A quick post – this past weekend, Adriane, Graham and I, along with Pete and Crystal Miller went down to Austin, Tx. The main reason for going was to help (as much as we could) with a garage sale that Adriane’s parents were doing for Mammy – Adriane’s grandmother who recently moved into a assisted living home here in Oklahoma and who Graham gets to have breakfast with every Monday morning – I love that.
We rolled in Friday night, ate at the Hulu Hut on the Austin Lake or River, then the next day helped out with the sale throughout the day – although Tom, Pam and Adriane’s Aunt and Uncle did most of the work, I lent my arms to move a few heavy things, but they were the real heroes of the sale. Later on Saturday afternoon while Graham was asleep at the sale, the four of us went to Central Market, grabbed some yummy fresh food and went out to a park and had a late lunch – I chose sushi! It was good. That night we experienced a bit of 6th street, and after some homeless guy tried to explain to me something about my sinus but without words, we decided that 6th street really wasn’t our vibe. So we ended up at The Spider House. Really cool outdoor coffee and drinks cafe. Hung out until late in the night, talking and enjoying the weather. More our style.
Sunday, got up, tired and visted Kerbys for breakfast and then a run by of Progress Coffee, a coffee house run by a friend of ours, then headed back north. Of course we had to hit the outlet malls, thankfully time and our wallet made it a quick stop. By 9:30pm last night, we made it home. Graham did great on the road, a few frustration crie here and there, but that was ok, he was expressing what we were feeling by the end of the 6 hour trip.
Here is a pic of our little picnic.
On May 9th, 2009 Adriane and I kissed our little boy goodbye, got on a plane and went to Mexico. We had been debating the whole week before if we should go, you know the whole “H1N1 Flu Pandemic” overtaking the world and all human beings should lock their doors and live in utter fear movement was going on. We finally looked at it all without the media’s help and saw that we could go and probably make it back healthy and alive. So glad we did.
We stayed at Excellence Riviera, about 20 minutes south of Cancun. I would tell you about all that we did but it really just came down to, eating, swimming, and lots of time laying around the pool and on the beach. As we might have expected, the resort was at around 25% occupancy level, and it being a very large resort, that gave us the feeling of it being very private. We found one pool that we had all to ourselves for most of the days. It was so fun being just husband and wife again. I mean, we love our role as dad and mom but we love even more our roles as husband and wife and it was great to spend alot of quality time together, focusing on each other and just relaxing.
I also did some reading while there. If you notice in one of my previous posts, I mentioned the books I was planning to take on this vacation. I ended up starting ‘Truck’ early, and I love it. Might do a seperate post on it in the near future. Mike Perry is becoming one of my favorite writers these days, great stuff. So I did bring that book, thinking I would finish it. But I also brought this book…Heaven.
I had started this one several months ago, my father-in-law really enjoyed it so I was interested. Well, so glad I started reading it again. It has to be one of the most encouraging and important books I have read in a long time. Growing up in church and in this world that has so many mixed views of Heaven it is important that we as followers of Jesus find out what the Bible and only the Bible says about Heaven and the New Earth. Randy Alcorn does a great job of leading the reader through the Hope and Joy that will be ours once we are fully redeemed and when creation, subjected to be under the curse, is fully redeemed and together we all live, serve and reign in fully redeemed bodies and minds. Free from sin and free to fully be alive in Jesus. That makes me think and long for heaven. I long for redeemed relationships, free from sin and full of joy and life. I long to see Jesus as He really is, and to enjoy all the things that he has for the ones he loves so dearly. Heaven is not an escape but the place where we will step into the light and be complete in Jesus. Yes, I do long for Heaven – where our lives will really begin.
I never got to finishing up Truck. I will. But for now I am enjoying the thoughts of Heaven that have been raised up and given to me.
OK, so we have lots of pics from the trip, but my wife said that I must get them all approved before posting them. Understandable. So once I get through the approval process, they will be on here for sure.
So we booked it, and it is going to happen. Yes, an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. We have not been back since our honeymoon 5 years ago and yes, we are excited. I learned again that you typically need to take a vacation because you are worn out from planning the vacation. Adriane and I have meticulously combed through every All inclusive resort in Mexico – we could easily tell you which ones are known for their good food, or bad service or nice/dirty beaches. We know it, we have experienced them all in their great splendor right on the internet. Thankfully we finally found one that we will physically experience come May! Can’t wait.
And yes (or no, depending on how you phrase the questions) we are going without Graham, he will be staying with Nanna and Pops and probably Grandy some too.
Something I have noticed that other blogger friends have done is list books they are taking on their vacations. I liked this idea. Here are a few I know that are coming with me:
- Truck by Michael Perry – I just got this book and started yesterday, I might be pretty far into it once the trip gets here but if I am not finished, it will be coming with me. Thanks Josh Banner for the recommendation on this, I am already really enjoying it.
- Intimacy by Henri Nouwen – I’ve not read this one and you really can’t go wrong with Nouwen.
- Crazy Love by Francis Chan – I have already read this but I want to bring it to skim through again, to remind myself as I am laying on the beach of God’s greatness and amazing Love.
- Unknown at this time. Maybe a few music magazines, maybe a new spiritual book, I don’t know…Any suggestions from anyone??
Is it May yet?
We made it back and found sleet and snow all over our great state, in fact our flight was cancelled out of Dallas so we rented a car and drove up to OKC, it was good to be home but we are really missing the beach, sun, weather, pineapples, ocean, all you can eat breakfast, palm trees and just walking in the sand. We had a really great time, it is so important to get away like that and to be in nature and experience the beauty of it. I just sensed God was saying, enjoy this, it is such a tiny piece of what Heaven is, so get ready and excited for it, I am going to blow you away. It revived my heart. Anyway, here are a few pics, I will put more up soon too. Well, I need to go apply aloe vera on my sunburned skin. Blessings.
Well, we made it back from Turkey and Kyrgyzstan a little tired but holding onto many stories and new friendships. I can’t say completly all that God was up to on this trip but He did bring more of His glory to our hearts and the people’s heart we met and loved on. I am at awe at how He is so intimate with His people. How He weaves lives together all around this world for His good pleasure. I have stories, many stories, personal and community ones, I will try to write more on here within in the weeks with pictures for proof. By the way, I bought an antique russian SLR camera while there, it is way cool and I took some interesting pictures with it while there, I need to learn how to use it to maximize it’s potential, but for now, it is cool to point, focus, check the lighting, make sure I am holding it right, focus again and then click. This ain’t your 21st century camera, might not even be your 20th century camera, but it is cool and Russian!
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