hospitality

My prayers from about a week ago are beginning to be answered, specifically the desire for being able to show hospitality & for God to present opportunities for that. On Tuesday night we were graced with a visit from Israel, a friend who attended college with us, who since then has been on grand adventures in Germany, Costa Rica, & Nicaragua with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). He'd been living in South Dakota since these adventures & was stirred up to visit some friends in the Northwest, where we are. He's been hitchhiking part of the way & it was a surprise to hear from him, but our evening was free & we invited him into our home for dinner & to spend the night. What unfolded was a sweet time of encouragement, laughter, outbursts, prayer, tears, & faith-building stories. It was refreshing to hear from Israel, a guy who lives so on the edge as he does, and of his heart for Berlin, Germany, which is so big. (To read his blog, go to: http://translatelove.blogspot.com/). It was what I'd imagine a visit from the apostle Paul would be like, or that's what it makes me think of.
More...I'll be looking for more opportunities & hints & nudges & openings...

apples & inspiration

Saturday we celebrated what Andrew & John Poet called "Cider Saturday", which we hope will be come an annual tradition in our family as long as we are in this place. First let me say that for several years now my sisters in Minnesota & my father who visits them have sent me pictures of them picking apples from orchards with my adorable nephew & niece, rosy cheeked & laughing & smiling & wearing adorable hats & I feel desire well up in me to be a part of it. This year Andrew & I were a part of the apple harvesting, a thousand miles away from Minnesota. There's this family at our church, the Poets. (Isn't that name wonderful!) They've opened their arms to the two of us, far from our families, and adopted us into theirs, celebrating birthdays & holidays & now, apple harvesting. Saturday we picked apples from the twelve trees on their farm & made apple cider, apple pie filling, and applesauce, all day long.

Our friend Rachel, who came to help with the apples.

Our friend Chris, who also came to help with the apples.

Us, in the orchard.

Rachel, Jordan Poet, and Chris.

The cider press at work.

John Poet working the cider press & little John.

Cider in a glass. Over 60 gallons were produced!

On another note, lately I've been feeling inspired to create, to read, to extend hospitality, to life (if life were a verb, different than live). I think the wholesomeness of harvesting apples & not letting any go to waste, working & producing good things to eat helps me be inspired.

Andrew said that he wishes he could have chores like those the Poets have, everyday. Feeding the pigs, splitting wood, bringing in the firewood, etc. Something about country life inspires...and maybe it has something to do with being around those Poets. :)

Eleven Months

Today's our eleven month anniversary of being married! (My sister Moriah's favorite number, so it must be celebrated with a post!) What more God still has in store for us...

The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. ~Zephaniah 3:17

the weekend was full of...

...produce

at the Farmer's Market on Saturday, Jamie & I perused the fresh offerings, sampled organic truffles (the chocolate kind), hazlenuts, berries, a pear, good things. I bought rainbow chard & hazelnuts. Then Sunday when Jamie & I went to the orchard/pumpkin patch we bought apples, pumpkins, garlic, and a yam between the two of us.

...pumpkins

Saturday evening Andrew & I went to a pumpkin carving party & had a blast. He did one with Calvin's grimace on it (from Calvin & Hobbes), and I attempted Cinderella's carriage, but it looks more like a face, interestingly enough. We're inspired now & plan to do more carving with Jamie today. She & I perused the huge boxes filled with pumpkins (.25 a pound, just had to mention it)
...pie

We were pie eaters this weekend. We had pie at the pumpkin carving party. We had pie for a Sunday picnic after church. We had pie when we played bingo with the senior citizens at our church on Sunday night. We still want more pie...our craving will be satisfied tonight, when Jamie comes over & we make use of the apples we picked in the orchard Sunday afternoon.

...friends
(Varying from the things beginning with a "P") Friday we supped with Mr. & Mrs. Rick Lewis, enjoying their company, their dog, a walk, and the BBC movie version of Charles Dickens's "Our Mutual Friend" which turned out to be excellent (all of it). The Lewises are dear to Andrew & I, Mr. Rick being a mutual friend :) and teacher of ours & his wife being the former receptionist at our college. We share taste in literary classics & BBC movie marathons. My good friend Jamie & I had quality time on Saturday, enjoying festive fall flinging herself into our awareness. We walked downtown in sprinkling rain & sunshine to the Farmer's Market & you already know what we did there. Then on Sunday, that was the day we went to the orchard, picked apples, found pumpkins to carve, etc. Also on Sunday Andrew & I went to an indoor soccer game & cheered on "Dwight's Army of Champions" (the team name...so clever).

...adults of all ages

We attended a young adults pumpkin carving party. We attended youth group on Sunday night. We played bingo with senior citizens. Andrew won a bingo game the first time in his life. For his prize they gave him four packets of beef flavored ramen. What a happy guy he was! :)

Here's Jamie picking an apple.

At the orchard & near the patch in front of the pumpkin bins.

the girl is here!

My little sister arrived in town last night for a weekend visit! Well, she's my little sister, but she calls me her little sister because I'm shorter. Oh, such a clever girl. Really, she's soo funny. Can't contain the giggles when I'm around her. But really, I can't. :)

There's nothing like having sisters around. Moriah, especially, draws things out in me. Puns for example. Or rhyming. My maturity level in general really plummets when I'm around her. We make dog & cat noises together, we really do. This morning when I woke her up to get ready before we went out to get coffee, she snarled like a cat with her morning voice. Several times. What a silly girl.

We went to coffee, like I said, and I realized during our time together this morning that one reason I love being around Moriah is because she inspires me. It's similar to when I listen to sermons & the Holy Spirit will drop ideas in my mind of things I should do or create, or people I should call...Moriah makes me excited & inspired like that.

Raising her hand for some peculiar reason. There's a story there, I just can't remember what it is.

At the coffee shop, getting her breve.

Us. Silly me, I thought we were taking a cute picture. Nope. I was supposed to be silly!

This afternoon I'm going to read some of Moriah's Creative Writing class creations. Poetry, and an essay about the neighbor's dog, Moses, who was put down this week, a dear-to-our-family-dog who was like Odie in Garfield. One story Moriah wrote is about a girl in an insane asylum, whom Moriah ironically named Rachel. Hmm. I wonder if I should read anything into that? :)

from coast to home

Got back Sunday afternoon from a women's retreat at the coast. It was a good opportunity for me to get to know women in my church, women that in ten months of attending I either haven't met yet, or haven't had sufficient time to get to know them. I was so glad for the chance. And it was at the coast! I've had a craving to see & hear & play at the coast, so this weekend was very timely.

Lately I've had a desperate need to be known, to be known by girls who like me & love me & see the value in me and let me do the same for them. It has been freakishly hard lately. Amongst the different introductions & explanations & chat times at the conference with women from my church, I felt this need grow in me, to be known. There were women from different churches at the conference, too, friends & I was able to have that feeling of being known satisfied. It worked beautifully; those times made me eager to discover the pre-friends & to be more present when I was with women from my church.

Two escapes to the coast by myself also restored me & drew worship out of me.

And when I saw my husband again! How wonderful it was to be hugged & held & kissed & too much information-ed by him! What a thankful wife I am with a husband who treated me to an Irish cream soy latte (one he made), time to read on my own, & cuddle time on the couch as we watched The Bourne Ultimatum! We've been foolishly smiling like giddy children ever since we've been back in each other's company.

It was good to go away so that I could come home again.