I made it back home yesterday evening at around 5:00 PM. Deanna had gone through a couple of rough days again (still recovering from her tonsillectomy) so I encouraged her to stay home and went over to the church for the rally service. I had already told Deanna that I would preach the evening before so there wasn’t too much extra preparation involved — just getting there and getting the room set up. There were several tarps covering all of the equipment to protect it from any more accidental water damage. I got everything uncovered and set up just in time for the rally.
It was great to be back! We played a fun movie-trivia game with audio clips, Ken led us in an awesome time of worship (I was in tears) and taught us a new song, and God put on my heart a short message about being a cultural rebel using comparisons from the life of Christ. We ended the evening with a commissioning to join the “rebel alliance” (smile). All in all, it was a great night.
Although we didn’t get to attend last year’s Summit (over the New Year weekend), it is so cool to see what God is doing through our generation in the Foursquare youth movement!
Today was our last full day in New Hampshire. Bryan went out for Dunkin Donuts this morning. That was another moment from Dad’s past; I guess he used to eat them semi-frequently back-in-the-day. We had our donuts and coffee and were on our way to the town of Ossipee by about 9:30 AM. Ossipee is where Joe, Mom’s brother, lives and it’s been a while since any of us have seen his family. Karen didn’t get to go with us this time; she had to get back to work today.
The drive was about an hour. We followed Bryan’s GPS to the neighborhood, but then had to call for the house number when we got there as it wasn’t getting us right to the house as it will sometimes do. We found it quickly after that and were greeted as we were getting out of our vehicle in the driveway. Joe and Kathy have a beautiful house. We got the tour upon our arrival and sat down to share pics and stories before having lunch. I hooked up my laptop to their TV to share a few digital pics and movies of my own. That was kind of fun; I was trying out some new features on the laptop that I’d never had the opportunity to try before.
After lunch, Joe and Kathy took us on a drive around Ossipee to show us some of the houses that he’s built in the area. Here’s a quick video of the house that he’s currently trying to sell and also a quick view of the outside of their house at the end.
We stayed there for an early dinner, featuring a homemade blueberry pie a la mode that was incredible. Joe had to lead his Cub Scouts group shortly after dinner, which worked out fine, since we needed to get back to Northwood and pack up our stuff for our departure tomorrow morning.
We got back to Bryan and Karen’s around 7:30 PM and found Karen just finishing up her work for the day. She had baked a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies (my favorite), so we sat around the table and snacked on those with some tea and some coffee before Mom and Dad left for the evening. We didn’t stay up much later either — I think everyone is tired out after a week full of activity and hanging out.
I’ve had a great time. Bryan and Karen have been such gracious hosts. The food has been excellent and there wasn’t a moment that I’ve been bored or looking for something to do all week long. There were a couple of things on the list of “to-do’s” that we didn’t get to do: #1) get up to Dartmouth College for a tour (Bryan and Karen say that they will try and video it for us and give us a virtual tour) and #2) Bryan wanted me to meet his mom, Karen. That would have been fun, too. I guess there is always next time, preferably with Deanna and maybe the kids.
So, thanks MUCH Bryan and Karen for a fabulous trip. I’ve got a lot of love for you guys; it’s been wonderful…
Now, I’m on the edge of my seat, ready to get back home to Deanna and the girls. Can’t wait to see them!
I’m really missing everyone back home, especially Deanna and my girls. I’ve been thinking about them a lot this whole trip. Last night was the first night I got to talk with all of them. I put them on speaker-phone and Deanna put us on speaker-phone there, too — both sides could talk to each other altogether that way. That was fun. Deanna seems to be doing much better. Her voice is making a strong comeback and it sounds like she is regaining some of her energy, too. She still complains of soreness, though, and I’m sure she feels very much like she’s still in recovery-mode.
For breakfast this morning, Karen heated up some oatmeal for everyone. We mixed it with maple syrup (the “real” stuff) and brown sugar — very yummy. I also had some blueberry juice (another local item), half a grapefruit, and some toast. After that, we all suited up (including Mom and Dad this time) for another trek across the lake. Mom took a fall going down the ice-packed stairs from the deck. She fell in the sitting position, but her back still looked pretty bruised up. She said that she wasn’t in any pain (unless she directly touched it); we’re praying that it still won’t be bothering her tomorrow.
After we got back to the house, Karen fixed us some Dagwood sandwiches, kettle chips, and some kind of tofu-filled quesadilla-looking slices (which were surprisingly very tasty — smile). After lunch, Bryan started the process of preparing the wood-burning hot tub for later that evening by filling it up with water. Not too much later, him, Dad and I took off for an hour or so for some geocaching a couple miles away at a beautiful park with a pond hidden in the middle and lots of great hiking trails.
Upon our return, we warmed up with another amazing dinner: chicken enchiladas, Mexican salad, and for dessert: creme brulee. Mmm-mmm-mmm. Bryan had started to warm up the hot tub now. Tonight it was a four-to-five hour process. Whew! Lots of hard work. While we were waiting, we played some Catchphrase with Mom and Dad. I’m guessing they left at probably around 8 o’clock and we started to get ready to go into the hot tub shortly after their departure. All three of us — Bryan, Karen, and myself — fit pretty comfortably in the tub. It was very relaxing and — I told Bryan — my favorite part of the trip so far.
The temp outside was about 17 degrees, but it was nice and warm in the hot tub. My hair, which had somehow gotten a little wet (probably from running my hands through it a couple times) was frozen solid. It definitely felt good after a day full of activity. The stars were out (shining bright, compared to what I’m used to) and the night was calm. After getting out, we were all pretty much ready for bed. I had a short phone conversation with Deanna (too short) and then hit the sack. Tomorrow, the plan is to get up a little earlier and head up north to see Joe, Mom’s brother, and his family.
