More Transitions

We visited Sioux Falls last weekend for three purposes.  Niece Aanna graduated from Dordt College and got engaged, so we wanted to see her; Callie performed her senior harp recital, and we celebrated Mother's Day with Mom Stadem.  We arrived at about 4:30pm on Friday, and departed at 8pm on Saturday, as the Svea Sunday School kids sang in church on Sunday and needed Philip to sing with them and me to direct.

Our schedule boggles the mind:
Friday:
  5:00 - visit with Tom and Judy after bringing Andrew and Philip to their house; take a walk outside in the gorgeous sunshine
  6:30 - take Mom and Dad Stadem to Ruby Tuesday's for delicious dinner, compelling conversation and blissful blessing
  9:30 - meet Tom and Judy at the Shrine for ballroom dancing
 12:00 - back to Mom and Dad's condo to sleep
Saturday:
  8:00 - meet Aanna at HyVee for breakfast and all the details about Nick's proposal and their courtship
  9:30 - Pete finds a coffee shop; Kari drives with Tanya and Aanna to Brookings to drop the latter off so she can get a ride to Pierre for a wedding
 11:00 - Tanya and Kari stop by David and Callie's apartment so Tanya can see it and we can say hi
 11:30 - Pete helps Steve with log-splitting while Kari helps Tanya make lunch; we eat lunch with Steve, Tanya and her parents
  2:00 - Travel to Augustana
  2:30 - Enjoy Callie's fantastic performance on the harp.  All the above-mentioned people attend the recital as well
  3:30 - Help Laurie Berg serve Bundt cake and berries for a little reception after the recital.  Visit with the Browns
  5:30 - Savor Old Chicago pizza with the Bergs and the David's
  7:30 - Pick up Andrew, Philip and Greta at Tom's; bring Greta home; get coffee and tea while Philip jumps on Greta's trampoline with her
  8:30 - Travel home via Sacred Heart to wish Jeannette Agre a happy 60th birthday
  12:30 - Home!

It struck me that yet another transition forces our Sioux Falls visits to look very different.  In the past, our big blob of a family traveled down in the big van to someone's house for a big gathering with the whole family.  Now, the whole family doesn't get together much because half the cousins have separate lives.  The big group did gather on Sunday, but we couldn't be there.  Daniel and Sarah didn't even come with us because they had other things (Sarah homered in her softball game).  The fragmented family fractions require small groups instead of large blobs.  Although it makes for a lot of miles on the car, it's kind of nice to focus on individual conversation.  Every cloud has a silver lining.

David's Voice Recital Weekend

What a fun time in Sioux Falls this weekend! Our schedule:

Friday - depart at 3:45pm (Pete, Kari, Sarah, Andrew & Philip), hoping to avoid the slippery, snow-packed, low visibility roads that Pete had been driving in (moving turkeys) all morning. We sure did - it was sunny and the roads were perfectly clear all the way down.

Mom & Dad Stadem fed us delicious lasagna, the Tom's came over and the kids played computer and cards, the adults played a card game called 3-13 that we'd learned from Bev Young in Hawaii.

Saturday - We met the Tom's at HyVee, where Dad bought us all breakfast - very good. We visited until almost noon, then the kids went with the Tom's and the parents went to a funeral. We went to Augustana and met Michelle & David. We had lunch with them in the cafeteria and talked about the future - primarily Michelle's - until 4, strolled down to the Huddle and discussed it all until 6, then over to the HyVee Deli and ate Chinese and chicken until 8! We didn't really get anything resolved, but agreed to pray for unity in Christ regarding the decisions Michelle has to make. David has applied to Riverside Bible Camp, Campus Crusade's Summer Project, and summer research at Augustana. He'll wait to hear back from all 3 before making a decision.

When we had had enough, Pete & Kari picked up Philip & Beka at Tom's and brought them to Steve's, who had just arrived home from Lanesboro. The 3 youngest cousins had a sleepover there, and we went back to the parents'.

Sunday - At Gloria Dei Lutheran Church we were blessed by the praise team (Steve played guitar), the sermon and a middle school liturgical dance group. Kari cries during songs whenever she doesn't lead worship. What's up with that? Pastor Tim Selbow's main point: the devil may win certain battles but he's already lost the war. Pete & Tim have a friend in common - Jim Luebe, our colleague from Tentmakers, played baseball with Tim at Luther College.

Dad S treated us and the Steve's to pancakes and eggs at the VFW. Full of good food, we meandered over to Kresge Hall at Augustana for David's sophomore recital. He, Callie Berg and Ali Hoffman sang art music in English, Italian, German and French beautifully. We especially enjoyed an English song about "all the girls I swore to love forever" that really showed off David's range, tone, breath, and control.

Steve & Tanya hosted us all - Browns, Steve's, Tom's, the parents, and our family - for HyVee chicken, potato salad, lefse, chips and salad. It felt like we ate the whole weekend long! After visiting for a couple of hours, we had an uneventful drive home and prepared to re-enter the daily routine after losing an hour to Daylight Savings Time.

Thanks, Lord, for a wonderful family, great weather and beautiful music!