rejection

I was meeting some friends at Lupi's for lunch, and I was a little early. as I opened the door, squeezing between the potted ferns, I immediately noticed that the place was filling with women in their early 20s, most with the requisite insurance company ID cards clipped somewhere. a few at the middle table were apparently just at the fish tank.

a few ladies in line turned and glanced at me with hopeful eyes as I walked in. immediately and instantaneously, they were crestfallen. clearly, I was not who they were seeking. I could only assume their friends or lovers were late for lunch, and they were hoping that the opening door would usher them in. and to their dismay, it was only me. the smallest of rejections; I couldn't help but disappoint.

I took my place in line, waiting for my lunchmates. and I probably did the same thing to the next folks who walked in, who were not be those for whom I was looking.

need a ride?

I'm looking to sell one stylish hooptie that has been entrusted to me by none other than Joe Staven. It's a 89 Mercury Grand Marquis. Very fast. Lots of charm. Consider your investment in this amazing vehicle as a way to support Joe and Rachel as they're on the quasi-missions field in Honduras for a year. More details forthcoming.

what I did for my summer vay-kay

We just returned from our summer vacation, which was a lovely week of relaxation and snuggle-time. Our 4th anniversary was Thursday, so to celebrate we went to Helen, GA. With help from our family, we were able to get a cabin in the woods for a couple of nights, and take in the somewhat-touristy goings-on in Helen. The cabin was fully-equiped with hottub and jacuzzi, so there was much splishing and splashing going on. Many thanks to those in our family that made the getaway possible. There are more pictures here, by the way.


Since we haven't been on a vacation in a little while, we crammed in quite a few activities. We played minigolf, where we were fed to the mosquitos as we enjoyed the not-quite-challenging course amung the roses. Michelle won by one shot, but if it wasn't for those derned bugs... We also hit the town, which has a german alpine kinda theme (apparently Oktoberfest is the thing here). There were some cute shops, but mostly the usual trinkets, like shotglasses with your name on it. Not quite our speed. Thankfully there is a state park nearby, and since we were there the Thursday before Labor Day, we had the little beach to ourselves (after we found it). So we parked our chairs in the shallows, had the little fish come say hello, and had a splashing good time. Not being big on german fare, we had our anniversary dinner at the seafood place on the river, where Michelle had a large pile of snow crab, which was followed by a romantic and refreshing carriage ride through the town. Sometimes life is better in the mountains.


The next day we found the cure for the trinket stores: a really cool pottery store on a trout stream. They have so much beautiful and affordable pottery that we couldnt resist picking up a few lovely items. They also have some pet trout out back, to which we of course said hello. After lunching by the river, we headed toward home, stopping at Brasstown Bald, which is Georgia's highest mountain. Although it seems odd to be to ruin a lovely mountain by putting a big old building on top, we still couldn't resist going up and taking it in. The weather was quite clear and rather un-Georgian for late August. Beautiful indeed. Oh by the way, apparently the excuse for the building is a fire lookout.


We found ourselves at home a few hours later, and the fun didn't stop there. We declared an in-town vacation, so we went to the zoo, a baseball game, and a park by the lake before the long weekend was over. It was so good to relax together and forget about our daily concerns. Many thanks for your prayers for Michelle's health, as she was feeling great pretty much the whole time. God is so good to us.

T for your tulip

Have you seen the Stanford Prison Experiment?

My initial thoughts on first read-thru:
1. I never want to go to prison. Ever.
2. Same goes for being a prison guard.
3. As much as I'd like to believe otherwise, I too have that capacity for evil. Yikes.
4. How the crap can people think people are "basically good"??

taste and touch

I ache to taste and touch your beauty
Where faith, hope, and love remain,
So I might know and love you truly.

But my wandering heart is often unruly,
Seeking my own as I groan and complain,
Yet I long to taste and touch your beauty.

You freely forgive, release me from duty
That threatens to stifle my passion with shame,
So I might know and love you truly.

To die to myself, to turn from the fury
and take up what Jesus has gained,
so I can taste and touch your beauty.

Enlivened again, I take up with newly
Filled vigor the wonderful task: to attain
How I might know and love you truly.

I yearn to enfold you, take away worry
And love you so much you forget all the pain:
I live to taste and touch your beauty,
So I might know and love you truly.