Peace! Be still!

The gospel in the church today was from Mark.  It was the story where Jesus calmed the storm on the sea, showing his power of evil and chaos. Jesus said, "Peace! Be still!" and the wind ceased and there was a dead calm.   And as I listened, I found myself thinking about Matt as a toddler.

I promise, this isn't a huge stretch.  Maybe, just a little stretch.

When Matt was a toddler, he was the happiest baby.  Although he was very late to talking, he generally figured out how to communicate his needs and didn't get frustrated very often.  But like any toddler, he had meltdowns at times. 

But when he did, we used to say, "No tantrum, Matt!" and he would stop.   I kid you not. This didn't happen once.  It happened countless times. 

Listen, I'm not comparing myself or my husband to Jesus, just noticing that "Peace, Be still," isn't too different from, "No tantrum, Matt!" 

But now, as we're in the midst of the turbulent teenage years, I find myself wishing I could say such a simple phrase that would stop the back talk or argument. 

Yeah, that would be REALLY nice.

Happy Valentines Day!

A lovely, albeit busy, Valentine's weekend.  First, I patted myself on the back for finishing up my class-party-throwing-duties for the year for this cutie.

On Friday night, Matt and I were off to the set up/dress rehearsal for the youth Valentine's Variety show at church.  He was playing his trumpet and part of two other skits. He's still finding his way with the youth group activities at the new church, so I was so proud of him for participating.

Saturday morning we went to Matt's last regular season basketball game of the season.  Can I get an "Amen?"  

In an interesting twist, they didn't actually play the game. The other team had to forfeit because they didn't have enough players (I'd place big money that they had a slew of sick kids!).   However, those that did show, plus our team, split up and did two 10 minute scrimmages, so the morning wasn't a total waste.

Then after lunch Matthew wanted to bring a special Valentine to his friend Parker.  What did he get her?  A chocolate heart and a New England Patriots t-shirt.  She gave him a Seattle Seahawks pennant, so really it just goes to show that they are the kind of friends that really know each other well.

Still, it makes me giggle.  Especially since Matthew decided to go ahead and get dressed up for the Variety show (they also served the dinner so dressed as waiters in dress pants and white shirts) before we went to Parker's to deliver his gift.  Y'all, he volunteered to put on a tie, too (Seattle Seahawks botwie, of course!)!

The dinner and variety show was great on Saturday night.   When we arrived at 4, I learned the Youth Director was sick and I found myself in charge of the variety show portion of the evening.   The kids did an amazing job, but I felt like I was floundering, largely because I had never seen the show before and I hardly knew any of the kids name (it was grades 5-12).  There was lots of "Who is in this skit?" and "I'm looking for Rob/Chloe/Maggie!"

This morning it was back to church for worship!  My sweet husband and kids also gave me these beautiful flowers!

Then Gracie's pal, Will, stopped by and brought her a box of chocolates. She also had a small box for him and a card she had made.   Oh my! Didn't these two just start kindergarten together? 

We wrapped up Valentine's with a fun tradition of fondue dinner!  Actually, we just did the cheese and dessert course and made homemade pizza for dinner.  The pizza was supposed to be heart shaped, but ended up a funky oblong shape. Not attractive, but very tasty.  Better luck next year, I guess.

Regardless, it was a wonderful Valentine's Day.    The kids are off school tomorrow for a teacher work day/President's Day.  While they want to stay up a bit late, I plan to hit the sack as soon as I hit "publish!"

In my hand . . .

This past October, we started visiting other churches in hopes of finding youth opportunities for our kids.  We've settled in (although not officially joined) St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Franklin.   Today, I had a meeting with the church secretary at our "old church" and handed off my newsletter duties and files.

In the palm of my hand, I held over 9 years of service to my church in the form of 111 issues of "The Message," plus files for banner art and logos. 

I ran across this picture several months ago.  When I enlarged it and looked at the papers in front of me, I realized I was working on what would have been my second newsletter, back in November 2006.  As you can see I had a helper.

Much has changed in the last 9 years.  While it is a little bittersweet to close this chapter with both our church and the ministry area I served, I trust that good things await us.

Pancake Sunday

We skipped church this morning (again)....but instead of seeing Star Wars like we did last week, we were volunteers for the church's "breakfast ministry."  One Sunday a month volunteers serve breakfast for a women and children's shelter at another Lutheran church located directly across the street.  We arrived at 7 am, carried in stuff, set up tables and chairs, plates, silverware packets and then made and served tons of pancakes, sausage, fruit, cereal, milk, juice and coffee. 

Matt and Bassam were assigned to the kitchen (Matt has proclaimed himself a "pancake pro!") while Gracie and I were out in the fellowship hall where breakfast was served.   About 100 women and children came through.  I was really proud of my kids for doing such a great job, especially Gracie, who while the meal was being served, helped countless moms with little ones get their food and drinks.  For 90 minutes, she darted from one side of the room to the other, carrying food, getting coffee refills, clearing garbage and talking to the guests.  

By 10 am, we were headed home, our hearts full.   A great start to our Sunday.

NOW it's Christmas!

Although we had three parties  the last three nights (work party, 40th birthday for our friend Les and my cookie exchange), THIS was my favorite part of weekend.

As we have been attending a new church since October (and are still technically "visitors"), I wasn't sure if my kids would get to participate in the Christmas pageant this year.  Since I have both written and directed the program at Holy Trinity for the last 7 or 8 years, it has always been a big part of our holiday season.

Thankfully, the music director approached both of my kids after we had attended only a couple weeks and asked them to be a part of it.  Gracie had one of the big parts as a shepherd, who were the storytellers.  Matthew was not only a narrator, but was invited to play his trumpet during the prelude to the program.   They both did great!

As for Mom, I was scheduled to play the very important part of "spectator" until the dress rehearsal on Saturday morning.  My plan was to drop the kids and grocery shop.  But before I could leave, the director asked if I would be willing to help with the staging and getting kids in the right place (Gracie told her I had been doing the program "forever" at our old church.  Busted!).   I officially went from "spectator" to "herder," except I didn't have to wear a shepherd costume to do it.   I didn't mind doing it, though.   As much it was great not to have the stress of being in charge, I felt a little out of my element simply sitting back and watching.

So despite the stress of new car hunting (more on that another day), holiday shopping (still not done), Christmas cards (nope!) and the craziness of the last week of school, I am in a better place having watched the children share the story of Jesus' birth!

I still don't understand why Oktoberfest is in September . . .

Today was the Sunday you used to recover from Saturday. We went to church, had a lunch and then stayed close to home.   Much needed!

Yesterday, we spent almost all day at church for Oktoberfest.  Bassam grilled up all the brats and hot dogs for the entire event.  Matt and I volunteered at games and Gracie was 85% consumer and 15% of the time filled in at a game so someone else could take a break. 

No matter who you were, by last night you were tired.  

From there we went to Matt's football game.  They got blown out.   They got shut out.   The mercy rule took effect and they stopped keeping score.

On the bright side (yes, there was one) the coach let Matt try his hand at QB yesterday which is pretty much a dream for him.  He had some great passes, but it just wasn't enough. 

From there we were off to B's parents for dinner.  His sister, Lina, was in town for all of a day and a half for a baby shower (sans my adorable nephews).  Super good to catch up with her if even for a little bit.  Wish I had taken pictures because she is rocking some super cute bangs and glasses these days. 

Speaking of pictures I snapped this picture of Gracie and I before school in our matching shirts for Be Nice Day at school.  Once again I was  told by the redhead about how she thinks we need a "selfie stick."   Ummmmm....I don't think so. 

Moments later when I took this picture of her by herself  I realized that she was going to school looking like Daisy Duke.

 

Okay, not exactly.   Girlfriend loves her cowboy boots with shorts, though.

And dresses.

And jeans.

Pretty much everything.

So there you have the last three days  . . . . cowboy boots, bratwursts, football, church and finally, a little down time (which incidentally meant laundry for me, but what can you do?!?).

Big, huge Sunday!

It was a BIG day yesterday.

The morning was spent at church, which included the children's Christmas program.   I have been writing and directing them for the last 7 years and I think this might have been the one I was the most anxious about. I literally left rehearsal two weeks ago and cried in the car because it went so badly.

Yeah, it was that bad.

But, today it all came together and the children did a great job!   It always does, but there was a whole lot of praying and finger crossing beforehand.  

After lunch, I had to get in entertaining mode, as I hosted my annual Cookie Exchange last night.   The house still needed to be cleaned, serving dishes pulled out, food prepared and all the last minute stuff that comes up when you are hosting a party.    The kids and I played a less-than-fun game of "Let's keep taking things out and not put them away so Mom goes crazy."  

Deep breath.

Tammy came over a little early to help me with the food and drinks and by 6:30 my friends started to roll in.  There were several last minute cancellations because of illness.  Apparently cooties are rampant in these parts, including with Bassam, who was sick all weekend.

Regardless, we spent the next couple hours eating, drinking and of course, swapping cookies.  My friends continue to amaze me with their baking skills and fabulous packaging!  As for me, I made something called "Slutty Brownies."  I know, it's an AWFUL name!    I told the kids they were called "Crazy Brownies," because really, who wants to explain to their kids what "slutty" means?   Anyway, if you Google it, they are all over the place.   Who knew?  When I checked out at the store with the main ingredients my checker loudly asked, "Are you making Slutty Brownies?"   

Shhhh!!

 Basically, you layer chocolate chip cookie dough, Oreo cookies and brownie batter and bake the whole thing.  They are crazy sweet (too much for me), but Bassam (who had heard about them at work and asked me to make them), thought they were terrific.

Once everyone left, the food was packed up (we'll be eating party leftovers for a while!!), dishwasher loaded and I collapsed!  A great day of holiday fun, but glad to have it in the books!

Sunday night

Hello, Sunday night.  

It's nice to see you, but can you tell me how you got here so fast? 

Saturday was full of golf lessons, a trip to the pool, flag flootball practice and an attempt to go to the Nashville Sounds game with my parents on Saturday night. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans so we ended up having dinner at a Chinese restaurant.   But hey, a day that ends with Won Ton soup and fortune cookies can't be bad, despite the rain. 

Today we had a long morning at church.  Our pastor has accepted a new call working for the Synod in Chicago, so after a worship there was a fun luncheon, which included a menu of Chicago dogs!  I hate doing the "ugly cry" in public, but hot dogs and cake make everything better.   We will miss Pastor Kevin so much!

After church, Bassam was off to play golf with a friend from medical school and I took the kids to Vanderbilt for "Dore Jam," which is the kick off to football season.  All the players sit and tables and autograph posters for the fans.  As soon as we got there, I hopped in the line for the coach, which stretched nearly the entire practice field and the kids went together to collect autographs from the players.  Nearly 2 hours later the kids were finished and  I made it to the front of the line so they could get Coach Mason's autograph on their poster and another picture. 

It was easy to see why we waited to so long.  Coach Mason is very friendly and took a little time with each fan.  I was just glad we got to see him. The event ended at 4:00, but we didn't see him until 4:10 and there was still quite a line behind us. 

When we got home, I was oddly exhausted from my long afternoon of standing in line.   I was delighted to find a NCIS marathon on television.  So with a bit of laundry, housecleaning and Gibbs, I'm ready to call it a day. 

Party like you're 11!

It's been a whole lotta crazy since I was here.   Luckily, it's also been a whole lotta fun.

For the most part.

On Thursday, we hosted a birthday party for Matthew who will turn 11 next week.  Eleven.  Don't get me going on that.  It's monumentally older than 10, even though technically, it's just 365 days more.  After changing his mind umpteen times, Matthew finally decided to have a pool party, so we hosted it at the neighborhood pool.  Finding the time to do it was slightly more challenging since he was only inviting a small handful of guys and there were lots of end-of-summer vacations between them. While Thursday from 12-3 pm isn't a typical party time, it worked well for us and most of the kids were able to make it.  The weather was a bit hit or miss leading up to the party (leading to Mom in panic mode), but at the last minute, the sun popped out and it was sunny (and of course humid!).   I'll take it!

We brought water guns and water sling shots for everyone, plus Bassam filled up a cooler full of  water balloon and these 6 boys (plus Gracie) swam, played, yelled and laughed for 3 hours straight, taking breaks to eat pizza, fruit kabobs and cookie cake.

 

When we finally said goodbye to the last guest and got everything cleaned up, it was 3:45 and I was ready to crash.   Unfortunately, Thursday night was also the first night of VBS and not only were the kids going, but I was teaching (Art . . .which yes, I know is funny!) and was responsible for a bringing 12 pounds of taco meat/filling for the dinner. 

I know.  Why do I do this to myself?  

I could probably write a very long post on the taco meat debacle.   But I'm going to cut you a break on that one.

However, as we drove home from Vacation Bible School at 8 pm, I realized I wasn't simply exhausted from a long day of birthday party madness and VBS, but I was getting sick.    It wasn't a headache brought on by being out in the sun all afternoon, 6 crazy boys, 12 pounds of taco meat or even cleaning up glitter, gems and other craft-y doo-dads after VBS . . . my head was full of gunk and my sinuses were killing me. 

Knowledge is not always power, my friends.

I can't say that I felt any better today, but I didn't feel worse, so that's pretty good.  The kids and I ran some errands early in the day and then tonight it was back to VBS.   Thankfully, it was pizza for diner  (or "Pizza, Pizza" as the case may be --Little Caesar's!), so no cooking on my part.   Tonight's art project involved making fish with CDs.  As Chief Hot Gluer, I can report that I have burned every one of my finger tips, minus the pinkies.

Those injuries aside, it has been a fun, albeit crazy, two days.   It's not going to slow down any time soon . .  so I'll just keep popping the Advil Cold and Sinus and get ready to go!

Football and Pumpkins

The end to a long, albeit fun-filled, fall weekend!

Saturday was "football day."  Bassam and the kids, plus one of Matthew's pals, were off to the Vandy game for an 11:30 kickoff.   The weather was touch and go, as was the play, but in the end, the rain stopped and Vanderbilt beat Georgia.  For the non-SEC among you, trust me when I tell you this was a BIG deal.  Big . . . huge!

Go Dores!

Almost immediately after that game, we were off to Matthew's last regular season flag football game. Unfortunately, the Seahawks weren't quite as lucky as the Commodores and lost to the Bears.  I think the final score was 19 to 7.  Definitely a bummer, but Matthew scored the extra point for his team, so all was not lost.

This morning we headed to church early, as our congregation kicked of it's capital campaign today. I coordinated the luncheon following worship, so there were lots of last minute things to do.  The decorations and food received high marks, plus there was nice chunk of changed pledged to the church, so I'd say the morning was a success!

Knowing we would be at church later than normal, we brought a change of clothes with us and went directly to the pumpkin patch!  It was sunny and about 65 degrees today . . . practically perfect in every way!  We got there right as it opened, so it wasn't very crowded.  Plus, we got a nice assortment of pumpkins and gourds.

Then we tackled the corn maze (successfully!), took a hayride, played on the tire swings and otherwise enjoyed Gentry's Farm.

I'm fairly certain I will pay for not being a bit more productive today, but that's a concern for another day.

Probably tomorrow.

Cookie time!

It's Monday morning and the house is quiet. 

Well, quiet-ish. 

Matthew is home sick today and I'm listening to the beeps, chirps and music coming out of his Nintendo 3DS.   My day had originally included volunteering in Gracie's classroom,  trying to uncover the last of the hidden Christmas presents, do some wrapping and strategize for tomorrow's planned shopping trip.

Now, it's a trip to the pediatrician and some laundry.  Although I might just get the Christmas cards done, too, as I imagine Matthew and I will spend some quality time in front of the TV today.   Of course, "quality" doesn't refer to what we will be watching. 

The weekend was good, albeit very busy.   I was out with the early bird shoppers on Saturday morning, the afternoon was spent playing outside, cleaning the house and other odds and ends  And Saturday evening, we went had Christmas with the Hales at their house.

Yesterday, was the long awaited Christmas program at church.  As always, the kids did AMAZING!!  One of my angels had a stomach bug and couldn't be there.  Luckily, Gracie knew her line and was able to fill in like a champ.  Never was there a Sunday morning that I needed to see children laughing and singing more.   And I remain amazed by how such a small group of children and youth can fill our church with their voices.  

Then last night was my annual cookie exchange.  It was also the first time most of my friends had seen the new kitchen and porch.    Good food, good drinks, good friends and cookies. . . . if that's not a recipe for a good time, I don't know what is.  I am so blessed to know such wonderful women (who can bake, no less!).   I made some very yummy (but kind of ugly) Chocolate Chip S'mores cookies that Scheaffer over at Pinterest Told Me To shared.   I adjusted the temperature down to 350 degrees, used a heaping tablespoon (instead of 2) of dough and trimmed down the stacker marshmallow to a square before I felt like I got them "right."    Of course, this took several batches to do!   If you like s'mores, you will like them! 

And those are the highlights, my friends.   Hope you have a healthy and happy Monday . . . healthy is out for us, but I think "happy" is totally attainable!

If you build it, HE will come!

Yesterday was the long awaited Christmas program at church.  While it's one of my favorite things at church, it's also stressful for me.  We have a small population of kids at our church, so finding a program that fits our needs is tricky.  Matthew's first year in the program (I think he was 4), they used a program with original songs.  It was very cute (there were more older kids then, too) . . . but for my non-reading son, it was hard to learn them.  In the end, he learned the choruses for each song and he would up as the kid who was perpetually facing the wrong direction and waved at his parents.

The next year, I found myself in charge of the Christmas program. To this day, I still don't know how that happened because I never volunteered to do it.    But from then on, I have not only directed the Christmas program, but I've written scripts, too.   Remembering my own experience from Matthew's pre-reading days, I've stuck to traditional Christmas music that most kids know, or can at least belt out the choruses to in the case of "Go Tell it on the Mountain."

This year, I had 10 kids, which I think may be a record. I invited all the older kids to participate, too . . . but not surprising, most were not inclined to do so.  There are three middle school girls, however, that have taken a liking to me (I’m a confirmation mentor for one of them), and they were willing to be in it.   Love, love, love these girls!    And as you might imagine, this is extremely helpful!

This year's play was called, "If you build it, HE will come."   It starts out on a Habitat for Humanity-type build.   My three older girls played the job forewomen and the younger kids came in as building volunteers.   When they finish the build (which is actually the manger), they leave the site, do a quick costume change and come back in dressed in nativity costumes and tell the story of Jesus' birth.  Matthew played Joseph and Gracie was an angel this year.

I must say, the kids did a PHENOMENAL job.   I was so proud of them.   Everyone remember their lines and the singing was great.   The congregation really enjoyed it too (and not just because the program is in place of the sermon---and we actually got out of church a little early this week!).


My pictures are decidedly so-so this year (Bassam was in charge of the camera!).



Music, musicals and other ramblings . . . .

In my mind, the kids get out for Thanksgiving break in 2 weeks.

In reality, they get out in one week.

One week!   Where is November going?  And if November is going this fast, December will be warp speed!

We had a nice but short visit with GG and Gus this weekend.  There was no big adventure or even a bowling tournament (Wii or otherwise!) for this visit, but it was great to have them here as they headed home from their beach vacation.

Let's see, what else were we up to today? 

The Williamson County Community Band wrapped up the 2011 season this afternon with a concert at Liberty Hall at the Factory.    I'm always glad to get my Thursday nights back for a little bit, but I will miss seeing my white haired (and "no haired!") buds that I sit by.   

In other music news, we did the first run-through of the church Christmas program today.  It seems I may have over-estimated the abilities of some of the munchkins that will be participating.   Needless to say, I will be going  back to the script this week to simplify some lines and eliminate others all together.  

Sigh. 

I would like to tell you I had been slaving over the script for weeks, but the truth is I whipped it out on Saturday morning (just a little bit last minute, right?).  However, it has been perculating in my mind for a month or so.   I think I have a great concept--and hopefully it will be a great reality.

Matthew was excited to be playing Joseph.   Of course, what he didn't know is that as the oldest boy participating, it was going to be his part whether he wanted it or not!  Gracie asked to be an angel again, which was easy enough.   She gets the "big" angel line and shouts, "Don't be afraid, I bring good news!  Today in the City of David a savior has been born--Christ the Lord." 

I guess that's the benefit when your Mama both writes and directs the Christmas program. 

First Communion

 Today we celebrated Matthew's first communion. It was truly a special day and we were blessed to have so many friends from our church family there for the occasion. Matthew declared that the communion bread was "awesome," which gave us a bit of a laugh since we had wafers, but I loved his enthusiasm for the whole thing. 

On the way home from church, Matthew told me he felt really close to God today.  I was so happy for him.

Then, without missing a beat, he asked if he could have another piece of cake after lunch.   

Holy Communion

In the midst of last night's heavy rain and wailing tornado sirens (second Monday in a row--and cancelled swim lessons!), our Pastor was driving to our house for dinner.   Thankfully he made it safe and sound--although told us he was scanning for ditches to jump in if it got much worse.     

The reason for the dinner was not purely social --but to prepare for Matthew's 1st communion which will be this Sunday.   We have been working very hard the last month to complete the "Fed and Forgiven" lessons and I am really proud of how much he has learned in the process.  I didn't take my 1st communion until I was older (Bassam took it much younger--in the Greek Orthodox church you can take it from birth) and felt like I had a better understanding, but he has really surprised us with the excitement he approached this with.    He is counting down the days until Sunday, which is so sweet. 

Another milestone to remind us that he is really growing up.  

Weekend wrap up

I'm waiting for the lazy days of summer to begin. Okay, I know officially summer doesn't begin for a week, but since school is out around here, we call it summer. And this weekend was anything but lazy.

Matthew finished out his soccer season on Saturday. WHOO HOO!! He happily added his 8th trophy to his collection. As for Bassam and I, we were happy to reclaim Saturdays for a bit (not they'll suddenly be free, but you know what I mean).

Bassam was on call this weekend, so he was in and out of all these activities. Poor guy. But now that he is at Centennial, at least the trip is shorter. On the other hand, he has at least two times as many patients to see. He was able to get over to the Farmer's Market with us, but shortly after had to roll back in to the hospital.

On late Saturday afternoon we went to have pictures of the kids taken. I usually try to schedule them right between their birthdays. It's not like when they are toddlers and they change dramatically in the matter of a month or two. Since the photographer I like to use specializes in outdoor photography, we generally end up a little closer to Gracie's birthday since it tends to be cooler. Except this weekend of course, when it was 90+ degrees. Instead of using Crockett Park as we have the last couple years, we decided to shoot over at the Factory in Franklin. The backgrounds are really interesting with brick, metal as well as some pretty landscaping. We had her shoot some family shots this year, too. Despite being pretty sweaty when all was said and done, hopefully she captured some good smiles!

Sunday was pretty boring -- church (last day of Sunday School), playing outside, a trip to the Y and then we took the kids to the pool to practice swimming (see, it really is summer here ---it's not even Memorial Day yet!). Bassam cheffed up some yummy Mahi Mahi for dinner and I've been putting off finishing the church newsletter in favor of completing another Shutterfly picture book because they are 40% off for a couple days. I've been trying to get caught up on albums (would love to be a scrapbooker, but it's so not my thing!) and then when they go on sale, actually order one or two. This was a "limit one" sale, but it's fine, since I only had one ready.

And that's the weekend in a nutshell . . . .

Sunday night already?

Another weekend in the books. It was busy, but so much fun!

On Friday night we trekked up to BF Myers where we picked out another couch for the bonus room --although this time we chose a sectional. Not as pretty as the other one, but it is oh-so-comfy. I predict some great naps on it in my future! Best of all, it is in stock and will be in our house later this week. Hooray!!

On Saturday, the kids went to EBPC for their Drop-n-Shop program, which is a fundraiser for the youth group. In my case, it was "Drop-n-CleanyourHouse." Bassam ran errands and I did lots of laundry and housecleaning. A very productive morning. The neighborhood Christmas party for the kids was in the afternoon and then I did a bit of Christmas shopping after dinner while Bassam and kids watched a movie.

This morning was the Christmas program at church. What our kids lacked in numbers, they made up for in spirit. Great singing and Matthew read his part (a portion of the Christmas story from the bible) like a champ! I was so proud. I think he read it better today then in any of the practices. In a funny twist, the program I wrote for last year was used at another church today, too. Pastor John asked if he could share it with the folks down at his new church in Tampa. I emailed it to him and they ended up using it!

The day ended on a high, too, as I spent a wonderful evening in the company of my girlfriends. Good food, good wine and good company. What could be better?

Looking forward to a fun, but busy week as school wraps up for the year! Hooray!

Oktoberfest

The 12th consecutive day of rain. Boo. I'm all about green grass and thriving plants and bushes, but I'm done with mosquitoes, cancelled soccer games/practices and wet dog paws. Enough already.

Thankfully, we had the annual Oktoberfest celebration at church this afternoon to amuse the kids. The inflatables were a no-go due to the weather, but almost everything else moved into the Fellowship Hall. Some of the games remained outside, but the rain tapered off by mid-afternoon and we even saw some sunshine. Really. We came home with painted pumpkins, loads of prizes, baked goods and tummies full of German food and other treats.

He became one of them . . .

Despite regularly mocking my father for his "career" on church council, not to mention my grandmother and sister before him for their condo association leadership positions (Del Boca Vista, as he lovingly refers to it), Bassam willingly accepted a position himself that will give him an endless source of stories and stress.

Yes, Bassam agreed to serve on Church council this morning. We've both been asked a dozen times in the past 6 years. Twice leading up to this election alone. The church is at a pivotal point --make it or break it. As I've mentioned before, we aren't even sure if we're going to stay. And maybe that's part of why we declined the invitation to run again this year (not to mention neither of us like meetings).

But as we sat in the congregational meeting today, our friend Bud leaned forward and asked Bassam again. Bud gives so much to the church--and I wonder if anyone else had asked if Bassam would have had a different response. He looked at me -- I said, "why not?" Before you know it he was nominated and elected. Unanimously, of course.

In all honestly, I think it's a good thing. He has lots of opinions about how things are done at church--but rarely voices them. Of course, the reason he keeps them to himself is because he knows if speaks up or complains, he will immediately be asked to serve on a committee.

Word on the street is that one of the members elected today only will serve a one year term. I bet you can guess who will be gunning for that one.

In the meantime, we're going to stay put at our church. I don't know for how long, but it will be an interesting ride.

Church challenges

I felt a bit traitorous today.

We decided to worship at another church this morning.

We headed over to St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Franklin for their 8:30 service. Arriving only a few minutes early, we had to sit in the back of the small church, as it was quite crowded. Admittedly, it gave us a bit of a giggle, because we usually walked into our own church 5 minutes late and have a choice of seats.

Matthew complained about not being able to see. If you can believe it, there are actually obstructed views in this church. It's like being in Wrigley Field. The alter isn't very high either, which makes it hard. Still, we enjoyed the experience. They are also in the midst of a building a new church building, right on the same property. It is clearly an exciting time for them.

We visited this church 5 1/2 years ago when we were first looking for our church home. Bassam didn't care for the service (I remember him using the term "hippy dippy!") and I was very thrown by the strange building, having grown up in a more traditional Lutheran church. Having said that, we found our place at Holy Trinity (also a strange building), because we really enjoyed the Pastor and worship experience. Perhaps it was simpler then. We had one tiny infant and we were looking for a place to worship and nothing else. We were Sunday-only kind of members.

Anyway, with all the changes at our church we wondered if we should explore again. Many of Matthew's pals at school have started joining choirs at church and getting involved with the kids' programs. He has asked a couple times if he can join a choir, too. However, as small as our church is, it has not been an option. Many, if not most Sundays, our kids have been the lone participants in Sunday School.

I don't know what we will do. We feel very loyal to Holy Trinity, both in spite of the transition and because of it. There are also a small handful of people we are close to and treasure. In the end, we feel strongly that we won't change just to change--but only if the right opportunity presents itself.

Needless to say, I'm feeling a bit torn. Having basically grown up at one church--and only changed when I've moved to another state, it is not anything I've experienced. Bassam even less so.

Anyone have any thoughts or wisdom to share about this?