many, many blessings

Once again the elapsed time between my last entry and this has sneaked up on me like the days that run away like horses over the hill. So much has happened that I will try to remember, but I know that I will forget. It's what I do.

The biggest event was Shirley's birthday. She turned 9 yesterday, amidst fanfare and a smaller group of friends (as most will be attending her party next week). It was a very good day, one in which she had a lot of fun and was able to celebrate all day long. Literally. All day long. We started with breakfast out at the Miner, which is always a treat, and continued with presents and then church. After church she spent time with some friends who are leaving, and then came home to a small party with our buddies Josiah and Jill (who will miss next week's party while they are in Mexico) and later with Brad, Traci and Joel. It was a very fun time, as we ate dinner, ate cake (too much chocolate for little kids) and simply got to continue our weekend of hanging out. The kids went absolutely crazy after their chocolate fix. We witnessed much wrestling, Andres de-pantsing Juancho, the twins ganging up on Joel the moment he walked in the door, and Shirley glowing in the midst of it all, enjoying her first birthday with us. It was such a great time.

On Saturday we were able to attend the wedding of our friends Zach and Emmy. Corina volunteered to watch Joel, Andres and Juancho (bravery not seen ever before, if you ask me), so the rest of us went up Mill Creek Canyon on a beautiful day to enjoy the ceremony and the beginning of life together for our friends. It was such a wonderful time, very relaxing, very fun, and very much a good time to celebrate. Afterward we went to Rich and Corina's house to hang out, relax, and enjoy their hospitality as they once again opened up their house to us. The kids absolutely love it over there; running around, playing in the backyard, walking through flowers, and sharing a meal that we all eat together out on the back patio. Josiah came over and shared a meal with us while Jill was at a shower, and we all chatted about many things, just enjoying the luke-warm weather (before the dreadful heat of summer) and the time to relax. It was a good day.

The night before that we took a walk at Wheeler farm, deciding that we should do that before it gets too hot to do much of anything outside. It was a very mild night, and it was fun to take the kids and Pakak out for a different walk than our usual traverse of the cold, hard concrete blocks of west Midvale. We got to see many different animals (cows, horses, a variety of birds, sheep, pigs, turkeys, chickens, geese, ducks, and a snake) and walk in the cool shade of the trails of the farm. It was a fun time and a very good way to spend a Friday evening after a week of work.

It was very much a weekend of relaxing and spending time together, which was nice. We are certainly blessed to have good friends in the area to spend time with and that they have all taken our kids on as their friends. It has helped us tremendously in our journey as a family. We certainly look forward the party this weekend, as it will be another good time to hang out with family and friends and celebrate Shirley's birthday.

One note about the chocolate: Shirley informed us (as she was going to bed) that Andres usually poops a lot when he eats chocolate. We found it interesting that she told us after he had eaten two pieces of cake, but we were curious and had to check. Lo and behold, he defecated. We thought he was done. He wasn't. About an hour later I went to check on the boys (who were both still awake, even after Shirley was asleep!) and almost had a case of reverse peristalsis as I walked into the room and was smothered by a distinct and very disgusting smell...Andres and the Chocolate's Revenge Strikes Back! Now In 3-D (disgusting, distinct, diarrhea). Oh man. Bad. Really, really bad. Thanks for the warning, Shirley. Again, that was information that would have been helpful BEFORE WE ALLOWED HIM TO STUFF TWO PIECES OF CAKE DOWN HIS THROAT!!!!

I like cereal.

Since I last wrote, the guy that I have been playing guitar with (living 30 minutes away) bought a house another thirty minutes south from where he already lives. This is basically the end. There is no way in the world I can drive an hour two ways to play guitar. I think I will still try to play somehow and somewhere, but as far as us actually getting together and playing now...I think that it will not work out. Such is life.

I often wonder, as I write much of this stuff, if anyone else feels any of the same frustrations with the conventions of life that I do. Recently there have been a few people who have commented on such things and voiced their own frustrations. I am glad to hear that there are others who struggle with societal ills and their/our place within such functional realities. I encourage those to whom these words speak and resonate within to consider deeply what it is that God prompts in you, in your heart, in your life, in your community. Listen carefully and don't let the conventions of society scare you into toe-ing the line, living status quo, and settling for what is "okay." Remember, it is not a question of what we can do, it is what we are willing to do.

I should also note that one of the reasons we came here was to minister within the neighborhood. Our strengths are in the realm of ministering to children. Janine has been doing this for many years and has been a tremendous part of the kids' lives here since our arrival in July of 2004. This past year we have been hit hard by the departure of kids whom we have grown close to in our time here. First Johnny (literally one of the first two kids we met when we got here) and his brother and sisters left in September 2006. That was difficult, and there isn't a day that goes by that we pass his old apartment without looking to see if he and his siblings are out front playing. We miss them tremendously. Last night we said goodbye to a three more kids who have grown close to us in the last year. Nohemi, Daniel and Jaylee left for Mexico last night, but not before they touched our lives in a very deep way. Sometimes it almost seems accidental how we become involved in the lives of the children and vice versa, but these three have been integral in the lives of our family and also in Brad, Traci and Joel's as well. It is very sad to see them go, as we basically saw them almost every day for the last year. We shared our homes with them, our lives with them, let them be part of our families and became part of theirs as well. We saw Nohemi get baptized in our church at Easter, just as we saw Johnny do the year before. We trust that God continues to watch over them, wherever they go, wherever they are. We will miss the Chavez kids very much, and it is sad to see them go. We thank God for our time with the kids, even though it hurts when things like this come about. But we know that our time here is not wasted, not when we see the lives of our little friends change as God works in them and us together. We are better people for being in community with these families. May God bless them.

Ahh. Late again. I need to get settled down. I hope all is well with you all.