God's Answer

One of the primary reasons we moved to St Louis when we did was to help the kids transition.  As you can see, they seem to be doing well.    

The other day, Phoebe and her sister Lydia (they live directly below us), came up for a few hours to play.  And play they did.  There were princess dresses, and a princess movie, and all kinds of other antics.  

Which turned in to having lunch.  I enjoy having people in our home.  And they seem to really enjoy it, too.  

So far we've had Lydia and Phoebe for lunch.  And a mother named Emily and her three boys (Charlie- who will be in Gideon's class at Mason Ridge Elementary, Hosea, and Miles).  We've also had a bunch of kids up for freezie pops (I want to keep the freezer full of freezies).  And another lady came and spent some time with Kathee while I was studying.  

So while this is going on in the morning, I am in our bedroom listening to a series of 1-hour lectures in preparation for the Bible Content Overview test that I signed up for in August.  This is a test I have to pass in order to graduate (or else I'll have to take an Intro to the Old Testament and Intro to the New Testament class for credit).  I am able to take it multiple times, but would rather get it out of the way and not have to worry about it again.  Kathee thinks I should just go in and take the test.  She reminds me that I have a degree in Biblical and Theological Studies, that I have read the Bible through each year for the past decade, and that I've taught the Bible for almost 15 years.  

I just don't want to have to take the test again.  I'd rather be one and done.  And my thought is that I have the time to listen to these lectures, and study this summer, so that even if I fail this first time around, I have already done all the work of listening and taking notes, so that down the line all I'll need to do is review.  

In the midst of my normal classes, the last thing I'm going to want to do is work in 33, 1-hour lectures, memorize 40 memory verses, and study for a test I should be able to pass.  So my plan now is to listen to two lectures a day, and then study solidly for it in August.  

In the meantime, I love having my home filled with people and little ones.  I love that our apartment isn't a library/museum, but is a place my children and wife can live, and move, and have their being.  I love it that they can have people in our home, while I study in our bedroom.  

And the great thing is is that I don't even have to use headphones.  Our apartment is so quiet that I am able to study and focus and not be distracted, while Gideon is playing with his trains and friends and Hope is with her friends playing princess and Kathee has people in for a cup of coffee and conversation.  

Our God is faithful.  He is providing for us.  And I think we are transitioning as well as can be expected.  All praise and glory to Him.    

Ted Drewes

So there's this place.  And it sells frozen custard.  And by looking at the number of people in line, you'd think it'd be really good.

And according to Bobby Flay of the Food Network, it's the best thing he's ever had. 

So since Kathee's dad was in town, we headed to Ted Drewes for some.  I had taken teens from the mission trip a few years ago, but didn't get any myself.  So it was the first time for everyone.  When I took teens there I had to park a couple blocks away and walk up.  Saturday night, we got right in.  

People bring lawn chairs, sit in the back of their pick up trucks and vans, and sit wherever they can find a spot.  And people come from out of the wood work for this stuff.  

The best part was looking in through the ordering window (they have about 10 windows from which you place your order) and seeing all the people working to fill orders.  There were people everywhere working like ants.  

We got our order, found a place on the sidewalk, and enjoyed our custard.  I assume, based on my experience versus what everyone says about Ted Drewes that I must have ordered the wrong thing (Large Blueberry Malt), because I wasn't terribly impressed, and don't think it compares to Whitey's Ice Cream.  

Maybe next time we take guests there I'll do a bit more research and order something better.  In the meantime, Whitey's Ice Cream is still the "Best in the MidWest."  

National Museum of Transportation with Grandpa Smith

So last evening Grandpa Smith came down from Moline to spend the weekend with us.  Our kids were absolutely bonkers.  At supper, prior to Karl's arrival, Gideon couldn't stop moving and shaking... it looked like he was having a gran mal seizure for the entirety of supper.  He was so excited to see Grandpa (and we also told him that he could only open his trains once Grandpa arrived... which is the first time since we've lived here that he's had his trains out).  So the excitement of having Karl here, and having someone who finally understands trains and all that was just too much to take.  

So he arrived sometime after supper and the fun began.  

With Karl's love of steam trains, I thought it would be a good opportunity to go to the National Museum of Transportation, which turns out to be about 10 minutes from our house.  We went in the morning to beat the heat, and had a blast.  We rode the tram...

Where Gideon got to sit in the jump seat and say, "All aboard!"

We checked out the huge steam rollers...

The kids learned about what railroad lights mean and then got the opportunity to push the buttons that made them do different things...

They got to climb up, in, and around on different rail cars...

Rode the trolley (that used to run in the city of St Louis)...

Found a rail car called the "Dubuque."  

Rested on the bench...

Took a family-type pictures (with two kids who seemingly don't yet know how to pose for a picture)...

Rode a mini train around the museum for 20-minutes...

Hope got the chance to say, "All aboard," on the return trip...

And then we headed home (after I grabbed a geocache, of course).  

We came back home, had lunch, took naps, and are now watching the World Cup on tv.  

Tonight we head to Ted Drewes Frozen Custard for dessert.  It's great having Grandpa Smith in town.  

So How Are We Doing?

Frankly, for Kathee and me it depends on the hour and what we are doing.

For Esther, we think she's doing great.  She loves having carpet all over the apartment.  She zooms up and down the hallway and explores like crazy.  And with our place being all on one floor, we don't have to worry about stairs (and with the door being so hard to open that even Gideon has to ask for help, Esther isn't getting out by herself anytime soon).  She is happy, is sleeping well, and seems to be thriving.

For Hope, she's Hope.  I think she's kinda caught in the middle a bit.  Gideon is able to go and play at the playground without Kathee or me.  And he does so often while she's napping.  So when she wakes up, she wants to know where he is and I think kinda feels jipped that she can't go.  She still dresses in her princess outfit daily and lives a fairy tale daily.  For me as a father, I'm not sure how much is transition and how much is being 3.  I am just about done with the whining and crying when she doesn't get her way.  We are doing our best at being patient and understanding that this is a huge change.  Yet, in the midst of the transition, we don't want to allow bad habits to take hold that form character.  She's still as sweet as ever and I think she enjoys being here.  Of any of the kids, she talks about Moline the most (primarily people from Moline).

For Gideon, he seems to be doing great (thanks for finding friends).  He and the neighbor girl Esther (who is going in to 3rd grade) seem to get along great.  He really enjoys hanging out with her.  Kathee said Esther and her sister Samantha almost couldn't hold it together when Gideon had to come inside for lunch the other day (how long will it be until he can come back and play?).  She is a sweet kid, and her parents are from the Twin Cities and her dad graduated from the University of Nebraska, so that works in their favor!  All the families seem to know him.  A mother came up to me tonight and shared how good he was with their daughter who is Esther's age.  Another dad told me how helpful he was on another occasion.  Everyone seems to know him and he seems to be thriving.  For as much as he didn't want to move to St Louis, he seems to be doing the best.

For Kathee, she is staying busy turning the apartment into a home.  She is doing a great job.  She really misses her dad...A LOT!  Since she got a phone, she calls him about every morning and they chat.  And being an introvert, she really misses her friends from Moline.  Just tonight we were sitting at the park, and everyone else seemed to know each other and we didn't.  That was hard.  The community here has done a fantastic job of reaching out to us.  They have included us, welcomed us, stopped by and chat.  They have been great.  It's just very hard for Kathee especially to be faced with starting all over again with making friends.  Church on Sunday was also pretty difficult for us.  We are going to a PCA church whose focus is racial reconciliation and reaching out to the poor.  The style of worship is TOTALLY different than what we are used to.  It's hard to even describe here (maybe I will on another post).  Not bad, just totally different and way outside of our comfort zones.  However, we think it good to put ourselves in that community as they are very intentional, have many adoptive and foster families, and where bi-racial families are numerous.  We both really liked the sermon.  When know that we can't find another FUPC (it's not fair to do that anyway), but the idea of church hunting is daunting for us.  SO we'll see how it all fleshes out.

For me, I'm not quite sure how I'm doing.  I genuinely enjoy having time off.  I think that has been good for me.  But it just feels like I'm on vacation.  I still have youth ministry in my blood.  I keep thinking of new ideas for ministry stuff, etc.  So we'll see when it kicks in.  It just all seems so weird.  We are in a new city.  We are living in a new home (that is an apartment and not a home).  We are living in close community.  We are surrounded by families with kids our kids' ages.  I am not a youth pastor anymore but I don't feel like a student yet (so I feel kinda caught in no-man's land).  It's just all jumbled up and it's 1:19 in the morning.  Maybe I'll pontificate more tomorrow.

Here's what I know.  We are right where God wants us to be.  We delight in knowing that.  We are struggling yet see the light of Christ shining in the midst of this difficult transition.  Kathee and I are madly in love with each other.  Our kids are thriving.  His providence in our lives have us jaw-dropped and humbled.  And we love to tell His story.  What could possibly be wrong?

Thanks for reading.

By the way, some have asked me to write more than just posting pictures.  This is my attempt.  We'll see how it goes.


Safely in His grip,
isaac    

So What Do You Do All Day?

Pretty much I make daily trips to either Walmart, Home Depot, or some other errand for something we need.  

Rather than buying bookshelves, we bought cinder blocks to hold up some old shelves that Kathee's family had.  So I have made three trips to Home Depot to get the correct amount of blocks.  Once home, then Kathee paints them, and then I lug them upstairs and get them into place (I'll post pictures of the apartment tomorrow or the next day).  

 To do all that, I've gone through 2 and a half jars of sun tea.  I drink it like water.  Since it's so hot outside, I drink it like crazy.  That being said, our air conditioner is AWESOME and works great (so we are only miserable when going outside).

 I have also been lugging empty boxes, full rubbermaids, a book shelf we moved down that we can't find the shelf for, and a ton of other things over to the storage stall we have in an apartment building 3 buildings from ours.  It's in the basement, so I'm frankly getting tired of lugging stuff over there.  However, it's an absolute God-send to have it.  After 6 more rubbermaids and a few other things to take over in the morning, I think I'll be done.  In my flesh, I want to set a match to it.  In reality, we need the stuff.  That is essentially our garage... it just stinks it's down about 30 to 40 steps to get there.

I've also been doing a lot more cooking of meals lately.  And I've made two loaves of bread since getting here.  Gideon helped me with this loaf of bread for Kathee.  It is a tomato basil bread that she thought sounded good.  She seems to really like it.  

And I ventured out on my bike once, too.  I see people on road bikes everywhere around where we live.  However, they are all out in the street... which is a bit unnerving for me.  So I went to the Trek store and bought a side mirror (so at least I can see them when they run me over).  I did just under 20 miles, but it's going to take a lot of getting used to.  I stopped and talked to a guy at a bike shop today for a while to figure out how to do this thing down here.  We'll see.

I also started studying for my Bible Content Test in August.  It is a test I must pass to graduate.  Although I'm able to take it over, my desire is to spend this summer listening to the prep lectures, take notes, and read the Bible like crazy to pass it.

Even if I fail it the first time, I will have listened to all the lectures, will have all the notes, and won't have to take so much time while studying for other classes before I take it the next time.

I have also been trying to figure out my class schedule for the school year.  They want students to have their classes all planned out and pre-registered for the entire year.  However, they have made a couple changes to class offerings that impact me.  These changes are being made as they are cutting 10 credits from the MDiv in an effort to get students out in 3 years rather than the 4 it takes now.  So they are figuring some things out as they go, too.  Tied in to that, I already have completed some classes that are sprinkled throughout the 3 years I'm here, so it'll take some fancy footwork to do academic planning correctly.  That has taken more time than I think necessary, but I have a steep learning curve.

We also went shopping for a queen size bed today so we can host people who come to visit us (hint, hint). After going to 6 or 7 stores, we bought one and paid to have it delivered.  It was delivered this afternoon! Exciting stuff.

Conway Park

As if the playground on campus isn't good enough, there is a park right across the street from campus that is very nice.  There is a one-mile walking/bike path that we did and had to stop on the way back to play at the playground.  

 Since campus is so hilly, the kids loved riding their bikes on the somewhat level path at Conway Park.  

 We live in a VERY affluent area.  Gated communities are everywhere around campus... it's crazy.  So the park is very nice!

And who'd have guessed that there are two geocaches in the park?  This one is a puzzle cache, which means I have to solve a bunch of questions and do some math and stuff to get the final coordinates to get the cache.  I have all the information, just haven't taken the time to solve the puzzle!  It will be mine in the next few weeks!

Day Old Bread

Twice a week Jody (the man living downstairs) goes to St Louis Bread Company (known as Panera everywhere else in the country) and picks up the day old bread and brings it back to campus.  The pick up site all summer is in our building.  So today Kathee went down and grabbed some bread.  This is something Covenant has done for years and is a nice thing they do.  Once things settle down in our apartment I may volunteer to go pick it up one day a week or so.  We'll see how life unfolds as time marches on for us.  

The Playground

The park on campus is awesome.  And it is a huge aspect of living in community.  It seems that all the families living on campus have children around our children's age.  So the parents all show up at the park to spend time with their kids and chat.  For us, it's after supper.  For everyone else apparently, it's before dinner.  It's a huge enclosed area and so the kids are free to run and play and bike and have fun.  It's absolutely awesome!  

And during the day, since Gideon is old enough to be there on his own, he and his new friend Esther and Esther's sister Samantha play up there for hours.  I made sure to buy a big thing of freezy-pops to keep them cool on these hot days!  

As most of the people seem to be taking summer Greek or Hebrew, some even show up with their books to study while playing with their kids.  Esther got along pretty well with this little boy.  This family speaks very little English and they kind of keep to themselves.  I'll try to work on that a bit more.  

 This father's name is Chad and lives in the basement of our building with his wife and kids.  He was doing college campus ministry just prior to moving here a week before us.  He is a nice guy and I enjoy chatting with him.  His son in the picture with him is named Keller.  I'll have to ask him as I get to know him better if he named him after Timothy Keller, the highly influencial PCA pastor in NYC.  Time will tell.

Silliness

 Ever seen a princess putting a couch together?  I hadn't either.  However, she wanted to help Nathan put the hide-a-bed together that Nathan's family gave us.  Tell me that pictures isn't awesome?!

 Ava with Esther.

 They seem to be doing well together!

 My nephew Otto with hairy armpits

A Day At the Zoo, and Pappis, and Bubble Tea, and

Thanks to a generous gift from my brother Aaron's family for Christmas, we used the money they gave us to become members at the St Louis Zoo (that was the intended use for the money given, by the way).  So after breakfast, and with my brother Nathan's family staying in a hotel north of us, we beat them to the zoo and signed up while waiting for them to arrive.  It was perfect.  Tons of perks, free train rides, free parking, etc, etc.  It was a great gift and one we will use throughout the summer.    

 The whole week was very hot (don't worry, I know we "haven't seen hot yet.").

 While watching the orangutans, one of them put on a hide-and-seek show that was pretty funny to watch.

 And the interest the kids had in the prairie dogs was a bit astonishing considering the stories I hear from church friends who go to South Dakota and basically blow them up with large caliber shotguns.  Seemed off a bit, but the kids loved watching them.  

 And as per usual, Ava was great with Hope.

 The zoo has a pretty cool area for butterflies, which turned out to be the thing the kids seemed to like the best.

Hope at the Hippo pool.  

 It was a bit hot.

 We left the zoo after a few hours to hit Pappi's Smokehouse.  The food was very good.  LOVED the ribs there.  I heard a few nights ago that if you show up after 6pm each night you'll get turned away because they run out of food.  This is a place that was on the Food Network and was busy, busy, busy!