adventure

This morning has been leisurely and lovely. I've been flipping through some magazines, websites and blogs... drinking my coffee, putting off laundry and housecleaning quite nicely. N and T have been drawing and coloring horses and knights (they'd watched an Ivanhoe movie some time ago, and apparently it made quite an impression, as he and King Richard have been very prominent characters in their drawings and play acting for the past couple of *months*!), complete with labels written in as to who they are. Now they're playing outside again, jumping and climbing onto hay bales with our doggie, Samson, out in our neighbor's field. I'll have to post about him sometime, as he's a heroic and inspiring monument to living history (Vietnam/ Korea/ WWII veteran, a decorated pilot in all three wars, fascinating character) himself. Shortly after we moved here just over a year ago, he graciously invited our kids to have free romping reign over his 20+ acres next door, at all times.

For the last couple of days, Taba has been intently working on a little scrapbook she started recently, a compilation of her ferrets' photos, especially featuring her precious "Rascal" who died a tragic death the summer before last. I'll have to post some pics of her project later, or maybe she'll put them on her blog. Nathan's been happily spending alot of time playing outside (the weather here has been gorgeous the past 2 days!) and playing math games on his Singapore cd-rom (Gotta love it! He's doing math on his own, without my promptings or involvement whatSOever!).

Overall we had a really good visit with Chris's Dad, Jack. He left yesterday morning, Chris drove him to the airport a 5 a.m. and was pretty shaken up all day yesterday. I think the whole week just basicly hit him all at once, and he was/is now pretty emotionally depleted. We talked a bit, sharing some reflections on the week gone by. Jack's visit also apparently stirred up some things within my own subconscious seas, and sent me swirling into a momentary lapse of reason (*Surprise* are emotions necessarily reasonable/rational anyways? NO!) So - long story short...basicly, Tues. night (late, right before bed) and then later Wednesday, Chris and I had a bit of a squabble, and I privately had a bit of an emotional meltdown resulting basicly I think from being so totally misunderstood and at a loss as to how to come to grips with/ express myself... So, hah! What GREAT timing! I don't even remember the last time we've had a serious argument (all is fine now btw), and then wham!, two in one week, the week his Dad was here. I'm sure it had alot to do with the fact that we were both feeling a bit of an emotional strain, to say the least.

As I walked down to the creek behind our house, just to be alone with my tears and *get a grip* so as not to clue in the kids or Jack that I was upset, I was surprisedly overtaken with grief and longings for my own long deceased Dad (which had *nothing* to do with our argument, but may have had something to do with my sensitivity?). Anyways, I just find it strange how it can hit me at the most unforseen, inopportune times, afterall, I thought I was over that! But then, does one really ever get *over* the loss of a loved one... I think I do have closure, as much as one can have anyways, not knowing where a loved one stood with their heavenly Father, and so nor where he is in the afterlife. I suppose I may forever be subject to inopportune bouts of sorrow and regret resulting from these grievous thoughts.

But besides that little "squabble", and it's temporarily "rocking the boat" last week was wonderful and was mainly about Chris, and our meeting his Dad, our kids meeting their Grandfather (who's now seriously talking ALOT of moving here), and us just basicly trying to make him feel welcome as we shared God's love with him. I hope that we did... I think that we did...

Today, besides reading with my kids, I'm planning some of our Thanksgiving menu, writing out my shopping lists, and going to see if I can find room in my big freezer for a good-sized gobbler! We're looking forward to having a nice holiday *shiiiiinn-dig* slumber party here next week! Serena and Rick will be joining us from Cleveland on Wed., along with their 3 little ones. And also I'm looking forward to meeting one of their daughters who lives close by, Joelle, her husband Phillip, and their little munchkin (whom my 9yo son looks forward to meeting...he said "it will be nice to have a baby here"...aaaawwwh!) who will be joining us for our Thanksgiving festivities and feasting.

Last night we enjoyed the sweet fellowship of our dear friends from church, at our home fellowship which meets every other Thursday evening. Appropriately, the topic of our discussion was on resolving relational conflicts with your spouse through validating eachothers' emotions and getting past the facts, to the very real feelings that are usually the cause of many conflicts, and if not addressed will leave couples going round and round over the same types of issues, the results of core fears within a person, which often leads to false blaming, perceptions, etc. heheheheee *imagine that!* Yeah, basicly alot of stuff I've heard before, but still...a timely reminder to Chris and I that we're okay, *really*, and that irrational feelings are normal and our differences actually compliment eachother.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
~1 Corinthians 13.4-6

¹ Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
~James 4.1

We listened to session 5 of a marriage series by Michael and Amy Smalley that we've been going through as a group. The discussions we share together afterwards are always so meaningful, open and *funny!* (we've got some true comedians in our group). We had two new families join us last night, it was a nice time (except I think for the babysitters, we had 27 kids in the basement last night, yikes!)

Tonight is my monthly scrapbooking get-together with some special friends... I'm looking forward to it. I've been working on Nathan's baby album (he's 9!) for a few months now. I am quite pleased that I've gotten so many pages done and am accomplishing a goal I've had in mind to do for years, the creating of beautiful family album keepsakes, complete with journaling!