Christmas Vacation

After a year away, I returned to my parent's home in Iowa for the 2nd time in 5 weeks! This weekend has been very unusual in that it is just my parents and me for the first 4 days of my trip. Because of my siblings' travels, we are planning to celebrate Christmas on New Years Day. Thus, Mom has left her Christmas decorations up. They are beautiful to see! 

Though not worried about it, I did come in wondering what we would do together while Michael was at a retreat. We've had a blast so far. Mom and I bought a 500 piece puzzle Friday afternoon, and we finished it by Saturday evening. I think it is the fastest that we've every completed a puzzle together.

Sunday, we went to church and heard an excellent sermon on waiting on the Lord. The sermon text was from Exodus 2, and Pastor De Boer cautioned us to avoid the sin of Moses. He was impatient waiting to be Israel's leader and avenged the brutality of the Egyptians on his people before the Lord's timing was right. Pastor contrasted Moses to our Lord Jesus, who patiently lived on earth 33 years, waiting on the Father's perfect timing before offering himself up as a sacrifice on the cross for our sins.

After church, I took my parents to Red Robin and introduced them to their famous onion ring towers and dipping sauces. We thought they were delicious. I'm thankful for the relaxing start to my vacation and for the wonderful relationship I have with my parents.

Happy New Year!

Go West Young Man

This Thanksgiving I am visiting my family in Iowa. These visits always bring back a panoply of memories: the smells of Cedar Rapids, the taste of Zoey's pizza, corn fields stretching for miles, the sound of Boggle cubes being rearranged, and warm embraces from my family. This particular Thanksgiving has a brand new memory, meeting my nephew Weston Carl Barnett. He is the pride and joy of Ben and Laura Barnett, and he has me wrapped around his thumb in no time at all.

All of the Chandlers love little Weston, but they have unique ways of interacting with him. Grammy Sandy loves rocking her "Cuddlebug" and taking him on sightseeing tours throughout the house. When Weston is in the house with her, Grammy Sandy becomes a first class Thespian with her expressive eyes, dramatic words, and emphatic gestures. Grandpa Bill loves interacting with him musically, either through whistling or plucking the guitar. Uncle Michael is less hands on, but still is equally interested in observing and interacting with young Weston. Being late to the party, I have to compete for his affections with others, specifically Grammy Sandy. Grammy interprets any sigh or ill-tempered coo as a sign that my "Boogie Man" has had enough of my company. So the pressure is really on to impress Weston. I haven't come up with a signature interaction with him yet, but honestly, he is so fun to just hold and squeeze!