another amazing weekend, part 2

two more people I've known since either I or they were 11

the birthday girl's brother, taking charge of the situation

I couldn't resist.

Did I mention how *ahem* colorful my friends were in my younger days?

No? Well, I did now. (And only one of them has had more than one drink.)

Bagpipes, and drummers, and fiddlers, oh my!

They call themselves The Rogues, and they're kind of a big deal.

What an amazing day!

another amazing weekend, part 1

alternately titled: happy birthday, woman!

That picture I posted is from the Maryland Renaissance Festival. I ran away for the day on Saturday to celebrate the 21st birthday of one very special friend.

She and I have known each other since we were 8 and 11, respectively. We've shared late-night talks, tears and laughter. We consumed Mountain Dew, hummus and cucumbers at midnight. We dyed my hair and performed Shakespeare. And then we went to college . . . and, until Saturday, I hadn't seen her in 2 years.

But, somehow, we seemed to pick up right where we left off.

It's ironic that, right after a post on unity, I should feel so close to an agnostic who dabbled in Buddhism. I think it helps that we've always been honest with each other and had each other's best interests at heart. We've been able to disagree respectfully and unafraid to discuss our differences. We've always tried to understand each other. And, it helps that we share a mutual love for things like the Renaissance Festival. We were both wearing corset bodices with our jeans in the above picture. We got caught up in The Lord of the Rings frenzy at the same time and laughed at Shakespeare's double entendres together. (And we still do.)

She is an amazing person and an amazing friend that I feel privileged to have spent the day with. (And, because I now know that she only lives about an hour from me, Lyndon and I will be visiting her regularly.)

Happy 21st birthday, woman! MWAH!

guess where I went this weekend!

Any guesses? I'll let you know soon! :-)

our awesome weekend, part 2

Some thoughts from this weekend...

The pastor at the shoutin' Presbyterian church (oh, the irony) we attended on Sunday preached on unity, and, despite diaper blowouts and hungry babies, we managed to get the gist of his message. (I think it helped that there were two of us.)

He spent a lot of time telling us what unity should not look like. He said that we should not pursue spiritual unity simply because unity feels good (and is all the rage), attempting to unify ourselves with those who disagree with us on important doctrinal issues. For example, a group in my college town wanted all the churches, temples, worship centers, etc., along with their pastors, preachers, elders, and rabbis to come together and form a unified "faith community". Biblically, that's a bad idea. If I believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, and you believe that He isn't, then I shouldn't just shut up for the sake of unity, because I would be watching you go to Hell, and that's not very loving, now is it? (Neither should I beat you over the head with my Bible. Again, not very loving.)

This does not mean that I can't understand, respect, or befriend those who believe radically different things from me, just that I can't be unified with these people. As Mark Driscoll is fond of saying, "we're not going to wear matching sweatshirts and ride a tandem bike". My best and closest friends are always going to be those with whom I agree on big, important issues (like why we're here, who God is, what has value in this life, etc.). As long as those fall into place, we can disagree about all kinds of things and still have a close, unified relationship.

This weekend was an exercise in this kind of relationship. The friend I stayed with and I disagree about infant baptism, the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, church government, attachment parenting, on-demand feeding... and that's the short list. I'm sure we could come up with a lot more if you gave us some time. Yet, I can and did experience unity and fellowship this weekend, made possible because we agree on the most important thing: the gospel. We agree about who Jesus is and who we are. And, really, that's all that's necessary for unity.

our awesome weekend, part 1

Lyndon and I got to hang out with a friend from college and her little girl this weekend. The boys (Adrian and my friend's husband) went camping, and the four of us stayed at their place. It was a fantastic weekend, but, alas, I forgot to bring my camera to most of it. We went to an open-air concert a few blocks away from their house (sadly, no pictures!), scored some Goodwill bargains, and visited the most raucous Presbyterian church I've ever seen.

The boys, meanwhile, hiked over 7 miles in 2 days, climbed a mountain, fell asleep on the beach, and made a Catholic pilgrimage (again, no pictures!). And no, they're not Catholic.

Let me just say how much fun it was to "play college" again. Yes, this time we had babies. But we got a chance to experience life together-- eating, laughing, talking, staying up late-- just the way we used to. We made tea and swapped advice, this time about parenting and marriage. It was lovely, and I hope to do it more often.

And then we took a group picture... or, rather, attempted to take a group picture...

Take 1...

 Take 2...

Take 398...

Finally, everyone held still long enough! (and we turned on the flash)

It was a lovely weekend. :-)

Lyndon bonds with his aunt, nana and pop-pop

We went to a family barbecue this weekend, and Lyndon spent some quality time with his extended family. First, he bonded with his Aunt Christina by doing one of her favorite things . . . texting.

It's a testament to her love for him that she let him have her phone in the first place, although he can be pretty convincing. To say that he loves cell phones is putting it mildly. He had a full-blown meltdown (tears and everything) the other day because I was talking on mine in front of him, and I wouldn't let him have it.

He also explored the grounds a little with his Pop-Pop. . .

I love taking him to places with big, old trees and lots of soft grass because he's so enthralled by it all. It's completely different from anything we have around here. I think he examined every leaf on that tree that he could reach.

Then his Nana put him on a folding chair, and we all held our breath, waiting for him to topple over. . .

He, of course, loved being unstable and wobbly.

It was a lovely day, filled with food, friends, family, and a nap-free afternoon. Happy Labor Day everyone!

"I'm gonna touch the kitty"

This picture is from July, but it perfectly sums up Lyndon's relationship to the cats right now. They have no idea what they're in for once this kid becomes mobile. Heh heh heh.

(Excuse the blurry face... the kid moves too fast for my camera. Any advice on capturing moving subjects without getting a flash washout would be appreciated.)

on your mark...

Lyndon and I are feeling much better this week; thanks for asking. :-) So much better, in fact, that we're on the move!

On your mark...

get set...

Go...

... um, backwards?

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Lyndon is rolling, swiveling, creeping, and scooting to get to where he wants to be. The only thing he's not doing is the one thing he wants to do very badly... crawling. He's a pro at going sideways, backwards, and around in a circle... everything except forwards, and he can't figure out what he's doing wrong. Poor kid. I imagine it won't be long before he figures it out, though. Next step: childproofing.