A Great Day to be a Viking!

We had a wonderful weekend at the Augustana Homecoming. After arriving at Steve & Tanya's Friday night and visiting with the family until midnight, we were at HyVee's restaurant at 9 on Saturday morning for breakfast with them all. Grandpa came in later than the rest of us, and as he went from table to table getting hugs from all twenty or so, customers were looking, if not staring and pointing. :)

The Augie parade began at 10, so we headed over to watch and connect with Pete's friends from college. We ran into several and found Tom & Tacey by the Dignitary Tent - they're definitely dignified! It's always enjoyable to catch up with people from the past, and we kept visiting long after the parade was over and David was calling, "Where are you??" He had marched with the Augustana Marching Choir, singing "We are Marching in the Light of God" and doing Chinese fire drills and having lots of fun.

We went to lunch at Johnny Carino's with David, his girlfriend Callie, and her parents, Jon & Lori. They are delightful Christian people and we visited for a couple of hours. We will be praying for wisdom and discernment for David & Callie as they seek to know whether they are called to be together - permanently!

After a short nap, choir rehearsal for Pete, and a snack for him (Kari's tummy was upset, possibly because of the drugs she was taking to ward off cold symptoms), we saved 14 seats at Viking Varieties, the all-Augie talent show. When everyone had arrived, the show started - and what a show! The Brass Choir - David's roommate Michael played euphonium - performed a very long and impressive medley of New York-type tunes ("The Big Apple" was the theme of the entire weekend), followed by numerous individual and small group acts. David, Callie and 2 other friends offered a rendition of "Java Jive" which elicited laughter from the crowd as well as admiration for their vocal skills. David was one of the Augie Dancers and did quite well one two of the songs. Callie played harp and sang "Cartwheels" with another friend of hers - beautiful in every way. An international student from Kazakhstan entertained and amazed everyone with his explanations of Russian, Chinese and Japanese accents (in English!). Several female vocalists, male saxophonists, and a unicyclist displayed their lovely talents, and the set, choreography, costumes and lighting all combined to enhance the experience. The emcees may not have been of the caliber of Pete and Joel back in the day, but their original material and fairly smooth delivery made for good transitions. The last act, the Augie Percussion Ensemble performing "Stinkin' Garbage" - playing on metal trash cans - was very fun, exciting and astounding.

On Sunday Pete sang in the Alumni Choir for the worship service in the Elmen Center (gym). They did "O Day Full of Grace" by F. Melius Christiansen, a gorgeous arrangement that my high school choir sang, and also "Beautiful Savior" and "God Be With You til we Meet Again." Dr. James Johnson, who left last year after a 19-year stint with the Augustana Choir, directed the Alumni Choir. We were all invited to the President's House for a light brunch and official farewell to Dr. J. There was a lot of emotion from people who sang for him for 3 or 4 years - he was beloved.

Kari napped in the minivan while Pete and the kids ate subs and played at Tuthill Park, then we went to McDonald's for coffee with Grandma and Grandpa and played cards at their house. Then it was on the road again, turning off the Vikings game when it became apparent what a disaster it was going to be, and arriving home at 10:30. Another successful family outing!

You Won't Be Sorry

Yesterday, after a great worship service with the congregation once again singing exceptionally well, the Luther League had its monthly potluck and meeting. We were scheduled to go biking on the Willmar-Spicer trail, but only two boys, and our Sarah, raised their hands when asked who wanted to go. Nevertheless, those two and the family of one of them determined they would go anyway, and meet at a home at 2:00 to drive to the high school, where the trail begins. We weren't at all sure that we had a functional bike for Sarah (haven't done any biking this summer at all), but Emily offered her bike for Sarah to ride if necessary.

Andrew & Philip said they didn't want to go; back at home, after a short nap, Pete asked, "Should I make everyone go?" I didn't want to go either, but affirmed that if he could find enough working bikes, maybe that would be the sign.

With a pickup full of bikes, we headed to the meeting place at 2:00. It was sunny and warm, but windy - not a good day to take a walk on the farm, but perfect for biking on a sheltered, wooded trail. We had a delightful ride! I visited with Dianne, Pete visited with Scott, the kids rode with the three other kids who came, and all enjoyed it greatly. In Spicer we had treats at DQ; on the way back a dog joined our entourage, which was a hassle as it kept getting in the way, and Andrew fell off his bike and scraped his arm, but those were minor glitches in a lovely afternoon.

The moral of the story (and I have had numerous experiences to confirm this moral, so I shouldn't be surprised every time): If you get outside and do something, even if you don't feel like it to begin with, you won't be sorry.

Old Friends are the Best Friends

What a wonderful weekend! Shelley & Jon, my college roommate and her husband, came from Friday evening til Sunday afternoon and we talked nonstop the whole time. We would start on a topic - say, one of the kids and how he liked college - and pretty soon we'd covered government regulations, our dreams for housing someday, and a friend's husband's cancer! Or some such...

On Saturday Shelley & I went around to some realtor's open houses, just to see what's in the area for when we eventually move. Oh, the beautiful things some people have and do. The vaulted ceilings; sliding glass doors; stone counter tops; sitting areas with fireplaces; tile floors; desk nooks, and in one house, a greenhouse right in the middle of the living space with skylights - all were inspirational. It makes me excited to move, and wondering whether we'll buy a place that's ready to move into, or do our own remodeling or redecorating.

Saturday evening Jon & Shelley took Pete & me to the local sit-down Chinese restaurant. Yum yum yum! We had 4 dishes - one shrimp, one pork, one chicken, one beef - and even the spicy ones weren't too spicy for me, so we all ate some of each, and egg rolls, wontons and shrimp appetizers besides. Rolling out the door, we laughed and talked some more.

Sunday morning the congregation was in top form - I rarely hear the singing as loudly as I did yesterday. We had a guest speaker who has been to Honduras 22 years in a row. He's a carpenter and had great stories to tell of God's provision. He felt the Lord wanted him to build a certain building early on, which would cost $3000 that Alan didn't have. He went to a builder's convention and won the grand door prize of $3000 plus round-trip airfare to anywhere in the world. Again, inspirational! Afterwards we thoroughly enjoyed a delicious potluck.

After our friends left and we had a nap, David called and we talked for an hour and a half about his life and (girl) concerns. We'll see him in a couple of weeks when we go down to Augie to watch the Viking Varieties talent show, in which he and 3 others will sing "Java Jive." That's a special treat for us, because we used to sing it with Pete's brother & wife, Tom & Judy. In fact, we won the County Fair talent contest and went to the State Fair with it in 1998.

We relaxed the rest of the day, finishing off with "Tangled" - what an excellent movie with great themes and lessons! - and an episode of the old TV show, "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Altogether an extremely fun weekend.

Too Much to Do

I don't know how I'm going to cope with this new school year! This week we had 3 dental appointments, 2 church committee meetings, a flute lesson, 2 haircuts, a party and concert to attend and a baby shower to help host - starting Tuesday, after everyone got home late Monday evening from Plain View Farm. That sounds like a busy summer week, but add in a full week of schoolwork to do in 4 days, and use most of the first day to discuss organization and management of schoolwork, plus celebrate home education by eating at Perkins, and you've got - total chaos!

I'm realizing that my major areas of responsibility - home education, meals, keeping house, church music, supporting Pete and discipling the kids - are more than a full-time job for me. Then add in the minor areas of responsibility - relatives, friends, physical fitness and health, finances, 4-H and trips - and my list becomes truly overwhelming at times. The main ways I cope are leaving house things undone, and reading. I also don't do as much teaching or one-on-one discipling as I feel I should/could, which is guilt-producing.

Perhaps I can make quicker meals, but otherwise, I'm stuck with these areas of responsibility, so - Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Cultural Differences

I find cultural differences fascinating, so here are some I noticed while in Puebla (some are because it's Mexico, others no doubt just because it's a city):

- most prices are similar, but copies can be made for 2-4 cents each, and matinee movie tickets are 2 for $5. Our hosts fed 9 people supper at a restaurant for $30.

- the green light blinks before it turns yellow

- stop signs are ignored - that's why they put in stop lights!

- breakfast is at 9 or so; dinner (their "strong meal") is at 2 or 3pm, and supper at 9pm.

- fruit is cheap

- the houses are very sturdy, made of cement, which means no remodeling; they share walls and are painted bright colors. One way you can tell where one house ends and another begins is by the color change.

- there are hardly any runners, parks, trails or grass

- no carpet, heating, cooling, flying insects or yards

- no one can drink the tap water

- in the big mall, there was an escalator with no steps, just a ramp; also guards at almost every store

- Volkswagen Beetles are everywhere; also many other Volkswagens

- each day of the week, cars with certain license plates are banned in Mexico City

- most young people live with their parents until they get married

- when someone enters a house, everyone else gets up and hugs and kisses the person; same when someone leaves

- most families get together every weekend

None of these are bad or good, worse or better; they're just different. We had good fellowship with our Mexican brothers and sisters in the Lord, and had a lot of fun too!

A Warm Welcome

The entire Cuevas family has made us feel very welcome. Mexicans greet one another with a kiss on the cheek - every time someone enters or leaves, everyone else gets up and hugs and kisses the person and says "Hello" or "Good to see you" or "How are you?" When a new person (in this case, us) is introduced, everyone else clasps his/her hand and says "Mucho gusto" (Pleased to meet you) or some such, and if the relationship is close enough, the new person gets a hug and kiss as well. It definitely makes a person feel welcome and loved.

The first night we visited for hours and by bedtime, already had inside jokes - we told them about lutefisk because they are having a similar kind of traditional food (although I think it's likely to be much tastier) this weekend. And we found out that Cinco de Mayo is actually a Pueblan festival, rather than for the whole country of Mexico, and made jokes about that.

The sisters of Ricardo Cuevas, Saul's father, live in what used to be their parents' home. It is a mansion, with a circular staircase, a mural on the wall, many antiques, and numerous rooms designed for guests. They have hosted us for each dinner - at 2 or 3 pm - with two or three main dishes for each, and other relatives or friends. This weekend they made chiles nogadas, a Pueblan dish. A green chile pepper - like a bell pepper - is gutted of seeds and what makes it hot, then stuffed with a cooked mixture of apples, nuts, peaches, and other goodies. Next it's coated with an egg breading and deep fried, then topped with a white "nut sauce" - quite sweet. Friday, Saturday and yesterday there were lots of extra guests - the aunts had made 200 chiles. Yesterday was the biggest event of all. Besides the big dining room table, which seats twenty, there were round tables seating eight or ten set up all through their formal entryway. After we ate, in strolled a mariachi band! Wow. 2 trumpets, 3 or 4 violins, a guitar, bass and ukulele-type guitar, plus the maestro. And could they all sing loud and well!! They walked in playing and singing, arranged themselves on the circular staircase, and did an hour-long program. The maestro welcomed us from Minnesota, and they sang and played with great excellence. The crowd knew the group (Grandpa used to hire them every year on his birthday – the maestro’s brother used to perform with them and made it even funnier, but he died) and all the songs, and requested certain ones, and Rico and Saul were accompanied by the band on a few. It was the culmination of a week of warm welcomes!

Beautiful Puebla

We are currently in Puebla, Puebla, Mexico (Puebla is the capital city of the state of Puebla). After a two-hour car ride Tuesday evening to a Park & Fly hotel, a 15-minute shuttle ride to MSP airport, a three-hour flight to Phoenix, a half-hour wait on the tarmac until a gate opened and a rush to the next flight when we finally got off the plane, a three-hour flight to Mexico City, a two-hour bus ride to Puebla and a 15-minute car ride to the Cuevas home, we enjoyed great conversation and food until after 11pm and then slept soundly until 8 this morning.

Of course there are many cultural and other differences here, which are always fun to discover. Everything is smaller - cars, rooms, buildings, shops, streets, even the people, it seems! Pete's red head is even easier to spot towering over all the black hair. He is impressed with the solidity of the buildings. Everything's made of cement, so there is no give at all to the floors. The altitude is over 5000 feet, with four volcanoes ringing the city.

The Cuevas home is just one block off a main street, but very quiet. The floors are beautifully inlaid wood, and the many built-in cabinets are either painted white or stained wood. Our bedroom has white built-ins and a white quilt; the living room has white built-ins and white upholstered furniture; the dining room has a white crocheted tablecloth (which Martha made!); there are doors to many rooms, and they're all white. No wonder Saul remembers his mom always making them keep everything perfectly clean! They have a stained-glass window of a peacock in the stairway going up. Michelle is staying in a little room with a bathroom up on the top, which is accessed by a separate outdoor stairway.

We slept very well. The last time we went to Mexico, we slept in Laredo with a dog who barked continuously through the nights, and in Saltillo on a main street with a bus station outside our window. This time it was quiet and dark, and the little dog who barked only did so about three times. More later on our warm welcome!