The Farm

I'm back from the farm!  At what a lovely time it was...

Unfortunately, I do not have access to my camera right now.  So, I will give you my highlight in words...

• Melted butter on warm raisin walnut bread.
• Hanging out with 3 (and for a brief moment 4) super cool kids
• Catching up with two dear, close friends
• Listening to Sara Groves
• Cleaning the chicken coop
• Conquering my fear of (abandoned) hornet's nests
• Washing my hair with castile soap and vinegar
• Picking fresh cherry tomatoes and chocolate mint (yes. CHOCOLATE mint.  It's a plant)
• Sunday church on the front row with the pastors family

And that my friends.   Is a brief glimpse of my WONDERFUL week on the farm.  

At The Farm

Dear friends & family:

For the next week I will be enjoying (suffering?) limited internet service at "the farm" in Wisconsin.  Please know I am not ignoring you.  I am just busy tending a garden, playing with my friends children, and drinking coffee talking late into the night.  Pictures will follow...But for now here is a generic tourist promo of my locale for you to enjoy.

From the land of friendship, weeping willows  & big red barns,

Bethany

Happy Birthday, Sis (again)!

This picture is a couple years old.  Christmas.
Christa and her kids on her lap.
I think it's so sweet.

She and the man who loves her so well!

Sisters!  :)  I gotta admit, I kinda love having two sisters birthdays so close!  The first five things to come to mind that I love about Christa would be...

1. The way she loves her kids
2. The paint job in her house - it's inspiringly bold.
3. She is a starter and finisher.  She will start a project (quilts, aprons, pictures...) and finish it.  Amazing!
4. Her sensitive heart towards things that do and don't matter (movies...).  :) 
5. She sends me "love" texts from time to time.  How does she need that? 

I love you, and am proud to call you SISTER!

Happy Birthday, Sis!

If someone asked me what I loved about my sister.  The first five things that come to mind are...

1. The fact that we use to get mistaken for being each other in High School.  :)
2. Her creativity that has overflowed into the decorations in her house, the way she lives life, and the way she loves others.
3. The gift of hospitality that makes all feel welcomed.  Whether it's a clean bed or homemade goodies...she knows how to make one feel comfortable.
4. Her hair.  She's has great hair!  :) 
5. The excitement, care, research etc...that has gone into being pregnant and preparing for their first born! 

Review: Robinson Crusoe

Can you review a book before finished reading it...probably not.  But I'm going to.  I'm a rebel that way. 

I am mid-way through Robinson Crusoe.  I found the idea to read Robinson Crusoe in a biography of the founder of Salvation Army (no, I can't remember her name right now.  Nor do I have the desire to google it).

Upon her recommendation I picked up the book and was immediately intimidated by the old language.  I've been surprised at how readable the old language has been. It has been surprisingly easy to follow.  I even looked the book up on sparksnotes.com to make sure I knew what was happening and I did.  :) 

Sidenote:

While I was 'googling' this image for the book...

I came across this picture. 



At no point in my imagination has Robinson Crusoe ever looked like a hairy Pierce Brosnan...I giggled to myself upon finding this.  Heee Hee..hairy Brosnan.

Back to review...

Overview thus far: 

I knew very little about the book going in to it.  I just thought it was about a man's survival on a deserted island.  I had no idea of the spiritual themes throughout the book.  Crusoe has many brief and insignificant thoughts of God..until a moment on the island.  Then his ideas are changed...there is a very strong salvific theme.  It's beautiful to see the gradual change of perspective of his situation once He recognizes God's role in his life. 

The book is a good one.  A slow read, not gonna lie.  Hence my review mid-way instead of at the end...and an added bonus is some handy tips in case one is ever stranded on a deserted island.  Up next: Swiss Family Robinson?  Possibly.

Wordless Wednesday: Wind

Memphis Trip

Last weekend I traveled to Memphis for a wedding...below are random fun pics of the weekend.

The remainders of playing with my friends super-fun kids.

An artistically blurry picture at Pour John's...
ok...
I know...
it's just blurry.
But the decaf American was delicious
and the company was even better!

Signage for the wedding.
He spent time in Berlin before they got married.
She spent time in East Asia...
And they are going to live in Purdue, Indiana.  :)
(Purdue is approximately 2 hours and 59 minutes from where I live now)
:)

The boquet of flowers we carried in the wedding
decorating the rehersal dinner table. 
I will forever dream of the BBQ served as the meal, lifechanging. 


As you may notice, the picutres are few.  I forgot my camera charger...hence the low footage of the weekend's events.  It was a whirlwind of traveling in the car, loving on friends and family, and dancing the night away.