the typical berets (this was probably one of my favorite things). In the course of the ceremony, one of the faculty members used the word "yonder" to point us to the large grassy field where we could find our respective graduates after the festivities. And it would not have been complete without at least one Texas history lesson in the middle of the seminary president's address to the students. You might think I'm making fun of these things, so I better clarify. I actually thought it was awesome! It's great to be in a place (school and state) where people take pride in where they come from and are able to recognize these things as blessings from the Lord.

It was really fun to see Chet and the boys at the airport when I got home. As we were driving home I was telling Chet all about the trip in greater detail than I was able to use in our short phone conversations. The entire time I was talking, Gabe was in the back seat saying, "Yeah, uh huh, uh huh, yeah, yeah, uh huh...." and then he'd break into a little song. He was saying several more words than he said when I left, and Chet said he's pretty sure Gabe said his first sentence while I was gone also. It's crazy what 4 days will do in the life of a 19-month-old boy!

Ladan is getting so old too! He is so much fun to take along when we run errands and get things accomplished! We can chat about things as we go throughout the day, and he is a really great help in general! He's getting lots better about being patient as he waits for us to get him things he needs. He's starting to eat a lot better and is struggling less and less to eat what we provide for him. He has grown to be very hospitable to our guests. And he's been very quick to share with Gabe and others lately. His favorite stories are the stories of Zaccheus and Bartimaeus. He wants to read them all the time and always enjoys the part at the end of each story when we talk about what he learned (i.e. that Jesus knows his name, that Jesus knows where he is, that Jesus listens to him when he talks to Jesus, etc.).

I am so grateful for my family!!!! Chet leaves soon for his trip, so once we get him off and running, I'll have more time to focus my thoughts on finishing the family planning entries, and I'll try to post a few recent photos.