The city I live in...the city of angels

The weekend disappeared quicker than I could have imagined. I feel as though I’m stuck in a bit of a time warp. It seems like an eternity has passed since I was in Augusta preparing for Jessica’s wedding, but in reality it was only slightly more than a week ago. The beginning of the weekend seems as though it must have been yesterday, but it was actually four days ago. There isn’t much difference between ten days and four days, but one feels years behind me and the other feels mere seconds behind me. I suppose the amount of activity between moments influences our perception of time passing, but yet my situation has the opposite effect that one would expect.

I’m trying to remember significant things that have occurred over the past week and a half. The first thing to note would be Jessica and Will’s wedding. I remember Jessica and I not-so-secretly dreaming that we would end up with our respective partners during our Hart House days. Four years later, it’s nice to see that we both ended up exactly where we intended to be. ...at least in the husband department. There have been some other changes along the way, but they seem relatively insignificant when one considers the over all happiness. I don’t remember anything particularly exciting during the following work week, but days are always dotted with tiny trials and little laughs from various corners of my universe. One humorous moment was when Johnathan emerged from the grocery store carrying mustard and David pipes up with, “Daddy has the check up ” Get it? Ketchup...check up? Only it was mustard... Emily has figured out that she has holes in her nose and will delightedly try to explore yours if you keep her from exploring her own.

My great uncle passed away this weekend, and I found my great aunt significantly altered. She was always a plump little chatterbox with a memorable chuckle and merry eyes. She has now lost a great deal of weight, and her eyes lack their old sparkle. In more positive news, my grandmother has spent more time out of bed this week than she has in a while. Baby steps.

My best friend is officially living in Los Angeles. It’s a strange thought. My mental picture of Los Angeles is an urban wilderness with lots of lights and over-priced boutiques. I suppose that with so many people flocking to the city of angels, there must be more appeal than I give it credit for.

Recent photos

These are some recent photos from the past month or so.

Emily and Kyle have fun playing together by pulling everything (yes, everything) out of the toy closet. Kyle is my friend Cassandra's son. The two of us have known each other since pre-school, so it was nice to see our kids interacting.

Emily drawing things that only Emily understands.

An interesting new track for Thomas.

Fashion queen

Fourth of July!

Waiting with Kristin.

Food. Always food. Notice the vivid orange ear plugs.

David prefers a more traditional method of muffling the sound.

Over-edited photo of a little boy and his little steam engine and the parade.

Guyton visit

Brother/sister moment.

Sister likes trains, too.

Jessica's weddingness

Jessica and her Mom hosted a luncheon in honor of Jessica's attendants. It was quite beautifully decorated. I'm a bit jealous of her Mom's knack for decor.

Meet Lola. L-O-L-A Lola.

Meet the too-adorable-for-words flower girl. The photo was a bit blurred, which is why it's edited.

Maid of honor, matron of honor, bride, and bridesmaids.

Our post-wedding hotel room. I was very impressed by the cleanliness and comfort, so I took a picture. I recommend Hilton Garden Inn.

My husband.

Courtyard where the wedding ceremony took place. It was officiated by a messianic Jew who is a friend of the Lucas family. Some of the differences in the ceremony were quite interesting. I enjoyed it.

Me and my babies who were too interested in everything else...

Corralling children was not conducive to snapping photos of the beautiful bride.

She paused for a quick wave and smile.

Home again

A massive severe storm swept through Tuesday evening, knocked limbs out of our oak trees, and left pools in our yard. State Barn road had standing water, and we were without power for approximately three hours. Somewhere around 9:00, we gave up on the power returning and left our house in search of light. Half way to downtown Cumming, we started seeing street lights and electric signs. It was indescribably cheering to see that simple sign of civilization. For someone who used to crave solitude, I now find it almost impossible to exist in a world that does not contain signs of humanity. We ate a very late dinner at Dairy Queen and found power restored when we arrived back home. It was quite an adventure.

It's Thursday. Tuesday seems like a life-time ago. Today alone seems to have been two days rolled into one. I'm glad that tomorrow's Friday, but agonized by the thought that an entire day stands between me and the weekend. I'm trying to convince Johnathan that we need to go to Helen at some point this weekend.

Hastle

When certain people exit this world, you feel as though a little bit of goodness and light has departed with them. Another one of our close friends in Suches passed away about a month ago, and I am finally pausing to reflect on his passing. He was the older brother of our friend who passed earlier in the year and possessed the same kindness and strength of character. When Dad was serving as pastor at the hill church, we would often go home with the Parkers for Sunday dinner. They lived in a small frame house in a comfortable nook between two hills. An old red barn sat diagonal to the house and cows dotted the land beyond. Florine could work as hard as any man, and Hastle plowed along with as much intensity as someone half his age. Their kitchen was small, but friendly, and the chicken and dumplings were simply beyond comparison. Florine's sweet tea was so thick that it almost had texture, and Hastle would drink fresh milk that came from one of their own cows. After dinner, the stories would begin. More often than not, Hastle would be telling life stories to Dad while Florine conversed with Mom about something completely different. Sitting in between the two, I could never decide who to direct my attention to. As a result, my ears were often tuned into both at one time.

Hastle was tall and lanky with a warm smile and soft-spoken manner. Age had been kind to him, and he looked well short of his 85 years. Until his first battle with cancer a few years ago, his last experience with doctors had been during his service in WWII. Hastle was incredibly friendly and treated me as an equal. I always felt that he regarded me as a friend in the same way he regarded my parents as friends. For a thirteen-year-old, that is monumental. Florine and I have exchanged a few letters over the past couple years, and she always begins them with the words, "Dear friend." I can't explain how much that means to me. I admire the longevity of their marriage and the hardships they endured together. I admire the faith that guided them through everything. Florine refuses to leave the farm, and I think of the family often.

Steady and warm-hearted, the world could stand more people like John H. Parker. He was buried with military honors. Driving back down the mountain after his death, I felt that a little bit of light had exited. A portion of the life that was...a way of caring for people had moved on into the next realm. Heaven must have been glad when he entered those gates.