Weekend Date

As Jesse put it, Saturday was probably the "perfect date for us"--lunch, movie, book shopping, church, and dancing all in one day! And, of course, what really made it perfect was that (as SS put it) I got to spend the day with my "sweetie."

I started out getting a full-night's sleep and getting up at a reasonable hour. Spent the morning doing some catch-up things around the house. Having already accomplished something for the day, I was able to relax and enjoy the rest of the day.

We started with lunch at Chipotle. Arriving at 12:30, we had plenty of time before the 2:00 movie, so relaxed and just enjoyed chatting. Before we knew it, it was 2:00.

A short dash down the block put us in the theater just in time for "End of the Spear." Not a light-hearted or "fun" movie, but very good. While I enjoyed the movie thoroughly, I wondered if it would have the same impact for someone who might not be familiar with the back story or doesn't have a basic appreciation for Christian missionary work. I was struck by the fact that the movie almost made a point of not mentioning Christ or the gospel message, at least not as we are familiar with it in the west.

With an 1.5 hours before our next destination, we headed next door to browse Borders. We checked on some of the books upon which the movie is based and ended up reading portions of other books that caught our eye, like Jesus Misquoted and Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters.

Again, we almost lost track of the time, but headed back to P-ville just in time for BRBC's baptism and celebration service in their new church building. It was exciting to witness eight baptisms (including one girl that I worked with in Sparks), refreshing to worship with a number of hymns and choruses, heartening to be able to recognize some of the people who were key in the building completion, moving to take time to pray for the church members and ministries, and adventurous to wander through the new building checking out the various corners.

After the service, as we headed home past the skating rink, we realized that it was the third Saturday of the month and there was a contra-dance in progress. With almost no hesitation, we stopped and caught the last half of the evening of dancing.

So that was our Saturday, January 21. Nearly a month since December 22, when we got to spend the day together--only due to my changed flight. And despite Jesse's visit to Kansas at new years, it felt like a long time since we'd gotten to spend much time together.

One last note. Despite any vicious rumors that might be circulating, Jesse and I are still speaking to each other, at least last time I checked. And that was just....ummm....let me think here.... :D

About time for a picture

I was catching up on blogs and realized that Charlessa and I hadn't gotten around to sticking up any pictures onto our blog! How could we forget?

We're over at my Uncle's house here, visiting with them, my parents, and my Grandma. It was a great time!

New Years

Wow! When Jesse arranged to visit my family in KS for new years, I knew there would be introductions to certain people. I didn’t realize that my brother and family would spread the word QUITE so widely and there would end up being SO many activities scheduled (Friday Update and Wednesday Update). Maybe I just hadn’t stopped to consider how many people my family interacts with and how many activities my family is involved with normally.

Whatever the case, Jesse handled it all with his usual amenable and friendly ease.  I admired his ability to keep up with the series of introductions, events, and activities. He even managed to keep track of names and make connections between people that he met at different times and places (this uncle is married to that aunt you met two days ago and owns the business on main street we pointed out).

I completely enjoyed the time I had with my family. The time that Jesse could be there too was all the more enjoyable. (I’m not sure how much to believe it, but one of my sisters suggested that I was in a better mood while Jesse was around.) It was all too short. I’m thankful that the time with my family is being extended in a sense, as my sisters are visiting me for the next 12 days.