Halloween

Eliza was a wizard

Molly was a princess

Aaron was a ninja

We went to the Fall Festival at a nearby church, as has been our tradition for the past few years. I thought it was way more subdued this year; not nearly as crowded as normal. It was really relaxing and nice. Scott stayed home with Charlie. We are horrible people. We don't dress up anyone under the age of two in this house! No, really, Scott's back was killing him and I didn't feel like chasing after four kids all by myself, one of whom cannot speak and runs after anything he sees with no logic or warning. So they stayed home and watched something scary. The three big kids were wonderful and had the best time ever.

(P.S. Scott has his back surgery in two weeks so he will finally get some relief. Yay! Sorry, I know that is completely unrelated to Halloween.)

First Five

I got the coolest First Five cards from Peanut today!

Thank you, Peanut! I love them!

I am planning to work on my First Five stuff over Thanksgiving Break. It hasn't been a year since I posted my First Five yet, has it????

To tell you the truth . . .

. . . this whole looking for a new church home thing is really getting to me.

We like Gloria Dei, but it pretty far away.

We visited a church right beside our house yesterday. It is one we have visited before. It would be convenient, but Scott and I both know it is not what we're looking for.

I don't want to go to church because I feel guilty for not going. I don't want to go just because it is good for the kids.

I want a community. I don't want to be anonymous.

So I have been asking myself a lot, what is church? What is its function in society? What is it supposed to look like? What is it supposed to be? Do you have to wear dresses? How much of it is cultural? How much of it is tradition? Is there a balance? Who is the church? How is the church supposed to act? Do you have to meet in a big building? Does the church have to have twelve really good programs?

All of these questions, because I do not want to trade one church experience for another, do you know what I mean?

I miss Strawberry Community Church and First Baptist Church of Winterset so much. I miss those churches because we were a family. I miss those churches because the people were so real. I am longing for real relationships right now, and not for a community full of busy people. I know I am whining and I sound very judgmental. Sorry. I just remember the authenticity of those places, and I miss it.

That's enough for now.

One of my faves . . .

OK, I cannot look at this site without my mouth watering. I'm not kidding. I get chills. It's a sad testament to the kind of person I am. I want to be buried in piles of earrings.

Look for yourself. Just remember to come up for air.

Tell me this kid's not cute . . .

Another Cryptic Little Story For Your Enjoyment

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a teacher who loved her students very much. The teacher knew, as all teachers do, that sometimes teachers have to make tough decisions regarding their students. The loving teacher knew that these hard decisions might make others feel less than happy.

One day, the teacher made one of those decisions. The teacher knew it was the right thing to do, but sure enough, someone felt unhappy about it. So the teacher had to deal with that, and things were upsetting for awhile. The teacher wished it would just all go away. But the teacher also knew that the hard thing was the right thing.

Now the teacher is kind of sad and taking a lot of tylenol for all the pain caused by tension in her neck and head. She is also using the Bed Buddy a lot, on her neck. The teacher will be happy to elaborate on the story in a private e-mail. The teacher loves all of her devoted fans who read her blog.

Gloria Dei

We visited Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Houston yesterday. It is right across from NASA! Pretty exciting. Even more exciting was the evidence all throughout the church and its members that they do what they believe. There were several mission trips in the works, and one that was just completed. The church places emphasis on BEING church to the surrounding community. The worship was amazing. The message was full of Truth. The members get together outside of the four walls on a regular basis. I'm not saying our search is over, but this is definitely the kind of church we are looking for.