the great trip (mid) west

A little peak at where I've been and what I've been up to for the last two weeks!

Iowa

Illinois

Michigan

sister's visits and a snowy easter

So, I've been quite busy the last few weeks. It's been a happy sort of busy. My sister Laura came to visit for a week. Part of the time she spent here with me and part of the time in London with Emily. I spent her last day (Wednesday) in London with them. We discovered the wonders of the restaraunt chain Giraffe and the glories of their Waffle Banana Split in Guildford and repeated the experience in London. Beautiful, simply beautiful!

Easter was fun, Emily came out for the weekend. No floral dress or white patent leather shoes this year. I did manage to wear a skirt, but only by wearing long underwear underneath cable knit tights. A thick wool sweater and bright green wellies completed the ensemble. We went to a sunrise service on the top of one of the numerous hills outside of town. Our feet were aching with the cold! Then we went over to the Nicholsons for breakfast and sat in the warm house watching it snow for the better part of an hour. It was great!

After my hour slot in the prayer room we went over to the Slinn's for a lovely lunch and lots of fun and movie watching. Good times were had by all!

a little rant

Today I feel like Meg Ryan in "You've Got Mail" when she's sick and Tom Hanks comes to visit her and he says, "It wasn't personal." And she says, "What is that? I am so sick of that. All that means is that it wasn't personal to you. But it was personal to me. It's personal to a lot of people. What is so wrong with being personal anyway? I mean if nothing else something should begin by being personal!" (I've seen this movie a lot!)

And I just want to say (not only in regard to the red and pink holiday that just past but also about the red and green holiday and just things in general) that just because something has been over commercialized doesn't mean it can't be celebrated in a big way and enjoyed for what it really means. And it doesn't mean you're hip or cool or special because you moan about how much you aren't going to celebrate and how overrated all of these things are. (Really, everybody does that. It's like these groups of teenagers who think they're so different from everyone else when really they're all clones of one another.)

I think the really hip and cool and special thing to do is celebrate, celebrate BIG and not let commercialism or cynical party-poopers spoil something that has the potential to be something siginifcant and wonderful. I mean isn't that what Jesus wants us to do anyway? Live a celebratory life? Live life to the full? Live a life full of wonder and excitement? Enjoy one another? Remember things that are important?

At least don't spoil it for those of us who want to try!