January 2017

Here we are at the end of January -- already!  Somehow, I think of January as a "break" month -- perhaps because of memories of seemingly endless Christmas breaks (which, in reality, likely lasted a week and a half) -- but it typically flies by in a flash.

Greg and I had our first "alone" Christmas at the end of 2016.  It was very laid back and enjoyable.  Brunch with friends from King's Cross was followed by normal Lord's Day worship.  We relaxed, ate a lot of cheese, washed that down with a lot of wine, and watched Stranger Things.  I roasted a chicken and made Mom's Famous Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes.

We did end up going home to Pennsylvania for "Christmas."  It was a whirlwind trip.  Nine hours of driving through Virginia; a night at my folks' (enjoyed their new, fancy, wood flooring); went to the PA Farm Show with Mom; drove across Lancaster County to West Chester; had an incredible (and incredibly copious) all-you-can-eat sushi lunch with Greg's brothers and their women associates, followed by a special birthday dinner; then to Philly on Saturday to see my grandfather and more family; then McIlvaine Christmas on Sunday; all followed by nine more hours in the car by way of I-95 home.  I'm glad we went.


Amid the gift-giving frenzy (Greg's mom is especially generous!), brother Mark's girlfriend Lauren made me a lovely calendar!  She is quite a talented photographer -- do check out her work!

Photatoes

The background image looks like 1995, being all "tiled" and whatnot... but it is one of my favorite photographs.  It's a scene from rural, coastal Maine -- perhaps my favorite place on this planet.  I thought the rocky hillside appeared somewhat alpine; and "stone of help" being the theme of this blog, it was a fine choice.

Maine is truly wonderful.  Greg grew up going there each summer, basking in its natural glory and splendor.  I've been most summers since junior high, but not to the picturesque coastal "vacationland" -- rather, we journeyed every July to the bucolic countryside of western Maine to rebuilt and repair homes for those in poverty.  Maine has some of the poorest conditions in the lower 48.  It's very attractive in the summertime, and the seacoast and shores of lakes are dotted with extravagant vacation homes.  But travel inland, and you'll see many a lonely mobile home upon many acres of inherited property.  The economy from September through May is dismal -- many restaurants and shops even close at the end of the warm season.  The state that once had a thriving lumber economy now employs, like, five guys who operate heavy machinery to cut down the trees.  There are a few potato farms going strong in Aroostook, though.

That's why it is important to continue to travel there, even only in the summer.  Support the many wonderful artists, farmers, artisans, winemakers, cooks, and even vacation-rental-owners who do live there.  We weren't able to make it this summer (no vacation at all) or in 2014 (we opted to attend Greg's brother's wedding, of course), but we do hope to go in 2017.  I have missed the constant rhythm of the waves sliding in and out of the rocky shore, the fantastic hiking trails littered only with leaves and lichen, and the fabulous meals day after day of clams, blueberries, freshly baked breads, and lobstah.  So looking forward to this summer!

Therefore, in the style of those great vacation photo slide shows "of old," here are some photographs (yes, light-drawings made with a real SLR camera and developed on photo paper!) of Good Times in Maine:

Eben Ezer | Stone of Help

וַיִּקַּח שְׁמוּאֵל אֶבֶן אַחַת, וַיָּשֶׂם בֵּין-הַמִּצְפָּה וּבֵין הַשֵּׁן, וַיִּקְרָא אֶת-שְׁמָהּ, אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר וַיֹּאמַר, עַד-הֵנָּה עֲזָרָנוּ יְהוָה

And Samuel took one stone, and he set it between Mizpah and between Shen, and he called the place Eben Ezer, and he said, "Until now the LORD has helped us."

[1 Samuel 7:12] 

It's time for a new blog!  In this age of the big, blue monster and the tweetie bird phenomena, blogging remains perhaps the best way to creatively share tidbits of life with others through the twirling, magical tubes of the internet.  As I haven't been great at sending an impressive and cute annual update to friends via Christmas card (read:  never), I'd like to begin (again) to blog -- albeit unimpressively and non-cutely.

The past two and a half years have been a whirlwind for Greg and me, and yet commonplace as well. One of us started a graduate degree and left it behind; one is over halfway through completing a Master of Arts.  One of us brings home the bacon; one of us earns nickels and dimes betwixt three jobs.  One of us serves at church as a ministry intern; one will soon be ordained into the diaconate.  Changes have come, but only during the ordinary, daily grind of work:  six days we labor, the seventh we rest (...wash, rinse, repeat).

The Eben (stone) Ezer (help) seems an appropriate title, as we look in agreement to the prophet Samuel's words:  "Until now the LORD has helped us."  We also have seen the Lord's hand of help in our life, from bringing us to Charlotte to providing us with jobs and community; from healing Greg of his knee injury to providing a way out of the financial hole his months off of work dug us into (by many means, including new jobs, fresh opportunities, and the outstanding generosity of beloved family and friends).  It is upon this Stone of Help that we stand firm.

We remember fondly the former attempts at blogging (as novice cooks and as an angsty twenty-something), and look forward to sharing more, consistently, here.