On a Tuesday that feels like a Monday...

We had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!  It began w/a pizza and movie night on Friday.  Followed by meeting some lovely ladies for coffee and conversation early Saturday morning and we then took off for the NC Zoo Saturday and made a day of it!  I didn't take the camera, so there are no pictures of us looking at the animals.  It was a good day, even if the polar bear was sleeping and we missed the giraffe feeding...maybe next time!
Nate spent most of the day asking a million questions about the A-10 Warthog, working out a plan for joining the Air Force so he can fly one...and building a Nater-ized model with duct tape and recyclables from our bin.  The topic seemed to come from out of the blue, but we finally figured out that someone in his class has a A-10 Warthog pilot for a Daddy.
Sunday, we went to Lake Tillery Church.  Joe has been planning to visit for quite a while.  We had lunch with friends at The Boondocks...followed by a refreshing couple hours on a dock by the lake.  We made it back home in time for a short nap followed by evening worship at our church. 
Funny Nate story from Sunday:  A wonderful lady named Betty was chatting with us, and told Nate she liked his bracelet.  I explained it's a medic alert bracelet, that Nate's allergic to eggs and peanuts.  She said, "Oh, my husband, Larry is allergic to shellfish".
Nate replied, "you mean he's not able to lie?"  We were both puzzled as this comment seemed to us to come out of the blue. 
I said," what did you say buddy?"
He said, "you said he's allergic to selfish, so he's not able to lie"


Yesterday Joe mowed the field yard, then he and Em went shopping for new running shoes for her.  Em and I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning under her bed (egads!!) and her closet.  Motivated by who knows what...both kids actually had a pretty good pile of things to take to the coalition.   The Barbies, polly-pockets, two baby dolls, pet shop critters and a few stuffed animals got a reprieve and get to stay to play again another day.  Nate weeded out a Handy Manny toy, a pretend fisher price guitar that is small for him, a few puzzles and some books...and the five pair of shoes he JUST outgrew overnight, anyone need size 11, maybe even some size 12s?

Back to work today, to a steady but not crazy day for me!  This is Joe's second week of classes and his second Hebrew test...I quizzed him last night on the letter sounds--I figure that's about all the help I'll be with that.  As of right now he has about 15 hours of classes that he's either beginning or trying to finish.  On campus Fall classes are on Tuesday from 8am to 5:30pm.  He's finishing up virtual classes that he began this summer as well as a summer intensive (one of those classes that he does on campus with the course work condensed into 5 consecutive days of lectures with assigned reading, tests and papers to be done by a date a month or so away). 

Meanwhile...back at the motel clinic, I re-certified for CPR right after office hours were over...easy-peasy compared to all of that!!  I've been back to work for 2 years, all my certifications are up for renewal.

Oh...my thanksgiving...(as I "dare to live fully right where I am" and I give thanks and unwrap my gift of joy..Ephesians 5:20)

I'm thankful for rain...the rain that washes away and refreshes and renews!
for simple meals...
for children who listen well when it's least expected
for mandarin oranges in salad...a burst of sweetness in an unexpected place
and for friends who ask "What is your biggest struggle right now"...and the faithfulness they have to pray us through it, no matter how big or small.
and I'm thankful for people who think of things like this and the hope I have that my friend Betty could help me learn how to put a zipper in something!